Woke up, entertained the tots while making some nice breakfast, then got them wrapped up and strapped into the double stroller for a nice cold journey to the East River. Betsy & Edie were a little feverish, so I stayed in for the rest of the day.
TODAY'S COOKING
French Toast: 2 cups of whole milk, 4 eggs, 2oz vanilla sugar, big pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Splash of vanilla extract. Clarified a stick of butter for frying. Cut last night's challah into 1" pieces. Fried on low heat to get a nice golden color and firm the centers.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, french toast, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Edie wasn't sure what to make of the french toast, wanted pancakes. :( I cut her small piece into quarters and she hesitantly nibbled a piece. She looked at me with the sweetest, questioning, innocent look, then looked away at the TV and took another bite. "So, Edie, did you like it?" Pause. "Yeah." I looooove her soooo much!
LUNCH: 12:45pm, 2 hotdogs with caramelized onions & mustard, pickles, 7oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I intended to have 1 hotdog and baby spinach salad, but after dressing the last of the spinach with carrots dressing, the first bite revealed that the dressing started to turn. So I threw it out, and said, hey, it's a Tom Cruisian weekend, shouldn't beat myself up.
PM SNACK: 3pm, 2 chocolate pudding ramekins with whipped cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:45pm, baby carrots with a little ranch dressing, Singapore noodles, roti canai, water, a few alphabet cookies, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, a few whole wheat pretzel sticks, a piece of dried sausage, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, March 10
Friday, March 9
Feeling Chocolate Pudding
A day in constant motion. Woke up, got the laundry together, took Edie down to the laundry to get it in, took Edie to school, got home, ran out for some infant Tylenol for a slightly feverish Mil (due to the vaccines he received yesterday), got the laundry in the dryer, say goodbye to Betsy, lift weights, make smoothie, get laundry & put it away, go to Wholefoods for supplies, make chocolate pudding and whipped cream, out to Union Square for follow up about my kidney stones, home cooking labor intensive risotto, entertain a Sabbath dinner with friends, dance party with toddlers, clean up, watch a bad movie, sleep.
Urologist didn't give me any new info, asked if I drank pots of coffee a day. -sigh-. I have another scan and a follow up later in the month, hopefully it'll be more conclusive.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream: Used this recipe, though ignored the technique, just wanted proportions. (I did double the sugar, it seemed too low and I was right -- this is still not a very sweet pudding) Tossed everything in a pot except the cold butter, turned heat up low, and whisked until it thickened. Turned off heat, put the pot in an ice bath while continued to whisk, and hit it with the butter to get a nice glossy sheen. Once it seemed reasonably cool, spooned into ramekins, covered with plastic and into the fridge. 3/4 of a pint of heavy cream into the stand mixer, about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and scrapings of 2 vanilla beans. Whipped until stiff peaks.
Mil was at my feet distracting me, and I found that the pudding was not perfectly smooth - it had a few tiny little lumps in it. This was probably from getting the pudding too hot, too fast -- a feel thing. If I make it again, I'll probably get it right.
Filet of Sole, Roasted Brussels & Mushroom Risotto: Betsy wanted this meal again, so why not. Nice white fillets on a sheet pan with pats of butter and Old Bay, broiled for about 8 minutes. (The next morning, looking through my c-school recipes looking for french toast, found several recipes for fillet of sole, I regret not using them -- this simple broiling method is my mom's style, what I grew up with. I should of dredged in flour and spices, pan sauteed, finished with a little pan sauce or supremes of lemon!) Brussels halved and coated with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted at 425 for 20 minutes until soft in the middle and charred outside. The risotto was the same as last week, except swapped out parm for asagio, went a little heavier on the sherry to compete with the cheese's funk.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie
AM SNACK: 11:30am, spinach empanadas, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, Sicilian slice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:45pm, filet of sole, mushroom risotto, brussels, 2 small pots of chocolate pudding and whipped cream, half glass of wine, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, small amount of sesame whole wheat pretzels
Urologist didn't give me any new info, asked if I drank pots of coffee a day. -sigh-. I have another scan and a follow up later in the month, hopefully it'll be more conclusive.
TODAY'S COOKING
Chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream: Used this recipe, though ignored the technique, just wanted proportions. (I did double the sugar, it seemed too low and I was right -- this is still not a very sweet pudding) Tossed everything in a pot except the cold butter, turned heat up low, and whisked until it thickened. Turned off heat, put the pot in an ice bath while continued to whisk, and hit it with the butter to get a nice glossy sheen. Once it seemed reasonably cool, spooned into ramekins, covered with plastic and into the fridge. 3/4 of a pint of heavy cream into the stand mixer, about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and scrapings of 2 vanilla beans. Whipped until stiff peaks.
Mil was at my feet distracting me, and I found that the pudding was not perfectly smooth - it had a few tiny little lumps in it. This was probably from getting the pudding too hot, too fast -- a feel thing. If I make it again, I'll probably get it right.
Filet of Sole, Roasted Brussels & Mushroom Risotto: Betsy wanted this meal again, so why not. Nice white fillets on a sheet pan with pats of butter and Old Bay, broiled for about 8 minutes. (The next morning, looking through my c-school recipes looking for french toast, found several recipes for fillet of sole, I regret not using them -- this simple broiling method is my mom's style, what I grew up with. I should of dredged in flour and spices, pan sauteed, finished with a little pan sauce or supremes of lemon!) Brussels halved and coated with olive oil, salt and pepper, roasted at 425 for 20 minutes until soft in the middle and charred outside. The risotto was the same as last week, except swapped out parm for asagio, went a little heavier on the sherry to compete with the cheese's funk.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie
AM SNACK: 11:30am, spinach empanadas, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3:45pm, Sicilian slice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:45pm, filet of sole, mushroom risotto, brussels, 2 small pots of chocolate pudding and whipped cream, half glass of wine, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, small amount of sesame whole wheat pretzels
Thursday, March 8
Springing
A beautiful day out. After Mil's 4 month check up, brought him out to Roosevelt Island, where he rolled over by himself for the first time on the grass on the north end of the Island. Picked up Edie, spent an hour in the local park with lots of other friends and families. Spring is on the edge of, umm, springing!
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, homemade granola bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, shrimp fried rice, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a hole in the wall dumpling place in Chinatown, $5 got a big tray of fried rice, maybe 2 lbs worth. I used to really like the large amount for few $, but now it seemed clownishly large. So I ate half, but ate all the shrimp in it. I noticed two things as the cook made the dish in the open kitchen -- he took a bunch of raw shrimp and cooked it in boiled water before adding to the stir fry, and he added a white powder to the cooking. The shrimp is always wonderfully tender and freshly cooked here, and the rice is yummy because that white powder is what I know to be MSG. Not too much like a Dorito, but enough to make the food memorablely different than the typical Chinese take out that trumpets proudly, "NO MSG".
DINNER: 6:15pm, grilled cheese on whole wheat, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrots dressing, a fistful of Purim cake and chocolate, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had a variety of cheeses left over from a school tasting. Put Ementaller and Gruyere on mine, with a shmear of caramelized onion, buttered the bread. Fried in grill pan, with a heavy copper pot pressing it. Oh my, I understand why these can be addicting -- crunchy, oozy, salty, fatty. I stopped at one, thank goodness. I could definitely make myself sick on these. The whole wheat bread is definitely on a fig leaf on it's unhealthiness, though it did give a nice nutty note.
Several packages of sweet stuff showed up on our door from the religious neighbors, so rather than wait and get hungry for another sammich, I slammed some coffee cake and some milk chocolate down and I was right as rain. Threw out the balance of the sweets, didn't feel bad about it, either.
BREAKFAST: 8:45am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, iced green tea, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:45am, homemade granola bar, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, shrimp fried rice, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
At a hole in the wall dumpling place in Chinatown, $5 got a big tray of fried rice, maybe 2 lbs worth. I used to really like the large amount for few $, but now it seemed clownishly large. So I ate half, but ate all the shrimp in it. I noticed two things as the cook made the dish in the open kitchen -- he took a bunch of raw shrimp and cooked it in boiled water before adding to the stir fry, and he added a white powder to the cooking. The shrimp is always wonderfully tender and freshly cooked here, and the rice is yummy because that white powder is what I know to be MSG. Not too much like a Dorito, but enough to make the food memorablely different than the typical Chinese take out that trumpets proudly, "NO MSG".
DINNER: 6:15pm, grilled cheese on whole wheat, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrots dressing, a fistful of Purim cake and chocolate, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had a variety of cheeses left over from a school tasting. Put Ementaller and Gruyere on mine, with a shmear of caramelized onion, buttered the bread. Fried in grill pan, with a heavy copper pot pressing it. Oh my, I understand why these can be addicting -- crunchy, oozy, salty, fatty. I stopped at one, thank goodness. I could definitely make myself sick on these. The whole wheat bread is definitely on a fig leaf on it's unhealthiness, though it did give a nice nutty note.
Several packages of sweet stuff showed up on our door from the religious neighbors, so rather than wait and get hungry for another sammich, I slammed some coffee cake and some milk chocolate down and I was right as rain. Threw out the balance of the sweets, didn't feel bad about it, either.
Wednesday, March 7
Pill Pop
Around 9am, my kidney started hurting, similar to last week. I managed to stick to my schedule and go out with Mil and do a few chores. By 11am, the pain went from a 2/10 to around 6/10 and realized even though it was slower than the attack last week, I didn't know how bad it would get. So I cancelled class, popped the pain pills and when the baby sitter came at 1, I napped until 4pmish. Woke up groggy but free of pain -- I guess it was only a slight return, not a full on event.
Funny, the warm nice feeling the pill gave me also made my hunger return and had a decent lunch. To groggy and out of sorts to cook, so I ordered in dinner -- looks like I'll be cooking for guests Friday instead of ordering in anyway, so it's balanced. Betsy and her mom don't like fish or Japanese food, so it's a rare privilege nowadays.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
PILL POP: 11am, oxycodone, ibuprofin
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 4oz whole wheat spagetti with sauce & grated parm, baby carrots, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Still amazed that 4oz of dry pasta is 2x the serving size, 4x the FDA serving size.
DINNER: 7pm, sushi, tempura, small green salad, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny, the warm nice feeling the pill gave me also made my hunger return and had a decent lunch. To groggy and out of sorts to cook, so I ordered in dinner -- looks like I'll be cooking for guests Friday instead of ordering in anyway, so it's balanced. Betsy and her mom don't like fish or Japanese food, so it's a rare privilege nowadays.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
PILL POP: 11am, oxycodone, ibuprofin
LUNCH: 12:30pm, 4oz whole wheat spagetti with sauce & grated parm, baby carrots, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Still amazed that 4oz of dry pasta is 2x the serving size, 4x the FDA serving size.
DINNER: 7pm, sushi, tempura, small green salad, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tuesday, March 6
Veggie Burger Horror
Woke up pleasantly sore from weights. Healthy lunch, but going to Red Hook to teach threw off my eating, though it was fun. I need to remember to eat a proper meal when I get home from teaching, rather than letting it build.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, corn chex with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, baby spinach with carrot dressing, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, grape soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SCHOOL SNACK: 6:30pm, a few small slices of poorly made pizza, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods with nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie burger on whole grain bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My god, Betsy likes these Dr. Praeger California-Style veggie burgers, but they are D-gust-ING. Mushy potato patty with corn and cut green beans studding it for a thoroughly un-burger-like experience. I finished it because I didn't want to be wasteful, but I should start looking at veggie burger labels, and see if any of the more burger-like ones are acceptably healthy.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, corn chex with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 11:45am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, baby spinach with carrot dressing, 7oz ginger ale, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, grape soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
SCHOOL SNACK: 6:30pm, a few small slices of poorly made pizza, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods with nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, veggie burger on whole grain bun, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My god, Betsy likes these Dr. Praeger California-Style veggie burgers, but they are D-gust-ING. Mushy potato patty with corn and cut green beans studding it for a thoroughly un-burger-like experience. I finished it because I didn't want to be wasteful, but I should start looking at veggie burger labels, and see if any of the more burger-like ones are acceptably healthy.
Monday, March 5
Fish Fail
Reps are going a little on weight routine, look forward to doubling the original amount so I can cut them back and increase the weight.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Scrod with Chorizo: I was going to cook up a frozen breaded tilapia in the freezer, but the more I thought about how it tastes versus the fresh scrod I picked up the other week, the thought of the freezer fish seemed much less appealing. So Edie & Milli Mil & I swung by the market on the way home from picking Edie up from school. Last time, I prepared it simply, butter and Old Bay, and broiled it for 5 minutes.
This time, I cut up my half-link of chorizo into thin slices, quartered the slices and scattered them on top of the fillet. Added a few pats of butter, and roasted at 400 for 10 minutes (unlike last week, this was a thicker piece). I thought the chorizo's salty/smokey/fatty make up would give the fish a big taste, but it wasn't nearly as salty, smokey or fatty as I thought and the fish was quite underwhelming. I imagine the technique used in the fish I've eaten in high-end restaurants that involve little bits of sausage are a little bit more sophisticated than what I did. Next time I attempt to flavor a roasted fish with a sausage, gonna refer to a recipe for technique first.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, hardcore granola, an apple, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, left over whole wheat rotini with mushroom, spinach and onion, a pickle, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This had to be twice the suggested serving, but it didn't seem excessive. For pasta 3 or 4 days old, tasted surprisingly spritely and fresh. I think the siraccha kick it has somehow helped preserve it.
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, Baked Scrod with chorizo, roasted brussel sprouts, brown rice mix, 7 oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, 7oz ginger ale
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, graham crackers with nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING:
Scrod with Chorizo: I was going to cook up a frozen breaded tilapia in the freezer, but the more I thought about how it tastes versus the fresh scrod I picked up the other week, the thought of the freezer fish seemed much less appealing. So Edie & Milli Mil & I swung by the market on the way home from picking Edie up from school. Last time, I prepared it simply, butter and Old Bay, and broiled it for 5 minutes.
This time, I cut up my half-link of chorizo into thin slices, quartered the slices and scattered them on top of the fillet. Added a few pats of butter, and roasted at 400 for 10 minutes (unlike last week, this was a thicker piece). I thought the chorizo's salty/smokey/fatty make up would give the fish a big taste, but it wasn't nearly as salty, smokey or fatty as I thought and the fish was quite underwhelming. I imagine the technique used in the fish I've eaten in high-end restaurants that involve little bits of sausage are a little bit more sophisticated than what I did. Next time I attempt to flavor a roasted fish with a sausage, gonna refer to a recipe for technique first.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, hardcore granola, an apple, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, left over whole wheat rotini with mushroom, spinach and onion, a pickle, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
This had to be twice the suggested serving, but it didn't seem excessive. For pasta 3 or 4 days old, tasted surprisingly spritely and fresh. I think the siraccha kick it has somehow helped preserve it.
PM SNACK: 4:30pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, Baked Scrod with chorizo, roasted brussel sprouts, brown rice mix, 7 oz ginger ale, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, 7oz ginger ale
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, graham crackers with nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, whole wheat pretzel rods, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, March 4
Crowded out
A good Sunday -- got to read the paper in the morning, took the train uptown with Edie for some time in Central Park and a kiddie orchestra concert with a friend & her kid in the afternoon. Got some time alone in the late afternoon doing the week's food shopping.
Not a good eating day, but it was my "day off", and despite a horrible (but very much appreciated) indulgent dinner of unhealthiness, I'm looking at this list and seeing how very healthy stuff on hand is crowding out lesser choices. Whole grain home made bagels, home made granola bars, green tea, carrots, competing with the McD's and the frozen pizza.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with a little marscapone, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My bagel is not as bad as I original feared, look forward to making a much improved 2nd batch. 100% whole grain, and vegan to boot!
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: noon, honey-roasted almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Strolling near the Poet's Walk in Central Park, seemed like the healthiest option. Very sweet and crunchy, definitely not light on the sugar. Almond flavor was very muted against the sugar.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, filet-o-fish sandwich, fries, diet coke, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
First Ave in below 72nd St. I just needed the convenience of an uncrowded, simple experience that Edie would be comfortable and chill in. McD's got my number, I'm an unwonderful parent. :(
DINNER: 7:45pm, Stouffer's Frenchbread pizzas, baby carrots, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Not a good eating day, but it was my "day off", and despite a horrible (but very much appreciated) indulgent dinner of unhealthiness, I'm looking at this list and seeing how very healthy stuff on hand is crowding out lesser choices. Whole grain home made bagels, home made granola bars, green tea, carrots, competing with the McD's and the frozen pizza.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, homemade pumpernickel bagel with a little marscapone, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
My bagel is not as bad as I original feared, look forward to making a much improved 2nd batch. 100% whole grain, and vegan to boot!
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: noon, honey-roasted almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Strolling near the Poet's Walk in Central Park, seemed like the healthiest option. Very sweet and crunchy, definitely not light on the sugar. Almond flavor was very muted against the sugar.
LUNCH: 2:30pm, filet-o-fish sandwich, fries, diet coke, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
First Ave in below 72nd St. I just needed the convenience of an uncrowded, simple experience that Edie would be comfortable and chill in. McD's got my number, I'm an unwonderful parent. :(
DINNER: 7:45pm, Stouffer's Frenchbread pizzas, baby carrots, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, March 3
Unbalanced
Walked over to Williamsburg with Mil to hang out with MAP, cooked in the afternoon and J came over in the late afternoon for dinner and play with the little ones. Didn't eat enough in the first half of the day, ate a bit too much in the second half.
TODAY'S COOKING
Mushroom Risotto: Got the ol' recipe cards from c-school out. Rehydrated a pack of porcinis in 5 cups of water, along with some portabella stems and bay leaves, reserved the liquid to cook the risotto. Minced a pack of portabellas and the porcinis in the food processor, sauteed with a little olive oil until dry, held aside. Sauteed 3 minced shallots in olive oil until soft, added a few cloves of minced garlic for a minute, added 1.5 cups of arborio rice to coat. Tossed in 1/2 cup of white wine, cooked a sec. Then stirred in a ladel of the mushroom stock one at a time and constantly stirred the rice until all 5 cups were absorbed. Finished with a 1/4 cup of nice sherry, 3 tbsp of marscapone, a half cup of parm and tablespoon of cold butter, a big pinch of minced parsley, some salt.
I considered using a brown arborio rice, but every thing said while healthier, it is not good for risotto, doesn't exude the starch for the right creaminess. Hey, it's Saturday!
AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8am, corn chex & organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 9:30am, darjeeling tea, chocolate au pain, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, spinach salad with carrot ginger dressing & slivered almonds, a few slices of chorizo sausage, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Visited Marlow & Daughters on the walk with MAP, picked up a few interesting dry sausages -- figure it'll add some excitement to my regular salad intake.
PM SNACK: 2:45pm, whole wheat ritz and nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, mushroom risotto, roasted brussel sprouts, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 3/5
The afternoon snack kinda destroyed my appetite. Shoulda had more for lunch.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, a cup of mushroom risotto, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, leftover hamburger, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING
Mushroom Risotto: Got the ol' recipe cards from c-school out. Rehydrated a pack of porcinis in 5 cups of water, along with some portabella stems and bay leaves, reserved the liquid to cook the risotto. Minced a pack of portabellas and the porcinis in the food processor, sauteed with a little olive oil until dry, held aside. Sauteed 3 minced shallots in olive oil until soft, added a few cloves of minced garlic for a minute, added 1.5 cups of arborio rice to coat. Tossed in 1/2 cup of white wine, cooked a sec. Then stirred in a ladel of the mushroom stock one at a time and constantly stirred the rice until all 5 cups were absorbed. Finished with a 1/4 cup of nice sherry, 3 tbsp of marscapone, a half cup of parm and tablespoon of cold butter, a big pinch of minced parsley, some salt.
I considered using a brown arborio rice, but every thing said while healthier, it is not good for risotto, doesn't exude the starch for the right creaminess. Hey, it's Saturday!
AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8am, corn chex & organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 9:30am, darjeeling tea, chocolate au pain, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, spinach salad with carrot ginger dressing & slivered almonds, a few slices of chorizo sausage, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Visited Marlow & Daughters on the walk with MAP, picked up a few interesting dry sausages -- figure it'll add some excitement to my regular salad intake.
PM SNACK: 2:45pm, whole wheat ritz and nutella, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, mushroom risotto, roasted brussel sprouts, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 3/5
The afternoon snack kinda destroyed my appetite. Shoulda had more for lunch.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, a cup of mushroom risotto, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, leftover hamburger, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, March 2
McNoah's
Woke up tired. Got laundry done, a walk to Wholefoods. Spent an hour at the playroom with the chillun' and grandma. Between the bagels in the morning and prepping potatoes and meat in the afternoon, a good cooking day, though not a great eating day. I intended to eat spinach in the afternoon, but too busy, and the sushi tray from Wholefoods filled me up.
One good thing about the high-fat, high-calorie dinner is that I didn't desire any snacks after, and I was able to get to bed by 9pm without much of struggle.
TODAY'S COOKING
Pumpernickel Bagels: The dough didn't rise much in the fridge, but it did rise maybe by 50%. I divided the dough into 12 4oz portions, rolled and formed into circles. Laid them out on sheet pans, and let them sit in the warm kitchen for a second rise. A very distinct smell of alcohol, which is good, the yeast is eating and peeing and pooing in the dough, hopefully it would puff up nicely.
They didn't puff much, and I was left with rather large wholes surrounded by pretzel-like bagels. It reminded me of some dense German wholegrain bread
Burgers n' fries: Instead of ordering in something unhealthy when momma-in-law is over, decided to cook something unhealthy. Couldn't bother finding my c-school recipe for proper fries, so just followed this, close enough. Pound of 85% lean chop meat, grated half an onion into it, a few dashes of Worcestershire, salt & pepper, let come to room temp before frying in butter.
Fries came out pretty good, I cut them a little thicker than I thought, might have been a cross between a string cut and a steak cut, more soft insides to crisper, browner outside. Took great satisfaction in deep-frying Betsy's veggie burger, rather than the usual zap in the micro.
AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:30am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5m
LUNCH: 12:30pm, brown rice nori rolls with tuna and salmon, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, 2 burgers, fries, a little ginger ale, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Holy crap, my soda is a great after-dinner apertivo / palate cleanser after such a gut-busting heavy meal.
One good thing about the high-fat, high-calorie dinner is that I didn't desire any snacks after, and I was able to get to bed by 9pm without much of struggle.
TODAY'S COOKING
Pumpernickel Bagels: The dough didn't rise much in the fridge, but it did rise maybe by 50%. I divided the dough into 12 4oz portions, rolled and formed into circles. Laid them out on sheet pans, and let them sit in the warm kitchen for a second rise. A very distinct smell of alcohol, which is good, the yeast is eating and peeing and pooing in the dough, hopefully it would puff up nicely.
They didn't puff much, and I was left with rather large wholes surrounded by pretzel-like bagels. It reminded me of some dense German wholegrain bread
Burgers n' fries: Instead of ordering in something unhealthy when momma-in-law is over, decided to cook something unhealthy. Couldn't bother finding my c-school recipe for proper fries, so just followed this, close enough. Pound of 85% lean chop meat, grated half an onion into it, a few dashes of Worcestershire, salt & pepper, let come to room temp before frying in butter.
Fries came out pretty good, I cut them a little thicker than I thought, might have been a cross between a string cut and a steak cut, more soft insides to crisper, browner outside. Took great satisfaction in deep-frying Betsy's veggie burger, rather than the usual zap in the micro.
AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, hardcore oatmeal, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACK: 11:30am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5m
LUNCH: 12:30pm, brown rice nori rolls with tuna and salmon, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, 2 burgers, fries, a little ginger ale, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Holy crap, my soda is a great after-dinner apertivo / palate cleanser after such a gut-busting heavy meal.
Thursday, March 1
Pump der nickel, bagel!
226.8-->228.2--->228.0
Not a significant change, easily attributed to my light eating the last few days due to the kidney stone. Still, I do feel stronger and my muscles a little more defined under my layer of blubber.
A hard night, as Edie has some gastric distress waking her up all night long. I was a bit restless myself, got to bed 1amish and woke up every few hours to feed Milli Mil.
Finished the course of antibiotics last night, so today will be my first drug-free day since Monday. Lifted weights this morning, and despite a sore back, it did not effect the activity -- the soreness is kidney-related, not muscle related. On the attempted pull-ups, I moved maybe a couple of inches, which is a couple of inches more than I could when I started.
Could not fall asleep until 2:30ish, I think the lack of ibuprofin made my achy back stick out in my mind a bit more.
TODAY'S COOKING
Pumpernickel Bagel Dough: What should a pumpernickel bagel taste like? After reading 5 or 6 recipes running the gamut, I'm still not sure but guess that rye and molasses should be in there. Annoyed by the breakfast bagel, pulled out some ingredients then found a recipe that matched what I had on hand. I substituted equal parts whole rye flour and whole wheat flour for the three-flour mix they recommend, and added salt to the flours rather than the wet. Upon kneading in the machine, found it waaaaay too wet and added a cup of whole wheat flour. Still seemed wet but now it pulled away from the walls of the bowl, so I let it go for 15 minutes, knowing as the grains hydrated deeper, the dough would become wetter and looser -- something I've learned the hard way and killed a stand mixer or two while making bagels. Still too wet, added a cup of whole grain rye and let it go for another 10. (I wish this stupid recipe used liquid measures instead of dry.) Tossed in a tablespoon of caraway seeds during kneading -- it just smells like the pumpernickel bagels I remember as a kid, and I'd rather have them stud the bagel rather than coat the top.
The recipe calls for a quick 1 hour rise to double, but instead I stored the dough in the bowl with a loose damp towel on top in the fridge. Gonna let it go until tomorrow and see what happens. With pizza dough (another high-gluten, tough and chewy bread product), a slow cold rise allows the fermentation to really give a lot of flavor to the final product.) I guess I'll be baking these off tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Really tasting the bagel, it's....not that great. It fills me up, but it's not pumpernickelly enough, and I assume they're not using whole grains in it.
PM SNACK: 12:45pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, falafel platter, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6:45pm, baby carrots with carrot dressing, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:15pm, 2 broc-cheddar knishes, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 2am, 6 whole grain chicken nuggets, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Not a significant change, easily attributed to my light eating the last few days due to the kidney stone. Still, I do feel stronger and my muscles a little more defined under my layer of blubber.
A hard night, as Edie has some gastric distress waking her up all night long. I was a bit restless myself, got to bed 1amish and woke up every few hours to feed Milli Mil.
Finished the course of antibiotics last night, so today will be my first drug-free day since Monday. Lifted weights this morning, and despite a sore back, it did not effect the activity -- the soreness is kidney-related, not muscle related. On the attempted pull-ups, I moved maybe a couple of inches, which is a couple of inches more than I could when I started.
Could not fall asleep until 2:30ish, I think the lack of ibuprofin made my achy back stick out in my mind a bit more.
TODAY'S COOKING
Pumpernickel Bagel Dough: What should a pumpernickel bagel taste like? After reading 5 or 6 recipes running the gamut, I'm still not sure but guess that rye and molasses should be in there. Annoyed by the breakfast bagel, pulled out some ingredients then found a recipe that matched what I had on hand. I substituted equal parts whole rye flour and whole wheat flour for the three-flour mix they recommend, and added salt to the flours rather than the wet. Upon kneading in the machine, found it waaaaay too wet and added a cup of whole wheat flour. Still seemed wet but now it pulled away from the walls of the bowl, so I let it go for 15 minutes, knowing as the grains hydrated deeper, the dough would become wetter and looser -- something I've learned the hard way and killed a stand mixer or two while making bagels. Still too wet, added a cup of whole grain rye and let it go for another 10. (I wish this stupid recipe used liquid measures instead of dry.) Tossed in a tablespoon of caraway seeds during kneading -- it just smells like the pumpernickel bagels I remember as a kid, and I'd rather have them stud the bagel rather than coat the top.
The recipe calls for a quick 1 hour rise to double, but instead I stored the dough in the bowl with a loose damp towel on top in the fridge. Gonna let it go until tomorrow and see what happens. With pizza dough (another high-gluten, tough and chewy bread product), a slow cold rise allows the fermentation to really give a lot of flavor to the final product.) I guess I'll be baking these off tomorrow.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Really tasting the bagel, it's....not that great. It fills me up, but it's not pumpernickelly enough, and I assume they're not using whole grains in it.
PM SNACK: 12:45pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2:30pm, falafel platter, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 6:45pm, baby carrots with carrot dressing, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 7:15pm, 2 broc-cheddar knishes, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 2am, 6 whole grain chicken nuggets, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, February 29
Gobble 'em up!
Woke up with a sore spot where my right kidney, a slight headache, and a dehydrated cotton mouth (though I drank 3 quarts of water yesterday), but not in pain. Glad I skipped the oxy last night, don't wanna be hooked on no hillbilly heroin...and I want those pills on hand in case I do have another bout! Gobble 'em up, there all gone!
Rough night, as Edie didn't feel like eating during the day, but found her appetite several times in the middle of the night. I was up around 5:45, half awake feeding Mil, fortunately B came in at some point and let me sleep for another 1.5 hours.
B went back to work, Edie is in school, today try to get back to normal. Before the sitter came at one, just focused on chores, the laundry & the litter, making breakfast, looking after Milli Mil. Laid on the couch for most of the rest of the day. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be returning to full strength.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, I blended this one longer than the last, and the hard nits have reappeared, oh well. Made a double batch so I could freeze up some "noisey ice cream" for Edles.
LUNCH: noon, small slice of cold pizza, baby spinach with slivered almonds & carrot dressing, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 1:15pm, popcorn, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole wheat rotelle with vegetables & wine, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had some veg that I bought to make lentils, but the recent health scare put a crimp on my cooking. Softened a minced onions, cooked down a box of sliced criminis, added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a couple of cups of frozen chopped spinach. Cooked it down for a few minutes, added dry oregano and basil, a squirt of Worcestershire, a squirt of sirracha and then a couple cups of white wine, cooked down until it was wet, not soupy. Turned off heat, salted to taste and slapped a cold pat of butter on and stirred it around. It was good, the mushroom, wine and spicy sirracha dominated the flavors, but the onion and dried spices did a nice back ground note.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Rough night, as Edie didn't feel like eating during the day, but found her appetite several times in the middle of the night. I was up around 5:45, half awake feeding Mil, fortunately B came in at some point and let me sleep for another 1.5 hours.
B went back to work, Edie is in school, today try to get back to normal. Before the sitter came at one, just focused on chores, the laundry & the litter, making breakfast, looking after Milli Mil. Laid on the couch for most of the rest of the day. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be returning to full strength.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Well, I blended this one longer than the last, and the hard nits have reappeared, oh well. Made a double batch so I could freeze up some "noisey ice cream" for Edles.
LUNCH: noon, small slice of cold pizza, baby spinach with slivered almonds & carrot dressing, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 1:15pm, popcorn, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole wheat rotelle with vegetables & wine, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Had some veg that I bought to make lentils, but the recent health scare put a crimp on my cooking. Softened a minced onions, cooked down a box of sliced criminis, added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a couple of cups of frozen chopped spinach. Cooked it down for a few minutes, added dry oregano and basil, a squirt of Worcestershire, a squirt of sirracha and then a couple cups of white wine, cooked down until it was wet, not soupy. Turned off heat, salted to taste and slapped a cold pat of butter on and stirred it around. It was good, the mushroom, wine and spicy sirracha dominated the flavors, but the onion and dried spices did a nice back ground note.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, chocolate chips & almonds, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tuesday, February 28
On the couch
Woke up at 4:45am to go to the bathroom, felt fine. Woke again an hour later with the pain enough to rouse me, so I took the pain killers. That was almost 9 hours without popping a pill, they are supposed to be good for 6 to 8 hours. Got a baby sitter, spent the day on the couch waiting for what's next, hitting the pills around 1pm
Cancelled today's class, as I just don't know what to expect. Made an appt with a specialist one week from Friday, and spoke to my generalist about whats going on. Unless I catch the stone when it comes out, we're probably not going to know what caused this, or the likelihood of a recurrence. If we know what it's made out of, I can perhaps change my diet or habits. For now, after today, I'm gonna go back to how I was eating -- I just don't think I'm getting THAT much calcium from baby spinach.
Took an ibuprofin before bed but skipped the oxy, hoped I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night in agony....
AM SNACK: 5:45am, banana and a bunch of pills
BREAKFAST: 10am, small amount of hardcore oatmeal, .25 bowl, hunger 2/5
LUNCH: noon, ham & swiss on whole grain bread, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, cheeseless eggplant hero, small number of fries, dairy-free tofutti ice cream cone, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny, I used to think this was a healthy meal -- hey, it's meatless! Now all I see is fried breading, not enough vegetables, fiber-free white bread and a total lack of nutritional value. Until a doc says otherwise about my stones, gonna go lighter on dairy.
EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, another tofutti ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Cancelled today's class, as I just don't know what to expect. Made an appt with a specialist one week from Friday, and spoke to my generalist about whats going on. Unless I catch the stone when it comes out, we're probably not going to know what caused this, or the likelihood of a recurrence. If we know what it's made out of, I can perhaps change my diet or habits. For now, after today, I'm gonna go back to how I was eating -- I just don't think I'm getting THAT much calcium from baby spinach.
Took an ibuprofin before bed but skipped the oxy, hoped I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night in agony....
AM SNACK: 5:45am, banana and a bunch of pills
BREAKFAST: 10am, small amount of hardcore oatmeal, .25 bowl, hunger 2/5
LUNCH: noon, ham & swiss on whole grain bread, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4:15pm, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 5:30pm, cheeseless eggplant hero, small number of fries, dairy-free tofutti ice cream cone, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Funny, I used to think this was a healthy meal -- hey, it's meatless! Now all I see is fried breading, not enough vegetables, fiber-free white bread and a total lack of nutritional value. Until a doc says otherwise about my stones, gonna go lighter on dairy.
EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, another tofutti ice cream cone, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, February 27
Is a morphine drip at 6:15am technically an AM snack?
Woke up at 4:45am feeling warm and an achy back. Went to the bathroom with an eye to go right back to bed, but instead the pains continued to grow and throb. Tried sitting up in the kitchen, tried lying down in the living room. Sipped some water, felt dizzy from pain, went to the bathroom and tried to throw up, but nothing came up. With steady rising pain, decided not to find out where this was going to end without a professional and Betsy called me a cab and I went to the emergency room.
It's a good thing, because by the time I got there, I could barely stand, talk or see straight -- pain like I had never had before (and hopefully never again.) The doc pushed and prodded me, nothing hurt where she pushed, and she said it was probably kidney stones. Then, my first morphine drip, then a trip to the cat scan. Kidney stone confirmed, I was out of there around 8am feeling quite warm and fuzzy.
Spent the day buzzing on pills, some discomfort but compared to the morning's 10/10 pain, the afternoon lingered at 1 or 2.
So how did this happen? I'll be meeting with a urologist later in the week, but I can't help but think my first ever kidney stone was probably related to a) stress and b) diet. Though I don't write it up here, I usually take in 2 quarts of water a day (that's 8 cups for those not up on your kitchen maths), not including the 2 cups of iced tea I get in. Is it my heavy hand with salt? Perhaps all the calcium I've been eating in my now-regular baby spinach salads? It'll be interesting to hear with the doc says when I present him with a list of everything I ate for the entire month of February! Thing is, I've been feeling pretty great and eating relatively well since my illness over the holidays, this whole episode is catching me a bit by surprise.
I went to the same emergency room I took my dad when he had complications from surgery, same one I met my parents in when he had his first major fall & stroke. Same hospital where they had hospice care and passed away. I never had an IV drip in my arm before, and I hate needles -- the idea of putting a needle in and leaving it there would usually make me queazy, but I was so racked in agony that I just didn't care, if it would take the pain away. Once that morphine hit, I was staring at the emergency room ceiling, thinking ahhh, this is what my parents saw when they were here! Hi mom! Hi dad! Very odd, made me feel a little closer to them, it was comforting, even though I usually get a little bummed every time I bike or bus by this hospital.
BREAKFAST: 9am, hardcore oatmeal, water, oxycodone, ibuprofin, flomax & cipro, .25 bowl, hunger 3/5
NOON SNACK: noon, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, baby carrots, ritz crackers, xtra strong ibuprofin, .25 bowl, hunger 2/5
Not hungry, but the pill had to be taken with food.
DINNER: 5:45pm, pizza with mushroom & meatball, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
It's a good thing, because by the time I got there, I could barely stand, talk or see straight -- pain like I had never had before (and hopefully never again.) The doc pushed and prodded me, nothing hurt where she pushed, and she said it was probably kidney stones. Then, my first morphine drip, then a trip to the cat scan. Kidney stone confirmed, I was out of there around 8am feeling quite warm and fuzzy.
Spent the day buzzing on pills, some discomfort but compared to the morning's 10/10 pain, the afternoon lingered at 1 or 2.
So how did this happen? I'll be meeting with a urologist later in the week, but I can't help but think my first ever kidney stone was probably related to a) stress and b) diet. Though I don't write it up here, I usually take in 2 quarts of water a day (that's 8 cups for those not up on your kitchen maths), not including the 2 cups of iced tea I get in. Is it my heavy hand with salt? Perhaps all the calcium I've been eating in my now-regular baby spinach salads? It'll be interesting to hear with the doc says when I present him with a list of everything I ate for the entire month of February! Thing is, I've been feeling pretty great and eating relatively well since my illness over the holidays, this whole episode is catching me a bit by surprise.
I went to the same emergency room I took my dad when he had complications from surgery, same one I met my parents in when he had his first major fall & stroke. Same hospital where they had hospice care and passed away. I never had an IV drip in my arm before, and I hate needles -- the idea of putting a needle in and leaving it there would usually make me queazy, but I was so racked in agony that I just didn't care, if it would take the pain away. Once that morphine hit, I was staring at the emergency room ceiling, thinking ahhh, this is what my parents saw when they were here! Hi mom! Hi dad! Very odd, made me feel a little closer to them, it was comforting, even though I usually get a little bummed every time I bike or bus by this hospital.
BREAKFAST: 9am, hardcore oatmeal, water, oxycodone, ibuprofin, flomax & cipro, .25 bowl, hunger 3/5
NOON SNACK: noon, granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, baby carrots, ritz crackers, xtra strong ibuprofin, .25 bowl, hunger 2/5
Not hungry, but the pill had to be taken with food.
DINNER: 5:45pm, pizza with mushroom & meatball, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Sunday, February 26
Sans Recipe
It just occurred to me if I can add a tablespoon to heavy cream and let it stand at room temp to make cream fraiche (a fancy french term for mild sour cream), why can't I save a load of money by inoculating milk with a buttermilk starter and make my own buttermilk? Next quart of $5.75 buttermilk I get, I'm going to freeze into cubes, and add a cube to room temp whole milk and let it sit for a day, should turn into perfectly fine buttermilk at around 1/4 to 1/2 the cost, AND be fresher. I'm assuming the live bacteria will go dormant in the freezer, and whatever dies will be minor...
TODAY'S COOKING
Pancakes: We had three couples with kids coming over, but for some reason I decided to experiment with the recipe anyway. I saw a little piece on TV about Clinton St. Baking, who are known for their pancakes. I've had them, and it's immediately clear what is up -- the density of the fat in the pancake is leavened with whipped egg whites, very French. The chef/owner pretty much cops to it, telling a story of how he worked in a fancy French place years ago, and the chef wanted to do an Americanized brunch service. It was up to him to make the pancakes, so he just took their crepe recipe and added flour.
So like last time, I added a pint of cream fraiche to the quart of buttermilk for the liquid, as well as 2oz of melted butter, 3 scrapings of vanilla beans and instead of 3 whole eggs, 5 egg yolks. Dry side was 24 o flour, 3 oz sugar, tbsp of baking powder and salt, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, shake of cinnamon. I beat the five egg whites to stiff peaks and folded it in, once the dry met the wet. (I let the eggs come to room temp over night -- warm egg whites hold air much better than cold whites.) The fluffy batter sat for about 30 minutes before I started cooking them off.
Pancakes came out surprisingly well, and despite making over 50 pieces, almost all of them went with lots of compliments. Upon reflection, this is now one of the few dishes I make that I can honestly say there was no way I could have made it successfully or easily sans-recipe without going to culinary school.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, chocolate covered coffee beans, water
Forgot to refrigerate the cooling iced tea, so I skipped it. Hey, it's Tom Cruise Sunday!
BRUNCH: 11:30am, handful of pancakes, about 1 donut, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Guests brought the donuts, one jumped down my throat. Thanks, Tom Cruise!
PM SNACK: 5pm, large spinach salad with slivered almonds and carrot dressing, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole grain chicken nuggets, brown rice mix, pint of grenadine soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was about to have broiled scallops, but the glass pirex pan exploded when it tapped the cool edge of the oven while I was removing it. I picked up some brown basmanti rice mixed with wild rice, rye berries and wheat berries, tasted nice.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, corn chex with organic dead milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, graham crackers with a bit of nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
TODAY'S COOKING
Pancakes: We had three couples with kids coming over, but for some reason I decided to experiment with the recipe anyway. I saw a little piece on TV about Clinton St. Baking, who are known for their pancakes. I've had them, and it's immediately clear what is up -- the density of the fat in the pancake is leavened with whipped egg whites, very French. The chef/owner pretty much cops to it, telling a story of how he worked in a fancy French place years ago, and the chef wanted to do an Americanized brunch service. It was up to him to make the pancakes, so he just took their crepe recipe and added flour.
So like last time, I added a pint of cream fraiche to the quart of buttermilk for the liquid, as well as 2oz of melted butter, 3 scrapings of vanilla beans and instead of 3 whole eggs, 5 egg yolks. Dry side was 24 o flour, 3 oz sugar, tbsp of baking powder and salt, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, shake of cinnamon. I beat the five egg whites to stiff peaks and folded it in, once the dry met the wet. (I let the eggs come to room temp over night -- warm egg whites hold air much better than cold whites.) The fluffy batter sat for about 30 minutes before I started cooking them off.
Pancakes came out surprisingly well, and despite making over 50 pieces, almost all of them went with lots of compliments. Upon reflection, this is now one of the few dishes I make that I can honestly say there was no way I could have made it successfully or easily sans-recipe without going to culinary school.
BREAKFAST: 8:30am, chocolate covered coffee beans, water
Forgot to refrigerate the cooling iced tea, so I skipped it. Hey, it's Tom Cruise Sunday!
BRUNCH: 11:30am, handful of pancakes, about 1 donut, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Guests brought the donuts, one jumped down my throat. Thanks, Tom Cruise!
PM SNACK: 5pm, large spinach salad with slivered almonds and carrot dressing, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole grain chicken nuggets, brown rice mix, pint of grenadine soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was about to have broiled scallops, but the glass pirex pan exploded when it tapped the cool edge of the oven while I was removing it. I picked up some brown basmanti rice mixed with wild rice, rye berries and wheat berries, tasted nice.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, corn chex with organic dead milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, graham crackers with a bit of nutella, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Saturday, February 25
Windy Saturday
A mellow day. Mil & I got out the door around 10 to visit K in Park Slope. We took a nice walk around Prospect Park in the sunny wind -- I actually saw a whole lot of park I've never seen before. Stopped by a much better than it should have been Thai restaurant on 5th Ave before heading home.
Got a pint of cream on the way home. Inoculated it with a tablespoon of buttermilk and left it out overnight, to have cream fraiche for the pancakes tomorrow morning...
TODAY'S COOKING:
Iced Tea: Had the last pint of the old batch this morning, made another couple of gallons (5oz of tea steeped in a gallon of simmered water spiked with 1/4 cup sugar, just turned off heat, 5 minutes then left to cool to room temp before hitting the chill box.) It occurred to me that I've been buying green tea randomly and sometimes I really like it sometimes it's a bit too woody and hard. The Houjicha that I'm using right now is pretty good, right in the middle of woody, flowery and just nice n' greeny.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar
AM SNACK: 11:15am, slice of date nut bread, handful of raw almonds, hot tea
LUNCH: 2:30pm, Thai salad, fried tofu, string beans and pork in a curry with sticky rice, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, baby carrots with carrot dressing, potato chips, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got a pint of cream on the way home. Inoculated it with a tablespoon of buttermilk and left it out overnight, to have cream fraiche for the pancakes tomorrow morning...
TODAY'S COOKING:
Iced Tea: Had the last pint of the old batch this morning, made another couple of gallons (5oz of tea steeped in a gallon of simmered water spiked with 1/4 cup sugar, just turned off heat, 5 minutes then left to cool to room temp before hitting the chill box.) It occurred to me that I've been buying green tea randomly and sometimes I really like it sometimes it's a bit too woody and hard. The Houjicha that I'm using right now is pretty good, right in the middle of woody, flowery and just nice n' greeny.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
AM SNACK: 10am, granola bar
AM SNACK: 11:15am, slice of date nut bread, handful of raw almonds, hot tea
LUNCH: 2:30pm, Thai salad, fried tofu, string beans and pork in a curry with sticky rice, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 8pm, baby carrots with carrot dressing, potato chips, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Friday, February 24
Gryadon, Anais & Roo
Last day of Edie's school's winter break! Joined B & his two similarly aged chillun' for a bus ride to the far west side to visit the Children's Museum of Art. Definitely a different crowd -- the kid's names were Graydon, Lulu, Anais, Roo and Honere, among others. Seriously.
Slow walk home with two sleeping bebes, spent the afternoon making dressing and keeping on top of the tots. When grandma arrived around 5, I got a quick weight lifting session in. This time Edie didn't try to get on my back, but still did a few downward-facing dog poses while I did push ups.
I did detect something in the Chinese food, but it might have been natural umami rather than MSG -- if they added MSG, it was a lot more subtle. After eating much more MSG elsewhere, I can can say with certainty that whatever it is that makes Chinese food make people sleepy, it ain't MSG. I crawled into bed and passed out around 10pm. Children: Better than MSG for sleep.
Considering color coding my entries again. Looking at today, everything until dinner is green, everything after is red, he he.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Carrot dressing: Used this recipe again, despite thinking I can improve it -- thing is, I had all the ingredients on hand, why not just use it up? Made a triple batch, used my stored caramelized onions in replace of the 1.5 raw onions I didn't have, shouldn't hurt it at all. Unless it spoils, this should guide my spinach and momma salads for the next week or two.
BREAKFAST: 7:45am, iced green tea, hardcore oatmeal, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Actually set the oatmeal up last night, simmered for a minute and put in the fridge until this morning.
PM SNACK: 12:15pm, 2 homemade granola bars, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Walking home from the far west side, glad I had this in my pocket to keep my hunger in check. Was tempted by various food trucks and restaurants, particularly when both babies were asleep, but figured we'd be ordering in food with my momma-in-law, so best keep it on the healthy tip....
LUNCH: 1:45pm, whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce and a little parm, baby carrots with carrot ginger dressing, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Eating for 1, Edie already taken care of, so I measured out 4 oz -- twice the recommended portion size on the box. It was a good moderately large entree portion in my eyes, how 1/4 of this could be a USDA portion boggles my mind. With the carrots, this was a satisfying lunch but I could have eaten twice as much just from habit.
DINNER: 6:15pm, curry beef over veg fried rice, shrimp toast, a spring roll, 2 cans of Sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
This seems to be becoming a tradition - a good tradition - of some sinful but convenient delivery food with grandma and the whole family. Once a week, I can deal, Tom Cruise style. Though I probably
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, wonton soup, a little veg lo mein, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Slow walk home with two sleeping bebes, spent the afternoon making dressing and keeping on top of the tots. When grandma arrived around 5, I got a quick weight lifting session in. This time Edie didn't try to get on my back, but still did a few downward-facing dog poses while I did push ups.
I did detect something in the Chinese food, but it might have been natural umami rather than MSG -- if they added MSG, it was a lot more subtle. After eating much more MSG elsewhere, I can can say with certainty that whatever it is that makes Chinese food make people sleepy, it ain't MSG. I crawled into bed and passed out around 10pm. Children: Better than MSG for sleep.
Considering color coding my entries again. Looking at today, everything until dinner is green, everything after is red, he he.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Carrot dressing: Used this recipe again, despite thinking I can improve it -- thing is, I had all the ingredients on hand, why not just use it up? Made a triple batch, used my stored caramelized onions in replace of the 1.5 raw onions I didn't have, shouldn't hurt it at all. Unless it spoils, this should guide my spinach and momma salads for the next week or two.
BREAKFAST: 7:45am, iced green tea, hardcore oatmeal, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Actually set the oatmeal up last night, simmered for a minute and put in the fridge until this morning.
PM SNACK: 12:15pm, 2 homemade granola bars, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Walking home from the far west side, glad I had this in my pocket to keep my hunger in check. Was tempted by various food trucks and restaurants, particularly when both babies were asleep, but figured we'd be ordering in food with my momma-in-law, so best keep it on the healthy tip....
LUNCH: 1:45pm, whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce and a little parm, baby carrots with carrot ginger dressing, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Eating for 1, Edie already taken care of, so I measured out 4 oz -- twice the recommended portion size on the box. It was a good moderately large entree portion in my eyes, how 1/4 of this could be a USDA portion boggles my mind. With the carrots, this was a satisfying lunch but I could have eaten twice as much just from habit.
DINNER: 6:15pm, curry beef over veg fried rice, shrimp toast, a spring roll, 2 cans of Sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
This seems to be becoming a tradition - a good tradition - of some sinful but convenient delivery food with grandma and the whole family. Once a week, I can deal, Tom Cruise style. Though I probably
EVENING SNACK: 7pm, wonton soup, a little veg lo mein, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, peanuts & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Thursday, February 23
Just add an orange is all?!
The only two breakfasts in my repertoire which are super healthy is the hardcore oatmeal and the smoothie -- everything else needs rethinking. Googled "healthy breakfast options"this morning and came up with these scary top 10 lists published by dumb wimmin's magazines. A McDonald's Egg McMuffin with the top thrown out, and the addition of a friggin orange - seriously yo? Today's breakfast, Greek yogurt, is helped along with the almonds -- perhaps I should consider reducing or replacing the honey with fresh fruit.... I should also make the time to bake my own hardcore multi whole grain bagels...
Got out the door with the 2 tater tots around 9:30 and went to Brooklyn to visit C and her 2 yr old Autumn. C is great, we are of similar minds on a lot of things, and we both thought nothing would be more fun than making lunch -- pizza from scratch. We made a quick dough soon after I arrived to give it time to rise for an hour, and topped it with various simple stuff out of the fridge. Not gourmet or blog-worthy, but still better (and definitely healthier) than 85% of the store bought frozen pizzas out there. We rolled out to a playground in the afternoon, and popped into a cafe for tea and cake before we headed back home.
Both kiddles asleep when I got off the train, popped in the local market and picked up a quart of good buttermilk for pancakes this weekend and a nice piece of scrod for dinner.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, homemade whole wheat pizza, half glass of black cherry soda, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, chocolate cupcake, green tea, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, broiled scrod with butter and old bay seasoning, brown rice, spinach salad with slivered almonds and carrot tofu ginger dressing, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Brought home a solid 2/3 lb piece of fish. That's around 11 oz, about twice the recommended portion, but I wanted to eat a big dinner to hopefully cut down on cravings. Last night was an exception because I know the slow creep of calorie deficit that a long bike ride can bring (I should strategize for that in the future, rather than depend on chips!)
Though the dressing isn't there, it's easily the best of the bunch so far. The white bean dip was too gritty, the babaganoush too non-descript, the curry carrot dip too pasty. Contemplating how to refine -- perhaps replace tofu with tahini? Cook carrots before blending to make smoother?
Add vanilla extract to my grenadine syrup, gave a nice cream soda undertone to the proceedings.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips and peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Got out the door with the 2 tater tots around 9:30 and went to Brooklyn to visit C and her 2 yr old Autumn. C is great, we are of similar minds on a lot of things, and we both thought nothing would be more fun than making lunch -- pizza from scratch. We made a quick dough soon after I arrived to give it time to rise for an hour, and topped it with various simple stuff out of the fridge. Not gourmet or blog-worthy, but still better (and definitely healthier) than 85% of the store bought frozen pizzas out there. We rolled out to a playground in the afternoon, and popped into a cafe for tea and cake before we headed back home.
Both kiddles asleep when I got off the train, popped in the local market and picked up a quart of good buttermilk for pancakes this weekend and a nice piece of scrod for dinner.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9am, yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:30pm, homemade whole wheat pizza, half glass of black cherry soda, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 3pm, chocolate cupcake, green tea, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6:30pm, broiled scrod with butter and old bay seasoning, brown rice, spinach salad with slivered almonds and carrot tofu ginger dressing, pint of grenadine soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Brought home a solid 2/3 lb piece of fish. That's around 11 oz, about twice the recommended portion, but I wanted to eat a big dinner to hopefully cut down on cravings. Last night was an exception because I know the slow creep of calorie deficit that a long bike ride can bring (I should strategize for that in the future, rather than depend on chips!)
Though the dressing isn't there, it's easily the best of the bunch so far. The white bean dip was too gritty, the babaganoush too non-descript, the curry carrot dip too pasty. Contemplating how to refine -- perhaps replace tofu with tahini? Cook carrots before blending to make smoother?
Add vanilla extract to my grenadine syrup, gave a nice cream soda undertone to the proceedings.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, potato chips, .25 bowl
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, chocolate chips and peanuts, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Wednesday, February 22
Early Summer in mid-February
Woke up to various children at 6:30am, good thing I put myself down at 10 or I'd have a problem f'sure. Pleasantly sore in the chest and shoulders, undoubtedly partially due to Edie crawling on my back as I did push ups.
This morning we hosted a playdate for classmates and friends who are also out of school because of the winter break. I served up the broc-cheddar knishes (quartered), juice boxes and a pitcher of lime rickey, as well as some grapes and the momma salad (composed a bit, not just a jumble.)It went well, it was a lot mellower than it could have been.
Being that I do not have to teach this week, when the sitter came, I got spandexed up and road out to Coney -- it was in the mid 50s and sunny, very odd for mid February. Felt a lot stronger than I thought I'd be for being off the bike so long, the weights must be helping.
Got home and started cooking, forgot to eat spinach salad! D'oh!
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, 2 whole wheat waffles, banana, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACKING 10-12:30pm: baby carrots, a cookie, a broc cheddar knish, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, lentils over white rice, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
A parent contributed this lentil stew and white rice, not very child-accessible but when everyone had left and I found myself hungry and harried with cleaning, there it was -- that's why she brought it, not for the guests, but for the host, he he. I'm not gonna critique such a thoughtful house gift, but it did make me want to reimagine it....
BIKE SNACK: 3pm, granola bar, water
BIKE SNACK: 4pm, small bag of funions, 16oz of gatorade, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I used to like Funions when I was 8 or 9 years old. The crappy bodega I stopped at to refuel didn't have corn chips, and this was a small quarter bag, so why not. The first thing I noticed when crunching on the first one was the overwhelming taste of....MSG. Hah! I almost wish I never tasted straight, unadorned MSG, now it jumps out at me like the pink elephant you're not supposed to imagine.
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Surprising how normal the whole wheat pasta tastes. It looks brown and grainy uncooked, but looked relatively white cooked. Taste-wise, I didn't taste much difference, especially when coated with sauce, but the bite was slightly different. Despite cooking it a minute past al dente, it still had a slightly crumbly element to the bite. Not enough to make it not-good, but different. Gotta stock up.
This round of sauce also is pretty good, definitely elevated by the cup of wine thrown into the aromatics and reduced.
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, potato chips
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, a small handful of cookies
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, more potato chips
Calorie deficit from the day's ride.
This morning we hosted a playdate for classmates and friends who are also out of school because of the winter break. I served up the broc-cheddar knishes (quartered), juice boxes and a pitcher of lime rickey, as well as some grapes and the momma salad (composed a bit, not just a jumble.)It went well, it was a lot mellower than it could have been.
Being that I do not have to teach this week, when the sitter came, I got spandexed up and road out to Coney -- it was in the mid 50s and sunny, very odd for mid February. Felt a lot stronger than I thought I'd be for being off the bike so long, the weights must be helping.
Got home and started cooking, forgot to eat spinach salad! D'oh!
AM SNACK: 7am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 8:15am, 2 whole wheat waffles, banana, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
AM SNACKING 10-12:30pm: baby carrots, a cookie, a broc cheddar knish, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 1pm, lentils over white rice, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
A parent contributed this lentil stew and white rice, not very child-accessible but when everyone had left and I found myself hungry and harried with cleaning, there it was -- that's why she brought it, not for the guests, but for the host, he he. I'm not gonna critique such a thoughtful house gift, but it did make me want to reimagine it....
BIKE SNACK: 3pm, granola bar, water
BIKE SNACK: 4pm, small bag of funions, 16oz of gatorade, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I used to like Funions when I was 8 or 9 years old. The crappy bodega I stopped at to refuel didn't have corn chips, and this was a small quarter bag, so why not. The first thing I noticed when crunching on the first one was the overwhelming taste of....MSG. Hah! I almost wish I never tasted straight, unadorned MSG, now it jumps out at me like the pink elephant you're not supposed to imagine.
DINNER: 6:15pm, whole wheat spaghetti with homemade sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Surprising how normal the whole wheat pasta tastes. It looks brown and grainy uncooked, but looked relatively white cooked. Taste-wise, I didn't taste much difference, especially when coated with sauce, but the bite was slightly different. Despite cooking it a minute past al dente, it still had a slightly crumbly element to the bite. Not enough to make it not-good, but different. Gotta stock up.
This round of sauce also is pretty good, definitely elevated by the cup of wine thrown into the aromatics and reduced.
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, potato chips
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, a small handful of cookies
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, more potato chips
Calorie deficit from the day's ride.
Tuesday, February 21
Terr-ifibling
Edie is off from school this week due to the President's Day holiday. B had off from work yesterday, but today it was me vs. the Terr(ific?)(ible?)(ifying?) Two. Once B left, I set up the weights, put Mil in a bumbo in his crib, and let Edie free range. She immediately gravitated to imitating me, first doing some stretches. Then when I started doing push ups, she crawled on to my back. Instead of doing my usual 20, I squeaked out about 10 with 30 pounds squirming on my back. Surprisingly, got through my routine smoothly. Edie thought my weight lifting was some sort of dance party, and insisted on listening to "Gotta Get Up" by Nillson over and over again while I worked out -- it actually helped. Mil remained chill, my exercises entertained Edie.
Made a smoothie and shared it with Edles, Mil soon went to nap and I got some laundry put away while Edie watched TV, got granola made and in the oven, took care of dishes, put stuff away as Edie scattered them about. Made myself and Edie lunch. Things got a little tense as we waited for the sitter, but once Mil was covered and we got on the bike to the train museum to play with Edie's favorite friend, all was well.
Got to bed at 10, blown out. This week is gonna be not the easiest.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Granola: Another batch with the idea of making bars in mind. Made a bigger batch, 6 cups of oats, 3 cups of nuts including cashews, slivered almonds, pepitas, and for the first time, raw sunflower seed kernels. 4oz of dried shredded unsweetened coconut by weight (came to almost 2 cups by volume, double the original recipe, ha) Half cup of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, tablespoon of vanilla, heaping 1/2 teaspoons of cardamom and cinnamon, teaspoon of salt. Baked at 325 for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to promote even browning. 1/2 cup of chopped dried cherries mixed in once cooled.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was busy bouncing Mil and feeding Edie a waffle to notice how long I let the smoothie blend for, perhaps 3 or 4 times longer than usual -- it actually cut down on the raspberry nit problem almost completely. Either that, or the raspberries floated to the top of the fruit bag and I'm working my way down it.
LUNCH: 11:30am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, health salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Edie running around, Mil strapped to me, somehow got lunch down...
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, handful of whole grain pretzels, liter of water
PM SNACK: 4pm, homemade granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrot dressing, 2 slices of streetza, Jamaican beef patty, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Brought in dinner, as was too hungry and blown out from the day to cook. On a whim, got a beef patty from the pizza place, haven't had one in quite a while. I used to love these, and quickly discovered if I had more than one in a sitting I'd feel sick. The crust is nice, flaky, savory. But the filling is weird, a loose smooth meat paste of indeterminate origin. It says beef, but really, it could be any meat that has been cooked for days and mixed with a very distinct spice combo. I had beef patties in Jamaica and the fillings are much more....distinct. I guess like pizza, this is a "NY style" beef patty.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm: raw almonds & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Made a smoothie and shared it with Edles, Mil soon went to nap and I got some laundry put away while Edie watched TV, got granola made and in the oven, took care of dishes, put stuff away as Edie scattered them about. Made myself and Edie lunch. Things got a little tense as we waited for the sitter, but once Mil was covered and we got on the bike to the train museum to play with Edie's favorite friend, all was well.
Got to bed at 10, blown out. This week is gonna be not the easiest.
TODAY'S COOKING:
Granola: Another batch with the idea of making bars in mind. Made a bigger batch, 6 cups of oats, 3 cups of nuts including cashews, slivered almonds, pepitas, and for the first time, raw sunflower seed kernels. 4oz of dried shredded unsweetened coconut by weight (came to almost 2 cups by volume, double the original recipe, ha) Half cup of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, tablespoon of vanilla, heaping 1/2 teaspoons of cardamom and cinnamon, teaspoon of salt. Baked at 325 for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to promote even browning. 1/2 cup of chopped dried cherries mixed in once cooled.
AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 9:30am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I was busy bouncing Mil and feeding Edie a waffle to notice how long I let the smoothie blend for, perhaps 3 or 4 times longer than usual -- it actually cut down on the raspberry nit problem almost completely. Either that, or the raspberries floated to the top of the fruit bag and I'm working my way down it.
LUNCH: 11:30am, sardine & avocado on whole grain toast, health salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Edie running around, Mil strapped to me, somehow got lunch down...
PM SNACK: 12:30pm, handful of whole grain pretzels, liter of water
PM SNACK: 4pm, homemade granola bar, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
DINNER: 6pm, baby spinach with slivered almonds and carrot dressing, 2 slices of streetza, Jamaican beef patty, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Brought in dinner, as was too hungry and blown out from the day to cook. On a whim, got a beef patty from the pizza place, haven't had one in quite a while. I used to love these, and quickly discovered if I had more than one in a sitting I'd feel sick. The crust is nice, flaky, savory. But the filling is weird, a loose smooth meat paste of indeterminate origin. It says beef, but really, it could be any meat that has been cooked for days and mixed with a very distinct spice combo. I had beef patties in Jamaica and the fillings are much more....distinct. I guess like pizza, this is a "NY style" beef patty.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm: raw almonds & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Monday, February 20
Presidential Cooking
Alarm went off at 6 in the middle of some dream I was enjoying, so I turned it off and woke up at 8 to a toddler jumping up and down on my back, shouting "HOP ON POP!" Dr. Seuss, we need a word.
B was off from work today, so I bundled up Edie and we did a tour of the local supermarket. After getting stuff in, I started to cook, not letting up until after 3pm.
TODAY'S COOKING
Tomato Sauce: Softened two large diced onions in olive oil, tossed in 2 shredded carrots and one bunch of fresh thyme, simmered 10 min until very fragrant. 5 cloves of garlic crushed, 1 cup of white wine, full boil until very reduced. 4 cans of freshly milled whole tomatoes, one bunch of basil, chopped, salt.
Considered tossing in some MSG, but decided against it -- there was so much good stuff happening here, why risk it. When my dad would add his "secret" ingredient to his vat of home cooked sauce (a jar of store bought stuff), I wonder if it was the traces of MSG in that jar that made the difference....
Carrot Dressing: Looking for something to make straight raw spinach appealing, it ocurred to me the original reason I LIKE raw spinach was the salad at Dojo... They make a house-made carrot dressing that is pretty special. So I googled, and found this recipe, but after eating it with lunch, it's missing something. I only used it because it was the top google hit, I think the recipes that use tahini might be a little closer. Still, this was pretty good, except that the yield was a meager cup or so.
Broccoli Cheddar Knishes: As Edie is off this week, I'm hosting a playdate on Wedneday. This being Edie's favorite knish and I had a log of left over dough from last week, I made a couple dozen.
Momma Salad & Health Salad: Not gonna have a lot of free time to cook and prep this week, so just tossed these off to have on hand.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, hardcore oatmeal, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2pm, baby spinach & slivered almonds with carrot dressing, 2 kasha knishes
DINNER: 6:15pm, 12" veggie burger on whole wheat hero, cool ranch doritos, sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Stopped by Subway with Mil strapped to me sleeping, an evening walk to Whole Foods. I picked up the "Cool Ranch" Doritos because I remembered it had that distinct umami taste that I now know to be MSG. I used to think there must be some dehydrated buttermilk in there or something. I looked at the ingredients, and low and behold, once you get through corn and oils and sugars, the primary flavorant, before any cheese, buttermilk or herb or spice, is MSG. Well, there ya go. Tasting the chip, instead of tasting cool or ranchy or buttermilky, all I tasted was MSG. Ick. I did not finish the bag.
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, chocolate chips & almonds, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
B was off from work today, so I bundled up Edie and we did a tour of the local supermarket. After getting stuff in, I started to cook, not letting up until after 3pm.
TODAY'S COOKING
Tomato Sauce: Softened two large diced onions in olive oil, tossed in 2 shredded carrots and one bunch of fresh thyme, simmered 10 min until very fragrant. 5 cloves of garlic crushed, 1 cup of white wine, full boil until very reduced. 4 cans of freshly milled whole tomatoes, one bunch of basil, chopped, salt.
Considered tossing in some MSG, but decided against it -- there was so much good stuff happening here, why risk it. When my dad would add his "secret" ingredient to his vat of home cooked sauce (a jar of store bought stuff), I wonder if it was the traces of MSG in that jar that made the difference....
Carrot Dressing: Looking for something to make straight raw spinach appealing, it ocurred to me the original reason I LIKE raw spinach was the salad at Dojo... They make a house-made carrot dressing that is pretty special. So I googled, and found this recipe, but after eating it with lunch, it's missing something. I only used it because it was the top google hit, I think the recipes that use tahini might be a little closer. Still, this was pretty good, except that the yield was a meager cup or so.
Broccoli Cheddar Knishes: As Edie is off this week, I'm hosting a playdate on Wedneday. This being Edie's favorite knish and I had a log of left over dough from last week, I made a couple dozen.
Momma Salad & Health Salad: Not gonna have a lot of free time to cook and prep this week, so just tossed these off to have on hand.
AM SNACK: 8:30am, iced green tea
BREAKFAST: 11am, hardcore oatmeal, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 2pm, baby spinach & slivered almonds with carrot dressing, 2 kasha knishes
DINNER: 6:15pm, 12" veggie burger on whole wheat hero, cool ranch doritos, sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Stopped by Subway with Mil strapped to me sleeping, an evening walk to Whole Foods. I picked up the "Cool Ranch" Doritos because I remembered it had that distinct umami taste that I now know to be MSG. I used to think there must be some dehydrated buttermilk in there or something. I looked at the ingredients, and low and behold, once you get through corn and oils and sugars, the primary flavorant, before any cheese, buttermilk or herb or spice, is MSG. Well, there ya go. Tasting the chip, instead of tasting cool or ranchy or buttermilky, all I tasted was MSG. Ick. I did not finish the bag.
EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, chocolate chips & almonds, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
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