Boring is okay!

I’m learning this. The reason that I started this blog was to keep myself accountable to what I ate, and that INCLUDES boring, not-so-pretty food. So I’ve finally gone back to taking pictures of everything regardless of aesthetics.

Breakfast:

Cereal. BUT! At least I have a picture!

Lunch:

PB&J. But piiiiiictuuuuure…

Dinner:

Spaghetti with Basil Tomato Sauce and Sauteed Mushrooms

Basil Tomato Sauce:

2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 small Onion, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Maybe about 2 T Tomato Paste, but I like my sauces REALLY tomato-y
A lot of fresh Basil, chopped (maybe like…2 T again…I like my stuff super flavourful)
Fresh chopped Thyme, about 1 t
1 T Sugar (I also love sweetness if you’ve somehow forgotten)
S&P to taste
Olive Oil for sauteing
Water as needed

Sautee the onions and garlic in some olive oil. Add the chopped tomato and try to rescue as much of the juice as possible too so you can add that as well!  Add tomato paste. Allow to simmer and cook down, adding water as necessary to bring back to the right consistency. Cook for around 10-15 minutes. Add basil, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook about another 5 minutes. Sautee some mushroom slices in a little butter, oil and salt. Serve on top of spaghetti with a basil chiffonade for garnish! EXCELLENT quick dish! Really, I cannot sing it’s praises enough! But then again, I adore basil, so I can’t really go wrong with it.

I also made a peach pie this evening. I had a whole ton of peaches to do SOMETHING with, so I made this pie:

…and of course promptly ate like 1/4 of it. Could have been worse! 2 pieces really isn’t all that bad! I did have them with a big dollop of greek yogurt though! Mmmmm!

I cannot remember the sites I got the recipe from. I combined a bunch of them. I DO want to let my future self know that this DID contain almond extract, lemon juice and needed more sugar. I just think everything needs more sugar. Also, the liquid-to-peach ratio for the filling should have been higher (more liquid next time!) so I need to check into that too. OTHERWISE this actually turned out pretty good! The crust was especially good! I was really proud of it this time! I will be making lots more of these in the future, I WILL perfect a pie recipe!

Exercise: 5 mile walk (without stopping at work to visit G…I did not want the bombardment of questions from my co-workers about my neck…they know….I know they all know)

Love letters

I’d had a love letter waiting to surprise G with for about a week. I meant to slip it onto the windshield of his car that day, but as it turned out it was supposed to rain and of course the idea of my very important letter getting rained on was not tolerable.

So I snuck it under his windshield wiper today on my walk. I knew he wouldn’t see it. One of the times we were out there was this NEON green flyer someone stuck there during the time we were away from the car and as I noticed its presence immediately upon walking up to it, it took him getting into the car, turning the car on, and practically backing out of his parking spot to notice that it was there. Clearly he would not see it. So make sure that wiper it holding it down really good…it’ll be on the highway for a little while…

The note simply had a heart drawn on it. After that my initial. It was in a small envelope with a “G” scrawled on the front and sealed with a wax heart.

I wandered back home and worked for the rest of the day. At 4:30 I received a call from him (though I missed it because my phone was still on vibrate from my walk and I didn’t hear it ring…dammit…) but didn’t actually get to speak with him until he got home. He’d finally noticed it was there….while he was on the highway. He pulled off into a city about 20 minutes away to grab it. He called to let me know he’d found it. He wrote me later on Facebook with a “heart” at the end of his musings.

As silly as it sounds, this made me immensely happy.

I didn’t have anything incredibly exciting for breakfast or lunch, but I had a pretty cool dinner:

Chicken with Peach Tomato Sauce on Angel Hair

Taken from: http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/08/recipe-pasta-with-tomato-peach-sauce.html

Ingredients

• 4 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
• 2 large peaches, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 8 oz pasta

Instructions

1. In a lightly oiled 9×13-inch baking dish, stir together the tomatoes, peaches, onions, olive oil, salt, cinnamon, black pepper and chipotle chili powder.  In a 450 degree oven, roast uncovered, stirring at least twice during cooking, until the ingredients have softened and thickened, about 40 minutes.  Stir in chickpeas, tarragon and balsamic vinegar.
2. When the sauce has been roasting for about 25 minutes, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot.  Stir in pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain well.
3. Mix the pasta with the sauce.  Divide among four warm bowls and top with feta cheese.

*I added chicken and a big pinch of sugar to this and cut the chickpeas. I would have loved to add those, but didn’t have any. This was really oddly good! You’re never sure if some of the fruit/meat combinations you come up with will work, but this was wonderful! I don’t think there is anything that I would do differently!

Tomorrow we are seeing a live event being broadcast into theaters. It’s going to be a 5 hour “movie” basically. We’ll be getting some coffee beforehand. Of course it’ll be a good day.

Pain

I don’t know what happened.

One second I was helping a customer and the next I’m crying on the floor in MASSIVE amounts of pain.

I’m pretty used to foot cramps. I get them every single morning. I know how to fix them and they don’t really bother me at all.

This was a thousand times worse. This cramp left me completely debilitated. I couldn’t stand. My brain couldn’t focus because I was in so much pain. My customers didn’t know what to do for me. My coworkers didn’t know what to do for me. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t get the pain to stop. I can always get these to stop. Why won’t this stop?

I cried. I never cry. I hate showing any form of weakness.

As much as I wished he was there to just touch me and tell me I’d be okay, I’m glad he wasn’t there to see me cry.

This happened 3 times.

I kept having to get help at the cash registers because I would fall in a crumpled mess on the floor and literally could do nothing at all about it. I almost messed up a huge transaction and had to get my drawer counted because I was so blinded with pain that I fucked up. When I could finally stand, I would walk around the store a few times until the pain subsided enough that I could stand in one spot without aggravating it. Then go back to work.

I really wish I could understand what was going on. I’ve never ever had anything like that happen to me before. I didn’t know what to tell my managers. Everyone was incredibly understanding and did their best to help.

Breakfast:

Southwestern-style Scrambled Eggs

Eggs scrambled with fresh corn, tomatoes, mushrooms, chives, garlic and chili powder topped with shredded cheddar cheese and salsa.

Lunch:

Peach Cucumber Salad

This was taken from a website, but I seem to have lost it…its super easy though! Just dice up some cucumber, slice up some peaches, chop up some fresh mint and basil and toss everything with lemon juice! I also added a pinch of salt. VERY refreshing!

And I don’t know why, but my foot cramp lead to a small binge.

Not anything substantial. But enough to be slightly annoying.

I bought a Mediterranean quiche at work and a banana. I thought the potassium might help my foot. I then decided I wanted something from the vending machine. So I bought a small package of peanut butter cookies. Then I wanted another cookie. So I bought a big chocolate chunk cookie from the cafe. Then I decided I wanted a Hostess Apple Pie from the vending machine. Hm. Okay. Well. It could be worse I guess. And when I went home a few hours later I had some granola and yogurt with peaches. I stopped eating when I was full and didn’t want any more. It was nowhere near the point of uncomfortable or a real binge. But all in all I think I was just in physical pain and wanted to make myself feel better with sweets.

I probably won’t have breakfast in the morning.

 

Curiosity!

Incredibly proud of myself! It’s so much easier not to skip meals when I’m at home and HAVE to eat all these fresh fruits and veggies. I hate wasting food so damn much. Also, working makes me hungry.

I was VERY disappointed in myself though for waking up late…my brain didn’t get me up until 7:40!!! Why did it do that?? I went to bed…well…early enough…I mean I was talking with G until 1 AM, but really 5.5 hours of sleep should have been plenty! Sad.

I got my yoga in today. I can’t believe how friggin busy I’ve been lately and how often I’ve been skipping this. It always makes me feel so amazing. My back was just crying to be stretched out. I feel great!

Breakfast:

Strawberries, Peaches, White Nectarines, and Cherries with Greek Yogurt and Granola

GORGEOUS food!!! I’ve missed my beautiful food pictures dearly! So fresh and delicious!

Lunch:

Tomato Salad

2 small Tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1/4 cucumber, cut into large chunks
Fresh Corn, cut off of cob
1 large slice Vadalia Onion, chopped
1 small Carrot, sliced
Fresh chopped Basil
Red Wine and Pomegranate Vinegar
S&P

*With this a also had a small apple. I love my food!!! It’s so pretty!! I’ve missed this so much, it’s good to be back!

Dinner:

Apple Sausage Meatballs with Apple Raisin Wine sauce and Mashed Potatoes

Meatball recipe taken from: http://stolenmomentscooking.com/apple-sausage-balls/

Apple Sausage Balls

3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 lb. bulk pork sausage (original or maple flavored)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 T. maple syrup
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/8 t. allspice

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the pork sausage, cheese, maple syrup, apple and allspice.
2. Using your hands, combine everything together until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Roll into evenly sized balls, about the size of a golf ball.
3. Place sausage balls on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked.

I made these exactly as instructed!

Sauce:

Loosely based off of: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1627,156167-245193,00.html

1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground sage (I used fresh)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 tart apples, sliced
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. orange juice (I used red wine and apricot preserves for extra sweetness and flavour)
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 c. raisins

I sauteed the apples in olive oil for a little while until they started to brown. Then added all the other ingredients and let it reduce.

*I made mashed potatoes with a little cream cheese, milk and S&P. I’m out of butter, so none of that. Which is probably good as I consume far too much butter as it is. As usual, this dish was fantastic! I didn’t want pasta, so I thought the potato was a perfect substitute! Excellent!!! The sage in the apple gravy was the perfect touch!

 

Me being a MASSIVE nerd, I stayed up to watch the rover Curiosity land on Mars. You guys don’t even know. I was freaking out entirely. I wished I had someone to hug. I was so happy it landed safely and nearly cried when it sent the first pictures. I did fall asleep with the computer in my bed, but the second they started streaming the landing on the NASA website and people started talking, it woke me up and I was immediately pumped! I LOVE BEING A NERD!!!

Amazing!!! Fascinating! A rover as big as a car with LASERS is on Mars, people!!!

AND I have a date tomorrow at noon! Shit kids, this is the best night ever!

When exactly do we have the right to judge someone else?

If we feel we are more educated?

If we are older?

If we think we have more experience?

If we are thinner?

If we are no longer so thin?

Where is the line where we are officially allowed to judge each other based on whether or not that person has an eating disorder?

Please read the comments in this post: My food is jazzy, snazzy, and oh so gorgeous, dahlings! WIAW.

I do not believe that we EVER have the right to judge someone else. I really don’t care if you have 10 college degrees in brain surgery, rocket science, etc etc. Judging someone never helped anyone. When I began to recover from my ED, I thanked all of my family for never once judging me or telling me they knew what was best for me even if they did. They constantly stayed supportive and loving throughout the entire ordeal and showed me what real love and concern was. Real concern is not giving someone a laundry list of everything they are doing “wrong”, but in fact loving them regardless of what you may or may not understand about them and helping/giving a loving perspective or advice only when that person asks for it. That sort of love and concern was what saved me.

I do not claim to be any sort of professional, but this is my personal observation. It could be completely wrong and I am not trying to judge this person myself, but rather give an outsider’s perspective based solely on what I’ve read. The “concerned” individual in these posts does not actually love or care about Nicole at all. She simply wants to prove something, to herself or to others, maybe both…I am not sure. She most likely just wants to feel superior. She wants to talk down to someone and judge them because she feels she knows better. She does not love Nicole. I am saddened for others who may know this “concerned” as her judgements will surely deeply cut someone she truly DOES love someday and I hope that she would NEVER treat someone she loves in this fashion. This person has every right to be happy and feel good about herself for her “recovery”. I think it is WONDERFUL that she was able to overcome this terrible experience through the methods that worked for her. I am glad she has life-standards and opinions and has learned a lot about herself through her recovery. This does not however mean she knows everything about everyone else’s issues. She claims she was in “behavioral therapy” for one year. Well, one year of schooling does NOT a psychologist/doctor/therapist make. And even if it did make her one, she still has no right to speak down to someone else like that.

Feel free to tell me what you think about this as I am genuinely interested in knowing!

Breakfast:

Peach and Strawberry Breakfast Bake

Adapted from: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/06/26/peach-breakfast-bake/

(Serves 3)

• 2 1/2 cups sliced peaches (I also added sliced Strawberries)
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 T arrowroot (or cornstarch)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup shredded wheat, crushed (I used a combination of half a cup of crushed Honey Bunches of Oats cereal and half a cup of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats)
• 2 T brown sugar plus 1 packet nunaturals stevia (Or use 1/4 cup sugar. See note below, for a sugar-free version.) (I used half Honey half Brown Sugar)
• 1 T melted margarine or oil (I used Earth Balance. If you want a fat-free crisp, double the applesauce and omit the margarine.)
• 1 T applesauce (For a more buttery taste, replace this with an extra T of the margarine) (I did not have applesauce, so I did in fact use 2 T of Margarine)
• 1/4 tsp salt (use only 1/8 tsp if using margarine)
• 1 container non-dairy yogurt (I used SoDelicious plain)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the peaches, lemon, arrowroot, cinnamon, 1/2 the salt, and 1/2 the sweetener (I used 1/8 c Honey) in a bowl. Let sit for ten minutes. Meanwhile, stir the crushed cereal, remaining sweetener (heaping 1/8 cup Brown Sugar…I do love my sweeteners!), remaining salt, melted margarine or oil, and applesauce in a bowl until well-blended. Spread the peach mixture in a small baking pan (such as a 4×7), and top with the cereal mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.

Click for notes on a Sugar-Free version.

Mix each portion with some of the yogurt, just before serving. Or, you can opt to be like one of my friends who exclaimed, “This would be awesome with vanilla ice cream on top!”

*My adaptations made this exactly what I was looking for! An easy, crispy, gluten-free, and somewhat healthier crumble topping! I did substitute half of the sugar for honey, so it did make it just that little bit better for me in the end! YUM!!! I will be making this WAY more often! This was always one of my go-to quick way to use peaches, but now that I’ve got the crumble part down, I do believe I will use this for any sort of cobbler/crumble that I want!

Lunch:

I was so incredibly busy today I nearly forgot to eat lunch! I worked hard all morning, took pictures of my motorcycle to post on Craigslist, then I came home from going to the bank and buying shampoo and toothpaste at around 5 PM. So I made a very quick grilled cheese sandwich with gouda and new york cheddar. Then it was back to work!

Dinner:

Parsnip and Carrot “Latkes” with Horseradish and Dill

Adapted from 2 sources:
http://blog.questoutreach.org/2010_09_01_archive.html

parsnip latkes with horseradish and dill

Ingredients
(makes about 6)
1/2 lb  parsnips and carrots (I used 1 medium-sized of each), shredded
2 scallions, cut to 2-inch pieces and julienned lengthwise (I just used chopped sweet onion)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper, or to taste
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated or prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped dill

Instructions:
Beat the egg in a medium-large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients except for the oil and the dipping sauce.

Heat a tbsp of oil on a skillet over a medium flame until hot.

Using your hands, form the parsnip mixture into roughly 3-inch patties at a time, and place gently onto the pan, keeping each pancake an inch or so apart (you will probably need to work in batches). Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side before flipping; flip, and cook another 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from heat and serve with the optional dipping sauce immediately.

*This was one of the first times I’ve ever NOT been afraid to really use oil. I didn’t want to use all of my nice, expensive olive oil to do this, so I used vegetable oil. I completely coated the bottom of a large pan and cooked them 3 at a time. I did let them drain on a paper towel a bit to soak up some of the extra oil. These were ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! And once again, gluten-free! I was happy to find a recipe that did not use flour and adapted it accordingly. They were crispy and perfect! I’ve never had latkes turn out so beautifully before!

 

I am excited about tomorrow! I will have a very simple breakfast so I can get a little more work done (I was really hoping to have the day “off”, but us self-employed people don’t get that option if our work is simply not done) and then at 1 my dad is picking me up for lunch. I’m hoping he will drop me off at the Goodwill so I can look at some possible furniture/couches and then I can walk home from there and get some exercise. Then at around 8 my best friend is having a birthday party!! We’re going to see some naked girls and drink some beer! YES!!!

 

What day is it?

The days are just flying by. I want nothing more than more time right now. I just need some time. I wish I was 10 different people so I could get things done faster. I’m going to be spending the day today getting more stock into my online store. I wish I didn’t take on projects that I know are going to be more difficult and yet charge the same price for them. I shouldn’t only make $36 for an entire day’s work. And even then, I don’t make that. I have to buy supplies. I feel a little stuck right now. It will be ok. I will get this project into my store and sell it relatively quickly. I always do. I tend to sell what I make within 1-3 days.

And the cat keeps using me for a springboard. Glad to know I’m useful.

Breakfast:

Peach Bread Pudding with a Strawberry Compote

Adapted from: http://fishfoodblog.com/2009/06/bread-pudding/#comments

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of challah or french bread
1 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of half and half
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cloves (if using ground cloves, use half the amount)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 29oz can of peach halves, chopped

Strawberry compote:

4 pints of fresh strawberries
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray each ramekin with cooking spray, set aside.
3. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes
4. Mix together eggs, milk, half and half, sugars, spices, and vanilla.
5. Add the bread to the egg mixture and combine until the bread is
soaked thoroughly.
6. Add the chopped peaches, and stir until combined.
7. Fill each ramekin with the bread and peaches until it reaches the top.
8. Set all the ramekins in a roasting pot, and fill with water so it
reaches half way up each ramekin.
9. Bake for 30 – 40 min, or until top is golden brown.

For the Strawberry compote:
1. Combine strawberries, lime juice, and sugar in a blender. Blend
until smooth and serve over top the bread pudding.

*The original called for a raspberry compote, I only had strawberries so that’s what I used. Worked just as well! I used up a lot of stray ingredients in my fridge with this. It was wonderful, although I insist on eating things when they are far too hot. I would have enjoyed this a lot more had I waited an appropriate time for it to cool. Otherwise it was top notch! LOVED the strawberry compote (although its not a real compote, we won’t judge the author too harshly ^_^) and did in fact eat all of it. I used a bit less bread than I should have, so I didn’t feel too bad about eating it all.

Lunch:

Tomato, Almond and Tarragon Soup with Corn and Celery

Once again, a lot of the amounts I put into this elude me, I cannot remember. But I can try!

1.5 cups canned crushed Tomatoes
1/3 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 T Honey
1/4 cup sliced Almonds
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
1/3 cup Corn
1 stalk Celery, sliced
Fresh chopped Tarragon
1 T Tomato Paste
1 t ground Ginger
Crushed Red Pepper to taste
S&P to taste
Uhh…probably other things I am forgetting…

I simmered the crushed tomato, chopped tomato, tomato paste, corn, celery and seasonings for about 15-20 minutes. I blended the coconut milk, almonds and honey with a little olive oil in a food processor until the almonds were well chopped. I added that mixture into the soup and allowed it to warm up and cook through another 5 minutes or so. This was really good! I’m sometimes impressed at what my head can come up with given what I have left in the fridge. I have to get used to using up everything and allowing nothing to go to waste since I will soon be living on my own and probably somewhat poor.

Dinner:

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto Pasta

Taken from: http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/07/pistachio-asparagus-pesto-on-penne.html

(makes 4 servings) Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta
1 cup pistachio asparagus pesto (see below)
parmigiano reggiano to taste (grated, optional garnish)
asparagus tips (optional garnish)
pistachios (chopped, optional garnish)

Added:
1/2 Zucchini, sliced
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced in half

 

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in well salted water as directed on the package.
2. When the pasta is cooked to al dente drain the pasta water reserving some of it.
3. Pour the pasta back into the still hot pan, add the pesto and enough of the pasta water to make a smooth sauce that coats the pasta.
4. Serve garnished with parmigiano reggiano, the asparagus tips and some chopped pistachios.

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto

(makes 1 cup pesto)

Ingredients:
1 cup asparagus (cleaned, trimmed, blanched and chopped)
1/4 cup spinach (optional, helps keep the pesto nice and green)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons pistachios (toasted)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
3 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice to taste (optional)
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

*I put this all on whole wheat penne. I tossed all of the veggies with some olive oil, lemon juice and salt and roasted them in the oven for around 20 minutes at 400…a bit long…15 minutes would have sufficed. I made the pesto exactly as directed (perfect way to use up just the little bit of spinach I had left!) and topped it all with a little extra grated cheese. HOLY SHIT! Yup, this was one of those REALLY impressive recipes! Incredibly fresh and tasty! I finally re-stocked my fridge if you couldn’t tell. I don’t know how, but I managed to eat all of this! It was a TON of food, but it was SO good!

For some reason, my husband bought me chocolate. So I had  a few pieces of that for dessert in lieu of my usual small bowl of ice cream. I don’t ask questions when given free chocolate.

Tomorrow is yet another day of working my butt off…another day where it’s gorgeous outside and I don’t get to go on a walk because I have so much work to do. Another day where I don’t get much farther in the money department…sorry. I don’t mean to be so down. I just want to get out of here so badly and its such a slow process. Maybe I can get some pics taken of my Harley today so I can get it up on Craigslist and whatnot.

P.S. I had a HUGE bag of that chocolate too and didn’t binge on it. I will take my small victories where I can get them!

Exercise: 1/2 hour of yoga, 1 hour at the gym (running went really well today!!)

Lazy Sunday

I have a rather time-consuming project to get done today, so I’m forced to avoid the internet as much as possible, so there won’t be much in the way of real content today. I do apologize, I hope tomorrow I’ll be able to give you more insight into how my mind has been working lately (though I got a lot of that in with my last post), but I’m on a deadline with this order and have to get it out first thing in the morning.

Breakfast:

I had to do the bowl of cereal thing this morning due to time restraints and the fact there there were a pile of beer cans on my counter yet again. Nowhere to make breakfast. I forgot to take a pic of my cereal, but you’ve seen it before. Nothing special. I only ever have Honey Bunches of Oats sitting around.

Lunch:

Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup

I did loosely follow a recipe kinda, but changed it so much it doesn’t even resemble it anymore, so we’ll just do it this way instead:

1/4 Onion, diced
Olive Oil
1/2 T unsalted Butter
1.5 large Carrots, diced
1/3 c uncooked Lentils
1.5 cups Beef Stock (I was out of Chicken Stock at the time)
1 t Curry (or to taste)
1/4 t Cayenne Powder
2 T Sour Cream
S&P to taste

Sautee the onions in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until translucent. Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Add carrots, lentils, curry, cayenne, salt and pepper. Let simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are cooked. Take it off the heat and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl and swirl in 2 T of sour cream.

* I like my soups thick, but you are free to add more stock if need be. The beef stock turned out to not be a bad idea with this soup! It brought a certain something different! This was quick and very filling, the lentils brought a lot of protein and the carrots have great vitamins. Really a good and good for you dish.

Dinner:

CHICKEN IN CURRIED YOGURT SAUCE

Taken from: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1725,153190-230193,00.html

8 oz. peach low-fat yogurt
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 c. sweet bell pepper strips
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 1/2 tsp. curry powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 to 3/4 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 lb. boned and skinned chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 c. frozen peas
2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine small amount of yogurt with cornstarch and return to yogurt container.Place bell pepper, onion, curry powder, salt, pepper, and broth in skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until onion is tender, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in chicken and simmer 2-4 minutes. Add extra broth if necessary. Add peas. Cook until chicken is tender. Reduce heat and add yogurt. Stir over low heat until hot.

Sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir gently. Serve over rice.

*I normally follow this recipe exactly. It’s one of my go-to favorites. I didn’t have any actual peach yogurt, but I had yogurt and peaches and so blended them in a food processor. I also often add chunks of peaches to this as well. Though I’ve lately been using canned peaches for all my peach recipes, I really can’t wait until peaches are in season again as I miss fresh ones. They make everything taste better. I went for this because I knew it would be something I would love and it was something I’d made a lot of times before so I could get it done quickly.

Exercise: None. I couldn’t even do my yoga because my husband’s friend stayed the night and was up bright and early.

Nicole and Gwendylon play-date day!!!

EXCITING!

I get to have lunch with Nicole and Gwendylon from nicoleandgwendolyn.com!!! SO very happy!

Start the day early! Lots of work to do before I go out! Glad I did one of those “make-ahead” breakfasts that you let sit in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning! Just add the eggs and pop it in the oven! Brilliant!

Then the phone rings at about 9:30. It’s my mom. She has a doctor’s appointment at 10:00 for an inner ear infection, but she’s managed to throw her back out and can’t drive. I have 5 more minutes on my baking and no way to rely on ex-loser to turn off the oven, I’m also not dressed or look presentable in any way. I ask if she can give me just 5 minutes to get ready. She may be a little late. She says that’s ok.

I throw on some clothes, brush my teeth, make sure the cat is fed. Timer beeps. I take my breakfast out of the oven and turn it off. No time to eat. I grab a book for the waiting room and run out the door. On the way there, I nearly hit a dog and have to slam on my brakes. If I wasn’t completely awake before I am now. Then I am stuck behind a semi-truck that is parked in the middle of the road. Each one of us has to wait for cross traffic to clear so we can go around. SERIOUSLY? Uhg!

I finally make it to my mom’s. At this point its about 8 till 10:00. She says she’s called her doctors office already and they said they couldn’t take her late. She’s had to reschedule. But her back still hurts so bad she thinks she should go to an urgent care. I figure they can also help her with her ear infection and agree whole-heartedly with this plan. I take her to the urgent care, read my book in the waiting room, they send her off with some prescriptions and ask her if I am old enough to drive. (WOW I mean, I look young, but under 16???? I am FLATTERED as I am 29.9 ~_^.) We get some coffee together before picking up the prescriptions to give the pharmacy a little time to fill them. I then take her home.

Is it 1:30 already?? Holy shit.

I eat only half of my breakfast. Lunch is a mere 2 hours away! I don’t want to fill myself up now!

Breakfast:

Baked Oatmeal with Blackstrap Molasses

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups water
1/3 cup kefir, yogurt or whey
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/2 cup applesauce or pumpkin puree (pumpkin is good but will impart a pumpkin flavor)
1/2 cup blackstrap or regular molasses
8-10 large eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup raisins or other dried diced fruit, optional
1/2 cup nuts, optional

12- to 24-hours before you want to bake this, combine oats, water, kefir, oil, applesauce or pumpkin puree and molasses in a large bowl and stir well to mix.  Let sit on the counter, covered with a tea towel, till you’re ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. and grease a 9×13-inch pan or two 8-inch square pans.  Break eggs into a bowl and stir in cinnamon, vanilla, salt and baking soda.  Then pour this mixture into the soaking oatmeal.  Stir well to break up oatmeal and combine ingredients, adding dried fruit and nuts as you’re stirring.  Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 30- to 35-minutes till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

*I had no applesauce OR pumpkin puree. So I pureed some canned peaches! I almost wish there were MORE peach flavour in this, next time I will add actual little pieces of peach! I did not add any more sugar or honey to this at all. It was perfect the way it was, just enough sweetness for a quick brunch! Letting the oats soak overnight gave them an almost flour-like cake texture! REALLY cool! I will do that more often!

Then it was shower time, errand-running time, and off to lunch!

Nicole and I both had the Mediterranean Salmon Salad! I tried it per her recommendation. We’d both planned on getting the black bean soup, but alas! They were out! So we went for this instead! REALLY great! We sat outside and chatted about our lives, blogs, ED histories, and future plans. She’s just the most amazing, strong, intelligent woman! I hang on every word she says! She never fails to impress me with her optimistic outlook on life and how much knowledge she’s gained from her good and bad experiences alike.  Her desire to help others is something to be admired. She’s dedicated so much of her life and time to people like me. I hope she realizes just how much it means. She amazes me.

Go work out for an hour. My brother gave me a new MP3 player! He didn’t need his old one anymore since he got a fancy shmancy new phone, so I was excited to hear some of the music he had on it! I had a great time bounding along on the elliptical to some new songs! I love my brother’s taste in music, so I knew keeping all of his albums on there would be a good idea! And it was all excellent workout music!

Go home. Is it REALLY 7:00???? And I got nothing done? Oh man…time to start a project! I actually do nearly finish one! In between, I make myself a semi-quick dinner.

Dinner:

Veggie Pot Pie with Cornbread and Gouda topping

I sort of winged a lot of this, so for the filling I used:

Broccoli
Corn
Carrots, diced
Peas
Onion, chopped
Garlic
Cream of Mushroom condensed soup
Sour Cream
2% Milk
Fresh chopped Rosemary
Fresh chopped Sage
S& Lemon P

I sauteed all the veggies in some olive oil for about 10 minutes. I added the CoM soup, a little sour cream, and some milk and just kept adding all 3 in whatever amounts looked and tasted right until it was the creamy consistency that I wanted. I added the herbs and turned off the heat. Then I made the topping which I did take from an online recipe:

Cornbread Gouda topping

Taken from:  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/11/mushroom_and_lentil_pot_pies_with_gouda_biscuit_topping

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gouda cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; pulse until dough forms moist clumps. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces; shape each into 2/3-inch-thick disk. Set rounds atop filling; top with cheese.

Bake pot pies on baking sheet until tester inserted into biscuit topping comes out clean, about 30 minutes

*I put mine into a small bread pan, topped it with the cornbread mixture and gouda and baked it for the 30 minutes suggested. I ate the whole thing it was so good!! I’m glad I went with the seasonings that I did, it made it different from the norm. Definitely try this with any combination of veggies, meats, or condensed “cream of” soups that you want! It’s so versatile, that’s why I love pot pies!

So kids, I have a date tomorrow.

I’m nervous. Should I be nervous? I really want this guy to like me. He’s amazing. He’s always been amazing. He takes really good care of me. Should I be worrying about this right now? Take it slow Mz. P…don’t just jump into the arms of the next guy willing to go out with you…but he’s more than “the next guy”. He’s ALWAYS been “next in line” if you know what I mean. I’ve known him for years and years. I hope we have fun!

Wish me luck!

Exercise: Distinct lack of yoga due to parental unit crisis, 1 hour at the gym

Tragedy at the gym!

So I show up to the gym today. I’m getting all my shit together, changing into my workout clothes and whatnot, and I realize something really really really shitty.

I forgot my headphones.

Yeah, this isn’t going to work. I HAVE to have my music to work out to. The beat helps me keep a consistent heart rate and if the current song doesn’t have the right pace, I can just change it to another one. And working out to something I enjoy makes me happy which makes the experience awesome. So no music means I fucked up big time.

I decide that I’ll do the elliptical for half an hour. I mean since I drove out there I should do SOMETHING. I work out mostly miserably for my half hour. I’m thinking I COULD stay on for an extra 5 minutes, it wouldn’t kill me. But I was pretty miserable and wanted to go home. So I then decide that if the next song that comes on the radio in the gym is something that I just adore and couldn’t live without working out to it, I would stay for the extra 5 minutes.

Then Nickelback comes on.

This was THE BIGGEST sign that I could have POSSIBLY gotten to tell me to get the FUCK out of there.

I finished my workout at home on the stair stepper. And I was happy.

Breakfast:

No breakfast. I ate a lot the night before at my brothers for his birthday celebration and so wasn’t hungry in the morning for breakfast. I had coffee. Hehe. But yeah, the combination of cake and beer and cupcakes, potato chips, jelly beans, pita chips, hummus, etc just didn’t make for a hungry girl in the morning.

Lunch:

Tomato Caprese Sandwich

Just some tomato topped with fresh mozzarella slices, basil, salt and pepper on one side with a couple shakes of olive oil. The other side has a tomato pesto sauce with sour cream, grated parmesan and parsley. I threw that under the broiler for about 8 minutes. I also had some leftover lentils that I seasoned with a bit of garlic salt, coriander and pepper.

Dinner:

Peach Cardamom Curry Pork Stir Fry

5 oz Pork
1.5 small Peaches, sliced
Cauliflower
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
Red Pepper, sliced
Sweet Onion, Chopped
Fresh grated Ginger
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
1/3 cup Cream
1 T Soy Sauce
1/8 t Cardamom
1.5 t Curry Powder (or more to taste)
Red Pepper Flakes
S&P to taste
Dash Lemon Juice

I think this all sounds about right. I just throw all the meat and veggies in with a bit of olive oil and let that sautee for a little while. Then I add all the spices and liquid ingredients. Cover, let it simmer for about 5 minutes, then let the sauce reduce and thicken (using cornstarch if necessary). Add in the peaches and dash a little lemon juice on top. Let that heat through and serve on top of sticky rice. YUM! This was excellent! Exactly what I wanted. ^_^

Tomorrow I’m going to have to work around things a bit to have my Meatless Monday. I’ll be driving to my cousin’s and would technically be out there by dinnertime, but once again, this is the same family where the dad was judging me for having a salad for dinner. It’s just not what they do. So I guarantee that there will be some sort of meat in dinner. So I’ll try my best to plan ahead and figure out a way to keep true to my one meatless day a week. If I have to pick something up on the way there or make something to take with me to eat there, I will do it.

I’m SO excited about Tuesday!

Exercise: 1/2 hour at the gym, 1/2 hour stair-stepping

Playing catch up

So since I didn’t update at all today, I’m going to kind of skim lightly through this day. I didn’t exactly take many pictures today, so bear with me!

Breakfast:

Blueberry, Mango, Peach Cobbler

Adapted from: http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/08/blueberry-cobbler.html

• 4 cups blueberries (I also clearly added peaches and mango)
• ½ cup sugar(I used lemon honey)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup quick cooking oats
• ½ cup flour(I used crushed cereal)
• ½ cup butter

1. In a bowl toss blueberries with sugar and cornstarch.
2. In a separate bowl combine brown sugar, oats, and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
3. Place blueberry mixture in a 8×8 dish.
4. Sprinkle oat,flour mixture over the top of the blueberries.
5. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
6. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

*This still turned out really good even with all my substitutions! I shared this with my cousin so I wasn’t stuck eating the entire thing, she liked it too! We both had it with a dollop of yogurt.

Lunch:

I didn’t get any pictures and I really didn’t have much of a lunch. While my cousin was over and before work, we watched a bunch of Doctor Who. So what do I like to do while watching the good Doctor? Bake cookies of course! So I baked some cookies and we ate them while watching. Then right before going into work I decided maybe I should have sort of something substantial to eat before going in, so I had some bread. (A hoagie roll.) I was too lazy to put anything on it and had run out of time.

Dinner:

I just had a bowl of black bean soup at work. I ate a lot of junk and so just wanted to keep it simple for dinner. I also was not particularly hungry either.

*I once again have been feeling fat lately. Not even necessarily in a bad way, I just have been. I realize I have a distorted view of myself and look in the mirror and realize many many women would kill to have the body that I have. But then I see this little roll of fat above my belt and feel like I should go on a diet again. BUT I also know in the back of my head that little roll of fat won’t go away. It never did. Not even when I was nearly underweight. And I remember again that it won’t make me happy. I was never happy a day in my ultra-thin life. Not one day did I look in the mirror and thought I was pretty or was completely happy with what I saw. So why worry? I don’t know. I also didn’t work out today so that usually automatically makes me feel flabby.

Exercise: 7 hours at retail job