Woke up, entertained the tots while making some nice breakfast, then got them wrapped up and strapped into the double stroller for a nice cold journey to the East River. Betsy & Edie were a little feverish, so I stayed in for the rest of the day.
TODAY'S COOKING
French Toast: 2 cups of whole milk, 4 eggs, 2oz vanilla sugar, big pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Splash of vanilla extract. Clarified a stick of butter for frying. Cut last night's challah into 1" pieces. Fried on low heat to get a nice golden color and firm the centers.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, french toast, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Edie wasn't sure what to make of the french toast, wanted pancakes. :( I cut her small piece into quarters and she hesitantly nibbled a piece. She looked at me with the sweetest, questioning, innocent look, then looked away at the TV and took another bite. "So, Edie, did you like it?" Pause. "Yeah." I looooove her soooo much!
LUNCH: 12:45pm, 2 hotdogs with caramelized onions & mustard, pickles, 7oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I intended to have 1 hotdog and baby spinach salad, but after dressing the last of the spinach with carrots dressing, the first bite revealed that the dressing started to turn. So I threw it out, and said, hey, it's a Tom Cruisian weekend, shouldn't beat myself up.
PM SNACK: 3pm, 2 chocolate pudding ramekins with whipped cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:45pm, baby carrots with a little ranch dressing, Singapore noodles, roti canai, water, a few alphabet cookies, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, a few whole wheat pretzel sticks, a piece of dried sausage, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, March 10
Friday, March 9
Feeling Chocolate Pudding
A day in constant motion. Woke up, got the laundry together, took Edie down to the laundry to get it in, took Edie to school, got home, ran out for some infant Tylenol for a slightly feverish Mil (due to the vaccines he received yesterday), got the laundry in the dryer, say goodbye to Betsy, lift weights, make smoothie, get laundry & put it away, go to Wholefoods for supplies, make chocolate pudding and whipped cream, out to Union Square for follow up about my kidney stones, home cooking labor intensive risotto, entertain a Sabbath dinner with friends, dance party with toddlers, clean up, watch a bad movie, sleep.
Urologist didn't give me any new info, asked if I drank pots of coffee a day. -sigh-. I have another scan and a follow up later in the month, hopefully it'll be more conclusive.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream: Used this recipe, though ignored the technique, just wanted proportions. (I did double the sugar, it seemed too low and I was right -- this is still not a very sweet pudding) Tossed everything in a pot except the cold butter, turned heat up low, and whisked until it thickened. Turned off heat, put the pot in an ice bath while continued to whisk, and hit it with the butter to get a nice glossy sheen. Once it seemed reasonably cool, spooned into ramekins, covered with plastic and into the fridge. 3/4 of a pint of heavy cream into the stand mixer, about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and scrapings of 2 vanilla beans. Whipped until stiff peaks.
Mil was at my feet distracting me, and I found that the pudding was not perfectly smooth - it had a few tiny little lumps in it. This was probably from getting the pudding too hot, too fast -- a feel thing. If I make it again, I'll probably get it right.
Filet of Sole, Roasted Brussels & Mushroom Risotto: Betsy wanted this meal again, so why not. Nice white fillets on a sheet pan with pats of butter and Old Bay, broiled for about 8 minutes. (The next morning, looking through my c-school recipes looking for french toast, found several recipes for fillet of sole, I regret not using them -- this simple broiling method is my mom's style, what I grew up with. I should of dredged in flour and spices, pan sauteed, finished with a little pan sauce or supremes of lemon!) Brussels halved and coated with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted at 425 for 20 minutes until soft in the middle and charred outside. The risotto was the same as last week, except swapped out parm for asagio, went a little heavier on the sherry to compete with the cheese's funk.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie
AM SNACK: 11:30am, spinach empanadas, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, Sicilian slice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:45pm, filet of sole, mushroom risotto, brussels, 2 small pots of chocolate pudding and whipped cream, half glass of wine, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, small amount of sesame whole wheat pretzels
Urologist didn't give me any new info, asked if I drank pots of coffee a day. -sigh-. I have another scan and a follow up later in the month, hopefully it'll be more conclusive.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream: Used this recipe, though ignored the technique, just wanted proportions. (I did double the sugar, it seemed too low and I was right -- this is still not a very sweet pudding) Tossed everything in a pot except the cold butter, turned heat up low, and whisked until it thickened. Turned off heat, put the pot in an ice bath while continued to whisk, and hit it with the butter to get a nice glossy sheen. Once it seemed reasonably cool, spooned into ramekins, covered with plastic and into the fridge. 3/4 of a pint of heavy cream into the stand mixer, about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and scrapings of 2 vanilla beans. Whipped until stiff peaks.
Mil was at my feet distracting me, and I found that the pudding was not perfectly smooth - it had a few tiny little lumps in it. This was probably from getting the pudding too hot, too fast -- a feel thing. If I make it again, I'll probably get it right.
Filet of Sole, Roasted Brussels & Mushroom Risotto: Betsy wanted this meal again, so why not. Nice white fillets on a sheet pan with pats of butter and Old Bay, broiled for about 8 minutes. (The next morning, looking through my c-school recipes looking for french toast, found several recipes for fillet of sole, I regret not using them -- this simple broiling method is my mom's style, what I grew up with. I should of dredged in flour and spices, pan sauteed, finished with a little pan sauce or supremes of lemon!) Brussels halved and coated with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted at 425 for 20 minutes until soft in the middle and charred outside. The risotto was the same as last week, except swapped out parm for asagio, went a little heavier on the sherry to compete with the cheese's funk.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie
AM SNACK: 11:30am, spinach empanadas, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, Sicilian slice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:45pm, filet of sole, mushroom risotto, brussels, 2 small pots of chocolate pudding and whipped cream, half glass of wine, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, small amount of sesame whole wheat pretzels
Thursday, March 8
Springing
A beautiful day out. After Mil's 4 month check up, brought him out to Roosevelt Island, where he rolled over by himself for the first time on the grass on the north end of the Island. Picked up Edie, spent an hour in the local park with lots of other friends and families. Spring is on the edge of, umm, springing!
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, homemade granola bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, shrimp fried rice, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a hole in the wall dumpling place in Chinatown, $5 got a big tray of fried rice, maybe 2 lbs worth. I used to really like the large amount for few $, but now it seemed clownishly large. So I ate half, but ate all the shrimp in it. I noticed two things as the cook made the dish in the open kitchen -- he took a bunch of raw shrimp and cooked it in boiled water before adding to the stir fry, and he added a white powder to the cooking. The shrimp is always wonderfully tender and freshly cooked here, and the rice is yummy because that white powder is what I know to be MSG. Not too much like a Dorito, but enough to make the food memorablely different than the typical Chinese take out that trumpets proudly, "NO MSG".
DINNER: 6:15pm, grilled cheese on whole wheat, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrots dressing, a fistful of Purim cake and chocolate, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had a variety of cheeses left over from a school tasting. Put Ementaller and Gruyere on mine, with a shmear of caramelized onion, buttered the bread. Fried in grill pan, with a heavy copper pot pressing it. Oh my, I understand why these can be addicting -- crunchy, oozy, salty, fatty. I stopped at one, thank goodness. I could definitely make myself sick on these. The whole wheat bread is definitely on a fig leaf on it's unhealthiness, though it did give a nice nutty note.
Several packages of sweet stuff showed up on our door from the religious neighbors, so rather than wait and get hungry for another sammich, I slammed some coffee cake and some milk chocolate down and I was right as rain. Threw out the balance of the sweets, didn't feel bad about it, either.
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, homemade granola bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, shrimp fried rice, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a hole in the wall dumpling place in Chinatown, $5 got a big tray of fried rice, maybe 2 lbs worth. I used to really like the large amount for few $, but now it seemed clownishly large. So I ate half, but ate all the shrimp in it. I noticed two things as the cook made the dish in the open kitchen -- he took a bunch of raw shrimp and cooked it in boiled water before adding to the stir fry, and he added a white powder to the cooking. The shrimp is always wonderfully tender and freshly cooked here, and the rice is yummy because that white powder is what I know to be MSG. Not too much like a Dorito, but enough to make the food memorablely different than the typical Chinese take out that trumpets proudly, "NO MSG".
DINNER: 6:15pm, grilled cheese on whole wheat, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrots dressing, a fistful of Purim cake and chocolate, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had a variety of cheeses left over from a school tasting. Put Ementaller and Gruyere on mine, with a shmear of caramelized onion, buttered the bread. Fried in grill pan, with a heavy copper pot pressing it. Oh my, I understand why these can be addicting -- crunchy, oozy, salty, fatty. I stopped at one, thank goodness. I could definitely make myself sick on these. The whole wheat bread is definitely on a fig leaf on it's unhealthiness, though it did give a nice nutty note.
Several packages of sweet stuff showed up on our door from the religious neighbors, so rather than wait and get hungry for another sammich, I slammed some coffee cake and some milk chocolate down and I was right as rain. Threw out the balance of the sweets, didn't feel bad about it, either.
Wednesday, March 7
Pill Pop
Around 9am, my kidney started hurting, similar to last week. I managed to stick to my schedule and go out with Mil and do a few chores. By 11am, the pain went from a 2/10 to around 6/10 and realized even though it was slower than the attack last week, I didn't know how bad it would get. So I cancelled class, popped the pain pills and when the baby sitter came at 1, I napped until 4pmish. Woke up groggy but free of pain -- I guess it was only a slight return, not a full on event.
Funny, the warm nice feeling the pill gave me also made my hunger return and had a decent lunch. To groggy and out of sorts to cook, so I ordered in dinner -- looks like I'll be cooking for guests Friday instead of ordering in anyway, so it's balanced. Betsy and her mom don't like fish or Japanese food, so it's a rare privilege nowadays.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
PILL POP: 11am, oxycodone, ibuprofin
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 4oz whole wheat spagetti with sauce & grated parm, baby carrots, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Still amazed that 4oz of dry pasta is 2x the serving size, 4x the FDA serving size.
DINNER: 7pm, sushi, tempura, small green salad, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny, the warm nice feeling the pill gave me also made my hunger return and had a decent lunch. To groggy and out of sorts to cook, so I ordered in dinner -- looks like I'll be cooking for guests Friday instead of ordering in anyway, so it's balanced. Betsy and her mom don't like fish or Japanese food, so it's a rare privilege nowadays.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
PILL POP: 11am, oxycodone, ibuprofin
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 4oz whole wheat spagetti with sauce & grated parm, baby carrots, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Still amazed that 4oz of dry pasta is 2x the serving size, 4x the FDA serving size.
DINNER: 7pm, sushi, tempura, small green salad, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tuesday, March 6
Veggie Burger Horror
Woke up pleasantly sore from weights. Healthy lunch, but going to Red Hook to teach threw off my eating, though it was fun. I need to remember to eat a proper meal when I get home from teaching, rather than letting it build.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, corn chex with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, baby spinach with carrot dressing, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, grape soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SCHOOL SNACK: 6:30pm, a few small slices of poorly made pizza, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods with nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie burger on whole grain bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My god, Betsy likes these Dr. Praeger California-Style veggie burgers, but they are D-gust-ING. Mushy potato patty with corn and cut green beans studding it for a thoroughly un-burger-like experience. I finished it because I didn't want to be wasteful, but I should start looking at veggie burger labels, and see if any of the more burger-like ones are acceptably healthy.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, corn chex with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, baby spinach with carrot dressing, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, grape soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SCHOOL SNACK: 6:30pm, a few small slices of poorly made pizza, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods with nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie burger on whole grain bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My god, Betsy likes these Dr. Praeger California-Style veggie burgers, but they are D-gust-ING. Mushy potato patty with corn and cut green beans studding it for a thoroughly un-burger-like experience. I finished it because I didn't want to be wasteful, but I should start looking at veggie burger labels, and see if any of the more burger-like ones are acceptably healthy.
Monday, March 5
Fish Fail
Reps are going a little on weight routine, look forward to doubling the original amount so I can cut them back and increase the weight.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Scrod with Chorizo: I was going to cook up a frozen breaded tilapia in the freezer, but the more I thought about how it tastes versus the fresh scrod I picked up the other week, the thought of the freezer fish seemed much less appealing. So Edie & Milli Mil & I swung by the market on the way home from picking Edie up from school. Last time, I prepared it simply, butter and Old Bay, and broiled it for 5 minutes.
This time, I cut up my half-link of chorizo into thin slices, quartered the slices and scattered them on top of the fillet. Added a few pats of butter, and roasted at 400 for 10 minutes (unlike last week, this was a thicker piece). I thought the chorizo's salty/smokey/fatty make up would give the fish a big taste, but it wasn't nearly as salty, smokey or fatty as I thought and the fish was quite underwhelming. I imagine the technique used in the fish I've eaten in high-end restaurants that involve little bits of sausage are a little bit more sophisticated than what I did. Next time I attempt to flavor a roasted fish with a sausage, gonna refer to a recipe for technique first.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, hardcore granola, an apple, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, left over whole wheat rotini with mushroom, spinach and onion, a pickle, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This had to be twice the suggested serving, but it didn't seem excessive. For pasta 3 or 4 days old, tasted surprisingly spritely and fresh. I think the siraccha kick it has somehow helped preserve it.
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, Baked Scrod with chorizo, roasted brussel sprouts, brown rice mix, 7 oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, 7oz ginger ale
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, graham crackers with nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING:
Scrod with Chorizo: I was going to cook up a frozen breaded tilapia in the freezer, but the more I thought about how it tastes versus the fresh scrod I picked up the other week, the thought of the freezer fish seemed much less appealing. So Edie & Milli Mil & I swung by the market on the way home from picking Edie up from school. Last time, I prepared it simply, butter and Old Bay, and broiled it for 5 minutes.
This time, I cut up my half-link of chorizo into thin slices, quartered the slices and scattered them on top of the fillet. Added a few pats of butter, and roasted at 400 for 10 minutes (unlike last week, this was a thicker piece). I thought the chorizo's salty/smokey/fatty make up would give the fish a big taste, but it wasn't nearly as salty, smokey or fatty as I thought and the fish was quite underwhelming. I imagine the technique used in the fish I've eaten in high-end restaurants that involve little bits of sausage are a little bit more sophisticated than what I did. Next time I attempt to flavor a roasted fish with a sausage, gonna refer to a recipe for technique first.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, hardcore granola, an apple, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, left over whole wheat rotini with mushroom, spinach and onion, a pickle, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This had to be twice the suggested serving, but it didn't seem excessive. For pasta 3 or 4 days old, tasted surprisingly spritely and fresh. I think the siraccha kick it has somehow helped preserve it.
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, Baked Scrod with chorizo, roasted brussel sprouts, brown rice mix, 7 oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, 7oz ginger ale
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, graham crackers with nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, March 4
Crowded out
A good Sunday -- got to read the paper in the morning, took the train uptown with Edie for some time in Central Park and a kiddie orchestra concert with a friend & her kid in the afternoon. Got some time alone in the late afternoon doing the week's food shopping.
Not a good eating day, but it was my "day off", and despite a horrible (but very much appreciated) indulgent dinner of unhealthiness, I'm looking at this list and seeing how very healthy stuff on hand is crowding out lesser choices. Whole grain home made bagels, home made granola bars, green tea, carrots, competing with the McD's and the frozen pizza.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with a little marscapone, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My bagel is not as bad as I original feared, look forward to making a much improved 2nd batch. 100% whole grain, and vegan to boot!
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: noon, honey-roasted almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Strolling near the Poet's Walk in Central Park, seemed like the healthiest option. Very sweet and crunchy, definitely not light on the sugar. Almond flavor was very muted against the sugar.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, filet-o-fish sandwich, fries, diet coke, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
First Ave in below 72nd St. I just needed the convenience of an uncrowded, simple experience that Edie would be comfortable and chill in. McD's got my number, I'm an unwonderful parent. :(
DINNER: 7:45pm, Stouffer's Frenchbread pizzas, baby carrots, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Not a good eating day, but it was my "day off", and despite a horrible (but very much appreciated) indulgent dinner of unhealthiness, I'm looking at this list and seeing how very healthy stuff on hand is crowding out lesser choices. Whole grain home made bagels, home made granola bars, green tea, carrots, competing with the McD's and the frozen pizza.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with a little marscapone, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My bagel is not as bad as I original feared, look forward to making a much improved 2nd batch. 100% whole grain, and vegan to boot!
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: noon, honey-roasted almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Strolling near the Poet's Walk in Central Park, seemed like the healthiest option. Very sweet and crunchy, definitely not light on the sugar. Almond flavor was very muted against the sugar.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, filet-o-fish sandwich, fries, diet coke, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
First Ave in below 72nd St. I just needed the convenience of an uncrowded, simple experience that Edie would be comfortable and chill in. McD's got my number, I'm an unwonderful parent. :(
DINNER: 7:45pm, Stouffer's Frenchbread pizzas, baby carrots, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
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