April 30, 2011 - Fishy Challenge - Quinoa Paella
Ok, here we go. Where to start....
As a pre dinner snack we had mango and ginger stilton on rosemary crackers. Delicious:
Now for dinner...
Firstly, it was difficult to find an actual recipe (one that I liked and looked well thought out) so I kind of made up my own. Bit risky as I have never cooked mussels before, never used quinoa before, and never made paella of any kind before! Here's my method:
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 chopped red union
Pancetta (as much as you deem necessary, I added about 70g)2 chopped garlic
2 celery stalks1 tsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable broth
1 chopped red capsicum
1 lb mussels
8 prawns
500ml white cooking wine
1 lime
Firstly, I soaked the quinoa in water for 15 mins. This is what I used:
I sweated off the onion and garlic first, added the pancetta, a few mins later added the capsicum.
Then I added the quinoa, stired through, and added the stock. If I had saffron I would have added it at the same time, and to be honest would have really set it on fire. But saffron is hard to come by and what we could find was $12 so I opted out.
I bought it to the boil and cooked for 15 minutes. Another option is to add frozen peas here but I chose not to do that too, I don't fancy peas much.
Meanwhile, I boiled the white wine and the remaining stock, added the celery and some garlic, and cooked the mussels off at the last minute. They only take a few mins so wasn't difficult to coordinate.
At the last minute, I chucked the prawns in and gave it a stir until all prawns were cooked. Took about 2 mins.
They were not shelled but were split so were still pretty easy to eat. Glad I didn't have to deal with prawn heads, need a few beers to be game enough to rip one of those off without being grossed out by those beady black eyes!
Served on a plate, added the freshly cooked mussels, and garnished with a wedge of lime.
Honestly, it was called a cooking challenge, but I didn't find it to be a challenge at all. It was easy to prepare, easy to make and easy to eat. The verdict? It was bloody delicious. Quinoa rocks, will certainly be using this again, and again, and again!
Glad I added the pancetta, next time I might use chorizo though. Plus I might replace the mussels for chicken. They were easy to cook and quite tasty, but I prefer fresh ones straight from the sea (like green lipped mussels in NZ... mmmm). So while the experience was great, going to avoid cooking mussels so far from the ocean.
Overall, yeah sure, I would recommend this, but make your own changes, go with what you like and what you want in it, I don't reckon there is much room for going wrong here. There will be a next time for me to this again, and I will change it every time no doubt!
As a pre dinner snack we had mango and ginger stilton on rosemary crackers. Delicious:
Now for dinner...
Firstly, it was difficult to find an actual recipe (one that I liked and looked well thought out) so I kind of made up my own. Bit risky as I have never cooked mussels before, never used quinoa before, and never made paella of any kind before! Here's my method:
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 chopped red union
Pancetta (as much as you deem necessary, I added about 70g)2 chopped garlic
2 celery stalks1 tsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable broth
1 chopped red capsicum
1 lb mussels
8 prawns
500ml white cooking wine
1 lime
Firstly, I soaked the quinoa in water for 15 mins. This is what I used:
I sweated off the onion and garlic first, added the pancetta, a few mins later added the capsicum.
Then I added the quinoa, stired through, and added the stock. If I had saffron I would have added it at the same time, and to be honest would have really set it on fire. But saffron is hard to come by and what we could find was $12 so I opted out.
I bought it to the boil and cooked for 15 minutes. Another option is to add frozen peas here but I chose not to do that too, I don't fancy peas much.
Meanwhile, I boiled the white wine and the remaining stock, added the celery and some garlic, and cooked the mussels off at the last minute. They only take a few mins so wasn't difficult to coordinate.
At the last minute, I chucked the prawns in and gave it a stir until all prawns were cooked. Took about 2 mins.
They were not shelled but were split so were still pretty easy to eat. Glad I didn't have to deal with prawn heads, need a few beers to be game enough to rip one of those off without being grossed out by those beady black eyes!
Served on a plate, added the freshly cooked mussels, and garnished with a wedge of lime.
Honestly, it was called a cooking challenge, but I didn't find it to be a challenge at all. It was easy to prepare, easy to make and easy to eat. The verdict? It was bloody delicious. Quinoa rocks, will certainly be using this again, and again, and again!
Glad I added the pancetta, next time I might use chorizo though. Plus I might replace the mussels for chicken. They were easy to cook and quite tasty, but I prefer fresh ones straight from the sea (like green lipped mussels in NZ... mmmm). So while the experience was great, going to avoid cooking mussels so far from the ocean.
Overall, yeah sure, I would recommend this, but make your own changes, go with what you like and what you want in it, I don't reckon there is much room for going wrong here. There will be a next time for me to this again, and I will change it every time no doubt!
April 30, 2011
Oh man, shame on me. I skipped breakfast today and had the last 'meat parcel' for lunch. It was meant to be for Lee but he took his left over pad thai to work instead. I also snacked on a slice of havarti cheese and some rice crackers.
I have done all the grocery shopping, have made a few last minute changes to the recipe and have some prep to do before cooking dinner (such as scrubbing the mussels etc).
I have a tasty cheese and some crackers for us to snack on the moment Lee walks in the door. Tomorrow is his last 12 hour shift for a month. Squeeee!
Rightio. I will update later on with the cooking challenge and its results etc. So stay tuned....
I have done all the grocery shopping, have made a few last minute changes to the recipe and have some prep to do before cooking dinner (such as scrubbing the mussels etc).
I have a tasty cheese and some crackers for us to snack on the moment Lee walks in the door. Tomorrow is his last 12 hour shift for a month. Squeeee!
Rightio. I will update later on with the cooking challenge and its results etc. So stay tuned....
April 29, 2011
Last night a few hours after dinner, I got hungry. So I accidentally ate my 'meat parcel' which was meant to be for my lunch today.
For breakfast this morning I had one peanut butter ryvita and a coffee and figured because I was awake so early, I would have a gander at the royal wedding. Now folks, talk about your convert. I was so over hearing about it, and kept saying WHO CARES but watching it... I dunno, it was a piece of history, it was beautiful, and I really got into it, plus seeing Will and Haz hanging out as brothers gave me warm fuzzies. Especially after living in the UK for those years, and being away, it made me feel a bit sad and a bit happy at the same time.
I got to work very early, and took in some red velvet cupcakes which went down a treat at 9:30am. I washed it down with a chai tea bought from me by a girl at work I call the 'crazy lady', she has an awesome deadpan sense of humour and has me in stitches quite often.
For lunch I had a salad from the cafe (because I ate my lunch last night), and it was average. Mixed lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, chickpeas, olives and sundried tomato. Oh and some ham (Random? Yes. Tasty? Not really).
When I got home I was starving so I had some left over lime and sea salt rice crackers. Was sad when the bag ended.
For dinner, well, I was totally disorganised this week and have had the hankering for a constant calorie fest. The shameful thing is I would have killed for pizza tonight, but had to talk myself out of it. Lee was working late and the fridge is empty so we got Thai instead, I had chicken & shrimp with 'purple' eggplant and basil. We stumbled across some dumplings also (not so Thai) :
Very tasty but couldn't finish it. Rice overload.
I am menu planning for the week. Lee has Monday off so we will do the grocery shopping for the week then. I am thinking healthy, I am thinking creative and I am thinking fun. Suggestions welcome before Monday!
Stay tuned tomorrow for my third cooking challenge, quinoa paella was the clear winner, thanks to the handful of people who voted. I will also be taking suggestions for the next challenge. Maybe desserts, or multi-appetizer central? Anything! So I throw it out to you guys. Go on, inspire me.... Or at least humor me?!
For breakfast this morning I had one peanut butter ryvita and a coffee and figured because I was awake so early, I would have a gander at the royal wedding. Now folks, talk about your convert. I was so over hearing about it, and kept saying WHO CARES but watching it... I dunno, it was a piece of history, it was beautiful, and I really got into it, plus seeing Will and Haz hanging out as brothers gave me warm fuzzies. Especially after living in the UK for those years, and being away, it made me feel a bit sad and a bit happy at the same time.
I got to work very early, and took in some red velvet cupcakes which went down a treat at 9:30am. I washed it down with a chai tea bought from me by a girl at work I call the 'crazy lady', she has an awesome deadpan sense of humour and has me in stitches quite often.
For lunch I had a salad from the cafe (because I ate my lunch last night), and it was average. Mixed lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, chickpeas, olives and sundried tomato. Oh and some ham (Random? Yes. Tasty? Not really).
When I got home I was starving so I had some left over lime and sea salt rice crackers. Was sad when the bag ended.
For dinner, well, I was totally disorganised this week and have had the hankering for a constant calorie fest. The shameful thing is I would have killed for pizza tonight, but had to talk myself out of it. Lee was working late and the fridge is empty so we got Thai instead, I had chicken & shrimp with 'purple' eggplant and basil. We stumbled across some dumplings also (not so Thai) :
Very tasty but couldn't finish it. Rice overload.
I am menu planning for the week. Lee has Monday off so we will do the grocery shopping for the week then. I am thinking healthy, I am thinking creative and I am thinking fun. Suggestions welcome before Monday!
Stay tuned tomorrow for my third cooking challenge, quinoa paella was the clear winner, thanks to the handful of people who voted. I will also be taking suggestions for the next challenge. Maybe desserts, or multi-appetizer central? Anything! So I throw it out to you guys. Go on, inspire me.... Or at least humor me?!
April 28, 2011
Righto. Well this morning I stretched out and had two ryvitas with peanut butter. Yawn. The coffee was good though, Lee picked up some more yesterday so was nice to wake up to the coffee machine beeping me my wake up call.
I ate some rice snacks (lime and sea salt flavour) at about 10:30am, and by lunch I was starving and devoured my left over 'meat parcel' and left over salad in less than two minutes. Or so it felt.
After work Lee picked me up and drove me to the Drive Test centre, where I got my G1 (equivalent of your 'L's' in Australia and 'Provisional license' in the UK). So thats three countries I have my learners permit in. Sad and tragic.
We passed a pub that we know from Krista and Jad so we popped in for a pint, and that turned into two, and that turned into bbq dinner. We both had a pulled pork sandwich, neither of us finished it, it was rather big, but really tasty. It came with chips which we hardly touched , and a small portion of beans and coleslaw.
We shouldn't have but we did. And it was good. Did someone just say gym?!
I ate some rice snacks (lime and sea salt flavour) at about 10:30am, and by lunch I was starving and devoured my left over 'meat parcel' and left over salad in less than two minutes. Or so it felt.
After work Lee picked me up and drove me to the Drive Test centre, where I got my G1 (equivalent of your 'L's' in Australia and 'Provisional license' in the UK). So thats three countries I have my learners permit in. Sad and tragic.
We passed a pub that we know from Krista and Jad so we popped in for a pint, and that turned into two, and that turned into bbq dinner. We both had a pulled pork sandwich, neither of us finished it, it was rather big, but really tasty. It came with chips which we hardly touched , and a small portion of beans and coleslaw.
We shouldn't have but we did. And it was good. Did someone just say gym?!
April 27, 2011
Much better today. Although breakfast was silly of me, I had a peanut butter ryvita, there wasn't any grapefruit left. When I got to work at 6:40am I was starving so waited for the caf to open and had a banana muffin.
My lunch was a salad, also from the cafe, one of those pick and make it yourself kinda thing. It was ok, but could have made it myself really, given some fridge stocking.
We remembered to take the filo out of the freezer, so made my yummy meat parcels. I gotta give them a name, any takers? They have beef, celery, onion, mushroom, capsicum and zucchini.
Had it with a salad of lettuce, cucumber, red cabbage and olives. YUMMO!
The junk food binge has taken its toll, gained a kilo of the 7kg I lost, and feeling well round and squishy. So will be back on the super foods again, will do a grocery shop tomorrow after work.
I finish up on Friday, and have a couple of weeks off before I start my new job, so planning on getting to the gym more and cooking up a super storm. Which reminds me, only a few days left before the fishy cooking challenge, please vote! Top right. Thanks! xxx
My lunch was a salad, also from the cafe, one of those pick and make it yourself kinda thing. It was ok, but could have made it myself really, given some fridge stocking.
We remembered to take the filo out of the freezer, so made my yummy meat parcels. I gotta give them a name, any takers? They have beef, celery, onion, mushroom, capsicum and zucchini.
Had it with a salad of lettuce, cucumber, red cabbage and olives. YUMMO!
The junk food binge has taken its toll, gained a kilo of the 7kg I lost, and feeling well round and squishy. So will be back on the super foods again, will do a grocery shop tomorrow after work.
I finish up on Friday, and have a couple of weeks off before I start my new job, so planning on getting to the gym more and cooking up a super storm. Which reminds me, only a few days left before the fishy cooking challenge, please vote! Top right. Thanks! xxx
April 26, 2011
Ok, slight catch up....
Yesterday, BAU (grapefruit & ryvita). Some nuts at work, was starving by lunch time, Lee picked me up and whisked me away to the park and we scoffed chicken pitas. DELICIOUS! I came back with a big round belly and felt uncomfortable in my stockings and skirt. Sometimes stretchy pants are necessary!
In the afternoon I found out that I got the job I went for last week, and I am super excited about it. I finished at 3 pm (starting work at 7am has its perks) so head straight to the pub where I had several pints to celebrate.
Naturally when we got home, I made a few phone calls to share my joy, and completely forgot to take the filo out of the freezer. Shit! So Lee and I did the 'stuff it, lets celebrate, what can we get with not much money' and stumbled on a pizza. Terrible, twice in a week, but oh so delicious.
It is now nearly 5am, I have been up for two hours, so regretting the beer and pizza, whoops. Looks like today is a salad day.... will update y'all later on. Gotta get my health focus on today!
Peace out xxx
Yesterday, BAU (grapefruit & ryvita). Some nuts at work, was starving by lunch time, Lee picked me up and whisked me away to the park and we scoffed chicken pitas. DELICIOUS! I came back with a big round belly and felt uncomfortable in my stockings and skirt. Sometimes stretchy pants are necessary!
In the afternoon I found out that I got the job I went for last week, and I am super excited about it. I finished at 3 pm (starting work at 7am has its perks) so head straight to the pub where I had several pints to celebrate.
Naturally when we got home, I made a few phone calls to share my joy, and completely forgot to take the filo out of the freezer. Shit! So Lee and I did the 'stuff it, lets celebrate, what can we get with not much money' and stumbled on a pizza. Terrible, twice in a week, but oh so delicious.
It is now nearly 5am, I have been up for two hours, so regretting the beer and pizza, whoops. Looks like today is a salad day.... will update y'all later on. Gotta get my health focus on today!
Peace out xxx
April 25, 2011
Oh my gosh, the shame, the shame! At about 10pm last night, while Lee was at work, I got a hankering for a hamburger. Messaging Lee I quickly found out so did he. Ten minutes later he is in the driveway with a Big Mac for me. Whoops. I looked at it for a good 20 seconds, picked it up, and 20 seconds later it was gone. Not even sure I ate it to be honest!
I hated McDonalds for so many years and still find it a little repulsive, but after having a 'I cant eat any more rice' Big Mac in China, and finding it tasted nothing short of amazing, it appears I am back on the bandwagon. Its was actually my first maccas in over 5 months, so not actually that bad, but shame on me really, especially within days of having a pizza binge.
For breakfast I had grapefruit and a peanut butter ryvita. At work I ate some nuts, and had left over pasta sans Mez Egg for lunch.
Got home, starving, was meant to make filo parcels for dinner but didn't take out the filo in time so will make them tomorrow instead. So we ended up ordering in, just waiting for it to arrive. I ordered a dumpling soup, and some spring rolls. Mmmmm. C'mon already!
On the scale of take out, dumpling soup is not so bad, but the pattern emerges and the famous words 'going to get back to it tomorrow' have been uttered. But honestly, it will, we will be back on it tomorrow.....
At least my blog is serving the purpose in identifying patterns, being honest about everything I eat is pretty tough.
Vickie and Andrew are en route for their new home in Thailand today (Aus time). Thinking of them, what an amazing adventure, after three months travel, they returned to Aus, packed up their stuff and planned their move to Chiang Mai. Just imagine their eating opportunities! I am salivating right now.
I hated McDonalds for so many years and still find it a little repulsive, but after having a 'I cant eat any more rice' Big Mac in China, and finding it tasted nothing short of amazing, it appears I am back on the bandwagon. Its was actually my first maccas in over 5 months, so not actually that bad, but shame on me really, especially within days of having a pizza binge.
For breakfast I had grapefruit and a peanut butter ryvita. At work I ate some nuts, and had left over pasta sans Mez Egg for lunch.
Got home, starving, was meant to make filo parcels for dinner but didn't take out the filo in time so will make them tomorrow instead. So we ended up ordering in, just waiting for it to arrive. I ordered a dumpling soup, and some spring rolls. Mmmmm. C'mon already!
On the scale of take out, dumpling soup is not so bad, but the pattern emerges and the famous words 'going to get back to it tomorrow' have been uttered. But honestly, it will, we will be back on it tomorrow.....
At least my blog is serving the purpose in identifying patterns, being honest about everything I eat is pretty tough.
Vickie and Andrew are en route for their new home in Thailand today (Aus time). Thinking of them, what an amazing adventure, after three months travel, they returned to Aus, packed up their stuff and planned their move to Chiang Mai. Just imagine their eating opportunities! I am salivating right now.
April 24, 2011 - Dinner
The pesto came out great, the pasta was delicious, and the Mez Egg was an absolute treat! Shaved some parmigiano reggiano on top, with some cracked pepper, voila:
Stuffed now, so full. Worth it though, plus Lee was a huge fan. I think next time I need to add pancetta in the mix (or even crisp up some prosciutto and crumble on top of the egg) and poach the egg for a little less time so it is more runny. Mmmmm.
Stuffed now, so full. Worth it though, plus Lee was a huge fan. I think next time I need to add pancetta in the mix (or even crisp up some prosciutto and crumble on top of the egg) and poach the egg for a little less time so it is more runny. Mmmmm.
April 24, 2011
First thing I ate when I woke up was chocolate. Now come on people, don't you judge me, I think that was a global breakfast, no?! Well to be fair it was only two little eggs, not really going to feel guilty after that.
For actual breakfast I ate the rest of the grapefruit and a peanut butter ryvita. We are out of coffee, so will have to send Lee off during the week when he is off work to go get some more.
For lunch I had a massive left over pork sandwich with coleslaw & tomato sauce, check out this bad boy:
Loving this healthy slaw, thanks for the inspiration, G-Ram!
The plan for dinner is sundried tomato pesto fettuccine. I cant make it just yet as Lee is asleep at the food processor isn't exactly a low soothing humming machine. I have basil, and some walnuts also, so will blitz that up with some olive oil, garlic & parmesan and a touch of salt and that should do it. Stir through with some low fat sour cream, and possibly a Mez Egg.
For actual breakfast I ate the rest of the grapefruit and a peanut butter ryvita. We are out of coffee, so will have to send Lee off during the week when he is off work to go get some more.
For lunch I had a massive left over pork sandwich with coleslaw & tomato sauce, check out this bad boy:
Loving this healthy slaw, thanks for the inspiration, G-Ram!
The plan for dinner is sundried tomato pesto fettuccine. I cant make it just yet as Lee is asleep at the food processor isn't exactly a low soothing humming machine. I have basil, and some walnuts also, so will blitz that up with some olive oil, garlic & parmesan and a touch of salt and that should do it. Stir through with some low fat sour cream, and possibly a Mez Egg.
April 23, 2011
This morning was a little different, I mentioned yesterday that I need to change my grapefruit method, so I did. I cut it up like my mum does, and threw in some strawberries:
Much better and easier to eat, and not much more effort to cut it this way instead of wedges. I do like it better this way. It's true, mums always do know best!
I also ate a ryvita with natural peanut butter on the side. The good thing about this is it keeps me fuller longer, we have trialled this at length and the smidge of peanut butter really keeps us going until lunch. I am still pretty hungry by lunch though, and how I eat my lunch is more like attacking it. Anyway, apparently I am meant to keep up the mono unsaturated fats when I eat carbs. Seeds, nuts, natural nut butters, olives, avocado, oils, etc. It's tough!
For lunch I had a pastrami sandwich on light rye, with seeded mustard and pickle relish, and a slice of jalapeño havarti. Mmmmm. I sent Lee off to work with a mega version it was that good.
Dinner was really good, our favourite chipotle pork loin with healthy slaw and some asparagus. Bloody delicious! I felt a bit inspired by the weather, and while we don't have a bbq (yet), went with the theme. Soooo good.
I cut my finger badly today doing the dishes, was washing my uber sharp santoku knife and it sliced through the top of my finger. Disgusting. So I feel like a bit of a leper typing and doing ordinary house stuff. Frustrating, I keep bashing it against things like doors, fridges, plates, etc and it just opens it up again and bam, bloody central. Its not my first bad cut, and certainly wont be the last, but it doesn't make me any less of a sook!
Much better and easier to eat, and not much more effort to cut it this way instead of wedges. I do like it better this way. It's true, mums always do know best!
I also ate a ryvita with natural peanut butter on the side. The good thing about this is it keeps me fuller longer, we have trialled this at length and the smidge of peanut butter really keeps us going until lunch. I am still pretty hungry by lunch though, and how I eat my lunch is more like attacking it. Anyway, apparently I am meant to keep up the mono unsaturated fats when I eat carbs. Seeds, nuts, natural nut butters, olives, avocado, oils, etc. It's tough!
For lunch I had a pastrami sandwich on light rye, with seeded mustard and pickle relish, and a slice of jalapeño havarti. Mmmmm. I sent Lee off to work with a mega version it was that good.
Dinner was really good, our favourite chipotle pork loin with healthy slaw and some asparagus. Bloody delicious! I felt a bit inspired by the weather, and while we don't have a bbq (yet), went with the theme. Soooo good.
I cut my finger badly today doing the dishes, was washing my uber sharp santoku knife and it sliced through the top of my finger. Disgusting. So I feel like a bit of a leper typing and doing ordinary house stuff. Frustrating, I keep bashing it against things like doors, fridges, plates, etc and it just opens it up again and bam, bloody central. Its not my first bad cut, and certainly wont be the last, but it doesn't make me any less of a sook!
April 22, 2011
After last nights pizza calorie fest it was time to get back on the health wagon. But man it was sooooo good, I would have taken a picture but once again my drooling and hunger factor interfered with my memory until it was too late.
For breakfast this morning I had a ryvita with natural peanut butter, and skipped the grapefruit. I just couldn't be bothered. After eating it for so many years I think its time to change my method, I might cut it up into a fruit salad like my mum does. Easier to eat, can prep ahead, making mornings quicker. Plus I can throw in some fresh berries if I want. Nice.
I gotta say, lunch was awesome. I poached some salmon, blanched some asparagus, made a leafy salad with some gorgeously red radishes (I look at them with dreamy eyes at the pretty colour, they might as well have a diamond-encrusted exterior). And to top it off, I added a poached egg. I made a dressing this time - orange & lemon juice and rind, spring onions, vinegar & a drizzle of olive oil. Super food eat your heart out.
I had never poached fish before, so this is good news. I am already thinking about future possibilities.
For dinner we went veg, I made a shiitake mushroom and tofu rice dish. I kinda followed a recipe, and actually think I should have followed it more closely rather than just 'winging it'. For example, the short grain white rice was a bad idea. It tasted good but was pretty gluggy, the brown rice would have been much better. I even think the long grain brown would have worked better than this. Also, the recipe said to use dried shiitake but I used fresh, next time will definitely go with dried.
Still, this is what it looked like, and was pretty good, and up there on the healthy factor, so there you have it.
There is still one week left to vote for the fishy dish, so if you haven't already done so, please do. Looks like the quinoa paella is out by a long shot but wont count my chickens just yet. Whatever wins should be fun to make!
For breakfast this morning I had a ryvita with natural peanut butter, and skipped the grapefruit. I just couldn't be bothered. After eating it for so many years I think its time to change my method, I might cut it up into a fruit salad like my mum does. Easier to eat, can prep ahead, making mornings quicker. Plus I can throw in some fresh berries if I want. Nice.
I gotta say, lunch was awesome. I poached some salmon, blanched some asparagus, made a leafy salad with some gorgeously red radishes (I look at them with dreamy eyes at the pretty colour, they might as well have a diamond-encrusted exterior). And to top it off, I added a poached egg. I made a dressing this time - orange & lemon juice and rind, spring onions, vinegar & a drizzle of olive oil. Super food eat your heart out.
I had never poached fish before, so this is good news. I am already thinking about future possibilities.
For dinner we went veg, I made a shiitake mushroom and tofu rice dish. I kinda followed a recipe, and actually think I should have followed it more closely rather than just 'winging it'. For example, the short grain white rice was a bad idea. It tasted good but was pretty gluggy, the brown rice would have been much better. I even think the long grain brown would have worked better than this. Also, the recipe said to use dried shiitake but I used fresh, next time will definitely go with dried.
Still, this is what it looked like, and was pretty good, and up there on the healthy factor, so there you have it.
There is still one week left to vote for the fishy dish, so if you haven't already done so, please do. Looks like the quinoa paella is out by a long shot but wont count my chickens just yet. Whatever wins should be fun to make!
April 21, 2011
Right so I was lazy again this morning and only ate a peanut butter ryvita for breakfast. Terrible. Although extremely tasty.
At work I ate some nuts in the morning, and then for lunch I had my salad and yogurt, it looked like this:
The salad was lettuce, red cabbage, cucumber, yellow capsicum, olives and goats cheese. Seriously lacking in the meat department. It was still good though, and I am loving my 'naked' salads, but I felt like I needed more substance today. The time between lunch o'clock and dinner was insanely long.
Had a few beers after 'work' with the temp crew today from Sun Life (well, I am sure one of many temp crews, but the immediate crew I work with). The menus at the place looked really good so I came home in a grump that I had to poach some salmon. Even though it would be tasty, its definitely not what I feel like!
Lee is back on night shift tonight so he is taking pizza into work, and that got my saliva glands going, so he got me a one too. Bless! So much for no pizza, but f!$% it!
So the poached salmon is for tomorrow, it will be good actually, a nice salmon salad with radishes and asparagus, and maybe an egg or something. Mmmm. Also bought some short grain rice, I have long grain brown rice and was in the market for short grain brown rice but stuffed if I could find it anywhere. Went with white, but sure the dish is going to be a treat - aiming for tofu and shiitake mushroom rice with spinach. Should be good.
At work I ate some nuts in the morning, and then for lunch I had my salad and yogurt, it looked like this:
The salad was lettuce, red cabbage, cucumber, yellow capsicum, olives and goats cheese. Seriously lacking in the meat department. It was still good though, and I am loving my 'naked' salads, but I felt like I needed more substance today. The time between lunch o'clock and dinner was insanely long.
Had a few beers after 'work' with the temp crew today from Sun Life (well, I am sure one of many temp crews, but the immediate crew I work with). The menus at the place looked really good so I came home in a grump that I had to poach some salmon. Even though it would be tasty, its definitely not what I feel like!
Lee is back on night shift tonight so he is taking pizza into work, and that got my saliva glands going, so he got me a one too. Bless! So much for no pizza, but f!$% it!
So the poached salmon is for tomorrow, it will be good actually, a nice salmon salad with radishes and asparagus, and maybe an egg or something. Mmmm. Also bought some short grain rice, I have long grain brown rice and was in the market for short grain brown rice but stuffed if I could find it anywhere. Went with white, but sure the dish is going to be a treat - aiming for tofu and shiitake mushroom rice with spinach. Should be good.
April 20, 2011
This morning I finally got around to my grapefruit again, my trusty staple of over 8 years, and only because Lee precut it for me! I am not lazy... much... I am just cut for time in the morning, as I have to walk in and I start at 7:30am.
I also had the ryvita, and a coffee. Coffee helps. I know that now.
It was hard to get up today, there was a hellish storm last night around 2:30am which woke me up for a few hours. Sensational storm!
At around 10am I ate a banana, and when lunch finally came around I had a small salad of lettuce, red cabbage, some capsicum and some olives. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, so I was starving by 1pm. I ate some rice snack things (seriously, I don't know what to call them, they are like mini rice cakes), and when I got home I was still hungry. And pissed off, I had an uber shit day.
So Lee and I went out and had a drink and ordered a quesadilla and randomly some chicken wings. It was only a snack but a good sized snack that got us through to whatever dinner was supposed to be. Chicken wings though... shame on me....
So dinner. It turns out it wasn't what I planned as I didn't have the right stuff (short grain brown rice) so we had some edamame and then afterwards had a sandwich. Low key, no fuss. Done.
No photos, cant be bothered. Tomorrow I think I might be poaching some salmon, so stay tuned.
I also had the ryvita, and a coffee. Coffee helps. I know that now.
It was hard to get up today, there was a hellish storm last night around 2:30am which woke me up for a few hours. Sensational storm!
At around 10am I ate a banana, and when lunch finally came around I had a small salad of lettuce, red cabbage, some capsicum and some olives. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, so I was starving by 1pm. I ate some rice snack things (seriously, I don't know what to call them, they are like mini rice cakes), and when I got home I was still hungry. And pissed off, I had an uber shit day.
So Lee and I went out and had a drink and ordered a quesadilla and randomly some chicken wings. It was only a snack but a good sized snack that got us through to whatever dinner was supposed to be. Chicken wings though... shame on me....
So dinner. It turns out it wasn't what I planned as I didn't have the right stuff (short grain brown rice) so we had some edamame and then afterwards had a sandwich. Low key, no fuss. Done.
No photos, cant be bothered. Tomorrow I think I might be poaching some salmon, so stay tuned.
April 19, 2011 - Dinner
Prime Rib. Oh my gosh, best $10 I have ever spent! Well, not really, but it was good. Love sale prime rib!
This is what it looked like, I served it with a salad and some smashed sweet potato & parsnip mixed with some seeded mustard.
Those who know me very well will know what happened next, and wont judge me. Well, not to my face anyway. Those who don't really know me very well or at all, its too soon to let you know what happened with this:
This is what it looked like, I served it with a salad and some smashed sweet potato & parsnip mixed with some seeded mustard.
Those who know me very well will know what happened next, and wont judge me. Well, not to my face anyway. Those who don't really know me very well or at all, its too soon to let you know what happened with this:
April 19, 2011
This morning was another ryvita, I need to curb that habit and get back into my grapefruit or have something more substantial.
I didn't eat until after 12, had the last two cabbage rolls, and that was it.
Right now there is prime rib in the oven, sweet potato mash in the makin', and a bowl of yummy salad waiting.
My gosh I am starving! Its been a big day so my big glass of wine is justified. I will update with a pic of dinner later, too famished to type....
I didn't eat until after 12, had the last two cabbage rolls, and that was it.
Right now there is prime rib in the oven, sweet potato mash in the makin', and a bowl of yummy salad waiting.
My gosh I am starving! Its been a big day so my big glass of wine is justified. I will update with a pic of dinner later, too famished to type....
April 18, 2011
Last night I got the munchies and snacked on a small pastrami and mustard sandwich. Probably shouldn't have but cant fight the munchies!
This morning I had a ryvita with peanut butter for breakfast, once again skipping the grapefruit. Bad form on my part. I ate some nuts in the morning at work, and a yogurt.
Lunch was this and it was awesome:
No no, they were not both for me, one was Lee's! Cabbage roll, veggies and tucson bean salad.
Deeee-lish-uuhs.
In the afternoon I ate an apple and some rice snack things, and for dinner I had two cabbage rolls. There wasn't any of the other stuff left over but thats ok, was yum on its own. Although I did add some garlic tabasco, gave it a small kick which was well received I must say.
Some how another thingie of ice cream made it into our freezer so we snacked on that after dinner. Damn you tasty ice cream! Has pecans, brownies, chocolate fudge and caramel mixed up with smooth vanilla ice cream. *drool*.
This morning I had a ryvita with peanut butter for breakfast, once again skipping the grapefruit. Bad form on my part. I ate some nuts in the morning at work, and a yogurt.
Lunch was this and it was awesome:
No no, they were not both for me, one was Lee's! Cabbage roll, veggies and tucson bean salad.
Deeee-lish-uuhs.
In the afternoon I ate an apple and some rice snack things, and for dinner I had two cabbage rolls. There wasn't any of the other stuff left over but thats ok, was yum on its own. Although I did add some garlic tabasco, gave it a small kick which was well received I must say.
Some how another thingie of ice cream made it into our freezer so we snacked on that after dinner. Damn you tasty ice cream! Has pecans, brownies, chocolate fudge and caramel mixed up with smooth vanilla ice cream. *drool*.
April 17, 2011
Had a ryvita with peanut butter and a coffee for breakfast. Not much but its all I felt like.
Lee and I went to do the grocery shopping, and decided to have a bite to eat while we were out. I had a chicken wrap, and shamefully, some chips, but they were soooooo gooooood! Lee helped me eat some of them, and the rest we left behind.
Have been rather productive today with study, shopping and cooking. For dinner we had something a bit random, baked chicken cabbage rolls. I didn't have a recipe, I just 'winged it'.
This is what it looked like:
And I gotta say, f@$!ing yum! I made the chicken mix by blitzing garlic, celery, and chicken mince with an egg in The President. I made something not unlike a ratatouille (although a bit heavier on the tomato side) to serve it upon, and some roasted tomatoes in the dish with the rolls. I also figured why not and added made a bechamel sauce to chuck on top, as its lacking in anything heavy.
Next time I think just roasted veg (maybe some eggplant) on rice, or even serve them in a tomato soup of some sort. Either way, my gosh tasty as. We have them for lunch tonight, and dinner tomorrow. Not bad for $2.37 of lean minced chicken eh?
Next time I think just roasted veg (maybe some eggplant) on rice, or even serve them in a tomato soup of some sort. Either way, my gosh tasty as. We have them for lunch tonight, and dinner tomorrow. Not bad for $2.37 of lean minced chicken eh?
April 16, 2011
This morning Jad made us omelets, which were delicious as always, he has a way with eggs I have to say!
For lunch we were uninspired and didn't have the energy to do the grocery shopping so we got grilled chicken pitas again. They are sooooo good, and were instant pick me ups. Although we then went for a lie down which turned into a mega nap, now I feel like we are running behind in all that needs to be done.
This afternoon I did some menu planning for the upcoming week, healthy treats is still the main focus and I am going to try a few new things.
We didn't feel like a big meal tonight so we thought a snacky type arrangement to pick at would be the best option. I made some mushroom dip and some bruschetta, we have some left over bean salad from last night and some bread and pastrami if we get hungry later. No fuss, no big deal, perfect. I am stoked with the tomatoes, they were on special and they are so red, ripe and sweet, beautiful.
We passed a bag of mini dark chocolate peppermint cups in the supermarket, and nearly bought them but decided against it. While it might have been a good decision, I really wish we had them right now. DOH!
For lunch we were uninspired and didn't have the energy to do the grocery shopping so we got grilled chicken pitas again. They are sooooo good, and were instant pick me ups. Although we then went for a lie down which turned into a mega nap, now I feel like we are running behind in all that needs to be done.
This afternoon I did some menu planning for the upcoming week, healthy treats is still the main focus and I am going to try a few new things.
We didn't feel like a big meal tonight so we thought a snacky type arrangement to pick at would be the best option. I made some mushroom dip and some bruschetta, we have some left over bean salad from last night and some bread and pastrami if we get hungry later. No fuss, no big deal, perfect. I am stoked with the tomatoes, they were on special and they are so red, ripe and sweet, beautiful.
We passed a bag of mini dark chocolate peppermint cups in the supermarket, and nearly bought them but decided against it. While it might have been a good decision, I really wish we had them right now. DOH!
April 15, 2011
Playing a bit of catch up here.... lets see...
We head to the McGregor's for the evening and dinner was great! We started with some exceptional cheeses Krista bought (there was a caramalised onion cheddar, a mango and ginger stilton and not sure what the other one was, but it was tasty!). There were also dips and crackers, delicious and I couldn't stop constantly pecking at it. Gotta love a snack platter.
Yesterday morning I was bad. I skipped breakfast and head straight in to work. I ate an apple and some nuts but was starving by 10am so I purchased a banana muffin. It was soooo good, but wont be doing that again, I can't imagine it to be very healthy.
For lunch I had a cabbage salad left over from the night before and was famished by the time I got home. We had a lot to do, so eating was postponed until after we got everything sorted.
We head to the McGregor's for the evening and dinner was great! We started with some exceptional cheeses Krista bought (there was a caramalised onion cheddar, a mango and ginger stilton and not sure what the other one was, but it was tasty!). There were also dips and crackers, delicious and I couldn't stop constantly pecking at it. Gotta love a snack platter.
For dinner we had fillet steak on the bbq with mushrooms (Jad makes amazing tasting mushrooms) a baked potato with sour cream & chives, some coleslaw and a bean salad we picked up on the way. YUMMO. Great food, great wine and great company, a fun evening!
April 14, 2011
Oh man, what a polly wolly crappy day.
Let me start with last night.... Dinner was awesome. But it left us hungry two hours later. So I had a bright idea and came up with 'pizza toast'. Rye bread, tomato base, ham, olives and a small amount of cheese, then grilled and with a splash (or a whole lot of splashes) of garlic tobasco. OH MY GOSH they were yum!
It made us feel good cos they were not pizzas, but still, tasted amazing and well, it left us on a high.
This morning sucked. The coffee machine hated me, grapefruit was being difficult so I had two ryvitas with peanut butter and said 'stuff you' to the rest.
The walk into work sucked, work sucked, the handful of nuts I ate sucked, but lunch came around and I had left over soup which was really yummy. Although I gotta say the soba noodles were a bit mushy.
Tried to eat an apple this afternoon but it was rank, so I chucked it in the bin and said 'that sucks!'.
After my sucky day at work, Lee picked me up and we went for a beer in the sun, and it was bliss. Made up for every shitty sucky thing that happened today. So I had another one and we ate some spinach dip. Mmmmm.
Dinner tonight was chicken fillets and salad. I stuffed the chicken with left over spinach pesto mixed with goats cheese, naturally it leaked all out the sides when I baked it but I was counting on that, Yummo. Also inside was a slice of smoked ham. I made a salad of lettuce, tomato, capsicum, red cabbage and olives with some shaved parmesan on top. Doesn't look like much because my care factor was out-shined by my hunger factor. Shame Lee fell asleep before dinner, it was delicious! I hope its as good cold or reheated, poor husbandman adjusting from shift work.
Let me start with last night.... Dinner was awesome. But it left us hungry two hours later. So I had a bright idea and came up with 'pizza toast'. Rye bread, tomato base, ham, olives and a small amount of cheese, then grilled and with a splash (or a whole lot of splashes) of garlic tobasco. OH MY GOSH they were yum!
It made us feel good cos they were not pizzas, but still, tasted amazing and well, it left us on a high.
This morning sucked. The coffee machine hated me, grapefruit was being difficult so I had two ryvitas with peanut butter and said 'stuff you' to the rest.
The walk into work sucked, work sucked, the handful of nuts I ate sucked, but lunch came around and I had left over soup which was really yummy. Although I gotta say the soba noodles were a bit mushy.
Tried to eat an apple this afternoon but it was rank, so I chucked it in the bin and said 'that sucks!'.
After my sucky day at work, Lee picked me up and we went for a beer in the sun, and it was bliss. Made up for every shitty sucky thing that happened today. So I had another one and we ate some spinach dip. Mmmmm.
Dinner tonight was chicken fillets and salad. I stuffed the chicken with left over spinach pesto mixed with goats cheese, naturally it leaked all out the sides when I baked it but I was counting on that, Yummo. Also inside was a slice of smoked ham. I made a salad of lettuce, tomato, capsicum, red cabbage and olives with some shaved parmesan on top. Doesn't look like much because my care factor was out-shined by my hunger factor. Shame Lee fell asleep before dinner, it was delicious! I hope its as good cold or reheated, poor husbandman adjusting from shift work.
April 13, 2011
This morning I couldn't face grapefruit so I had two ryvitas with natural peanut butter instead. And a strong black coffee. Gave me the kick start I needed to get into work.
At work I ate some nuts and some more of the bbq rice snack thingies, and for lunch I had left over pasta. Wasn't as good as it was fresh, which is odd because I usually love reheated pasta, but it was still good and got me through until dinner time... as did the additional snacking on those rice things.
Dinner was awesome. I made soba noodle soup with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. Seriously, it was the shizzle. Will definitely make this again. Plus I love the opportunity to use my Santoku Asian knife Lee bought for me. It really is a joy to chop with.
At work I ate some nuts and some more of the bbq rice snack thingies, and for lunch I had left over pasta. Wasn't as good as it was fresh, which is odd because I usually love reheated pasta, but it was still good and got me through until dinner time... as did the additional snacking on those rice things.
Dinner was awesome. I made soba noodle soup with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. Seriously, it was the shizzle. Will definitely make this again. Plus I love the opportunity to use my Santoku Asian knife Lee bought for me. It really is a joy to chop with.
April 12, 2011 - Dinner
The pasta was awesome. I made the pesto with spinach, pecans, garlic and olive oil, some parmesan cheese and a little salt.
I cooked up the fettuccine, stirred through the pesto with a spoon of low fat sour cream and threw on some steamed broccoli and cracked pepper. Both of us demolished it, and there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I cooked up the fettuccine, stirred through the pesto with a spoon of low fat sour cream and threw on some steamed broccoli and cracked pepper. Both of us demolished it, and there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Tasty tasty stuff. If I didn't have two eggs yesterday, I think a poached egg would have rocked this pastas world, a la Mez style. Next time Mez!
April 12, 2011
Well this morning I had the usual breakfast, then had the usual handful of nuts when at work before lunch.
My lunch was the usual salad, but had something a bit different as a snack after lunch - bbq rice crackers. Tasty stuff, and a perfect snack. Still have 2/3 of a bag left, so that should see me through to the end of the week.
Also, I am making something different (however not unusual) for dinner. Fettuccine with spinach & pecan pesto. I am not sure yet, but I think I might mix it up with some broccoli somewhere. Will update later on.
For now, I am utterly spent so chilling out until Lee has to go to work. Last night of night shift for 8 days, hoorah!
My lunch was the usual salad, but had something a bit different as a snack after lunch - bbq rice crackers. Tasty stuff, and a perfect snack. Still have 2/3 of a bag left, so that should see me through to the end of the week.
Also, I am making something different (however not unusual) for dinner. Fettuccine with spinach & pecan pesto. I am not sure yet, but I think I might mix it up with some broccoli somewhere. Will update later on.
For now, I am utterly spent so chilling out until Lee has to go to work. Last night of night shift for 8 days, hoorah!
April 11, 2011
Well, lets see. This morning I had grapefruit and a ryvita before heading off on my walk to work. Managed to catch Lee on his way home from work half way which was the best 5 seconds of my morning!
Ate some nuts at work, my lunch was a salad of lettuce, tomato, capsicum, cucumber and olives with goats cheese. Had a yogurt after lunch, so I wasn't really hungry until after my walk home, I was suddenly famished!
So I ate half a slice of Lee's lasagna, sorry Lee.
For dinner I had a bowl of borscht, which funnily enough was at 5:30pm. I followed it with some steamed asparagus with poached eggs, a slice of rye toast and some crushed pecans at about 8pm. Delicious, although I still cant work out if I ate too much, I don't feel like I did but it sounds like a lot....
Plans for tonight - more study and more reading about Chinese cooking. That's it.
Ate some nuts at work, my lunch was a salad of lettuce, tomato, capsicum, cucumber and olives with goats cheese. Had a yogurt after lunch, so I wasn't really hungry until after my walk home, I was suddenly famished!
So I ate half a slice of Lee's lasagna, sorry Lee.
For dinner I had a bowl of borscht, which funnily enough was at 5:30pm. I followed it with some steamed asparagus with poached eggs, a slice of rye toast and some crushed pecans at about 8pm. Delicious, although I still cant work out if I ate too much, I don't feel like I did but it sounds like a lot....
Plans for tonight - more study and more reading about Chinese cooking. That's it.
April 10, 2011 - update and a lesson in borscht
Well... lesson learned. It came time to puree the borscht so I scooped it into The President and there was an incident, an incident that wouldn't have happened with Madge, and would only happen when using staining ingredients like beetroot and red cabbage. You see, in typical presidential style, too many promises were made up front that he was unable to deliver on.
UPDATE: After some Kung Fu Panda action, I mustered up the energy and made the satay chicken skewers. And I am glad I did. I baked them but could easily chuck them on a grill of some sort. The salad was Chinese cabbage, ribbon cucumber, orange capsicum and spring onion with some parsley. Bloody delicious.
Basically it leaked. The liquid went up under the blade and out the hole in the middle. This would never happen with my old magimix, the centre was longer and the blade fitted better so you could fill her right up.
There was borscht everywhere, and now all our tea towels and dish clothes are stained pink. No biggie really but a royal pain in the arse.
So I reached for the blender and pureed it that way. I wanted to keep it thick, and really if I had cut the veggies up smaller in the beginning I would have been able to keep it rough and chunky, no President Fail or multiple sharp dishes to do. Ah well, next time.
It really is a delicious soup though, even if I was sick of the sight of it when I got around to the consumption ritual. Check it out, I added a dollop of light sour cream and it was such a pretty colour.
I also made Lee's lasagna for work. Its all meat and veg, and I have to say my bechamel sauce was a winner, for some reason it rocked today, and the fragrance of the nutmeg just sent me over the moon! Pity I wont be eating it. I think there are two things missing from this lasagna. Cheese (other than the parmesan I grated over the top) and mushrooms. Other than that its chockers full of veg and should give Lee the energy he will need to get through his 12 hour night shift.
Next stop is meant to be chicken satay, but I dunno if its going to happen, I am knackered!
UPDATE: After some Kung Fu Panda action, I mustered up the energy and made the satay chicken skewers. And I am glad I did. I baked them but could easily chuck them on a grill of some sort. The salad was Chinese cabbage, ribbon cucumber, orange capsicum and spring onion with some parsley. Bloody delicious.
April 10, 2011
Well I ended up not having chicken casserole for dinner last night, the small amount of cheese got me through and I ate a cabbage salad chaser around 8 . Was delicious, really digging cabbage at the moment.
This morning for breakfast I had a yogurt with nuts, a coffee, and a peanut butter ryvita. It's weird because I know this isn't much food but it really filled me up.
Big plans today - 3 to 4 hours of study, cooking borscht right now, satay chicken for a late lunch/early dinner and a lasagna for Lee to eat at work tonight, and then some reading on Chinese cooking traditions. I might try to throw in an additional healthy snack to keep us both going. We were going to go for a run but it has been horrific weather with hail storms and thunder, and when I say horrific I really mean awesome! Loving it, all the windows are open as its about 18 degrees and lovely.
Will update with food pics later on....
This morning for breakfast I had a yogurt with nuts, a coffee, and a peanut butter ryvita. It's weird because I know this isn't much food but it really filled me up.
Big plans today - 3 to 4 hours of study, cooking borscht right now, satay chicken for a late lunch/early dinner and a lasagna for Lee to eat at work tonight, and then some reading on Chinese cooking traditions. I might try to throw in an additional healthy snack to keep us both going. We were going to go for a run but it has been horrific weather with hail storms and thunder, and when I say horrific I really mean awesome! Loving it, all the windows are open as its about 18 degrees and lovely.
Will update with food pics later on....
April 09, 2011
This morning I had a ryvita for breakfast, and that was it, terrible I know. I was secretly desiring poached eggs on thick white toast with bacon and spinach smothered in hollandaise but did what I could with what I had.
While Lee was sleeping I was plotting ways I could convince him to go out for lunch and maybe devour some ribs or have some sort of meatventure. However we had the chicken casserole I made and it was bloody delicious. I made some polenta for mine, didn't really need it, but was tasty anyway. Lee and I are eating at different times and I am finding that rather difficult, but never mind.
This is what my lunch looked like:
Aaaaaannnd thats pretty much what dinner looks like too! For now though we are snacking on some cheese & dip. I was going to make Team Helson Fishy Dip but the tinned salmon was rank and contained all the bones, including the spine, GROSS. Plus it was in oil (didn't say on the can, disappointment plus), so I made up a cheese dip instead - low fat cream cheese, chives, garlic & paprika with some goats cheese mixed in. Delicious. We have a French chaumes and some German maribo walnut cheese. Both awesome.
I have been menu planning for the upcoming week, and things are looking good. The President will get a workout and so will my creativity. Let the games begin!
While Lee was sleeping I was plotting ways I could convince him to go out for lunch and maybe devour some ribs or have some sort of meatventure. However we had the chicken casserole I made and it was bloody delicious. I made some polenta for mine, didn't really need it, but was tasty anyway. Lee and I are eating at different times and I am finding that rather difficult, but never mind.
This is what my lunch looked like:
Aaaaaannnd thats pretty much what dinner looks like too! For now though we are snacking on some cheese & dip. I was going to make Team Helson Fishy Dip but the tinned salmon was rank and contained all the bones, including the spine, GROSS. Plus it was in oil (didn't say on the can, disappointment plus), so I made up a cheese dip instead - low fat cream cheese, chives, garlic & paprika with some goats cheese mixed in. Delicious. We have a French chaumes and some German maribo walnut cheese. Both awesome.
I have been menu planning for the upcoming week, and things are looking good. The President will get a workout and so will my creativity. Let the games begin!
April 08, 2011
Right, time for a few more feshions me thinks...
Firstly, Sober April (which I lovingly nicknamed Sobril) had some rule changes. Firstly it was changed back to No Beer April, which was where it began, but we decided on a whim to change it to Sobril. But yesterday we changed it back officially, and we embarked on a lovely bottle of red. The second rule change, well... you don't need to be a genius to figure this one out if you know us.... we changed the No Beer rule to No Beer In The House rule. Let me start at the beginning...
This morning I got up earlier than normal, I was planning later than normal (due to above mentioned bottle of wine) but woke up and figured it was better go get out of bed before the alarm so it wouldn't wake Lee up. Lee is off 12 hour day shift atm, and as of Sunday 7pm he is on 12 hour night shifts.
Unfortunately I woke him up anyway, whoops. Breakfast was grapefruit as usual, and my 3km walk to work. I skipped the ryvita this morning cos I had a yogurt and some nuts packed to enjoy at my leisure when at work. Or so was the plan.
For lunch Lee went to Vincenzos and got us some sandwiches (mine was rare beef, onion, lettuce, olives and pesto mayo on rye), came and picked me up and we drove to a park and scoffed them before he had to drive me back. I only get half an hour for lunch so it was a rushed job, but fantastic none the less. And scoffed in record time, so I didn't get a chance to stop myself and take a photo.
I didn't get to my nuts or my yogurt today so when Lee came to get me after work we were starving. We had a trip to the Beer Store to return some empty bottles planned, and well, it went a little down hill after that.... We went to Moose Winooskies, had a pint, and ended up sharing an artichoke and spinach dip (yeah, we didn't like this at all, hardly touched it....), and then I had a Thai chicken salad with raw shiitake mushrooms with no carrot or crispy noodles. The carrot was my choice, the noodles was the chefs choice, but I went with it. It was really spicy actually and tasty, but now stuffed to the eyeballs and my chicken casserole from yesterday is sitting lovingly and neglected in the fridge. Lunch tomorrow is gonna rock!
This weekend I am going to make satay chicken skewers, and going to have a crack at borscht, as I have some raw beets that need attending to, as you do. I will also make a lasagna for Lee for work.
Other than that, there may or may not be a box of girl scout cookies we bought out of sympathy sitting on the bench that may or may not be consumed... Will let you know tomorrow.
Firstly, Sober April (which I lovingly nicknamed Sobril) had some rule changes. Firstly it was changed back to No Beer April, which was where it began, but we decided on a whim to change it to Sobril. But yesterday we changed it back officially, and we embarked on a lovely bottle of red. The second rule change, well... you don't need to be a genius to figure this one out if you know us.... we changed the No Beer rule to No Beer In The House rule. Let me start at the beginning...
This morning I got up earlier than normal, I was planning later than normal (due to above mentioned bottle of wine) but woke up and figured it was better go get out of bed before the alarm so it wouldn't wake Lee up. Lee is off 12 hour day shift atm, and as of Sunday 7pm he is on 12 hour night shifts.
Unfortunately I woke him up anyway, whoops. Breakfast was grapefruit as usual, and my 3km walk to work. I skipped the ryvita this morning cos I had a yogurt and some nuts packed to enjoy at my leisure when at work. Or so was the plan.
For lunch Lee went to Vincenzos and got us some sandwiches (mine was rare beef, onion, lettuce, olives and pesto mayo on rye), came and picked me up and we drove to a park and scoffed them before he had to drive me back. I only get half an hour for lunch so it was a rushed job, but fantastic none the less. And scoffed in record time, so I didn't get a chance to stop myself and take a photo.
I didn't get to my nuts or my yogurt today so when Lee came to get me after work we were starving. We had a trip to the Beer Store to return some empty bottles planned, and well, it went a little down hill after that.... We went to Moose Winooskies, had a pint, and ended up sharing an artichoke and spinach dip (yeah, we didn't like this at all, hardly touched it....), and then I had a Thai chicken salad with raw shiitake mushrooms with no carrot or crispy noodles. The carrot was my choice, the noodles was the chefs choice, but I went with it. It was really spicy actually and tasty, but now stuffed to the eyeballs and my chicken casserole from yesterday is sitting lovingly and neglected in the fridge. Lunch tomorrow is gonna rock!
This weekend I am going to make satay chicken skewers, and going to have a crack at borscht, as I have some raw beets that need attending to, as you do. I will also make a lasagna for Lee for work.
Other than that, there may or may not be a box of girl scout cookies we bought out of sympathy sitting on the bench that may or may not be consumed... Will let you know tomorrow.
April 07, 2011
Woke up this morning wishing it were Saturday. I mean, more so than usual. Grapefruit and ryvita were good, as was the coffee.
My walk into work was ok. I was starving by 9am though, so I demolished the rest of the nuts I had, and my thoughts were all about food for the rest of the morning.
I had a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives and goats cheese for lunch. Didn't touch the sides. Topped it off with a yogurt but continued to dream about food.
Tonight was meant to be chicken drumsticks (which was actually planned for yesterday but the damn things wouldn't bloody thaw), but I was uninspired. We decided to get pho instead, yay! And it was delicious.
Still, I thought I should cook the drumsticks so made a casserole instead, with a touch of what I call 'Mum Inspiration'. Will cook up some polenta and voila, we have a hot lunch tomorrow, yay again.
Sometimes you just need a good idea from your mum :)
My walk into work was ok. I was starving by 9am though, so I demolished the rest of the nuts I had, and my thoughts were all about food for the rest of the morning.
I had a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives and goats cheese for lunch. Didn't touch the sides. Topped it off with a yogurt but continued to dream about food.
Tonight was meant to be chicken drumsticks (which was actually planned for yesterday but the damn things wouldn't bloody thaw), but I was uninspired. We decided to get pho instead, yay! And it was delicious.
Still, I thought I should cook the drumsticks so made a casserole instead, with a touch of what I call 'Mum Inspiration'. Will cook up some polenta and voila, we have a hot lunch tomorrow, yay again.
Sometimes you just need a good idea from your mum :)
April 06, 2011
Lets see... BAU this morning, again with weird tasting grapefruit but we still ate it.
My walk to work was hard this morning, I should have known it was going to be a crappy day at that point. Actually I should have called it when eating the grapefruit.
At work, I ate some nuts, and then had my lunch which was left over pork from last night with lettuce, tomato and some roasted zucchini and capsicum. It was ok, but wasn't filling enough. Honestly, olives and chickpeas make a whole world of difference when it comes to the hunger satisfaction factor.
So after lunch I was still hungry to the point of feeling a bit ill, the canteen at work is so expensive, the cheapest item is $1.75 and thats for a drink. So I took some coins and went to the vending machine which was well out of stock and so I had an extremely limited choice, and got some bbq chips. Meh.
Work sucked, enough said.
Dinner was meant to be baked chicken drumsticks with salad, but the chicken didn't defrost, ARGH! What is wrong with today?? So Lee is going to pick us up some pitas on the way home after he finishes his ridiculous 12 hours shift. I would love a beer and a burger, but never mind. Pitas are tasty, and they have less fat and calories than Subway, plus we like it better than Sub.
So hurry up and end Wednesday, I am ready to wake up to Thursday and start fresh!
So hurry up and end Wednesday, I am ready to wake up to Thursday and start fresh!
April 05, 2011
Well, I have a small 'feshion' (confession) to make. Last night Lee went to fill up the car and came back with some Cold Stone ice cream! It was delicious. We didn't have much but enough to feel a little guilty.
This morning's grapefruit was a bit weird tasting but we ate it anyway. Again my belly was rumbling at work so I ate some nuts which saw me through to lunch.
Lunch was the same as dinner last night but smaller and it was again bloody delicious. And the last one for a while, hoorah!
I ate some hummus with celery when I got home as my walk was brisk and exhausting for some reason. After a couple of hours I ate a ham sandwich with tomato sauce as I was still hungry and Lee was still 2 hours from coming home.
Dinner was chipotle pork with left over coleslaw and some roasted veg. Bloody delicious. We are both ready to crash and its only 8:35pm. Tragic eh?! Cold Stones anyone??
This morning's grapefruit was a bit weird tasting but we ate it anyway. Again my belly was rumbling at work so I ate some nuts which saw me through to lunch.
Lunch was the same as dinner last night but smaller and it was again bloody delicious. And the last one for a while, hoorah!
I ate some hummus with celery when I got home as my walk was brisk and exhausting for some reason. After a couple of hours I ate a ham sandwich with tomato sauce as I was still hungry and Lee was still 2 hours from coming home.
Dinner was chipotle pork with left over coleslaw and some roasted veg. Bloody delicious. We are both ready to crash and its only 8:35pm. Tragic eh?! Cold Stones anyone??
April 04, 2011
Back to grapefruit this morning, and it was delicious. So was the peanut butter ryvita. And the coffee. It was an early start, was easy to wake up this morning, the hard wake up was at 1:30am when the beeping of a flat battery in a smoke detector woke me up. After much searching, I found it was the one in the hall of the apartment block, so there I was perched on a chair I dragged from our dining table swiping at it to pull it down. Not a good look.
I walked to work this morning as Lee is on shift and had to start at 7am. It's about 3km to my work so it was an easy walk, was there by 8 and by 9:30am my stomach was rumbling so much I am pretty sure everyone could hear it. I ate some brazil nuts and some almonds, and managed to hold out until lunch.
Lunch was a smaller version of dinner last night and it was delicious. No pics, but feel free to refer to yesterday's dinner....
I had some hummus and some celery to eat but I didn't get to it, and left work at 4pm so I left it there for tomorrow. My walk back was eventful, was pissing down and my umbrella from the Suisse Majestic has a rip in it, gutted.
Before dinner I got the munchies and Lee wasn't due to finish work until 7pm, so I ate a slice of jalapeño havarti cheese, which is meant to be for Lee's lunches. Sorry Lee! I can tell you though its really yummy, hahaha!
I threw together some more meat filo parcels for dinner, and made a huge mound of coleslaw using a recipe I got from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite, which was awesome.
Stuffed as! Also had some tomato and olives, as I needed to use them. We have smaller versions again for lunch tomorrow, and that will be the last of it. As yummy as they are, I am ready to eat something else.
I walked to work this morning as Lee is on shift and had to start at 7am. It's about 3km to my work so it was an easy walk, was there by 8 and by 9:30am my stomach was rumbling so much I am pretty sure everyone could hear it. I ate some brazil nuts and some almonds, and managed to hold out until lunch.
Lunch was a smaller version of dinner last night and it was delicious. No pics, but feel free to refer to yesterday's dinner....
I had some hummus and some celery to eat but I didn't get to it, and left work at 4pm so I left it there for tomorrow. My walk back was eventful, was pissing down and my umbrella from the Suisse Majestic has a rip in it, gutted.
Before dinner I got the munchies and Lee wasn't due to finish work until 7pm, so I ate a slice of jalapeño havarti cheese, which is meant to be for Lee's lunches. Sorry Lee! I can tell you though its really yummy, hahaha!
I threw together some more meat filo parcels for dinner, and made a huge mound of coleslaw using a recipe I got from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite, which was awesome.
Stuffed as! Also had some tomato and olives, as I needed to use them. We have smaller versions again for lunch tomorrow, and that will be the last of it. As yummy as they are, I am ready to eat something else.
April 03, 2011
Early breakfast today (for a Sunday), we had peanut butter ryvita with an orange. The orange was dry and rank so neither of us really touched it.
We did our grocery shopping early so we totally beat the crowds, and have a good weeks worth of food to keep us going.
Lunch was awesome. I made a spinach and red cabbage salad with pear, goats cheese and walnuts, dressed in balsamic and seeded mustard, and topped it off with a poached egg. Oh my gosh, delicious. Lee and I were so happy with it, I love when I pull stuff like that out of nowhere!
This afternoon we had an inauguration for The President, and I made some hummus. It's good, have potted some up for us to take to work with some chopped veggies.
The President works well, although I have to say my old Magimix (Madge) was a better processor. Still, he did the job and did it well, so I am really happy to have The President in my house. It also went incident free, unlike that time in London where Madge bit me, and I 'should' have got stitches, but instead drank a beer and took photos of my injury and plastered them on Facebook.
Tonight we have salad and beef and veggie filos. Doing the same thing as last time, we will probably have it for lunch and dinner for days but thats ok, its pretty healthy and really yummy. Have some interesting things to cook this week, so excited about that. Lee is on shift so I will have a few hours to myself most days so will use them wisely in the kitchen!
UPDATE: Man, dinner was so freakin' yummy, I wanted to keep eating it for ever! These filo parcels of meat and vegetable goodness are bloody delicious. I don't bother buttering the filo, it doesn't really need it, crisps right up. We just used the salad left over from lunch, and voila, instant meal. Today was definitely a good food day.
We did our grocery shopping early so we totally beat the crowds, and have a good weeks worth of food to keep us going.
Lunch was awesome. I made a spinach and red cabbage salad with pear, goats cheese and walnuts, dressed in balsamic and seeded mustard, and topped it off with a poached egg. Oh my gosh, delicious. Lee and I were so happy with it, I love when I pull stuff like that out of nowhere!
This afternoon we had an inauguration for The President, and I made some hummus. It's good, have potted some up for us to take to work with some chopped veggies.
The President works well, although I have to say my old Magimix (Madge) was a better processor. Still, he did the job and did it well, so I am really happy to have The President in my house. It also went incident free, unlike that time in London where Madge bit me, and I 'should' have got stitches, but instead drank a beer and took photos of my injury and plastered them on Facebook.
Tonight we have salad and beef and veggie filos. Doing the same thing as last time, we will probably have it for lunch and dinner for days but thats ok, its pretty healthy and really yummy. Have some interesting things to cook this week, so excited about that. Lee is on shift so I will have a few hours to myself most days so will use them wisely in the kitchen!
UPDATE: Man, dinner was so freakin' yummy, I wanted to keep eating it for ever! These filo parcels of meat and vegetable goodness are bloody delicious. I don't bother buttering the filo, it doesn't really need it, crisps right up. We just used the salad left over from lunch, and voila, instant meal. Today was definitely a good food day.
April 02, 2011 - Dinner
Right, now I know I said no pizza in April but in laziness and being food efficient, we had some left over Greek pitas from the mushroom dip and so I threw together some mini pizzas for dinner. Shoot me, shoot me now. But, oh my god, awesomeness. Check it 'oot':
Grocery shopping today. Have done a food plan for the week, should be good, healthy, efficient and hopefully not too expensive. Busy day, will update again later.
Grocery shopping today. Have done a food plan for the week, should be good, healthy, efficient and hopefully not too expensive. Busy day, will update again later.
April 02, 2011
What a day. It started with me waking up and ridiculous o'clock, being 4:25am. I got up and minced around for a few hours but crawled back into bed after 7 and managed to get another hours sleep.
For breakfast we had poached eggs on toast which was ok. Could have used some spinach or something, but the fridge is bare.
We had a lot to do today so we head out early and overall had a pretty successful day. We were in Sears looking for curtains when I found myself in the kitchen section (as you do), and there was a sale on, especially for KitchenAid products. Funnily enough my overtime fund for the food processor was enough to get this baby which was on sale - more than 50% off!
I am so stoked! It was sooner than I expected but when its reduced from $349 to $144, who can say no?! Even Lee said before I opened my mouth 'you gotta get it'. The KitchenAid stand up mixers were also on sale, and as much as I would love to have one now it would be completely unnecessary. But definitely another time tee hee. Also Breville juice factories are on sale but still too expensive, plus I got more than I bargained for today. Already writing a shopping list to suit.
Lunch today was in the food court, I had a Hong Kong style noodle soup which was fantastic but I didn't finish it. We then hit the book store where I picked about 100 cook books to buy. I am going to order some on Amazon soon.
We have no idea what we are going to have for dinner just yet, the supermarket shopping didn't happen. Instead we drove to the Maple Festival in Elmira, it was packed though so we didn't end up parking and getting out of the car, too busy, and we were too tired! There is always next year.....
Will update on the dinner situation later on. Until then, I will probably be scouring my recipes for the week to use The President. That's what we named it. Like it?!
For breakfast we had poached eggs on toast which was ok. Could have used some spinach or something, but the fridge is bare.
We had a lot to do today so we head out early and overall had a pretty successful day. We were in Sears looking for curtains when I found myself in the kitchen section (as you do), and there was a sale on, especially for KitchenAid products. Funnily enough my overtime fund for the food processor was enough to get this baby which was on sale - more than 50% off!
I am so stoked! It was sooner than I expected but when its reduced from $349 to $144, who can say no?! Even Lee said before I opened my mouth 'you gotta get it'. The KitchenAid stand up mixers were also on sale, and as much as I would love to have one now it would be completely unnecessary. But definitely another time tee hee. Also Breville juice factories are on sale but still too expensive, plus I got more than I bargained for today. Already writing a shopping list to suit.
Lunch today was in the food court, I had a Hong Kong style noodle soup which was fantastic but I didn't finish it. We then hit the book store where I picked about 100 cook books to buy. I am going to order some on Amazon soon.
We have no idea what we are going to have for dinner just yet, the supermarket shopping didn't happen. Instead we drove to the Maple Festival in Elmira, it was packed though so we didn't end up parking and getting out of the car, too busy, and we were too tired! There is always next year.....
Will update on the dinner situation later on. Until then, I will probably be scouring my recipes for the week to use The President. That's what we named it. Like it?!
April 01, 2011
April Fools Day, and my fourth month into blogging everything I eat. Crazy times, but at least there was no foolery going on. We also celebrated our six months of living in Canada. While I might not be working the ideal job, we are pretty happy with our progress and how things are starting to come together.
I feel terrible about this but for breakfast I ate a ryvita with peanut butter on it, thats it. A girl at work bought me a kitkat, she lumped it on my desk and said 'I saw this and thought of you'. I was unsure what she meant, and I don't know her well enough to pull the 'ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?!' card, that might frighten her even though Lee and I would find it hilarious. So I ate that at around 10:30am. And when I say ate, I basically looked at it and it disappeared. Didn't even touch the sides!
Lunch was amazing, I love left over pork and salad, here's what it looked like, although you pretty much saw it in the previous post about dinner:
The afternoon went by really slowly, I ate a few brazil nuts and a few almonds, and then went out for a pint with my new work mates, and Lee joined us so that was nice. Lee and I were going to go to Hog Tails for dinner, but it was packed as, so instead we picked up a chicken pita from the Pita Factory and came home. My pita had grilled chicken, lettuce, onion, green olives, banana peppers and feta. YUM-O.
Do you ever have one of those eating moments when you are actually sad when you get to the end and its all gone?! That is exactly how I felt when I finished my pita! I know that is tragic but surely someone out there can relate? Non??
Well that was it for April 01, 2011. Here's to the next 29 days with no booze.
I feel terrible about this but for breakfast I ate a ryvita with peanut butter on it, thats it. A girl at work bought me a kitkat, she lumped it on my desk and said 'I saw this and thought of you'. I was unsure what she meant, and I don't know her well enough to pull the 'ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?!' card, that might frighten her even though Lee and I would find it hilarious. So I ate that at around 10:30am. And when I say ate, I basically looked at it and it disappeared. Didn't even touch the sides!
Lunch was amazing, I love left over pork and salad, here's what it looked like, although you pretty much saw it in the previous post about dinner:
The afternoon went by really slowly, I ate a few brazil nuts and a few almonds, and then went out for a pint with my new work mates, and Lee joined us so that was nice. Lee and I were going to go to Hog Tails for dinner, but it was packed as, so instead we picked up a chicken pita from the Pita Factory and came home. My pita had grilled chicken, lettuce, onion, green olives, banana peppers and feta. YUM-O.
Do you ever have one of those eating moments when you are actually sad when you get to the end and its all gone?! That is exactly how I felt when I finished my pita! I know that is tragic but surely someone out there can relate? Non??
Well that was it for April 01, 2011. Here's to the next 29 days with no booze.
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