It’s funny that I still get excited for weekends during the summer since I’m a teacher and have the summer off… but nevertheless, yay! It’s the weekend!
After my giant lunch spread yesterday, I was not too hungry for the rest of the day. Around 9-ish, husbo and I dined on some Annie’s whole wheat mac and cheese and a giant beer while we caught up on season two of Mad Men. It was an excellent Friday night home-date.
I woke up at around 8:30 this morning, which is a little on the late side for me. Today, we’re heading to Philadelphia for my extended family “reunion” which is a tailgate and Phillies game. We are probably going to take the train at around 11-ish. I’m eating a pretty light breakfast of yogurt w/ wheatgerm, an apple, and some tea.
My plan is to eat about 2 more mini-meals like this before going to the tailgate around 3:30. This way I’m trying to curb any temptation to pig out there.
Go Phils!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: black beans, cob, corn, csa, enchiladas, healthy, lunch, salad, vegetarian, veggie
Here’s this week’s CSA veggies. I knew that the prep work would take a while, so I had a banana to hold me over before I got started.
After my little ‘naner snack, I took on the corn. The corn is the biggest job – you have to peel, then cut all the kernels off. It kinda takes a while. I do have a trick for de-kernel-ing the cob: in a large mixing bowl, stand a cereal bowl upside-down inside to use as a stand. As the kernels fall off, they fall into the bowl. Check it out:
So cool, right? I wish I could take credit for such simple brilliance, but I’m pretty sure I saw someone on a cooking show do this at some point.
Anyhow, with all this corn taken care of, I reserved one cup of the kernels for the black bean enchilada bake, and made corn salad with the rest. For the corn salad, I finely chop a small onion, and toss it with the corn, a splash of red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper. Today I chopped up some fresh basil and threw that in too because I had some on hand. It’s simple, fresh, and really delicious. Some pics:
Whew! After all that corn work, I had quite a spread for lunch: black bean soup, a green pepper, some of the corn salad, and a few baked tortilla chips with some leftover monterey jack cheese from the enchilada bake.
I’m going to relax a bit, then figure out when/what workout I’m going to fit in today, then get back to the cooking and baking extravaganza!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bittman, budget, csa, granola, health, Indian, local produce, meals, menu planning, Mexican, planning, recipes, vegetarian, Vegetarian Times
Thursday evening is my CSA pick-up time. I usually come home, prep all the veggies and plan out some meals for the next week. Last night I had a dinner obligation so I couldn’t do the normal routine. So, this morning, I planned out some meals over breakfast.
Perusing How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for ideas over breakfast:
- Berry smoothie: frozen berries, vanilla soymilk, splash of pomegranate juice
- Mug of mint green tea and a glass of water
- Handful of almonds (not pictured). I eat a scant handful… about 12 almonds
This week’s CSA bounty included:
- 6 ears of corn
- bowl full of carrots
- small head of broccoli
- 2 purple peppers
- bunch of basil
- kale
- head of lettuce
Since today’s a rainy day, I’m going to stay in and cook/bake a bunch of meals for the upcoming week so I can fridge/freeze them. Meal-planning is a really great thing: it saves money, time, and can often ensure you are eating more healthy, complete meals. Once I’ve chosen a few meals, I start a grocery list. I check the cabinets to see what I already have and create a list of only the things I need. Then, I create a chart for the next week and, taking serving sizes into account, space them out over the week. Once that’s done, I’ll “fill-in-the-blanks.” I cook and menu plan for my husband and I. Since we have different tastes and nutritional needs, I generally plan separate breakfasts/lunches/snacks for us.
This is what my process may look like…
Here are the items I picked for the next week (note: since my CSA pick-up is on Thursday, I plan my weeks from Thursday to Thursday).
- Black Beans and Corn, enchilada style (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
- Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Mexican-style (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
- Pesto
- Olive Oil Granola (New York Times)
- Aloo Palak (Vegetarian Times)
Here’s my map of the week. I’ll plug in our meals, taking into account our social schedule. For example, we’ll be at my parents’ house on Saturday and Sunday, so I don’t need to include any Saturday meals or breakfast on Sunday.
Next, I go back and fill in all the blanks. This is where I’ll include any fruits/veggies, snacks that I’ll pick up, yogurt, etc… As I add them to my chart, I’ll add them to my grocery list. Here’s the finished map:
So I’m off with my grocery list, and I’ll post on al of the recipes later today. Happy Friday!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: new york times, running, side stitches, stretching
As a runner, I hate getting side stitches. I’ve tried a few things to get rid of them: ignore them, push my hand into my side and lean over, and try to stretch it out.
I just saw this article on side stitches in the “Well” blog for the New York Times.
It seems funny to me that my non-scientific methods of dealing with side stitches are actually medically recommended, ha.
What are other issues that you deal with when running?
Today is the day, my friends. The long-awaited day that I will bravely strap on the roller blades that I haven’t dusted off since Clinton was in office.
Okay, so for the last two years or so, I’ve been telling the husbo that I am dying to roller blade. The main deterrents were: a) I don’t have roller blades (they’re soo expensive) b) my neighborhood is pretty hilly c) I wouldn’t want anyone I knew to see me (embarrassment factor). So when I was home a few weeks ago for the triathlon (more on that later), my dad was cleaning out the garage and tossed a dusty old pair of roller blades. When I saw them, you’d have thought I’d hit the lotto. This was a sign! And – they fit! Snugly, yes, but they fit. I dusted them off and tooled around my parents driveway and brought them back to NYC with me.
They’ve sat in the corner of my living room ever since. I haven’t been stalling… just, uh, figuring out logistics. So this morning, I decided that today would be the day.
Look how cool and fast I look! Haha.
Well I lasted about ten minutes – but I have to say I had broken a little sweat by the end of those ten minutes… and I could feel some little muscles that I don’t usually feel in my regular exercise. I think I’d like to work up to a full 30 minutes. Yikes, that’ll take a while…
AND in case you were wondering, I did not see anyone I knew, nor did I look like a flailing lunatic on fire.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: csa, dinner, flatbread, fresh veggies, mark bittman, recipe
After coming home last Thursday with our CSA veggie bounty, I tried to use as much as possible for a truly farm-fresh dinner. We had a fresh salad with some balsamic and olive oil. I also made a ragout with summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and chickpeas. Rounding out the meal was a homemade flatbread (from Bittman, natch) and some parmesan cheese.
I used the mandoline to slice up the zucchini and squash and tossed it in a pan that already have some garlic and onion sauteeing in olive oil. The veggies cooked down for a few minutes, then I added tomatoes, salt and pepper. Once everything really looked and smelled delish (maybe five minutes), I turned it down to simmer and added the chickpeas.
But oh, the piece de resistance was the flatbread. And because it was a Bittman it was very very simple.
MMM… I love you, flatbread. Here’s Bittman’s recipe. I used 1/2c whole wheat flour and 1/2c regular ole white flour. Also, my little pan was smaller than the one called for so my flatbread was a little less flat, I suppose. Sooo delicious. Please try it – very soon. I have since done many variations including a cornmeal, sugar, and cinnamon for a sweet bread. YUM.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chicken, chicken salad, no mayo, quick meals, sandwiches, summer
This is arguably my favorite summer-time meal. I have always hated mayo for some reason, but I loved the flavors and idea of chicken salad – so easy and tasty you just slap it on some bread and done-ski!
This really couldn’t be any easier. I usually use left-over chicken breast or (even faster) the chicken breasts from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. I chop the chicken into small cubes (some people prefer to shred – whatever). I toss them in a bowl, chop some onions (or scallions, what ever you have on hand) for it too. The onions add that necessary crunch. Next, mix a vinaigrette of smooth dijon mustard (like Grey Poupon), red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Toss with the chicken and onions. I top it off with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and herbs de provence (you can use what ever spices you like). I toss it again then put it in the fridge. It gets even better the longer it sits melding flavors in the fridge.
I’m kind of a purist (usually just onions and chicken), but you can add lots of stuff: celery, apples, walnuts, raisins, etc… or even switch up the vinaigrette.
Regardless, it’s super-easy and delicious. It’s a great cool sangie for the summer!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: date, eggplant, elliptical, Julie & Julia, Kashi, movies, nyc, stair climber
I had a most wonderful “Ellen-day” today. I spent the day on a date with myself doing things that I thoroughly enjoy.
To start, I had a cup of yerba mate tea, a berry smoothie (vanilla soymilk, dash of pomegranate juice, frozen mixed berries), and a handful of almonds. Then I headed off to the gym for:
- 10 minute warm-up on the elliptical
- 20 minutes on the stair climber
- 20 minutes on the recumbent bike
On my way back to the subway, I had a post-workout banana as a snack.
I headed down to the Upper West Side for a few of my favorite activities: reading magazines at Barnes and Noble, window shopping – especially at home stores and fancy athletic wear, and the movies. So, I stopped by Gracious Homes, Pottery Barn, and Barnes and Noble before going to the movie theater for Julie & Julia.
The movie was the best part of my Ellen-date. It was also my first time going to the movies by myself. I got there a little early so I could get a good seat and start the delishy little lunch I brought myself. (I’m not sure why I felt that there would be seat-competition for a 1 pm show on a Wednesday… but hey). I had brought little whole wheat pitas with my homemade chicken salad-ish mix. I also had some celery and carrot sticks, grapes, and some green tea from Starby’s. All of it was super-fab.
Yikes, crazy eyes! Sorry, it was kinda dark in there. After the movie (which was really awesome – I decided I really heart Merryl Streep). I snacked on an apple and did a little more browsing before heading home.
Tonight, dinner is an eggplant/tomato/breadcrumb mix that I threw in the oven along with a thin-crust Kashi roasted veggie pizza. We’ll be catching up on season 2 of Mad Men, so I may even try to mix the husbo and I a little cocktail or two.
Happy Ellen-day! Haha, here’s to another one real soon 
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cooking Light, csa, cucumbers, desserts, granita, recipe, summer
I got 4 cucumbers from my CSA last week. I wanted to try something new and easy. I was thinking of a cold cucumber soup, but I didn’t have any dairy products – which pretty much all the recipes I found called for. So I looked to Cooking Light and found this interesting recipe for granita (and only 2 ingredients)!
A granita is a frozen dessert. Sort of like a slushie, I guess. While ice cream, and sometimes sorbet, contain dairy, a granita is just ice. The Cooking Light recipe is quite simple. First roughly chop the cucumbers. I had to de-seed mine first (see first picture). Next, toss them in a blender or food processor with a little honey to taste. Finally, pour the mixture into cheesecloth and let sit in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Note: I didn’t have cheesecloth. Instead, I put a silicone steamer insert in a bowl, put a paper towel on top, then poured the cucumber on. You can get pretty creative here.
Anyhow, once that has sat overnight, pour the mixture into a container and toss it in the freezer. You can periodically scrape it with a fork so that it does turn into some sort of ice block.
Well, maybe something went horribly wrong… but I wasn’t getting that summery delish dish I was hoping for. I think since I forgot to scrape the mixture every hour or so, it froze a bit too much for that granita consistency that makes it so good. I think I also would have added more sweetener.
I haven’t given up on trying the granita, though. Any tips?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: black beans, cooking, health, Magic Bullet, nutrition, quick meals, recipe, soup
When I’m in a pinch, or just looking to unload some leftovers, this is the meal I go to. It’s fast, easy, versatile, and delicious (not to mention very good for you). It’s an easy three-step process. It may take a whopping 5 minutes to make. Seriously.
There you have it. My black bean soup. All you need are black beans, salsa, and chicken broth in its most basic form. Add all three (no need to use more than 1/3 or so of the salsa with a whole can of beans) to a blender, food processor, or Magic Bullet (my tool of choice). Mix it up. You can eyeball it to see if you’d like it more creamy or more soupy (for more soupy just add more chicken broth). Then heat and eat. It is super tasty in this barebones form. Note: This would also work w/ veggie broth for any vegetarians out there.
On Tuesday I made this for lunch and added chopped onions and leftover shredded chicken on top. Sometimes I add milk to it, a cheddar cheese cube, or a clove of garlic before I toss it in the Bullet.
I’ve even used other bean combos… like a more Italian-style soup using white beans, garlic, onions, rosemary, and chicken broth. This version is great with some crusty bread. No matter how it’s prepared, it’s always fast tasty, and nutritious.
Are there any delicious easy combos that you’ve come up with in a pinch?
