Saturday, February 11

Superbowl of Banana Bread

Food shopping at Pathmark in the morning with Edie on the big bike, a nice play date at some friends we don't see often enough in the afternoon, a walk by the river, then an evening in with B's momma & some pizza ordered in. Over all good chill day in the 'hood with the family.

Not the greatest eating day, but I think the only way not to fall off the wagon is to loosen up (if not lighten up) on the weekends. I hear that Tom Cruise eats only what his team of nutritionists and cooks allow him during the week, but on the weekends he's off the hook and able to eat as many Scientology Crackers as he likes or something. I wonder if he would hire a guy like me to record everything he eats and write a witty blog about it.


AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 9am, special k with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM SNACK: 10:45am, cheese ravioli and spinach, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: noon, banana bread, pretzels & hummus, different cheeses, salumni & crackers, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
At friends house with the kids. We brought some banana bread as the host also made banana bread and ate them head to head -- too different to really compare. Really nice cheeses and salamis, ate lightly because a ton o' meat and cheese will kill my guts, but enjoyed it highly regardless.


PM SNACK: 3pm, baby carrots & white bean dip, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 5:45pm, 3 slices of streetza, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Friday, February 10

Top of it

Busy day. Did the laundry in the morning, got out with Mil to visit MAP for hot chocolate, went downtown to do a secret special chore, got home by 1:15, made lunch, put away laundry, cleaned up house, picked up Edie, exchanged some clothes at a kids store, spent an hour at the playroom and changed multiple diapers, got everyone home and made dinner for everyone. Rushed but on top of it.

TODAY'S COOKING
Granola bars: In a small pot, a few glugs of maple syrup, quarter stick of butter and about a cup of almond butter. Once smooth, added 2 eggs, a glug of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of salt. Mixed it into yesterday's batch of granola, pressed it into a parchment lined glass pan, and baked at 300 for 20 minutes.

Banana Bread: Had 4 bananas on the edge of oblivion, so made up a recipe. Beat a stick of butter into 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Added 2 eggs, the 4 bananas and a 1/4 cup of full fat fage. Teaspoon each of baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Turned to slow, added 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour. Baked at 350 for 1 hour. Came out weirdly dense but light, so moist almost to be mushy, just holding on by a thread.


AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 9:30am, hardcore oatmeal, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM SNACK: 11:am, large mutzu apple
Looking for a snack in the farmer's market. My mind went to pretzels and whole wheat baked goods, but the farm stand of 15 different apple varieties caught my eye. This golden yellow apple was almost a pound, and was cold, crisp and seasonally perfect.


AM SNACK: 11:45am, 3oz bourbon hot chocolate
Visited my friend MAP at City Bakery for hot chocolate, she does a blog every year tasting every flavor they do in the month of February. It was really good, had the smokey wood flavor of bourbon that worked well with their dairy-based rich hot chocolate. Most notable was the size -- we got tasting servings, which in actuality for something so rich was pretty much all you need. A 20oz Starbucks-size serving of this stuff would probably be enough calories to cover lunch and dinner, he he. Mil slept through it, but I think later in the month I'll be taking Edie, and she'll also have a 3oz shot. I hope it aint cappucino hot chocolate then!!


LUNCH: 2pm, breaded tilapia, health salad, pickle, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Between going out and getting Edie, popped home to do chores, put away laundry and make a proper lunch. The frozen fish is weird -- it's breaded, but the actual fish is raw, so it would not be fair to say it is deep fried, but the amount of oil in the breaded that leeches out on to the pan, the oil that allows it to become crunchy, makes me wonder. Maybe I should get the unbreaded ones and bread them myself on demand?


DINNER: 5:45pm, cheese ravioli & spinach, grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
2 lbs of frozen mini cheese raviolis, a pound of frozen spinach cooked with a little olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic, a cup of homemade tomato sauce, all thrown into a pot and mixed together. Not the yummiest -- the ravioli are so bland -- but filling and could be worse, I suppose. Ate a small second helping in hopes of avoiding snacks in the evening.


EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, banana bread, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Thursday, February 9

Granola bars to the rescue

Hung out with old friend J and Mil in the afternoon, walking around, kinda skipped lunch but I had some homemade granola bars with me to stay sane, and had a small lunch when we got home after picking up Edles from school.

Fried up a nice sausage from Whole Foods with dinner -- unlike a lot of different meats from a butcher case, one link is 1/3 lb, a good single portion with no worrying about using the meat over several days.

TODAY'S COOKING:
Granola: My friend brought me a gift of a huge 32oz jar of artisinal granola, but I went a made this anyway. The jarred stuff was fresh, organic and full of healthy stuff, but still too sweet for my palate and had walnuts in it, whose flavor just doesn't appeal to me.

Brown Rice Pilaf: Sauteed a cup of shortgrain brown rice in 4 tbsp of butter for a solid ten minutes. Added water, half cup of slivered almonds, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders. Came out pretty good, though the almonds had less impact then I thought they had -- next time I'll sautee them with the rice.

Iced Tea: Another 2 gallons, each gallon with 1/4 cup of white sugar.


AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
Last pint of the 2 gallon batch. Noticed it tasted a little funky, from being in the fridge too long. Hmmmm.


BREAKFAST: 9:45am, toasted pumpernickel bagel with scallion creamcheese, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was looking in the cupboard for a healthier breakfast -- had smoothie yesterday, oatmeal soon but not today -- and realized I had to change it up or risk getting bored. Makes me think perhaps I should make a load of my own bagels, a pumpernickel bagel with proper 100% whole grains, rye and wheat, and just freeze them. Won't be cheaper than buying them, but will be fun and healthier...

PM SNACK: 1pm, granola bar, seltzer, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 2:45pm, pickle


LUNCH: 3:30pm, whole grain chicken nuggets, health salad, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 6pm, momma salad, andouie pork sausage, brown rice pilaf, roasted acorn squash, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I don't like acorn squash that much -- I suspect it has such a high water content that it makes the flesh a little bit too juicy, despite being roasted at high heat for more than an hour. Weirdly sweet, too, like a sweet potato (another thing I don't like.) Well, I ate it, despite remembering that I don't like it, hrumph.


EVENING SNACK: 8pm, whole wheat ritz & nutella, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Went hard. Lunch and dinner were both too small.


EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, 3 small buttermilk pancakes, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Wednesday, February 8

Up the Walls

And old friend and her toddler come over in the morning to hang out and share smoothies, had coverage in the afternoon and took myself out to lunch -- in a few weeks, I'll be teaching on Wednesdays, too, but we put the child care coverage down in advance. Nice dinner at a friend's in the hood with kids crawling up the walls.


TODAY'S COOKING
White Bean Dip: Made this recipe pretty much faithfully, an alternative to bottled salad dressing. It came out nice and salad-dressing runny, but I wonder how it'll thicken when it's chilled... I suppose even if it thickens to hummus-like standards, it'll still liven up the momma style salad.


Health Salad: Kinda forgot about this slaw, a good simple side.



AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Yep, lose the raspberries, halve the pineapple, and we'll have a divine smoothie. Pretty good, makes me feel good, but look forward to working through the gallon of frozen fruit to create a new mix...


LUNCH: 1:30pm, veg dim sum, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took myself out to lunch, but improved. I always order too much when I go to veg dim sum by myself, but I limited myself to 3 small plates and it was a nice, proper amount in which I was able to finish everything and feel good after. Not enough veg, very starchy, but it hit the spot.


DINNER: 6:45pm, shake n' bake boneless chicken thigh, boxed mac n' cheese, a little roasted broc, 2 wedges of salted chocolate caramel tart, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took the fam over to a neighbor's house for dinner, a little bit raucous but a good time. Brought the last of the 3 tarts I made for the stupor bowl -- I wiped off about 2/3 of the finishing salt before presenting it, was definitely more balanced....

EVENING SNACK; 9:45pm, Special K with milk. .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Tuesday, February 7

A Nice Granola Bar

Got into a funky mood last night, continuing through the morning. Forgot to eat breakfast while taking care of Milli Mil, doing the laundry, cutting back my beard, etc, but a nice granola bar held me over.

Started teaching a new culinary class, these kids are a year younger than who I've been teaching, 15 to 16, and I'm surprised at the difference. A little bit more hand holding, a little less explanatory oratory, a little more cat-herding to clean up. Still, the food turned them on and got mostly positive feedback at the end of the lesson.

Still, our meal wasn't the healthiest, so I ate lightly, and by the time I got home, I shoveled in some unhealthy snacks and that was that.


AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea

LUNCH: 11:45am, turkey & Swiss on sprouted whole wheat bread, baby spinach & carrot salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
The bread struck me as kinda tiny, so I toasted a second pair while I ate the first, but half way through my sandwich I realized it was really dense bread and that it would be enough.

PM SNACK: 1:15pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


SCHOOL DINNER: 7pm, chimichurri flank steak, mac n' cheese, sauteed spinach, water, a little grape soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 9pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat ritz and nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Monday, February 6

Off the Chart

Woke up to my phone alarm -- B woke up early and got out the door around then for her first day of work, and miraculously both chillun remained asleep. Got both of them up, fed, dressed and the big one to school, and lifted weights when I got home.

Have been enjoyed the baby spinach salads, but I need to change it up. It's slightly bitter, chalky taste begs for accompaniment, which has been met with baby carrots and creamy Cesar from a bottle. The carrots are fine, but I need to make my own creamy dressing. The ranch recipes I've looked at call for butter milk (yay!), sour cream (eh) and mayo (ewwww.) Makes me think I should just invent my own, and hope the buttermilk and fresh herbs can give the right flavor. I can make cream fraiche again with the buttermilk and some cream, and make my own mayo. Soup it up with fresh herbs, vinegar and maybe water to thin it. Could be good, but how long would it last in the fridge? It won't be the forever-stuff like you buy in the bottle...

I bought a pound of spinach, and including the one more left, I've gotten about 5 servings out of it. I think in the future I will rotate momma style salad / spinach salad and chopped poppa salad. Need to get one more in there and will have a month's round of salads!


AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:45am, hardcore oatmeal, banana, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny how what was two servings of oatmeal the first time became 3 solid servings the second time.

LUNCH: 12:30pm, chicken parm hero on whole wheat, spinach salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This time reheated chicken and bread in micro, added more sauce and a bit more cheese, and set the broiler to lo instead of hi. Edges of bread still burned, but tasty. Add around the bottom half of the bread, leaving over about 1/3 of it uneaten. Chicken, how ever, was pretty good despite being almost a week old. Three solid meals out of one chicken boob!


DINNER: 5:30pm, angel hair pasta with roasted brussel sprouts, momma style salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 6:30pm, whole wheat ritz with nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, left over angel hair pasta, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I suspect I did not eat enough today, ravings for sugar and carbs off the chart.

Sunday, February 5

A pretty good apple

Another hard night with babies up here and there, but with a new approach and a newly put-up gate, hopefully things will settle soon. Took Edie out in the morning for a big food shop, as it has occurred to me now that B will be at work, it'll be difficult to haul weight by foot with Milli Mil -- he's too young for a bicycle.

Took Mil to a friend's Superbowl party in Brooklyn. She made a veritable feast of fancy food, though due to some appetite-destroying cupcakes B inflicted on me in the afternoon, it was easy to go easy. My salted chocolate caramel tart was good, though I went a little too heavy on the finishing salt.

BREAKFAST: 8:30am, iced green tea, hardcore oatmeal, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 11:45am, brussel sprout fried brown rice , baby spinach with a few baby carrots and a little creamy Cesar dressing, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
A powerfully nutritious lunch, in advance of a dinner that'll be very, ummm, American.

PM SNACK: 1pm, an apple
A crisp, cold fuji apple is pretty delicious, but it's even more delicious when cut up, munched on while on the couch, and your 2.5 yr old comes up, puts her head on your shoulder, and shares it with you. Mmmmmmmmm!

PM SNACK: 3pm, 2 cupcakes, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
-sigh- B brought these back for me, after a few hours out and about while I looked after the kids. I guess she didn't get the memo. Didn't stop them from jumping down my neck quite quickly, though.


SUPERBOWL DINNER: 6pm, a few vegetarian dumplings, pulled pork on a steamed bun with a little kimchi, 1 beer, 1 slice of salted chocolate caramel tart, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5