I went to a lovely little Italian restaurant tonight with the group of us that traveled together...I can't tell you what the name of the restaurant is, because I was too exhausted when I got there...but it was very good, and the company was nice, too :)
Most days, I am emotionally drained after work, then I go home and start what I call my second job--being a wife, mom, home-school teacher, housekeeper, etc., etc....Eventually, once I'm done with all of that stuff, I normally wind down by reading or watching TV, or just taking some time to talk with my husband and kids--this explains why I go to sleep so late.
At the restaurant, as we were telling stories and laughing together, I realized that I never actually wind down after work with my colleagues--ever. Tonight, it was good to eat, laugh, and enjoy the moment with the people that I work with. It was...positive...fun...not work-related (well, mostly, not work-related). I think I finally understand why people do happy hour.
I'm not a happy hour kind of gal--most days, I miss my family so much, all I can think about is getting home to them when I'm done at work. Don't get me wrong...I'm a hard worker, and I take pride in my work. But, sometimes I'd rather work from home to finish things instead of staying late at work. Tonight, though, I realized how important it is to spend time with the people I work with in a different environment.
OK, back to the restaurant. I didn't really look at the menu--the words were swimming on the page--so I let the waitress guide me. She recommended a small personal pizza with fresh spinach and mushrooms. The spinach was great, but I wish that the mushrooms would have been bigger.
I have one healthy thing that I have done for these travel days: I have slept. I haven't stayed up watching TV or movies. I didn't bring a book, so I haven't stayed up reading. I've gotten in bed, turned everything off and SLEPT.
Last night, I slept 7 hours. I haven't slept that long in forever. Tonight, I'm going for EIGHT.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
When I Grow Up...
I'm traveling for work for the next three days, and I'm not so sure how I'm going to deal with my food situation. I'm basicaly going to be eating out for every meal.
I'm trying to stay flexible and not have an all-or-nothing mentality, which is what have done in the past. Instead of just throwing out the next few days and eating whatever, whenever, I want to make the best choices I can for the next few days.
If I can stay focused on the long term goal, which is real change, it's not that difficult to make good choices. However, when I focus on the food in front of me without thinking about the future, I find myself throwing all caution to the wind and stuffing my face.
I wish that I could love myself more than that. I wish I didn't have to think--rationalize--so much. I wish it came naturally. This is what I'm instilling in my children, because I don't want them to go through the struggles I go through when it comes to food.
Sometimes, I overhear them saying wonderful things. The other day, my oldest asked the others if they wanted a treat, and I heard the little one say, "No thanks, I already ate and I'm not really hungry right now." This sounds like such a normal response, but it's not my normal response. When I was a kid I NEVER said "no" to sweets, even if I was full.
I love that they make these choices so naturally. I tell myself that these decisions "come naturally" to them, because I have worked hard at allowing them to listening to their body signals instead of forcing them to "clean your plate" the way my dad did to me. I've also tried to expose them to as many healthy and delicious food as possible so that the word "vegetable" isn't a bad word in my house.
I remind myself that we are all born with the ability to listen to our bodies, with the hope that one day I will relearn how to do this and be able to make these decisions naturally, just like them.
When I grow up, I want to be just like my kids :)
I'm trying to stay flexible and not have an all-or-nothing mentality, which is what have done in the past. Instead of just throwing out the next few days and eating whatever, whenever, I want to make the best choices I can for the next few days.
If I can stay focused on the long term goal, which is real change, it's not that difficult to make good choices. However, when I focus on the food in front of me without thinking about the future, I find myself throwing all caution to the wind and stuffing my face.
I wish that I could love myself more than that. I wish I didn't have to think--rationalize--so much. I wish it came naturally. This is what I'm instilling in my children, because I don't want them to go through the struggles I go through when it comes to food.
Sometimes, I overhear them saying wonderful things. The other day, my oldest asked the others if they wanted a treat, and I heard the little one say, "No thanks, I already ate and I'm not really hungry right now." This sounds like such a normal response, but it's not my normal response. When I was a kid I NEVER said "no" to sweets, even if I was full.
I love that they make these choices so naturally. I tell myself that these decisions "come naturally" to them, because I have worked hard at allowing them to listening to their body signals instead of forcing them to "clean your plate" the way my dad did to me. I've also tried to expose them to as many healthy and delicious food as possible so that the word "vegetable" isn't a bad word in my house.
I remind myself that we are all born with the ability to listen to our bodies, with the hope that one day I will relearn how to do this and be able to make these decisions naturally, just like them.
When I grow up, I want to be just like my kids :)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 9
I think I found a health coach. He is a nutritarian, and I went for a consult today. I was surprised to find out that he is also a practicing psychologist...which means that he doesn't just do the practical application stuff, like teaching you what to eat, but he also goes into all of the reasons for one's struggle with food.
I talked about my childhood and cried...I know that sounds SO stereotypical, but it's true. It caught me completely off guard when he started asking me questions, and for a moment I had that fight-or-flight response, LOL. I almost said, "I don't want to do this," but as I was getting myself ready to say it and walk out of his office, something in me switched and I took the plunge and started talking.
I kept trying to get out of talking about the personal stuff by talking about what I would like to get out of this experience. Specifically, I told him that I have always been good about following a plan or program, but that I get so goal oriented that the moment I reach my goal weight, I just STOP...everything. Then, I gain it all right back. I told him that I want to learn how to MAINTAIN. But, he just kept coming back to asking me to think about the emotional reasons for my difficulties. He was very polite about it, but definitely RELENTLESS, which I respect. I'm used to doing the same polite redirecting in my classroom when kids try to side track a lesson, but I've never had someone do that to me as a grown up, lol. It was skillful guidance, and he didn't let me get away with ignoring the issues.
Now I have to save up the money for the program...It's $1995 for 6 months, which is a little over $300 a month. If I pay all at once, he knocks it down to $1795, though...which is better, but still kind of pricey. It's about the same amount that all of the other people that I've called have quoted, so I didn't go into shock when he said it.
As far as juice is concerned for today. I didn't have much left in the fridge or the pantry this morning before doing groceries, but the juice I made was tasty.
half a bunch of kale
4 small oranges
about 2 cups of red seedless grapes
2 large carrots
2 small apples
1 golden zucchini
1 beet
1/2 inch nub of ginger
1 lemon
I'd like to include a note on the order of my ingredients. I always try list them in the order in which I put them through the juicer. It's better to put your ingredients through the juicer from softest to hardest, because the hard vegetables help the soft ones go through. You get more of the soft ones that way. Sometimes, I mix them together, though. For example, I'll wrap a leaf of kale around a carrot or beet. I stays in contact with the blade longer instead of just whisking it away into the pulp container. I didn't know that this was important when I first started juicing, so I thought I'd mention it.
I finally did groceries today, so I am fully stocked. Woohoo! Making juice tomorrow morning won't be difficult, and I'll have more greens.
Thanks for reading :)
I talked about my childhood and cried...I know that sounds SO stereotypical, but it's true. It caught me completely off guard when he started asking me questions, and for a moment I had that fight-or-flight response, LOL. I almost said, "I don't want to do this," but as I was getting myself ready to say it and walk out of his office, something in me switched and I took the plunge and started talking.
I kept trying to get out of talking about the personal stuff by talking about what I would like to get out of this experience. Specifically, I told him that I have always been good about following a plan or program, but that I get so goal oriented that the moment I reach my goal weight, I just STOP...everything. Then, I gain it all right back. I told him that I want to learn how to MAINTAIN. But, he just kept coming back to asking me to think about the emotional reasons for my difficulties. He was very polite about it, but definitely RELENTLESS, which I respect. I'm used to doing the same polite redirecting in my classroom when kids try to side track a lesson, but I've never had someone do that to me as a grown up, lol. It was skillful guidance, and he didn't let me get away with ignoring the issues.
Now I have to save up the money for the program...It's $1995 for 6 months, which is a little over $300 a month. If I pay all at once, he knocks it down to $1795, though...which is better, but still kind of pricey. It's about the same amount that all of the other people that I've called have quoted, so I didn't go into shock when he said it.
As far as juice is concerned for today. I didn't have much left in the fridge or the pantry this morning before doing groceries, but the juice I made was tasty.
half a bunch of kale
4 small oranges
about 2 cups of red seedless grapes
2 large carrots
2 small apples
1 golden zucchini
1 beet
1/2 inch nub of ginger
1 lemon
I'd like to include a note on the order of my ingredients. I always try list them in the order in which I put them through the juicer. It's better to put your ingredients through the juicer from softest to hardest, because the hard vegetables help the soft ones go through. You get more of the soft ones that way. Sometimes, I mix them together, though. For example, I'll wrap a leaf of kale around a carrot or beet. I stays in contact with the blade longer instead of just whisking it away into the pulp container. I didn't know that this was important when I first started juicing, so I thought I'd mention it.
I finally did groceries today, so I am fully stocked. Woohoo! Making juice tomorrow morning won't be difficult, and I'll have more greens.
Thanks for reading :)
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 7-Snoozing
Today has been my worst day since I started juicing again. I am so tired I just feel like going to sleep. I got home by 5pm, and I've been keeping myself busy doing things in order to stay awake because I don't want to fall asleep and then wake up at 3 in the morning.
In all fairness, I didn't actually juice today. Coincidence? hmm...
I woke up late...one too many times hitting the snooze button can completely mess up my mornings...so instead of making a juice, I had a smoothie. It was also too late to make my lunch, so I packed the only two small apples that I had left. I planned on getting a salad somewhere.
I snacked on the apples, and I felt fine. But, of course, when it was lunch time, I realized I only had $5 in my purse, and since it's the day before payday, I couldn't use my bank card because there's no money in there anyway--so no salad for me! With some imaginative decision making, I was able to have a veggie sub on wheat bread from the Publix deli. The bread is NOT reboot friendly, but life happens...
When I got home I realized that I don't have enough produce left to make a juice for today, so I had another smoothie and an orange later on.
Today was not a healthy day...lesson learned...I need to plan my week better so that I can make it to the end of the week with enough produce...or I need to go to the grocery store mid week to stock up again.
Who knows, maybe I did notice, one of these days, that I needed more and then just got lazy about going to the store.
Who am I kidding...I can't stay awake any longer...I'm going to bed
In all fairness, I didn't actually juice today. Coincidence? hmm...
I woke up late...one too many times hitting the snooze button can completely mess up my mornings...so instead of making a juice, I had a smoothie. It was also too late to make my lunch, so I packed the only two small apples that I had left. I planned on getting a salad somewhere.
I snacked on the apples, and I felt fine. But, of course, when it was lunch time, I realized I only had $5 in my purse, and since it's the day before payday, I couldn't use my bank card because there's no money in there anyway--so no salad for me! With some imaginative decision making, I was able to have a veggie sub on wheat bread from the Publix deli. The bread is NOT reboot friendly, but life happens...
When I got home I realized that I don't have enough produce left to make a juice for today, so I had another smoothie and an orange later on.
Today was not a healthy day...lesson learned...I need to plan my week better so that I can make it to the end of the week with enough produce...or I need to go to the grocery store mid week to stock up again.
Who knows, maybe I did notice, one of these days, that I needed more and then just got lazy about going to the store.
Who am I kidding...I can't stay awake any longer...I'm going to bed
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 6 & My Top 5 Juicing Mistakes
This morning I was in the mood for fruit juice, and I started out with every intention of making fresh orange juice without anything else in it...but once I was into it, I felt guilty so I added in some veggies, too :) It was really good!
Ingredients
4 oranges
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 green pair
1/2 bunch of kale
1 zucchini
1 lemon
If you are juicing oranges for the first time, you should know that you absolutely HAVE to peel the oranges...the same goes for lemons or limes. The first time I juiced oranges, I didn't know any better and I put those suckers in whole, LOL. I remember that I made almost a gallon of orange juice because I wanted my kids to have real OJ for the first time. When I tasted it, I almost cried, it was so bitter. What's even funnier is that I didn't want to waste it, so I forced myself to drink it for the next few days. I couldn't stand more than a few sips at a time. On the third or fourth day I gave up and dumped the rest of it into the sink. It seemed to become even more bitter with each passing day.
Now that I'm on a crazy juicing mistakes tangent, I might as well tell you about a few other mistakes to avoid...
Here's my Top 5 Worst Juicing Mistakes
5. ORANGES
I already told you how that went...
4. GARLIC
Once I tried to make a gaspacho type juice, so I put a clove of garlic through the juicer with the tomatoes and onions and other veggies. I don't know what was worse the garlic or the onion...no wait, I do know...the GARLIC. I love, love, love garlic, but I had never experienced juiced garlic, lol. It was SO strong that my throat closed up, and I thought I was going to suffocate. I drank water all day and the taste of garlic in my mouth still wouldn't go away. Plus, it kept coming up. I remember waking up the next morning, and I still had garlic breath!
3. CAULIFLOWER
In one of my previous posts, I already shared my cauliflower juice story--that was a good/bad one, too.
2. BANANAS
Bananas and juicers are NOT friends. It comes through the juicer looking like a goopy brownish mess. The bananas are too mushy and should be blended in smoothies. As with all of my juicing mistakes, I learned this one the hard way, with my first juicer. It was a cheap Hamilton Beach juicer, and the machine got so overworked trying to juice that banana that it started to smell like an electrical fire, lol.
1. POTATOES
And, last but not least, my absolute worst juicing crime....drum roll please...I once tried to juice a potato. I remember that my original plan was to juice the potato and then make a soup out of it. It was my culinary ignorant way of trying to get away with making potato soup without cream...go ahead and laugh...I AM. Of course, it was a ridiculous thing to do. Oh, it juiced the potato alright...but the moment I started heating up the juice in a pot, the starch went crazy and I ended up making GLUE instead of soup. I could have put up a brick wall with that stuff! Lesson learned--the easiest way to do things is usually the simplest. What I should have done was to just boil the potatoes and then mash them up with some other liquid...DUH....
Thanks for reading :)
Ingredients
4 oranges
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 green pair
1/2 bunch of kale
1 zucchini
1 lemon
If you are juicing oranges for the first time, you should know that you absolutely HAVE to peel the oranges...the same goes for lemons or limes. The first time I juiced oranges, I didn't know any better and I put those suckers in whole, LOL. I remember that I made almost a gallon of orange juice because I wanted my kids to have real OJ for the first time. When I tasted it, I almost cried, it was so bitter. What's even funnier is that I didn't want to waste it, so I forced myself to drink it for the next few days. I couldn't stand more than a few sips at a time. On the third or fourth day I gave up and dumped the rest of it into the sink. It seemed to become even more bitter with each passing day.
Now that I'm on a crazy juicing mistakes tangent, I might as well tell you about a few other mistakes to avoid...
Here's my Top 5 Worst Juicing Mistakes
5. ORANGES
I already told you how that went...
4. GARLIC
Once I tried to make a gaspacho type juice, so I put a clove of garlic through the juicer with the tomatoes and onions and other veggies. I don't know what was worse the garlic or the onion...no wait, I do know...the GARLIC. I love, love, love garlic, but I had never experienced juiced garlic, lol. It was SO strong that my throat closed up, and I thought I was going to suffocate. I drank water all day and the taste of garlic in my mouth still wouldn't go away. Plus, it kept coming up. I remember waking up the next morning, and I still had garlic breath!
3. CAULIFLOWER
In one of my previous posts, I already shared my cauliflower juice story--that was a good/bad one, too.
2. BANANAS
Bananas and juicers are NOT friends. It comes through the juicer looking like a goopy brownish mess. The bananas are too mushy and should be blended in smoothies. As with all of my juicing mistakes, I learned this one the hard way, with my first juicer. It was a cheap Hamilton Beach juicer, and the machine got so overworked trying to juice that banana that it started to smell like an electrical fire, lol.
1. POTATOES
And, last but not least, my absolute worst juicing crime....drum roll please...I once tried to juice a potato. I remember that my original plan was to juice the potato and then make a soup out of it. It was my culinary ignorant way of trying to get away with making potato soup without cream...go ahead and laugh...I AM. Of course, it was a ridiculous thing to do. Oh, it juiced the potato alright...but the moment I started heating up the juice in a pot, the starch went crazy and I ended up making GLUE instead of soup. I could have put up a brick wall with that stuff! Lesson learned--the easiest way to do things is usually the simplest. What I should have done was to just boil the potatoes and then mash them up with some other liquid...DUH....
Thanks for reading :)
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 5 - Zucchini Soup
This weekend at the farmers market they had a bunch of different types of squash, most of which I'd never seen or tasted. So, I bought several different varieties to check them out.
For those of you who are in my same state of ignorance, here's what they look like. I had to look them up online to find out their names ;)
Golden zucchini
Green zucchini = courgette = Italian marrow squash (the only kind I knew about!)
globe squash = Ronde de Nice
Mediterranean Squash
Tonight, I decided that I'd do some experimenting...bua-ha-haaa
I peeled the globe squash and felt it up a bit, lol...I smelled it, too..., and I figured that it might do well sauteed. So, I diced it up (1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces), sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and sauteed it in some olive oil. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it. It had a mild, nutty flavor, and it didn't get mushy or slimy. I added it to my children's spaghetti sauce. After I put the squash in the sauce, I used the same pan to saute some grape tomatoes. I didn't add any more oil. I added them to the spaghetti sauce and then poured the sauce over rotini pasta. I served it in bowls and sprinkled it with shredded mozzarella (very little--about 1 T.), and my kids ate it up! Yay for squash in the pasta!
I didn't have any of the pasta because the sauce had ground beef in it. But, just when I was feeling left out of the squash party, I decided to do some more experimenting to create a zucchini/squash juice soup. After all, today was a warm-cup-of-soup kind of day for me. I didn't sleep well last night, and I just wanted to stay in bed this morning...but, I decided to be a responsible grown up and go to work, anyway. Sooooo, here's my invention. It's going to sound weird, I'll admit, but I enjoyed it.
I juiced 2 golden zucchini, 2 Mediterranean squash, 3 stalks of celery, and one small granny smith apple. In a small pot, I used water to "saute" some minced garlic, green onions, a few thin slices of poblano pepper, and some ginger. I added the juice to the pot once it started smelling good and let it heat through. I also added a tiny bit of rosemary, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. When I poured it in a bowl, it looked like Kermit had bled out LOL...it was GREEN...like I-live-too-close-to-a-nuclear-power-plant-so-the-lake-behind-my-house-glows-in-the-dark GREEN!
Well, a little green...or a lot of green...never scared me off, so I wasn't going to back down from this soup. But, once I tasted it, something was missing. I had really wanted more heat in the dish, but it was kind of late to add more poblano pepper. So, I looked in the fridge and I saw a jar of salsa...That's right...salsa. You know, the kind you serve at a party with chips, LOL.
I think I've watched one too many Chopped episodes because I swear it was like working with a mystery ingredient! I was nervous and excited. I mixed in about two tablespoons, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I actually liked the combination of flavors...enough to do it again some other day.
Again, I don't have a picture of my creation :( but I am going to get this camera problem resolved as soon as possible.
OH! One last thing. I want to point out that the fact that I didn't know about these vegetables is one of reasons why I want to find a nutritionist or coach to help me. I want to be the kind of person that knows about these things...that knows when some veggies/fruits are in season...that knows how to cook foods that are in season.
I spoke to two health coaches today. They aren't nutritionists, but they both work with people who want to have a plant-based diet. They both charge about the same rate **sigh** and it's HIGH, but doable, I guess...and worth it, too, I think. I'm going for my free consults this week to choose one or the other...or to decide if I'm going to keep looking. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again for following my blog :)
For those of you who are in my same state of ignorance, here's what they look like. I had to look them up online to find out their names ;)
Golden zucchini
Green zucchini = courgette = Italian marrow squash (the only kind I knew about!)
globe squash = Ronde de Nice
Mediterranean Squash
Tonight, I decided that I'd do some experimenting...bua-ha-haaa
I peeled the globe squash and felt it up a bit, lol...I smelled it, too..., and I figured that it might do well sauteed. So, I diced it up (1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces), sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and sauteed it in some olive oil. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it. It had a mild, nutty flavor, and it didn't get mushy or slimy. I added it to my children's spaghetti sauce. After I put the squash in the sauce, I used the same pan to saute some grape tomatoes. I didn't add any more oil. I added them to the spaghetti sauce and then poured the sauce over rotini pasta. I served it in bowls and sprinkled it with shredded mozzarella (very little--about 1 T.), and my kids ate it up! Yay for squash in the pasta!
I didn't have any of the pasta because the sauce had ground beef in it. But, just when I was feeling left out of the squash party, I decided to do some more experimenting to create a zucchini/squash juice soup. After all, today was a warm-cup-of-soup kind of day for me. I didn't sleep well last night, and I just wanted to stay in bed this morning...but, I decided to be a responsible grown up and go to work, anyway. Sooooo, here's my invention. It's going to sound weird, I'll admit, but I enjoyed it.
I juiced 2 golden zucchini, 2 Mediterranean squash, 3 stalks of celery, and one small granny smith apple. In a small pot, I used water to "saute" some minced garlic, green onions, a few thin slices of poblano pepper, and some ginger. I added the juice to the pot once it started smelling good and let it heat through. I also added a tiny bit of rosemary, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. When I poured it in a bowl, it looked like Kermit had bled out LOL...it was GREEN...like I-live-too-close-to-a-nuclear-power-plant-so-the-lake-behind-my-house-glows-in-the-dark GREEN!
Well, a little green...or a lot of green...never scared me off, so I wasn't going to back down from this soup. But, once I tasted it, something was missing. I had really wanted more heat in the dish, but it was kind of late to add more poblano pepper. So, I looked in the fridge and I saw a jar of salsa...That's right...salsa. You know, the kind you serve at a party with chips, LOL.
I think I've watched one too many Chopped episodes because I swear it was like working with a mystery ingredient! I was nervous and excited. I mixed in about two tablespoons, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I actually liked the combination of flavors...enough to do it again some other day.
Again, I don't have a picture of my creation :( but I am going to get this camera problem resolved as soon as possible.
OH! One last thing. I want to point out that the fact that I didn't know about these vegetables is one of reasons why I want to find a nutritionist or coach to help me. I want to be the kind of person that knows about these things...that knows when some veggies/fruits are in season...that knows how to cook foods that are in season.
I spoke to two health coaches today. They aren't nutritionists, but they both work with people who want to have a plant-based diet. They both charge about the same rate **sigh** and it's HIGH, but doable, I guess...and worth it, too, I think. I'm going for my free consults this week to choose one or the other...or to decide if I'm going to keep looking. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again for following my blog :)
Monday, November 26, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 4 & Roasted Cauliflower
Today, was a hard day at work. After about 3 hours, I was ready to go home! Long holiday breaks make it difficult to work a full day. But, of course, 3 hour days are impossible...
Normally, when I get bored at work, I reach for junk. I know that sounds horrible, but unless you are a teacher or work at a school, you have absolutely no idea how much junk food is in a school.
Every teacher has candy or chocolate...kids bring cookies and cupcakes...the vending machines and I are on a first name basis...and, we have several fast food restaurants surrounding us--Subway, McDonalds, Little Ceasuers, Quiznos, Pollo Tropical, Wendys, Publix (I know it's a Supermarket, but the deli counts!), Panda Express, Burger King, Casavana, which by the way delivers! (in fact, they can be at our school in less than 15 minutes depending on what you order--that's including the time it takes to order the food and pay for it!)
There are countless others, so the food possibilities are endless at a school...and I haven't even talked about the food that the administrators get for teachers on special occasions, the potlucks, the PTSO sponsored meals, etc., etc... We even had a Thanksgiving meal potluck on Tuesday before Thanksgiving...and leftovers for the next day, of course. I remember overhearing some of the teachers saying that they wouldn't have room for their own family Thanksgiving meals!
It's all done with the best intentions. Teachers are people pleasers...or maybe we need that food high to get through the tougher parts of the day LOL. But, it's been my crutch way too long.
Sooo...today when I felt like caving in to the AP's request for Casavana orders, I simply said, "No, thank you," drank some water and walked away. When I got back to my office, I packed up to go to another school. Once I was in my car, I pulled out my thermos and drank my juice like it was the best thing ever, and I purposely reminded myself of how many times in the past I have ordered fast food and been sick afterward.
As I drove away from the school parking lot, I felt...accomplished. Silly how a simple choice can make one feel so empowered.
When I got home later on, I had a protein smoothie and my new favorite vegetable: CAULIFLOWER
Growing up, I never ever even tasted cauliflower. As a teenager, I tasted it at a Wendy's salad bar--yes, I'm dating myself--and I thought it was absolutely disgusting. So, I did what any teenager would do...I avoided it from then on.
Last year, when I started the reboot for the first time, I read about how great of a vegetable it is, so I actually tried to juice a cauliflower, LOL...boy was that a total bust! It sent tiny white crumbs all over the kitchen before I could push down on it, and the smell that came out of the juicer made me want to hurl. And, after all that mess and craziness, it didn't produce even one drop of juice.
This time, I decided to give it another go...but the motivating influence was an episode of the TV show Chopped, which I am completely addicted to. I saw an episode in which one of the chefs roasted the cauliflower, and the judges LOVED it. So, the next time I saw it at the farmers market, I decided that it would be worth the $2 to try it one more time.
It...was...the BEST THING EVER! And, it was sooooo easy!
Here's what I did:
Ingredients
1 cauliflower
5 cloves garlic
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut the cauliflower into 2 inch pieces (keep all of the itty bitty pieces in a small bowl)
3. Spread on a cookie sheet
4. Mince the garlic and sprinkle over the cauliflower
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Drizzle 1 T. olive oil over the cauliflower
7. Cook the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes until it starts caramelizing
8. Remember the bowl of itty bitties...season those with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Then, add them to the cookie sheet and mix them in with the bigger pieces. I got this idea from the internet, but I haven't been able to find the website again. It keeps the smaller pieces from burning.
9. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower looks a bit translucent but not completely wilted or burnt.
The cauliflower takes on this very nutty taste, and I would eat the entire head of it by myself if my kids weren't making me share it because they love it too!
You should definitely try it. I saw many recipes online that added lemon and parmesan cheese, but I just cooked them the same way that I would roast potatoes in the oven, since I knew I liked those flavors.
Let me know if you try the recipe and provide me with any feedback. Thanks!
BTW, I wanted to post a picture of the cauliflower, but I had to take the picture with my phone since my camera battery is dead. Now the picture is not cooperating with me--it's upside down and tiny, so I won't be able to post it for you :(
Normally, when I get bored at work, I reach for junk. I know that sounds horrible, but unless you are a teacher or work at a school, you have absolutely no idea how much junk food is in a school.
Every teacher has candy or chocolate...kids bring cookies and cupcakes...the vending machines and I are on a first name basis...and, we have several fast food restaurants surrounding us--Subway, McDonalds, Little Ceasuers, Quiznos, Pollo Tropical, Wendys, Publix (I know it's a Supermarket, but the deli counts!), Panda Express, Burger King, Casavana, which by the way delivers! (in fact, they can be at our school in less than 15 minutes depending on what you order--that's including the time it takes to order the food and pay for it!)
There are countless others, so the food possibilities are endless at a school...and I haven't even talked about the food that the administrators get for teachers on special occasions, the potlucks, the PTSO sponsored meals, etc., etc... We even had a Thanksgiving meal potluck on Tuesday before Thanksgiving...and leftovers for the next day, of course. I remember overhearing some of the teachers saying that they wouldn't have room for their own family Thanksgiving meals!
It's all done with the best intentions. Teachers are people pleasers...or maybe we need that food high to get through the tougher parts of the day LOL. But, it's been my crutch way too long.
Sooo...today when I felt like caving in to the AP's request for Casavana orders, I simply said, "No, thank you," drank some water and walked away. When I got back to my office, I packed up to go to another school. Once I was in my car, I pulled out my thermos and drank my juice like it was the best thing ever, and I purposely reminded myself of how many times in the past I have ordered fast food and been sick afterward.
As I drove away from the school parking lot, I felt...accomplished. Silly how a simple choice can make one feel so empowered.
When I got home later on, I had a protein smoothie and my new favorite vegetable: CAULIFLOWER
Growing up, I never ever even tasted cauliflower. As a teenager, I tasted it at a Wendy's salad bar--yes, I'm dating myself--and I thought it was absolutely disgusting. So, I did what any teenager would do...I avoided it from then on.
Last year, when I started the reboot for the first time, I read about how great of a vegetable it is, so I actually tried to juice a cauliflower, LOL...boy was that a total bust! It sent tiny white crumbs all over the kitchen before I could push down on it, and the smell that came out of the juicer made me want to hurl. And, after all that mess and craziness, it didn't produce even one drop of juice.
This time, I decided to give it another go...but the motivating influence was an episode of the TV show Chopped, which I am completely addicted to. I saw an episode in which one of the chefs roasted the cauliflower, and the judges LOVED it. So, the next time I saw it at the farmers market, I decided that it would be worth the $2 to try it one more time.
It...was...the BEST THING EVER! And, it was sooooo easy!
Here's what I did:
Ingredients
1 cauliflower
5 cloves garlic
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut the cauliflower into 2 inch pieces (keep all of the itty bitty pieces in a small bowl)
3. Spread on a cookie sheet
4. Mince the garlic and sprinkle over the cauliflower
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Drizzle 1 T. olive oil over the cauliflower
7. Cook the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes until it starts caramelizing
8. Remember the bowl of itty bitties...season those with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Then, add them to the cookie sheet and mix them in with the bigger pieces. I got this idea from the internet, but I haven't been able to find the website again. It keeps the smaller pieces from burning.
9. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower looks a bit translucent but not completely wilted or burnt.
The cauliflower takes on this very nutty taste, and I would eat the entire head of it by myself if my kids weren't making me share it because they love it too!
You should definitely try it. I saw many recipes online that added lemon and parmesan cheese, but I just cooked them the same way that I would roast potatoes in the oven, since I knew I liked those flavors.
Let me know if you try the recipe and provide me with any feedback. Thanks!
BTW, I wanted to post a picture of the cauliflower, but I had to take the picture with my phone since my camera battery is dead. Now the picture is not cooperating with me--it's upside down and tiny, so I won't be able to post it for you :(
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 3
Today was a great juicing day! I had green juice first thing in the morning, and I'm surprised to say that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. When I first started juicing last year, I got kind of sick of drinking greens, but I absolutely loved my juice this morning. My hubby liked it, too! The juice had:
1 bunch of kale
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
1 kiwi
2 small granny smith apples (normally, I'd use one, but these were tiny!)
2 pears
a handful of green grapes
1 lemon
a small nub of ginger
I put everything in the juicer except the lemon; it makes the juice too bitter. I just cut it in half and then squeezed the lemon juice into the pitcher. Everything went in unpeeled, but I did cut up the apples and pears to get the seeds out.
It was zingy! I'm not sure if that's really a word, but I like it!
My family came over today, for lunch...it's our Sunday tradition. We eat, and then the grown ups sit around talking after lunch until the kids get bored and sneak away to play in their rooms.
I decided ahead of time that I am not going to talk about the fact that I'm juicing again...not just to my parents, but to anyone. I know that sounds funny because I'm talking about it here, but most of the people around me don't understand why I would even want to do this. I made the mistake of telling everyone the first time, and most people just wanted to give unsolicited advice about why I shouldn't do it, or they would make that judgmental face that I can't stand...it's was so annoying.
I'm about to go on a Math rant, so bear with my math/vegetarian analogy.
I work with Math Curriculum development and implementation. In the past three years, I've been called a Math Coach, a Math Consultant, a Math Curriculum Specialist, and most recently, the Math Director for our company. None of those changes in title have changed what I actually do. In the end, what it boils down to is that I help teachers get better at teaching math, and I help low students with strategies that their teachers might not know.
The reason I tell you all of this is because in my line of work, I have to deal with a lot of stereotypes and negative attitudes towards math, and I've realized that I will have to continue facing stereotypes for being a vegetarian, as well.
I've had young girls tell me that they're not good at math because girls aren't good at math--to which I responded, "What am I?" I've had parents tell me that their kids aren't good at math because they were never good at math when they were kids--to which I responded, "No, you just had bad math teachers." I've had more than one teacher tell me that he/she is a "reading person" not a "math person," to which I've responded, "Aren't you a college graduate?"--not my most PC response ever...
Frankly, I am just sick and tired of how acceptable it has become in our society for people to say, "I'm not good at math." People would be embarrassed to admit that they can't read or write...but somewhere in time, it just became OK to be "bad" at math. It makes me just as angry as when people say, "I couldn't possible stop eating meat. Don't you miss it?" when I tell them I'm a vegetarian. It wouldn't be OK for me to ask them how they can possible stomach eating a carcass of rotting flesh that has been kept blood red with chemicals. That would be rude!
I am also SICK of the stereotypical math geek persona. If one more person asks me if I like the show, The Big Bang Theory, I just might sit on them. There's this kind of mystery or elusiveness surrounding "math people" that feels very similar to the treatment that vegetarians get.
People feel threatened...or intimidated maybe...I don't know...so they lash out with ugly judgement. I get the same look both when people find out that I'm a "math person" or when they find out that I'm a vegetarian. It's the same EXACT look...the I'm-not-sure-about-you look...or the you're-kind-of-weird-aren't-you look. Only once, have I met a stranger that thought it was fascinating that I was making this change. Sure enough, she had read the Engine 2 book and was interested in a plant-based diet, herself.
So, now that my rant is over, I can proceed with what I did about it today. As I said earlier, I didn't talk about juicing or being a vegetarian to my parents today. I simply had a large reboot-friendly salad and some garbanzo beans that I prepared, and passed on the chicken. When my mom asked me if I was going to have any, I just said, "No, thank you," and went about the business of enjoying my food. I didn't even have a conversation about it, and I didn't try to watch for her reaction either. I already know they don't like the idea of my being a vegetarian, so why torture myself?
I didn't have any of the chocolate cake either! That's another thing that I've noticed about juicing...it kind of makes all of the silly cravings go away, and it's easier for me to say, "No, thank you." I'm going to continue eating reboot-friendly foods on Sundays when my parents come over.
As far as work is concerned, I think I'm going to be going on a lot of lunch time errands for a while. I travel to so many school sites that it will be easy to drink my juice in the car when I'm going to another school site. Most of the time, I don't get to sit and eat with any one group of people on a regular basis anyway, so this won't be too much of a difference.
Alright, back to today...
Later in the day, I had a coconut water based protein smoothie. It's my favorite yummy treat.
1 cup coconut water
1 scoop protein powder
1 banana
8 drops chocolate stevia
2 T. ground flax seed (I've been adding ground flax seed to my smoothies to make sure things stay regular...gotta have that fiber!)
lots of ice
I also drank plenty of water today--12 cups. All in all, I'm very proud of my intake today :)
I don't normally get this negative, but I guess I've just been holding this all in, and it just bubbled over...I'll try to keep it on the lighter side tomorrow.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
1 bunch of kale
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
1 kiwi
2 small granny smith apples (normally, I'd use one, but these were tiny!)
2 pears
a handful of green grapes
1 lemon
a small nub of ginger
I put everything in the juicer except the lemon; it makes the juice too bitter. I just cut it in half and then squeezed the lemon juice into the pitcher. Everything went in unpeeled, but I did cut up the apples and pears to get the seeds out.
It was zingy! I'm not sure if that's really a word, but I like it!
My family came over today, for lunch...it's our Sunday tradition. We eat, and then the grown ups sit around talking after lunch until the kids get bored and sneak away to play in their rooms.
I decided ahead of time that I am not going to talk about the fact that I'm juicing again...not just to my parents, but to anyone. I know that sounds funny because I'm talking about it here, but most of the people around me don't understand why I would even want to do this. I made the mistake of telling everyone the first time, and most people just wanted to give unsolicited advice about why I shouldn't do it, or they would make that judgmental face that I can't stand...it's was so annoying.
I'm about to go on a Math rant, so bear with my math/vegetarian analogy.
I work with Math Curriculum development and implementation. In the past three years, I've been called a Math Coach, a Math Consultant, a Math Curriculum Specialist, and most recently, the Math Director for our company. None of those changes in title have changed what I actually do. In the end, what it boils down to is that I help teachers get better at teaching math, and I help low students with strategies that their teachers might not know.
The reason I tell you all of this is because in my line of work, I have to deal with a lot of stereotypes and negative attitudes towards math, and I've realized that I will have to continue facing stereotypes for being a vegetarian, as well.
I've had young girls tell me that they're not good at math because girls aren't good at math--to which I responded, "What am I?" I've had parents tell me that their kids aren't good at math because they were never good at math when they were kids--to which I responded, "No, you just had bad math teachers." I've had more than one teacher tell me that he/she is a "reading person" not a "math person," to which I've responded, "Aren't you a college graduate?"--not my most PC response ever...
Frankly, I am just sick and tired of how acceptable it has become in our society for people to say, "I'm not good at math." People would be embarrassed to admit that they can't read or write...but somewhere in time, it just became OK to be "bad" at math. It makes me just as angry as when people say, "I couldn't possible stop eating meat. Don't you miss it?" when I tell them I'm a vegetarian. It wouldn't be OK for me to ask them how they can possible stomach eating a carcass of rotting flesh that has been kept blood red with chemicals. That would be rude!
I am also SICK of the stereotypical math geek persona. If one more person asks me if I like the show, The Big Bang Theory, I just might sit on them. There's this kind of mystery or elusiveness surrounding "math people" that feels very similar to the treatment that vegetarians get.
People feel threatened...or intimidated maybe...I don't know...so they lash out with ugly judgement. I get the same look both when people find out that I'm a "math person" or when they find out that I'm a vegetarian. It's the same EXACT look...the I'm-not-sure-about-you look...or the you're-kind-of-weird-aren't-you look. Only once, have I met a stranger that thought it was fascinating that I was making this change. Sure enough, she had read the Engine 2 book and was interested in a plant-based diet, herself.
So, now that my rant is over, I can proceed with what I did about it today. As I said earlier, I didn't talk about juicing or being a vegetarian to my parents today. I simply had a large reboot-friendly salad and some garbanzo beans that I prepared, and passed on the chicken. When my mom asked me if I was going to have any, I just said, "No, thank you," and went about the business of enjoying my food. I didn't even have a conversation about it, and I didn't try to watch for her reaction either. I already know they don't like the idea of my being a vegetarian, so why torture myself?
I didn't have any of the chocolate cake either! That's another thing that I've noticed about juicing...it kind of makes all of the silly cravings go away, and it's easier for me to say, "No, thank you." I'm going to continue eating reboot-friendly foods on Sundays when my parents come over.
As far as work is concerned, I think I'm going to be going on a lot of lunch time errands for a while. I travel to so many school sites that it will be easy to drink my juice in the car when I'm going to another school site. Most of the time, I don't get to sit and eat with any one group of people on a regular basis anyway, so this won't be too much of a difference.
Alright, back to today...
Later in the day, I had a coconut water based protein smoothie. It's my favorite yummy treat.
1 cup coconut water
1 scoop protein powder
1 banana
8 drops chocolate stevia
2 T. ground flax seed (I've been adding ground flax seed to my smoothies to make sure things stay regular...gotta have that fiber!)
lots of ice
I also drank plenty of water today--12 cups. All in all, I'm very proud of my intake today :)
I don't normally get this negative, but I guess I've just been holding this all in, and it just bubbled over...I'll try to keep it on the lighter side tomorrow.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Reboot T2 Day 2
Today was a good day. I slept in, something I hardly ever get to do. I went to the Farmers Market with my son and stocked up on fruits and veggies, which was fun. Then, I cooked a great meal for my family, and watched TV for a bit. I even spent some time watching my son play his video game, and then I got to hang out with my daughter in her room. It doesn't sound like much, but it took up my whole day. I wish everyday was like this. I like the lack of structure that allows me the freedom to be in the moment and enjoy what I'm doing. Of course, returning to work after the Thanksgiving Holiday will be a quick reality check, but for today I want to relish in the fact that I spent my day in a fluid state of being rather than being controlled by the clock, or a schedule.
As far as my juice fast is going, I did feel a bit weak at one point today, but then I realized it was because I hadn't taken in enough calories. So, I made a very yummy juice with 1 small bunch of kale, 1 large beet, 1 cucumber, 1 zucchini, raspberries, blackberries, 2 very small apples, and l lemon. When I started drinking the juice it felt like someone injected me with energy! The best part was that even after I shared some of it with my hubby, I still had leftovers for myself for later.
I feel so great when I juice, that I hate calling this a fast. When I hear the word "fast," I think of Ghandi and his lemon water. What he did was so noble and for such a great cause. It also makes me think of people who fast for religious reasons. It's all so superior to my wanting to lose weight. It makes me feel like I'm cheating, because not only am I taking in a large amount of calories, but I'm also feeling great. I can't describe how happy it makes me.
Anyway...I went off on a tangent there! Back to business...
I think I may have actually found a plant-based nutritionist in my area. After a lot of searching online, I came across his website. I'm going to call his office on Monday and find out more. It's exciting, but I'm worried about how much each session costs, especially since he didn't have his rate posted on his website. His office isn't exactly around the corner, though, so I'm going to keep looking.
Wish me luck!
As far as my juice fast is going, I did feel a bit weak at one point today, but then I realized it was because I hadn't taken in enough calories. So, I made a very yummy juice with 1 small bunch of kale, 1 large beet, 1 cucumber, 1 zucchini, raspberries, blackberries, 2 very small apples, and l lemon. When I started drinking the juice it felt like someone injected me with energy! The best part was that even after I shared some of it with my hubby, I still had leftovers for myself for later.
I feel so great when I juice, that I hate calling this a fast. When I hear the word "fast," I think of Ghandi and his lemon water. What he did was so noble and for such a great cause. It also makes me think of people who fast for religious reasons. It's all so superior to my wanting to lose weight. It makes me feel like I'm cheating, because not only am I taking in a large amount of calories, but I'm also feeling great. I can't describe how happy it makes me.
Anyway...I went off on a tangent there! Back to business...
I think I may have actually found a plant-based nutritionist in my area. After a lot of searching online, I came across his website. I'm going to call his office on Monday and find out more. It's exciting, but I'm worried about how much each session costs, especially since he didn't have his rate posted on his website. His office isn't exactly around the corner, though, so I'm going to keep looking.
Wish me luck!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Reboot Take Two
Boy! It's been a while since I've been around here! I can't believe there have been so many views. Thank you!
Sadly, I fell of the veggie wagon. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it's been a downward spiral, and I have, once again, hit the proverbial "rock bottom"
I remember that my whole journey towards being a vegetarian started last Thanksgiving after I watched the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." I also remember how great I felt all the time and how the weight just seemed to come off so easily.
Somewhere along the line I got lazy, I got tired of explaining myself, I got tired of caring. Then, I started getting depressed about my weight, my health, my job, my life in general.
So...today, I decided to watch the movie again. Who knows, maybe I'll make it a yearly tradition to watch the movie the day after Thanksgiving...this time I took notes. I wrote down all of the things that made me want to this the first time around. I wrote them in my journal so that I can read them over and over again.
First, I loved when Joe Cross said, "When I started this journey, I thought it was all about the juice fast...but, now, I know it was only the beginning." I don't want this to sound like a commercial for the movie, but this statement made me think about my outlook on this change. I got so caught up in the excitement of the beginning phases that I didn't make the permanent life long changes that were necessary.
Second, I liked what Dr. Furhman said about diabetes and high blood pressure. He said that they are "diseases of nutritional ignorance" because people aren't eating wrong because they choose to even if they truly know the dangers; they eat wrong because they really don't know how bad it is for them. He used the warning on cigarettes as an example. People really do know that cigarettes kill, but I don't think we are taught how food can kill...there aren't any public service announcements about the dangers of food. I am going to look up Dr. Fuhrman and see if I can find myself a local nutritionist that supports a plant-based diet. Part of this life long change is going to have to include getting better educated, as well as the support of a professional.
Having said all that, the most impacting thing that I did today other than starting juicing again, was to take the dreaded before pictures. I have to say that I wouldn't necessarily call it a wake up call, as much as a slap in the face...a hard slap in the face...the kind that stings for a while.
I knew I had put the weight back on, I knew that I had been feeling horrible, I knew that my clothes stopped fitting and that buttons and seams were starting to break, I knew that I'd been getting sick more often....BUT, I did not know that I looked like THAT. It sounds so shallow, but **sigh**
It was...educational...and it gave me a knew appreciation for how much my husband loves me. I know love isn't all about the physical stuff, but...wow...
I'm so ashamed that I am not going to post those pictures...at least not until I have some nice AFTER pictures to go along with them.
I'm going to continue posting about my progress with juicing, and I'll continue posting once I start eating vegetarian meals again. Hopefully, by then I will have found a good nutritionist.
Thanks again to any one who has been reading :)
Sadly, I fell of the veggie wagon. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but it's been a downward spiral, and I have, once again, hit the proverbial "rock bottom"
I remember that my whole journey towards being a vegetarian started last Thanksgiving after I watched the movie "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." I also remember how great I felt all the time and how the weight just seemed to come off so easily.
Somewhere along the line I got lazy, I got tired of explaining myself, I got tired of caring. Then, I started getting depressed about my weight, my health, my job, my life in general.
So...today, I decided to watch the movie again. Who knows, maybe I'll make it a yearly tradition to watch the movie the day after Thanksgiving...this time I took notes. I wrote down all of the things that made me want to this the first time around. I wrote them in my journal so that I can read them over and over again.
First, I loved when Joe Cross said, "When I started this journey, I thought it was all about the juice fast...but, now, I know it was only the beginning." I don't want this to sound like a commercial for the movie, but this statement made me think about my outlook on this change. I got so caught up in the excitement of the beginning phases that I didn't make the permanent life long changes that were necessary.
Second, I liked what Dr. Furhman said about diabetes and high blood pressure. He said that they are "diseases of nutritional ignorance" because people aren't eating wrong because they choose to even if they truly know the dangers; they eat wrong because they really don't know how bad it is for them. He used the warning on cigarettes as an example. People really do know that cigarettes kill, but I don't think we are taught how food can kill...there aren't any public service announcements about the dangers of food. I am going to look up Dr. Fuhrman and see if I can find myself a local nutritionist that supports a plant-based diet. Part of this life long change is going to have to include getting better educated, as well as the support of a professional.
Having said all that, the most impacting thing that I did today other than starting juicing again, was to take the dreaded before pictures. I have to say that I wouldn't necessarily call it a wake up call, as much as a slap in the face...a hard slap in the face...the kind that stings for a while.
I knew I had put the weight back on, I knew that I had been feeling horrible, I knew that my clothes stopped fitting and that buttons and seams were starting to break, I knew that I'd been getting sick more often....BUT, I did not know that I looked like THAT. It sounds so shallow, but **sigh**
It was...educational...and it gave me a knew appreciation for how much my husband loves me. I know love isn't all about the physical stuff, but...wow...
I'm so ashamed that I am not going to post those pictures...at least not until I have some nice AFTER pictures to go along with them.
I'm going to continue posting about my progress with juicing, and I'll continue posting once I start eating vegetarian meals again. Hopefully, by then I will have found a good nutritionist.
Thanks again to any one who has been reading :)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Vegetarian Picadillo
Tonight, I didn't try any new recipes. Instead, I revamped a traditional Cuban dish that my family regularly eats. This meant that I had to cook double. One picadillo pan with ground beef for my husband and children, and one picadillo pan for myself using protein crumbles. It was soooo worth it.
I am very excited about the result. So, for any of you other Cubans out there who are now vegetarians, this tasted pretty close to the real thing without the greasiness or aftertaste of beef.
I didn't change anything from the traditional recipe other than that I used the protein crumbles instead of the beef. No...wait...that's not true. My kids accidentally threw out my green bell pepper last night because I left it on the counter, so I used red bell pepper instead for the sofrito. Other than that, it was all the same.
For those of you that may not know, sofrito is kind of like a starter. Many cuban dishes start out with this as the flavor base. Some people like to use a food processor to make it in bulk and freeze it, but I DO NOT think it tastes the same. I prefer to make it fresh every time I cook. Besides it only takes a few minutes to make, and it's not rocket science, after all.
So here's the recipe:
Sofrito Ingredients:
olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced (I used red because I didn't have green, but green is ideal)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Other ingredients:
1lb soy protein crumbles
1 packet Sazon Goya sin achiote (if you can't find this at your grocery store, it doesn't matter)
1/2 c. pimento stuffed green olives
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. white cooking wine
1/2 c. water
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
oregano, to taste
cumin, to taste
1. Make the sofrito first. I like to make this in a shallow pan so that everything cooks evenly and quickly. Normally, I would brown the meat first, but since the protein crumbles don't need to be browned, you can start with the sofrito. Saute the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers are soft. This will smell amazing! Every time I do this, my kids migrate to the kitchen asking when dinner will be ready.
Be careful not to burn the garlic. If this happens you have to start over because it will be bitter and nasty. Yuck! Make sure you have enough oil so that the garlic doesn't stick. My mom and grandma use a lot more olive oil than I do, but you really only need enough in the pan so that the garlic stays nice and pretty.
Add the tomato sauce and mix. Cook this on high heat until the tomato sauce is reduced and somewhat clumpy. Mix it a few times while it's cooking to make sure that it doesn't burn. You want to keep it in there until it looks like it's about to go all wrong. It will look much drier and thicker than when you started.
2. Add the protein crumbles to the pan and mix with the sofrito.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and mix well. It should have A LOT of liquid. If it doesn't, you can add more cooking wine or water. (The Sazon Goya packet isn't really necessary if your sofrito is good, but it's a little cheat for getting good flavor quickly. If you can't find it at your grocery store, don't worry about it.)
4. Bring to a boil, mix, then reduce the heat and simmer over low-medium heat for 20 minutes. The liquid will have reduced to a thicker sauce that coats the "meat"
5. Serve over rice. I used brown rice, but picadillo is traditionally served with white rice.
Being able to eat such a typical Cuban dish as a vegetarian was really great for me. I even ate it with a banana on my plate--a very Caribbean thing to do--, just like I used to when I was a kid. I love the sweet and salty flavors of the raisins and olives, and the tangy-ness of the tomato sauce. If you don't fancy raisins, just pick them out afterwards, but definitely don't omit them all together. It would change the flavors too much and the saltiness of the olives would dominate the dish.
I was so happy with my dish that I ate it all before realizing that I hadn't taken a picture...which is why, the picture above is of my leftovers container that I am totally taking to work for lunch tomorrow.
I only have one last thing to say about this recipe. I love that you only have to get one pan dirty. Well, two if you count the pot for the rice.
Enjoy!
Tofu Noodles and Diced Veggies
Last night, I had some fun with my food. A friend of mine recommended using tofu noodles in place of traditional pasta in order to eliminate eggs as an ingredient. She told me that I should make sure to rinse the noodles REALLY WELL. I have to say that I didn't appreciate her advice as much as I should have until I opened the bag of tofu noodles. It smelled very...briny/fishy. So, here's what I did... I ran those suckers under cold water in a strainer for at least 2 minutes until I could barely smell that briny smell. I let it sit in the strainer while I sauteed the veggies. I diced up whatever I had on hand. I don't think it matters what vegetables you use. In this instance, I used yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, green, red, and yellow bell peppers, garlic, jalapeno, and red onion. I find myself using these particular veggies in a lot of dishes, mostly because I like them.
Once I was happy with the veggies (about 5 minutes because I like them still a bit crunchy), I mixed in the noodles. The only seasoning that I added at this point were sea salt and black pepper. I also added fresh cilantro and fresh parsley, but these fresh herbs didn't go in until I put the noodles in. I didn't want them getting wilted and gross. The potatoes on the plate were seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley, drizzled with olive oil, and baked on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. I mixed the potatoes around once about half way through the half hour. My oldest son LOVED this noodle-veggie recipe.
As I look at this picture, I realize that this is the ugliest and most uncomfortable plate I own. The sides come up on two sides only where the pink flowers are, so if you're not careful food falls off the flat side. I hate it, but it's one of the most used plates in my house. I cut stuff on it, I serve food on it, I throw it in the sink, and I run it through the dishwasher...often.
Part of me is simply waiting for the day that it finally gives out and cracks so I can throw it away, but another part of me likes to hang on to it. It was one of the plates that my in-laws left behind when they retired and moved away...it's a little piece of them that they left here for us to hang on to. As a matter of fact, they left several little things here...and in a way it represents the love they left behind for us. Maybe I'll be nicer to the plate after all.
Once I was happy with the veggies (about 5 minutes because I like them still a bit crunchy), I mixed in the noodles. The only seasoning that I added at this point were sea salt and black pepper. I also added fresh cilantro and fresh parsley, but these fresh herbs didn't go in until I put the noodles in. I didn't want them getting wilted and gross. The potatoes on the plate were seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley, drizzled with olive oil, and baked on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. I mixed the potatoes around once about half way through the half hour. My oldest son LOVED this noodle-veggie recipe.
As I look at this picture, I realize that this is the ugliest and most uncomfortable plate I own. The sides come up on two sides only where the pink flowers are, so if you're not careful food falls off the flat side. I hate it, but it's one of the most used plates in my house. I cut stuff on it, I serve food on it, I throw it in the sink, and I run it through the dishwasher...often.
Part of me is simply waiting for the day that it finally gives out and cracks so I can throw it away, but another part of me likes to hang on to it. It was one of the plates that my in-laws left behind when they retired and moved away...it's a little piece of them that they left here for us to hang on to. As a matter of fact, they left several little things here...and in a way it represents the love they left behind for us. Maybe I'll be nicer to the plate after all.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Quick Kasba Curry Soup
This is the first time I've ever made this soup. I got the recipe from The McDougal Quick & Easy Cookbook.
Ingredients:
1/3 c. water
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups cooked brown rice
1-2 t. curry powder
1. Place the water, onion, and celery in a saucepan.Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes longer.\
I made this dish, as is, at first, but I wasn't satisfied with the blandness of it. I used 2 teaspoons of the curry powder, but I think it could have used more curry. I didn't want to make too many changes because I wanted that curry flavor to come through, but I wasn't happy with the flavor after the 30 minutes, so I added a few more ingredients right before serving: sea salt, black pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin (all, to taste). I know the cilantro and lime juice changed the flavor profile of the soup so that I didn't end up with what the recipe originally intended. However, I enjoyed it, nonetheless.
When I saw this recipe, I thought it was the perfect way to use the leftover rice I had in the refrigerator from last night. Luckily, I had just enough rice for the recipe.
My family was having BBQ pork ribs tonight, so I gave them the soup--more like wet rice--as their side dish. I used a slotted spoon to serve them so that they hardly had any liquid.
I used a ladle to serve myself more of the broth with the rice in a bowl as a soup. I'm used to eating more bulk for dinner, so I missed having the crunch of more vegetables. However, in the future, I think I would use this as a lunch meal, or in conjunction with another vegetable dish, for dinner.
Tonight, I had mixed reviews on this recipe from my family. My husband loved it, and he even had seconds. My older son and daughter ate it all, but didn't say anything. This usually means they're not crazy about the meal but are able to deal with the new flavors. My youngest son, on the other hand, complained about having to try yet another new vegetarian dish. He said, and I quote, "I hate it. It's terrible." I told him he had to have at least three bites and that we could talk about it afterward. After he had his three bites, he tried to explain what it was that he didn't like.
He said that it had too many spices. The thing is, he's never had curry before, so I explained to him that this dish didn't actually have many spices, but rather one new spice that he is not used to. I don't think he'll love it the next time I make it, but I'm sure he'll get used to the new flavors little by little.
As I talked to my son about all of this, it made me reflect on the rest of the people in my life and on how their attitudes towards my meals have changed. It's nice to see that my parents aren't weirded out by my meals anymore. Well, at the very least, they don't show it as much.
I've also noticed the difference at work. In the beginning, my coworkers found it somewhat annoying. I remember being asked questions, such as, "You're still not eating meat????" or "Don't you want to eat something really good???" Then, I'd have to explain, that my food WAS really good. I started bringing extra to share, and sometimes they'd try it...other times, they'd look at me like I was asking them to eat bugs. Anyway, bit by bit, these types of questions died down, and now, they don't even notice. I'm glad to see that it's just a part of me that they acknowledge now, the status quo, as opposed to an eccentricity that they used to struggle with.
1/3 c. water
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups cooked brown rice
1-2 t. curry powder
1. Place the water, onion, and celery in a saucepan.Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes longer.\
I made this dish, as is, at first, but I wasn't satisfied with the blandness of it. I used 2 teaspoons of the curry powder, but I think it could have used more curry. I didn't want to make too many changes because I wanted that curry flavor to come through, but I wasn't happy with the flavor after the 30 minutes, so I added a few more ingredients right before serving: sea salt, black pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin (all, to taste). I know the cilantro and lime juice changed the flavor profile of the soup so that I didn't end up with what the recipe originally intended. However, I enjoyed it, nonetheless.
When I saw this recipe, I thought it was the perfect way to use the leftover rice I had in the refrigerator from last night. Luckily, I had just enough rice for the recipe.
My family was having BBQ pork ribs tonight, so I gave them the soup--more like wet rice--as their side dish. I used a slotted spoon to serve them so that they hardly had any liquid.
I used a ladle to serve myself more of the broth with the rice in a bowl as a soup. I'm used to eating more bulk for dinner, so I missed having the crunch of more vegetables. However, in the future, I think I would use this as a lunch meal, or in conjunction with another vegetable dish, for dinner.
Tonight, I had mixed reviews on this recipe from my family. My husband loved it, and he even had seconds. My older son and daughter ate it all, but didn't say anything. This usually means they're not crazy about the meal but are able to deal with the new flavors. My youngest son, on the other hand, complained about having to try yet another new vegetarian dish. He said, and I quote, "I hate it. It's terrible." I told him he had to have at least three bites and that we could talk about it afterward. After he had his three bites, he tried to explain what it was that he didn't like.
He said that it had too many spices. The thing is, he's never had curry before, so I explained to him that this dish didn't actually have many spices, but rather one new spice that he is not used to. I don't think he'll love it the next time I make it, but I'm sure he'll get used to the new flavors little by little.
As I talked to my son about all of this, it made me reflect on the rest of the people in my life and on how their attitudes towards my meals have changed. It's nice to see that my parents aren't weirded out by my meals anymore. Well, at the very least, they don't show it as much.
I've also noticed the difference at work. In the beginning, my coworkers found it somewhat annoying. I remember being asked questions, such as, "You're still not eating meat????" or "Don't you want to eat something really good???" Then, I'd have to explain, that my food WAS really good. I started bringing extra to share, and sometimes they'd try it...other times, they'd look at me like I was asking them to eat bugs. Anyway, bit by bit, these types of questions died down, and now, they don't even notice. I'm glad to see that it's just a part of me that they acknowledge now, the status quo, as opposed to an eccentricity that they used to struggle with.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow...It's Always Tomorrow
I haven't posted about recipes in a while because...well let's face it...aside from being overwhelmed with work, I've also been lazy. Working at a school, especially at the end of the school year, is exhausting physically, emotionally, and psychologically. When I get home sometime between five and six in the evening, I continue working--cooking, cleaning, checking homework. By the time I serve myself my dinner, I'm so happy to eat that going back upstairs to get my camera doesn't seem that urgent. When I'm halfway through my plate, and feeling better, I remember the camera again... but at that point, it wouldn't be a pretty picture of the food on the plate anymore. So, I tell myself that I'll make sure to take a picture of my plate tomorrow.
Today, I'm going to take a picture of WHATEVER I eat for dinner, regardless of whether it's exciting or not!
Today, I'm going to take a picture of WHATEVER I eat for dinner, regardless of whether it's exciting or not!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Fishy Experience
Tonight, I had meat for the first time since I made the decision to become a vegetarian, 6 months ago. I originally decided to become a vegetarian for health reasons. I wanted to become a healthier person. But, at that time, I told myself that being a vegetarian was going to be an active, conscious choice, and that I would eat meat sparingly, if I chose to do so. By sparingly, I thought I might have some kind of meat a few times a year, if that. I guess I just wanted to keep my options open.
Well, tonight, I decided to exercise that option. I had a 3 oz. filet of grouper, what used to be my favorite fish, with a salad. It was horrible, and I feel like crying. I felt like throwing up the whole time--all three bites of it.
I guess the memory of the taste is what I had been looking forward to the most, but the flavor and texture of the fish in my mouth was actually disgusting--something I didn't expect. It wasn't like I remember fish feeling in my mouth. And, even under all of the seasoning, it tasted...like it was rotting. I'm not trying to sound dramatic. In fact, I'm kind of embarrassed to be saying any of this.
I don't think it is going to be possible for me to enjoy any meat from now on if this is how it will feel every time I eat it. If anyone else has ever had this type of experience. I'd love to hear about it.
Well, tonight, I decided to exercise that option. I had a 3 oz. filet of grouper, what used to be my favorite fish, with a salad. It was horrible, and I feel like crying. I felt like throwing up the whole time--all three bites of it.
I guess the memory of the taste is what I had been looking forward to the most, but the flavor and texture of the fish in my mouth was actually disgusting--something I didn't expect. It wasn't like I remember fish feeling in my mouth. And, even under all of the seasoning, it tasted...like it was rotting. I'm not trying to sound dramatic. In fact, I'm kind of embarrassed to be saying any of this.
I don't think it is going to be possible for me to enjoy any meat from now on if this is how it will feel every time I eat it. If anyone else has ever had this type of experience. I'd love to hear about it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Savory Risotto
Today's recipe also came from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook. I am actually quite happy with the results. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients
1/2 c. water (I used a 1 T. olive oil)
1 onion, chopped (I only had green onions, so I used about half a bunch)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped (I used two Roma tomatoes because they were small)
1 t. minced fresh garlic (I used 4 garlic cloves)
1 t. crushed sage
1/4 t. thyme leaves
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I only used 32 oz--again it's all I had in the pantry)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
finely chopped cilantro, to taste
1. Place water in a medium saucepan. (I heated the olive oil).
2. Add the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, sage, and thyme.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two.
5. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth to boiling in the microwave. (I forgot this part...oops)
6. Add the broth to the rice mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes
7. Stir in the beans and heat through.
8. Add the pepper and sprinkle with the cilantro before serving. (I mixed in the cilantro because I like the flavor it lets out)
I'm really happy with the flavors in this dish, and I'm actually using it as a side dish for my family. It's got a lot of veggies hidden in it for them. I've been introducing more and more dishes to my family that are full of vegetables. At first, they were resistant, but I can actually see that their palates have grown up a little.
Just a little while ago, I had a wonderful mommy moment. My son came downstairs and said, "What smells so good, mama?" When he looked in the pot and saw the risotto, I was afraid that he would complain about the vegetables. Then, he said, "Ooh...mushrooms...I love mushrooms!" If anyone would have told me a year ago that I would hear my finicky 13 year old utter these words, I would have laughed in their face.
I'm grateful for this experience on so many levels...improving my own health, of course is a great benefit, but improving the health of my children is an even better benefit. I have three kids. None of them has ever been fat like I was as a kid. But, over the past few years, I've watched them develop horrible eating habits. Fast food, junky snacks, eating late, etc...I knew I was part of the problem simply because I was sitting back as an observer. Now, I am making good choices for my family not just easy choices. And, when I really think about it, I'm also happy that I'm being a good role model for them, so that when they have their own families, they will make healthy eating a priority. I also love that they are becoming more open-minded and willing to try new things, and that they are learning about flavors and how to develop them...the list goes on and on :)
Here's a pic of the risotto. It was true to its name...savory. Hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients
1/2 c. water (I used a 1 T. olive oil)
1 onion, chopped (I only had green onions, so I used about half a bunch)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped (I used two Roma tomatoes because they were small)
1 t. minced fresh garlic (I used 4 garlic cloves)
1 t. crushed sage
1/4 t. thyme leaves
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I only used 32 oz--again it's all I had in the pantry)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
finely chopped cilantro, to taste
1. Place water in a medium saucepan. (I heated the olive oil).
2. Add the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, sage, and thyme.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for a minute or two.
5. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth to boiling in the microwave. (I forgot this part...oops)
6. Add the broth to the rice mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes
7. Stir in the beans and heat through.
8. Add the pepper and sprinkle with the cilantro before serving. (I mixed in the cilantro because I like the flavor it lets out)
I'm really happy with the flavors in this dish, and I'm actually using it as a side dish for my family. It's got a lot of veggies hidden in it for them. I've been introducing more and more dishes to my family that are full of vegetables. At first, they were resistant, but I can actually see that their palates have grown up a little.
Just a little while ago, I had a wonderful mommy moment. My son came downstairs and said, "What smells so good, mama?" When he looked in the pot and saw the risotto, I was afraid that he would complain about the vegetables. Then, he said, "Ooh...mushrooms...I love mushrooms!" If anyone would have told me a year ago that I would hear my finicky 13 year old utter these words, I would have laughed in their face.
I'm grateful for this experience on so many levels...improving my own health, of course is a great benefit, but improving the health of my children is an even better benefit. I have three kids. None of them has ever been fat like I was as a kid. But, over the past few years, I've watched them develop horrible eating habits. Fast food, junky snacks, eating late, etc...I knew I was part of the problem simply because I was sitting back as an observer. Now, I am making good choices for my family not just easy choices. And, when I really think about it, I'm also happy that I'm being a good role model for them, so that when they have their own families, they will make healthy eating a priority. I also love that they are becoming more open-minded and willing to try new things, and that they are learning about flavors and how to develop them...the list goes on and on :)
Here's a pic of the risotto. It was true to its name...savory. Hope you enjoy it.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Black Bean Sloppy Joes
I made these last night and had the leftovers for lunch today. It tasted better today than it did yesterday. Then again, it could just be that my taste buds got used to the new set of flavors that I hadn't tasted before.
The recipe is from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. Here is the recipe as it is listed in the book, with my additions in parentheses
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped (I used red onion because it's all I had)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 water (I used s little olive oil, too)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (I used quick steel cut oats)
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 T. prepared mustard
1 t. honey
1 t. chili powder
6 whole wheat buns (I used slider buns...they're cuter)
(I added salt, pepper, and tabasco)
1. Place the onion and bell pepper in a saucepan with the water (and oil, in my case). Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mash the beans with a bean or potato masher--do not use a food processor.
3. Add the beans and remaining ingredients except the buns. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.
4. Serve on the buns with your choice of accompaniments, such as onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, mustard, and ketchup.
At first, I didn't like the sweetness of the original recipe, which is why I added the salt and pepper. I also used lettuce and grape tomatoes. But, once I bit into the first one, I realized that it was still missing something. So, I put some tabasco right onto the actual beans in the sandwhich, and viola! it was GOOD...well...it was better, LOL.
When I had the leftovers today, I also used the tabasco, but I noticed that the flavors had had more time to marry, and I enjoyed the sloppy joes a lot more.
I am definitely going to try this recipe again with a little more tweaking.
Here are a few pics:
The recipe is from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. Here is the recipe as it is listed in the book, with my additions in parentheses
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped (I used red onion because it's all I had)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 water (I used s little olive oil, too)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (I used quick steel cut oats)
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 T. prepared mustard
1 t. honey
1 t. chili powder
6 whole wheat buns (I used slider buns...they're cuter)
(I added salt, pepper, and tabasco)
1. Place the onion and bell pepper in a saucepan with the water (and oil, in my case). Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mash the beans with a bean or potato masher--do not use a food processor.
3. Add the beans and remaining ingredients except the buns. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.
4. Serve on the buns with your choice of accompaniments, such as onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, mustard, and ketchup.
At first, I didn't like the sweetness of the original recipe, which is why I added the salt and pepper. I also used lettuce and grape tomatoes. But, once I bit into the first one, I realized that it was still missing something. So, I put some tabasco right onto the actual beans in the sandwhich, and viola! it was GOOD...well...it was better, LOL.
When I had the leftovers today, I also used the tabasco, but I noticed that the flavors had had more time to marry, and I enjoyed the sloppy joes a lot more.
I am definitely going to try this recipe again with a little more tweaking.
Here are a few pics:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Polenta with Italian Bean Sauce
I'm trying a new recipe today! Yay!
I got this recipe from The McDougal Quick & Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or Less
Phew! That was a mouthful!
I can see today is an exclamation point kind of day...I've already used four of them!...make it five, LOL.
This is the first time that I write a post as I'm cooking...mostly because I'm sitting here waiting for the polenta to cool so I can cut it into disks.
Before I continue, here's the recipe from the McDougal book, with my adjustments
Ingredients
1 24-ouce package precooked polenta (I made my own)
1/3 cup water (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ouce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can Italian style stewed tomatoes (I cut up and seasoned my own tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans (I used fresh green beans)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Slice the polenta into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the water, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes
4. Add the garbanzo beans, white beans, and tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Ass the green beans and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over the polenta
As I looked through the recipe, I noticed that it called for packaged, precooked polenta. BUT, since I've never made polenta before, I decided that I would make it from scratch. It just didn't seem right to use the prepackaged kind for my first time, you know??
I found a recipe for basic polenta, which seemed easy enough. It called for 1 cup corn meal and 3 cups water. I let it simmer it could support a spoon, just like the recommendations said. Then, I spread it on a wooden board to cool. I tasted it and it seems pretty bland. I was surprised that nothing else goes into the polenta. For the McDougal recipe, I'm supposed to bake the polenta and then top it with the bean mixture, so I'm hoping that the other flavors will compliment it.
OK, so I just finished baking the polenta, and...yuck...way too bland. I put some shredded mozzarella and provolone on it and melted it. It helped, but I would definitely season it next time.
Next time I make polenta, I'll look for a more complex recipe.
I had one more problem with this recipe. The bean mixture didn't taste good to me. I used to making Cuban beans with A LOT of flavor. This recipe didn't have any depth. I ended up adding extra garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley. It helped a bit, but in the future I will cook the beans from scratch.
The taste was alright after my additions, but I'll have to try this recipe a few more times and tweak it until I'm happy.
**sigh**so much for 15 minute recipes**sigh**
Here's a picture of my not-so-successful, 15-minute recipe, that actually took 45 minutes.
I got this recipe from The McDougal Quick & Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or Less
Phew! That was a mouthful!
I can see today is an exclamation point kind of day...I've already used four of them!...make it five, LOL.
This is the first time that I write a post as I'm cooking...mostly because I'm sitting here waiting for the polenta to cool so I can cut it into disks.
Before I continue, here's the recipe from the McDougal book, with my adjustments
Ingredients
1 24-ouce package precooked polenta (I made my own)
1/3 cup water (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ouce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can Italian style stewed tomatoes (I cut up and seasoned my own tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans (I used fresh green beans)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Slice the polenta into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the water, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes
4. Add the garbanzo beans, white beans, and tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Ass the green beans and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over the polenta
As I looked through the recipe, I noticed that it called for packaged, precooked polenta. BUT, since I've never made polenta before, I decided that I would make it from scratch. It just didn't seem right to use the prepackaged kind for my first time, you know??
I found a recipe for basic polenta, which seemed easy enough. It called for 1 cup corn meal and 3 cups water. I let it simmer it could support a spoon, just like the recommendations said. Then, I spread it on a wooden board to cool. I tasted it and it seems pretty bland. I was surprised that nothing else goes into the polenta. For the McDougal recipe, I'm supposed to bake the polenta and then top it with the bean mixture, so I'm hoping that the other flavors will compliment it.
OK, so I just finished baking the polenta, and...yuck...way too bland. I put some shredded mozzarella and provolone on it and melted it. It helped, but I would definitely season it next time.
Next time I make polenta, I'll look for a more complex recipe.
I had one more problem with this recipe. The bean mixture didn't taste good to me. I used to making Cuban beans with A LOT of flavor. This recipe didn't have any depth. I ended up adding extra garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley. It helped a bit, but in the future I will cook the beans from scratch.
The taste was alright after my additions, but I'll have to try this recipe a few more times and tweak it until I'm happy.
**sigh**so much for 15 minute recipes**sigh**
Here's a picture of my not-so-successful, 15-minute recipe, that actually took 45 minutes.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Warm Pasta Salad
OK, this warm pasta salad came about after my visit to the Redlands Farmers' Market. I was so excited to have all of these vegetables, that I decided to use them ALL AT ONCE.
Here's what I used:
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 green onions, chopped
cilantro, finely chopped
4 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 baby graffiti eggplant, salted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 sweet yellow pepper, diced
2 sweet orange peppers, diced
4 large white mushrooms, finely chopped
handful grape tomatoes, halved
handful ruby potatoes, quartered
the juice of one lemon
apple cider vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper
parsley
1/2 pound acini di pepe pasta
extra virgin olive oil
I cut up all of the vegetables first and mixed them together in a large bowl. I mixed in the lemon juice and some apple cider vinegar. Unfortunately I didn't measure the vinegar, but a little goes a long way, so be conservative and taste the vegetables as you go along. Originally, I had only wanted to use the lemon juice, but it didn't have enough acidity. The apple cider vinegar was a happy solution because I only had one lemon. It really worked!
I cooked the pasta following the directions on the package. I love that it only takes 5-6 minutes to cook this tiny pasta. I drained the pasta and poured some olive oil and mixed it in so that it wouldn't stick. One quick tip: Definitely use a large strainer. The pasta is so tiny it slips through the holes in a colander.
I added olive oil to a large saute pan and waited until it was nice and hot. I added the vegetables, mixing to coat with the olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and parsley to taste and mix gently, being careful not to hurt the veggies. Once the vegetables were glistening, but still bright ( about 5 minutes), I folded in the pasta and continued cooking on high heat for another 3-5 minutes. I had to add a little more oil at this point so that the pasta wouldn't stick to the pan.
I turned off the heat and left the pan covered for ten minutes. I checked it a few times until I felt that the eggplant and potatoes were cooked through.
I placed a picture of this dish on my last post, but here it is again.
I really enjoyed this dish. If you try it or make your own variation, please share your experience. I'd love to hear about it.
Here's what I used:
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 green onions, chopped
cilantro, finely chopped
4 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 baby graffiti eggplant, salted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 sweet yellow pepper, diced
2 sweet orange peppers, diced
4 large white mushrooms, finely chopped
handful grape tomatoes, halved
handful ruby potatoes, quartered
the juice of one lemon
apple cider vinegar
salt
freshly ground black pepper
parsley
1/2 pound acini di pepe pasta
extra virgin olive oil
I cut up all of the vegetables first and mixed them together in a large bowl. I mixed in the lemon juice and some apple cider vinegar. Unfortunately I didn't measure the vinegar, but a little goes a long way, so be conservative and taste the vegetables as you go along. Originally, I had only wanted to use the lemon juice, but it didn't have enough acidity. The apple cider vinegar was a happy solution because I only had one lemon. It really worked!
I cooked the pasta following the directions on the package. I love that it only takes 5-6 minutes to cook this tiny pasta. I drained the pasta and poured some olive oil and mixed it in so that it wouldn't stick. One quick tip: Definitely use a large strainer. The pasta is so tiny it slips through the holes in a colander.
I added olive oil to a large saute pan and waited until it was nice and hot. I added the vegetables, mixing to coat with the olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and parsley to taste and mix gently, being careful not to hurt the veggies. Once the vegetables were glistening, but still bright ( about 5 minutes), I folded in the pasta and continued cooking on high heat for another 3-5 minutes. I had to add a little more oil at this point so that the pasta wouldn't stick to the pan.
I turned off the heat and left the pan covered for ten minutes. I checked it a few times until I felt that the eggplant and potatoes were cooked through.
I placed a picture of this dish on my last post, but here it is again.
I really enjoyed this dish. If you try it or make your own variation, please share your experience. I'd love to hear about it.
Farmers' Market Take Two
My first experience with the Glasier Farms farmers' market was a bit unnerving, and I had been avoiding going back for the last few weeks, because I didn't want to feel awkward while buying produce. Don't get me wrong...the quality of the produce was magnificent, the prepared foods were amazing, and they guarantee that all their produce is organic. I just didn't feel the warm and fuzzies while I was there, that's all.
Then I learned about the Redlands Farmers' Market from the ladies I met at Winn Dixie, so I went to check it out last Saturday, and I am so happy that I did.
First, this felt more like a true farmers' market than the one I visited in Coconut Grove. There were several vendors there, so as I looked across the whole area I could see repeats of the same produce. Some stands had more produce than others. I heard vendors calling out their prices, trying to get customers to come over, and I could hear people haggling over prices--not that I'm adventurous enough to do that.
I walked through the whole thing and decided on the one vendor whose produce looked good and had the best prices. I filled an entire box with produce, and it only cost me $20. I was even able to find fresh rosemary, thyme, and many other fresh herbs, for $1/bunch. My son carried the box for me, thank goodness.
As we were leaving, I saw another vendor's stand with beautiful graffiti eggplant. I was picking out several baby graffiti eggplant, when I saw the red bell peppers. My eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. Normally, I am only able to buy one red bell pepper a week when I go to the grocery store, because they are just so expensive. But, these were only .75 a piece and they were as big as my hand! I grabbed four of them, plus 5 baby eggplant, and a bunch of asparagus, all for $5.
I walked away in complete bliss, and I spent the whole week using the produce with a smile on my face.
In retrospect, I am aware that the produce I purchased was most likely not organic. I recall washing the vegetables more than I usually do. I guess my subconscious was ahead of me on the whole non-organic thing.
I think the reason I felt more comfortable at this farmers' market is that I was more invisible. I tend to find a certain level of comfort in anonymity. Before anyone mentions it, I do realize how hypocritical it is to put myself out there on the internet by blogging, and yet cherish being invisible.
Anyway, the place was packed with customers shuffling around each other, and everyone seemed to be in their own little world. As I walked by people, I could here little tidbits of their conversations. I love people watching. It's like Discovery Channel Live, but not as dangerous.
There was one couple that I found amusing. The husband was doing his best to be patient about "shopping" and the wife kept oohing and aahing about the produce, mentioning how much cheaper everything was than at Whole Foods. He really wanted to go home, LOL.
There was a pair of elderly ladies that were checking EVERY single piece of produce before putting it in their baskets. It was neat to watch. They were so meticulous, but not in a crazy way. They were really in the moment, you know...enjoying the whole process.
Last, but not least, I enjoyed watching other people who were in my situation. Newbies who were trying to figure it all out, without any real direction. It was an easy fit for me. I kind of just fell into the groove of it all, and I noticed that it was pretty easy for everyone else, too.
I am definitely going back when I run out of produce.
Here's a picture of one of the dishes I made this week. It has EVERY vegetable that I had in it, and it was delicious! I'll post separately about it since this post is getting so long.
Then I learned about the Redlands Farmers' Market from the ladies I met at Winn Dixie, so I went to check it out last Saturday, and I am so happy that I did.
First, this felt more like a true farmers' market than the one I visited in Coconut Grove. There were several vendors there, so as I looked across the whole area I could see repeats of the same produce. Some stands had more produce than others. I heard vendors calling out their prices, trying to get customers to come over, and I could hear people haggling over prices--not that I'm adventurous enough to do that.
I walked through the whole thing and decided on the one vendor whose produce looked good and had the best prices. I filled an entire box with produce, and it only cost me $20. I was even able to find fresh rosemary, thyme, and many other fresh herbs, for $1/bunch. My son carried the box for me, thank goodness.
As we were leaving, I saw another vendor's stand with beautiful graffiti eggplant. I was picking out several baby graffiti eggplant, when I saw the red bell peppers. My eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. Normally, I am only able to buy one red bell pepper a week when I go to the grocery store, because they are just so expensive. But, these were only .75 a piece and they were as big as my hand! I grabbed four of them, plus 5 baby eggplant, and a bunch of asparagus, all for $5.
I walked away in complete bliss, and I spent the whole week using the produce with a smile on my face.
In retrospect, I am aware that the produce I purchased was most likely not organic. I recall washing the vegetables more than I usually do. I guess my subconscious was ahead of me on the whole non-organic thing.
I think the reason I felt more comfortable at this farmers' market is that I was more invisible. I tend to find a certain level of comfort in anonymity. Before anyone mentions it, I do realize how hypocritical it is to put myself out there on the internet by blogging, and yet cherish being invisible.
Anyway, the place was packed with customers shuffling around each other, and everyone seemed to be in their own little world. As I walked by people, I could here little tidbits of their conversations. I love people watching. It's like Discovery Channel Live, but not as dangerous.
There was one couple that I found amusing. The husband was doing his best to be patient about "shopping" and the wife kept oohing and aahing about the produce, mentioning how much cheaper everything was than at Whole Foods. He really wanted to go home, LOL.
There was a pair of elderly ladies that were checking EVERY single piece of produce before putting it in their baskets. It was neat to watch. They were so meticulous, but not in a crazy way. They were really in the moment, you know...enjoying the whole process.
Last, but not least, I enjoyed watching other people who were in my situation. Newbies who were trying to figure it all out, without any real direction. It was an easy fit for me. I kind of just fell into the groove of it all, and I noticed that it was pretty easy for everyone else, too.
I am definitely going back when I run out of produce.
Here's a picture of one of the dishes I made this week. It has EVERY vegetable that I had in it, and it was delicious! I'll post separately about it since this post is getting so long.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Tofu-Stuffed Manicotti
Today's post was originally going to be called Winn-Dixie and Chance Encounters, because I had the good fortune of meeting three like-minded young ladies at Winn-Dixie while I was in the produce section. As we talked about vegetables, juice, and farmer's market locations, my husband reminded me about my blog and the fact that I have abandoned it lately. I changed the name because I figured anyone looking for a manicotti recipe wouldn't be able to find it unless I used the actual word in the name.
I have been trying new recipes, and I have taken pictures of a few of the recipes. But...somehow...I never made it on here to post them.
So, here I go again, with renewed motivation to post new recipes, with pictures, more regularly.
Today, I made stuffed manicotti. Instead of using ricotta cheese, I used silken tofu for the stuffing. I altered the recipe on the box of pasta to make it work. Here are the ingredients that I used.
1 box Manicotti
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced (the originally recipe only called for one clove, but I like garlic)
6 oz. fresh spinach (I actually used a spinach arugula mix, which was quite tasty)
16 oz silken tofu
dried basil, to taste
1 t. sea salt
1 jar marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook the manicotti for 7 minutes. Drain and cool on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil so that it won't stick.
3. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach. Continue cooking 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk the tofu to loosen it up, add basil and salt. Stir in mushroom mixture. Add shredded mozzarella. (Unfortunately, I didn't plan on using any cheese so I didn't measure it. I had originally planned to make this a vegan dish, but I couldn't resist the temptation to add the mozzarella)
5. Spread the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Fill the manicotti shells with the mushroom mixture and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over filled shells.
6. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
This recipe was delicious! But, it did have a few problems that I would like to fix the next time.
1. First, one jar of marinara was not enough. When the shells were done baking, most of the marinara had cooked away. This left the shells dry around the edges. I would have liked for the shells to be able to swim in the sauce.
2. Also, I would have liked to have fresh basil. Unfortunately, I only had dried. It tasted OK, but fresh basil would have been better.
3. Finally, I would have liked each shell to be more "stuffed" so next time I will use less shells so that I can fill each shell more. As you can see in the picture, the shells flattened out because they didn't have enough stuff inside them.
Almost everyone in my family liked this dish. I will definitely make it again, with the changes. Enjoy!
I have been trying new recipes, and I have taken pictures of a few of the recipes. But...somehow...I never made it on here to post them.
So, here I go again, with renewed motivation to post new recipes, with pictures, more regularly.
Today, I made stuffed manicotti. Instead of using ricotta cheese, I used silken tofu for the stuffing. I altered the recipe on the box of pasta to make it work. Here are the ingredients that I used.
1 box Manicotti
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced (the originally recipe only called for one clove, but I like garlic)
6 oz. fresh spinach (I actually used a spinach arugula mix, which was quite tasty)
16 oz silken tofu
dried basil, to taste
1 t. sea salt
1 jar marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook the manicotti for 7 minutes. Drain and cool on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil so that it won't stick.
3. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach. Continue cooking 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk the tofu to loosen it up, add basil and salt. Stir in mushroom mixture. Add shredded mozzarella. (Unfortunately, I didn't plan on using any cheese so I didn't measure it. I had originally planned to make this a vegan dish, but I couldn't resist the temptation to add the mozzarella)
5. Spread the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Fill the manicotti shells with the mushroom mixture and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce evenly over filled shells.
6. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
This recipe was delicious! But, it did have a few problems that I would like to fix the next time.
1. First, one jar of marinara was not enough. When the shells were done baking, most of the marinara had cooked away. This left the shells dry around the edges. I would have liked for the shells to be able to swim in the sauce.
2. Also, I would have liked to have fresh basil. Unfortunately, I only had dried. It tasted OK, but fresh basil would have been better.
3. Finally, I would have liked each shell to be more "stuffed" so next time I will use less shells so that I can fill each shell more. As you can see in the picture, the shells flattened out because they didn't have enough stuff inside them.
Almost everyone in my family liked this dish. I will definitely make it again, with the changes. Enjoy!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Two Tomato Bruschetta
The other night I wanted to have something that was fresh and tasty. I started playing around in the kitchen, and this is what I came up with.
plum tomatoes, diced
green tomatoes, diced
zucchini, diced
minced garlic
onion, diced
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
Italian bread
I combined the first eight ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for a while so that the vegetables would soak in the flavor of the oil and vinegar. Then, I cut the bread in half. I loaded the veggies onto the bread and baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes. When I pulled it out of the oven, the bread was crispy, and the vegetables were heated through. I left it in the oven another five minutes because I was hoping that the vegetables would get a little toasted (that's probably not the right word, but I'm talking about when the tomatoes get a little black around the edges).
I don't know if I took it out of the oven after the five minutes because I was afraid to burn the bread or because I was too hungry to wait while the smell filled the kitchen. In any case, it was delicious! If anyone out there can tell me how to achieve the "toasted" tomatoes without burning the bread, please let me know. I'd love to try this recipe again with even better results.
Here's a pic.
plum tomatoes, diced
green tomatoes, diced
zucchini, diced
minced garlic
onion, diced
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
Italian bread
I combined the first eight ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for a while so that the vegetables would soak in the flavor of the oil and vinegar. Then, I cut the bread in half. I loaded the veggies onto the bread and baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes. When I pulled it out of the oven, the bread was crispy, and the vegetables were heated through. I left it in the oven another five minutes because I was hoping that the vegetables would get a little toasted (that's probably not the right word, but I'm talking about when the tomatoes get a little black around the edges).
I don't know if I took it out of the oven after the five minutes because I was afraid to burn the bread or because I was too hungry to wait while the smell filled the kitchen. In any case, it was delicious! If anyone out there can tell me how to achieve the "toasted" tomatoes without burning the bread, please let me know. I'd love to try this recipe again with even better results.
Here's a pic.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
M.I.A. Southwestern Falafal
Boy! I don't know what happened, but I've been missing for days. Working at a school during FCAT Crunch time is a unique experience. Stress levels run high and the days slip away from me.
Anyway...I've made one new dish from a recipe that I found in an old issue of Cooking Light. It was "Southwestern Falafel" which was interesting because the recipe called for a base of pinto beans instead of chickpeas.
The first time I made them, I used too much oil and I didn't use a nonstick pan. Fortunately, neither mistake affected the flavors. However, they did affect the presentation. The dish was definitely not picture worthy. On the positive side, my children liked the them a lot, so I am very happy that I can add one more vegetarian dish to our family meal repertoire. On the down side, my kids thought they were appetizers and ate most of them, so I was left without a substantial dinner that night...which is why I made them again a few nights later.
The second time around, I used just enough olive oil in the pan to add taste, and I remembered to use a nonstick pan. They came out perfect! They were also very picture worthy. Unfortunately, I ate them before taking a picture for this blog post. Maybe, next time...
The falafel tasted very good served fresh, but when I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, they were soggy.
Tonight, I'm making mashed parsnips and turnips, for the first time. I found the recipe at http://miedemaproduce.com/main_dishes.html
I thought the recipe sounded interesting for a few reasons. First, it calls for thyme, which I love almost as much as rosemary. Second, I've never eaten, or cooked, a parsnip OR a turnip in my entire life....Wait a minute...I take that back. I think I may have added one or the other to a soup once. BUT, I don't think that counts. This is the first time that I'm using them as main ingredients. Finally, I have developed a fondness for mashed anything recently.
When I was little, very little, my abuela would take care of me, and she used to make mashed potatoes, mashed malanga, mashed boniato, etc., etc...which she would proceed to attempt feeding me...which I would proceed to throw at her, at the floor, the walls... I hated the stuff. I hated the consistency more than anything, I think.
As I grew up, I continued to dislike mashed viandas. Actually, "dislike" is more of a euphemism. If I were completely honest with myself, I'd have to say that I loathed, despised, truly hated them. Even as a teenager, I remember doing that gagging thing that little kids do when they are forced to eat something they hate, lol. I remember how my mom used to make something else for me to eat so that I would eat something. She was my hero for doing that...and a lot of other things that she did...but more about that some other time.
Anyway, ever since I started this vegetarian journey, I've developed a taste for mashed root vegetables. I actually find myself craving them sometimes. When I saw the recipe, my mouth started watering, and I just knew that I had to try it out.
I still wouldn't say that I love mashed root vegetables, but I can definitely enjoy them now., and I'm looking forward to tasting this dish.Once I make the mash, I'll post about the flavors.
I hope it will be good.
Anyway...I've made one new dish from a recipe that I found in an old issue of Cooking Light. It was "Southwestern Falafel" which was interesting because the recipe called for a base of pinto beans instead of chickpeas.
The first time I made them, I used too much oil and I didn't use a nonstick pan. Fortunately, neither mistake affected the flavors. However, they did affect the presentation. The dish was definitely not picture worthy. On the positive side, my children liked the them a lot, so I am very happy that I can add one more vegetarian dish to our family meal repertoire. On the down side, my kids thought they were appetizers and ate most of them, so I was left without a substantial dinner that night...which is why I made them again a few nights later.
The second time around, I used just enough olive oil in the pan to add taste, and I remembered to use a nonstick pan. They came out perfect! They were also very picture worthy. Unfortunately, I ate them before taking a picture for this blog post. Maybe, next time...
The falafel tasted very good served fresh, but when I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, they were soggy.
Tonight, I'm making mashed parsnips and turnips, for the first time. I found the recipe at http://miedemaproduce.com/main_dishes.html
I thought the recipe sounded interesting for a few reasons. First, it calls for thyme, which I love almost as much as rosemary. Second, I've never eaten, or cooked, a parsnip OR a turnip in my entire life....Wait a minute...I take that back. I think I may have added one or the other to a soup once. BUT, I don't think that counts. This is the first time that I'm using them as main ingredients. Finally, I have developed a fondness for mashed anything recently.
When I was little, very little, my abuela would take care of me, and she used to make mashed potatoes, mashed malanga, mashed boniato, etc., etc...which she would proceed to attempt feeding me...which I would proceed to throw at her, at the floor, the walls... I hated the stuff. I hated the consistency more than anything, I think.
As I grew up, I continued to dislike mashed viandas. Actually, "dislike" is more of a euphemism. If I were completely honest with myself, I'd have to say that I loathed, despised, truly hated them. Even as a teenager, I remember doing that gagging thing that little kids do when they are forced to eat something they hate, lol. I remember how my mom used to make something else for me to eat so that I would eat something. She was my hero for doing that...and a lot of other things that she did...but more about that some other time.
Anyway, ever since I started this vegetarian journey, I've developed a taste for mashed root vegetables. I actually find myself craving them sometimes. When I saw the recipe, my mouth started watering, and I just knew that I had to try it out.
I still wouldn't say that I love mashed root vegetables, but I can definitely enjoy them now., and I'm looking forward to tasting this dish.Once I make the mash, I'll post about the flavors.
I hope it will be good.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Risotto Returns
I've made risotto once before, and I followed the recipe like my life depended on it, lol. I've actually been so intimidated by risotto in the past, that the closest I usually ever got to making it was buying the arborio rice. Then, I'd just stare at the container in my kitchen hoping that I could simply will it to happen.
So, today I'd had enough of this wishing and hoping for risotto, and I decided to jump in feet first and make up my own risotto recipe. I'm very happy with the result, especially, since this is only my second time making the stuff. Here's what I used:
extra virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
fresh parsely
fresh cilantro
dried rosemary, to taste
dried thyme, to taste
sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
3 cups arborio rice
cooking sherry
4 cups vegetable broth
coconut milk creamer
1/2 stick margarine
5-blend Italian cheese blend
I listed the ingredients in the order that I used them because the recipe kind of took on a life of its own as I worked. It was fun!
I've seen recipes where the vegetables are roasted and then added to the rice towards the end...but I have a big pot...and I was kind of lazy about getting something else dirty. So, I decided to just saute the vegetables in the pot and then add the rice to "toast" right in with the veggies. I'm sure some dead culinary genius is rolling in his grave about my audacity, but oh well...
Anyway, after the rice was a little translucent, I added some sherry--just because I had some in the pantry and it smelled so good--and some of the broth. Once it was absorbed, I started adding the rest of the broth as it needed it and the stirring began. Let me tell you, that is some workout! I was sweating like I'd run a few laps, lol.
Right before the rice was cooked all the way, I ran out of broth, so I looked in the fridge and saw that I had coconut milk creamer left over from a dessert recipe I had made. I added it to the risotto and the creaminess started to look really good. This led to the margarine which made it perfectly creamy. But, of course, the dairy demon got me when I was putting the margarine back. There it was in the deli drawer calling out to me **sigh** Well, I grabbed that cheese and dumped it in there and OMG it was perfect!
Originally, I had intended for this recipe to be completely vegan, but I just couldn't resist throwing the cheese in at the end. Honestly, though, it tasted great without it. I know because I had to taste this thing all along the way to make sure that it was tasting the way I wanted.
It took longer to cook than I expected, but I suppose that's because of the insane amount of rice that I used. I don't know what came over me...three cups!?! Really? Next time, I'll use 1 1/2 cups of rice and less of the vegetables. After all, I could have stored the veggies that were cut up instead of making so much.
Now, I have a huge pot full of risotto, LOL. I am going to have to have risotto for lunch and dinner tomorrow, AND I'm going to have take extra with me to work so I can give this stuff away or it will go bad before I can eat it all.
Lesson Learned: RICE GROWS A LOT...BE REASONABLE!
So, today I'd had enough of this wishing and hoping for risotto, and I decided to jump in feet first and make up my own risotto recipe. I'm very happy with the result, especially, since this is only my second time making the stuff. Here's what I used:
extra virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
fresh parsely
fresh cilantro
dried rosemary, to taste
dried thyme, to taste
sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
3 cups arborio rice
cooking sherry
4 cups vegetable broth
coconut milk creamer
1/2 stick margarine
5-blend Italian cheese blend
I listed the ingredients in the order that I used them because the recipe kind of took on a life of its own as I worked. It was fun!
I've seen recipes where the vegetables are roasted and then added to the rice towards the end...but I have a big pot...and I was kind of lazy about getting something else dirty. So, I decided to just saute the vegetables in the pot and then add the rice to "toast" right in with the veggies. I'm sure some dead culinary genius is rolling in his grave about my audacity, but oh well...
Anyway, after the rice was a little translucent, I added some sherry--just because I had some in the pantry and it smelled so good--and some of the broth. Once it was absorbed, I started adding the rest of the broth as it needed it and the stirring began. Let me tell you, that is some workout! I was sweating like I'd run a few laps, lol.
Right before the rice was cooked all the way, I ran out of broth, so I looked in the fridge and saw that I had coconut milk creamer left over from a dessert recipe I had made. I added it to the risotto and the creaminess started to look really good. This led to the margarine which made it perfectly creamy. But, of course, the dairy demon got me when I was putting the margarine back. There it was in the deli drawer calling out to me **sigh** Well, I grabbed that cheese and dumped it in there and OMG it was perfect!
Originally, I had intended for this recipe to be completely vegan, but I just couldn't resist throwing the cheese in at the end. Honestly, though, it tasted great without it. I know because I had to taste this thing all along the way to make sure that it was tasting the way I wanted.
It took longer to cook than I expected, but I suppose that's because of the insane amount of rice that I used. I don't know what came over me...three cups!?! Really? Next time, I'll use 1 1/2 cups of rice and less of the vegetables. After all, I could have stored the veggies that were cut up instead of making so much.
Now, I have a huge pot full of risotto, LOL. I am going to have to have risotto for lunch and dinner tomorrow, AND I'm going to have take extra with me to work so I can give this stuff away or it will go bad before I can eat it all.
Lesson Learned: RICE GROWS A LOT...BE REASONABLE!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Being Sick Is No Fun
I've been home for two days now, and even though I would love to be able to stay at home always, it's no fun staying home because you are sick. I've just been getting by with food for the past few days...nothing very interesting. Tonight, I'll try to make dinner.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Playing With Fire
Tonight, I almost set the tree in our backyard on fire...along with our neighbor's house. I am mostly sorry...but let me start from the beginning.
It was cold today, which is a real treat in South Florida, so we decided to have a fire in the backyard. We have a small fire pit that we use to roast marshmallows with the kids. Sometimes, we just have a "campfire" for the fun of it.
We still had our Christmas tree thrown in the backyard...and it was pretty dry...and the temptation to see it go up in flames was too great. I threw it on the pit and all of a sudden the flames were at least 12 feet high. The wind came and the flames looked as if they were whipping the tree in our backyard. Then, the fire started going towards my neighbor's house. Before I knew what I was doing, I had grabbed the trunk of the tree and pulled it off the pit.
My husband had warned me and been adamant about how much of a bad idea it was...he had told me not to do it. Usually, I'm the "responsible" one. But, I hadn't listened.
All of a sudden, the realization of how crazy this whole thing was hit me. What had I been thinking?!? I could have burnt the house down...I could have gone to jail for arson...I could have endangered my family and my neighbor's family. I was ran to the faucet for water...my kids ran into the house screaming "WATER" and we were dousing the fire with as much water as we could get on it. It was over in seconds.
I felt so horribly sorry for the whole thing. And yet, as all of this was happening, the one thing that I found to be hilarious was the fact that my children had run in and grabbed coffee mugs and only filled them halfway with water. When they had thrown the water on the fire, all you could hear was a quick little sizzle. It was so funny, despite it all. Even after all of the craziness, the cuteness and innocence my children showed was priceless. I'll never do something like that again, but I'll never forget their reaction.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot...I didn't have anything interesting to eat today.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Bean Patties and Uncomfortable Moments
Yesterday I went to lunch with some coworkers. We went to Chilis, and I have to admit that even though I was happy to actually go out to lunch, I was very nervous about being able to choose a vegetarian meal at a place like Chilis.
As I looked through the menu I realized how big of a role meat plays in our culture here in the US. The idea of a satisfying vegetarian meal is practically inconceivable to most people. Vegetarian options are seen as side dishes or appetizers, at best. My situation was further complicated by the fact that most appetizers and side dishes on the menu had some kind of meat mixed in. I didn't want to be that person at the table that has to custom order every single part of the meal and make everyone late getting back.
Anyway, as I looked through the menu, I saw that they had an avocado burger on the menu. I liked the sound of that. I figured that the avocado replaced the meat, and I liked the idea of an avocado sandwich. But, it turns out that the avocado doesn't replace the meat, at all; it goes on top of the hamburger patty as an extra ingredient. Then, I saw that Chili's does have vegetarian burger option: it's a black bean patty. Even though I really just wanted the avocado, I went ahead and ordered the black bean patty with the avocado. I figured I could taste the patty and see if I liked it for future visits.
The black bean patty was all right. It wasn't spectacular. I would have probably liked the sandwich better with just the avocado, but I'm glad I tried it, nonetheless. The only truly disappointing part of the sandwich was the bread. I guess ordering the bean patty means they automatically use a different bread. It's a wheat bun with rolled oats on top, which sounds good...The problem is that whatever they did to it to heat it up made the bread SO dry, that it fell apart whenever I bit into the sandwich...very messy.
I had the sandwich with a small coleslaw instead of french fries because I didn't want all that grease. The cole slaw was pretty generic.
Ok, now here's where I go off on one of my tangents...you know, the part I actually want to talk about...
Going to lunch with people who aren't vegetarians presents a whole other social dilemma that I want to talk about. The social interaction that is wrapped around eating gets funky for me, and I hate the feeling that I get from people around me when I choose a vegetarian meal. I get the same reaction from EVERYONE that is a part of my life: family, friends, colleagues....well, I take that back...my husband and children don't have the reaction that I'm about to describe.
There's always that face...the one that makes me feel so uncomfortable that I want to run away to avoid feeling bad. So, instead of running away, I've decided to place a comic spin on the situation and make a list of all of the faces I get from the various people in my life.
But, first I'd like to state a disclaimer. I'm in no way judging anyone for making these faces. I think their facial reactions are natural and involuntary. I don't even think they realize they are doing this. This is just my way of dealing. Here goes...
1. The "Why don't you just have meat like all of us?" face. I get this from people who want me to have the group mentality. It's like being in school and not having the cool shoes that everyone is wearing. Buy the shoes so you can be one of us! they say.
2. The "I feel somewhat ashamed about myself or my unhealthy choices so I want you to join me so I don't feel as bad" face. I get this from people when they are eating something they shouldn't be eating. Be fat and indulge with me! they say. I have to admit this group is the most fun. I've been a part of this group myself from time to time, LOL.
3. The "What are you trying to prove?" or "What's your angle?" face. I get this from people who think I'm on some vegetarian crusade to change them. You can't change me! they say.
4. The "You are WRONG and I am RIGHT" face. I get this from people who need validation and who think that I'm the one judging them. You are going to die if you don't eat meat! they say.
Sometimes, I get a mixture of these reactions all at once, and I feel like shouting out, "I'm just doing this for ME. It has nothing to do with YOU!"
...but, that would look pretty crazy, so I just walk away feeling impotent. Then, I imagine some meat-lover counterpart of mine writing her own blog with a list of faces that I've made, LOL.
As I looked through the menu I realized how big of a role meat plays in our culture here in the US. The idea of a satisfying vegetarian meal is practically inconceivable to most people. Vegetarian options are seen as side dishes or appetizers, at best. My situation was further complicated by the fact that most appetizers and side dishes on the menu had some kind of meat mixed in. I didn't want to be that person at the table that has to custom order every single part of the meal and make everyone late getting back.
Anyway, as I looked through the menu, I saw that they had an avocado burger on the menu. I liked the sound of that. I figured that the avocado replaced the meat, and I liked the idea of an avocado sandwich. But, it turns out that the avocado doesn't replace the meat, at all; it goes on top of the hamburger patty as an extra ingredient. Then, I saw that Chili's does have vegetarian burger option: it's a black bean patty. Even though I really just wanted the avocado, I went ahead and ordered the black bean patty with the avocado. I figured I could taste the patty and see if I liked it for future visits.
The black bean patty was all right. It wasn't spectacular. I would have probably liked the sandwich better with just the avocado, but I'm glad I tried it, nonetheless. The only truly disappointing part of the sandwich was the bread. I guess ordering the bean patty means they automatically use a different bread. It's a wheat bun with rolled oats on top, which sounds good...The problem is that whatever they did to it to heat it up made the bread SO dry, that it fell apart whenever I bit into the sandwich...very messy.
I had the sandwich with a small coleslaw instead of french fries because I didn't want all that grease. The cole slaw was pretty generic.
Ok, now here's where I go off on one of my tangents...you know, the part I actually want to talk about...
Going to lunch with people who aren't vegetarians presents a whole other social dilemma that I want to talk about. The social interaction that is wrapped around eating gets funky for me, and I hate the feeling that I get from people around me when I choose a vegetarian meal. I get the same reaction from EVERYONE that is a part of my life: family, friends, colleagues....well, I take that back...my husband and children don't have the reaction that I'm about to describe.
There's always that face...the one that makes me feel so uncomfortable that I want to run away to avoid feeling bad. So, instead of running away, I've decided to place a comic spin on the situation and make a list of all of the faces I get from the various people in my life.
But, first I'd like to state a disclaimer. I'm in no way judging anyone for making these faces. I think their facial reactions are natural and involuntary. I don't even think they realize they are doing this. This is just my way of dealing. Here goes...
1. The "Why don't you just have meat like all of us?" face. I get this from people who want me to have the group mentality. It's like being in school and not having the cool shoes that everyone is wearing. Buy the shoes so you can be one of us! they say.
2. The "I feel somewhat ashamed about myself or my unhealthy choices so I want you to join me so I don't feel as bad" face. I get this from people when they are eating something they shouldn't be eating. Be fat and indulge with me! they say. I have to admit this group is the most fun. I've been a part of this group myself from time to time, LOL.
3. The "What are you trying to prove?" or "What's your angle?" face. I get this from people who think I'm on some vegetarian crusade to change them. You can't change me! they say.
4. The "You are WRONG and I am RIGHT" face. I get this from people who need validation and who think that I'm the one judging them. You are going to die if you don't eat meat! they say.
Sometimes, I get a mixture of these reactions all at once, and I feel like shouting out, "I'm just doing this for ME. It has nothing to do with YOU!"
...but, that would look pretty crazy, so I just walk away feeling impotent. Then, I imagine some meat-lover counterpart of mine writing her own blog with a list of faces that I've made, LOL.
Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf
Shame on me...I ate this two nights ago and never published this post.
Today's dinner made me happy. I loved how it looked and I loved how it tasted. I used the recipe that was on the quinoa box. Then, I added a few things that I thought would work.
The original recipe called for
1/2 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper
6 cups quinoa
The instructions were easy. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a separate pan use some olive oil to saute the vegetables. Mix it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
First, I reduce the vegetable to quinoa ratio because I wanted the dish to have more vegetables than the original recipe called for. I only used two cups of quinoa, and I increased the amount of vegetables to 1 cup for all the vegetables. I also added 1 cup broccoli and 1/2 protein crumbles. I think the crumbles were a mistake. I would have liked the dish without the crumbles. I think I added them because I was hoping that my kids and/or husband would be more willing to try the dish if it looked familiar.
In any case, the crumbles didn't ruin the dish...I just saw them as a superfluous ingredient.
No one wanted to try it anyway, lol, but I enjoyed it. And, I
even had it as leftovers the next day. I think it's one of those dishes
that tastes better the next day. Another positive note about the dish
is that it was good both cold and hot.
Today's dinner made me happy. I loved how it looked and I loved how it tasted. I used the recipe that was on the quinoa box. Then, I added a few things that I thought would work.
The original recipe called for
1/2 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper
6 cups quinoa
The instructions were easy. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a separate pan use some olive oil to saute the vegetables. Mix it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
First, I reduce the vegetable to quinoa ratio because I wanted the dish to have more vegetables than the original recipe called for. I only used two cups of quinoa, and I increased the amount of vegetables to 1 cup for all the vegetables. I also added 1 cup broccoli and 1/2 protein crumbles. I think the crumbles were a mistake. I would have liked the dish without the crumbles. I think I added them because I was hoping that my kids and/or husband would be more willing to try the dish if it looked familiar.
In any case, the crumbles didn't ruin the dish...I just saw them as a superfluous ingredient.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Crispy Kale
Tonight I made crispy kale for the first time. I believe I followed the online recipe correctly, but I've never eaten crispy kale before, so I may have done something wrong and just not know it. It came out papery thin and crispy, but it was too salty for me even though I used less salt than what the recipe called for. I also would have liked the pieces to be larger.
But, even more disappointing was the fact that I didn't like the taste of the cooked kale, itself. I love juicing kale, and I even like it raw in salads. Granted, I normally enjoy my vegetables raw much more than cooked. But, I can't shake the disappointment that I felt when the taste of the cooked kale vaguely reminded me of grade school cafeteria greens...I remember the extremely overcooked stuff that was served when I was in grade school, as well as the smell that used to make me gag a little as I waited in the lunch line. Of course, the kale I had today was nothing like that goopy school cafeteria slop, but there was definitely a hint of that cooked vegetable taste that I don't like, at all.
Aside from the kale, I baked some yukon gold potato slices with mini portobello mushrooms and roasted peppers, drizzled with olive oil. I also added some salt and pepper. I was too lazy--tired--to make a grain dish. Here's a picture of my boring dinner
Tomorrow, my dinner MUST be more interesting.
But, even more disappointing was the fact that I didn't like the taste of the cooked kale, itself. I love juicing kale, and I even like it raw in salads. Granted, I normally enjoy my vegetables raw much more than cooked. But, I can't shake the disappointment that I felt when the taste of the cooked kale vaguely reminded me of grade school cafeteria greens...I remember the extremely overcooked stuff that was served when I was in grade school, as well as the smell that used to make me gag a little as I waited in the lunch line. Of course, the kale I had today was nothing like that goopy school cafeteria slop, but there was definitely a hint of that cooked vegetable taste that I don't like, at all.
Aside from the kale, I baked some yukon gold potato slices with mini portobello mushrooms and roasted peppers, drizzled with olive oil. I also added some salt and pepper. I was too lazy--tired--to make a grain dish. Here's a picture of my boring dinner
Tomorrow, my dinner MUST be more interesting.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Blah Tomato Soup with Purple Potatoes
Today I had leftover tomato soup. It was a so-so, OK-for-now type of dinner. I made it in a rush yesterday and probably wouldn't want to make it again because it was kind of blah. My family also had leftovers for dinner-baked chicken, rice, and beans out of a can. My kids hate leftovers, and my husband hated the beans, lol. No one was happy...which makes me feel better for some horrible reason or other. Misery loves company, I guess.
Not much to say tonight...when the thoughts stop swirling around in my head, I might have something interesting to write about.
Oh...I do want to say one more thing. I'm in love with purple potatoes. I didn't even know they existed until a few weeks ago. They are just so pretty on the plate, and so rich in taste, that I can't get enough. That was the one saving grace of my soup. I cooked them in the soup, so I had pretty little purple surprises every so often, as I spooned up the soup.
Not much to say tonight...when the thoughts stop swirling around in my head, I might have something interesting to write about.
Oh...I do want to say one more thing. I'm in love with purple potatoes. I didn't even know they existed until a few weeks ago. They are just so pretty on the plate, and so rich in taste, that I can't get enough. That was the one saving grace of my soup. I cooked them in the soup, so I had pretty little purple surprises every so often, as I spooned up the soup.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Farmers' Market Outsider
Yesterday I went to a farmers' market for the first time ever. Glasier Farm, the farm that actually runs the market, is only a few minutes from my house; you can call in your order and they get it ready for you to pick up in 3 hours. But, I decided to drive across town to their farmers' market to have the farmers' market experience. Plus, I wanted to get a look at their products before ordering sight unseen.
The fruits and vegetables were all organic, and they also had several vegan and raw products that they prepare, including nut milks, salads, and raw pies. Everything looked delicious, and I actually bought a small container of avocado salad, which I would definitely purchase again and again.
The vegetables that I purchased filled one brown paper bag, and I spent about $50, which is about how much I would spend at Whole Foods for the same amount of food. I was very impressed by the quality of the food that was available. But, once again, the food isn't exactly what I want to talk about today...
There definitely seems to be a farmers' market culture that exists, with two distinct groups. I didn't fit into either one:
1. Group #1: The long-flowing-skirt-wearing, nature-loving, my-boyfriend-has-dreads and we-don't-use-deoderant group. (Phew!)
2. Group #2: The I-drove-my-Benz-and-parked-it-on-the-good-side-of-Coconut-Grove-and-walked-over-on-my-designer-shoes group.
EVERYONE was blonde or bleached-blonde. I guess blondes are more health conscious???? Well, I take that back. There was ONE little old Asian couple at the market. It might sound like they don't belong to either group, but they do. They belong to group 1--no designer jeans, lol.
There I was, in my Walmart jeans and t-shirt, with my curly brown hair and glittery flats. I stuck out like a sore thumb. At one point I tried to ask one of the cashiers a question, and he looked at me as if I were from another planet. I didn't even finish my sentence. He wasn't actually being rude. He said all of the polite customer service type things that a cashier is supposed to say. But, I just couldn't get past that first look that he gave me. You know, the one that said, "Woah! What is she doing here?"
I did experience one redeeming moment that made me feel like people can be real at the Farmers' Market. There was a Group #1 member that caught my attention. She was a young woman who was carrying her baby. As she walked through the aisles, I heard her saying to her baby over and over, in that mama to baby voice, "Look at all these yummies." She really wanted to inculcate this love of healthy foods in her baby from a very early age. I thought that was a really cool thing to witness, because she was real...this is her way of life.
As for me, I think I'll just order from the farm from now on.
The fruits and vegetables were all organic, and they also had several vegan and raw products that they prepare, including nut milks, salads, and raw pies. Everything looked delicious, and I actually bought a small container of avocado salad, which I would definitely purchase again and again.
The vegetables that I purchased filled one brown paper bag, and I spent about $50, which is about how much I would spend at Whole Foods for the same amount of food. I was very impressed by the quality of the food that was available. But, once again, the food isn't exactly what I want to talk about today...
There definitely seems to be a farmers' market culture that exists, with two distinct groups. I didn't fit into either one:
1. Group #1: The long-flowing-skirt-wearing, nature-loving, my-boyfriend-has-dreads and we-don't-use-deoderant group. (Phew!)
2. Group #2: The I-drove-my-Benz-and-parked-it-on-the-good-side-of-Coconut-Grove-and-walked-over-on-my-designer-shoes group.
EVERYONE was blonde or bleached-blonde. I guess blondes are more health conscious???? Well, I take that back. There was ONE little old Asian couple at the market. It might sound like they don't belong to either group, but they do. They belong to group 1--no designer jeans, lol.
There I was, in my Walmart jeans and t-shirt, with my curly brown hair and glittery flats. I stuck out like a sore thumb. At one point I tried to ask one of the cashiers a question, and he looked at me as if I were from another planet. I didn't even finish my sentence. He wasn't actually being rude. He said all of the polite customer service type things that a cashier is supposed to say. But, I just couldn't get past that first look that he gave me. You know, the one that said, "Woah! What is she doing here?"
I did experience one redeeming moment that made me feel like people can be real at the Farmers' Market. There was a Group #1 member that caught my attention. She was a young woman who was carrying her baby. As she walked through the aisles, I heard her saying to her baby over and over, in that mama to baby voice, "Look at all these yummies." She really wanted to inculcate this love of healthy foods in her baby from a very early age. I thought that was a really cool thing to witness, because she was real...this is her way of life.
As for me, I think I'll just order from the farm from now on.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Don't Ask; Don't Tell
I'm really happy that my first week of the juice fast is almost over. Today has been the first day that I felt hungry--really hungry--and it wasn't fun. I know I'll feel better by tomorrow morning, but right now I'm feeling a little miserable. Anyway, that's not what I really want to talk about tonight.
I haven't told my parents that I'm doing the juice fast again. They don't like the fact that I've switched over to being a vegetarian, in the first place, and telling them that I'm juicing again would not go over too well with them. I'll have to say something on Sunday, when we have lunch, but I've managed to not bring it up all week.
They don't ask me about my diet either. It's sort of an unspoken uncomfortableness between us. I know they disapprove...they know I'm going to do it anyway...they're glad that I'm losing weight..but, I know that they fundamentally do not agree with a vegetarian diet. They think it's extreme not to eat meat...I think having to take medication every day for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, hoping that one day doctors won't have to take a vein from a leg to bypass a clogged one in my heart, is extreme...
In the end, I know they want me to be happy, and I don't want them to feel bad, so they don't ask me about it, and I try not to talk to them about it too much.
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