I feel so French, on the morning walk with Milli, was thinking about the day's eats. How can I make my lunch of chicken parm a bit healthier than just breaded fried chicken meat? Surround it by healthy stuff! I walked by Wholefoods and picked up a whole wheat baguette to make a chicken parm hero and a pound of baby spinach to make a super easy green salad.
It's good to up my salad game, as though I have been greatly enjoying the resurgence of momma-style salad in my diet, it will eventually get boring.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Shrimp & Brussel Sprout Fried Rice: I surprised myself how much I liked this dish, taking the edge off the longing for take out. This morning, cooked up a cup of short grain brown rice with a little soy sauce, then put it in the fridge. This evening, quartered a pound of brussels and roasted them the usual way, at 400 for 20 minutes after being tossed with oil, salt and pepper. Minced an onion. Caste iron wok heated on high, peanut oil, tossed in some crushed garlic cloves and slices of fresh ginger. Tossed for a minute to flavor the oil, then got them out. Added onion, let cook until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Tossed in cold rice, a few table spoons of sweet cooking sake. Tossed in cooked brussels. Finished with some sesame oil. Cleared the wok, threw in some quartered raw shrimp until cooked, along with a little more sake. Tossed with my portion, as the rest was for my vegetarian bride, hrumph.
AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 7:45, revised smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Replaced milk with acai juice, and added blackberries, raspberries and pineapple to the current mix of banana, blueberries, cherries, mango and peach. Spirulina, flax, a dash of salt (waiting on a new batch of vanilla extract.) Two comments: pineapple is such a dominant flavor, gonna cut it back by half next time. Also, the little hard seeds of the raspberries is unappealing, but due to so many other fruits, not a big deal.
Did two things to speed up production: I emptied all the fruits from their various baggies and made one big gallon-sized plastic bag of mix fruit. Unfortunately, pineapple looks just like mango so I'll just have to bear it. Also, I noticed the acai juice is only good 1 week from opening, and this is two months worth of acai, so I poured it into 3 ice cube trays, and once solid, will keep them in a bag next to the fruit bag.
LUNCH: 11:45am, chicken parm hero on wholewheat, baby spinach salad, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
The whole wheat baguette was kinda meh, probably not the freshest. I used 1 half, split it, inserted the two oblong pieces of chicken, added a bit more sauce, and put it under the broiler for 5 minutes. The chicken got hot and got a little char on the bread, which was great, but not enough. Next time, will probably reheat the whole thing in a micro before the broiler. Not sure what to do about the bread, other than either make it or find better bread. The salad was just the baby spinach with some bottled Italian dressing, simple, satisfying.
DINNER: 5:45pm, shrimp & brussel sprout fried rice, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Really enjoyed this. Maybe a little bit greasier than a super-healthy meal, but it was full of whole grain, greens and tasted....satisfying. Not nearly as salty as the take out stuff.
EVENING SNACK: 7:15pm, homemade granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, popcorn, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, February 3
Thursday, February 2
Lunch with the 1%
Lifted weights this morning, paying attention to the feel of my body. I don't know if my slight weight gain is due to building muscle, but I do think that I've come back to the level of tone before I stopped lifting due to Baby Mil popping out.
AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, a few bite sized fried things, breads & butter, lobster in tomato sauce, pork & parsnip, chocolate thingy thing, water, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5
Since B is reentering the work world next week, this was pretty much the last chance to go out one on one for a while, so I took her to Del Posto for lunch, a beautiful room, great food, 4 star service. This Italian food made my chicken parm last night look like dog food.
DINNER: 9pm, momma salad, kraft dinner, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
After that lunch, trying to make anything real would have been unpleasing...
AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, a few bite sized fried things, breads & butter, lobster in tomato sauce, pork & parsnip, chocolate thingy thing, water, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5
Since B is reentering the work world next week, this was pretty much the last chance to go out one on one for a while, so I took her to Del Posto for lunch, a beautiful room, great food, 4 star service. This Italian food made my chicken parm last night look like dog food.
DINNER: 9pm, momma salad, kraft dinner, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
After that lunch, trying to make anything real would have been unpleasing...
Wednesday, February 1
Mom's great leap forward in Chicken technology
231--->226.8-->228.2
So I went up a little, no big deal -- last month's drop was attributable to not eating due to illness, the gain is practically a margin of error. I'm still surprisingly sore from Monday's workout, which reminds me that muscle is heavier than fat. I think for me to really see a difference on three fronts -- look skinnier, look toner and actually be lighter on the scale -- I should think more in terms of 6 months of consistent better eating and regular weights. I'll still limit myself to monthly weigh-ins, but will reevaluate at beginning of July. Y'know, bikini season.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart: For the Stuporbowl party I'm attending this weekend, I promised to make this recipe. It's a bit labor and time intensive, as the dough had to be made, pressed out, chilled baked and cooled. The caramel needed to be cooked, poured into shells then cooled four to 5 hours. Simple ganache had to be made, poured, then cooled again (or in this case frozen, to last to when delivery is.) The recipe calls for 9" pans, I only had 11", so I made 2 1/2 times the recipe.....and found I had enough stuff for THREE tarts. Hrumph. Well, they look good, I'll assume they taste good when I try it over the weekend...
Chicken Parmesan: My class made this last semester, at their insistence, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's not surprising, as this was one of my mother's signature dishes. I remember when I was 5 or 6, she got the recipe from someone who also summered at the rental bungalows we inhabited in the warm months. When I think about it, it's a simple dish, peasant food really, but for someone like my mom, to bread and pan fry a chicken breast was something foreign and challenging. Her chicken parm was gross, the meat was always dry AND greasy, the stale tasting crust would fall off in chunks before ever hitting the plate, the rubbery cheese not quite melted.
But it was a big deal -- the only way my mom made chicken was what me and dad referred to as "puke chicken", a braise in some sort of liquid that I assume involved ketchup. In later years as we entered the middle class, my mom would bring home roasted chickens from A&P, which were a huge step up.
I ate one breast yesterday, and it was a large portion. After slicing the 2nd breast into thin pieces for quick cooking, I got 6 reasonable pieces, enough for 3 medium portions (or 2 generous portions). I used standard breading procedure (dip in salted flour, dip in egg wash, dip in crumbs, straight into hot oil.) Instead of prepacked "seasoned crumbs", I used panko mixed with dry oregano for that crunch. My mom would try to cook through a whole breast in the oil, I just quickly browned the meat then into a glass pan on a bed of sauce. Cheeses, a little dollop of sauce, into the oven for 20 minutes - my mom would just place the cheese on the meat in the oil and hope for the heat of the goings-on to melt the cheese.
This definitely a once-in-a-blue moon food. Next time, more dry spices in the breadcrumbs, skip the bed of sauce in the pan and just put it on top.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, organic chex with organic dead milk, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: noon, sardines & avocado and whole wheat sprouted bread, health salad, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, apple, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, chicken parmigiana with angel hair pasta, grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sure, it's big & American, it's not that healthy, but it's homemade from scratch and is part of who I am.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, I'm outta chips. Should I try to resist buying them in the market?
So I went up a little, no big deal -- last month's drop was attributable to not eating due to illness, the gain is practically a margin of error. I'm still surprisingly sore from Monday's workout, which reminds me that muscle is heavier than fat. I think for me to really see a difference on three fronts -- look skinnier, look toner and actually be lighter on the scale -- I should think more in terms of 6 months of consistent better eating and regular weights. I'll still limit myself to monthly weigh-ins, but will reevaluate at beginning of July. Y'know, bikini season.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart: For the Stuporbowl party I'm attending this weekend, I promised to make this recipe. It's a bit labor and time intensive, as the dough had to be made, pressed out, chilled baked and cooled. The caramel needed to be cooked, poured into shells then cooled four to 5 hours. Simple ganache had to be made, poured, then cooled again (or in this case frozen, to last to when delivery is.) The recipe calls for 9" pans, I only had 11", so I made 2 1/2 times the recipe.....and found I had enough stuff for THREE tarts. Hrumph. Well, they look good, I'll assume they taste good when I try it over the weekend...
Chicken Parmesan: My class made this last semester, at their insistence, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's not surprising, as this was one of my mother's signature dishes. I remember when I was 5 or 6, she got the recipe from someone who also summered at the rental bungalows we inhabited in the warm months. When I think about it, it's a simple dish, peasant food really, but for someone like my mom, to bread and pan fry a chicken breast was something foreign and challenging. Her chicken parm was gross, the meat was always dry AND greasy, the stale tasting crust would fall off in chunks before ever hitting the plate, the rubbery cheese not quite melted.
But it was a big deal -- the only way my mom made chicken was what me and dad referred to as "puke chicken", a braise in some sort of liquid that I assume involved ketchup. In later years as we entered the middle class, my mom would bring home roasted chickens from A&P, which were a huge step up.
I ate one breast yesterday, and it was a large portion. After slicing the 2nd breast into thin pieces for quick cooking, I got 6 reasonable pieces, enough for 3 medium portions (or 2 generous portions). I used standard breading procedure (dip in salted flour, dip in egg wash, dip in crumbs, straight into hot oil.) Instead of prepacked "seasoned crumbs", I used panko mixed with dry oregano for that crunch. My mom would try to cook through a whole breast in the oil, I just quickly browned the meat then into a glass pan on a bed of sauce. Cheeses, a little dollop of sauce, into the oven for 20 minutes - my mom would just place the cheese on the meat in the oil and hope for the heat of the goings-on to melt the cheese.
This definitely a once-in-a-blue moon food. Next time, more dry spices in the breadcrumbs, skip the bed of sauce in the pan and just put it on top.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, organic chex with organic dead milk, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: noon, sardines & avocado and whole wheat sprouted bread, health salad, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:30pm, apple, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, chicken parmigiana with angel hair pasta, grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sure, it's big & American, it's not that healthy, but it's homemade from scratch and is part of who I am.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, I'm outta chips. Should I try to resist buying them in the market?
Tuesday, January 31
Tastes like chicken (Damn you, Liam Neeson!)
I can't imagine who reads this blog -- the stat counter says between 6 and 12 people read this thing every day. (Hello, LTF massive!) It's probably clear to all you out in internet land the motivation for this blog is to recite out loud what I eat, and the thoughts and pressures behind it, more for my own benefit than the world's. Like a kid who reads out loud rather than in his head to increase absorption, this blog is my thoughts out loud to keep myself honest to myself. And every once in a while I'll look at an entry 1, 2 even 4 or 5 years back to see where my head (& stomach) was. Weird, I've been doing this that long. I guess despite the content, you're reading because I'm regular. He he, I'm regular. But that's a whole nuther kinda blog.
The reason I bring this up is that I've hit up all my other social media with news that I'm riding as Team Captain for the Blue Card team in the 5 Boro Bike Ride -- the Blue Card is a charity that gives funds to destitute Holocaust survivors. I need to raise some dosh, so here's the link:
http://www.imathlete.com/donate/NoahWildman
Learning to Feed readers represent! $200+ gets knishes! Back to your regular programming...
Woke up feeling shitty, a rough night unrelated to kids. Insomnia, then restless sleep due to stuffy nose and mucusy throat. Had a weird dream of being in French class with Liam Neeson, the teacher was Tilda Swinton, and I suspected Liam was a spy looking to destroy the free world, and I was jealous of him, because I wanted to do that too! And Tilda always called on him, not me!
Woke up sore, too, more than usual. I did have a good work out yesterday, warmed up by the bike ride haul of kid furniture from Brooklyn. I've been pushing a little harder on the pull ups (some day, I will do one, but I have started going from -no movement- to a slight lift of maybe an inch, so that's something!) but in particular there is one leg exercise that gets me every time. Because of my cycling, leg exercises don't do too much for me even with added weight, except for wide squats. They work my inner thighs and backs of legs. I go full on with my heaviest weight (52.5) and though my reps are 5, I usually do 7 or 8 because it doesn't feel THAT challenging. Yet every time (I rotate my exercise by muscle groups, so it is 1 of 6 leg exercises), my inner thighs are painful the next day, making walking stiff. This is a good thing I suppose, as this part of my legs are not being worked out by bike riding, and having tone and muscle mass in other parts can only help and protect me. Perhaps I should add squats as an every-time exercise, separate from the leg exercises group...
The morning was dedicated to baby luvin' and midweek laundry washin' - long gone are the days of the once a week laundry.Out in the afternoon with an old friend, Edie time, then internet and TV all eve while I took care of Milli.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Popped another vitamin C.
LUNCH: 11:30am, green salad, pizza, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out at Patsy's with an old, old friend I haven't really spoken to since my wedding. We ate our traditional meal, splitting a large salad and a large pizza. I left the bones (i.e. crusts) over.
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:45pm, grilled chicken breast, tabouli, butternut squash soup, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Hammered out a chicken boob to a 1/2 inch thick, tossed with olive oil, salt and Worcestershire sauce, and grilled for a good 5 minutes on each side to get some nice marks (though I smoked out the house a little.) Amazing how good a properly grilled, fresh chicken breast can be. Usually when you buy that kind of stuff, it's been sitting around and dry, or worse. This quick grill left the meat moist, the hammering left it tender.
The portion was a little large, about 9oz of chicken, in hopes the extra protein would leave me without cravings in the evening...
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5'
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I guess that chicken didn't do the trick! Tried to resist, but was flat out hungry. Not the best snacks this evening, tomorrow will be better. Gotta mix it up or I'll get bored (and discouraged.)
The reason I bring this up is that I've hit up all my other social media with news that I'm riding as Team Captain for the Blue Card team in the 5 Boro Bike Ride -- the Blue Card is a charity that gives funds to destitute Holocaust survivors. I need to raise some dosh, so here's the link:
http://www.imathlete.com/donate/NoahWildman
Learning to Feed readers represent! $200+ gets knishes! Back to your regular programming...
Woke up feeling shitty, a rough night unrelated to kids. Insomnia, then restless sleep due to stuffy nose and mucusy throat. Had a weird dream of being in French class with Liam Neeson, the teacher was Tilda Swinton, and I suspected Liam was a spy looking to destroy the free world, and I was jealous of him, because I wanted to do that too! And Tilda always called on him, not me!
Woke up sore, too, more than usual. I did have a good work out yesterday, warmed up by the bike ride haul of kid furniture from Brooklyn. I've been pushing a little harder on the pull ups (some day, I will do one, but I have started going from -no movement- to a slight lift of maybe an inch, so that's something!) but in particular there is one leg exercise that gets me every time. Because of my cycling, leg exercises don't do too much for me even with added weight, except for wide squats. They work my inner thighs and backs of legs. I go full on with my heaviest weight (52.5) and though my reps are 5, I usually do 7 or 8 because it doesn't feel THAT challenging. Yet every time (I rotate my exercise by muscle groups, so it is 1 of 6 leg exercises), my inner thighs are painful the next day, making walking stiff. This is a good thing I suppose, as this part of my legs are not being worked out by bike riding, and having tone and muscle mass in other parts can only help and protect me. Perhaps I should add squats as an every-time exercise, separate from the leg exercises group...
The morning was dedicated to baby luvin' and midweek laundry washin' - long gone are the days of the once a week laundry.Out in the afternoon with an old friend, Edie time, then internet and TV all eve while I took care of Milli.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Popped another vitamin C.
LUNCH: 11:30am, green salad, pizza, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out at Patsy's with an old, old friend I haven't really spoken to since my wedding. We ate our traditional meal, splitting a large salad and a large pizza. I left the bones (i.e. crusts) over.
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:45pm, grilled chicken breast, tabouli, butternut squash soup, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Hammered out a chicken boob to a 1/2 inch thick, tossed with olive oil, salt and Worcestershire sauce, and grilled for a good 5 minutes on each side to get some nice marks (though I smoked out the house a little.) Amazing how good a properly grilled, fresh chicken breast can be. Usually when you buy that kind of stuff, it's been sitting around and dry, or worse. This quick grill left the meat moist, the hammering left it tender.
The portion was a little large, about 9oz of chicken, in hopes the extra protein would leave me without cravings in the evening...
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5'
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I guess that chicken didn't do the trick! Tried to resist, but was flat out hungry. Not the best snacks this evening, tomorrow will be better. Gotta mix it up or I'll get bored (and discouraged.)
Monday, January 30
An Apple a Day means a little less chocolate!
Woke up late -- our usual alarm clocks (da kidz) didn't go off and B got up at 7:45, and got Edie out the door while I slept with Milli Mil. Got up at 8:30 with a sore throat and stuffy nose, worse than yesterday. Still have energy and a clear head, so it's not a HUGE deal, but I popped a vitamin C to help things along.
A good day. Road the cargo bike to B's cousin's house in Brooklym and transported a child's desk and chairs over. Lifted weights, walked to Wholefoods with Milford, did a little light cooking.
Good news: Just picked up a new cooking class for a semester, will be teaching it starting next week through April, overlapping the other class I teach by a month. We'll see how it goes, hopefully it'll become a regular thing.
TODAY'S COOKING
Tabouli: While making the week's mama salad, whipped up some simple tabouli. 1 cup of bulgar wheat into 2 cups of salted boiling water, sit for 30 minutes. Mixed in one deseed chopped tomato, 2 deseeded chopped cucumbers, minced bunch of mint, minced bunch of parsley, a small amount of grated red onion, some olive oil. Forgot to get a lemon, will hit it tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 8:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with almonds, vanilla and agave, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I squirted the agave into the yogurt assuming it would flow like honey, and ended up shooting too much in. I poured as much as I could off, but it was still too loose and sweet. Oh well, probably still not as sweet as a McDonald's "healthy" yogurt parfait.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, turkey & swiss on whole wheat, health salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Toasted the bread and zapped the filling in the micro for 30 seconds, made for a much more satisfying sandwich.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, brown rice avocado cucumber nori roll, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out to Wholefoods with Mil strapped to me, forgot to grab a granola bar on the way out. Considered a slice o' streetza or a hotdog on the way over, but occured to me half way there would probably some sort of appetizing but healthy snack at the market.
PM SNACK: 6pm, momma salad, with carrot dip, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, leftover whole wheat penne with beef gravy, spinach and a little broc, an apple, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
The pasta wasn't too appetizing, and when I sniffed it I almost hope it went bad. But it was fine, and afet zapping, the umami-ness of the brisket braising-liquid derived gravy was nice, beefy, mushroomy. After finishing, felt the urge for desert, for sweet. I bought some nice fujis the other day, so cut up some big apple chunks, and it left me feeling satiated. Though in the back of my mind I feel a salt/greasy urge building....
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, potato chips. .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, frozen waffle, the 2 last mini bagel wrapped hot dogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
A good day. Road the cargo bike to B's cousin's house in Brooklym and transported a child's desk and chairs over. Lifted weights, walked to Wholefoods with Milford, did a little light cooking.
Good news: Just picked up a new cooking class for a semester, will be teaching it starting next week through April, overlapping the other class I teach by a month. We'll see how it goes, hopefully it'll become a regular thing.
TODAY'S COOKING
Tabouli: While making the week's mama salad, whipped up some simple tabouli. 1 cup of bulgar wheat into 2 cups of salted boiling water, sit for 30 minutes. Mixed in one deseed chopped tomato, 2 deseeded chopped cucumbers, minced bunch of mint, minced bunch of parsley, a small amount of grated red onion, some olive oil. Forgot to get a lemon, will hit it tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 8:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, good yogurt with almonds, vanilla and agave, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I squirted the agave into the yogurt assuming it would flow like honey, and ended up shooting too much in. I poured as much as I could off, but it was still too loose and sweet. Oh well, probably still not as sweet as a McDonald's "healthy" yogurt parfait.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, turkey & swiss on whole wheat, health salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Toasted the bread and zapped the filling in the micro for 30 seconds, made for a much more satisfying sandwich.
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, brown rice avocado cucumber nori roll, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out to Wholefoods with Mil strapped to me, forgot to grab a granola bar on the way out. Considered a slice o' streetza or a hotdog on the way over, but occured to me half way there would probably some sort of appetizing but healthy snack at the market.
PM SNACK: 6pm, momma salad, with carrot dip, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, leftover whole wheat penne with beef gravy, spinach and a little broc, an apple, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
The pasta wasn't too appetizing, and when I sniffed it I almost hope it went bad. But it was fine, and afet zapping, the umami-ness of the brisket braising-liquid derived gravy was nice, beefy, mushroomy. After finishing, felt the urge for desert, for sweet. I bought some nice fujis the other day, so cut up some big apple chunks, and it left me feeling satiated. Though in the back of my mind I feel a salt/greasy urge building....
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, potato chips. .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, frozen waffle, the 2 last mini bagel wrapped hot dogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, January 29
A Model Sunday
Got to bed around 9pm, feeling run down. Slept fitfully, because/regardless of baby getting up for B to feed, but thank goodness Edie slept through the night. Woke up with slightly stuffy nose and sore throat, but full of energy. Perhaps my better diet is pulling me through? Spent the first half of the day food shopping with Edie then making apple pies, the middle of the day hosting a nice brunch with K&C, a respite of taking Edie out for an hour to run around, then the the third part of the day was a bike ride to Park Slope to meet E for adult dinner. A pretty good Sunday, bye the bye.
One thing of note, I had no cravings in the evening, but dinner was rather heavy. Also, this emerging head cold got me in bed by 11, which may have had an effect on my evening appetite...
TODAY'S COOKING:
Apple Pie: Entertaining guests, most food was either dead simple (roasting brussels, making bagel chips, searing shrimp) or already made (carrot dip, pumpkin knishes) but no real desserts on hand. So this morning I made the dough, a doubling of this recipe, and in the late morning made some free-style apple pie filling - 10 lbs of granny smiths peeled, cored and sliced, a handful of brown sugar, handful of white, a scoop of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, salt, a big dash of corn starch for thickening goo-action. Rolled out dough between pieces of wax paper to make the transfer easier, but the side against the stone still got a little sticky. Over all, though, these were some of the better looking pies I've done (though if I had a cold room, it would be a lot easier, or maybe next time I'll roll in wax then put them in the fridge for an hour....)
The three pies came out OK, a little bit dry on the inside for my taste, the crust a little gummy. Maybe I should have let them go a little longer in the oven...
Shrimp veloute: Inspired by the brisket gravy, I tapped my c-school memories and made a simple sauce for the shrimp. Instead of throwing out the shrimp shells, I simmered them in a pint of water for about 30 minutes with some bay leaves. Strained it into a holding bowl, then whisked 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of flour in the pot until it smelled toasty. Slowly fed the hot shrimp stock into the pan and soon had what was essentially shrimp gravy. Seasoned with Bay Seasoning, the same stuff I had seasoned the shrimp with. Simple, relatively light, a nice wet coat for the dry shrimp.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, yogurt, milk, grapes, mango, cherry, blueberry, peach, spirulina, flax, salt, vanilla. While feeding it to Edie, B objected, saying I put all sorts of crap in it, like honey. I asked her, dude, do you ever read my obsessive blog entries?!
PM SNACK: noon, handful of dry roasted almonds
LUNCH: 2pm, bagel chips & carrot dip, shrimp with veloute, pumpkin knish, roasted brussel sprouts, apple pie, grenadine soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, fatty burger, duck fat fries, bread pudding, 1 cup of beer, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out in Brooklyn to some nice restaurants in Park Slope with a good friend, while Betsy held down the fort like I did on Friday. Not the healthiest food, but it was nice to indulge. The burger was waygu beef with bacon fat, a onion confit, homemade ketchup, but I had them hold the gouda, as I did not want to risk a dairy-chop meat explosion in my body....
One thing of note, I had no cravings in the evening, but dinner was rather heavy. Also, this emerging head cold got me in bed by 11, which may have had an effect on my evening appetite...
TODAY'S COOKING:
Apple Pie: Entertaining guests, most food was either dead simple (roasting brussels, making bagel chips, searing shrimp) or already made (carrot dip, pumpkin knishes) but no real desserts on hand. So this morning I made the dough, a doubling of this recipe, and in the late morning made some free-style apple pie filling - 10 lbs of granny smiths peeled, cored and sliced, a handful of brown sugar, handful of white, a scoop of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, salt, a big dash of corn starch for thickening goo-action. Rolled out dough between pieces of wax paper to make the transfer easier, but the side against the stone still got a little sticky. Over all, though, these were some of the better looking pies I've done (though if I had a cold room, it would be a lot easier, or maybe next time I'll roll in wax then put them in the fridge for an hour....)
The three pies came out OK, a little bit dry on the inside for my taste, the crust a little gummy. Maybe I should have let them go a little longer in the oven...
Shrimp veloute: Inspired by the brisket gravy, I tapped my c-school memories and made a simple sauce for the shrimp. Instead of throwing out the shrimp shells, I simmered them in a pint of water for about 30 minutes with some bay leaves. Strained it into a holding bowl, then whisked 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of flour in the pot until it smelled toasty. Slowly fed the hot shrimp stock into the pan and soon had what was essentially shrimp gravy. Seasoned with Bay Seasoning, the same stuff I had seasoned the shrimp with. Simple, relatively light, a nice wet coat for the dry shrimp.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, yogurt, milk, grapes, mango, cherry, blueberry, peach, spirulina, flax, salt, vanilla. While feeding it to Edie, B objected, saying I put all sorts of crap in it, like honey. I asked her, dude, do you ever read my obsessive blog entries?!
PM SNACK: noon, handful of dry roasted almonds
LUNCH: 2pm, bagel chips & carrot dip, shrimp with veloute, pumpkin knish, roasted brussel sprouts, apple pie, grenadine soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, fatty burger, duck fat fries, bread pudding, 1 cup of beer, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out in Brooklyn to some nice restaurants in Park Slope with a good friend, while Betsy held down the fort like I did on Friday. Not the healthiest food, but it was nice to indulge. The burger was waygu beef with bacon fat, a onion confit, homemade ketchup, but I had them hold the gouda, as I did not want to risk a dairy-chop meat explosion in my body....
Saturday, January 28
Walkabout
Woke up 7ish after a fitful night. B&E took off with some friends to some children's thing on the UWS, while Mil & I ventured into the subways to Inwood Hill Park for a nice walk for an hour, before meeting up with an old friend for brunch. We hopped on the subway and walked across Central Park to grandma's house -- such a beautiful day, I only regret Mil is too young to be attached to a bicycle, so we could have been outdoors more and in subways less.
BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea, homemade granola bar, handful of chocolate covered espresso beans, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ah, granola bar. Healthy convenience. When I first ate it the other day, it struck me as not sweet enough, as it is BARELY sweet, but on my palate first thing in the morning, it's mild sweetness is just right. Maybe the next version I'll put in green tea powder for a caffiene kick.
BRUNCH: 11:15am, buckwheat pancakes, bacon, a little melon fruit salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a resto with Mil and a friend, healthyish fair. The wholegrain pancakes came with the syrup and butter that I only added a little for flavor, but one thing I surprisingly enjoyed was the small side of cut up melon and a couple of grapes to decorate the dish. I see myself upping my fruit game this week, and not just in smoothies.
PM SNACK 3:35pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, wholewheat ritz crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, cesar salad, pizza, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ordered in, nice to not cook or make dirty dishes. Large salad, three slices, down from my usual 4 (ordered from Lombardies, very thin, lightly topped - 4 slices of streetza would kill me!)
EVENING SNACK: 6:45pm, grenadine soda, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The citric acid in the syrup is a revelation. Makes me want to experiment with making other syrups.
BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea, homemade granola bar, handful of chocolate covered espresso beans, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ah, granola bar. Healthy convenience. When I first ate it the other day, it struck me as not sweet enough, as it is BARELY sweet, but on my palate first thing in the morning, it's mild sweetness is just right. Maybe the next version I'll put in green tea powder for a caffiene kick.
BRUNCH: 11:15am, buckwheat pancakes, bacon, a little melon fruit salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a resto with Mil and a friend, healthyish fair. The wholegrain pancakes came with the syrup and butter that I only added a little for flavor, but one thing I surprisingly enjoyed was the small side of cut up melon and a couple of grapes to decorate the dish. I see myself upping my fruit game this week, and not just in smoothies.
PM SNACK 3:35pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, wholewheat ritz crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, cesar salad, pizza, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ordered in, nice to not cook or make dirty dishes. Large salad, three slices, down from my usual 4 (ordered from Lombardies, very thin, lightly topped - 4 slices of streetza would kill me!)
EVENING SNACK: 6:45pm, grenadine soda, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The citric acid in the syrup is a revelation. Makes me want to experiment with making other syrups.
Friday, January 27
Dietary Thoughts
Alton Brown's Good Eats episode about his change in diet over a 9 month period to lose 50 lbs was repeated today, and it re-inspired me. Its never going to work for me to just cut out chocolate in the evening, especially if I get cravings pushed on by hunger -- I just have to crowd it out with nutrient-dense calories during the day to get a handle.
He said he had a smoothie EVERYDAY for breakfast, but that seems a bit extreme (and boring) to me -- twice a week is as much as I can handle. However, I can up my smoothie game. I think I may add more different fruits (frozen blackberries and pineapple come to mind) and replace organic dead milk with acai juice...
Another addition is more nuts, especially almonds. Gonna roast some, add some flavors. Also, to a batch of slivered-almond and cashew granola, gonna make some granola bars, with almond butter as one of the binders.
Maybe I should start re-color coding my entries, too?
Thought about finishing the brisket for dinner, making beef four days in a row, but instead I cubed it and put it in the freezer for future knish use.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Health Salad: The standard, to have around to increase my veg intake. 1 head o' cabbage, shredded. 1 carrot, thin sliced rounds. Tossed with 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp white ground pepper.
Grenadine Syrup: 2 cups pomegranate juice, 2 cups tart cherry juice, 4 cups cane sugar, and for the first time, 1 tablespoon "sour salt" aka citric acid. Brought to a simmer, left to cool then put in the fridge. The acid is to give it a certain cleansing bite, part of what makes a commercial soda refreshing after a big meal, despite it being so laden with crap. Hopefully a digestive shot of soda will reduce cravings for sugar later in the evening.
According to Brown's schedule, soda is a never. I don't think he meant HOMEMADE soda -- he'd probably restrict it, though...
Granola: 4 cups rolled oats, 1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup pepitas, 1 cup unsweetened coconut, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark maple syrup, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom. Mixed, roasted at 300 for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes for even browning. Added 1/2 cup minced dried cherries after the fact.
Granola Bars: In a pan, heated 4 tbsp butter with about 8 oz of almond butter and 2oz maple syrup. Mixed in a palmful of spirulina and palmful of ground flax, a heavy dash of vanilla extract, and 3 beaten eggs. Held aside 2 cups of granola (for the HVS), the rest got mixed in with the green slime and pressed into a square pan. Baked for 25 minutes at 300.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:45am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Left over from yesterday. Zapped in the micro, very tasty. Next time gonna double the batch now that I have the hang of it.
LUNCH: 1pm, breaded shrimp, health salad, handful of dark chocolate covered espresso beans, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:15pm, spinach empanada, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, this was healthy. Last time had a rather greezy chorizo empanada. This one was full of spinach, onion and tofu, and the crust was very whole wheaty and dry.
DINNER: 6:15pm, momma salad, wholewheat penne with gravy, spinach and broc, 8oz glass of grenadine soda, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Didn't want the brisket gravy made from the braising liquid to go to waste, so I threw it over some pasta and tossed in some quickly sauteed spinach, as well as 2.5 bites of leftover broccoli that Betsy didn't deem worthy of finishing. It was good, but strangely unsatisfying.
I only added one tablespoon of sour salt to essentially a half gallon of syrup, but wow, what a difference it made, and maybe the next batch I'll halve the sour salt. The taste popped, it felt a little scouring in my mouth (in a good way), and while 2 table spoons of syrup for 8oz of seltzer made for light colored mildly sweet soda, the acid was very notable. Made it bubble up kinda foamy like a commercial soda, too.
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, mini bagelwrapped hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After all that, still ended the day on an unhealthy note. The stress/relief of stress after getting the toddler and the baby to sleep with out a second pair of hands wasn't overwhelming, but big enough to cause me to indulge a craving.
He said he had a smoothie EVERYDAY for breakfast, but that seems a bit extreme (and boring) to me -- twice a week is as much as I can handle. However, I can up my smoothie game. I think I may add more different fruits (frozen blackberries and pineapple come to mind) and replace organic dead milk with acai juice...
Another addition is more nuts, especially almonds. Gonna roast some, add some flavors. Also, to a batch of slivered-almond and cashew granola, gonna make some granola bars, with almond butter as one of the binders.
Maybe I should start re-color coding my entries, too?
Thought about finishing the brisket for dinner, making beef four days in a row, but instead I cubed it and put it in the freezer for future knish use.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Health Salad: The standard, to have around to increase my veg intake. 1 head o' cabbage, shredded. 1 carrot, thin sliced rounds. Tossed with 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp white ground pepper.
Grenadine Syrup: 2 cups pomegranate juice, 2 cups tart cherry juice, 4 cups cane sugar, and for the first time, 1 tablespoon "sour salt" aka citric acid. Brought to a simmer, left to cool then put in the fridge. The acid is to give it a certain cleansing bite, part of what makes a commercial soda refreshing after a big meal, despite it being so laden with crap. Hopefully a digestive shot of soda will reduce cravings for sugar later in the evening.
According to Brown's schedule, soda is a never. I don't think he meant HOMEMADE soda -- he'd probably restrict it, though...
Granola: 4 cups rolled oats, 1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup pepitas, 1 cup unsweetened coconut, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark maple syrup, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom. Mixed, roasted at 300 for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes for even browning. Added 1/2 cup minced dried cherries after the fact.
Granola Bars: In a pan, heated 4 tbsp butter with about 8 oz of almond butter and 2oz maple syrup. Mixed in a palmful of spirulina and palmful of ground flax, a heavy dash of vanilla extract, and 3 beaten eggs. Held aside 2 cups of granola (for the HVS), the rest got mixed in with the green slime and pressed into a square pan. Baked for 25 minutes at 300.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:45am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Left over from yesterday. Zapped in the micro, very tasty. Next time gonna double the batch now that I have the hang of it.
LUNCH: 1pm, breaded shrimp, health salad, handful of dark chocolate covered espresso beans, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:15pm, spinach empanada, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, this was healthy. Last time had a rather greezy chorizo empanada. This one was full of spinach, onion and tofu, and the crust was very whole wheaty and dry.
DINNER: 6:15pm, momma salad, wholewheat penne with gravy, spinach and broc, 8oz glass of grenadine soda, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Didn't want the brisket gravy made from the braising liquid to go to waste, so I threw it over some pasta and tossed in some quickly sauteed spinach, as well as 2.5 bites of leftover broccoli that Betsy didn't deem worthy of finishing. It was good, but strangely unsatisfying.
I only added one tablespoon of sour salt to essentially a half gallon of syrup, but wow, what a difference it made, and maybe the next batch I'll halve the sour salt. The taste popped, it felt a little scouring in my mouth (in a good way), and while 2 table spoons of syrup for 8oz of seltzer made for light colored mildly sweet soda, the acid was very notable. Made it bubble up kinda foamy like a commercial soda, too.
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, mini bagelwrapped hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After all that, still ended the day on an unhealthy note. The stress/relief of stress after getting the toddler and the baby to sleep with out a second pair of hands wasn't overwhelming, but big enough to cause me to indulge a craving.
Thursday, January 26
Cravings
I ate dinner late, as I had a filling lunch and I was kinda hoping to take the edge off of my evening snacking. It did not work. Something other than hunger is at work here. Cravings, sugar & salt. Hmmmm.
TODAY'S COOKING
Broccoli: Chopped it up to bite sized pieces. Toasted some panko in the 400 degree oven for 2 minutes Tossed the broc with the panko, 2 cloves of minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked for 20 minutes -- usually I'd do 10, but B likes her roasted veg mushy.
Hardcore Oatmeal: Second time, better. 1 cup of the McCanns steel cut, 4 cups of water, 2 tbsp butter, a splurge of brown sugar, a shake of cinnamon, a teaspoon of salt. Brought to a boil then down to a simmer, left uncovered for 30 minutes. A little liquid on top, turned off heat, let sit for 10 minutes and came together nicely. Nice creaminess against the firm poppiness of the oat kernels. No strong flavor from the add-ins, just nice notes underneath the grassy oatiness of it all.
AM SNACK: 8:30pm, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15pm, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, hummus, wholewheat pita, a few falafel balls, mushrooms, favabeans, tahini, chickpeas, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5'
Out for lunch at the Hummus Place on St. Mark's with B. Ordered the "Hummus Place Platter", which was a surprisingly large amount of hummus, and more surprisingly was easy to finish (with a bit of help from B)
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, vegan ice cream, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
In keeping with the theme, we went to the place on A and 9th that serves Lulu's ice cream.
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, brisket on wholewheat toast with gravy, roasted broccoli, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, mini bagelwrapped hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING
Broccoli: Chopped it up to bite sized pieces. Toasted some panko in the 400 degree oven for 2 minutes Tossed the broc with the panko, 2 cloves of minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked for 20 minutes -- usually I'd do 10, but B likes her roasted veg mushy.
Hardcore Oatmeal: Second time, better. 1 cup of the McCanns steel cut, 4 cups of water, 2 tbsp butter, a splurge of brown sugar, a shake of cinnamon, a teaspoon of salt. Brought to a boil then down to a simmer, left uncovered for 30 minutes. A little liquid on top, turned off heat, let sit for 10 minutes and came together nicely. Nice creaminess against the firm poppiness of the oat kernels. No strong flavor from the add-ins, just nice notes underneath the grassy oatiness of it all.
AM SNACK: 8:30pm, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15pm, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, hummus, wholewheat pita, a few falafel balls, mushrooms, favabeans, tahini, chickpeas, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5'
Out for lunch at the Hummus Place on St. Mark's with B. Ordered the "Hummus Place Platter", which was a surprisingly large amount of hummus, and more surprisingly was easy to finish (with a bit of help from B)
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, vegan ice cream, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
In keeping with the theme, we went to the place on A and 9th that serves Lulu's ice cream.
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:30pm, brisket on wholewheat toast with gravy, roasted broccoli, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, mini bagelwrapped hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, January 25
Brisket n' Gravy
A really nice day, despite a rough night. Betsy cancelled her plans and stayed in to sleep, so I took Edie to school with Mil strapped to my chest. After drop off, had a nice wander down to Pier 51, and walked Mil in circles in an empty light-filled mall dining room while I read magazines and the phone for an hour, then sat with a sleeping baby and read for another hour. It's one of those things I'll miss when they're older. I remember when Edie was around the same age I took her down to the Pier (though it was warmer out) and we sat out on a terrace and watched the boats pass.
In BOTH instances, however, multiple Asian tourists stopped to ask how old the baby is and take pictures of us. Hrumph!
Still eating well. Had big cravings of cookies/brownies/ice cream last night, good thing nothing was on hand other than the usual or I would have gone nuts. I think it was a combination of not eating a big enough dinner/feeling stressed from awake kids/feeling a little blue about whatever. I think right now the key to really making a difference is not getting bored with what I'm eating. Brussels are a good addition to the regular spinach, I think broccoli needs to make a comeback ASAP.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Brisket: 2.5 pound flat cut into the Le Cruset pot, covered in red wine and beef stock, a bunch of crushed garlic cloves, smoked paprika, a little brown sugar, a little onion powder, salt, a packet of dried porcinis. 250 for 5 hours.
The meat surprised me by literally falling apart when I took it out of the pot to rest. I strained the braising juice, and created some roux in the pot with 1/8 cup of flour and equal parts butter. After the cooked, I whisked the braising liquid in to make some kick-ass gravy that would not be denied.
Not sure if I like this. The meat is at once moist, dry, tender and tough. The gravy helped greatly though. One thing for sure, the "beefy" flavor of the meat is much stronger than any quick-cooked tender cut, and very appealing.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, grapes, milk & yogurt, cherries, mango, blueberries and peach, flax & spirulina, salt & vanilla. After not eating her waffle, Edie shouted, "Noisy ice cream! Want some!" I told her to sit and I'd make her a bowl, and she quickly did so. I gave her a bit in a plastic bowl and a spoon, and she eagerly lapped it up, asking for more twice. During eating, she said, "Mmmmm I love it!" and "Oooooo blueberry noisy ice cream!"
LUNCH: 1:15pm, momma salad, sauteed shrimp, butternut squash soup, whole wheat Ritz crackers, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, slice of swiss, a few wholegrain pretzels
DINNER: 6pm, brisket & gravy on wholewheat toast, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was gonna make a green to go with this, but B&E&e were causing all sorts of chaos and pressure, so I had to get in quick.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
In BOTH instances, however, multiple Asian tourists stopped to ask how old the baby is and take pictures of us. Hrumph!
Still eating well. Had big cravings of cookies/brownies/ice cream last night, good thing nothing was on hand other than the usual or I would have gone nuts. I think it was a combination of not eating a big enough dinner/feeling stressed from awake kids/feeling a little blue about whatever. I think right now the key to really making a difference is not getting bored with what I'm eating. Brussels are a good addition to the regular spinach, I think broccoli needs to make a comeback ASAP.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Brisket: 2.5 pound flat cut into the Le Cruset pot, covered in red wine and beef stock, a bunch of crushed garlic cloves, smoked paprika, a little brown sugar, a little onion powder, salt, a packet of dried porcinis. 250 for 5 hours.
The meat surprised me by literally falling apart when I took it out of the pot to rest. I strained the braising juice, and created some roux in the pot with 1/8 cup of flour and equal parts butter. After the cooked, I whisked the braising liquid in to make some kick-ass gravy that would not be denied.
Not sure if I like this. The meat is at once moist, dry, tender and tough. The gravy helped greatly though. One thing for sure, the "beefy" flavor of the meat is much stronger than any quick-cooked tender cut, and very appealing.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, grapes, milk & yogurt, cherries, mango, blueberries and peach, flax & spirulina, salt & vanilla. After not eating her waffle, Edie shouted, "Noisy ice cream! Want some!" I told her to sit and I'd make her a bowl, and she quickly did so. I gave her a bit in a plastic bowl and a spoon, and she eagerly lapped it up, asking for more twice. During eating, she said, "Mmmmm I love it!" and "Oooooo blueberry noisy ice cream!"
LUNCH: 1:15pm, momma salad, sauteed shrimp, butternut squash soup, whole wheat Ritz crackers, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, slice of swiss, a few wholegrain pretzels
DINNER: 6pm, brisket & gravy on wholewheat toast, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was gonna make a green to go with this, but B&E&e were causing all sorts of chaos and pressure, so I had to get in quick.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tuesday, January 24
Brussels n' Burgers
Woke up surprisingly achy from what I thought was a casual bike ride yesterday -- I estimate I ended up riding about 20 miles at a VERY relaxed pace, but fact is I haven't done any distance at all since Mil popped out on us.
A bunch of things have fallen to the wayside since the baby came, some of which I've brought back since getting sick over the holidays: Lifting weights twice a week, eating healthy, cooking 6/7 days. Some things have not come back, particularly focusing on getting my knish concept off the ground. B goes back to work next week -- will it drift further away or will I find the time and energy to refocus?
TODAY'S COOKING:
Curry Carrot Dip, take 2: Boiled 1 lb of carrots for full 15 minutes, used the small work bowl of the full-size food processor, all came out nice n' smooth.
Butternut Squash Soup: Sauteed onion, carrot, celery and leek in olive oil for a solid 30 minutes until soft. Put one full chopped up squash on top an covered with veg stock, let simmer for 20. Blended. Surprisingly salt-balanced from what I added to the mire poix and from the stock. Lacking fat and cream, but B insisted on a vegan soup, boooo.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Third time I've made these in the past few weeks. I'm finding fresh cook faster and darker at 400/20 minutes. This batch came out overcooked, blackened, but still delicious. A bit bitter, but a perfect foil to the the sweet-ish soup.
Burgers: I bought a brisket at Wholefoods today, thinking I'll braise it tomorrow. On a whim, cut off 1/2 pound of it, cubed it, ground it, added some minced raw onion, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, fried in butter, put on some nice buns out of the freezer. Pretty good, maybe a little overcooked and crumbly.
BREAKFAST: 10:30am, good yogurt with honey, peanuts, vanilla, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Forgot to put the brewed tea into the fridge last night, so I skipped it.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, shuyo ramen, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Treated myself to lunch out at Rai Rai Ken.
PM SNACK: 4pm, leftover chicken mushu and veg fried rice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was about to eat some momma style salad but saw this in the fridge -- if it didn't get eaten today, would probably have to toss it. Good to mix it up a little -- it's good to increase my veg game, but at the same time things gotta be mixed up.
DINNER: 5:45pm, 2 freshly ground hamburgers on sprouted wholewheat buns, butternut squash soup, roasted brussel sprouts, 7.5oz ginger ale, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & raw cashews, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
A bunch of things have fallen to the wayside since the baby came, some of which I've brought back since getting sick over the holidays: Lifting weights twice a week, eating healthy, cooking 6/7 days. Some things have not come back, particularly focusing on getting my knish concept off the ground. B goes back to work next week -- will it drift further away or will I find the time and energy to refocus?
TODAY'S COOKING:
Curry Carrot Dip, take 2: Boiled 1 lb of carrots for full 15 minutes, used the small work bowl of the full-size food processor, all came out nice n' smooth.
Butternut Squash Soup: Sauteed onion, carrot, celery and leek in olive oil for a solid 30 minutes until soft. Put one full chopped up squash on top an covered with veg stock, let simmer for 20. Blended. Surprisingly salt-balanced from what I added to the mire poix and from the stock. Lacking fat and cream, but B insisted on a vegan soup, boooo.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Third time I've made these in the past few weeks. I'm finding fresh cook faster and darker at 400/20 minutes. This batch came out overcooked, blackened, but still delicious. A bit bitter, but a perfect foil to the the sweet-ish soup.
Burgers: I bought a brisket at Wholefoods today, thinking I'll braise it tomorrow. On a whim, cut off 1/2 pound of it, cubed it, ground it, added some minced raw onion, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, fried in butter, put on some nice buns out of the freezer. Pretty good, maybe a little overcooked and crumbly.
BREAKFAST: 10:30am, good yogurt with honey, peanuts, vanilla, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Forgot to put the brewed tea into the fridge last night, so I skipped it.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, shuyo ramen, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Treated myself to lunch out at Rai Rai Ken.
PM SNACK: 4pm, leftover chicken mushu and veg fried rice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was about to eat some momma style salad but saw this in the fridge -- if it didn't get eaten today, would probably have to toss it. Good to mix it up a little -- it's good to increase my veg game, but at the same time things gotta be mixed up.
DINNER: 5:45pm, 2 freshly ground hamburgers on sprouted wholewheat buns, butternut squash soup, roasted brussel sprouts, 7.5oz ginger ale, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & raw cashews, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, January 23
OLD
Road out to Red Hook for a meeting, then to Bay Ridge to meet up with an old buddy from college at a crappy diner. I ordered a particularly unhealthy meal, as if we were both in our early 20s again. Though, we are not.
With his omelet and home fries, he was still nursing a broken heart from his last relationship several years ago, not to mention the blood pressure pills he was popping with his coffee. There I am, talking about the rigors of juggling two kiddies and a wife. OLD, he he he.
Took the time to explore Dyker Heights and make my way back home via Borough Park, good wet ride. Got to get Edie on time for a tour of the supermarket before going home. Was invited to a a Chinese New Years get together, but was just too tired.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Iced tea, big momma salad: Just the standard, enough to last for a bit.
Curry carrot dip: Rushed it, didn't cook the carrots long enough, and used the smaller underpowered food processor, came out super grainy. Tossed it, will try again with the left over carrots tomorrow.
BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea, Special K with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, gyro & fries, diet coke, pickle, slaw, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad with babaganoush, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded shrimp, spinach, peanuts & chocolate chips, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
With his omelet and home fries, he was still nursing a broken heart from his last relationship several years ago, not to mention the blood pressure pills he was popping with his coffee. There I am, talking about the rigors of juggling two kiddies and a wife. OLD, he he he.
Took the time to explore Dyker Heights and make my way back home via Borough Park, good wet ride. Got to get Edie on time for a tour of the supermarket before going home. Was invited to a a Chinese New Years get together, but was just too tired.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Iced tea, big momma salad: Just the standard, enough to last for a bit.
Curry carrot dip: Rushed it, didn't cook the carrots long enough, and used the smaller underpowered food processor, came out super grainy. Tossed it, will try again with the left over carrots tomorrow.
BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea, Special K with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, gyro & fries, diet coke, pickle, slaw, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad with babaganoush, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded shrimp, spinach, peanuts & chocolate chips, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, potato chips, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, January 22
Obscene Bagels
A hard night last night with various children waking up at odd times. Also thinking about my eating yesterday -- ate pretty well up to dinner. Chinese food was very sociable, but I'm kinda instinctually programmed to over-eat when confronted with take out Chinese food. I can't beat myself up too hard, it was social, it was the weekend, and it was a bit balanced with the better eating I did for the rest of the day.
As for today, another day mostly indoors. Took Edie out in some newly acquired snow pants, but her mittens soon soaked through and she very cutely complained of being cold and wanting to go home. We ran around CVS for about 30 minutes but I could tell a few moments more and stuff would have started flying off the shelves.
AM SNACK: 8:45am. iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:45am, bagel with cream cheese & babaganoush, half a spinach potato knish, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
B's friend brought bagels from a Williamsburg hipster shop, including flavors like "Bacon Egg & Cheese", "Blueberry", and "French Toast". Never thought of myself as a bagel purist before, but....urrrrg. Mildly sweet bagels are not, not, not RIGHT.
LUNCH: 1:30pm, mushu chicken over veg fried rice, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, baby carrots with salt, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, breaded tilapia, sauteed spinach, peanuts & chocolate chips, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, mini bagel-wrapped hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
As for today, another day mostly indoors. Took Edie out in some newly acquired snow pants, but her mittens soon soaked through and she very cutely complained of being cold and wanting to go home. We ran around CVS for about 30 minutes but I could tell a few moments more and stuff would have started flying off the shelves.
AM SNACK: 8:45am. iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:45am, bagel with cream cheese & babaganoush, half a spinach potato knish, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
B's friend brought bagels from a Williamsburg hipster shop, including flavors like "Bacon Egg & Cheese", "Blueberry", and "French Toast". Never thought of myself as a bagel purist before, but....urrrrg. Mildly sweet bagels are not, not, not RIGHT.
LUNCH: 1:30pm, mushu chicken over veg fried rice, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, baby carrots with salt, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, breaded tilapia, sauteed spinach, peanuts & chocolate chips, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, mini bagel-wrapped hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, January 21
A Day Indoors
Woke up to a nice snow cover, but unfortunately it cancelled out plans for a family outing to Staten Island to visit friends. Took Edie outside and hit up a local joint for lunch, tried to stay out side for a while but Edie was wearing water-absorbing clothes, so we had to get back in doors pretty quick. Neighborhood friends came over in the evening for Chinese food, which was nice, but not the healthiest.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, good granola with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:15pm, eggplant hero, house salad, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad with babaganoush, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:45pm, Chinese food, grape soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Chinese leftovers, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, good granola with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:15pm, eggplant hero, house salad, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad with babaganoush, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:45pm, Chinese food, grape soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Chinese leftovers, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, January 20
Mayo Reconsidered
Woke up tired, but it's not Edie's fault -- for the third night in a row she slept through the night with out drama. Lifted weights while juggling Mil. Feeling the need to bike, I miss riding for hours outdoors.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Mayonnaise: As a Jew, I'm not a fan of mayo, but I wanted to have some sardines for lunch, and I didn't have most of the ingredients on hand to do exactly as Alton Brown does. The main supplementary ingredient to mash in with the sardines is avocado, a creamy fat. My mom used to make horrible tuna sandwiches, tuna mashed up with jarred mayo. In c-school, making mayo of different varieties was a lesson, and an important example of emulsification (which I still teach to my students.) Making mayo is easy.
Cheesecake Brownies: As we are invited to a Sabbath dinner in the 'hood with fellow parent friends, and excursioning out to Staten Island tomorrow to visit friends, thought these would be a good take-along. Used my standard go-to brownie recipe (but doubling salt, replacing extract with 3 scrapings) but jazzed it up with a middle layer -- 16 oz of cream cheese beaten with 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 eggs and 2 vanilla bean scrapings. It's kinds Paula Deen-esque in it's crapitude, but it's fresh and industrial-BS-free.
Into the work bowl of the mixer, 1 egg, 1 yolk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1 tsp white vinegar. Turn whisk on high, slowly drizzle in one cup of peanut oil, one cup of olive oil. In a few minutes, a big light yellow mound of fluffy mayo. It might have been a little brighter with more vinegar, or fresh lemon juice instead. I know jarred mayo in the fridge will last forever, not sure how long this will last, I guess as long as raw egg out of the shell will last....
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Did a standard smoothie (banana, fresh grapes, frozen blueberries, mango, cherries & peach, Greek yogurt, organic dead milk, salt, vanilla, flax) but added a new ingredient I picked up with HVS while getting fresh brussels: spirulina. A dark green powder, it's some sort of ground up dried algae that's supposedly good for you in all sorts of ways. Years ago, I used to eat some puffed corn snack that was covered in the stuff which I enjoyed. I added a teaspoon to the smoothie and....it looked ugly, mottled, a grey-blue like there were too many different colors thrown in. Flavor-wise, it's actually very nice. A very subtle vegetal note that adds complexity. All the fruit's sweetness covers it's potential bitterness, leaving only a very quiet spinach-grass note.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, sardines & mayo on wholewheat toast, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I liked this much more than I thought I would. Unlike my mom's sandwich, the whole wheat has some nutty flavor, the sardines are tastier than any tuna, and the mayo...fresh mayo tastes honest, jarred stuff is a little, ummm, jar-ry.
AFTERNOON SNACK: 5pm, slice of streetza, scraps of cheesecake brownie, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
On the way home with Edie from the playroom, found myself uncomfortably hungry and got a slice. A few minutes later, at home I took the freshly baked brownies out of the freezer and portioned them, but with the delicacy and crumbliness, a lot went to "waste", a.k.a. into my mouf (and into a scrap container.)
DINNER: 6:45pm, a small piece of salmon, a small amount of wholewheat pasta salad, half a glass of wine, .5 bowl, hunger 3/5
Over for Sabbath dinner with friends, my appetite ruined by the sweets.
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, potato chips, small amount of brownie, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING:
Mayonnaise: As a Jew, I'm not a fan of mayo, but I wanted to have some sardines for lunch, and I didn't have most of the ingredients on hand to do exactly as Alton Brown does. The main supplementary ingredient to mash in with the sardines is avocado, a creamy fat. My mom used to make horrible tuna sandwiches, tuna mashed up with jarred mayo. In c-school, making mayo of different varieties was a lesson, and an important example of emulsification (which I still teach to my students.) Making mayo is easy.
Cheesecake Brownies: As we are invited to a Sabbath dinner in the 'hood with fellow parent friends, and excursioning out to Staten Island tomorrow to visit friends, thought these would be a good take-along. Used my standard go-to brownie recipe (but doubling salt, replacing extract with 3 scrapings) but jazzed it up with a middle layer -- 16 oz of cream cheese beaten with 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 eggs and 2 vanilla bean scrapings. It's kinds Paula Deen-esque in it's crapitude, but it's fresh and industrial-BS-free.
Into the work bowl of the mixer, 1 egg, 1 yolk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1 tsp white vinegar. Turn whisk on high, slowly drizzle in one cup of peanut oil, one cup of olive oil. In a few minutes, a big light yellow mound of fluffy mayo. It might have been a little brighter with more vinegar, or fresh lemon juice instead. I know jarred mayo in the fridge will last forever, not sure how long this will last, I guess as long as raw egg out of the shell will last....
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Did a standard smoothie (banana, fresh grapes, frozen blueberries, mango, cherries & peach, Greek yogurt, organic dead milk, salt, vanilla, flax) but added a new ingredient I picked up with HVS while getting fresh brussels: spirulina. A dark green powder, it's some sort of ground up dried algae that's supposedly good for you in all sorts of ways. Years ago, I used to eat some puffed corn snack that was covered in the stuff which I enjoyed. I added a teaspoon to the smoothie and....it looked ugly, mottled, a grey-blue like there were too many different colors thrown in. Flavor-wise, it's actually very nice. A very subtle vegetal note that adds complexity. All the fruit's sweetness covers it's potential bitterness, leaving only a very quiet spinach-grass note.
LUNCH: 12:15pm, sardines & mayo on wholewheat toast, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I liked this much more than I thought I would. Unlike my mom's sandwich, the whole wheat has some nutty flavor, the sardines are tastier than any tuna, and the mayo...fresh mayo tastes honest, jarred stuff is a little, ummm, jar-ry.
AFTERNOON SNACK: 5pm, slice of streetza, scraps of cheesecake brownie, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
On the way home with Edie from the playroom, found myself uncomfortably hungry and got a slice. A few minutes later, at home I took the freshly baked brownies out of the freezer and portioned them, but with the delicacy and crumbliness, a lot went to "waste", a.k.a. into my mouf (and into a scrap container.)
DINNER: 6:45pm, a small piece of salmon, a small amount of wholewheat pasta salad, half a glass of wine, .5 bowl, hunger 3/5
Over for Sabbath dinner with friends, my appetite ruined by the sweets.
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, potato chips, small amount of brownie, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thursday, January 19
Hussle with the Brussels
Everyone in Brooklyn got sick, so my plans for the day were cancelled. Spent the morning making baba, road the big bike around the tip of Manhattan to catch some fresh air and had a nice vegany lunch with T. We went to a hippy dippy supermarket together and I picked up some fresh brussels to make B happy, and a jar of spirulina to experiment with my smoothies.
Still sore from Tuesday's work out, particularly my pecs and inner thighs. Looking forward to pushing it again tomorrow.
TODAY'S COOKING
Baba Ganoush: No recipe, just winged it. Roasted a 1.5 lb eggplant at 400 for 40 minutes, along with a head of garlic going bad soon. In the food processor 1/2 cup of tahini, 2 lemons juiced and zested, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, a couple of glugs of olive oil, 3 raw cloves of garlic minced. Eggplant dunked in ice water for 10 minutes to make skinning easy. Roasted garlic squeezed into the bowl. Blended finely, chilled.
Roasted brussels: Split, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, 400 for 20 minutes. Their faces got nicely charred, the bodies soft and tender, really good. Gotta make these more often.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, 2 pancakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SNICKLELUNCH: 1:30pm, vegan Cesar salad, cup of dahl, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, momma salad with baba, Roasted brussels & sauteed shrimp with soy yogurt curry sauce over tabouli, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thought more than usual before eating this. I intended the chocolate to end my eating day, but I felt oddly hungry, ready for more, desiring not sweet but savory/salty. I guess all the healthy food I've been eating just has less calorie density.
Still sore from Tuesday's work out, particularly my pecs and inner thighs. Looking forward to pushing it again tomorrow.
TODAY'S COOKING
Baba Ganoush: No recipe, just winged it. Roasted a 1.5 lb eggplant at 400 for 40 minutes, along with a head of garlic going bad soon. In the food processor 1/2 cup of tahini, 2 lemons juiced and zested, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, a couple of glugs of olive oil, 3 raw cloves of garlic minced. Eggplant dunked in ice water for 10 minutes to make skinning easy. Roasted garlic squeezed into the bowl. Blended finely, chilled.
Roasted brussels: Split, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, 400 for 20 minutes. Their faces got nicely charred, the bodies soft and tender, really good. Gotta make these more often.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, 2 pancakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SNICKLELUNCH: 1:30pm, vegan Cesar salad, cup of dahl, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, momma salad with baba, Roasted brussels & sauteed shrimp with soy yogurt curry sauce over tabouli, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thought more than usual before eating this. I intended the chocolate to end my eating day, but I felt oddly hungry, ready for more, desiring not sweet but savory/salty. I guess all the healthy food I've been eating just has less calorie density.
Wednesday, January 18
An Easy Day's Night
Woke up very sore, which I'm very happy about -- upping the work out close to pre-Mil levels was hard, but effective. But even better than that, I slept pretty much undisturbed from midnight to 8:30am, which was pretty refreshing and miraculous. If the sleeping baby next to me didn't wake up needing a bottle, I probably could have slept another 2 hours, but I'll take it!
Went out with Y&K to dinner in the East Village in the evening, left out around 7 and home around 9:30, and Mil was strapped to me all bundled up -- didn't even peep, so fast asleep. Gotta do more of that before he's too big and awake!
TODAY'S COOKING:
Pumpernickel bagelchips, roasted red & orange peppers: B had an old friend visit this afternoon, so we put out a spread that included the carrot dip and tabouli. I elevated the tabouli a little by roasted a few peppers on the stove top, letting them steam then cleaning and chopping them once cooled.
AM SNACK: 8:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, reheated hardcore oatmeal, banana, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, 1.5 donut, a few bagel chips, a pickle, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6pm, bite of chocolate, handful of potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, mixed boiled perogies, brownie with ice cream, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Went out with Y&K to dinner in the East Village in the evening, left out around 7 and home around 9:30, and Mil was strapped to me all bundled up -- didn't even peep, so fast asleep. Gotta do more of that before he's too big and awake!
TODAY'S COOKING:
Pumpernickel bagelchips, roasted red & orange peppers: B had an old friend visit this afternoon, so we put out a spread that included the carrot dip and tabouli. I elevated the tabouli a little by roasted a few peppers on the stove top, letting them steam then cleaning and chopping them once cooled.
AM SNACK: 8:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, reheated hardcore oatmeal, banana, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, 1.5 donut, a few bagel chips, a pickle, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, momma salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6pm, bite of chocolate, handful of potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, mixed boiled perogies, brownie with ice cream, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tuesday, January 17
Hardcore Oatmeal
Lifted weights after B&E left for school, the baby sleeping, the laundry in process. I was disappointed last week -- the first session after the 2 month pause left me pleasantly sore for two days, but the second session of equal intensity did nothing. So this morning I ratcheted it up, 40 push ups, 20 sit ups, close to what I was doing before, and it hurt, felt good.
I've been keeping a healthier diet lately, definitely feel a benefit already. The trick now is to keep a balance of sweets/unhealthy food to stop from getting bored.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Hardcore Oatmeal: I tossed the Wholefoods brand steel cut oats, even toasting them to increase cooking time didn't do much, and still didn't taste right. I bought a tin of McCain's Irish Steel Cut the other day, and not the quick cooking kind -- the only way to cook these is 30 minutes on the stove top. So while I worked out and the baby slept, the oatmeal gurgled away. Four cups of boiling water, 1 cup of oats, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, a heavy pinch of salt, a heavy pinch of cinnamon, a small glug of vanilla extract. I checked on it every 10 minutes or so, and indeed by the end of the 30 minutes it started sticking on the bottom of the pan. I let it cool for 10 minutes and it thickened nicely.
Taste and texture are equally important for steel cut oats. Taste was spot on, oaty and natural and no weird chemical or metallic tastes. Seasoning was good, maybe a little more brown sugar, but pretty much there. The texture was close, I think I need to cook it lower for a little longer, to soften the grains a bit but there was nice creaminess surrounding the kernels, which were almost too stuff but gave nicely when chewed.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, lamb sausage sandwich with fried potatoes, babaganoush & hummus with a little pita, roasted butternut squash, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6:15pm, momma style salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, tabouli with mini bagel wrapped hot dogs, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The original plan was to saute some shrimp with some interesting dried herbs and condiments, but with B&E in bed and Mil on the edge of sleep & crankiness, I needed something fast. This was my first meal off the tabouli -- I found it a little bit underflavored, could use more lemon, more spice, a little more salt, more everything, but the simple wholegrainy bulgar wheat flavor did ring true. Not so much a good main, but a nice base for something better like a saucy shrimp!
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, nutella with ritz crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I've been keeping a healthier diet lately, definitely feel a benefit already. The trick now is to keep a balance of sweets/unhealthy food to stop from getting bored.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Hardcore Oatmeal: I tossed the Wholefoods brand steel cut oats, even toasting them to increase cooking time didn't do much, and still didn't taste right. I bought a tin of McCain's Irish Steel Cut the other day, and not the quick cooking kind -- the only way to cook these is 30 minutes on the stove top. So while I worked out and the baby slept, the oatmeal gurgled away. Four cups of boiling water, 1 cup of oats, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, a heavy pinch of salt, a heavy pinch of cinnamon, a small glug of vanilla extract. I checked on it every 10 minutes or so, and indeed by the end of the 30 minutes it started sticking on the bottom of the pan. I let it cool for 10 minutes and it thickened nicely.
Taste and texture are equally important for steel cut oats. Taste was spot on, oaty and natural and no weird chemical or metallic tastes. Seasoning was good, maybe a little more brown sugar, but pretty much there. The texture was close, I think I need to cook it lower for a little longer, to soften the grains a bit but there was nice creaminess surrounding the kernels, which were almost too stuff but gave nicely when chewed.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, lamb sausage sandwich with fried potatoes, babaganoush & hummus with a little pita, roasted butternut squash, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6:15pm, momma style salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, tabouli with mini bagel wrapped hot dogs, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The original plan was to saute some shrimp with some interesting dried herbs and condiments, but with B&E in bed and Mil on the edge of sleep & crankiness, I needed something fast. This was my first meal off the tabouli -- I found it a little bit underflavored, could use more lemon, more spice, a little more salt, more everything, but the simple wholegrainy bulgar wheat flavor did ring true. Not so much a good main, but a nice base for something better like a saucy shrimp!
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, nutella with ritz crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, January 16
Potato Chip Vegan
Another night o' kiddies, another night of not enough sleep. B went out in the morning and MAP & D came over. While D amused Edie and Mil slept while strapped to me, I taught MAP how to cook pancakes -- a while ago, she complained on Facebook that she could not cook pancakes without burning them, and I had been itching to guide her ever since. So technically I did not do today's cooking, MAP did, as I just put everything out and let her at it. We stuck to the C-School recipe, though when the batter came out too thick, we tossed in an extra cup of milk.
After eating, we had a nice extended dance party with Edie in the bedroom, MAP & D left, B came home slightly re-energized, and we met the C's for dinner at Veg Dim Sum. Yep, vegan dinners two nights in a row, I gotta go get some ass-blasting burgers in me stat! (I keed, I keed)
Skipped weights today, as Edie was off from school and there was chaos. It shall resume tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 8:15am, 1.5 bananas
BRUNCH: 11:45am, pancakes, bacon, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, 2 cupcakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
When B got home from her re-energize time, she brought me cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. They instantaneously jumped down my neck without any say from me. I spoke to B later, hopefully if she wants to bring me home thank-you gifts of a casual sort, in the future it can be something other than food. Perhaps mon-keys, cook books, a weird unusual or fancy ingredient to cook with (Irish butter, cough cough). Hrumph. Or just a hug and a smile, I don't need much when my luvin' wife gives me so much already!
DINNER: 5:15pm, vegan dimsum, tea, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Continuing the theme of the potato chip vegan....
After eating, we had a nice extended dance party with Edie in the bedroom, MAP & D left, B came home slightly re-energized, and we met the C's for dinner at Veg Dim Sum. Yep, vegan dinners two nights in a row, I gotta go get some ass-blasting burgers in me stat! (I keed, I keed)
Skipped weights today, as Edie was off from school and there was chaos. It shall resume tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 8:15am, 1.5 bananas
BRUNCH: 11:45am, pancakes, bacon, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, 2 cupcakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
When B got home from her re-energize time, she brought me cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. They instantaneously jumped down my neck without any say from me. I spoke to B later, hopefully if she wants to bring me home thank-you gifts of a casual sort, in the future it can be something other than food. Perhaps mon-keys, cook books, a weird unusual or fancy ingredient to cook with (Irish butter, cough cough). Hrumph. Or just a hug and a smile, I don't need much when my luvin' wife gives me so much already!
DINNER: 5:15pm, vegan dimsum, tea, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Continuing the theme of the potato chip vegan....
Sunday, January 15
Snickleconference 2012
A hard night with the kids waking up at various times in various combinations, at various volumes. We rolled out and visited a neighborhood family in the late morning, then I struck out to Wholefoods in the cold in the afternoon to retrieve supplies for the evening's vegan feast with the HVS. Got to bed (relatively) early, exhausted.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Betsy has been asking for brussels for a while, but stubbornly refuses to make them herself. So here is a detailed description how to make them:
Curry Carrot Dip: Betsy had a similar recipe she got from a friend, but I found this version in the Veganomicon which was superior, mostly due to the addition of sunflower seeds. Food process 1/2 cups unsalted roasted sunflower seeds until crumbly. Add 1 lb boiled carrots (10min), 2 cloves minced garlic, tablespoon of curry powder, teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, process until smooth, chill. It had the right note of sweetness vs. spice.
Pumpernickel Bagel Chips: No recipe, just common sense. Had some pumpernickel bagels in the freezer that have been sitting around too long. Sliced them thin, tossed with olive oil and salt, spread em out on baking sheets, 200 for 30 minutes, came out pretty good. Next time less oil, a little longer in the oven.
Tabouli: For the cost of 12 oz prepared, I made about 3/4 of a gallon. 3 cups of bulgar boiled with salt, lemon juice and zest, chopped seeded cucumber, chopped scallion, salt, olive oil, fresh parsley and mint.
AM SNACK: 9:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, oatmeal, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Couldn't stand the thought of cooking ungood steel cut oats for 20 minutes, so went with old fashioned rolled oats, micro for 6 minutes. Added butter, salt, cinnamon and some honey, as out of brown sugar. Made me appreciate what brown sugar brings to the table, a woodsy earthy sweetness that is severely lacking in flat honey.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, chocolate pastry thing, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AFTERNOON SNACKING: 3-5pm, sunflower seeds, bits of carrot mush, freshly baked bagel chips, spoonfuls of tabouli, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SNICKLEDINNER: 6:15pm, roasted brussel sprouts, morrel brown rice, curry soy yogurt sauce, curry carrot dip & pumpernickel bagel chips, vegan chocolate chip cookie, seltzer, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got hungry, though not for sweets. I guess I truly am a potato chip vegan.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Betsy has been asking for brussels for a while, but stubbornly refuses to make them herself. So here is a detailed description how to make them:
- Preheat oven to 400.
- If using frozen, place entire package in microwave safe brown with a tablespoon of water, zap on high for 3 minutes.
- Slice each brussel in half length-wise, through the root end.
- Place in work bowl, toss with a few glugs of olive oil, a few sprinkles of salt and a few turns of the pepper shaker.
- Spread brussels on a baking sheet, cut sides down, spread out so none are touching
- Bake 20 minutes. When taking out of the even, immediately use a spatula to lift them off the pan into a little pile. Serve.
Curry Carrot Dip: Betsy had a similar recipe she got from a friend, but I found this version in the Veganomicon which was superior, mostly due to the addition of sunflower seeds. Food process 1/2 cups unsalted roasted sunflower seeds until crumbly. Add 1 lb boiled carrots (10min), 2 cloves minced garlic, tablespoon of curry powder, teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, process until smooth, chill. It had the right note of sweetness vs. spice.
Pumpernickel Bagel Chips: No recipe, just common sense. Had some pumpernickel bagels in the freezer that have been sitting around too long. Sliced them thin, tossed with olive oil and salt, spread em out on baking sheets, 200 for 30 minutes, came out pretty good. Next time less oil, a little longer in the oven.
Tabouli: For the cost of 12 oz prepared, I made about 3/4 of a gallon. 3 cups of bulgar boiled with salt, lemon juice and zest, chopped seeded cucumber, chopped scallion, salt, olive oil, fresh parsley and mint.
AM SNACK: 9:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, oatmeal, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Couldn't stand the thought of cooking ungood steel cut oats for 20 minutes, so went with old fashioned rolled oats, micro for 6 minutes. Added butter, salt, cinnamon and some honey, as out of brown sugar. Made me appreciate what brown sugar brings to the table, a woodsy earthy sweetness that is severely lacking in flat honey.
AM SNACK: 11:30am, chocolate pastry thing, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AFTERNOON SNACKING: 3-5pm, sunflower seeds, bits of carrot mush, freshly baked bagel chips, spoonfuls of tabouli, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SNICKLEDINNER: 6:15pm, roasted brussel sprouts, morrel brown rice, curry soy yogurt sauce, curry carrot dip & pumpernickel bagel chips, vegan chocolate chip cookie, seltzer, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, potato chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got hungry, though not for sweets. I guess I truly am a potato chip vegan.
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