A southern staple food, at least in my house, is the tomato sandwich. Two pieces of bread, one giant slice of tomato, a little salt and pepper, and mayonnaise, and you've got lunch perfection. Except one thing. I have always, always hated mayonnaise. To this day my father will ask me whether I want mayonnaise, and to this day my reply is, "Have I ever wanted mayonnaise?"
I do acknowledge there needs to be a little bit of lubrication on the tomato sandwich, so for the most part I add mustard, the best condiment in the universe. The only issue some people have with mustard is that it adds an entirely new flavor, a new dimension to the simple flavors of the more traditional tomato sandwich. I agree, even though in my book, mustard can never do wrong.
But let me get to the point. Ladies and gentlemen, over the past two days I have perfected the mayonnaise-less tomato sandwich and enjoyed a perfect at-home lunch. Here you go:
1. I start by toasting some bread, whatever kind you love.
2. Then I spread some hummus on both sides. I like a lot of hummus. Maybe you like a little or just a medium amount. Whatever floats your boat.
3. Put the tomato slice(s) onto the hummus.
4. Drizzle some olive oil on the tomato.
5. Sprinkle some salt and pepper.
Voila! Bon Appetit!
(If this were a real food blog I'd show you a picture of the delicious sandwich. But it's not. So use your imagination.)
Showing posts with label cafeteria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cafeteria. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Black Bean Hummus...MMMM.
Last night my friend had a small get-together to celebrate the return of football season. As the sole non-carnivore, I promised I would bring some delicious vegetarian edibles for others to enjoy. Shortly thereafter I began to think, "What the hell am I going to bring? I don't know what other people are gonna like!"
Luckily, we have the internet, and a tasty recipe is no more than a Google search away. "Vegan football food" led me to quite a few interesting ideas, but a lot of them had "weird" ingredients that people might balk at or stuff that I didn't think I could find around here. (I did, however, find an AWESOME looking "Tempeh Hot Wings" recipe that I'm dying to try. But that post is for another day.)
In the end I settled on making this "Speedy Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna," which I've made before and meat-eaters and vegs alike enjoyed. (NOTE: To make it more speedy, just use salsa instead of trying to put together all those first ingredients. I always add whatever spices I have on hand, but for me it's cheaper and faster to start off with salsa.) Yes, it has dairy, but I figured I'd better start slow with normal people because sometimes even the word "vegetarian" causes panic, and I didn't want to start a riot with the word "vegan."
For my other dish, I found this Black Bean Hummus recipe that looked pretty easy, and for which I already had most of the ingredients. The only one I thought I'd have trouble with was soy yogurt, which, lo and behold, is unavailable in BFE. Shocking. Instead, I substituted 0% fat, plain Fage Greek yogurt.
O.M.G.
Y'all.
This dip was awesome. It was an even bigger hit than the Mexican lasagna (which, to be honest, suffered from having to sit around for over an hour while we waited on other people, other food, etc.). Because the recipe makes a pretty good amount, I had leftovers to bring home. When I woke up this morning, I beelined it for the fridge and to my surprise it is even more delicious after the ingredients have a chance to meld and chill together.
I think next time I'll try it without the yogurt, to see if I can find a suitable "vegan" version, but for you guys not bothered by that constraint, this yogurt version is DE.LI.SHUS. Make it now!
Luckily, we have the internet, and a tasty recipe is no more than a Google search away. "Vegan football food" led me to quite a few interesting ideas, but a lot of them had "weird" ingredients that people might balk at or stuff that I didn't think I could find around here. (I did, however, find an AWESOME looking "Tempeh Hot Wings" recipe that I'm dying to try. But that post is for another day.)
In the end I settled on making this "Speedy Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna," which I've made before and meat-eaters and vegs alike enjoyed. (NOTE: To make it more speedy, just use salsa instead of trying to put together all those first ingredients. I always add whatever spices I have on hand, but for me it's cheaper and faster to start off with salsa.) Yes, it has dairy, but I figured I'd better start slow with normal people because sometimes even the word "vegetarian" causes panic, and I didn't want to start a riot with the word "vegan."
For my other dish, I found this Black Bean Hummus recipe that looked pretty easy, and for which I already had most of the ingredients. The only one I thought I'd have trouble with was soy yogurt, which, lo and behold, is unavailable in BFE. Shocking. Instead, I substituted 0% fat, plain Fage Greek yogurt.
O.M.G.
Y'all.
This dip was awesome. It was an even bigger hit than the Mexican lasagna (which, to be honest, suffered from having to sit around for over an hour while we waited on other people, other food, etc.). Because the recipe makes a pretty good amount, I had leftovers to bring home. When I woke up this morning, I beelined it for the fridge and to my surprise it is even more delicious after the ingredients have a chance to meld and chill together.
I think next time I'll try it without the yogurt, to see if I can find a suitable "vegan" version, but for you guys not bothered by that constraint, this yogurt version is DE.LI.SHUS. Make it now!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mmmm. Brownies.
I just made these, and oh my god, right out of the oven. . .I know I haven't had sex in awhile but still, orgasmic doesn't seem like a big stretch. My first attempt at vegan baking is awe. some.
Ingredients
I adapted this recipe from this one at all recipes. Taking it into work tomorrow for a belated Administrative Professionals' Day thank you gift. That will be the true test, but so far, so delicious. Make these. NOW.
Ingredients
- 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 c white sugar
- 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 c vegetable oil (I used Smart Balance Omega)
- 3/4 c applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 bag Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (or a whole bag. whatever. Ghiradelli is vegan, Nestle is not.)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla; mix until well blended.
- Stir in chocolate chips. Spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares. (NOTE: I had to cook mine probably 35-40 mins for the center to be done.)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Quick, Delicious Brunch
This morning I woke up early (7am = early for me), went to 50 minutes of spinning followed by 75 minutes of yoga. After that I had to run by the store to pick up a few things, then home to shower off the workouts. By the time I was clean and ready to cook, it was about 11:15, and I was starving.
For the past few weeks I've been semi-vegan. Very little dairy (except as may appear in chocolates or other delicious treats), no meat (obviously), and no eggs (just for the hell of it). Because I like to bake, and eat baked goods, and I haven't mastered any vegan recipes, I bought eggs yesterday because I volunteered to make cookies for an SPCA fundraiser. Since I had the eggs, I was seriously craving them for breakfast.
I dug around in my fridge and pantry to find some new and some almost-expired ingredients to create an off-the-cuff but fucking fantastic brunch. It's a lot of food, but I was a hungry girl, and it was delish. To commemorate my momentary culinary genius, I'm posting the very simple recipes in case anyone is ever starving, and wants a relatively nutritious, pretty quick, and absolutely yummy and filling brunch.
Sauteed Potatoes
I had a red potato lying around that needed to be used before it went bad. I chopped it up and made my own version of "home fries."
1. Heat small amount of oil in pan.
2. Throw in chopped potato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, ground cumin. (Cumin is my current favorite spice. I love it, put it on almost everything.)
3. Sautee/pan fry until delicious. (I cut my potatoes almost bite sized so they cook faster.)
I cooked these until they were almost done, then pushed them aside to make the next part of my brunch. I don't like cleaning up, so I use as few dishes as possible.
Spinach & Mozzarella Eggs
Mix together 1 egg + 2 egg whites (= 3 total eggs used), a little salt & pepper in a bowl. This is my preferred method of eating eggs. To me, it maximizes protein, taste and portion size without as much cholesterol.
1. Throw some baby spinach (I use pre-bagged) on the hot oil. Sautee until almost done.
2. Pour the egg mixture on top of the spinach. Mix it all up. (If you're using the same pan as the potatoes, make sure you tilt the pan a little when you put the egg in or it will all get scrambled together. All scrambled together isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact it's probably delicious, but it wasn't what I was going for this morning.)
3. Scramble eggs & spinach until done.
4. Throw some shredded mozzarella on top of egg & spinach, mix it up if you want. Remove from heat when cheese melts. (*I used mozzarella because it was almost expired, bought before I tried to cut cheese out of my diet. Cheddar or monterey jack or whatever kind of cheese you love is also probably perfect.)
If you've timed it right, everything should be done at once.
Serve with 2 pieces of toast. I am in love with Genesis bread. I topped one of my toast pieces with Marmite, because I like to pretend I'm British. Also, it tastes awesome. :)
Serve with whatever your favorite breakfast beverage. This morning I drank water. Juice, tea, mimosa, and bloody mary also highly recommended.
Bon Appetit!
For the past few weeks I've been semi-vegan. Very little dairy (except as may appear in chocolates or other delicious treats), no meat (obviously), and no eggs (just for the hell of it). Because I like to bake, and eat baked goods, and I haven't mastered any vegan recipes, I bought eggs yesterday because I volunteered to make cookies for an SPCA fundraiser. Since I had the eggs, I was seriously craving them for breakfast.
I dug around in my fridge and pantry to find some new and some almost-expired ingredients to create an off-the-cuff but fucking fantastic brunch. It's a lot of food, but I was a hungry girl, and it was delish. To commemorate my momentary culinary genius, I'm posting the very simple recipes in case anyone is ever starving, and wants a relatively nutritious, pretty quick, and absolutely yummy and filling brunch.
Sauteed Potatoes
I had a red potato lying around that needed to be used before it went bad. I chopped it up and made my own version of "home fries."
1. Heat small amount of oil in pan.
2. Throw in chopped potato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, ground cumin. (Cumin is my current favorite spice. I love it, put it on almost everything.)
3. Sautee/pan fry until delicious. (I cut my potatoes almost bite sized so they cook faster.)
I cooked these until they were almost done, then pushed them aside to make the next part of my brunch. I don't like cleaning up, so I use as few dishes as possible.
Spinach & Mozzarella Eggs
Mix together 1 egg + 2 egg whites (= 3 total eggs used), a little salt & pepper in a bowl. This is my preferred method of eating eggs. To me, it maximizes protein, taste and portion size without as much cholesterol.
1. Throw some baby spinach (I use pre-bagged) on the hot oil. Sautee until almost done.
2. Pour the egg mixture on top of the spinach. Mix it all up. (If you're using the same pan as the potatoes, make sure you tilt the pan a little when you put the egg in or it will all get scrambled together. All scrambled together isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact it's probably delicious, but it wasn't what I was going for this morning.)
3. Scramble eggs & spinach until done.
4. Throw some shredded mozzarella on top of egg & spinach, mix it up if you want. Remove from heat when cheese melts. (*I used mozzarella because it was almost expired, bought before I tried to cut cheese out of my diet. Cheddar or monterey jack or whatever kind of cheese you love is also probably perfect.)
If you've timed it right, everything should be done at once.
Serve with 2 pieces of toast. I am in love with Genesis bread. I topped one of my toast pieces with Marmite, because I like to pretend I'm British. Also, it tastes awesome. :)
Serve with whatever your favorite breakfast beverage. This morning I drank water. Juice, tea, mimosa, and bloody mary also highly recommended.
Bon Appetit!
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
The October Experiment
On September 25th, 2009 I checked my bank account to ensure I had sufficient funds to go to Busch Gardens "Howl-o-Scream" with friends on Saturday. Well, technically I did, but realistically, I sooooo did not. It turns out my adventures at the US Open, which returned magnificent emotional dividends, had the somewhat reverse effect on finances. I didn't get paid until September 30th, so let's just say the next five/six days were, um, frugal. And by frugal I mean I ate stale cereal, eggs, and toast for almost every meal because my bank account exhausted itself around the same time as my pantry/refrigerator.
So I get paid. Then I do something really, really stupid. I buy a plane ticket to Florida for Halloween weekend. SHUT. UP. It had to be done, and I don't want to hear another chastising word about it; my mother has done a very good job already.
Which brings me to the subject of our post: What the hell have I done and how the hell am I going to make it through October?
Part of my game plan, a very large part actually, is to not eat out the entire month. No, I won't succeed, but if I make it my goal to never do it, I will fail less than if my goal is to "not eat out very often." Trust me. I've tried the latter.
This means I have to do the task I've dreaded for.ev.er. Make a meal plan. Aaaaaahhhhh. Even saying the thought makes me cringe. You see, once in college I had this roommate who posted the days of the week with their corresponding meals on the refrigerator. All three roommates chipped in for shared groceries to reduce expenses. No big deal. Except one time the other roommate and I made a meal that didn't correspond with the list and Meal-planning roommate went apeshit on us because we used the cheese that was earmarked for the enchiladas or whatever on Thursday. AS IF WE COULDN'T BUY MORE F-ING CHEESE. I digress.
The goal: Take lunch to work, make nutritious, cheap meals for dinner - use leftovers for lunch/dinner later on (read: No microwave shit)
Plan of attack: Meal plan, grocery list, banning microwave meals from fridge (insert sad face for lazy Niki)
Progress (unless otherwise noted, Clif bars for breakfast):
Oct 1 - Ate lunch at home. I think it consisted of two pieces of toast and Marmite or a microwave Amy's Organic Black Bean Burrito (had not been to store yet). Dinner - cereal, 4 margaritas (only 99cents each), chips & salsa (free w/margaritas)
Oct 2 - Convinced boss to buy lunch at local deli! Ate hodge-podge of yummy junk food at movie night. Still did not go to store.
Oct 3 - Hungover from movie night and/or beginning swine flu symptoms. Ate leftover brown rice for breakfast, Clif bar for lunch on the way to friend's parents' house at the beach, free pizza & beer for dinner. Um...accidentally had $29 bar tab. Whoops. Not entirely my fault, peeps put drinks on my tab, too drunk to sort out.
Oct 4 - Cheez-Its and burned cookies leftover from midnight snack for breakfast. Free pizza for lunch. Leftover pizza for dinner. Still have not gone to store as on vacation, returned too tired to care. Obviously. Attempt meal planning, brain could not cope with the pressure.
Oct 5 - Had to buy lunch as was at out-of-town court, no groceries to make to-go lunch. Leftover free pizza for dinner. (In case you're counting, that's approximately 4/7 meals, not counting the pizza consumed as part of movie night on Friday. When I informed R of this statistic + intent to eat only cereal for entire month, his response: Are you in college?) DID make it to store w/half-ass grocery list and ingredients purchased for real, adult meal the next day!!
Oct 6 - Toast with avocado for lunch, popcorn w/nutritional yeast & pita w/cheese for dinner. Yeah, I didn't quite make The Grit "Golden Bowl" as I had intended, but turns out nutritional yeast is excellent on popcorn (thanks organic store clerks!). Tomorrow, I swear. Tomorrow I'm going to do it. I will make nutritious dinner!
Yep, well. Off to a good start, aren't I?
So I get paid. Then I do something really, really stupid. I buy a plane ticket to Florida for Halloween weekend. SHUT. UP. It had to be done, and I don't want to hear another chastising word about it; my mother has done a very good job already.
Which brings me to the subject of our post: What the hell have I done and how the hell am I going to make it through October?
Part of my game plan, a very large part actually, is to not eat out the entire month. No, I won't succeed, but if I make it my goal to never do it, I will fail less than if my goal is to "not eat out very often." Trust me. I've tried the latter.
This means I have to do the task I've dreaded for.ev.er. Make a meal plan. Aaaaaahhhhh. Even saying the thought makes me cringe. You see, once in college I had this roommate who posted the days of the week with their corresponding meals on the refrigerator. All three roommates chipped in for shared groceries to reduce expenses. No big deal. Except one time the other roommate and I made a meal that didn't correspond with the list and Meal-planning roommate went apeshit on us because we used the cheese that was earmarked for the enchiladas or whatever on Thursday. AS IF WE COULDN'T BUY MORE F-ING CHEESE. I digress.
The goal: Take lunch to work, make nutritious, cheap meals for dinner - use leftovers for lunch/dinner later on (read: No microwave shit)
Plan of attack: Meal plan, grocery list, banning microwave meals from fridge (insert sad face for lazy Niki)
Progress (unless otherwise noted, Clif bars for breakfast):
Oct 1 - Ate lunch at home. I think it consisted of two pieces of toast and Marmite or a microwave Amy's Organic Black Bean Burrito (had not been to store yet). Dinner - cereal, 4 margaritas (only 99cents each), chips & salsa (free w/margaritas)
Oct 2 - Convinced boss to buy lunch at local deli! Ate hodge-podge of yummy junk food at movie night. Still did not go to store.
Oct 3 - Hungover from movie night and/or beginning swine flu symptoms. Ate leftover brown rice for breakfast, Clif bar for lunch on the way to friend's parents' house at the beach, free pizza & beer for dinner. Um...accidentally had $29 bar tab. Whoops. Not entirely my fault, peeps put drinks on my tab, too drunk to sort out.
Oct 4 - Cheez-Its and burned cookies leftover from midnight snack for breakfast. Free pizza for lunch. Leftover pizza for dinner. Still have not gone to store as on vacation, returned too tired to care. Obviously. Attempt meal planning, brain could not cope with the pressure.
Oct 5 - Had to buy lunch as was at out-of-town court, no groceries to make to-go lunch. Leftover free pizza for dinner. (In case you're counting, that's approximately 4/7 meals, not counting the pizza consumed as part of movie night on Friday. When I informed R of this statistic + intent to eat only cereal for entire month, his response: Are you in college?) DID make it to store w/half-ass grocery list and ingredients purchased for real, adult meal the next day!!
Oct 6 - Toast with avocado for lunch, popcorn w/nutritional yeast & pita w/cheese for dinner. Yeah, I didn't quite make The Grit "Golden Bowl" as I had intended, but turns out nutritional yeast is excellent on popcorn (thanks organic store clerks!). Tomorrow, I swear. Tomorrow I'm going to do it. I will make nutritious dinner!
Yep, well. Off to a good start, aren't I?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wine: A Girl's Best Friend.
Soooo. I go a little tipsy tonight. And when I blog like this, I try to keep lal typos for you guys to enjoy/jlaugh at me about.
Things I would blog about if I wasn't tipsy and about to watch some motha-fuckin' Dexgter:
* Mouse in house ate tomato = declaration of War = WTF? I cannot handle this. Need man person, STAT.
* I love my dog. he's the cutest dog ever.
* Dixon on the new 90210 is a-DORE-ah-bull.
* Know what I love more than lots of other stuff? half=popped pocorn kernals. i mean, popcorn kernels. fuck. this is hard.
* Learned v important yogi lesson today - will not always be in a good mood. Important thing is to ride the wave, realize you will get through it, know what helps pull you out of it, and not get bogged down in wallowing in it. Things are changing. Things. Are. Changing.
* New Conor Oberst project came out today. Monsters of Folk. So far not exactly loving it. Haven't even purchased it. Motto is normally: Conor can do no wrong. Potentially first time Conor fail. If this is true, entire pereception of world altered froever. fuck.
Things I would blog about if I wasn't tipsy and about to watch some motha-fuckin' Dexgter:
* Mouse in house ate tomato = declaration of War = WTF? I cannot handle this. Need man person, STAT.
* I love my dog. he's the cutest dog ever.
* Dixon on the new 90210 is a-DORE-ah-bull.
* Know what I love more than lots of other stuff? half=popped pocorn kernals. i mean, popcorn kernels. fuck. this is hard.
* Learned v important yogi lesson today - will not always be in a good mood. Important thing is to ride the wave, realize you will get through it, know what helps pull you out of it, and not get bogged down in wallowing in it. Things are changing. Things. Are. Changing.
* New Conor Oberst project came out today. Monsters of Folk. So far not exactly loving it. Haven't even purchased it. Motto is normally: Conor can do no wrong. Potentially first time Conor fail. If this is true, entire pereception of world altered froever. fuck.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Today Was a Good Day
8:15AM - Took a little extra time during morning sun salutations to do bridge pose, preparing the heart chakra to be compassionate for difficult clients - which I KNOW, sounds fucking cheesy, but I swear, it might have worked or at least placebo effect worked, which is a'ight by me.
12:30AM - Court finished! All cases resolved without trial, which had been a potential for two of my six cases. Difficult clients were not difficult. One hugged me.
1:30PM - Checked out Books 3 and 4 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians from the library (The Titan's Curse and The Battle of the Labryinth, respectively). Great lunch and conversation with co-worker.
3:30PM - Made grocery list, excited about three new recipes I'm going to try this week.
5:30PM - Yeah, "Boom Boom Pow" is my new go-to treadmill song. Freakin' perfect.
7:00PM - Awesome yoga class at the gym; friend subbed for normally crappy teacher, thus allowing me to get my yoga fix locally.
9:30PM - Finished baking these fucking awesome German Chocolate Cookies.
10:19PM - Wrote a blog remembering good day, about to drink some wine and chill with Percy.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Battle Your Blogger
Q: How many boxes of cereal do you currently have in your pantry/cabinets?
Put your answer in the comments. If you beat me, I will send you a prize. I hear you screaming at the computer, "How can we trust you?!" Easy. Honor Code.
Oh, alright. I'll give you photographic evidence and Girl Scout's honor not to go buy a whole bunch of cereal just to win.
Because I'm a lawyer and some of you might try to cheat/fib: Cereal = the shit on the cereal aisle in the prototypical rectangular box, although if it came from the "organic" cereal aisle, that's ok, too. It does NOT include other similar breakfast foods which hav to be heated such as oatmeal or grits (otherwise, ya'll ain't got a chance of beating me, I swear), but DOES include granola, whether or not contained in box. If it typically comes in a box but you got the cheap kind that comes in a bag, that's ok. Count it. Is this clear enough? DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
Contest ends Wednesday, May 29, 5pm EST (or until I post the answer, whichever comes later).
Put your answer in the comments. If you beat me, I will send you a prize. I hear you screaming at the computer, "How can we trust you?!" Easy. Honor Code.
Oh, alright. I'll give you photographic evidence and Girl Scout's honor not to go buy a whole bunch of cereal just to win.
Because I'm a lawyer and some of you might try to cheat/fib: Cereal = the shit on the cereal aisle in the prototypical rectangular box, although if it came from the "organic" cereal aisle, that's ok, too. It does NOT include other similar breakfast foods which hav to be heated such as oatmeal or grits (otherwise, ya'll ain't got a chance of beating me, I swear), but DOES include granola, whether or not contained in box. If it typically comes in a box but you got the cheap kind that comes in a bag, that's ok. Count it. Is this clear enough? DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
Contest ends Wednesday, May 29, 5pm EST (or until I post the answer, whichever comes later).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Accentuate the Positive
It's been a rough few days. This past weekend was so much fun, and it's always difficult for me to come home to this boring, awful place after good times with great friends. Then, yesterday, I got some bad news on the work front - not about my current job, but about the prospect of moving away. Fortunately, the following things have kept my malaise in check so that I don't downward spiral into full-on can't-get-out-of-bed-drink-all-the-time depression:
* The gym - Post-workout euphoria is almost better than sex, and in this crappy town, definitely safer.
* Masala - I can't decide if it would be better or worse if he knew how to talk, because the thoughts I create for his expressions crack me up and what he's really probably thinking is "eat. sleep. go for walk. sleep. eat. get belly rubbed. sleep."
* Escazu chocolates - I recommend the Beaufort Bar. Get one for yourself, ASAP. You won't be sorry, and it's totally worth the cost. I promise. Would I lie to you?
* Bridget Jones
* Random phone calls from 2 old friends
* Sleep. Lots and lots of sleep, especially way past alarm clock going off. Wait. Is that good or bad?
* LOLCats - my favorite so far this week:
* This week's Goop newsletter - I know, that site is totally cheesy and kind of pretentious, but Gwyneth has good intentions, so I visit it from time to time. This week she asks several "sages" about why humans are inclined to think bad thoughts, how it adversely affects us, and how to keep it in check; she calls it the "evil tongue." An excerpt from one of the answers that I keep coming back to:
When we speak positively and refrain from evil speech, we surround ourselves with more and more positive energy, therefore sustaining our spiritual growth. Conversely, when we speak negatively about others, our words stay with us wherever we go, blocking our happiness. For instance, when we wake up in a bad mood for no apparent reason, Kabbalists explain there is a reason. The energy we created by maligning someone’s character yesterday adversely affects us today.
One's personal thoughts on Kabbalah aside, the heart of this lesson, I think, is very valid and definitely worth putting into practice. It's all about karma, people.
* The gym - Post-workout euphoria is almost better than sex, and in this crappy town, definitely safer.
* Masala - I can't decide if it would be better or worse if he knew how to talk, because the thoughts I create for his expressions crack me up and what he's really probably thinking is "eat. sleep. go for walk. sleep. eat. get belly rubbed. sleep."
* Escazu chocolates - I recommend the Beaufort Bar. Get one for yourself, ASAP. You won't be sorry, and it's totally worth the cost. I promise. Would I lie to you?
* Bridget Jones
* Random phone calls from 2 old friends
* Sleep. Lots and lots of sleep, especially way past alarm clock going off. Wait. Is that good or bad?
* LOLCats - my favorite so far this week:
* This week's Goop newsletter - I know, that site is totally cheesy and kind of pretentious, but Gwyneth has good intentions, so I visit it from time to time. This week she asks several "sages" about why humans are inclined to think bad thoughts, how it adversely affects us, and how to keep it in check; she calls it the "evil tongue." An excerpt from one of the answers that I keep coming back to:
When we speak positively and refrain from evil speech, we surround ourselves with more and more positive energy, therefore sustaining our spiritual growth. Conversely, when we speak negatively about others, our words stay with us wherever we go, blocking our happiness. For instance, when we wake up in a bad mood for no apparent reason, Kabbalists explain there is a reason. The energy we created by maligning someone’s character yesterday adversely affects us today.
One's personal thoughts on Kabbalah aside, the heart of this lesson, I think, is very valid and definitely worth putting into practice. It's all about karma, people.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Thursday Update
118 lbs (must be at perfect weight after salad for lunch + running on treadmill without dying + walking the dog + lemon cake at lunch + lentils for dinner); alcohol units: 0 (hope to rectify this tomorrow, assuming thirst for "the drink" returns from Death Virus hiatus in time); life outside work/internet/dog: 0 (hate long weekends with nothing to do...heard rumor of band playing tomorrow, will contact one and only non-work friend who lives in shithole town to see if she is going)
Well, I really do hate to post and move the pictures down the page, but I suppose at some point it must be done.
Am doing terrible Bridget impersonation. Any self-respecting Bridget would be colossally pissed right now (in the British way, not the American way) singing along with Chaka Khan. However, evil Death Virus has sapped my body of any craving for alcohol whatsoever and replaced it with an insatiable desire for cookies, cake, and chocolate. I'm not joking. I think about these 3 things more than I think about sex. And that's saying something, people.
Tonight did very good job of resisting the urge to cry on the couch with a tub of ice cream. Instead turned sadness into determination and ran for 45 minutes on the treadmill. My 5k training guide said to do 3 ten minute intervals of running at RPE 6 interspersed with 2 minutes of walking. So I did 4 ten minute/2 minute intervals, and thought my left knee might leave me for another girl around minute 35. But I begged and pleaded and it made it through, and honestly I think our relationship may be stronger than ever.
Ugh. Speaking of relationships, was very bad today. After nearly two weeks, succumbed to inevitable break-up sex with Perez Hilton. Was good while it lasted but left me feeling empty and unfulfilled after. Best part about it is that I realized I'm not really missing all that much since I left him and reaffirmed my decision to part ways. So that's a relief.
Still have not made co-workers' thank-you cookies. Partly because Mon/Tues was exhausted and partly because Wed was afraid I would eat entire batch alone and couldn't bring myself to tempt fate. Did successfully make red lentils, although not on Sunday as had hoped. Was not my fault, though. Red lentils had gone off and needed to purchase new ones. Also was not my fault about the peach salad thingy because peaches were awful. Will never buy bloody Chilean peaches again!
Ooooh. Am doing fabulously on the no pre-packaged/frozen dinner goal. None so far this week! Monday ate cereal, Tuesday ate pretzels and hummus, Wednesday ate lentils, Thursday ate leftover lentils. Huzzah! Am culinary nutritional genius!
Ah, what else...have done well with the working out and have managed to keep kitchen in semi-neat state ever since cleaning on Sunday. Also completed 3 loads of laundry! Is miracle. Consider self a champion and any other goals completed = icing on the cake. Mmmm. Cake. Wonder if I have all the ingredients to make one. Fuck the cake, actually. Just want some icing! Damn you, Death Virus.
Well, I really do hate to post and move the pictures down the page, but I suppose at some point it must be done.
Am doing terrible Bridget impersonation. Any self-respecting Bridget would be colossally pissed right now (in the British way, not the American way) singing along with Chaka Khan. However, evil Death Virus has sapped my body of any craving for alcohol whatsoever and replaced it with an insatiable desire for cookies, cake, and chocolate. I'm not joking. I think about these 3 things more than I think about sex. And that's saying something, people.
Tonight did very good job of resisting the urge to cry on the couch with a tub of ice cream. Instead turned sadness into determination and ran for 45 minutes on the treadmill. My 5k training guide said to do 3 ten minute intervals of running at RPE 6 interspersed with 2 minutes of walking. So I did 4 ten minute/2 minute intervals, and thought my left knee might leave me for another girl around minute 35. But I begged and pleaded and it made it through, and honestly I think our relationship may be stronger than ever.
Ugh. Speaking of relationships, was very bad today. After nearly two weeks, succumbed to inevitable break-up sex with Perez Hilton. Was good while it lasted but left me feeling empty and unfulfilled after. Best part about it is that I realized I'm not really missing all that much since I left him and reaffirmed my decision to part ways. So that's a relief.
Still have not made co-workers' thank-you cookies. Partly because Mon/Tues was exhausted and partly because Wed was afraid I would eat entire batch alone and couldn't bring myself to tempt fate. Did successfully make red lentils, although not on Sunday as had hoped. Was not my fault, though. Red lentils had gone off and needed to purchase new ones. Also was not my fault about the peach salad thingy because peaches were awful. Will never buy bloody Chilean peaches again!
Ooooh. Am doing fabulously on the no pre-packaged/frozen dinner goal. None so far this week! Monday ate cereal, Tuesday ate pretzels and hummus, Wednesday ate lentils, Thursday ate leftover lentils. Huzzah! Am culinary nutritional genius!
Ah, what else...have done well with the working out and have managed to keep kitchen in semi-neat state ever since cleaning on Sunday. Also completed 3 loads of laundry! Is miracle. Consider self a champion and any other goals completed = icing on the cake. Mmmm. Cake. Wonder if I have all the ingredients to make one. Fuck the cake, actually. Just want some icing! Damn you, Death Virus.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Bridget = Me therefore Me = Bridget?
1** lbs (have no idea, as am in beautiful zen-like place where do not own scale, also trying desperately to hold on to empty stomach skinny feeling, a welcome after-effect of the Death Virus), alcohol units 0, cigarettes 0 (although never smoke, so would be shocked if this number reached above 0), exercise completed 0 (but have good intentions for later, so is good)
Last night I was feeling tired, depressed, and worst of all, bored. I tried to watch the NCAA Final Four, but it turns out I don't really care. I could've watched a movie but nothing on Netflix really seemed interesting, plus I knew I'd fall asleep. Oddly enough I felt like reading. Earlier in the day I walked down to the waterfront and forced myself to sit there until I finished The Subtle Knife no matter how hard the wind tried to blow me away. This made me remember the joy of reading, but I wasn't really in the mood to read any of the random non-fiction books I've accumulated on my bookshelf to read.
So I did something I almost never do. I decided to re-read a book. And you've probably guessed, that book is Bridget Jones's Diary. From page 1 I knew I'd made the right decision. The book opens with her lists of things she "Will" and "Will Not" do in the new year (aka resolutions). This, of course, weaves a cohesive thread through a lot of her diary entries the rest of the year. A brief selection which proves Bridge and I are about 90% the exact same person:
"I WILL NOT:
* Drink more than 14 alcohol units a week
* Behave sluttishly around the house, but instead imagine others are watching
* Spend more than earn
* Fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, chauvinists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts
I WILL:
* Reduce circumference of thighs by 3 inches (i.e. 1.5 inches each) using anticellulite diet
* Save up money in form of savings. Poss start pension also
* Make better use of time
* Not go out every night but stay in and read books and listen to classical music
* Get up straight away when wake up in mornings
* Go to gym three times a week not merely to buy sandwich
* Make up compilation "mood" tapes so can have tapes ready with all favorite romantic/dancing/rousing/feminist etc. tracks assembled instead of turning into drink-sodden DJ-style person with tapes scattered all over the floor
The last one in particular really made me giggle and realize how similar Bridget and I are because at least once per day I think to myself, "I need to make an exercise/dancing/driving/empowering etc playlist on my iPod." I digress.
I'm not stupid enough to make a list of yearly resolutions because I've had plenty of practice not achieving lofty goals. However, it is good to have goals, so I thought why not try Bridget Jones-style this week and see how it goes.
Sunday goals
* Complete at least 3 loads of laundry (have already done half a load. Yay for small steps!)
* Clean kitchen
* Make those damn red lentils that have been sitting on the counter for an uncountable number of months with so much promise
* Make cookies for office (to thank them for help during last week's Death Virus and car fiasco)
* Resume workout regime after 1 week off due to Death Virus (in form of yoga, treadmill, and/or elliptical)
* Make Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad that Jenn introduced me to last year and have been craving (and for which I bought the ingredients even though some of them may have come from Chile instead of locally...am bad environmentalist)
Weekly goals
* Continue workout regime at least 3/5 week days and 1/2 weekend days
* Bring lunch to work 2/5 days
* No pre-packaged frozen/boxed meals until at least Friday (when frozen Kashi pizza is acceptable)
* Blog in witty, brilliant, Bridget-fashion about success/failure of goals
* Read something not-on-the-internet every day for at least 5 minutes
* Buy birthday presents for people in March (i.e. Mom, niece)
As incentive for these goals I just dropped an embarassing amount of money at the grocery store, and since I'm broke, cannot justify spending any more money on food for the rest of the week. Of course, lunch with officemates is inevitable, so really eating a brought-from-home lunch even one day will be an improvement. Honestly, I have serious doubts about not eating pre-packaged meals because I'm often so exhausted by the time I finally get home and ready for dinner at 8pm. And STARVING. But we'll see. I'm going for meals that are easy to make and have ample leftovers.
Stay tuned....
Last night I was feeling tired, depressed, and worst of all, bored. I tried to watch the NCAA Final Four, but it turns out I don't really care. I could've watched a movie but nothing on Netflix really seemed interesting, plus I knew I'd fall asleep. Oddly enough I felt like reading. Earlier in the day I walked down to the waterfront and forced myself to sit there until I finished The Subtle Knife no matter how hard the wind tried to blow me away. This made me remember the joy of reading, but I wasn't really in the mood to read any of the random non-fiction books I've accumulated on my bookshelf to read.
So I did something I almost never do. I decided to re-read a book. And you've probably guessed, that book is Bridget Jones's Diary. From page 1 I knew I'd made the right decision. The book opens with her lists of things she "Will" and "Will Not" do in the new year (aka resolutions). This, of course, weaves a cohesive thread through a lot of her diary entries the rest of the year. A brief selection which proves Bridge and I are about 90% the exact same person:
"I WILL NOT:
* Drink more than 14 alcohol units a week
* Behave sluttishly around the house, but instead imagine others are watching
* Spend more than earn
* Fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, chauvinists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts
I WILL:
* Reduce circumference of thighs by 3 inches (i.e. 1.5 inches each) using anticellulite diet
* Save up money in form of savings. Poss start pension also
* Make better use of time
* Not go out every night but stay in and read books and listen to classical music
* Get up straight away when wake up in mornings
* Go to gym three times a week not merely to buy sandwich
* Make up compilation "mood" tapes so can have tapes ready with all favorite romantic/dancing/rousing/feminist etc. tracks assembled instead of turning into drink-sodden DJ-style person with tapes scattered all over the floor
The last one in particular really made me giggle and realize how similar Bridget and I are because at least once per day I think to myself, "I need to make an exercise/dancing/driving/empowering etc playlist on my iPod." I digress.
I'm not stupid enough to make a list of yearly resolutions because I've had plenty of practice not achieving lofty goals. However, it is good to have goals, so I thought why not try Bridget Jones-style this week and see how it goes.
Sunday goals
* Complete at least 3 loads of laundry (have already done half a load. Yay for small steps!)
* Clean kitchen
* Make those damn red lentils that have been sitting on the counter for an uncountable number of months with so much promise
* Make cookies for office (to thank them for help during last week's Death Virus and car fiasco)
* Resume workout regime after 1 week off due to Death Virus (in form of yoga, treadmill, and/or elliptical)
* Make Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad that Jenn introduced me to last year and have been craving (and for which I bought the ingredients even though some of them may have come from Chile instead of locally...am bad environmentalist)
Weekly goals
* Continue workout regime at least 3/5 week days and 1/2 weekend days
* Bring lunch to work 2/5 days
* No pre-packaged frozen/boxed meals until at least Friday (when frozen Kashi pizza is acceptable)
* Blog in witty, brilliant, Bridget-fashion about success/failure of goals
* Read something not-on-the-internet every day for at least 5 minutes
* Buy birthday presents for people in March (i.e. Mom, niece)
As incentive for these goals I just dropped an embarassing amount of money at the grocery store, and since I'm broke, cannot justify spending any more money on food for the rest of the week. Of course, lunch with officemates is inevitable, so really eating a brought-from-home lunch even one day will be an improvement. Honestly, I have serious doubts about not eating pre-packaged meals because I'm often so exhausted by the time I finally get home and ready for dinner at 8pm. And STARVING. But we'll see. I'm going for meals that are easy to make and have ample leftovers.
Stay tuned....
Sunday, March 29, 2009
My New Obsession(s)
Since I've broken up with Perez Hilton (today is 4 days sober), I need a new addiction to fill the void left by his frequent posting and drama - otherwise I might have to be productive at work or clean my kitchen/do laundry at home. Enter the following:
* Tennis blogs - this originated when I found Nadal News, as I was seeking more and more info get my Rafael Nadal fix. That fabulous site led me to numerous other fabulous sites, and over the past week I have really enjoyed being a full-blown tennis fan. I've always half-assed followed tennis, but now I'm getting into the nitty gritty. There's so much to learn, but sites like Forty Deuce and Down the Line provide me with lots of info as well as the requisite snark. Yeah, I'll probably wax poetic about tennis on the blog, but I promise to keep it entertaining and to a minimum. I swear! Ok. I'll also post pictures of hot guys and their arms? I knew you wouldn't mind.
* Twitter - Obviously.
* Frozen grapes - Delicious springtime dessert, especially since I can't eat chocolate at night.
* Running - I don't know who I've become either. First there were the triathlon fantasies, which kicked into high gear when my gym teased me about training sessions. That hasn't panned out yet, but my co-worker mentioned a 5K and now I'm all over that. I'm even starting to crave running. It's so weird. So very, very weird.
* New haircut - It's so short. I don't even know what got into me. I was afraid going short would make me look fat*, and sometimes I think that is true, but from the neck up I love it so much that I don't care! Just cut it today and didn't wear makeup, so absolutely no pictures. Maybe next week if I think about it.
* Robitussin - Chris Rock's dad was onto something.
* Rafa - I just put him on the list so I could post this picture I borrowed from Nadal News (because clearly he is not a "new" obsession). You love me.
* NOTE: Please don't think if you have short hair that I think you're fat. I was only referring to myself, my body, my face, etc. Short hair actually makes a lot of girls look skinnier.
* Tennis blogs - this originated when I found Nadal News, as I was seeking more and more info get my Rafael Nadal fix. That fabulous site led me to numerous other fabulous sites, and over the past week I have really enjoyed being a full-blown tennis fan. I've always half-assed followed tennis, but now I'm getting into the nitty gritty. There's so much to learn, but sites like Forty Deuce and Down the Line provide me with lots of info as well as the requisite snark. Yeah, I'll probably wax poetic about tennis on the blog, but I promise to keep it entertaining and to a minimum. I swear! Ok. I'll also post pictures of hot guys and their arms? I knew you wouldn't mind.
* Twitter - Obviously.
* Frozen grapes - Delicious springtime dessert, especially since I can't eat chocolate at night.
* Running - I don't know who I've become either. First there were the triathlon fantasies, which kicked into high gear when my gym teased me about training sessions. That hasn't panned out yet, but my co-worker mentioned a 5K and now I'm all over that. I'm even starting to crave running. It's so weird. So very, very weird.
* New haircut - It's so short. I don't even know what got into me. I was afraid going short would make me look fat*, and sometimes I think that is true, but from the neck up I love it so much that I don't care! Just cut it today and didn't wear makeup, so absolutely no pictures. Maybe next week if I think about it.
* Robitussin - Chris Rock's dad was onto something.
* Rafa - I just put him on the list so I could post this picture I borrowed from Nadal News (because clearly he is not a "new" obsession). You love me.
* NOTE: Please don't think if you have short hair that I think you're fat. I was only referring to myself, my body, my face, etc. Short hair actually makes a lot of girls look skinnier.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Salmonella: Day 6 and counting
It's like this: for the most part my symptoms of The Salmonella are vastly improved. As long as I don't eat, I'm fine, I can function like a mostly normal human being. Therein, of course, lies the rub. I am me. I love food. I can't not eat. Not eating makes me grumpy, depressed, dizzy, and downright lazy. Of course, if I eat, all-out war is waged in my digestive track and I'm back to square one - laying on the couch in pain.
Actually, according to the internet, The Salmonella approves of bread products. After 6 days of eating nothing but carbs, I'm over it. Seriously. Unfortunately, every time I try to eat anything not in the realm of bread products, my tummy marches back to battle. I am stuck in a catch-22 - well enough to be hungry for real food but not well enough to eat it. Suh-UCKS.
On this Saturday, after being basically bedridden all day due to pushing my luck with Mexican food last night, I vow to stick to the damn bread-only diet as much as possible until this nasty bacteria is purged from my system once and for all. To wit: thus far today I have eaten 1 piece of wheat toast, some melba toast crackers, and grits - or nothing with any flavor whatsoever.
Tonight in a fit of boredom I struck out of the house in search of new provisions. First stop, CVS to curb an irrational craving for Red Fish, the CVS generic Swedish Fish - while not officially prescribed for The Salmonella, I felt these would be okay (foods that are not okay tend to make me feel queasy upon the thought of putting them in my mouth; this was true of the Mexican but I was in denial about it). I left CVS with the following:
* 1 bag Red Fish (I prefer them to Swedish Fish)
* 1 box Barnum's Animal Crackers (completely consumed before reaching second destination, grocery store)
* 1 bag Stacy's Pita Chips
* 1 roll of Starburst (total impulse buy at the register, most likely not approved for The Salmonella)
Next, I made my way to the grocery store to pick up tater tots, aka dinner. My shopping bag ended up containing the following:
* 1 bag Tater Tots
* 1 bottle Apple Juice
* 2 bags of Barnum's Animal Crackers (to replace the small box I'd already inhaled)
* 1 bag Pretzel Crisps
* 1 carton Butternut Squash Soup
* 1 box Kashi Waffles
If this batch of food goes anything like the last batch, I'll never want to eat any of these items ever again for the rest of my life after this ordeal is over. Blah. Humbug.
Actually, according to the internet, The Salmonella approves of bread products. After 6 days of eating nothing but carbs, I'm over it. Seriously. Unfortunately, every time I try to eat anything not in the realm of bread products, my tummy marches back to battle. I am stuck in a catch-22 - well enough to be hungry for real food but not well enough to eat it. Suh-UCKS.
On this Saturday, after being basically bedridden all day due to pushing my luck with Mexican food last night, I vow to stick to the damn bread-only diet as much as possible until this nasty bacteria is purged from my system once and for all. To wit: thus far today I have eaten 1 piece of wheat toast, some melba toast crackers, and grits - or nothing with any flavor whatsoever.
Tonight in a fit of boredom I struck out of the house in search of new provisions. First stop, CVS to curb an irrational craving for Red Fish, the CVS generic Swedish Fish - while not officially prescribed for The Salmonella, I felt these would be okay (foods that are not okay tend to make me feel queasy upon the thought of putting them in my mouth; this was true of the Mexican but I was in denial about it). I left CVS with the following:
* 1 bag Red Fish (I prefer them to Swedish Fish)
* 1 box Barnum's Animal Crackers (completely consumed before reaching second destination, grocery store)
* 1 bag Stacy's Pita Chips
* 1 roll of Starburst (total impulse buy at the register, most likely not approved for The Salmonella)
Next, I made my way to the grocery store to pick up tater tots, aka dinner. My shopping bag ended up containing the following:
* 1 bag Tater Tots
* 1 bottle Apple Juice
* 2 bags of Barnum's Animal Crackers (to replace the small box I'd already inhaled)
* 1 bag Pretzel Crisps
* 1 carton Butternut Squash Soup
* 1 box Kashi Waffles
If this batch of food goes anything like the last batch, I'll never want to eat any of these items ever again for the rest of my life after this ordeal is over. Blah. Humbug.
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