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There She Goes Again - LiveJournal.com
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Phillies win and regain sole possession of the NL East lead!
And I was there to see it.
I think my fascination with my new breakfast box is making me lazy about my lunches. :)
Contents: Poached salmon with tomato and capers and arugula; mediterranean coleslaw; carrots and hummus; mini cheeses, dried apricots, and macadamia nuts
Prep: I was out running errands late last night, so rather than cooking until 9:00 p.m., I picked up the salmon and cole slaw at Whole Foods. The other items were already in my kitchen and easy to put together.
Verdict: The salmon was one of the best things I've ever gotten from a supermarket prepared foods section. I think I'll try and replicate it soon. Ditto for the coleslaw. I did add some arugula to the salmon to get more veggies in. This was plenty filling--I did in fact save one small box for a snack.
Contents: Pumpernickel flowers with lox and neufchatel; cucumbers; white peach, mango, strawberries, and blueberries
Prep: I shaped the pumpernickel with cookie cutters. The cucumbers, peach, and strawberries were cut this morning. The mango was the last of a pre-chopped tupperware stash.
Verdict: This was so colorful and pretty that I almost couldn't bring myself to eat it! But it was a very satisfying breakfast.
Mia's Pizza was yum. I would like to try it again. We were a bit full from happy hour at Union Jacks. And it was nice that Mike and I got to have dinner with my cousins. :)
It's hot as get out here in DC, and the idea of cooking anything makes me want to take a hot poker to my eye. I went with takeout for dinner, but thought "now, what can I put in tomorrow's bento . . "
Contents: Prosciutto and arugula pizza; yellow and red grape tomato mozzarella skewers, rainier cherries.
Prep: I removed the two large containers to make room for the pizza. My new picks came, and it was easy to put the skewers together. Cherries and broccoli went right into the containers.
Verdict: Tasty. I think it's a slightly bigger lunch than I've been taking of late, but I didn't feel stuffed.
Contents: Mini bagel with lox, neufchatel, and cucumber; strawberries, grapes, white peach, and blueberries.
Prep: It was a bit of a challenge to get the mini-bagel into the small tier of the bento. I ended up eating two of the pieces so that it fit. ;) I cut the fruit up this morning, and used the new food cups that came in the mail.
Verdict: A nice, light breakfast. I am having a bit of a challenge working with this narrow box, especially versus the long, wide tupperware box I was using before. I did treat myself to a slightly wider one that should be arriving soon, but this one has been great for getting a variety of fruit, at least. At some point, I'll make some hardboiled eggs--that might be fun to put in this box.
To prepare for the great wedding marathon of 2008, I got a spa pedi. My legs and feet are happy, and I also got a quick upper back massage. The pedicurist snuck up on me while my toes were drying, and I nearly hit the ceiling. But it felt good after I got over the "who is beating me???" shock.
I decided tonight was "screw cooking, part two" and got poached salmon and mediterranean cole slaw at Whole Foods. Yeah, it was a treat, but I have enough to bring for lunch tomorrow, and it was healthy and satisfying. I'm really pleased that I've only bought lunch out once since I started the new job, and that was only because an in-office lunch we were having got rescheduled. And, I've only bought breakfast once as well. This is a big change from even a few weeks ago. Add in the nearly a mile walk to work and fairly regular yoga and I am less bloated, more toned, and sleeping better. I've also tried to cut down on the caffeine so that I'm not getting massive headaches on the mornings I don't have it right away. I'm also noticing I'm more full with less food. And, needless to say, by eschewing processed food, I'm not having the sneezing fits and gastrointestinal issues that soy-based foods bring on in my system.
Tomorrow, I am meeting my cousins for dinner, and then Friday I am cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
Bento & Yogato
Contents: Whole wheat mini pitas with bacon, colby jack, and spinach; grapes; strawberries and blueberries
Prep: Bacon was crisped the night before. The mini pitas were easier to deal with this morning for sure.
Verdict: Tasty! I think I'm getting better at maximizing the space in the new bento box. My hard plastic food cups arrived in the mail today, and I look forward to experimenting with them in this box.
Contents: Mini buffalo burgers with colby jack cheese and spinach; roma tomato slices, jicama, and cucumber; mango and blueberries; cheese wedge, grapes, and triscuit
Prep: I made extra mini burgers with last night's dinner. The jicama was also prepared last night. Mango was pre-cut.
Verdict: Tasty and filling. I was hoping to include some seaweed salad in here, but I didn't like how it turned out, so I improvised with the cucumbers instead. The jicama was just as good cold as hot.
The food cups I ordered came. They'll work nicely in the new bento box. They're shallower than the silicone baking cups I've been using. I like the two tier box, but I also want to look into single tier boxes as well.
I neglected to mention that I bought a skidless mat for yoga. It really helped with my stability on downward dog.
I had a busy last few hours at work, and then I had to go try and find a strapless bra that would be strong enough to hold up my breasts, but bare enough not to show on my dresses. Needless to say, when that was all done, I didn't feel like cooking, so I grabbed a pizza to go from Vapiano. I put half away immediately for lunch tomorrow. Jenn and I are getting pedis tomorrow, so we may eat out then also. I'll make sure to have leftovers. And then I'm going to Mia's Pizza with my cousins Thursday.
My neighbor and I went to Mr. Yogato tonight. I had peach with blueberries and starfruit. Tasty.
Today's bento:
I'm continuing to be diligent about packing my breakfast and lunch bentos in the mornings.
For breakfast, I was very excited to use my new bento box.
Contents: Strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi; mini-pitas with lox, goat cheese, and baby spinach; rainier cherries.
Prep: The mini pitas were a pain to deal with. I prefer the Trader Joe's ones, but I got the Whole Foods brand because it's more convenient to my apartment. It took me forever, seemingly, to get the lox, goat cheese, and spinach in. The fruit was easy to slice up.
Verdict: Despite being irritating to put together, the mini pitas were a nice change from my standard mini bagel. The fruit was tasty--I probably could have put even more in.
I was so focused on my new bento box and what I was cooking for dinner tonight that I realized late Sunday that I hadn't thought about lunch for today! Fortunately, I had a lot of leftovers.
Contents: Fusili with chicken sausage, green onion, spinach, orange pepper, roma tomato, and feta; green beans, carrots, and yellow grape tomatoes; blackberries and kiwi; grapes, turkey pepperoni, and babybel.
Prep: Easy--I just popped everything into its containers and voila.
Verdict: I ate everything at lunch, rather than saving one container for a snack. Not sure if my breakfast was too small, if I didn't have enough protein in this lunch, or I was just hungrier than usual. Hmm.
I went to yoga tonight. I have really been having issues with balance lately. I can't hold poses that I usually can. I don't know if it's the heat or if I'm tired. But, I am glad I went to yoga, because I didn't get to go last week.
Tonight, I made buffalo burgers, seaweed salad, and jicama. I wish I wasn't cooking so late, but c'est la vie. I still need to crisp up some bacon for tomorrow's breakfast. And I have to clean up the kitchen too. Ugh. It's worth it to have good, healthy food. But I would appreciate it if the kitchen would clean itself.
Quick weekend recap:
--I went to Madame Tussaud's with my office. We did a scavenger hunt and my team won. We got gift certificates and a free pass to another hunt. The hunt part was a lot of fun, but I'm not sure I would pay full admission to go to Madame Tussaud's without the scavenger hunt part on the side. I did get some pics, which are on Facebook. Afterwards, we went to Rosa Mexicano. I know a lot of people bitch about it, but I always have a decent meal there.
--My train ride to Philly was easy. My parents and I had a relaxing Friday, getting takeout from Mirabella Cafe and watching the Phillies game.
--Saturday was a little more hectic. Dad and I saw The Dark Knight. I was in Chicago when they were shooting it last summer, and there's a scene with helicopters that I'm pretty sure I saw being shot. Anyhow, I liked it. Wasn't wowed by it, but I liked it. Heath Ledger was damn good in it, I'll say that. I wish he was in it more. And I also wish Maggie Gyllenhaal had played Rachel Dawes in the first film. After that, we ran a ton of errands: Wegmans for dinner (shrimp, crab claws, and some salads); Target for yoga pants, a hair straightener, and various cosmetic items; and LL Bean for boots, a fleece, and a toiletry bag. Then, more Phillies watching.
--Sunday, Mike stopped by my parents' house. We had breakfast with my parents, and then he and I headed back to DC. The drive was fine.
--My new bento box came! It's 350ml. I'll be using it for breakfast moving forward. 600 ml--the top container is 350 ml and the bottom is 250 ml. I'll still use it for breakfast. It's mostly going to be packed with fruit anyhow, so I'm not worried about it being too much food.
--I made a trip to Whole Foods this afternoon to pick up supplies for tomorrow's dinner--buffalo burgers, jicama, and a seaweed salad. I'll let you know how everything comes out.
Today's bento:
Lunch bento:
Contents: Fusili pasta with chicken sausage, orange pepper, spinach, roma tomatoes, green onion, and feta; rainier cherries; laughing cow mini cheese wedges; yellow grape tomatoes, string beans, and marinated mozzarella; white peaches and blueberries.
Prep: Fast! The fusili was leftover from last night's dinner. I got the pre-cooked sausages at Whole Foods and diced them up, sauteed them with the veggies, and stirred in the pasta and feta and some italian seasoning. The peaches were pre-cut and easily transferred into the bento.
Verdict: I was very happy with the color and variety in this one. Too bad I didn't get to eat it for lunch! It's my second week in my new job, and the office surprised me by taking me out to lunch. However, I did eat all the veggies, cheese, and fruit as a late afternoon snack. The rainier cherries were very good--it was the first time I've ever had them. I also like the little laughing cow cheese wedges--very creamy. The pasta should keep fine through the weekend
Breakfast bento:
Contents: Blackberries and kiwi; whole grain bagel with neufchatel, lox, and arugula; grapes; mango.
Prep: Easy. Just had to assemble the bagel and pull the grapes off the stem. The kiwi was pre-cut.
Verdict: Still not sick of those bagels. ;) This was just the right amount of food for me.
Hunger Action went really well tonight. I started with the bean salad, and then took dish and can washing duty (martyr, party of one!). Washing the big metal GI pan we make the salad in was a good upper body workout, however. The group was very efficient. We also tackled fruit salad, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and snack bags. Our group leader estimated the haul would feed 830 people. Turns out I won't be leading the August 7 session--our group leader canceled her plans to be out of town (the person she was going to visit passed away suddenly, unfortunately).
In miscellany: I booked my travel for work for August. 10 days in California. Holy crap. And I'm in Florida for a weekend the week before that. And I'm going to three weddings in four weeks on either side. Jesus. H. Christ . . . My friend Piper had her baby yesterday. YAY! . . . Work fun outing tomorrow to Madame Tussaud's and then to Rosa Mexicano, and then I head to Philly for the weekend. Dad and I are seeing The Dark Knight Saturday (tickets procured) and then maybe hitting the pool (shit--must pack swimsuit). Mike is picking me up on the way back from a weekend in AC, and my parents are ridiculously excited about him being in Cherry Hill, even if it's just an hour for lunch.
I am on a roll with my lunches. Normally, going out mid-week would derail my food efforts, but I knew I would be at Charles' birthday party last night, so I made sure I had plenty of leftovers to pack for lunch, as well as prepped fruit for breakfast.
Contents: Whole grain mini bagel, lox, neufchatel, and arugula sandwich; mango; babybel; kiwi; dried apricot; blueberries; white peach; macadamia nuts
Prep: The mango and kiwi were pre-cut on Monday and handily waiting for me in tupperware containers. I chopped up the peach and assembled the bagel sandwich this morning, put the fruit in the baking cups, and added the other foods, that I'd normally put in my lunch box, for my mid-day snack.
Verdict: Very satisfying! I have been a bit skittish of peaches since I had a bad reaction (holy hives, batman) to a saturn peach a few months ago, but the white peach was really excellent. I'm also having a lot of fun arranging the daily bagel differently each day so my bentos all look different.
Contents: Spinach chicken parmesan; quinoa with yellow pepper and crimini mushrooms; blackberries; yellow grape tomatoes and broccoli
Prep: One of the fastest ever. The leftovers were already portioned in my fridge, so I just had to transfer them to my lunch box.
Verdict: I was pretty full from breakfast, so all I ate was the chicken, quinoa, and broccoli. Work got hectic, so I ate the snacks from the breakfast box, but forgot about the blackberries and tomatoes until just now!
I made a delicious pasta tonight--fusilli with roma tomato, green onion, orange pepper, chicken sausage, spinach, and feta. YUM. I could have put more spinach in, but otherwise, I was way pleased. And, yes, we'll see it at lunch tomorrow. ;)
I'm getting more of a sense of my big California trip that will be happening in a few weeks. I'll be flying up north, making my way around Salinas and the Central Valley, and then heading down to San Diego for my professional association's conference. And when I asked what I needed clothes-wise, I was told "closed toed, waterproof boots and sweatshirts" And most definitely not suits. My new job is the best job ever, for a variety of reasons. Getting to tromp about in waterproof boots is but one of them.
In other news, Hunger Action is tomorrow at DCJCC. If you can't make it tomorrow, please join me on August 7, because I'll be in charge of that session. It's my first time running it on my own, so having friendly faces is so welcome. And, in related news, you can write your Congressmen to encourage them to provide disaster relief to the Midwestern states, which will help food banks and other organizations assist families affected by the floods.
With the rising cost of food, many hunger relief programs are struggling to meet the increased need for food assistance. More people need help with basic food needs, but with rising costs, these organizations' resources are even more stretched. DC Central Kitchen is looking for financial support, and Clark Construction is matching their donations, so now is a great time to help them out. They not only provide meal assistance, but also job training so individuals can break the cycle of poverty. The Kitchen distributes the meals we make at Hunger Action. They're a great organization and I make a point to contribute to them throughout the year.
Today's bento:
Contents: Spinach chicken parmesan; broccoli and shiitake mushrooms; marinated mozzarella and yellow grape tomatoes; wheat thins, cheddar cheese, and turkey pepperoni; blueberries and champagne mango.
Prep: Easy. The chicken and veggies were left over from last night's dinner. I cut up the champagne mango and put it in a small tupperware container, so it was easy to scoop it into the lunch box this morning.
Verdict: The chicken tasted better today than the night before, but I need to remember to cut it into smaller pieces next time! I may have been hungrier than usual today, because I ate my snack box much earlier in the day. I definitely liked the champagne mango--just as delicious as a regular mango, but with a creamier texture that really complimented the blueberries.
Contents: Whole grain mini bagel with lox, neufchatel, and arugula; kiwi and blackberry; blueberry and mango; yellow grape tomatoes
Prep: Easy. I quartered the bagel for a different visual look. The fruit was pre-cut the night before.
Verdict: Filling and tasty. Rotating fruit every day keeps me from feeling monotony about my daily bagel. ;)
Went to Charles' tonight to celebrate his 30th birthday with pizza, Wii, and cake. Good times. I am way full from cake, and the cake made me sneeze.
I Should Be in Bed
I had a really fun weekend, but I am way tired from it.
Friday was a tough as nails yoga class. I was glad to be challenged, but I definitely got my ass kicked. I hope I'm able to make a class this week.
Saturday, we had ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) freedomfry's shower at casapazzo and Carmen's apartment. A good time was had by all. Here is a sample of our handiwork:
I had to dash from the shower to the metro so Mike could pick me up and we could head to his brother's birthday party. It was a pool party, so I got to swim, which was great.
Sunday, we went to Bombay Bistro in Rockville, and then to Mike's parents' house for impromptu birthday cake for Mike's brother. Guess who baked the cake? ;) I had made Cherry Pound Cake to bring to Mike's, and we decided to share it.
Since I didn't get back to DC until late last night, I'm glad I had leftovers for my bento.
Contents: Saag paneer, rice, chicken strips, macadamia nuts, baby bel, carrots.
Prep: Ridiculously easy. Thank you, leftovers.
Verdict: Everything held up well. The tysons Southwestern Chicken strips went surprisingly well with the saag paneer! I wish I had time to put some fruit in there, but I was too sleepy.
I made spinach chicken parmesan tonight. It was ok--I think I need to play with the recipe some more. I need to remember I like my chicken breasts thin. I also bought a ton of fruit and veggies--kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, mangoes, champagne mangoes (they are creamier than regular mangoes), white peaches, shiitake mushrooms, yellow grape tomatoes, fresh broccoli, and a yellow squash.
Friday Bento
Contents: Rib-eye steak with grape tomatoes and spring mix; carrots. green beans, and babybel; quinoa with crimini mushroom, vidalia onion, yellow pepper, baby spinach, and parmesan; blueberries and mango.
Prep: Super-easy. I made myself a big steak for dinner last night and cut a piece off for the bento today. The quinoa was also leftover from yesterday. I keep a tupperware container of pre-chopped mango in my fridge so that I can just toss it in in the morning and go.
Verdict: Good, but I need to remember that, as pretty as the one piece of steak looks, if I don't bring a steak knife, it's a pain to cut. So, future steaks will be pre-cut. I love working with quinoa--it's a tasty base. I made extra and stashed it, so you'll likely see more quinoa throughout the week. :)
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