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
Saturday, January 21
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.
Saturday, January 14
Olive Garden, f'real
Out with B and the inlaws, we went to Olive Garden for lunch. I've never been, and though I've read all sorts of things about it (in sum: genius business, horrible food) and was a little curious. B's brother is a big fan, particularly for the unlimited soup-salad-bread stick deal.
I was first impressed by how pleasant the dining room was, and the service was pretty great. There were some cheesy touches, sure, but over all chill. I noticed first thing ours, and all the other, tables were huge, which makes sense -- the plates are huge, the portions are huge, and if a table were to order apps, entrees deserts on top of the soups, salads, and bread, there wouldn't be an inch to spare.
Three of us four just ordered soup/salad, and I was kinda surprised how not good it was. The salad was mostly iceberg lettuce, with some red onion, tomato and peppericinis thrown in. Dressing was mild and generic Italian. And the olives -- for a place called "the Olive Garden", I'd think this would be a big deal, but they were extremely mild, almost flavorless black olives from a can, the kind of olives for people who hate olives.
The bread sticks were freshly baked, but tasted of retarder and softeners, and lots of salt and salty cheese and garlic salt. By the end of the meal when they cooled, they tasted 3 times gummier. I ordered a "Zuppa Toscana", which was a version of Farro & Sausage I've made many times with my students. Salty, oddly watered down, a cream base that kinda fought the potato and sausage, very mild flavored. I took a bite of B's cheese ravioli, which was kinda off -- like Chef Boyardee outta the can.
Looking over the menu, I couldn't believe some of the stuff on there -- deep fried, breaded lasagna?! And none of it was cheap, most entrees around $20. Olives for people who hate olives, Italian food for people who don't really like, well, food. Very odd. Still, I enjoyed it, as it was efficient, clean, spacious and they gave Edie crayons and a sheet to play with when we got there. I imagine if I ordered an entree, I would have blown my stomach at -- with two servings of salad and 3 bread sticks (and about half my soup, though that too was unlimited), it was enough to stop me from being hungry.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, good granola with organic dead milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:30pm, salad, soup, bread sticks, Andes chocolate mints, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded shrimp, baked potato, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had some potatoes laying around from knish making -- eating baked potato triggered two thoughts. One, this was a common side dish my mom would make, with a little butter and salt, and brought me back. The other thought was the taste of unadulterated potato --- in my potato knish, there is shortening, egg, salt, pepper and caramelized onion to alter and accentuate the consistency and flavor, while here there is little interfere.
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was first impressed by how pleasant the dining room was, and the service was pretty great. There were some cheesy touches, sure, but over all chill. I noticed first thing ours, and all the other, tables were huge, which makes sense -- the plates are huge, the portions are huge, and if a table were to order apps, entrees deserts on top of the soups, salads, and bread, there wouldn't be an inch to spare.
Three of us four just ordered soup/salad, and I was kinda surprised how not good it was. The salad was mostly iceberg lettuce, with some red onion, tomato and peppericinis thrown in. Dressing was mild and generic Italian. And the olives -- for a place called "the Olive Garden", I'd think this would be a big deal, but they were extremely mild, almost flavorless black olives from a can, the kind of olives for people who hate olives.
The bread sticks were freshly baked, but tasted of retarder and softeners, and lots of salt and salty cheese and garlic salt. By the end of the meal when they cooled, they tasted 3 times gummier. I ordered a "Zuppa Toscana", which was a version of Farro & Sausage I've made many times with my students. Salty, oddly watered down, a cream base that kinda fought the potato and sausage, very mild flavored. I took a bite of B's cheese ravioli, which was kinda off -- like Chef Boyardee outta the can.
Looking over the menu, I couldn't believe some of the stuff on there -- deep fried, breaded lasagna?! And none of it was cheap, most entrees around $20. Olives for people who hate olives, Italian food for people who don't really like, well, food. Very odd. Still, I enjoyed it, as it was efficient, clean, spacious and they gave Edie crayons and a sheet to play with when we got there. I imagine if I ordered an entree, I would have blown my stomach at -- with two servings of salad and 3 bread sticks (and about half my soup, though that too was unlimited), it was enough to stop me from being hungry.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, good granola with organic dead milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:30pm, salad, soup, bread sticks, Andes chocolate mints, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded shrimp, baked potato, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had some potatoes laying around from knish making -- eating baked potato triggered two thoughts. One, this was a common side dish my mom would make, with a little butter and salt, and brought me back. The other thought was the taste of unadulterated potato --- in my potato knish, there is shortening, egg, salt, pepper and caramelized onion to alter and accentuate the consistency and flavor, while here there is little interfere.
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, January 13
Reimagining momma-style salad.
Visited a friend in DUMBO in the morning with Mil, then off to the doc for Mil's 2 month check in (all is well.) Picked up Edie from school but it was too cold and bitter to stay out.
Upped my veg & fruit game today, thinking of strategies to keep this a little more of a habit. I think it's time for the return, and perhaps the further development of the the momma-style salad. My default is how my dad made salad -- lettuce based, finely chopped, dressed and eaten with a fork, many ingredients. My mom's style, however, was few items (usually carrot, cucumber and bell pepper) cut into large chunks and dressed with nothing but a sprinkle of salt, maybe a drop of olive oil, eaten with fingers. I think it'll be fun to explore some vegetable options to add to this, figure out some more interesting but simple ways of dressing. I've never made this kind of salad other than for immediate eating, perhaps I can make it in quantity to eat over a few days...
TODAY'S COOKING
Pasta with spinach and roasted garlic: This meal is not so remarkable, except for Edie's reaction. Boiled up some tri-color fusilli, sauteed frozen garlic with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, roasted two heads of going-bad garlic in the oven for two hours, and combined all with a cup of freshly grated parm and a little bit of tomato sauce, just enough to give a coat and a subtle tomato hint, not saucy. Finished with a splash of olive oil.
I was content to eat this in front of a video screen, as the fam had already eaten. Edie was running around burning off energy, and as she is wont to do, runs up to me and says, "Want it! Want papa food!" So I give her bit off my fork, she runs out, runs back in and shouts, "I love it papa! More!" And this repeats about 10 times or so, just gobbling up my spinachy pasta. A whole 'nuther level of cooking satisfaction!
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 7:45am, banana bread, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST: 10:30am, wholewheat bagel with cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:45pm, fruit smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, momma style salad, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, 3 bagel-wrapped mini hot dogs
DINNER: 6:30pm, pasta with spinach and roasted garlic, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Upped my veg & fruit game today, thinking of strategies to keep this a little more of a habit. I think it's time for the return, and perhaps the further development of the the momma-style salad. My default is how my dad made salad -- lettuce based, finely chopped, dressed and eaten with a fork, many ingredients. My mom's style, however, was few items (usually carrot, cucumber and bell pepper) cut into large chunks and dressed with nothing but a sprinkle of salt, maybe a drop of olive oil, eaten with fingers. I think it'll be fun to explore some vegetable options to add to this, figure out some more interesting but simple ways of dressing. I've never made this kind of salad other than for immediate eating, perhaps I can make it in quantity to eat over a few days...
TODAY'S COOKING
Pasta with spinach and roasted garlic: This meal is not so remarkable, except for Edie's reaction. Boiled up some tri-color fusilli, sauteed frozen garlic with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, roasted two heads of going-bad garlic in the oven for two hours, and combined all with a cup of freshly grated parm and a little bit of tomato sauce, just enough to give a coat and a subtle tomato hint, not saucy. Finished with a splash of olive oil.
I was content to eat this in front of a video screen, as the fam had already eaten. Edie was running around burning off energy, and as she is wont to do, runs up to me and says, "Want it! Want papa food!" So I give her bit off my fork, she runs out, runs back in and shouts, "I love it papa! More!" And this repeats about 10 times or so, just gobbling up my spinachy pasta. A whole 'nuther level of cooking satisfaction!
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 7:45am, banana bread, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST: 10:30am, wholewheat bagel with cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:45pm, fruit smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, momma style salad, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, 3 bagel-wrapped mini hot dogs
DINNER: 6:30pm, pasta with spinach and roasted garlic, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thursday, January 12
Special K is a sugar trap
Lifted weights with a few pauses to juggle the baby, felt good. It sucks I lost so much strength capacity in the two months off, but hopefully it'll come back fast -- the only good thing is being able to make myself sore for two days off one session, which is direct evidence that it's working.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, Special K with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny how this is supposedly one of the "healthier" of the big national brands, but tastes overwhelmingly sweet compared to the organic whole-grainy small brand stuff I usually eat. Even compared to the granola I make, this stuff comes off sweet. I picked up this box because it reminded me of what my parents use to pick up, but ugh, never again.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 2 slices of vegany pizza, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Stopped by Viva Herbal for their faux-pizza, spelt crust, no cheese, seitan and lots of roasted veg on top.
DINNER: 5:15pm, breaded shrimp, health salad, momma style salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Gotta up my vegetable game, so cut up some cucumber, red bell pepper and red onion into large pieces and mixed them with baby carrots, did the trick.
EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:45am, Special K with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny how this is supposedly one of the "healthier" of the big national brands, but tastes overwhelmingly sweet compared to the organic whole-grainy small brand stuff I usually eat. Even compared to the granola I make, this stuff comes off sweet. I picked up this box because it reminded me of what my parents use to pick up, but ugh, never again.
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 2 slices of vegany pizza, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Stopped by Viva Herbal for their faux-pizza, spelt crust, no cheese, seitan and lots of roasted veg on top.
DINNER: 5:15pm, breaded shrimp, health salad, momma style salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Gotta up my vegetable game, so cut up some cucumber, red bell pepper and red onion into large pieces and mixed them with baby carrots, did the trick.
EVENING SNACK: 7:45pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, January 11
Brisketing
Woke up at 7 to the normal business of 2 kids and a wife, and was relieved to find that I felt much better than when I got to bed -- 9 hours of (semi)uninterrupted sleep does well to nip impending illness in the bed. Shoulders still sore, probably from my attempted pull ups -- looking forward to attempting again tomorrow.
A prominent blog asked me for a brisket knish recipe, and while I have a few in my library and some ideas in my head, haven't made one yet, so I spent the day getting that together. Fun working with stuff like tripe, which I haven't touched since c-school.
TODAY'S COOKING
Brisket Knishes: In the morning, diced 6 lbs of onions and set them to slow caramelize in the oven. Boiled a few potatoes to make a batch of dough. Went to the Essex St market with Mil strapped on to pick up some brisket & tripe. 2 lbs of brisket went into the caste iron pot with beef stock, a head of crushed garlic, a dash of Worcestershire, salt, a dash of brown sugar, smoked paprika and coriander, baked at 300 for 3 hours. Once rested, chopped up and ground with the tripe (which was boiled in water for 2 hours.) Mixed with some simply prepped kasha, caramelized onions, ground pepper, more salt & eggs, then rolled into knish shape and baked.
Funny thing about the tripe -- after boiling for two hours, looked and felt exactly the same as in it's uncooked state.
Banana Bread: Spontaneously baked off two banana breads in the evening when Bcomplained noted that we had a bunch of bananas going bad. So I looked up a simple recipe on line, to which I was missing most of the recipe, so I just went by ratios and substituted like crazy -- shortening for butter, yogurt for sour cream, whole wheat flour for white, brown sugar for white, etc.
Dry: 4 cups whole wheat flour, tbsp baking soda, tbsp baking powder, tsp salt. Wet: 2 2/3 cups sugar (half brown, half white) creamed into 1/2 cup shortening, 2 cups B's diet yogurt, 4 eggs, 6 bananas, tbsp vanilla extract, a few shakes of cinnamon. Baked at 350 for 45 minutes.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
Flipping around TV, watched some Cooking Channel, saw a bit comparing level of caffeine in different drinks. 8oz of plain coffee is about 80 mg of caffeine, while a 1oz shot of espresso is 50mg. 8oz of green tea is about 30, so being that I drink pints, I've been getting less than a cup of coffee but more than a shot of espresso. Hmmmm.
BREAKFAST: 9am, banana
AM SNACK: 11:30am, granola with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:30pm, brisket on wholewheat, health salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I don't particularly like brisket, especially when someone without skills make it -- usually it comes out tough, stringy and tasting like barfed tomatoes. However, I actually enjoyed this brisket -- after letting it rest, I sliced it thin against the grain and dunked it in the braising liquid before mounting it on bread. It was tender, tasted sharply beefy in the right way, garlicky-sweet-smokey-briney, pleasant. Too bad I had to grind up the balance of the meat to make knishes!
PM SNACK: 7pm, freshly baked banana bread, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8:30pm, chicken nuggets, pickle, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Felt run down, wanted something quick. Was gonna make mac n' cheese from a box, but no butter, and shortening probably would have made it nast-ay.
A prominent blog asked me for a brisket knish recipe, and while I have a few in my library and some ideas in my head, haven't made one yet, so I spent the day getting that together. Fun working with stuff like tripe, which I haven't touched since c-school.
TODAY'S COOKING
Brisket Knishes: In the morning, diced 6 lbs of onions and set them to slow caramelize in the oven. Boiled a few potatoes to make a batch of dough. Went to the Essex St market with Mil strapped on to pick up some brisket & tripe. 2 lbs of brisket went into the caste iron pot with beef stock, a head of crushed garlic, a dash of Worcestershire, salt, a dash of brown sugar, smoked paprika and coriander, baked at 300 for 3 hours. Once rested, chopped up and ground with the tripe (which was boiled in water for 2 hours.) Mixed with some simply prepped kasha, caramelized onions, ground pepper, more salt & eggs, then rolled into knish shape and baked.
Funny thing about the tripe -- after boiling for two hours, looked and felt exactly the same as in it's uncooked state.
Banana Bread: Spontaneously baked off two banana breads in the evening when B
Dry: 4 cups whole wheat flour, tbsp baking soda, tbsp baking powder, tsp salt. Wet: 2 2/3 cups sugar (half brown, half white) creamed into 1/2 cup shortening, 2 cups B's diet yogurt, 4 eggs, 6 bananas, tbsp vanilla extract, a few shakes of cinnamon. Baked at 350 for 45 minutes.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
Flipping around TV, watched some Cooking Channel, saw a bit comparing level of caffeine in different drinks. 8oz of plain coffee is about 80 mg of caffeine, while a 1oz shot of espresso is 50mg. 8oz of green tea is about 30, so being that I drink pints, I've been getting less than a cup of coffee but more than a shot of espresso. Hmmmm.
BREAKFAST: 9am, banana
AM SNACK: 11:30am, granola with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:30pm, brisket on wholewheat, health salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I don't particularly like brisket, especially when someone without skills make it -- usually it comes out tough, stringy and tasting like barfed tomatoes. However, I actually enjoyed this brisket -- after letting it rest, I sliced it thin against the grain and dunked it in the braising liquid before mounting it on bread. It was tender, tasted sharply beefy in the right way, garlicky-sweet-smokey-briney, pleasant. Too bad I had to grind up the balance of the meat to make knishes!
PM SNACK: 7pm, freshly baked banana bread, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8:30pm, chicken nuggets, pickle, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Felt run down, wanted something quick. Was gonna make mac n' cheese from a box, but no butter, and shortening probably would have made it nast-ay.
Tuesday, January 10
A weirdly filling lunch
Got a decent night's sleep, despite finishing the espresso-laiden chocolate ice cream last night. Slightly sore from yesterday's weights, particularly in the upper parts where I attemped a pull up -- thats good, muscle breaking down so it can come back stronger, harder.
Went out to lunch with B to a new Indian street-food restaurant on the edge of the neighborhood, was really good, and I ate a reasonable amount -- B finished her plate, I took home about 1/3 of my lunch. However, by the time I delivered Edie home around 4pm, my stomach was still full, in a weird way. My head started throbbing, and though I was hoping to do some chores and cooking in the evening, I ended up taking Tylenol, tums and got to bed by 10. My body was more sore in the evening than in the morning, which I credit the previous day's weight lifting, but it did not help my over all feeling of being hit by a truck.
Happy 1 month birthday, Milli Mil!
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, Special K with organic dead milk, 4 chocolate chip cookies, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:45pm, lamb, rice, naan, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, 8oz of ginger ale
Went out to lunch with B to a new Indian street-food restaurant on the edge of the neighborhood, was really good, and I ate a reasonable amount -- B finished her plate, I took home about 1/3 of my lunch. However, by the time I delivered Edie home around 4pm, my stomach was still full, in a weird way. My head started throbbing, and though I was hoping to do some chores and cooking in the evening, I ended up taking Tylenol, tums and got to bed by 10. My body was more sore in the evening than in the morning, which I credit the previous day's weight lifting, but it did not help my over all feeling of being hit by a truck.
Happy 1 month birthday, Milli Mil!
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, Special K with organic dead milk, 4 chocolate chip cookies, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:45pm, lamb, rice, naan, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, 8oz of ginger ale
Monday, January 9
Tossed off dinner
A good productive day, still feeling the rebound from being sick so long. Mil & I went to WF in the morning, knocked out some granola while doing chores after. Lifted weights for the first time since Mil was born -- definitely lost strength and tone, but felt great to try. Also attempted pull-ups on a new bar, couldn't even budge from the hanging position, look forward to seeing results there. Picked up Edie in the afternoon and my productivity tapered off from there. I gotta figure out how to be productive in the eve, when tiredness and TV take over....
TODAY'S COOKING:
Granola: Stuck to the traditional recipe, the last few experiments made it icky. No dried apples, just cherries.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, lemon donut, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:15pm, stouffer's frenchbread pizzas, a few c-chip cookies, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, baked scallops, brown rice, health salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
The cooking involved in this meal was so tossed off, it's weird to put it under "Today's Cooking". Brown rice tossed in ricecooker with olive oil, salt, and about 5 different dried spices. Scallops out of the freezer, into a baking dish coated with olive oil and 4 or 5 other dried spices, baked at 400 for 15 minutes. Came out great, but annoyed how much liquid they expelled, probably artificially pumped up with a saline solution in processing to increase the price. Good thing I baked it, as these kind of processed scallops will never brown in a pan.
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, chocolate ice cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING:
Granola: Stuck to the traditional recipe, the last few experiments made it icky. No dried apples, just cherries.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, lemon donut, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:15pm, stouffer's frenchbread pizzas, a few c-chip cookies, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, baked scallops, brown rice, health salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
The cooking involved in this meal was so tossed off, it's weird to put it under "Today's Cooking". Brown rice tossed in ricecooker with olive oil, salt, and about 5 different dried spices. Scallops out of the freezer, into a baking dish coated with olive oil and 4 or 5 other dried spices, baked at 400 for 15 minutes. Came out great, but annoyed how much liquid they expelled, probably artificially pumped up with a saline solution in processing to increase the price. Good thing I baked it, as these kind of processed scallops will never brown in a pan.
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, chocolate ice cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, January 8
Llamas & Sheep
Feeling great again, so happy not to be sick. Actually almost got 8 hours sleep, which didn't hurt. B & Mil went and did their thing, and Edie & I got on the big bike and went to Frankie's on Court Street to have a meal with a good friend, who also arrived on bike. The three of us pedalled over to the Prospect Park Zoo for an afternoon of monkeys, llamas and sheep.
Got home 3pmish, and the bike ride was a bit much -- my constitution is not fully recovered, a bike ride so short should not have drained me, but it was great to be out in the crisp air. Baked a bit, then we popped over to some neighbors for dinner, it was a nice change of pace.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Chip Cookies: Wanted to bring something nice for the hosts, and I already had espresso-heavy chocolate ice cream in the fridge, so baked off some cookies to sandwich it in. Used the Cook's Country recipe, which while only subtly different, is vastly superior to the Tollhouse recipe, as it uses weights instead of volumes, and is designed to be that sweet spot between chewy and crispy --- when you go volumes, you never quite know if you'll get tall dry cookies or flat greezy cookies...
AM SNACK: 9:30am, iced green tea
BRUNCH: 11:30am, lentil soup, bread, BLT, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, cookie dough, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, carrot ginger soup, sauteed tofu with coconut sauce, collard greens, chocolate ice cream sandwich, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, handful of bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got home 3pmish, and the bike ride was a bit much -- my constitution is not fully recovered, a bike ride so short should not have drained me, but it was great to be out in the crisp air. Baked a bit, then we popped over to some neighbors for dinner, it was a nice change of pace.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Chip Cookies: Wanted to bring something nice for the hosts, and I already had espresso-heavy chocolate ice cream in the fridge, so baked off some cookies to sandwich it in. Used the Cook's Country recipe, which while only subtly different, is vastly superior to the Tollhouse recipe, as it uses weights instead of volumes, and is designed to be that sweet spot between chewy and crispy --- when you go volumes, you never quite know if you'll get tall dry cookies or flat greezy cookies...
AM SNACK: 9:30am, iced green tea
BRUNCH: 11:30am, lentil soup, bread, BLT, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, cookie dough, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, carrot ginger soup, sauteed tofu with coconut sauce, collard greens, chocolate ice cream sandwich, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, handful of bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, January 7
Like James Brown, I'm BACK!
Despite only 4 hours of sleep, when I was woken around 5am this morning a veil had been lifted. My body was ache free, my head clear for the first time in two weeks.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Basic Tomato Sauce: It was a bummer running out of the last container of homemade and having Betsy bring in horrid jarred stuff. More annoyingly, B asked me to skip all the fresh herbs I use in my sauce (oregano, thyme, basil) -- I guess she prefers the flat taste of jarred stuff. I imagine if I jarred my sauce and put it up on a shelf for a year, Betsy would like it more. Hrumph.
Grilled Cheese: I wasn't hungry, but fed the family. B's 100-ingredient store bought whole wheat bread, swiss, a few tomato slices, brushed in butter and fried on the caste iron grill pan. Had a nice brown line pattern on it and crunched nicely when I cut them.
AM SNACK: 5:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 7am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST pt 2: 10:15am, egg mcmuffin minus the egg, 2 little hashbrowns, diet coke, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, meatball hero, salad, a few french fries, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, spoonful of homemade chocolate ice cream
DINNER: 8pm, handful of bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING:
Basic Tomato Sauce: It was a bummer running out of the last container of homemade and having Betsy bring in horrid jarred stuff. More annoyingly, B asked me to skip all the fresh herbs I use in my sauce (oregano, thyme, basil) -- I guess she prefers the flat taste of jarred stuff. I imagine if I jarred my sauce and put it up on a shelf for a year, Betsy would like it more. Hrumph.
Grilled Cheese: I wasn't hungry, but fed the family. B's 100-ingredient store bought whole wheat bread, swiss, a few tomato slices, brushed in butter and fried on the caste iron grill pan. Had a nice brown line pattern on it and crunched nicely when I cut them.
AM SNACK: 5:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 7am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
BREAKFAST pt 2: 10:15am, egg mcmuffin minus the egg, 2 little hashbrowns, diet coke, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, meatball hero, salad, a few french fries, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, spoonful of homemade chocolate ice cream
DINNER: 8pm, handful of bagel-wrapped mini hotdogs, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, January 6
Boding better
Feeling better, but still housebound. Went out with Mil for 30 minutes to sit in the park and run a short errand, makes me think -- where the hell is the snow? I think we were snowbound by this time last year. Betsy was out in the morning and brought me lunch -- dang, how lucky am I to have such a woman in my life? She doesn't cook, but she cleans! She rears kids! She's kind to me! She takes care of me! She only freaks out on occasion!
A total feeling of exhaustion took over me in the late evening, the first time in weeks that it wasn't mixed in with an ill-tension. Bodes well for tomorrow, I hope.
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9pm, organic cornflakes with organic dead milk, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2pm, Subway 12" veggie burger sub on whole wheat, health salad, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded tilapia, 2 pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanut butter & nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
A total feeling of exhaustion took over me in the late evening, the first time in weeks that it wasn't mixed in with an ill-tension. Bodes well for tomorrow, I hope.
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9pm, organic cornflakes with organic dead milk, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2pm, Subway 12" veggie burger sub on whole wheat, health salad, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, breaded tilapia, 2 pickles, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanut butter & nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thursday, January 5
Went to the doctor
And the doctor said: no more monkeys jumping on the bed! Actually, I did go to the doctor, and other then being temporarily sick, I'm in pretty good health otherwise. Doc chalks it up to holiday eating / baby-related lack of sleep / stomach bug going around. It was a bit of a struggle to get myself out the door and to the appointment, but I suppose that's for the best. Hopefully soon I'll be back to normal -- tomorrow will be a full 2 weeks of being ill.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, 2 toaster waffles, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:15pm, hostess apple pie pocket thingie, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7pm, garlic shrimp with blackbeans & yellow rice, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate ice cream. .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, 2 toaster waffles, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 2:15pm, hostess apple pie pocket thingie, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7pm, garlic shrimp with blackbeans & yellow rice, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate ice cream. .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, January 4
Slowly floating up
A little better, but still not there yet. Doctor appt tomorrow. Eating less, but being that I'm doing little other than lying down, it seems to be OK.
AM SNACK: 10am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, waffles with peanut butter, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, yogurt with honey, vanilla, peanuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER pt 1: 6pm, turkey & swiss on whole wheat, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER pt 2: 9pm, steelcut oatmeal with brown sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
WF brand steel cut oats sucks. Don't like the taste or consistency. Takes 15 minutes to microwave, despite me already roasting the oats to help with cook time.
AM SNACK: 10am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, waffles with peanut butter, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 3pm, yogurt with honey, vanilla, peanuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER pt 1: 6pm, turkey & swiss on whole wheat, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER pt 2: 9pm, steelcut oatmeal with brown sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
WF brand steel cut oats sucks. Don't like the taste or consistency. Takes 15 minutes to microwave, despite me already roasting the oats to help with cook time.
Tuesday, January 3
A fine specimen
Probably had 4 hours of interrupted sleep last night -- despite that, still feeling a little better than yesterday. If I was able to get some sleep in, I think I would have been up and about days ago, but that's life -- Edie was off from school for the holidays, the baby is a baby and Betsy, while a fine specimen, is still only human.
Stayed indoors today, tried to not sleep too much during the day so the evening would be easier.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, wholegrain cheerios with dead organic milk, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:15pm, 2 eggo waffles with smucker's "natural" peanut butter, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ugg, the generic whole wheat toaster waffles have more character than these things, and the overly smooth, overly salted peanut butter doesn't hold a light to the freshly ground no-salt, no-BS peanut butter that you can get out of a machine at Whole Foods.
DINNER: 6pm, chorizo burrito, chips & guac, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:45pm, left over burrito, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Stayed indoors today, tried to not sleep too much during the day so the evening would be easier.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, wholegrain cheerios with dead organic milk, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1:15pm, 2 eggo waffles with smucker's "natural" peanut butter, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ugg, the generic whole wheat toaster waffles have more character than these things, and the overly smooth, overly salted peanut butter doesn't hold a light to the freshly ground no-salt, no-BS peanut butter that you can get out of a machine at Whole Foods.
DINNER: 6pm, chorizo burrito, chips & guac, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:45pm, left over burrito, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, January 2
Ugg
An unfortunate lack of sleep is preventing me from fully recovering, still a lack of energy and appetite running at 85%. Hopefully I'll be me again sooner than later, I miss participating in life!
Looking at the week before I got sick, the combination of poor eating, rich holiday food on hand, lack of sleep and exposure to some friends who had stomach bugs themselves (who I've learned have also been sick for a similar period as me this time around) just became a perfect storm to knock me down and hold me there for a while.
I miss having fresh homemade food on hand -- my home has been invaded by whole grain "healthy" bread with about 75 ingredients that tastes not unlike cardboard, jarred tomato sauce that is vastly inferior to a simple prep of olive oil, garlic and dried basil (with a dash of Worcestershire) and an evil expulsion of my chocolate covered espresso beans. I gotta get back.
BREAKFAST: 8am, cornflakes with milk, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: noon, mini pizza, small scoop of chocolate ice cream, seltzer, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, good yogurt with honey, peanuts, vanilla, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5pm, pizza, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6pm, scoop of chocolate ice cream, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, waffles, goldfish, cornflakes & milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Looking at the week before I got sick, the combination of poor eating, rich holiday food on hand, lack of sleep and exposure to some friends who had stomach bugs themselves (who I've learned have also been sick for a similar period as me this time around) just became a perfect storm to knock me down and hold me there for a while.
I miss having fresh homemade food on hand -- my home has been invaded by whole grain "healthy" bread with about 75 ingredients that tastes not unlike cardboard, jarred tomato sauce that is vastly inferior to a simple prep of olive oil, garlic and dried basil (with a dash of Worcestershire) and an evil expulsion of my chocolate covered espresso beans. I gotta get back.
BREAKFAST: 8am, cornflakes with milk, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: noon, mini pizza, small scoop of chocolate ice cream, seltzer, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:30pm, good yogurt with honey, peanuts, vanilla, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5pm, pizza, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6pm, scoop of chocolate ice cream, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, waffles, goldfish, cornflakes & milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
