ADDENDA:
I never liked sour cream much. I remember when I was really small, I believe my mom made a really lame rendition of matzohbrie, and she served it with sour cream. I refused to eat it, and she said that sour cream was a delicacy, that I was foolish not to eat it. By delicacy I thought she meant rare and very expensive. Years later, in my teens, I saw that sour cream was neither rare nor that expensive, and the seeds for years of parental-challenging eating were planted.
Last night as I was shopping for ingredients for latkes, I almost couldn't find matzoh meal - I thought, my god, am I such a bad Jew that I shop at supermarkets that don't have such a soulful staple? At Wholefoods it wasn't in the baking aisle, but segregated with the Semitic foodstuffs like jarred gefilte fish and beety horseradish. I went to the dairy case to find creme fraiche - and found a variety of expensive organic sour creams but none of the French stuff. I eventually stumbled onto it in the cheese section, along with the more unusual, pricey imported cheeses. Now THIS is rare and expensive!
The latkes came out good, but I have ideas how to make them better next time. However, the creme fraiche....was a delicious delicacy. Though I've had it served to me before, I never quite knew what it was or paid it much mind. When I saw this latke recipe, I first thought it was pretentious language for fresh whipped cream. It's actually a mildly cultured heavy cream, somewhere between sour cream and mild yogurt, but much more buttery & creamy tasting. Eating it with my latkes was a revelation. I wish my mom was around so I could both share this 'delicacy' with her, at the same time nervily rebutting her assertion that sour cream was somehow something to be held as dear. Maybe she was right, but the arguing of such a silly matter would of brought us both a lot of giggles. And I could hear her enjoying it, but complaining about how expensive it was for such a tiny little tub...
On a lighter note, my employer just caved in on a few key points, things may turn out OK yet.
BREAKFAST: 8am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 9:45am, 24 oz still
BP: 10am, 131/88
PM SNACK: 12pm, bag of unsalted shelled pistachios, hunger 4/5
Donated about 1/4 of the bag to the HVS holiday drive.
LUNCH: 1pm, leftover lamb sausage and latkes, creme fraiche, hunger 4/5
The microwave was very unkind to this meal. Still, yummy.
PM SNACK: 4pm, big crunchy fuji apple and a small piece of apenthaller funk-cheese, hunger 4/5
Quite good.
DINNER: 6:15pm, hijiki tofu patty on wholewheat pita, large spinach salad with carrot dressing, small plate of cold sesame noodles, water, hunger 4/5
Quick dinner before the movies at Dojo.
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, large peanut-butter brownie, hunger 4/5
Oy, what a mistake. Killed my cravings, but I immediately felt a little physically yucky.
Wednesday, December 12
Tuesday, December 11
Feel like la-la-la-latkes tonite!
ADDENDA:Not surprised my BP is a little high this morning, feel a slight headache, know I haven't been eating as well as I normally do lately. Today is the day to snap back. Started with a good breakfast, packed a lunch even the HVS would approve of (minus the raw goat's milk cheese to compliment the apple), and tonight I'm going to hit up the market for supplies then attempt a latke recipe out of Saveur magazine.
My grandmother made latkes, but my mom never did. The recipe in the mag is surprising straight forward - grated potato and onion, matzo meal, egg, chive, salt and pepper and oil. They do, however, get all fancy pants and suggest alternates to apple sauce or sour cream, like creme fraiche...hmmmm. I kinda feel like I'm in the experimental stages of creating a new tradition, so when my kid/kids come along, I'll already have something yummy up my sleeve to pop on them.
Just received the Global sharpening steel in the mail today, I feel like a kid with a new toy - I can't wait to hone my blades tonight before chopping something!
My recent stress at work has been getting a lot of news coverage lately. Though it's hitting the papers now, I feel for the most part it's over, at least for me.
BREAKFAST: 8am, organic wholegrain chex with good milk, 1 small banana, hunger 4/5
AM WATERING: 10:15am, 24 oz still
BP: 11am, 132/96
LUNCH: 1pm, superhippy peanutbutter sammich, baby carrots with homemade hummus, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, apple and a small amount of funky cheese, hunger 4/5
I think my funky cheese turned or something. Oh well.
PM SNACK: 5pm, Roberts Smart Puffs, hunger 4/5
Very hungry, don't want to go nuts as it'll take an hour or so to make dinner once I get home. Craving sugar, cookies looked good, but damn, after eating crappy for the last 4-5 days, I gotta focus on making sweet-free days not so special!
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, unsalted pistachios in shell, hunger 4/5
Picked these up as a potential interesting daytime snack, but felt too hungry to start cooking without a handful of something.
DINNER: 7:30pm, curry lamb sausage with mushrooms, homemade potato latkes with creme fraiche, seltzer, hunger 4/5
Oh my. This came out good. I thought I used a lot of salt, as the preparation called for salting the shredded potatoes and onion over a sieve to sweat out the liquid. I guess salt got sweated out too, because the final product was not salty at all - I imagine some might even call it bordering on bland (but was just right for me!) Couldn't find chives at the market, next time if I can't I'll go nuts with some scallion, that might excite the flavor profile.
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, 1.5 oz chunk of Sharfen Berger 70% dark chocolate, hunger 3/5
Betsy snarfed those horrid soy ice cream sandwiches right after dinner, I couldn't be bothered. However, after an hour I started craving sugar and by 9:30 the drums were so loud in my ears. I went to into the kitchen, thinking, "Good! I know there is no sweets here so I'll be able to resist!" Unfortunately, on the top shelf there was a high-quality piece of cooking chocolate, left over from my gelato-making. I only ate 1/3 of it, and for the next 30 minutes I craved more, but it passed.
I was surprised - I had a very satisfying, heavy meal for dinner. Maybe it was because of the potato factor?
Monday, December 10
I feel like crap
ADDENDA:
Woke up nauseous and tired, combination of jet leg and the late-night Indian food. Lolling around on the computer this morning, some interesting developments at work. On top of that, have 2 work-related holiday parties I'm not looking forward to...
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45 am, 133/92
LUNCH: 1:30pm, curry pork with rice & cabbage, small miso soup, 3 pork dumplings, water, hunger 3/5
Stomach still feeling weird but head is clear, must be jet lag. Nice catching up with Erikka, it's like when I'm socializing over food, it actually makes the food more appetizing.
PM SNACKS: 7-9pm, 1/2 weird sweet mixed drink, 3 bottles beer, small amount of assorted snackies including mini-empinadas, small piece of cubano sandwich, meat n' potato ball, a few garlicky shrimp, hunger 3/5
Attended a few work parties downtown, was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, as despite the corporate shenanigans, I actually like most of the people I work with - some I'd even hang out with if I didn't happen to spend almost more time with than I do with my wife.
DINNER: 10pm, vegan garden burger on sprouted wheat bread with mustard, 2 small soy ice cream sandwiches, hunger 3/5
Got home, felt snacky but not hungry. A little buzzed but not really. B had done a little food shopping, so I ate of her harvest. The burger was bland and gooey (though the bread I got last week was really good, a nice light-weight counterpoint to superhippy bread). If the soy ice cream crap wasn't there, I would of been sweet-free today....and they tasted awfully fake, reeking of artificial vanilla and an oily mouth feel.
Woke up nauseous and tired, combination of jet leg and the late-night Indian food. Lolling around on the computer this morning, some interesting developments at work. On top of that, have 2 work-related holiday parties I'm not looking forward to...
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45 am, 133/92
LUNCH: 1:30pm, curry pork with rice & cabbage, small miso soup, 3 pork dumplings, water, hunger 3/5
Stomach still feeling weird but head is clear, must be jet lag. Nice catching up with Erikka, it's like when I'm socializing over food, it actually makes the food more appetizing.
PM SNACKS: 7-9pm, 1/2 weird sweet mixed drink, 3 bottles beer, small amount of assorted snackies including mini-empinadas, small piece of cubano sandwich, meat n' potato ball, a few garlicky shrimp, hunger 3/5
Attended a few work parties downtown, was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, as despite the corporate shenanigans, I actually like most of the people I work with - some I'd even hang out with if I didn't happen to spend almost more time with than I do with my wife.
DINNER: 10pm, vegan garden burger on sprouted wheat bread with mustard, 2 small soy ice cream sandwiches, hunger 3/5
Got home, felt snacky but not hungry. A little buzzed but not really. B had done a little food shopping, so I ate of her harvest. The burger was bland and gooey (though the bread I got last week was really good, a nice light-weight counterpoint to superhippy bread). If the soy ice cream crap wasn't there, I would of been sweet-free today....and they tasted awfully fake, reeking of artificial vanilla and an oily mouth feel.
Sunday, December 9
Lost in Las Vegas
ADDENDA:Las Vegas was a lot to take in by itself, meeting my buffet-crazed father-in-law made for an interesting overlay. We managed to wrangle him into a nice eatery, the San Marco at the Venetian, the Las Vegas Batali outpost. Note in the picture our next-table neighbors with the hats. Them cowboy hats were everywhere. Also note that it was not actually al-fresco dining, but a not-that-amazing simulation in a large vaulted room with the ceiling painted like the sky, with the walls to give the impression we were in Venice...if Venice were packed with cowboys and branches of NYC restaurants...
Friday
BREAKFAST: 9am, 1 pancake, 1 cheese blintz, potatoes, 1 apple crepe, bacon, biscuit w/sausage gravy, smoked salmon, banana, small donut, water, hunger 4/5
The buffet at our hotel was pretty horrible food, and such large portions. The bacon was incredibly salty, and the sausage gravy tasted like someone dumped a whole shaker of salt in it by accident.
PM SNACK: 1pm, half a G&T, hunger 2/5
At the MGM Grand, my father-in-law advised that if we looked like we were gambling at the slots, we could order $1 drinks instead of $5 at the bar. So I toodled away the first gambled dollar of my life as we waited to place an order.
PM SNACK: 2pm, bite of crappy everything pretzel, hunger 3/5
At the 'New York, New York' casino. If they tried to serve this pretzel on the street in NYC....well, I guess tourists will eat anything, he he. I was tempted to get a slice of 'NY style pizza' there, but LOOK at it! My god, man!!
PM SNACK: 4pm, crappy chocolate gelato, hunger 3/5
The Bellagio is trying to be all hoity-toity, but the gelato in my neighborhood totally trumps that gooey crap.
DINNER: 7pm, chips, guac, salsa, shrimp with rice & refried beans, water, hunger 4/5
Crappy Mexican back at the hotel, me and B were happy with how the way went but too exhausted to go out to hunt a proper meal. The 'fancy' option in the hotel was Bennihanna....
Saturday
BREAKFAST: 7am, waffle & bacon, water, hunger 4/5
Room service, same crappy food at 10x the price.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, bread, prosciutto, zucinni flowers, small slice of goat cheese pizza, veal & ricotta meatballs w/ polenta, chocolate malt gelato, water, hunger 4/5
At the San Marco at the Venetian. Really yummy, as good as anything in NYC. The pizza was Batali-style, which I don't like that much, but interesting.
DINNER: 6pm, 1 sip of wine, shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, eggroll, California rolls, carrots & cucumber, 3 bites of prime rib & stuffing, 1 small bite scary pizza, chocolate ice cream with choc syrup, hunger 3/5
Final crack at the buffet, wasn't very hungry but it was all about the company, not the food. However, the small bite of the buffet pizza was perhaps the worst ever...
Sunday
BREAKFAST: 7am, waffle, bacon, potatoes, water, hunger 4/5
In the diner at the hotel, getting ready to go, saying good byes.
AM SNACK: 11am, small Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza, hunger 4/5
The flight had no meal service, so this was the least evil of options near the gate. Pizza Hut pizza is very....greasy.
PM SNACK: 2pm-1pmish, airline cheesy crackers, airline cookies, good saltless wholewheat pretzels, small apple juice, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 10:30pm, chana sag with basmanti, pakoras, nan, seltzer, hunger 4/5
Starving when I got home. Ordered cheap Indian food from the hood, very satisfying.
Wednesday, December 5
Off to Las Vegas
ADDENDA:I passed the fresh scene of this accident on the way to work yesterday. It's my normal bike route, and the cops rerouted me off the bike lane into traffic to avoid it. I saw the red pick up track, the ownerless bike propped against the truck, and the panel truck parked in my lane 20 feet ahead. Sad.
I'm leaving straight from work early to catch a flight to Vegas with B, to meet my father-in-law for the first time, to peep the Hoover Dam, and totally go crazy on an all-u-can-eat all-pork buffet (Ilsa, I'm kidding!!....about the all-pork part, at least)....
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, toasted onion bagel with good butter, banana, hunger 3/5
Thinking of the crap I'll be eating this weekend, tossed in a banana for good measure.
AM WATERING: 9:40am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45am, 130/78
NOON SNACK: noon (duh), nice crisp apple with a little funky-ass cheese, hunger 4/5
PM WATERING: 12:45pm, 24 oz still
PM SNACK: 1pm, 2 oz bag of fritos, hunger 4/5
Kinda regretted this as I was eating it, as these are easily available in an airport, but I just feeling like eating something different.
LUNCH: 1:30pm, 3 potato samosas, brown rice w/ curry sauce, cold pumpkin noodles & sesame tofu, hunger 4/5
A mostly organic, mostly vegan food bar, something I won't be seeing in Vegas...
PM SNACK: 2:15pm, 1 dark chocolate gelt, hunger 3/5
The HVS gave me 2, but after eating one, remembered that Hanukkah gelt are usually poor-quality chocolate. Usually they are milk chocolate, so this was a step up, up still a little crumbly in the mouth. I'm sure B will gobble the other one up on the flight...
DINNER: 6:30pm, fish & chips, water, hunger 4/5
Crappy food in the airport.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, shortbread & dark chocolate, seltzer, water, hunger 4/5
Snacking on the airplane.
Bolweevils of the Soul
ADDENDA:
Funny how less than a week ago I was pretty content in how my professional life was going, and now I'm weighing the advantages of leaving before I find another job, once the corporate bureaucracy allows me to negotiate for myself. It's really starting to effect my appetite, I just hope I don't get discouraged then binge when the hunger jumps up and bites me on the ass.
I am thankful that the depression I'm experiencing has a very definable outside stimulus and is not some free floating angst that makes me want to write bad poetry, like...
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45am, 126/88
PM SNACK: 1:45pm, a few bites of curry tofu & rice, hunger 4 to 2/5
Has not aged well in the fridge, too spicy, almost bitter. Appetite was there, but then left me. Have an interesting meeting in a few minutes.
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, the insides of a falafel sandwich, hunger 4/5
Hungry, but not hungry. Didn't find the wholewheat pita appetizing, though there was nothing wrong with .
Meeting went well. Negotiated enough to stay here through January and not feel stupid, though we'll see how it goes in January.
DINNER: 7pm, a little more than half of a Margherita DOC for Isabella's Oven, baby carrots and homemade hummus, hunger 4/5
Paid extra attention to this pizza, as haven't had a fancy restaurant pie in a wild. The the crust was better than the stuff I get at wholefoods, nicely textured and chewy, a little limp but that's probably from steaming in a cardboard box for 10 minutes. The little pools of bufala moz was great, just the right minimal amount but the sauce was unattractively tangy - my sauce on the fly is much better.
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, 1 saltless whole wheat pretzel with good peanut butter, hunger 3/5
Felt restless after the day's events.
Funny how less than a week ago I was pretty content in how my professional life was going, and now I'm weighing the advantages of leaving before I find another job, once the corporate bureaucracy allows me to negotiate for myself. It's really starting to effect my appetite, I just hope I don't get discouraged then binge when the hunger jumps up and bites me on the ass.
I am thankful that the depression I'm experiencing has a very definable outside stimulus and is not some free floating angst that makes me want to write bad poetry, like...
Oh, such a dark and evil day,BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw nuts, hunger 2/5
What do I have to do to say,
The corporate headmasters are evil,
I liken them to bolweevils,
Of the soul.
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45am, 126/88
PM SNACK: 1:45pm, a few bites of curry tofu & rice, hunger 4 to 2/5
Has not aged well in the fridge, too spicy, almost bitter. Appetite was there, but then left me. Have an interesting meeting in a few minutes.
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, the insides of a falafel sandwich, hunger 4/5
Hungry, but not hungry. Didn't find the wholewheat pita appetizing, though there was nothing wrong with .
Meeting went well. Negotiated enough to stay here through January and not feel stupid, though we'll see how it goes in January.
DINNER: 7pm, a little more than half of a Margherita DOC for Isabella's Oven, baby carrots and homemade hummus, hunger 4/5
Paid extra attention to this pizza, as haven't had a fancy restaurant pie in a wild. The the crust was better than the stuff I get at wholefoods, nicely textured and chewy, a little limp but that's probably from steaming in a cardboard box for 10 minutes. The little pools of bufala moz was great, just the right minimal amount but the sauce was unattractively tangy - my sauce on the fly is much better.
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, 1 saltless whole wheat pretzel with good peanut butter, hunger 3/5
Felt restless after the day's events.
Tuesday, December 4
Imagine all the time I'll have to blog...
ADDENDA:
It seems that corporate decisions have made my current employment situation a bit demoralizing. I could be in the market for a new job as soon as January 1st. My biggest concern right now is how this is going to impact B, she has a lot on her plate right now with her Dad n' stuff, all she needs is an unemployed husband!!
BREAKFAST: 8am, toasted onion bagel with good butter, hunger 3/5
Haven't had a bagel for breakfast in a long time. Gotta start mixing it up more, maybe oatmeal soon, too.
AM WATERING: 9:15am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:20am, 131/89
LUNCH: 1pm, pork chop over fried rice, shrimp summer roll, hunger 4/5
I brought left over tofu n' rice, but got invited out to lunch by an old work associate who has a good sense of what's going on.
DINNER: 9pm, bowl of baby carrots and homemade hummus, bowl of wholewheat pasta with homemade sauce and Parmesan, large square of homemade apple crumble, hunger 3/5
I was sorely tempted to go to Katz's on the way home and pound down a huge pastrami sandwich, a plate of beef-steak fries and a plate of pickles, out of anger, but then I thought about a) how it would make me feel later and b) I wasn't hungry anyway, so I went home. Had a hard time deciding what to eat, till Betsy said, "Why don't you just have some pasta?" Making dry pasta doesn't seem like real cooking, it's more like preparing, and I really didn't feel like cooking, but I didn't feel like an unhealthy restaurant meal like I had this afternoon.
It seems that corporate decisions have made my current employment situation a bit demoralizing. I could be in the market for a new job as soon as January 1st. My biggest concern right now is how this is going to impact B, she has a lot on her plate right now with her Dad n' stuff, all she needs is an unemployed husband!!
BREAKFAST: 8am, toasted onion bagel with good butter, hunger 3/5
Haven't had a bagel for breakfast in a long time. Gotta start mixing it up more, maybe oatmeal soon, too.
AM WATERING: 9:15am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:20am, 131/89
LUNCH: 1pm, pork chop over fried rice, shrimp summer roll, hunger 4/5
I brought left over tofu n' rice, but got invited out to lunch by an old work associate who has a good sense of what's going on.
DINNER: 9pm, bowl of baby carrots and homemade hummus, bowl of wholewheat pasta with homemade sauce and Parmesan, large square of homemade apple crumble, hunger 3/5
I was sorely tempted to go to Katz's on the way home and pound down a huge pastrami sandwich, a plate of beef-steak fries and a plate of pickles, out of anger, but then I thought about a) how it would make me feel later and b) I wasn't hungry anyway, so I went home. Had a hard time deciding what to eat, till Betsy said, "Why don't you just have some pasta?" Making dry pasta doesn't seem like real cooking, it's more like preparing, and I really didn't feel like cooking, but I didn't feel like an unhealthy restaurant meal like I had this afternoon.
Monday, December 3
Putting My House in Order
ADDENDA:
Woke up this morning at 7 after a restless night, grabbed the laptop on the floor and emailed work, saying I wouldn't be in today. Rather than feel crappy about work all day, I've decided to start putting my house in order now instead of 'later'. So far I've done some crucial fixes to my commuter bike, vacuumed and done the dishes, drano'd the sink and will soon set the over to auto-clean. I'm gonna shower, then update my resume and send it off to a headhunter who I've kept contact with over the past year. Will take 5 minutes to look at some job listings on line, then go see an afternoon movie with the retirees/trustfund babies/unemployed shmoes!
And tonight, I shall cook like I never cooked before. Went book shopping yesterday, and got an interesting cook book, which after picking it up realized I was in the same social circle with the authors years ago, back when I was young n' hip. Not sure what I'll make, but it's gotta be vegan and wheat/potato-free, in advance of the eventual HVS Chapter meeting in January...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw nuts, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, 1 slice superhippy bread with good homemade hummus, 33 oz bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Seems aging a few days in the fridge takes the bite off the raw garlic, nice. Gotta hydrate or I'll feel weird or falsely hungry, gonna treat myself to some bubbly.
LUNCH: 1:45pm, 12 seared mixed dumplings, hunger 4/5
Ate them in the movies, very relaxing.
DINNER: 6:30pm, green salad, grilled curried tofu over brown basmanti with sauted broc, cipolinis and criminis, apple crumble & choc. gelato.
My first effort out of the veganomicon, not very good. The curry marinade tasted bitter, the tofu stuck to the grill. But the sauteed veg was delicious. This will not be the HVS Chapter meeting meal, but I do want to experiment more with pressing, grilling, baking and marinading tofu....
Woke up this morning at 7 after a restless night, grabbed the laptop on the floor and emailed work, saying I wouldn't be in today. Rather than feel crappy about work all day, I've decided to start putting my house in order now instead of 'later'. So far I've done some crucial fixes to my commuter bike, vacuumed and done the dishes, drano'd the sink and will soon set the over to auto-clean. I'm gonna shower, then update my resume and send it off to a headhunter who I've kept contact with over the past year. Will take 5 minutes to look at some job listings on line, then go see an afternoon movie with the retirees/trustfund babies/unemployed shmoes!
And tonight, I shall cook like I never cooked before. Went book shopping yesterday, and got an interesting cook book, which after picking it up realized I was in the same social circle with the authors years ago, back when I was young n' hip. Not sure what I'll make, but it's gotta be vegan and wheat/potato-free, in advance of the eventual HVS Chapter meeting in January...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw nuts, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, 1 slice superhippy bread with good homemade hummus, 33 oz bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Seems aging a few days in the fridge takes the bite off the raw garlic, nice. Gotta hydrate or I'll feel weird or falsely hungry, gonna treat myself to some bubbly.
LUNCH: 1:45pm, 12 seared mixed dumplings, hunger 4/5
Ate them in the movies, very relaxing.
DINNER: 6:30pm, green salad, grilled curried tofu over brown basmanti with sauted broc, cipolinis and criminis, apple crumble & choc. gelato.
My first effort out of the veganomicon, not very good. The curry marinade tasted bitter, the tofu stuck to the grill. But the sauteed veg was delicious. This will not be the HVS Chapter meeting meal, but I do want to experiment more with pressing, grilling, baking and marinading tofu....
Sunday, December 2
Fun in Tme of Depression
ADDENDA:
Felt depressed today. Starting to assemble a game plan for the future, unspoken but in my mind. Felt a little crappy from eating crap yesterday, didn't make the same mistake today.
BREAKFAST: 7am, good yogurt with raw cashews, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 8:30am, about 1 ounce of good chocolate, some gelato custard, hunger 4/5
Cooking chocolate gelato custard, some jumped up and pounced on me, forcing itself down my throat.
BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, veggie burger with home fries, hunger 4/5
At Kate's Joint with the HVS. It was nice spending a nice quiet morning with someone to commiserate about whats happened at work and feel good about life in general at the same time, appreciate the friends you got despite the bad stuff. We went for a beginner's vinyassa class together after, was actually surprisingly rewarding - not too easy and not too hard. Gotta travel next weekend, but this is something I could do again.
LUNCH: 2:45pm, falafel and eggplant on whole wheat pita, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:30, some gelato custard, frozen and stuck to the sides of the machine, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 7pm, small piece of medium alpine raw milk cheese, hunger 4/5
Got this at the farmer's market the day before, already Betsy has torn through most of it.
DINNER: 8:15pm, homemade pizza with roasted garlic, mushrooms, cipollini onions, buff moz and parm, 1/3 of a homemade calzone, homemade apple crumble and homemade chocolate gelato, hunger 4/5
Pizzas came out best yet, would of been very pleased if they were served to me in a restaurant. Used left over dough and ingredients and experimented with a calzone, also pretty good. Dessert, not so great, but the gelato was still a little better than the last time.
Felt depressed today. Starting to assemble a game plan for the future, unspoken but in my mind. Felt a little crappy from eating crap yesterday, didn't make the same mistake today.
BREAKFAST: 7am, good yogurt with raw cashews, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 8:30am, about 1 ounce of good chocolate, some gelato custard, hunger 4/5
Cooking chocolate gelato custard, some jumped up and pounced on me, forcing itself down my throat.
BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, veggie burger with home fries, hunger 4/5
At Kate's Joint with the HVS. It was nice spending a nice quiet morning with someone to commiserate about whats happened at work and feel good about life in general at the same time, appreciate the friends you got despite the bad stuff. We went for a beginner's vinyassa class together after, was actually surprisingly rewarding - not too easy and not too hard. Gotta travel next weekend, but this is something I could do again.
LUNCH: 2:45pm, falafel and eggplant on whole wheat pita, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:30, some gelato custard, frozen and stuck to the sides of the machine, hunger 3/5
PM SNACK: 7pm, small piece of medium alpine raw milk cheese, hunger 4/5
Got this at the farmer's market the day before, already Betsy has torn through most of it.
DINNER: 8:15pm, homemade pizza with roasted garlic, mushrooms, cipollini onions, buff moz and parm, 1/3 of a homemade calzone, homemade apple crumble and homemade chocolate gelato, hunger 4/5
Pizzas came out best yet, would of been very pleased if they were served to me in a restaurant. Used left over dough and ingredients and experimented with a calzone, also pretty good. Dessert, not so great, but the gelato was still a little better than the last time.
Saturday, December 1
Unhealthy Day
ADDENDA:
Forgot to eat anything sweet! But I ate crappily, so that makes up for it...
BREAKFAST: 7am, organic cornflakes with good milk, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, popcorn, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:00pm, 1 crappy slice of pizza, hunger 4/5
Got two slices at Sullivan & Spring, but could only finish one. The cheese was an oily mess, the sauce was bland, and the crust was both limp and crumbly. Betsy thought it was fine, but I thought if I'm going to eat unhealthy junk, I should at least enjoy it.
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, large amount of baby carrots with freshly made hummus, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, brick o' Chinese food, hunger 4/5
Now this is the unhealthy comfort food that pleases....
Forgot to eat anything sweet! But I ate crappily, so that makes up for it...
BREAKFAST: 7am, organic cornflakes with good milk, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, popcorn, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:00pm, 1 crappy slice of pizza, hunger 4/5
Got two slices at Sullivan & Spring, but could only finish one. The cheese was an oily mess, the sauce was bland, and the crust was both limp and crumbly. Betsy thought it was fine, but I thought if I'm going to eat unhealthy junk, I should at least enjoy it.
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, large amount of baby carrots with freshly made hummus, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, brick o' Chinese food, hunger 4/5
Now this is the unhealthy comfort food that pleases....
Friday, November 30
One Small Step for a Pancake, One Giant Leap for Pancakekind
ADDENDA:
Looking forward to eating today. Brought in the raviolis in, tonight I'm on my own (doin' laundry, hrumph!) and gonna play with some pork medallions n' rice.
Before dinner, Betsy & I had a surprise drink with Ilsa, who works in the same building as B. Seems the new Ironchef challenge is to make dinner for 4 that has a) no animal product, b) no wheat or potatoes and c) still rocks the house. Hmmmm.
BREAKFAST: 7am, stack of good experimental pancakes, hunger 4/5
Got to bed before 11, woke up naturally around 6:30, took a shower and realized....hmmm, I feel hungry. Last night's dinner was great, but not the biggest portions. I already made myself pancakes this week, so to up the ante, I threw in a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon and a small splash of vanilla....whoa. I think I just made a small step for a pancake, one giant leap for pancakekind. Now if only I could add CHOCOLATEto it....and wrap it around a sausage....and put it on a stick....wait, I think that's been done...
AM WATERING: 9:45am, 24 oz still
BP 9:45am: 127/95
AM SNACK: 11:45am, superGerman bread with peanutbutter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:45pm, homemade ravioli with homemade sauce, hunger 2/5
Just had a staff meeting about future benefits, made me nauseous. Corporations are evil.
DINNER: 7pm, 2 pork medallions with brown jasmine rice with an experimental scallion/wine sauce, hunger 4/5
Feel crappy and a bit depressed. Cooking this actually made me feel a little better and in control. After lightly sauteing the pork, added wine & Worcestershire to the garlic, scallion and olive oil already in there. Came out nicely.
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, 3 fresh hot chocolate chip cookies, hunger 4/5
Needed 'em after this rough day. Celebrates the beginning of the weekend with my honey.
Looking forward to eating today. Brought in the raviolis in, tonight I'm on my own (doin' laundry, hrumph!) and gonna play with some pork medallions n' rice.
Before dinner, Betsy & I had a surprise drink with Ilsa, who works in the same building as B. Seems the new Ironchef challenge is to make dinner for 4 that has a) no animal product, b) no wheat or potatoes and c) still rocks the house. Hmmmm.
BREAKFAST: 7am, stack of good experimental pancakes, hunger 4/5
Got to bed before 11, woke up naturally around 6:30, took a shower and realized....hmmm, I feel hungry. Last night's dinner was great, but not the biggest portions. I already made myself pancakes this week, so to up the ante, I threw in a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon and a small splash of vanilla....whoa. I think I just made a small step for a pancake, one giant leap for pancakekind. Now if only I could add CHOCOLATEto it....and wrap it around a sausage....and put it on a stick....wait, I think that's been done...
AM WATERING: 9:45am, 24 oz still
BP 9:45am: 127/95
AM SNACK: 11:45am, superGerman bread with peanutbutter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:45pm, homemade ravioli with homemade sauce, hunger 2/5
Just had a staff meeting about future benefits, made me nauseous. Corporations are evil.
DINNER: 7pm, 2 pork medallions with brown jasmine rice with an experimental scallion/wine sauce, hunger 4/5
Feel crappy and a bit depressed. Cooking this actually made me feel a little better and in control. After lightly sauteing the pork, added wine & Worcestershire to the garlic, scallion and olive oil already in there. Came out nicely.
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, 3 fresh hot chocolate chip cookies, hunger 4/5
Needed 'em after this rough day. Celebrates the beginning of the weekend with my honey.
Thursday, November 29
Raviolios
ADDENDA:Making ravioli last night was a lot of fun. It's the same tedium of making pasta, but with an extra layer of tedium at the end! Ha, no, the stand-mixer attachment kind of cuts 45 minutes of arm-breaking tedium from the process, and shaping and hand-filling the dumplings in a form was actually quite satisfying. Like sausage, the contents of a ravioli has always had an air of mystery, and to have made it from scratch was a little bit of a revelation. To start with whole wheat flour, a stack of eggs, a pint of ricotta, a few stems of parsley and a block of parm and turn it into rather sexy little pillows of flavor. Look at Betsy's face, you KNOW that ravioli is sexy!
My mom would call them 'raviolios'. I imagine she would have an even grander name for these, perhaps 'ravioliolios'....
Looking forward to hitting the farmer's market hard this Saturday, it's been a while since I made a proper salad, and now I have this new set of skills I want to play with. And perhaps a zucchini may be in my future next week...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, organic cherios with good milk, banana, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:45am, 129/91
LUNCH: 12:30, big plate of shrimp/veg/fish tempura, bowl of white rice, miso soup, hunger 4/5
Needed a break from the curry pork. Something tells me the salt level in this meal was high. Didn't taste salty, but heard a report on NPR this morning about some new survey of American sodium intake, how it's out of control, and how you can't actually taste the salt because of processing. Salty potato chips are comparatively low-salt compared something like a frozen TV dinner, due to this factor. More fuel to cook from home.
After lunch Erikka and I took a walk to the new M&M store off Times Square. Three floors of prime real estate dedicated to the consumption and celebration of shitty-ass chocolate by kids and their irresponsible guardians. Right outside the window is a huge billboard fill of almost-naked ladies advertising the 'Vivid' brand of hardcore pornography. God bless America!!DINNER: 6:45pm, 1 small buttery nan bread, wonderful grilled/cured venison appetizer with a small unsweetened baked apple, small shot of pumpkin soup, nicely spiced curry shrimp over a bed of brown rice pilaf with odd/tasty threads of vegetable matter in it, peanutbutter custard with concord grape granita over a thin chocolate wafer in a small pool of fresh grape jelly, 2 small filled-chocolates, 1/4 glass of presecco, hunger 4/5
Took the wifey to nice dinner at Tabla. She had cheese for dessert, I was more interested in indulging in something sweet, as this was the time to get something above and beyond. However, I couldn't help wondering hmmmm....maybe a cheese course could be more satisfying than a childish sweet? (The name of my dessert was "Peanut Butter & Jelly".) It came served with small handful of yellow raisins and some nicely shaped toasty breads. Made me regret forgetting to eat the apple and cheese I brought to work.
Wednesday, November 28
Dr. Wildman, and his son, Chef Wildman
ADDENDA:
Last night's knife-skills class was a revelation. All very hands on, a good instructor. We cut vegetables of all stripe, and with some simple instruction found the whole thing to be wonderfully easy. First thing: get a sharpening device for my set of global knives. Second thing: totally rethink my salad this weekend, and consider squash & zuccinni in my stirfry & soup life. Third thing: peeling tomatoes is so easy!! Next spagetti sauce from scratch will be with farmer's market tomatoes when they are back in season.
Fourthly: I think I may want to go to chef's school. Of the 15-odd students in the class (again, me the only dude), he made several comments to me, the first was, "Have you done this before?" and said I was a natural and made it look easy (uhhh, it was easy.) Makes me want a bigger challenge. The Natural Gourmet Institute does have a program, but I don't know if I want to specialize in vegetarian/vegan cooking. I think I'll take one more hands-on class here then try one or two other schools in the New Year, to see if I really want to invest all that time and money in a degree I'll probably never earn back in a professional setting.
Forgot to pack any snacks today unfortunately, and realized because I have a social lunch tomorrow, Friday will be my only other lunch-from-home day this week. Three days a week to start next week, then.
Didn't have any sweets yesterday other than the banana and the apple, which I guess a month ago would of been a huge deal, now it feels....like I should eat like that more often. Was wound up from the class, slept well but only 6 hours and woke up hungry.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good pancakes from scratch, a jigger of seltzer, hunger 4/5
x
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP 9:30am: 129/89
LUNCH: 12:30pm, shrimp w/basil sauce and white rice, small salad slathered in peanut sauce, 2 tiny fried spring rolls, hunger 4/5
OK Thai food, would be interested to learn how to prepare something similar...
PM SNACK: 4pm, 3 potato samosa from Green Symphony, hunger 4/5
Slightly headachey, kinda jonesing for refined sugar. If I had an apple, it would knock that pang out. Feel in control, though. Looking forward to making ravioli from scratch for the first time tonight.
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, 3 pieces sesame tofu, hunger 4/5
Feeling peckish, dinner still needs to be made.
DINNER: 8:30pm, homemade cheese ravioli with homemade tomato sauce, hunger 4/5
Really good. Used the simplest recipe possible (ricotta, parm, egg, nutmeg, parsley, salt & pep) and it came through elegantly. Soft pillowy dumplings with just the right amount of chew. If I hadn't already made the sauce, I probably would of just used butter n' sage...
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, 1/2 serving of good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 3/5
Really craving sugar, only desert I had in the house was frozen cookie dough. So I had this yogurt with an extra squirt of honey. Kind of a dessert, but less intense than a full on freak-out.
Last night's knife-skills class was a revelation. All very hands on, a good instructor. We cut vegetables of all stripe, and with some simple instruction found the whole thing to be wonderfully easy. First thing: get a sharpening device for my set of global knives. Second thing: totally rethink my salad this weekend, and consider squash & zuccinni in my stirfry & soup life. Third thing: peeling tomatoes is so easy!! Next spagetti sauce from scratch will be with farmer's market tomatoes when they are back in season.
Fourthly: I think I may want to go to chef's school. Of the 15-odd students in the class (again, me the only dude), he made several comments to me, the first was, "Have you done this before?" and said I was a natural and made it look easy (uhhh, it was easy.) Makes me want a bigger challenge. The Natural Gourmet Institute does have a program, but I don't know if I want to specialize in vegetarian/vegan cooking. I think I'll take one more hands-on class here then try one or two other schools in the New Year, to see if I really want to invest all that time and money in a degree I'll probably never earn back in a professional setting.
Forgot to pack any snacks today unfortunately, and realized because I have a social lunch tomorrow, Friday will be my only other lunch-from-home day this week. Three days a week to start next week, then.
Didn't have any sweets yesterday other than the banana and the apple, which I guess a month ago would of been a huge deal, now it feels....like I should eat like that more often. Was wound up from the class, slept well but only 6 hours and woke up hungry.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good pancakes from scratch, a jigger of seltzer, hunger 4/5
x
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP 9:30am: 129/89
LUNCH: 12:30pm, shrimp w/basil sauce and white rice, small salad slathered in peanut sauce, 2 tiny fried spring rolls, hunger 4/5
OK Thai food, would be interested to learn how to prepare something similar...
PM SNACK: 4pm, 3 potato samosa from Green Symphony, hunger 4/5
Slightly headachey, kinda jonesing for refined sugar. If I had an apple, it would knock that pang out. Feel in control, though. Looking forward to making ravioli from scratch for the first time tonight.
PM SNACK: 6:30pm, 3 pieces sesame tofu, hunger 4/5
Feeling peckish, dinner still needs to be made.
DINNER: 8:30pm, homemade cheese ravioli with homemade tomato sauce, hunger 4/5
Really good. Used the simplest recipe possible (ricotta, parm, egg, nutmeg, parsley, salt & pep) and it came through elegantly. Soft pillowy dumplings with just the right amount of chew. If I hadn't already made the sauce, I probably would of just used butter n' sage...
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, 1/2 serving of good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw cashews, hunger 3/5
Really craving sugar, only desert I had in the house was frozen cookie dough. So I had this yogurt with an extra squirt of honey. Kind of a dessert, but less intense than a full on freak-out.
Tuesday, November 27
234 Pounds o' Fury!!
ADDENDA:
What hath thow raught? Ilsa has a blog!! Here!
Weighed myself this morning, almost forgot, but the scale was in the way (the weigh?) of me retrieving my cell phone. 234. Was wearing pants, and just ate breakfast, so it's probably closer to my standard 230. Not feeling very furious, but anything that is tagged with "o' Fury!!" sounds less blubbery.
Feel weird about the pint of soy icecream I snarfed last night. On one hand, I think I enjoyed and appreciated it more than I would of if it was a regular habit. On the other hand, my lust for it immediately following my substandard home meal was overpowering in a way. Ilsa's blog suggests brushing teeth to get the stomach-body-brain signals to shout "done!" to the lust impulses. May just try that.
BREAKFAST: 8am, organic chex with good milk, banana, hunger 3/5
Start the sweets off right.
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP 9:45am: 132/90
LUNCH: 12:30pm, homemade hummus, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, 2 slices normal wholewheat bread, 2 slices weird dense superGerman "bread", 3 pieces sesame tofu, hunger 4/5
Out of superhippy bread from the farmer's market, so I got this weird, dense block of bread-like material imported from Germany, full of whole grains, weirdly moist, and shelf-stable for months in the unopened wrapper.
Hummus was good, needs more cumin. Next batch is going to rock. Hard. My dad never had the secret weapon of the roasted garlic, damn I wish I could share that with him. I think he'd be impressed. After tasting it, he'd nod, and say something quietly, like, "Noah, that's pretty good. I wish I thought of that." A small grin was like a hug from him (though in later years I subjected him to more unasked-for hugs than I can count.)
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, apple & raw funki havarti, hunger 3/5
Apple was mushy, May have to run out and grab another snack, as I have a knife skills class 6:30-10 tonight.
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, lamb on pita, hunger 4/5
As I'm eating this, I'm thinking, "This is not going to help me lose weight, is it?"
PM SNACK: 7pmish, carrots sticks & inferior hummus, small handful of olives, lemony water, hunger 4/5
Snacks during class
DINNER: 9:30pm, yummy carrot soup, quinoa with orange supreme, white bean thingy, sauteed broccoli with mushrooms, roasted cubed potatoes, hunger 4/5
Dinner was made with all the veg that the students prepped in knife skills class, all vegan, the HVS would of been proud. Food was actually pretty good, but could of used some sort of protein for satiety's sake.
What hath thow raught? Ilsa has a blog!! Here!
Weighed myself this morning, almost forgot, but the scale was in the way (the weigh?) of me retrieving my cell phone. 234. Was wearing pants, and just ate breakfast, so it's probably closer to my standard 230. Not feeling very furious, but anything that is tagged with "o' Fury!!" sounds less blubbery.
Feel weird about the pint of soy icecream I snarfed last night. On one hand, I think I enjoyed and appreciated it more than I would of if it was a regular habit. On the other hand, my lust for it immediately following my substandard home meal was overpowering in a way. Ilsa's blog suggests brushing teeth to get the stomach-body-brain signals to shout "done!" to the lust impulses. May just try that.
BREAKFAST: 8am, organic chex with good milk, banana, hunger 3/5
Start the sweets off right.
AM WATERING: 9:30am, 24 oz still
BP 9:45am: 132/90
LUNCH: 12:30pm, homemade hummus, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, 2 slices normal wholewheat bread, 2 slices weird dense superGerman "bread", 3 pieces sesame tofu, hunger 4/5
Out of superhippy bread from the farmer's market, so I got this weird, dense block of bread-like material imported from Germany, full of whole grains, weirdly moist, and shelf-stable for months in the unopened wrapper.
Hummus was good, needs more cumin. Next batch is going to rock. Hard. My dad never had the secret weapon of the roasted garlic, damn I wish I could share that with him. I think he'd be impressed. After tasting it, he'd nod, and say something quietly, like, "Noah, that's pretty good. I wish I thought of that." A small grin was like a hug from him (though in later years I subjected him to more unasked-for hugs than I can count.)
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, apple & raw funki havarti, hunger 3/5
Apple was mushy, May have to run out and grab another snack, as I have a knife skills class 6:30-10 tonight.
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, lamb on pita, hunger 4/5
As I'm eating this, I'm thinking, "This is not going to help me lose weight, is it?"
PM SNACK: 7pmish, carrots sticks & inferior hummus, small handful of olives, lemony water, hunger 4/5
Snacks during class
DINNER: 9:30pm, yummy carrot soup, quinoa with orange supreme, white bean thingy, sauteed broccoli with mushrooms, roasted cubed potatoes, hunger 4/5
Dinner was made with all the veg that the students prepped in knife skills class, all vegan, the HVS would of been proud. Food was actually pretty good, but could of used some sort of protein for satiety's sake.
Monday, November 26
Back On It
ADDENDA:
Meant to weigh myself this morning but forgot. I tend to forget things I have no interest in/really don't want to do. Looking forward to getting back into healthier eating habits. Before it was new and a little struggling, now it's starting to be the new routine. Brought an apple & stinky cheese to work, not because I'm on a sugar fast, but because it's damn yummy...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey & vanilla & raw nuts, hunger 2/5
AM WATERING: 9:15am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:30am, 130/93
LUNCH: 1pm, small pastrami sandwich with pea soup, slaw & pickles, water, hunger 4/5
Satisfying sit-down at Junior's around the corner on a rainy day. Reading the beginning chapter's of 'The Omivore's Delimma', oy, how corn is a vessel so we can all eat fossil fuel in many different foodstuffs, including the beef I just ate.
PM SNACK: 4:45, apple and funky-ass raw cheese, hunger 3/5
Funny how stinky cheese becomes yummy with a good apple.
DINNER: 7pm, shrimp in a wine sauce with mushrooms and onions, wild rice, almost a full pint of chocolate mint soy icecream, hunger 4/5
Made another pound of shrimp, threw in wine and veg and high-heat safflower oil into the wok. Definitely better than the last time, but still not....very good. I'm missing something or a step, may have to read a recipe. Cooked this weird black long-grain wild rice with low-sodium organic chicken broth, come out kinda crunchy and unappealing. So when I was finished with the meal, just felt unsatisfied, but I was glad there was no more gelato in the house....uh oh. I had soy icecream in the house, to feed the HVS at the last pizza-blowout. Well, I hadn't inhaled a pint of icecream in such a long time, so I did it. I ate it in front of the TV. The soy icecream itself wasn't so great, but the sitting, the leisurely eating of it, the wave of satisfaction, it was mmmmmm. Figured hey, I'm not a robot, this is an uncommon indulgence, and you better not make a habit of this or I'll have to dislocate my leg and kick my own ass....
Meant to weigh myself this morning but forgot. I tend to forget things I have no interest in/really don't want to do. Looking forward to getting back into healthier eating habits. Before it was new and a little struggling, now it's starting to be the new routine. Brought an apple & stinky cheese to work, not because I'm on a sugar fast, but because it's damn yummy...
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey & vanilla & raw nuts, hunger 2/5
AM WATERING: 9:15am, 24 oz still
BP: 9:30am, 130/93
LUNCH: 1pm, small pastrami sandwich with pea soup, slaw & pickles, water, hunger 4/5
Satisfying sit-down at Junior's around the corner on a rainy day. Reading the beginning chapter's of 'The Omivore's Delimma', oy, how corn is a vessel so we can all eat fossil fuel in many different foodstuffs, including the beef I just ate.
PM SNACK: 4:45, apple and funky-ass raw cheese, hunger 3/5
Funny how stinky cheese becomes yummy with a good apple.
DINNER: 7pm, shrimp in a wine sauce with mushrooms and onions, wild rice, almost a full pint of chocolate mint soy icecream, hunger 4/5
Made another pound of shrimp, threw in wine and veg and high-heat safflower oil into the wok. Definitely better than the last time, but still not....very good. I'm missing something or a step, may have to read a recipe. Cooked this weird black long-grain wild rice with low-sodium organic chicken broth, come out kinda crunchy and unappealing. So when I was finished with the meal, just felt unsatisfied, but I was glad there was no more gelato in the house....uh oh. I had soy icecream in the house, to feed the HVS at the last pizza-blowout. Well, I hadn't inhaled a pint of icecream in such a long time, so I did it. I ate it in front of the TV. The soy icecream itself wasn't so great, but the sitting, the leisurely eating of it, the wave of satisfaction, it was mmmmmm. Figured hey, I'm not a robot, this is an uncommon indulgence, and you better not make a habit of this or I'll have to dislocate my leg and kick my own ass....
Sunday, November 25
Travel Day Home
BREAKFAST: 6:30am, half a bottle of seltzer, hunger 1/5
AM SNACK: 8:15am, 36 ingredient granola bar, handful of pirate booty, hunger 4/5
On the train home.
AM SNACK: 9am, horrible veggie burger, ridiculous cinnamon bun, bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Amtrack sells a remarkable 'vegan' veggie burger, which has over 70 ingredients...
PM SNACK: 2pm, small cup of gelato, hunger 4/5
Good that it's homemade - it's comforting that I know whats in it, but it's not very good. I think I know how to make it better, though, though I'm not too anxious to have another big bucket of gelato in my fridge!
LUNCH: 3pm, Korean vegetable dumplings, hunger 4/5
Medium bowl from the bowels of the freezer.
PM SNACK: 4pm, small amount of air-popped popcorn, hunger 3/5
Betsy made some popcorn to go with the a DVD we watched.
DINNER: 7:30pm, spinach ravioli in a mushroom wine sauce, small amount of gelato, hunger 4/5
Was going to order in, but since we went shopping and I was cooking other things for the week anyway, it made sense to cook something up. Bought fresh ravioli and made a nice sauce using wine we had in the fridge, mushrooms, parsley, olive oil, garlic, a little salt and a little butter. B went nuts on the gelato, so there were only a few tablespoons left to finish.
PM SNACK: 9pm, small handful of carrot sticks with fresh hummus, hunger 3/5
Blended hummus, replaced the two cloves of raw garlic the recipe called for with an entire head of roasted garlic. Came out pretty good, unfortunately I didn't make a lot. My dad would literally make a couple of gallons and keep it in the freezer over 6 months. If Betsy doesn't scam it all, will try to smuggle out samples to the HVS and Ilsa.
Also cooked a big batch of basic tomato sauce, gonna attempt to make fresh ravioli later this week...
AM SNACK: 8:15am, 36 ingredient granola bar, handful of pirate booty, hunger 4/5
On the train home.
AM SNACK: 9am, horrible veggie burger, ridiculous cinnamon bun, bottle of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Amtrack sells a remarkable 'vegan' veggie burger, which has over 70 ingredients...
PM SNACK: 2pm, small cup of gelato, hunger 4/5
Good that it's homemade - it's comforting that I know whats in it, but it's not very good. I think I know how to make it better, though, though I'm not too anxious to have another big bucket of gelato in my fridge!
LUNCH: 3pm, Korean vegetable dumplings, hunger 4/5
Medium bowl from the bowels of the freezer.
PM SNACK: 4pm, small amount of air-popped popcorn, hunger 3/5
Betsy made some popcorn to go with the a DVD we watched.
DINNER: 7:30pm, spinach ravioli in a mushroom wine sauce, small amount of gelato, hunger 4/5
Was going to order in, but since we went shopping and I was cooking other things for the week anyway, it made sense to cook something up. Bought fresh ravioli and made a nice sauce using wine we had in the fridge, mushrooms, parsley, olive oil, garlic, a little salt and a little butter. B went nuts on the gelato, so there were only a few tablespoons left to finish.
PM SNACK: 9pm, small handful of carrot sticks with fresh hummus, hunger 3/5
Blended hummus, replaced the two cloves of raw garlic the recipe called for with an entire head of roasted garlic. Came out pretty good, unfortunately I didn't make a lot. My dad would literally make a couple of gallons and keep it in the freezer over 6 months. If Betsy doesn't scam it all, will try to smuggle out samples to the HVS and Ilsa.
Also cooked a big batch of basic tomato sauce, gonna attempt to make fresh ravioli later this week...
Saturday, November 24
Floating On An Andover Saturday
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, slice of tofu pie, glass of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Hey, I'm on vacation, and if the choice is between a pie with exactly 10 organic ingredients (Crust (whole wheat flour, vegetable shortening, sea salt), chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, lecithin), tofu, (soy beans, binder, water), cinnamon) or a granola bar with over 35, well, I can forgive myself.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, banana, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, another slice of tofu pie, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, bread & butter, small green salad, stuffed baked scrod with baked potato, water, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 7:30pm, baked lays potato chips, 35-ingredient granola bar, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 9pm, Caesar salad, pizza with roasted garlic and mushrooms, hunger 4/5
Got pizza from a different Andover joint, not as greezy but not up to NYC snuff. Comfortable meal indoors.
Hey, I'm on vacation, and if the choice is between a pie with exactly 10 organic ingredients (Crust (whole wheat flour, vegetable shortening, sea salt), chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, lecithin), tofu, (soy beans, binder, water), cinnamon) or a granola bar with over 35, well, I can forgive myself.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, banana, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, another slice of tofu pie, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, bread & butter, small green salad, stuffed baked scrod with baked potato, water, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 7:30pm, baked lays potato chips, 35-ingredient granola bar, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 9pm, Caesar salad, pizza with roasted garlic and mushrooms, hunger 4/5
Got pizza from a different Andover joint, not as greezy but not up to NYC snuff. Comfortable meal indoors.
Friday, November 23
According to the newspaper, I should be shopping right now.
ADDENDA:
Sleepy day in Andover with Betsy's family. Basically wake, eat, sleep, wake, eat, movie, eat, sleep.
In the evening, me and my mother-in-law took a walk in the moon-lit darkness down her road while her children pored over old correspondences. I remember after every Thanksgiving, one great pleasure would be for everyone to get out of the house and take a walk. A slow walk, appreciating the neighborhood, the weather, each other's company. Feel our full stomachs, feel content for our lack of needs.
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, 2 bialies, smoked salmon, temptee cream cheese, banana, seltzer, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, bread & butter, small green salad, stuffed shrimp with baked potato, small amount of brownie & icecream, hunger 4/5
Last time I ate with B's family at Grassfields, had a very salty pilaf.
PM SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chip granola bar, hunger 4/5
I counted 35 ingredients, about half out of a chemistry set or a derivative of corn.
DINNER: 9pm, 2 small slices of over-cheesed crappy pizza, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 11pm, small slice of tofu pie, hunger 3/5
Nice late evening chow with momma-in-law.
Sleepy day in Andover with Betsy's family. Basically wake, eat, sleep, wake, eat, movie, eat, sleep.
In the evening, me and my mother-in-law took a walk in the moon-lit darkness down her road while her children pored over old correspondences. I remember after every Thanksgiving, one great pleasure would be for everyone to get out of the house and take a walk. A slow walk, appreciating the neighborhood, the weather, each other's company. Feel our full stomachs, feel content for our lack of needs.
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, 2 bialies, smoked salmon, temptee cream cheese, banana, seltzer, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, bread & butter, small green salad, stuffed shrimp with baked potato, small amount of brownie & icecream, hunger 4/5
Last time I ate with B's family at Grassfields, had a very salty pilaf.
PM SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chip granola bar, hunger 4/5
I counted 35 ingredients, about half out of a chemistry set or a derivative of corn.
DINNER: 9pm, 2 small slices of over-cheesed crappy pizza, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 11pm, small slice of tofu pie, hunger 3/5
Nice late evening chow with momma-in-law.
Gobble Gobble, Yo
ADDENDA:
Thanksgiving in Andover, a suburb of Boston, this year is the first time in my life I've spent this holiday away from my hometown, NYC. Though I guess I should of saw it coming a million miles away, I'm missing my parents horribly today.
Different wings of the extended family took different holidays, and our wing was Thanksgiving. This was the only time of year my mom would 'cook', and by cook I mean coordinate. My dad would be responsible for the turkey and the salad, my mom would put the potatoes in the oven to bake, I would be responsible for the stuffing. My mom would make a big deal about how I 'made' the stuffing, but in reality it was from a box of Stouffers. I remember one year I suggested we actually stuff the turkey with it before cooking, I think the level of complexity it entailed was beyond the pale for my mom. My Brazilian uncle would bring really good homemade chocolate mouse, a trendy thing in the 70s. Aunts would bring booze and other pies. My mom could NOT go to sleep unless ALL the dishes were washed and set up to air-dry. The house (and in later years the apartment) was always full of people on Thanksgiving, and it was always a home-cooked meal. My mom would buy the turkey at least a week in advance, the table would be set at least 48 hours in advance, the nervous tension she had the day of, hours before anyone were to come and the entire home was scrubbed clean and there was just nothing left to do other than lie down and watch TV.
I look forward to the day of regularly hosting a holiday in my home with family and friends, with homemade food and days of preparation.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw nuts, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 10:30am, veggie booty, liter of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Train to Boston.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, saltless whole wheat pretzels, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, bag of potato chips, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, toated chiabatta bread with bruchetta stuff, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 4pm, squash maple soup, grape sorbet, turkey medallions with apple cranberry stuffing, whipped potato croquet, steamed carrots, lots of bread & butter, pumpkin creme brulee, water, hunger 4/5
Formal dinner at the very white, WASPy New England Andover Inn.
EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn, hunger 3/5
A Thankgiving evening movie out, a first for me.
Thanksgiving in Andover, a suburb of Boston, this year is the first time in my life I've spent this holiday away from my hometown, NYC. Though I guess I should of saw it coming a million miles away, I'm missing my parents horribly today.
Different wings of the extended family took different holidays, and our wing was Thanksgiving. This was the only time of year my mom would 'cook', and by cook I mean coordinate. My dad would be responsible for the turkey and the salad, my mom would put the potatoes in the oven to bake, I would be responsible for the stuffing. My mom would make a big deal about how I 'made' the stuffing, but in reality it was from a box of Stouffers. I remember one year I suggested we actually stuff the turkey with it before cooking, I think the level of complexity it entailed was beyond the pale for my mom. My Brazilian uncle would bring really good homemade chocolate mouse, a trendy thing in the 70s. Aunts would bring booze and other pies. My mom could NOT go to sleep unless ALL the dishes were washed and set up to air-dry. The house (and in later years the apartment) was always full of people on Thanksgiving, and it was always a home-cooked meal. My mom would buy the turkey at least a week in advance, the table would be set at least 48 hours in advance, the nervous tension she had the day of, hours before anyone were to come and the entire home was scrubbed clean and there was just nothing left to do other than lie down and watch TV.
I look forward to the day of regularly hosting a holiday in my home with family and friends, with homemade food and days of preparation.
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw nuts, hunger 3/5
AM SNACK: 10:30am, veggie booty, liter of seltzer, hunger 4/5
Train to Boston.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, saltless whole wheat pretzels, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, bag of potato chips, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, toated chiabatta bread with bruchetta stuff, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 4pm, squash maple soup, grape sorbet, turkey medallions with apple cranberry stuffing, whipped potato croquet, steamed carrots, lots of bread & butter, pumpkin creme brulee, water, hunger 4/5
Formal dinner at the very white, WASPy New England Andover Inn.
EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn, hunger 3/5
A Thankgiving evening movie out, a first for me.
Wednesday, November 21
Dessert-Fast Conclusion: My Foundation Assumptions are Questioned
ADDENDA:
Last night with Ilsa, we spoke of my dessert fast. I realized somethings as I was saying it: what I learned kinda bugged me.
I'm NOT addicted to sugar. It's NOT a physical thing. It's REALLY in my head.
My habits have been created by two things: my environment and my personal choices. As a fully developed non-impaired human, I have a degree of power over my environment and a GREAT deal of power over my choices. Abdicating my power to 'addiction' was a massive cop-out. This is something I always felt was a major character flaw of a very close friend....
On a rambling side-note, I have/had a friend who for the sake of anonymity we'll call Lillian. I've known Lill since we were 18 yrs old, and over the years she's suffered all sorts of trials and tribulations due to her ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and a host of other things I can't fully recall. She has been on all sorts of medications over the years. She's had good years, she's had bad years.
Recently, partly due to her issues, partly due to the passing of time, partly due to the situations our lives have given us of late, she (from my perspective) had a record bad year lately. I'm actually concerned for her safety and well-being, and have come to the conclusion that our relationship actually threatens her health. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I was always under the impression that a lot of her issues stemmed from poor choices she made. A lot of the difficulties which she claimed were due to her illnesses seemed to be self-indulgences rather than symptoms. As she has gone from cute-crazy to crazy-crazy in recent months, I wonder if she really was crazy-crazy all these years, or did the habits that emerged from her self-indulgences (and justified by being 'crazy') actually lead her to this point? After being so certain of the later for so long, now I really don't know.
Why this talk of Lill? I guess because it comes to the point of addiction versus choice, being actually crazy verses choosing to be 'crazy' to get your way and indulge yourself. If I continue to choose to be addicted to my indulgences for sweets, I eventually (like my father before me) will get sick with diabetes and all that stuff.
Last night's chocolate consumption, a part of bar while I actively cooked with the rest, seemed positive - engaging my senses while I focused on the task at hand. But I indulged myself - I couldn't stand that there was some left over. If I didn't finish it, it would seem incomplete. Unfortunately, it was a big enough portion. eaten late enough, to keep me up past my bedtime. This defies common sense!! I didn't eat it because of addiction, I ate it because I was indulging myself, choosing not to express self-control. If I'm ever going to seriously lose a little weight and keep it off, these lines have to be exposed for what they are. Why didn't I just wrap up a left over portion and save it for a more convenient (non-sleep) time? Maybe now that I know the devil's face, I can recognize him before he fools me into committing self-harm...
BREAKFAST: 8am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw nuts, small serving of fresh chocolate gelato, hunger 3/5
Put the custard into the icecream making device, and it came out incredibly thick, creamy, chocolatey. Once I scraped as much as I could into a container for the freezer, I tasted it....oof, that was a mistake. I immediately ran to B with the chocolatey spoon, who was not enthused to try something so brown n' chunky looking while preening in the bathroom. I gotta say, even though this was my first attempt and messed up on some of the ingredients, even though the total price came to maybe $15/pint, even though the prep time was more than 24 hours, it's STILL yummier than the best gelato I was eating before the dessert fast.
AM WATERING: 10:30am, 24 oz still
BP 10:45am: 135/89
Though high, I'm a little happy it is because I kind of felt that it would be - a lot on my mind, still feel the sugar of the morning in me, feeling the end of my sickness squeaking out.
LUNCH: 2pm, large bowl of veggie booty, apple, hunger 3/5
DINNER: 6pm, small salad, about one pizza's worth of random pizzas, 1 piece chocolate tofu pie, large serving chocolate gelato, 3 glasses of wine & presecco, hunger 4/5
Friends over for a parade of pizza, was fun but due to a cheap-ass pizza stone malfunction, could only do one pie at a time and spent too much time in the kitchen. Pizzas not as good as they could of been due to rushing through the rolling of the dough. Tofu pie was too dry and dense, and the gelato was not aerated enough, probably due to not enough yokes and putting it all the in the icecream making machine at once rather than doing it in batches. Next time will be much better.
Last night with Ilsa, we spoke of my dessert fast. I realized somethings as I was saying it: what I learned kinda bugged me.
I'm NOT addicted to sugar. It's NOT a physical thing. It's REALLY in my head.
My habits have been created by two things: my environment and my personal choices. As a fully developed non-impaired human, I have a degree of power over my environment and a GREAT deal of power over my choices. Abdicating my power to 'addiction' was a massive cop-out. This is something I always felt was a major character flaw of a very close friend....
On a rambling side-note, I have/had a friend who for the sake of anonymity we'll call Lillian. I've known Lill since we were 18 yrs old, and over the years she's suffered all sorts of trials and tribulations due to her ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and a host of other things I can't fully recall. She has been on all sorts of medications over the years. She's had good years, she's had bad years.
Recently, partly due to her issues, partly due to the passing of time, partly due to the situations our lives have given us of late, she (from my perspective) had a record bad year lately. I'm actually concerned for her safety and well-being, and have come to the conclusion that our relationship actually threatens her health. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I was always under the impression that a lot of her issues stemmed from poor choices she made. A lot of the difficulties which she claimed were due to her illnesses seemed to be self-indulgences rather than symptoms. As she has gone from cute-crazy to crazy-crazy in recent months, I wonder if she really was crazy-crazy all these years, or did the habits that emerged from her self-indulgences (and justified by being 'crazy') actually lead her to this point? After being so certain of the later for so long, now I really don't know.
Why this talk of Lill? I guess because it comes to the point of addiction versus choice, being actually crazy verses choosing to be 'crazy' to get your way and indulge yourself. If I continue to choose to be addicted to my indulgences for sweets, I eventually (like my father before me) will get sick with diabetes and all that stuff.
Last night's chocolate consumption, a part of bar while I actively cooked with the rest, seemed positive - engaging my senses while I focused on the task at hand. But I indulged myself - I couldn't stand that there was some left over. If I didn't finish it, it would seem incomplete. Unfortunately, it was a big enough portion. eaten late enough, to keep me up past my bedtime. This defies common sense!! I didn't eat it because of addiction, I ate it because I was indulging myself, choosing not to express self-control. If I'm ever going to seriously lose a little weight and keep it off, these lines have to be exposed for what they are. Why didn't I just wrap up a left over portion and save it for a more convenient (non-sleep) time? Maybe now that I know the devil's face, I can recognize him before he fools me into committing self-harm...
BREAKFAST: 8am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, raw nuts, small serving of fresh chocolate gelato, hunger 3/5
Put the custard into the icecream making device, and it came out incredibly thick, creamy, chocolatey. Once I scraped as much as I could into a container for the freezer, I tasted it....oof, that was a mistake. I immediately ran to B with the chocolatey spoon, who was not enthused to try something so brown n' chunky looking while preening in the bathroom. I gotta say, even though this was my first attempt and messed up on some of the ingredients, even though the total price came to maybe $15/pint, even though the prep time was more than 24 hours, it's STILL yummier than the best gelato I was eating before the dessert fast.
AM WATERING: 10:30am, 24 oz still
BP 10:45am: 135/89
Though high, I'm a little happy it is because I kind of felt that it would be - a lot on my mind, still feel the sugar of the morning in me, feeling the end of my sickness squeaking out.
LUNCH: 2pm, large bowl of veggie booty, apple, hunger 3/5
DINNER: 6pm, small salad, about one pizza's worth of random pizzas, 1 piece chocolate tofu pie, large serving chocolate gelato, 3 glasses of wine & presecco, hunger 4/5
Friends over for a parade of pizza, was fun but due to a cheap-ass pizza stone malfunction, could only do one pie at a time and spent too much time in the kitchen. Pizzas not as good as they could of been due to rushing through the rolling of the dough. Tofu pie was too dry and dense, and the gelato was not aerated enough, probably due to not enough yokes and putting it all the in the icecream making machine at once rather than doing it in batches. Next time will be much better.
Tuesday, November 20
Will today be a sugar-fast by default?
ADDENDA: Forgot my apple n' cheese this morning, and am out of bananas. I wonder how my sugar-lust will go today. Didn't pack lunch as have social obligations for lunch.
BREAKFAST: 7am, toasted wholewheat bagel with a thin shmear of organic cream cheese, hunger 3/5
Spent the morning chopping salad to open the pizza-freakout tomorrow...
AM WATERING: 10am, 24 oz still
BP 10:45am: 128/83
LUNCH: 12:30pm, chicken tonkatsu with curry sauce over rice, hunger 4/5
Asked for pork, but it was a little dry, tasted a little plain, the meat was a little whiter than usual, and rather than homogeneously thick, got thicker at one end. I was half way through when I realized it wasn't pork! Didn't ask for a new dish because I ate so much already, felt silly.
PM WATERING: 2:30pm, 24 oz still
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, 2 potato samosas, small amount of pumpkin noodles, hunger 4/5
Hungry, don't want to be starving and obsessing about chocolate when I see Ilsa!
DINNER: 8pm, green salad, sauteed shrimp in parsley sauce over long grain brown jasmine rice, hunger 4/5
Good home cooked dinner, the shrimp came out a little too boiled instead of sauteed due to not clearing the ice off them before dumping in the wok. I gotta work on that.
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, 3 oz dark chocolate, hunger 3/5
Wasn't craving it, but I cooked the custard that is the basis of the chocolate gelato. Of the 7 oz bar, 4oz went into the recipe and rather then sticking my fingers in and sampling as I went along, I just ate the left over chocolate. Kept me up till 1am.
Monday, November 19
PCW (Pounds of Chocolate Per Week)
ADDENDA:
This dessert fast thing was kind of a weird shock to the system, and my minor illness at the end of it a small revelation. I sure feel healthier than I did since starting to consult with Ilsa and write this blog. Where do I go from here?
Do I want this to become a blog about discovering cooking, or a blog about losing weight and keeping it off? Does that have to be incompatible? Maybe I should work up some weekly stats about how many meals I made or prepared myself, and how many were eaten out? Fruit vs. dessert intake? Pounds of chocolate per week?
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, organic chex with good milk, banana, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 9:45am, 24 oz still
BP 10am: 133/102
Weird because of recent illness? First time I had a really high BP measurement at the docs was after an illness.
PM WATERING: Noon, 24 oz still
LUNCH: 12:15pm, veg Indian combo plate with rice, hunger 4/5
Spicy mouth, thought about getting dessert, as I CAN if I want to, but decided against it, got cheese n' apple with me. Probably get a meaty thing towards the end of the day to get me through the class tonight.
PM SNACK: 3:15pm, apple & onion edamer raw milk cheese, hunger 3/5
LUNCH #2: 4:30pm, lamb on pita, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8:30pm, cup of bitter greens liquid, coleslaw with plum-mustard dressing, aduki squash stew, long grain brown rice with parsley garlic sauce, sauteed kale with mushrooms, 2 jelly almond torte cookies, hunger 4/5
Cooking class was a demonstration of preparation of all these vegan dishes, flashes of interest but mostly boring and silly. I don't need a demonstration how to cook rice (especially since I now own a rice cooker!) During the class, I was thinking of going out to get hot dogs & tater tots, an old favorite meal I haven't indulged in in quite a while. The first thing I tried was the liquid from the kale she was cooking. Very bitter, at first I was 'yuuuuk!' but then, I don't know, I just kind if LIKED it's differentness and drank the whole cup. The food was a bit dorky in a 70s vegan kind of way, but other than the stew (too much ginger), it was all quite delicious and I plan to make the parsley sauce for rice tonight....to compliment some PORK, yo!
I think I will experiment with the kale/escarole/spinach thing, sauteing with mushrooms n' stuff. The only concern I had about the food is she really did not go light on the salt. It was sea-salt, but still.
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie booty, hunger 4/5
Something tells me this is a newly emerging habit that Ilsa will not be fond of.
This dessert fast thing was kind of a weird shock to the system, and my minor illness at the end of it a small revelation. I sure feel healthier than I did since starting to consult with Ilsa and write this blog. Where do I go from here?
Do I want this to become a blog about discovering cooking, or a blog about losing weight and keeping it off? Does that have to be incompatible? Maybe I should work up some weekly stats about how many meals I made or prepared myself, and how many were eaten out? Fruit vs. dessert intake? Pounds of chocolate per week?
BREAKFAST: 7:30am, organic chex with good milk, banana, hunger 3/5
AM WATERING: 9:45am, 24 oz still
BP 10am: 133/102
Weird because of recent illness? First time I had a really high BP measurement at the docs was after an illness.
PM WATERING: Noon, 24 oz still
LUNCH: 12:15pm, veg Indian combo plate with rice, hunger 4/5
Spicy mouth, thought about getting dessert, as I CAN if I want to, but decided against it, got cheese n' apple with me. Probably get a meaty thing towards the end of the day to get me through the class tonight.
PM SNACK: 3:15pm, apple & onion edamer raw milk cheese, hunger 3/5
LUNCH #2: 4:30pm, lamb on pita, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8:30pm, cup of bitter greens liquid, coleslaw with plum-mustard dressing, aduki squash stew, long grain brown rice with parsley garlic sauce, sauteed kale with mushrooms, 2 jelly almond torte cookies, hunger 4/5
Cooking class was a demonstration of preparation of all these vegan dishes, flashes of interest but mostly boring and silly. I don't need a demonstration how to cook rice (especially since I now own a rice cooker!) During the class, I was thinking of going out to get hot dogs & tater tots, an old favorite meal I haven't indulged in in quite a while. The first thing I tried was the liquid from the kale she was cooking. Very bitter, at first I was 'yuuuuk!' but then, I don't know, I just kind if LIKED it's differentness and drank the whole cup. The food was a bit dorky in a 70s vegan kind of way, but other than the stew (too much ginger), it was all quite delicious and I plan to make the parsley sauce for rice tonight....to compliment some PORK, yo!
I think I will experiment with the kale/escarole/spinach thing, sauteing with mushrooms n' stuff. The only concern I had about the food is she really did not go light on the salt. It was sea-salt, but still.
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie booty, hunger 4/5
Something tells me this is a newly emerging habit that Ilsa will not be fond of.
Sunday, November 18
Googling 'Dessert Fast' gets fast dessert recipes
ADDENDA:
Got a slightly fitful 9 hours of sleep, due to stuffy nose. Woke up groggy and headachey. My nose mucus is very yellowy, sign of my body fighting the good fight. May have to refrain from social obligations today, and refrain from cooking (don't want to get my sick into a week's worth of food!)
Today at around noon will be a full 7 days without desserts. Is this illness my body reacting to the change? Things over-all are going good with work, with B, with home, looking forward to going away with B for Thanksgiving, so I don't think it's depression or stress related as it may of been years ago. In the past, when I got sick, it was fast and overwhelming and would knock me out for 4-5 days solidly. This feels different, like my body is stronger in fighting it. I believe I may be OK tomorrow (knock on wood.)
Yesterday I bought a 2nd pizza stone, a sieve, a sifter and a garlic-roasting thingy. Wednesday is going to be another full-on pizza freakout with a few friends...
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw cashews, hunger 3/5
AM DRUGGING: 9am, 2 extra strength tylenol, 1 500mg vitamin C (rosehips)
This is on top of my daily dirtpill...
AM SNACK: 10:30am, 1 slice of toasted superhuppy bread with good peanut butter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 12 boiled mixed perogies with onion, hunger 4/5
This is the meal I usually desire after being sick for a while. This illness is different - my appetite and, uhhh, output, is not being affected, but I'm definitely stuffy headed.
PM SNACK: 4pm, small amount of chocolate tofu pie
batter, hunger 3/5
This is the definition of fun. Watched a movie for a couple of hours on the couch, felt a little better, restless. Don't want to make sick food, but baking will kill the germs, right? So I made a couple of tofu pies for this coming Wednesday, but for the first time I made crust from scratch. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I was giggling like an insane person as I did it, watching things come out kinda weird and wrong. I wish I had a mother or grandmother who could of taught me the so-called 'women's work' of old - making pie crust from scratch is a lot trickier than it looks, as shortening is very temperamental!
As I did with my mom as a kid when we made Betty Crocker brownies as a kid (ummmm, fudgy!), I licked the mixer jug after everything was in the oven. I guess this is how a dessert fast ends, eating chocolaty mess spread over my hands and face over a warm oven like I was a kid enjoying spending time with mom.
DINNER: 8:45pm, singapore rice noodles & pork, half a shrimp summer roll, hunger 4.5/5
Got out of the house and saw a movie with Danny, felt much better for it. Dinner at cheap Vietnamese place with huge portions. No desire for dessert.
EVENING SNACK: 11:30pm, bowl of veggie booty, hunger 3/5
Slight case of insomnia. Go to bed around 1.
Got a slightly fitful 9 hours of sleep, due to stuffy nose. Woke up groggy and headachey. My nose mucus is very yellowy, sign of my body fighting the good fight. May have to refrain from social obligations today, and refrain from cooking (don't want to get my sick into a week's worth of food!)
Today at around noon will be a full 7 days without desserts. Is this illness my body reacting to the change? Things over-all are going good with work, with B, with home, looking forward to going away with B for Thanksgiving, so I don't think it's depression or stress related as it may of been years ago. In the past, when I got sick, it was fast and overwhelming and would knock me out for 4-5 days solidly. This feels different, like my body is stronger in fighting it. I believe I may be OK tomorrow (knock on wood.)
Yesterday I bought a 2nd pizza stone, a sieve, a sifter and a garlic-roasting thingy. Wednesday is going to be another full-on pizza freakout with a few friends...
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and raw cashews, hunger 3/5
AM DRUGGING: 9am, 2 extra strength tylenol, 1 500mg vitamin C (rosehips)
This is on top of my daily dirtpill...
AM SNACK: 10:30am, 1 slice of toasted superhuppy bread with good peanut butter, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 12 boiled mixed perogies with onion, hunger 4/5
This is the meal I usually desire after being sick for a while. This illness is different - my appetite and, uhhh, output, is not being affected, but I'm definitely stuffy headed.
PM SNACK: 4pm, small amount of chocolate tofu pie
batter, hunger 3/5This is the definition of fun. Watched a movie for a couple of hours on the couch, felt a little better, restless. Don't want to make sick food, but baking will kill the germs, right? So I made a couple of tofu pies for this coming Wednesday, but for the first time I made crust from scratch. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I was giggling like an insane person as I did it, watching things come out kinda weird and wrong. I wish I had a mother or grandmother who could of taught me the so-called 'women's work' of old - making pie crust from scratch is a lot trickier than it looks, as shortening is very temperamental!
As I did with my mom as a kid when we made Betty Crocker brownies as a kid (ummmm, fudgy!), I licked the mixer jug after everything was in the oven. I guess this is how a dessert fast ends, eating chocolaty mess spread over my hands and face over a warm oven like I was a kid enjoying spending time with mom.
DINNER: 8:45pm, singapore rice noodles & pork, half a shrimp summer roll, hunger 4.5/5
Got out of the house and saw a movie with Danny, felt much better for it. Dinner at cheap Vietnamese place with huge portions. No desire for dessert.
EVENING SNACK: 11:30pm, bowl of veggie booty, hunger 3/5
Slight case of insomnia. Go to bed around 1.
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