Montaukin'

A day on the bike, 100 miles from Babylon to Montauk, an organized ride with 1000 others. Rest stops had food, which I ate from. A lot of carbs and refined sugar, but it got me through. I wonder if I would of moved faster if I stuck with more complex carbs and less simple. Something to experiment next time. But that pie was heavenly. I would of wolfed a third slice, if they didn't run out of apple pie!

Got home quite blown out, but found the energy to whip up some Pasta a la Norbert.


AM SNACK: 3:15am, iced green tea

BIKE SNACK: 4:15am, banana, 2 pieces pound cake, 1 slice wholewheat bread with nutella

BIKE SNACK: 6:30am, 2 pieces pound cake

BIKE SNACK: 8am, Gatorade, a few bites of chocolate


BIKE LUNCH: 10am, watermelon, hummus in wholewheat pita, a few bites of chocolate

BIKE SNACK: noon, 2 slices apple pie, graham crackers with PB&J, Gatorade, bites of chocolate

BIKE SNACK: 2:30pm, burger, pasta, coconut water, water, a few bites of chocolate


DINNER: 8pm, homemade pasta with wine & butter sauce, leftover wonton soup, big bowl of cherries, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5

Ediemorning

Woke up early to get ready for tomorrow's Montauk Century. Let B sleep in, took Edie out for a 5:30am walk, the local diner was still closed so we went to the local playground, we were the only peeps there. Serious quality time -- me & Edie were the only people alive on the Lower East Side! Me and Edie vs. the world!!

Looking back at what I ate today, oy. Next week got to refocus on the color system, and perhaps a big ol' salad.

AM SNACK: 3:15am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 6:15am, BLT on rye, homefries, diet coke, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Took Edie out to the greasy spoon around the corner, where I used to go with my parents in later years. I had a diet coke in their honor, with a slice of lemon just like my dad liked. I try not to go on and on about it in this blog, but I miss them every day, though in a happier way, wishing they could see all the neat stuff Edie does and is becoming. Edie was a little resistant to the bottle of milk and wedges of cheese I brought down for her, but she gobbled up the greasy homefries from my fingers like it was the best thing since sliced bread. Ridiculously cute! OH, if only my parents could see!

LUNCH: 2:30pm, half a pork sandwich, fries, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Out in the West Village via bikes with my family. Heavenly, except for the mediocre sandwich. Travelling by 2 wheels as a family unit brings another layer of depth my my cycling career. Doesn't hurt that B just got a proper bicycle.

DINNER: 6pm, shrimp and broccoli with pork fried rice, egg roll, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Usually wait until AFTER a big ride to eat like this, but was feeling it.

Day of the Shortbread

The shortbread I made yesterday kept on jumping down my throat, bad shortbread!! Good thing it's all gone now, except for a dozen pieces set aside to compete in a bake-off in B's office. Good shortbread!

Took Edie to a play group at the local community center in the morning, we road the bike over the Manhattan Bridge and visted the resto in the afternoon. A short nap made the afternoon a bit cranky and we had to skip E's bday party, hopefully she'll appreciate that my daughter's safety and comfort kinda comes before all else...

BREAKFAST: 7am, iced green tea, organic wholegrain cheerios with the good unhomogenized milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


AM SNACK: 8:45am, piece of chocolate coated shortbread


LUNCH: 11:30am, rice noodles with curry sauce and fishballs, 2 lotus leaf wraps with pork, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 1:30pm, piece of chocolate coated shortbread

DINNER: 6:30pm, beef taquitos, shrimp burrito, 3 pieces chocolate coated shortbread, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5
Ordered in from a local Mexican place I've passed many times but never actually ate from. I heard from peeps that it's good, and indeed it was better than the more gringo-friendly places I've had, though I think I ordered wrong, like a gringo. I think I need to explore their menu a bit, get out of the gringo comfort zone...

Raviolios

The nanny may not of fed Edie enough yesterday, as she woke up hollering only an hour after I finally got to bed. It's not the nanny's fault, it just seems Edie becomes more resistant to food when fed by other people. Woke up again at 7, felt tired but energized by the last 2 days. E came over to cook, we knocked out some short bread and raviolis. I used bok choi from my CSA share to turn the dough green, and made a filling of sauteed kale & garlic scapes from the CSA, as well as onion, ricotta and parm, with nutmeg, paprika and cayenne and salt.

When B came home, she was hungry so I whipped up some raviolis for us. I made myself a dish of 10 pieces, and felt very unsatisfied after eating, so ate another ten. Then a heavy (albeit homemade) dessert after.


BREAKFAST: 7:30am, iced green tea, bagel with cream cheese and sable, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 1pm, sardine & avocado on wholewheat multigrain bread, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 6:15pm, freshly made homemade cheese & chard ravioli in oil and grated cheese, 2 pieces of freshly baked shortbread and triple chocolate ice cream, 1.75 bowl, hunger 4/5

Wooooork

Long day at the 'rant.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 8:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM SNACK: 11:30am, handful of bacon
When freshly cooked bacon comes out of the oven, it's hard not t o test it to make sure it's, you know, suitable for consumption.

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, vanilla soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 4pm, spinach lasagna, cranberry lime soda, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
The lasagna at the restaurant was sitting around too long, so we served it to the staff. Not particularly good, but filling.

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, Manhattan Special, .5 bowl, hunger 3/5


EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, ginger ale

Contemplating work meals

Busy enough at the restaurant to get into a haze, but not busy enough to be stressful. Being I don't get breaks, maybe I should either bring food or prepare my own food while there? This may evolve over the summer, I predict. The restaurant only has a 550 degree oven to cook in, may have work around that...

BREAKFAST: 8am, organic whole grain chex with industrial milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


RESTAURANT HAZE: 11am-10pm, including 4 pieces of pizza, a few spoonfuls of potatoes, 1 Manhattan Special, 1 sprite, a green salad, some water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 11pm, beef lomein, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
Starving by the time I got home. Fortunately, I didn't get to bed until 1am, which means my digestive system was almost done with this by the time I went down.

My girls like to party all the time

I pooped out around 8:30pm yesterday, due to the 3:30am wake up and the bike ride, then the task of hand rolling over 150 summerrolls. I woke up around 8, definitely got enough sleep. I mixed three gallons of Arnold Palmers (half mint green tea, half lemon aide, then spiked each gallon with 2 cups of simple syrup, 1.5 cups of limoncello and 1 cup of gin -- surprisingly delicious!)

After going out for a few bags of ice, it was all action -- setting up in the park behind our building, then greeting our guests. We had positive RSVPS for about 60 adults and 20 babies, and maybe 3/4 showed up, which was still a lot of people. Weather reports shouted rain, but like on our wedding, lucked out with perfect weather -- sun with clouds, high 70s, and no rain for the time everyone was congregating. I thought I might of made too much food, but all 3 gallons of cocktails went, only 1 dinky avocado summer roll remained, and the triple chocolate ice cream I made was vanquished.

The party started at 12, and was full on by 12:30. It started to wind down around 2, and packed up and went indoors around 3, just as the clouds seem to gather. All in all, a wonderful and perfect party. It would of been better if the HVS was there (the avocado rolls and peanut dipping sauce was vegan), but I guess perfection will have to wait.

BREAKFAST: 8:30am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese and sable, 1 bowl


PARTY EATS: 11:30am-3pm, a few cups of Arnold Palmers, summer rolls, a couple of cupcakes, a few chocolate chip cookies, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 6pm, shrimp curry with rice, samosa, naan, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Early Ride

Rode early, so I could have a good part of the day to prep for Edie's party. Unfortunately, the bike had technical issues and got home early.


BREAKFAST: 4am, cake, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


BIKE SNACK: 7am, gatorade, shrimp chips


BIKE SNACK: 8:30am, watermelon


LUNCH: 1pm, burger, fries, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 3-4pm, a few summer rolls


DINNER: 6pm, large green salad, cupcake, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Surprise surprise

Errands during the day, hosting a surprise party for Betsy in the evening.

AM SNACK: 8:15am, iced mint green tea


LUNCH: 11:15am, kipper & avocado and oatmeal bread, large green salad, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, cubes of cheddar, a few crackers, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 6:30pm, bass with potato, pork ribs, 1 beer, 1 slice of cake, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Happy Birthday, Edie!

It was a year ago today that Edie was born. What a year! She's PERFECT!! I never would of thought a baby would just be so mackin'-ass cool, but she is. Started the day with a birthday cupcake, pulled back with a smoothie, went out to midtown to visit L and had mediocre Indian food, then lost it again with some left-over ice cream from a birthday last week. Finished the day with some comfort, and watching TV with B. A good day.


AM SNACK 1: 6:45am, chocolate cupcake


AM SNACK 2: 8am, iced mint green tea


BREAKFAST: 10am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Banana, grapes, mango, blueberries, cherries, acai juice, the good yogurt, vanilla, salt, ground flax.

LUNCH: 12:45pm, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, rice, naan, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 5:30pm, chocolate-mess ice cream, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 10pm, Stouffers Frenchbread pizzas, small green salad, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Cooking & Catching Up

Spent the morning at the supermarket with Edie, then MAP came over and we made summerrolls together. Once she left, I made a couple dozen chocolate cupcakes, substituting milk for cream. They came out very tender and moist, much better than I thought they would. I made a simple buttercream frosting, which also came out really well, and before I knew it, I had three cupcakes for dinner instead of the salad I made in the morning.

I put myself to bed around 9, finally catching up on the sleep I missed the past two nights.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced mint green tea


BREAKFAST: 10am, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese and smoked sable, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


LUNCH: 1pm, shrimp summerrolls with lime fishsauce dipping sauce, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 4pm, 4 more summer rolls, .5 bowl

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, 3 chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

Workworkworkwork pt 2

Slower day at the restaurant, though I was a bit tired through out. As the head person at the job, I don't get a break, so am limited to what is available to eat in the restaurant,. For lunch I had a cook make me a pizza off the menu, which if up to me would be on the menu: from the bottom, crust, olive oil, chopped clams and garlic, pecorino romano, shrimp, oregano. Pretty good.

BREAKFAST: 7am, mint green iced tea, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


AM SNACK: 11:30am,  Manhattan Special, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


LUNCH: 3pm, 2 slices cheeseless seafood pizza, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 10pm, 3 slices square pizza, soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Workworkworkwork

We thought the first official Monday of the restaurant would be a bit sleepy, but between a lot of business and being a little understaffed, I found myself "managing", which really means "serving-bussing-hosting-bartending-cashiering-etc" in a situation like that. A lot of fun, but didn't have time to really eat.  Tomorrow the 2nd half of my work week.

BREAKFAST: 8am, iced mint green tea, organic cheerios with organic dead milk, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


WORK HAZE: 10:30am-11:30pm, 2 slices of pizza, 1 soda, 1 Manhattan Special, 1 beer, 1 big beer, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4.5

Ride Day

Rode the bike 85 miles, to Seaside Heights, NJ, via a ferry that dropped me off in Sandy Hook. Hot & humid, no rain. The lunch options were limited, as Seaside Heights is a low-rent amusement boardwalk kind of town.


BREAKFAST: 7am, whole wheat waffle. mint iced green tea, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


BIKE SNACK: 10am, Entemann's apple pie, corn chips, Gatorade, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


LUNCH: 1:30pm, meatball hero, diet coke. 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


BIKE SNACK: 5:15pm, cliff bar


BIKE SNACK: 6pm, 2 small bags of potato chips

DINNER: 9pm, shrimp fried rice, shrimp toast, bbq spareribs, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Sippin' on Syrup

Spent the morning making obscene chocolate ice cream -- ice cream spiked with espresso, then mixed in chunks of fresh brownies, ganache and a stripe of chocolate syrup. The three of us biked over to Tompkins Square Park, for the birthday party of a friend's 1 yr old, then spent the rest of the day trying to relax at home.

AM SNACK: 9-11pm, bits of chocolate brownie, chocolate ganache, chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup


LUNCH: 12:30, 3 slices of pizza, water


PM SNACK: 3:30pm, iced mint green tea


DINNER: 7:30pm, sushi, tempura, shumai, water, glass of chocolate milk, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Chocolate syrup is super easy to make, just make simple syrup, then add 50% cocoa, a tablespoon of corn syrup, a teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Whisk and bottle. Much better than chemical-tasting bottled stuff.

A lot

I ate a lot today, and I suspect part of it is due to my poor sleep patterns this past week. I have to focus on that this week. That, and knocking some more red out.


AM SNACK: 8am, iced mint green tea


BREAKFAST: 8:30am, brown rice cereal with organic dead milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


AM SNACK: 9:30am, 2 donuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, 12 oz of grape apple juice


LUNCH: 2pm, sardines & avocado on oatmeal wholewheat bread, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 7pm, California rolls & kimchi pancakes, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 7:45pm, popcorn & sprite, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 10:30pm, katsu curry rice, 1 beer, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

I forgot breakfast, bad me!

A tired day, but wonderful because Edie was strapped to me for a lot of it. Visited the South Bronx food coop, did a bunch of chores in the neighborhood, and went out for some deeply mediocre pizza on the UES with a friend in the evening. Got laundry done just before passing out.

AM SNACK: 6:30am, iced mint green tea
This latest batch of tea is using actual mint-green tea bags, which has dried mint leaves IN the  leaf mix. VERY minty. Not sure if I like it or not yet. And makes me think I should try brewing with fresh mint leaves instead of making mint simple syrup...



LUNCH: 11:45pm, street falafel, grape soda, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
The South Bronx has some pretty horrible food options. I got this from a large food truck, and it was surprisingly bad.



PM SNACK: 4:30pm, large piece of watermelon

PM SNACK: 6pm, large green salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 7:30pm, multigrain tortilla chips & salsa, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 9:15pm, pizza, 1 beer, shrimp scampi, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

Ooo! I'm a parent!

Not enough sleep last night after winding down from the restaurant, but Edie is a good motivation to cut through the haze. Got a lot done in the morning, picked up a late CSA package of veg, prepped for class, fed Edie and got her down, fixed a flat on the commuter bike, dealt with a little food coop issue. Was planning to lift some weights, but I closed my eyes for a minute while Edie z'd and all of a sudden an hour was gone -- my first "ooo I'm a working parent!" moment.

Last class of the semester with the kids, rocked out a good meal for about 25 mouths, went really well, good vibes. Not the healthiest food by my standards, but certainly healthier by theirs.


BREAKFAST: 8:45pm, iced mint green tea, organic wholegrain cheerios with banana, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM SNACK: 11:30am, small block of dark chocolate


PM NIBBLES: 2pm-6pm, bits of tastes of everything leading up to dinner


DINNER: 6:15pm, sausage lasagna, lemon string beans, shrimp pesto & sausage marinara and 3 cheese pizzettes, banana pudding cup, triple chocolate mousse cake, sweet tea, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 45


EVENING SNORT: 8pm, small cup of beer

Weigh-in

After getting to bed around 12, I woke at 4 and could not get back to sleep -- running myself ragged for about 12 hours at the restaurant was a charge, but it's also like a natural caffeine. I imagine I'll crash tonight after I get home.

I weighed in at 230.6, about a pound heavier than last month. Surprised, but not disappointed. I FEEL stronger, people say I look thinner, my weight training is increasing, my clothes fit a little looser -- I assume I've lost some fat, but gained some denser muscle.

Today was hard, under slept and in a slow restaurant. More sweets went down than I would of liked, but needed it to keep some sharpness.

BREAKFAST 1: 5am, large glass of iced mint green tea, whole wheat waffle

BREAKFAST 2: 8:15am, quinoa & chickpea salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 2pm, pizza, Manhattan Special, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 5pm, cranberry lime soda


DINNER: 7pm, green salad, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 11pm, slice of friendship bread, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Haze

At the restaurant on Memorial Day, we were slammed and I was helping behind the bar. No time to eat or even think about eating. My monthly weigh-in is tomorrow, this may skew it a little...


AM SNACK: 8am, iced mint green tea


BREAKFAST: 8:30am, organic whole grain cheerios with organic dead milk, banana, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

RESTAURANT HAZE: 10:30-10:30, including small wedge of pizza, small serving of pasta, ear of corn, 1 soda, water, apple juice, ? bowl, ? hunger

EVENING SNACK: 11pm, small shrimp fried rice, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5