Category: Food and Recipes
Failing to Plan…
| December 8, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes, Getting Healthy |
…is planning to fail. Something I know a lot of us are worried about – or at least thinking about – is how to navigate the holidays without getting off track. I know I’m super guilty of it – “Oh, this only happens once a year” or “oh, I’m on vacation” and then suddenly the snowball is running away from me.
First of all, holidays do only happen once a year. I fully believe you should let yourself do whatever you want on a holiday. But I don’t believe you should just throw yourself at a holiday and hope you magically find the willpower to stop going wild after a month and a half of holiday parties, travel, and whatever else comes your way. I mean, maybe YOU can handle that, but I know that’s my recipe for disaster. I also know that the “New Year’s Resolution” fresh start concept doesn’t ever really work out for me either. Probably because I expect miracles.
So here’s my plan, and I hope it will work for some of you as well: Have a plan.
My meal and training plan from March, the first time I succesfully made meal plans.
I know, thank you, Captain Obvious. But let me break it down for you.
Here’s how meals usually work with me: I’m in the middle of something when I realize I’m hungry. So I get up, go to the fridge, examine the contents, and draw a blank. Typically I will close the fridge, check the cabinets and also come up empty minded. So I go back to whatever I was doing for a few minutes and when my hunger (shockingly) doesn’t subside I repeat the whole process. Sometimes in a different order -cabinets first, then fridge – but almost always with the same results : my mind is a total blank.
I’ll be clear – I cannot think of a time when I have had literally nothing to eat. But there are times when I see the pieces of the puzzle in front of me and my mind just will not connect the dots. Which is why I end up repeating the cabinet check. Just in case something delicious appears in front of me that I didn’t notice the first 25 times I looked. Cause that happens.
(Should I remind you of the definition of insanity? No? Okay.)
My point is that with the holidays approaching and the amount of guilt-laden delicious but not as “good for you” foods increasing, I knew I would need to boost the odds of being successful when it came to making good food choices.
So I’m going to do what I do best: plan. I’ve printed out a calendar and put the big “events” on there – the parties, the holidays, and other times when I won’t have much say (or desire to care) over my food choices. Next I’ll go through and fill in my workouts, and then plan my meals and snacks according to the workouts and events I have planned for the day.
Here’s why this works:
I make it part of my existing life. I’m the kind of person who carries 2 planners, and has calendars on every wall. So would I use an app just for this? No, I use the calendars and planners that I already have. Also, I never put anything on my plan that I don’t normally eat. Example, rutabagas. I don’t think I’ve ever met a rutabaga. So why would I include them on my plan? The goal is to keep this manageable. Stick to what you know when you plan. If you get the chance to try something new, go for it but don’t expect you’ll magically start eating tofu just cause you planned it if you can’t stand tofu.
I prepare like it’s my job. Some people come home from the grocery store and shove groceries into their respective storing places and forget about it. I go ahead and cut up veggies and portion out my meats before I put them away so when I need to start cooking I have a few less steps to take. Additionally, when I make a meal, I make extra so I have leftovers to eat for at least one more meal that week. Even if you like to makeover your leftovers it saves you at least one step.
Convenience is tempting. I feel like it’s easier to go through a drive-thru or stop at a restaurant when you’re in a hurry but if you’ve got a plan and prepared everything you can ahead of time it will actually be easier to stick to the plan than to leave your office or house and hit a restaurant or drive thru where you’ll encounter all of that holiday traffic and congestion. Besides – Baby, it’s cold outside!
Balance is everything: I’m realistic. Real life is messy and sometimes things come up. If you’re like me, things come up a lot. The biggest reason this plan works is that I’m willing to be flexible. But I’m also willing to fight to stick to my plan as much as possible. Spontaneous dinner outing? Great. I’ll just order whatever I was going to make at home. That’s how I can plan for a month or two at a time and not just fall off the wagon when life gets in the way. Ultimately you have to stick to the philosophy of “plan what you can and then go with the flow.”
The other advantage this plan provides is that I no longer have to wander aimlessly through the grocery store. I know ahead of time what I need for the week but still have the freedom to plan around sales.
So tell me. What would you call that moment when you start looking for food and you can’t for the life of you figure out what to eat? Are you a meal plan person or do you just figure everything out as you go? What advice do you have for navigating the holidays without losing sight of your goals?
Baking Happiness – Guinness Bottle Birthday Cake
| December 6, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
If you wanna feel like a kitchen goddess, make a cake in the shape of a beer bottle.
I think you all know Russ (aka Bruce Wayne). He’s married to my best friend, which does not make him my best friend byproxy, it just makes him annoyed at me. Not really, but he does keep asking me when I’m going to get married so I think he’s in the market for a best friend. So if you’re an attractive single guy and you want a best friend, Russ is looking. You’ll get a free wife in the process (and I’m a catch, so it’s a win-win).
Anyway, for Russ’s 30th birthday, Kathy threw him a beer-tasting party. Since I’m not a drinking girl, I brought a different kind of beer to taste.
I used this cake recipe (doubled) and skipped the coffee in the ganache in favor of some Bailey’s (I may have adjusted the amount of cream too but I’m not sure on that anymore…sorry, I know, crucial details) . I made 3 6-inch layers of cake and the rest were giant cupcakes (I used 1.5 cupcakes, the rest I frosted and left at home with my parents):
Cut the layers in half like so:
I stacked the half cupcakes at the top to make the neck, and then used a really sharp knife to carve the curve where the neck joins the bottle. Then I took chocolate frosting (From a can, quel horreur!) that I’d added a shot of bailey’s to and used that as a crumb coat.
Most of the people in my life are not big on frosting so I tried to use very little. I didn’t put any between the layers you see above for that very reason.
Then I put the whole thing in the freezer to set for a little while. I honestly don’t remember how long, but it was at least an hour. The frosting should be stiff to the touch but not rock solid. Enough that you can smoothe the lines you see above without getting your knife sticky.
Then I made and poured the ganache:
Do not be like me. Prep your cake with parchment underneath so you can have an easy cleanup. Instead, I was scooping and mopping ganache for ages.
If you’re not as much of a drama queen as me, your ganache will retain that delightful shine to it, thus resulting in a beautiful glass-like finish. I was causing all kinds of trouble when I tried to make my label so I didn’t get to keep my shiny ganache.
I used plain old buttercream for the label with a dusting of gold powder for color. Then I took that chocolate frosting and piped on the lettering:
It’s smudgy, but awesome.
The story of how, despite maintaining my sobriety, I still ended up being the crying girl at the party at 3am is another story for another post (which if you don’t already know by now means you will not be hearing it from me).
Find out more information about my Baking Happiness Project here. You can also enter to win a box of baked goods from me if you just share your least favorite thing about the holidays!
Are you a big fan of kitchen experiments? What have you ever baked or cooked that you’re most proud of?
Baking Happiness: German Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
| November 22, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
Yesterday my plan was to invent my own pumpkin pie recipe. Pumpkin pie is very simple, so how hard could it be?
Before you go thinking this is a post where I share my failed experiment and ultimately learn something about myself and or life that makes me a little richer for the experience – this is not that post. Haha, skeptics, I win.
But it took some doing.
See these cookies? I started here because I got home and found out that I was missing pie plates. I had one and needed 2. My mom owns 4 so none of us are sure what happened to the others. Anyway, I channeled my frustration into these suckers:
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I had 3 of them. The rest I packed up and am shipping out to Amanda. As soon as I can decide the best place to send them.
I know we were talking about simple and I'm thinking sour cream in a double boiler followed by an ice bath is probably no where in anyone's realm of "simple." So it's fussy. But it's also worth it.
Several hours and a rain-soaked pie plate exchange later I was back on my way to pumpkin pie goodness.
I made a pumpkin pie last year that involved sour cream and it was perfect. This year I wanted to recreate that but of course I couldn’t find that same recipe. And I looked at about a thousand recipes before they all started to mold into one in my mind. Fine. I once lived in the same city as Tim Gunn so you know what that means (nothing, it means nothing but I want to sound cooler than I am. so).
- (click for the original source)
Ultimately I believe with every fiber of my being that everything is better with chocolate in it. Even wine. I once fell off the sobriety train into a vat of chocolate wine. True story. Though there was no train and the wine was in a bottle. Whatever, I ended up calling for shots after that and everyone was all “she’s baaaa-aack” and then things got a little hazy until the next morning when we were at the diner and I pulled out a giant bottle of ibuprofen and everyone was all “I thought you don’t drink” and I was like “I don’t, seriously, why don’t you believe me?” and then I never saw that bottle of ibuprofen again. And I haven’t had anything to drink since that night.
So chocolate and pumpkin are a match made in heaven and German chocolate has that spicy flavor that I knew would go really well with the pumpkin pie spices. Yum. And so my dream was born.
These pies are being served at my office potluck today! Have you had enough pumpkin yet? How about some leftover Halloween pictures I never shared?
Erika’s pumpkin (and her little pup, Jackson – and she took these pictures):
Lessons learned? Use a dremel. It makes you look like a rockstar at the pumpkin thing.
What’s your favorite thing to pair with chocolate? If you’re a chocolate hater, what’s your favorite flavor combination?
Lunchtime Reflections
| November 9, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
Remember how this morning I was all “I should start posting my meals” ? Yeah, then real life came back to me and I remembered the truth of why I don’t do that. They would almost all look like this:
Partly eaten, or mostly eaten (just in case you didn’t understand that from the big bite missing out of my quiche). I’m not always patient enough to stop and photograph each meal – especially today when my body is misbehaving with food.
I got through phases where I’m less interested in food than at other times. I think that’s probably normal. But this morning every food I put in my mouth made me gag. So I force fed myself my yogurt and cereal. I force fed myself a banana at snack time (it was actually too sweet – I had no idea that was even possible!). And at 10:30 I was STARVING.
The idea of food just made me want to cry. Nothing sounded appetizing at all. Besides, I had just eaten an hour earlier.
When lunchtime finally arrived I was able to eat without any problems (as you can see above, haha). But I’m wondering how long my lunch with stay with me before I’m hungry again.
Other things I’m doing on my lunch break include painting my nails (I have an office with a door or I wouldn’t do it) and reading this very sweet post by my friend Amanda. As someone who once was lucky enough to engage in a series of lovingly crafted pen-pal type exchanges with Amanda I can attest to the fact that she excels at what she calls ”the post”. I also for a while believed that she and her mother were the only two people keeping the USPS in business. You never really knew what to expect when you opened a letter from Amanda. It was quite lovely indeed.
What’s your usual lunch break like? Do you usually eat with coworkers or at your desk or in front of the TV or somewhere else?
What CAN You Eat?
| November 8, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes, Getting Healthy |
I think one of the big challenges for anyone who’s on the weight loss train is mitigating social situations. I am really fortunate to have friends who are incredibly supportive of my journey and they’re always thoughtful about where we go to eat so there’s something on the menu for me. Unless they’re Bridget who always wants to eat at one of two burgers-only restaurants.
The question I hear all the time from everyone is “What CAN you eat?” I always get all flustered and end up saying “Just take me somewhere I can get a salad.” It’s easier than trying to think up what else to say. Cause what it comes down to is that there aren’t really any rules about what I can and can’t eat. There’s no such thing as a “diet” here because my goal is to make sustainable changes. Nothing about “diet” suggests longevity to me.
But there are certain guidelines I try to stick to: No white flour foods (breads, pastas, etc.). Nothing fried. Lean proteins. Lots of vegetables. Some fruit. Avoid fats and sugars.
Sugar is a huge trouble spot for me because I have such a big sweeth tooth. I’ve done pretty well at avoiding the obvious trouble spots – like the brownies that were served at a friend’s birthday party (though I did put my finger in the batter) but I get a lot of “passive” sugar in the other things I eat – my granola and protein bars for example.
Before I was serious about my “journey” (I need a new name for it, it’s sounding really…touchy feely the more I say that) I didn’t have a good balance of what I ate. No, every day was not at all like my recent cheat day. I actually did well most of the time. I just did really big portions and I repeated a lot of the same food over and over again. When I didn’t do well I was really bad.
I’m not much better at variety now, to be honest. There are some foods I go to repeatedly because they’re easy and I know I like them. Chicken and brown rice is a staple for my lunch. Just add veggies and I’m good to go!
I am way better at portion size, but I’m still learning. I prefer to limit nutrients rather than count calories cause we all know 200 calories of a candy bar is not equal to 200 calories of salad. That said, I am careful to weigh/measure some foods before I eat them or at least guess at serving size. For example, my rice comes frozen and each bag is 2 servings so I split the bag in half and get 2 lunches out of it.
I will sometimes look at calories just so I’m aware – I don’t want to end up only eating 100 calories for lunch and then going overboard later cause I’m so hungry but I prefer to focus on eating good things rather than get distracted by the numbers and lose sight of what’s most important.
Some new areas I’m trying to pay more attention to are how many carbs I’m eating (and when) and trying not to eat eggs every day.
- Dinner last night: Spaghetti Squash “pasta” with Mom’s marinara and parmesean cheese
I struggle with my breakfasts – I love eggs because they’re fast and easy and I know they’ll stay with me for a while. I hate eating breakfast and being hungry an hour later! But as great as eggs are I know I should have more variety.
The Birthday Celebration
| November 6, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
Every year I try to do a “day in the life” post for my birthday. It’s mostly unsuccessful. This year is no different – but I did capture everything I ate yesterday (Saturday) for my cheat day.
Here’s a picture of me at the beginning of the day with no makeup on. This is what I looked like when I rolled out of bed.
It was a gorgeous day – no clouds at all.
And so I scurried upstairs to get breakfast which I took right back to my bed to eat it:
I wrote my “Goodbye 26″ blog post while I chowed down on some chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Delicious!
But then it ws time to get moving cause I had big brunch plans with my friends. A little time on hair and makeup and I was looking much better:
We had brunch at Wildfire Grill in Tysons – a place that’s rapidly becoming my go-to for anything requiring a “nice” restaurant. I just love their food and birthday brunch was no exception! I had the eggs benedict (shocking, I know):
After we were done eating, Kathy and I went shopping. Afterwards, I grabbed a Peppermint Mocha – my favorite seasonal drink – with my free birthday coupon and we shared a bag of popcorn.
This is the part of the day where my documenting skills kind of left me. Kathy and I met up with Erika for our annual fall photo shoot. Every year since high school the three of us have gotten together and taken pictures in the leaves. So those pictures will be coming eventually.
After we finished taking pictures I finally ate those cake pops that someone tucked into my collection of “healthy snacks” I have at work. Actually I only ate the chocolate one. The pink one had coconut in it and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, even in the name of a cheat day.
I immediately went home to eat pizza and fried mushrooms. We followed that with my birthday cake and ice cream:
Yes, I had chocolate chip pound cake with chocolate ice cream and chocolate milk to wash it all down. It was awesome. And my mom baked that cake for me in our new oven and she was SO EXCITED about it. It’s a convection oven and now I’m itching to get my hands on it too!
I finished my night by doing laundry and rocking out to the mix CDs my friends made me for my birthday. Claudia’s mix CD is all dance music and I will be choreographing a really epic dance workout for myself to it ASAP. I’m not finished listening to the others yet and I know there are two more on the way so I’m pretty excited.
I tucked myself into bed just past midnight and snapped one last shot of myself with no makeup – this time as a 27-year old:
You may be able to imagine my surprise when my father appeared at breakfast with this little bag this morning. My parents gave me my birthday present a few days early so I had assumed that I wasn’t going to get more than a card from them. Well, Dad is pretty sneaky:
I borrowed Kathy’s kindle back at the very beginning of September and when Dad saw me with it he decided I needed to have my own since I do so much reading. So he used up some of his reward points to get it for me a while ago and had it hidden in his office. Such a sneaky (and impressive!) trick. I’m just trying to keep myself from buying ALL the books immediately.
The rest of my birthday was spent doing laundry and watching Toddlers and Tiaras. You know what they say about failing to plan? It’s completely true. I had a pile of laundry so big that my biggest dog couldn’t jump over it when I finally moved it out of my closet. It took 6 loads to get it all done – and a lot of my clothes are fussy so I have them draped over just about every surface in my apartment so they can “line dry” since they’re too high maintenance to be put in the dryer. I know I should NOT complain that I have nice things, or that I have enough clothes that I can accumulate a pile of laundry so big and yet still have enough clean clothes left that I can still be dressed but I will just say that in the future I will be going out of my way to be sure I don’t have to spend my birthday doing laundry! I took a little over an hour-long break to take pictures of my friend’s band, but otherwise it was a pretty lazy and awesome birthday. So far I’m way more relaxed as a 27 year-old than I ever was at 26. I like it.
I also love reading all the birthday messages and love that everyone has left me! Thank you all so much for making me feel special today. It was so thoughtful to leave me the sweet notes, and I really appreciate it.
What would you eat for breakfast if your stomach/diet could handle it? How did you spend your favorite birthday of all time (at least so far)?
My Last Meal
| November 2, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
I’ve been having some drama with getting my pictures loaded so I can use them in my posts. Meaning I am not interested in devoting the time it takes to upload each picture from my camera to my blog and I don’t really feel like upgrading my flickr account so I can have as many pictures as I want since I hit my max in approximately 5 seconds. Sorry, I’m not sorry.
But let me try to redeem myself with today’s NaBloPoMo prompt. I won’t be strictly following these since I’ve only liked one of them so far (all 2 of them). Today’s prompt is: If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?
The problem is that I just love food too much. How could I ever make just one meal? It would have like eleventyhundred courses and by the end I would be really just very happy to never eat again cause I’d be in so much pain.
But let’s assume we have a magic endless stomach and that every bite tastes as delicious as the first one. Let’s start off with a delightful little amuse-bouche consisting of goat cheese with fig preserves and bacon on a water cracker. Just let that soak in for a moment.
We’ll move on to lobster and butternut squash bisques with creme fraiche – picture them yin-yang style in the bowl. They’re heavy soups with rich flavor so take your time and really savor each spoonful.
Be sure you appreciate the artistic arrangement of our sushi course – spicy salmon rolls and unagi.
You’ll get a kick out of the next course which at first looks a little too simple – grilled cheese sandwiches, cut in triangles. On closer inspection, however, you’ll notice the sourdough bread is perfectly crispy and the cheeses – asiago, ricotta, and white cheddar – are all the perfect amount of melty. Dip your triangle in the shot glass of spicy roasted red pepper and tomato soup or just shoot the whole thing as a sandwich chaser. There are no rules at my last meal.
Source: creativeinspiration.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest
It’s a good thing we’re not getting full because our next course is fried to perfection – mushrooms, mozzarella, and zucchini (separate, not all together) with a medley of delightful sauces for you to test out. 
I think it’s only fitting we move around while we eat, yes? Yes. Let’s move into another room for our next course. Any guesses?
Source: meemoskitchen.blogspot.com via Michele on Pinterest
The Wisconsin Trio from the Melting Pot – butterkase, blue cheese, and fontina cheeses melted together with all manner of fun things to dip in it.
Just don’t get too overloaded on cheese because our next course is a little crock of homestyle mac n’ cheese. Let it soothe whatever troubles you might have.
By now we’re probably all ready for a change of clothes too, right? Go, put your pajamas on and hurry back because I think I see waffles coming out. Thick Belgian waffles, drowning in the perfect amount of butter and syrup.
Next up? Eggs benedict. The hollandaise balances out the sweetness of the last course. But because we can’t be too conventional I’ve paired our benedict with parmesean fries.
Source: simplyrecipes.com via Ali on Pinterest
But there are only so many hours allowed for one meal and we’re getting to the end of what’s reasonable even for endless stomachs. On to the next room for dessert!
Let’s cleanse our palates with a tiny scoop of orange chocolate gelato. I picture this being served on a frosty silver spoon.
This is the point in the meal where you notice that heaping bowls of hot buttery popcorn have been set out at intervals on the table. You should help yourself to the popcorn at will so as to maintain that ideal balance of salty and sweet.
Our first dessert course is a set of mini cheesecakes, each one more delightful than the last. Everyone has something a little different to suit his or her tastes but don’t hesitate to sample your neighbor’s. There are all different sauces (raspberry, chocolate, caramel and so forth) to accompany these little treats so be sure you try them out.
Next you’ll all be presented with a spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough and a shot of milk.
And then things will get very serious when you see the next course emerge.
Again, you’ll be thankful you have an endless stomach because right after the chocolate peanut butter cake you’ll be treated to my dearest favorite.
Source: bakerella.com via Lindsay on Pinterest
On closer inspection, however, you will be delighted to notice that this cake is not in fact red but is actually Kate Pink (I’m SO having that trademarked, btw, for when I open my bakery*). Just let the cream cheese frosting melt over your tongue. Close your eyes.
No, your nose isn’t deceiving you. The next course is fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, straight from the oven. Where did you think the dough came from? This time you’ll enjoy a full glass of milk.
One last frosty spoon, this time topped with cake batter ice cream. Your mouth will be cooled off just in time for our grand finale.
Piping hot croissants – crispy on the outside and so delicate on the inside that it practically melts on your spoon as you dip it into a mug of rich hot chocolate (chocolat chaud, if you’d prefer it be called) – make up the final course of my last meal. The ultimate in comfort food and just the thing to put you straight to sleep.
Now that I’ve typed this entire meal out for you, I desperately want to make it. Anyone have some extra kitchen staff on hand I could borrow? No? Well, maybe I’ll just keep dreaming. Or maybe I’ll scheme up an epic theme party…
Coming up with the menu was the fun part, but figuring out the guest list…now that would be a hard thing. But I guess if we have endless stomachs (and no allergies, I should add, cause I know a lot of you would be suffering!) we probably also have an endless budget so anyone who wants to come can. Well, that was easy. What else can we magic away while we’re at it?
Okay, now it’s your turn. What would you serve at your last meal? Is there anything I left out that you’re shocked I don’t have listed?
*Did I say that out loud? Oops. I’m so bad at secrets. Coming….someday. Eventually.
Baking Happiness Project – Pumpkin Brownie Bites
| October 24, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
In case you’re not familiar with the Baking Happiness Project, you can go here to see where it started and how you can sign up to get treats. Basically, I bake, and you eat. It’s a win-win situation.
Maureen was the absolute first person to put her name on the list for this project. Her request? Something “chewy” like a brownie. I knew a regular brownie wouldn’t cut it and I just happened to have some pumpkin lying around (meaning I stocked up when they started saying on the news that there was a shortage. I would have been very sad to go without pumpkin this year).
The recipe I used wasn’t exceptional so I won’t be linking to it but it was based on the Martha Stewart recipe – only you put the batter into mini-muffin tins.
I thought the perfect topping for these would have been walnuts, but I didn’t end up having any around the house (who would have guessed? haha) so chocolate chips worked well enough.
The hard part was shipping these babies off - I was the anxiety that they would arrive in California as a box of dried out crumbs. Fortunately that didn’t happen and Maureen says that other than the chocolate chips melting a bit they were delicious. Hooray!
And now I’m off to dream about my next set of experiments. I’m getting back into the habit of filling up absolutely all of my time so the idea of making time to bake is really, really appealing right now.
Actually, the idea of sleep is most appealing at the moment. But baking would be a close second.
If you could do anything right now, what would it be?
Self-imposition
| October 18, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
I have been dairy-free for 48 hours.
Source: ocello.com.au via Jess on Pinterest
This is an idea that started back when I did my first week of food journaling and I realized so many of my meals involved cheese. I love cheese, what can I say? But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Week after week I would look at my meals and realize that even without trying so much of what I ate contained cheese. And so I tried to cut it out. But it was really, really ridiculously hard. Do you know how many things have cheese? Lots of em.
And so I thought I would just try it. Just try and see how long I could go without any dairy at all. I mean, you all know how much I love my hot chocolates in the morning and now that it’s chilly out…mmm. But I have refrained for two whole days.
(This is to say nothing about the 8 days I have been off diet coke. I’ve had one soda in that time and it was a sprite which they gave to me right after I woke up from my “surgery.” I’ve been drinking a lot of water. A lot. And I’m proud of myself for giving it up – I don’t feel “better” in any way, but I do feel like I’ve accomplished something. I don’t know exactly what and I don’t really expect that there will be any glorious rewards for quitting it, but maybe I’ll be surprised.)
It’s kind of strange (in my mind) to give up dairy without a good reason. I’m really just trying to see how long I can go without it. If I make it a week I’ll be elated. Honestly, if I make it through Wednesday I’ll be pretty thrilled with myself.
I know if I were actually giving up dairy for health reasons that it would probably take longer than a week to see any benefits which is why I have to stress that this is just a random challenge. I’m not subbing in soy or vegan products to accomodate – though that would make this a little more palatable I think.
Have you ever given anything up that you didn’t have to just to see if you could do it?
Apple-Picking and Pie
| October 17, 2011 | Filled under Food and Recipes |
Saturday I peeled myself out of bed with every intention of lazing around for a few hours. I made myself some eggs and an “orange dreamsicle” green monster (orange juice, vanilla protein powder, spinach, banana, oats, and chia seeds). That’s when Erika called.
“Farmer’s Market?” was what she actually asked but I heard “zucchini” and was out the door before I could think twice. It was a gorgeous fall morning and there were all kinds of fun things at Lake Anne when we got there – including kettle corn (which we indulged in) and mini donuts (which we did not).
Zucchini (and spinach, and a gorgeous onion) in hand we got back in the car.
“You should come pick apples with me,” I suggested. Erika gave me the look that says “Yes, but I know I should do 1000 other things.” I headed for the farm before she could talk herself out of it. Our friend Sahar had arranged the trip and it was a gorgeous day for it.
As it turned out, it was a good call on both our parts. How else would I have gotten such delightful pictures of myself (sarcasm font)?
Okay, but it really was a good call because Purcellville is adorable and we ended up finding an amazing restaurant where we had lunch once we’d finished picking.
Apple picking is not at all as whimsical at it looks in pictures you see on other blogs. There are no ladders for you to scale while looking adorable, and at this point the trees are all but done holding onto the apples. We spent most of our time squatting under the trees to collect the good apples that had just fallen that morning – it was a windy day.
And as an added bonus, the ground apples were half price.
(Not being smug:)
It was funny to watch the other apple-pickers talk about how sad they were that all the apples were gone and hear the parents telling their kids not to pick the apples up off the ground. Of course some of them were rotting but there were plenty of good ones to be had and since you’re going to wash whatever you bring home before you eat it – what’s the harm? We ended up with close to 30 pounds of apples that way.
We ended up with some other goodies too:
No idea when we’ll get around to carving those, but I did spend my Sunday afternoon working on this guy:
I hope it turned out as delicious as it looks – I saved it for my boss since today is “Boss’s Day.” It’s good to know me on holidays.
My other victory from Sunday was this beast:
Oh look! My onion and zucchini from the market are just behind the chicken. Hey guys! Hah. Anyway, I served this thing with stuffing/dressing (which I didn’t eat – along with Dad’s gravy (sigh)) and “oven fried” zucchini. This time I used panko bread crumbs which I just love and we didn’t have sauce but that was okay.
How was your weekend? What’s your favorite apple-based treat?
(Not being smug:)
It was funny to watch the other apple-pickers talk about how sad they were that all the apples were gone and hear the parents telling their kids not to pick the apples up off the ground. Of course some of them were rotting but there were plenty of good ones to be had and since you’re going to wash whatever you bring home before you eat it – what’s the harm? We ended up with close to 30 pounds of apples that way.
We ended up with some other goodies too:
No idea when we’ll get around to carving those, but I did spend my Sunday afternoon working on this guy:
I hope it turned out as delicious as it looks – I saved it for my boss since today is “Boss’s Day.” It’s good to know me on holidays.
My other victory from Sunday was this beast:
Oh look! My onion and zucchini from the market are just behind the chicken. Hey guys! Hah. Anyway, I served this thing with stuffing/dressing (which I didn’t eat – along with Dad’s gravy (sigh)) and “oven fried” zucchini. This time I used panko bread crumbs which I just love and we didn’t have sauce but that was okay.
How was your weekend? What’s your favorite apple-based treat?
