Monday 8/20
B Cherries and one egg omelette
S Roasted radishes with fresh dill
L Leftover leek and yellow squash lasagna
S Angelcots and very small wedge of edam
D Leftover leek and yellow squash lasagna
Tuesday
B Wholesome banana bread
S Angelcot
L Tri-color orzo with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and fresh dill
S Carrots and hummus
D Leftover orzo
Wednesday
B Frozen strawberry smoothie with half cup of milk and tbsp. flax
S Papaya ice
L Parsley pesto with wheat linguine
S Child-size handful of walnuts and small wedge of cheese
D Leftover parsley pesto with wheat linguine
Thursday
B Wholesome banana bread
S Strawberry smoothie with oatmeal and ginger
L Will be hanging out with a family friend and probably going out to eat for lunch and dinner.
S "
D "
Friday
B Wholesome banana bread with peanut butter
S Papaya ice
L Caramelized onion and mozzarella grilled cheese on homemade wheat bread
S Have a client meeting so probably won't have time for a snack.
D No clue, yet.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
This was a weird week. When it says All-purpose flour in a recipe and you are fairly new to making up recipes on your own, use All-purpose flour....I used part wheat and part All-purpose when I made the Onion pancakes and BOY was THAT a mistake! It was so bad that my dogs wouldn't even give it a whiff. I have a few onions left in the fridge so I might try and make those again this coming week. Although I really am trying to stay away from white flour...maybe I can find a wheat flour recipe..The tzatziki I made was good, although it made a fairly small portion and I added a tad too much dill (which I didn't think was possible.) I also pureed and froze the papaya which also seemed to be going bad quickly. I plan on using that in smoothies this week or eating it as fruit ice. It's so hot here that having a frozen treat every few days is a must.I ended up making everything planned for (on different days) except for the mushroom soup and leek canellini cakes. The mushrooms went bad before I got to them. Huge bummer. I'm fairly new to the mushroom bandwagon and I was looking forward to loving this soup.
It's amazing how few vegetables I know how to cook, what with being a vegetarian...I am learning! I did make leek and yellow squash lasagna today that was delicious and also the most productive thing I did all day. Again, a lazy weekend day. We were really pumped yesterday morning and went about 10am for a 5-6 mile walk around Breckenridge Park. The baby slept for a good deal of the way and my husband and I enjoyed exploring the park and a nearby neighborhood. We got back to the car (which was parked in the garage next to the Witte Museum) only to find the window smashed out and our diaper bag stolen. This put an immediate damper on the day and to be honest, the weekend. I was heartbroken to realize that my beloved necklace, the one I bought the day of our rehearsal dinner two+ years ago, stolen. So in an effort to cope with the tragedy of this event we called the police, who came immediately. They lifted a few prints so we'll see how that turns out. As soon as we got home we put the baby down for a "real" nap and I went immediately to the kitchen to make chocolate cake. It was what I needed to do at the time. And after the second slice I felt kinda bad about it. Why do we turn to food when we are upset? Don't answer that. I know why. It's instant gratification. Followed by guilt. Followed by bargaining. Followed by guilt, again. Which may or may not lead to another bout of instant gratification....hmmmm....
I have a big task ahead of me tomorrow or Tuesday. I have to make wheat bread if I want to eat it this week. I think I will be able to make most of the fresh food last for the rest of the week. Unfortunately pay day is not until August 31st and money is beyond tight. It was tight before the car window got smashed...do you catch my drift?...So going on a veggie and fruit friendly grocery trip is not in the cards for me until the first week in September. I hate to sound completely irritating but I am trying not to freak about it. When we don't have any money we tend to eat wheat pasta and parmesan for every meal. My body is loving all of this fresh goodness!!!... It will have to get over it and take one for the team.
It's amazing how few vegetables I know how to cook, what with being a vegetarian...I am learning! I did make leek and yellow squash lasagna today that was delicious and also the most productive thing I did all day. Again, a lazy weekend day. We were really pumped yesterday morning and went about 10am for a 5-6 mile walk around Breckenridge Park. The baby slept for a good deal of the way and my husband and I enjoyed exploring the park and a nearby neighborhood. We got back to the car (which was parked in the garage next to the Witte Museum) only to find the window smashed out and our diaper bag stolen. This put an immediate damper on the day and to be honest, the weekend. I was heartbroken to realize that my beloved necklace, the one I bought the day of our rehearsal dinner two+ years ago, stolen. So in an effort to cope with the tragedy of this event we called the police, who came immediately. They lifted a few prints so we'll see how that turns out. As soon as we got home we put the baby down for a "real" nap and I went immediately to the kitchen to make chocolate cake. It was what I needed to do at the time. And after the second slice I felt kinda bad about it. Why do we turn to food when we are upset? Don't answer that. I know why. It's instant gratification. Followed by guilt. Followed by bargaining. Followed by guilt, again. Which may or may not lead to another bout of instant gratification....hmmmm....
I have a big task ahead of me tomorrow or Tuesday. I have to make wheat bread if I want to eat it this week. I think I will be able to make most of the fresh food last for the rest of the week. Unfortunately pay day is not until August 31st and money is beyond tight. It was tight before the car window got smashed...do you catch my drift?...So going on a veggie and fruit friendly grocery trip is not in the cards for me until the first week in September. I hate to sound completely irritating but I am trying not to freak about it. When we don't have any money we tend to eat wheat pasta and parmesan for every meal. My body is loving all of this fresh goodness!!!... It will have to get over it and take one for the team.
Monday, August 13, 2012
8/13/20012
As you can see below in the older post I went ahead and typed up " the plan" for food through Saturday. I did type this in Evernote. Copied and pasted and got it all organized. B, L, D, and 2 snacks per day. I always like to build those in even if I don't end up eating them. To me, snacks are important. They do a few things when your first getting started. They keep the hunger at bay and they boost your metabolism. They jump start you into cleaning that tile floor in the bathroom or conquering the huge pile of linens that need washing. As of right now, I can't get by without them. We will see if that changes later on down the line.
I'll be honest, it did take a little over 30 mins for me to honker down and plan out this far ahead and in such detail. But it will take the guess work out of figuring out what to cook and that's half the battle right there.
Today was a fairly good day and I only derailed from the plan a little.
B 1 egg omelette on 2 pieces of Marathon toast with 3 good sized strawberries. And a big jar (over the last year or so we've cut out 90% of our plastic drinking cups and now use glass jars or bottles) of water. I was thirsty!
S 1 Cherry- I had planned for onion pancakes but wasn't hungry for them and time didn't allow a snack anyway.
L Salmon fish filet (1/2 lb.) seasoned with old bay with nearly a cup of Lundbergs Wild (Rice) blend. This made a huge portion and I got pretty stuffed. But with the price I paid for the fish I wasn't about to let it go. So down the pipe it went and I was happy.
S No snack. Full from lunch. But I did make myself a good cup of Brazilian blend coffee from Olmos Perk. I added a splash of Almond Joy creamer (not in the least bit good for me but oh so good) and it gave me just the boost I needed to tackle cleaning the kitchen and laundry and picking up around the house.
D Pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella on the dough mix pizza dough. Made a pizza about 10 inches in diameter. It was good. It served both me and my husband. I did a crappy job of cutting it in half on purpose and gave him the larger piece. That way I could cut some calories. And I peeled two carrots really quick and added a tbsp of roasted garlic hummus to my plate. It was a satisfying meal. I think next time I will most definitely make my own dough. It's not difficult and I have no excuse.
As I type this I am having a strong hankering for something sweet. It is a very good and very bad thing that the sweetest thing in the house right now is cherries. They just aren't chocolate.
Till tomorrow...
I'll be honest, it did take a little over 30 mins for me to honker down and plan out this far ahead and in such detail. But it will take the guess work out of figuring out what to cook and that's half the battle right there.
Today was a fairly good day and I only derailed from the plan a little.
B 1 egg omelette on 2 pieces of Marathon toast with 3 good sized strawberries. And a big jar (over the last year or so we've cut out 90% of our plastic drinking cups and now use glass jars or bottles) of water. I was thirsty!
S 1 Cherry- I had planned for onion pancakes but wasn't hungry for them and time didn't allow a snack anyway.
L Salmon fish filet (1/2 lb.) seasoned with old bay with nearly a cup of Lundbergs Wild (Rice) blend. This made a huge portion and I got pretty stuffed. But with the price I paid for the fish I wasn't about to let it go. So down the pipe it went and I was happy.
S No snack. Full from lunch. But I did make myself a good cup of Brazilian blend coffee from Olmos Perk. I added a splash of Almond Joy creamer (not in the least bit good for me but oh so good) and it gave me just the boost I needed to tackle cleaning the kitchen and laundry and picking up around the house.
D Pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella on the dough mix pizza dough. Made a pizza about 10 inches in diameter. It was good. It served both me and my husband. I did a crappy job of cutting it in half on purpose and gave him the larger piece. That way I could cut some calories. And I peeled two carrots really quick and added a tbsp of roasted garlic hummus to my plate. It was a satisfying meal. I think next time I will most definitely make my own dough. It's not difficult and I have no excuse.
As I type this I am having a strong hankering for something sweet. It is a very good and very bad thing that the sweetest thing in the house right now is cherries. They just aren't chocolate.
Till tomorrow...
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Week of August 13, 2012
So here is the plan....
MONDAY
B 1 egg and peanut butter toast with a small glass of milk
S Onion pancakes with dill dipping sauce
L Salmon with caramelized carrots and wild rice
S 8 cherries
D Semi-homemade pizza, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil
TUESDAY
B Strawberry smoothie and oatmeal
S From scratch tzatziki with a slice of Marathon bread
L Baked eggplant parmesan with linguine
S tzatziki with raw carrots and handful of cherries
D Wild rice with leftover eggplant parmesan
WEDNESDAY
B 1 egg and 2 egg white omelette with slice of Marathon bread
S Small papaya smoothie
L Mushroom Soup
S Papaya- small cup
D Mushroom soup
THURSDAY
B Papaya and yogurt with oatmeal
S Honey Toast with tea
L Mushroom soup
S Peanut butter tortilla and cup of milk
D Zucchini sticks with dill dipping sauce or tzatziki
FRIDAY
B Peanut butter toast and smoothie
S 2 angelcots and wedge of Edam
L Rosemary Leek Cannellini cakes
S Ginger strawberry smoothie
D Leftover cake on bed of tri-color orzo
SATURDAY
B Strawberry ginger smoothie-large
S Edam and "pita" chips
L Caramelized onion grilled cheese
S La Fruteria Fruit!
D Tri-color orzo with peas in a garlicky sauce
8/12/12
So in an effort to get my blog going I didn't make a plan for today. Ha! Tonight I will try and plan out the next few days so I know when to use what so everything is as fresh as possible. I'll pull most of my recipes together to make it as easy to get a meal on the table quickly. I'm thinking I might write everything out on my evernote to make it easy to access on the ipad while cooking in the kitchen. I just love using it in this way. Add some of my favorite Pandora and I'm a happy camper.
So today the deets were this...
B* 1 piece of Homemade Monkey Bread.. I made this to take to a choir reunion and only got a taste of the piece that stuck to the pan when I turned it out. I would have gotten a normal serving but before I knew it, it was gone. Happy that everyone (seemed) to like it and I didn't have to bring any of it home. :) I also had a blueberry muffin and a 1/2 cup of oj (not sure if it was fresh squeezed...)
L 3 pieces of Marathon bread (I should mention these are smaller than the typical loaf size) I toasted two of the slices and slathered 1 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter on one side and a tbsp clover honey on the other. Yum! Add 8 cherries to the mix and a decent wedge of Edam and I had a nice little lunch going on. I also blended in the Vitamix a white flesh nectarine and a cup and a half of milk.
I took a nap after playing with the baby for a good bit. Aren't Sunday afternoon naps the best? I was pretty tuckered out from staying up half the night and getting up super duper early to get the monkey bread to rise and bake. And also had to get MY monkey ready for his first visit to TPUMC.
D 1 can Tongol tuna, tbsp fresh dill, tbsp Mayo, and 3/4 c. whole wheat elbow noodles, cracked pepper. This came together in a snap. It was a matter of seeing the can of tuna in the pantry and finding an almost totally empty box of elbow noodles. I was really glad it was nearly gone because that means no leftovers and therefore no temptation to overeat. The fresh dill was a nice surprise. Usually I use dried spices for most dishes because I have a hard time keeping fresh herbs alive after I use them for a dish. There is no excuse. I have two big windows in my kitchen that bring in tons of light and the water source (the faucet) is within reach. There is even one of those spray jobbies that could make it super easy. I need to work on this. As I type this, there is a dried up, shriveled up pot of thyme. It sits there as a sad, sad reminder of my brown thumb.
UPDATE:
I don't know whether it was walking two blocks delivering neighborhood newsletters or what but I needed a snack this evening. 1/2 c. wild rice blend and 4 cherries.
*This is my food journal for the day. I love abbreviating. nuf said.
So today the deets were this...
B* 1 piece of Homemade Monkey Bread.. I made this to take to a choir reunion and only got a taste of the piece that stuck to the pan when I turned it out. I would have gotten a normal serving but before I knew it, it was gone. Happy that everyone (seemed) to like it and I didn't have to bring any of it home. :) I also had a blueberry muffin and a 1/2 cup of oj (not sure if it was fresh squeezed...)
L 3 pieces of Marathon bread (I should mention these are smaller than the typical loaf size) I toasted two of the slices and slathered 1 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter on one side and a tbsp clover honey on the other. Yum! Add 8 cherries to the mix and a decent wedge of Edam and I had a nice little lunch going on. I also blended in the Vitamix a white flesh nectarine and a cup and a half of milk.
I took a nap after playing with the baby for a good bit. Aren't Sunday afternoon naps the best? I was pretty tuckered out from staying up half the night and getting up super duper early to get the monkey bread to rise and bake. And also had to get MY monkey ready for his first visit to TPUMC.
D 1 can Tongol tuna, tbsp fresh dill, tbsp Mayo, and 3/4 c. whole wheat elbow noodles, cracked pepper. This came together in a snap. It was a matter of seeing the can of tuna in the pantry and finding an almost totally empty box of elbow noodles. I was really glad it was nearly gone because that means no leftovers and therefore no temptation to overeat. The fresh dill was a nice surprise. Usually I use dried spices for most dishes because I have a hard time keeping fresh herbs alive after I use them for a dish. There is no excuse. I have two big windows in my kitchen that bring in tons of light and the water source (the faucet) is within reach. There is even one of those spray jobbies that could make it super easy. I need to work on this. As I type this, there is a dried up, shriveled up pot of thyme. It sits there as a sad, sad reminder of my brown thumb.
UPDATE:
I don't know whether it was walking two blocks delivering neighborhood newsletters or what but I needed a snack this evening. 1/2 c. wild rice blend and 4 cherries.
*This is my food journal for the day. I love abbreviating. nuf said.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Lazy Saturday
Today was one of those days when your butt hardly leaves the seat and your eyes are glued to the screen. Breaking Bad, 30Rock, and How I Met Your Mother were what was on tap. I did take a timeout from my busy schedule to do a few important things. Grocery shop, clean the kitchen, and play with my darling baby.
I had a very successful trip to the store. I spent nearly 100 big ones on an extra-large zucchini, two yellow squash, 4 good-size tomatoes, leeks, cherries, a big carton of strawberries, (I should mention everything to this point was organic) cherry tomatoes, a jalapeno, bunch of bananas, radishes, 8 angelcots, fresh ginger, a plum, papaya, a white-flesh nectarine, a gold kiwi fruit, curly parsley, 2 cucumbers, baby bella mushrooms, a hefty wedge of parmesan, fresh mozarella, spinach tagliatelle, whole wheat rotini and farfalle, Weisenberger's wheat pizza dough flour mix, panko bread crumbs, 1/4 pound steel cut oats, a small can of good quality tuna (never tried this before, we'll see) 1/3 pound fresh ground dry roasted peanut butter, 1/4 pound unsalted walnuts, a loaf of Marathon bread (a deliciously hearty bread with tons of goodness, including carrot and raw sunflower seeds) a blue cheese salmon burger, and a 1/2 pound salmon filet. I spent nearly $195 on groceries two weeks ago and I had a few things leftover.
Just in the last two weeks I have seen results in this new way of life. I can tell that my stomach has gotten fairly familiar with the way in which I eat throughout the day. I plan for 3 meals a day plus two snacks. I usually leave out a snack but it's built-in just in case. On a yellow legal pad (my father was an attorney and was notorious for having tons of these all over the place) I write my plan. ie:
B Spinach and edam omelette with 1 whole egg and two egg whites (I am not EVEN missing the other two yolks, it's crazy)
S Berry and flax smoothie with almost 2 cups milk
L 1 roasted carrot, angelcot, piece of Marathon bread with 1 tbsp. p.butter, 10 cherries, and a small sweet potato (there are not a lot of calories in this meal but somehow with all the chewing it fills me up)
S Kale chips and a small handful of walnuts
D Cup of basmati rice with steamed veggies (or I might have another smoothie and forgo a "real dinner")
I also make a horizontal rectangular bar with 8 boxes. For each glass of water I drink I check a box. I try and exceed this but at least get that many. Plus, more water means less hunger. Win Win. And to be perfectly honest over the past few weeks, I've felt "true hunger" maybe twice. I am getting plenty to eat and I would say about 75%, maybe more, is homemade. My hope is to eventually be able to say 75% homegrown but for now, homemade is fine by me. Baby steps.
I plan to make the following over the next two weeks.
Mushroom soup
Semi-homemade pizza
Lemony salmon bow-tie pasta with peas
Homemade wheat bread (for next week, once I'm out of the Marathon bread)
From scratch Tzatziki with crudites
Endless combinations of fruit smoothies
Omelettes
Caramelized onion grilled cheese
Baked eggplant parmesan
Baked cheesy squash rotini
Whole wheat orzo with peas in a garlic-e cream sauce (yogurt based)
Caramelized carrots and wild rice
Wheat Basmati with thyme sweet potatoes and feta
Onion pancakes with dill dipping sauce
Zucchini sticks with onion dipping sauce
Split pea curry with brown rice
Rosemary Leek Cannellini Cakes via http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/05/rosemary-leek-cannellini-cakes/
Some of these items like the soup and pizza will last more than one meal and some I will share with my husband. (depending on how adventurous he's feeling) I also will be making a quick trip out of town when my best friend has her baby. Which reminds me, I need to plan for that too. It's so easy to get off track when you leave the house. It's like a nice nutritious bubble in here but the second I get into the car Starbucks is calling me or a taco place. It's ok for special treats but I'm really trying to make do with what we have here. And really 9 times out of 10 it tastes better and it makes me feel better. No guilt eating. What a concept! It has taken me 30 years and many pounds to realize that this was the way I was supposed to live life.
I have always loved cooking. I feel so connected to what I'm eating. Considering what I'm putting into my cart very carefully. Having specific dishes in mind instead of numbingly throwing things in hoping I can make a meal. I'm a list maker. I do lists. Grocery lists, gift lists, organizing lists, chore lists, diy lists (we have a 89 year old home that we're fixing up,) baby lists, 30 before 31 lists ( I had to change it to 31 because nearly everything is still on the list,) etc, etc, etc. So this meal planning was very easy to get into. And with the ease of the internet and clever bookmarking I was able to make a good size meal list fairly quickly.
I will keep this updated as much as I can to keep tabs on myself and progress throughout the week. I'm pumped! Let's get to it!
I had a very successful trip to the store. I spent nearly 100 big ones on an extra-large zucchini, two yellow squash, 4 good-size tomatoes, leeks, cherries, a big carton of strawberries, (I should mention everything to this point was organic) cherry tomatoes, a jalapeno, bunch of bananas, radishes, 8 angelcots, fresh ginger, a plum, papaya, a white-flesh nectarine, a gold kiwi fruit, curly parsley, 2 cucumbers, baby bella mushrooms, a hefty wedge of parmesan, fresh mozarella, spinach tagliatelle, whole wheat rotini and farfalle, Weisenberger's wheat pizza dough flour mix, panko bread crumbs, 1/4 pound steel cut oats, a small can of good quality tuna (never tried this before, we'll see) 1/3 pound fresh ground dry roasted peanut butter, 1/4 pound unsalted walnuts, a loaf of Marathon bread (a deliciously hearty bread with tons of goodness, including carrot and raw sunflower seeds) a blue cheese salmon burger, and a 1/2 pound salmon filet. I spent nearly $195 on groceries two weeks ago and I had a few things leftover.
Just in the last two weeks I have seen results in this new way of life. I can tell that my stomach has gotten fairly familiar with the way in which I eat throughout the day. I plan for 3 meals a day plus two snacks. I usually leave out a snack but it's built-in just in case. On a yellow legal pad (my father was an attorney and was notorious for having tons of these all over the place) I write my plan. ie:
B Spinach and edam omelette with 1 whole egg and two egg whites (I am not EVEN missing the other two yolks, it's crazy)
S Berry and flax smoothie with almost 2 cups milk
L 1 roasted carrot, angelcot, piece of Marathon bread with 1 tbsp. p.butter, 10 cherries, and a small sweet potato (there are not a lot of calories in this meal but somehow with all the chewing it fills me up)
S Kale chips and a small handful of walnuts
D Cup of basmati rice with steamed veggies (or I might have another smoothie and forgo a "real dinner")
I also make a horizontal rectangular bar with 8 boxes. For each glass of water I drink I check a box. I try and exceed this but at least get that many. Plus, more water means less hunger. Win Win. And to be perfectly honest over the past few weeks, I've felt "true hunger" maybe twice. I am getting plenty to eat and I would say about 75%, maybe more, is homemade. My hope is to eventually be able to say 75% homegrown but for now, homemade is fine by me. Baby steps.
I plan to make the following over the next two weeks.
Mushroom soup
Semi-homemade pizza
Lemony salmon bow-tie pasta with peas
Homemade wheat bread (for next week, once I'm out of the Marathon bread)
From scratch Tzatziki with crudites
Endless combinations of fruit smoothies
Omelettes
Caramelized onion grilled cheese
Baked eggplant parmesan
Baked cheesy squash rotini
Whole wheat orzo with peas in a garlic-e cream sauce (yogurt based)
Caramelized carrots and wild rice
Wheat Basmati with thyme sweet potatoes and feta
Onion pancakes with dill dipping sauce
Zucchini sticks with onion dipping sauce
Split pea curry with brown rice
Rosemary Leek Cannellini Cakes via http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/05/rosemary-leek-cannellini-cakes/
Some of these items like the soup and pizza will last more than one meal and some I will share with my husband. (depending on how adventurous he's feeling) I also will be making a quick trip out of town when my best friend has her baby. Which reminds me, I need to plan for that too. It's so easy to get off track when you leave the house. It's like a nice nutritious bubble in here but the second I get into the car Starbucks is calling me or a taco place. It's ok for special treats but I'm really trying to make do with what we have here. And really 9 times out of 10 it tastes better and it makes me feel better. No guilt eating. What a concept! It has taken me 30 years and many pounds to realize that this was the way I was supposed to live life.
I have always loved cooking. I feel so connected to what I'm eating. Considering what I'm putting into my cart very carefully. Having specific dishes in mind instead of numbingly throwing things in hoping I can make a meal. I'm a list maker. I do lists. Grocery lists, gift lists, organizing lists, chore lists, diy lists (we have a 89 year old home that we're fixing up,) baby lists, 30 before 31 lists ( I had to change it to 31 because nearly everything is still on the list,) etc, etc, etc. So this meal planning was very easy to get into. And with the ease of the internet and clever bookmarking I was able to make a good size meal list fairly quickly.
I will keep this updated as much as I can to keep tabs on myself and progress throughout the week. I'm pumped! Let's get to it!
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