Feeling more rested so of course I think about food!
I got some decent sleep last night. I was asleep before 9:30 and while I was awake for about 1.5 hours around 3:30 this morning I did go back to sleep until almost 6:30. I'll wing it on whether I'll take a nap this afternoon or not.
OMG I thought I was finally going blind! I've been doing a ton of reading the last week and a half and I know I've been overworking my eyes. Gone are the heady days when I could read 5 Harlequin Presents (shut up, I was a teenager) per day with no damage. Now, even reading almost exclusively on the computer or my Kindle where I can manipulate the font size, my old eyes protest at the abuse. For the last couple of hours I realized my laptop screen was looking awfully dim and hard to read. I just now realized that Phoukathecat (living up to his mischievous name), who likes to lunge at the little cordless mouse adapter for some damn reason, had unplugged the power cord from the laptop where it enters next to the mouse adapter. The computer was running on power-saving mode. URRRR!
Anyway, yesterday after my plasma appointment I stopped by Nature's Pantry (health food store) just a couple of blocks away. A lot of their products are just too damn expensive for regular purchase but they do have some specialty items that I can't get anywhere else that's within a reasonable distance. I was perusing the boxed grain selections, thinking to try some farro when I saw a box of Einkorn wheat berries. I've been reading a lot about how they've discovered that the modified wheat used almost exclusively available today is the cause of a lot of health problems and obesity. Einkorn is ancient and the only non-modified wheat out there. It avoids a lot of the health problems associated with wheat, enough so that a lot of people with celiac disease can tolerate it. I've been wanting to try it but the flour is hideously expensive (about $12-13 for a very small bag). They had a 1 lb box of the wheat berries on sale down from $4.19 to $2.99. Sold! Especially since I've been wanting something fresh and tasty and they had a recipe for something very much like tabbouleh on the side of the package. So I made the basic recipe (just simmered in salted water for 30 min), let it cool then added diced cucumber (about 1.5 cups), 3 sliced green onions, about 1.5 cups of diced tomatoes (I used a package of small novelty tomatoes I found at the store that smelled really good - and they were!), 3-4 T of minced parsley and a 4 oz pkg of feta cheese crumbles. I dressed it simply with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. OMG! So good! A quarter of that recipe made a wonderful lunch and well within my carb restrictions. I paired another 1/4 of it with a grilled chicken breast for dinner. After learning how delicious it is (the grains are slightly sweet and nutty) and that a serving has way fewer carbs than regular wheat berries, I began perusing the net for maybe a cheaper source. To my astonishment that same box generally sells for about $12 damn near everywhere online, mostly because of the shipping charges. So I ran back down to Nature's Pantry and bought 3 more boxes. Even at the regular price it'll be cheaper there than anywhere else. For those of you who can't tolerate wheat, try the recipe with another grain like farro or buckwheat (which isn't wheat at all). Very good and very refreshing. It tastes better after sitting for awhile but I do prefer it at room temperature rather than cold from the fridge.
I have to do laundry in a bit but I am pampering myself on my last day of vacation. I had fried grits for breakfast! It's a treat. Even if you don't like grits (or don't think you will) I bet you'd like these. I made a regular batch x 4 and when it was done I added butter and a big handful of grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne. I poured it in a sprays loaf pan and let it set overnight. Slice it about a 1/4 in thick, flour very lightly to keep it from popping so badly and help it brown, then fry in just about 1/4 inch of oil (make it half and half with bacon grease if you're being really decadent - which I was). So delicious to dunk in soft-boiled eggs. Not something I can indulge in very often, just as a treat.
For lunch I'm marinating some sliced-in-two boneless pork ribs in a combination of soy sauce, vegetable and dark sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated garlic, minced green onions, salt, pepper and red chili flakes. I'll sear them quickly in a really hot pan (normally I'd grill but I need to get a new one) and have it with more of my wheat berry salad.
For dinner a beef, broccoli and mushroom stir fry (pretty damn healthy) but the treat part is that instead of brown rice I bought some jasmine rice.
I love rice. Until I was about 12 I hated rice. Or I thought I did because I really can't remember eating it before then. Just one of those random food prejudices that kids pick up I guess. Anyway, I've had to seriously curtail my rice consumption since I realized I was diabetic. Because I don't just like rice - I like RICE! My favorite is jasmine but any white rice will do. And I can't trust myself around it. Even cold white rice I'll reach in and grab a big pinch of and eat - many times until it's all gone. Although I'll eat instant brown rice because it retains a lot of texture, the white kind is nasty. And you can't fix just a single serving of regular white rice very easily. So mostly I eat brown rice which I've learned to really appreciate, especially fixed the Alton Brown way. 1.5 cups of medium or short-grain brown rice, 2.5 cups of boiling water, 2 T butter, salt - add to a shallow casserole with a lid or foil on the top and bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. Perfect every time. Nutty and toasty and perfectly cooked without the combination of mushy and crunchy grains that stove-top or microwave cooking can give you without a lot of attention. Anyway, tonight I will fix a small batch of jasmine rice and indulge myself!
But now? Lunch time! And try to forget that vacation is almost over.
OMG I thought I was finally going blind! I've been doing a ton of reading the last week and a half and I know I've been overworking my eyes. Gone are the heady days when I could read 5 Harlequin Presents (shut up, I was a teenager) per day with no damage. Now, even reading almost exclusively on the computer or my Kindle where I can manipulate the font size, my old eyes protest at the abuse. For the last couple of hours I realized my laptop screen was looking awfully dim and hard to read. I just now realized that Phoukathecat (living up to his mischievous name), who likes to lunge at the little cordless mouse adapter for some damn reason, had unplugged the power cord from the laptop where it enters next to the mouse adapter. The computer was running on power-saving mode. URRRR!
Anyway, yesterday after my plasma appointment I stopped by Nature's Pantry (health food store) just a couple of blocks away. A lot of their products are just too damn expensive for regular purchase but they do have some specialty items that I can't get anywhere else that's within a reasonable distance. I was perusing the boxed grain selections, thinking to try some farro when I saw a box of Einkorn wheat berries. I've been reading a lot about how they've discovered that the modified wheat used almost exclusively available today is the cause of a lot of health problems and obesity. Einkorn is ancient and the only non-modified wheat out there. It avoids a lot of the health problems associated with wheat, enough so that a lot of people with celiac disease can tolerate it. I've been wanting to try it but the flour is hideously expensive (about $12-13 for a very small bag). They had a 1 lb box of the wheat berries on sale down from $4.19 to $2.99. Sold! Especially since I've been wanting something fresh and tasty and they had a recipe for something very much like tabbouleh on the side of the package. So I made the basic recipe (just simmered in salted water for 30 min), let it cool then added diced cucumber (about 1.5 cups), 3 sliced green onions, about 1.5 cups of diced tomatoes (I used a package of small novelty tomatoes I found at the store that smelled really good - and they were!), 3-4 T of minced parsley and a 4 oz pkg of feta cheese crumbles. I dressed it simply with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. OMG! So good! A quarter of that recipe made a wonderful lunch and well within my carb restrictions. I paired another 1/4 of it with a grilled chicken breast for dinner. After learning how delicious it is (the grains are slightly sweet and nutty) and that a serving has way fewer carbs than regular wheat berries, I began perusing the net for maybe a cheaper source. To my astonishment that same box generally sells for about $12 damn near everywhere online, mostly because of the shipping charges. So I ran back down to Nature's Pantry and bought 3 more boxes. Even at the regular price it'll be cheaper there than anywhere else. For those of you who can't tolerate wheat, try the recipe with another grain like farro or buckwheat (which isn't wheat at all). Very good and very refreshing. It tastes better after sitting for awhile but I do prefer it at room temperature rather than cold from the fridge.
I have to do laundry in a bit but I am pampering myself on my last day of vacation. I had fried grits for breakfast! It's a treat. Even if you don't like grits (or don't think you will) I bet you'd like these. I made a regular batch x 4 and when it was done I added butter and a big handful of grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne. I poured it in a sprays loaf pan and let it set overnight. Slice it about a 1/4 in thick, flour very lightly to keep it from popping so badly and help it brown, then fry in just about 1/4 inch of oil (make it half and half with bacon grease if you're being really decadent - which I was). So delicious to dunk in soft-boiled eggs. Not something I can indulge in very often, just as a treat.
For lunch I'm marinating some sliced-in-two boneless pork ribs in a combination of soy sauce, vegetable and dark sesame oil, rice vinegar, grated garlic, minced green onions, salt, pepper and red chili flakes. I'll sear them quickly in a really hot pan (normally I'd grill but I need to get a new one) and have it with more of my wheat berry salad.
For dinner a beef, broccoli and mushroom stir fry (pretty damn healthy) but the treat part is that instead of brown rice I bought some jasmine rice.
I love rice. Until I was about 12 I hated rice. Or I thought I did because I really can't remember eating it before then. Just one of those random food prejudices that kids pick up I guess. Anyway, I've had to seriously curtail my rice consumption since I realized I was diabetic. Because I don't just like rice - I like RICE! My favorite is jasmine but any white rice will do. And I can't trust myself around it. Even cold white rice I'll reach in and grab a big pinch of and eat - many times until it's all gone. Although I'll eat instant brown rice because it retains a lot of texture, the white kind is nasty. And you can't fix just a single serving of regular white rice very easily. So mostly I eat brown rice which I've learned to really appreciate, especially fixed the Alton Brown way. 1.5 cups of medium or short-grain brown rice, 2.5 cups of boiling water, 2 T butter, salt - add to a shallow casserole with a lid or foil on the top and bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. Perfect every time. Nutty and toasty and perfectly cooked without the combination of mushy and crunchy grains that stove-top or microwave cooking can give you without a lot of attention. Anyway, tonight I will fix a small batch of jasmine rice and indulge myself!
But now? Lunch time! And try to forget that vacation is almost over.