Things I Love

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catch up sat, sun, mon 2/6-8

Is there a way I can blame the snow for my falling behind on blogging?  I’m sure there is.  There’s plenty of snow, I’m sure it can handle being called the cause of one more best laid plan gone awry.  I’ve been off work since Thursday, we’ve had over two feet of snow and another foot is forecasted for tonight.  Seemingly I’ve found ways to fill my time, though none of which were posting daily installments here.  So, in short order, let’s catch up:

Breakfast:  lemon water; carrot raisin manna toast with butter; grapefruit; traditional medicinals chai.  I had this for breakfast the last three days.  Delicious, nutritious.  I love toast.  And grapefruit, of late, has been making my soul sing.

Lunch:  greek meatballs (lamb with garlic, mint and feta); hominy, swiss chard / pork tenderloin with gravy; curried butternut squash soup; kale with cranberries and pepitas; brown rice / mixed green salad; broccoli soup; six veggie quiche; bread.  Got some cooking done on Saturday, had lunch at home with Eric on Sunday and lunch at Le Pain with Eric on Monday.  Le Pain makes me so happy, it’s seemingly always bright and sunny there, and they treat me so well.

Snack:  tea and cookies.  I made two dozen Oatmeal Scotchies.  When it’s all over I will have eaten twenty of them. 

Dinner:  mushroom tarragon soup / clam dip and blue corn chips / popcorn, goobers and cherry coke.  Ok, clearly dinner is where it is all falling apart.  Saturday I made soup, it was horrible.  Sunday was the Superbowl, I had clam dip (because it’s a law in my family), Monday I was at the movies around dinnertime and well, I wanted goobers and cherry coke.  I ate half the box of goobers and about four draws on the cherry coke.  It wasn’t as good as I remembered.

Snack:  tea, sprouted wheat toast with almond butter, honey and butter.  This was Sunday, late night after the movie – just about the only protein I’d had all day.  I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll get back on track, both with blogging daily and eating like a sane person.

hunker down friday, 2/5

Parked my new car out front, away from trees and settled in for the blizzard.  Before that I made a run to Whole Foods, bought a few extra things to make some treats while I’m snowed in.  All I can say is this mess needs to be cleaned up by Tuesday, I’m in the line up for Speakeasy DC’s Open Mic and I’ve got a good story to tell.  I’d hate for it to be canceled.

Breakfast:  lemon water; oats, almonds, apple, spinach, cinnamon, water; traditional medicinals chai.

Lunch:  tea, tea, tea; broccoli; steamed dumplings.  Doctored the broccoli with seseame seeds, toasted sesame oil and crushed red pepper.  I love food.

Snack:  Oatmeal Scotchies.  I’ve been craving these cookies for a while.  I think I ate six of them today.  I didn’t have white or brown sugar, I used Rapadura; but I did have white flour.  The butterscotch chips I had to go to Safeway to get, they don’t carry them at Whole Foods.  One look at the ingredients and you’ll know why.  Oh my goodness. 

Dinner:  tilapia in swiss chard with mango chutney and pomegranate; golden hominy; sauteed zucchini; sparkling apple cider.  Spoiled rotten, I am:  living with a chef – even if it’s just me.  This food was so gorgeous, so delicious!  It’s a crying shame I live alone.

it ain’t a toyota thursday, 2/4

Oh my goodness today felt so much different, so much better than every day of the last week.  Some big shift has occured.  I don’t know if it’s the moon, the approaching blizzard, the advent of my period or just having seen the amazing Alvin Ailey Dance Company last night – it’s probably all of the above – but I feel so much lighter, so much more positive, so much more serene this morning than I have of late.  Today I believe in possibility. 

Breakfast: lemon water; oats, cherries, cardamom, almond milk, spinach; traditional medicinals chai.  Woke up before the alarm and went to Bootcamp.  Got home, had breakfast, did my meditation, got online and found a car I liked, called and told them I’d be out there this afternoon to see it, went to work.

Lunch:  dong quai tea; brown rice, black beans, broccoli, dulse, olive oil, vinegar, southwest seasoning; blue corn chips; avocado and dulse.  Ate lunch before I headed out to see the car I liked.

Snack:  unsweetened chocolate, apple (not pictured).  I ate these driving home in my new car.  Scandalized to remember that I’d forgotten to meet a friend for tea.  Apologized profusely, will simply reschedule.  Nice lesson learned:  balls get dropped and it’s not the end of the world.  Maybe now I won’t have to be wound so tight all the time.

Dinner:  sauteed chicken; sweet potatoes; coleslaw; biscuit with butter and honey; water with lemon. Met Kate at Chicken Out for our usual Thursday night.  I feel completely human again.

weeded wednesday, 2/3

How I can be in the weeds on a day that three inches of snowfall conspired to clear my client schedule and allow me to take a mid-morning nap is proof positive that I am utterly out of my mind.  I was wound completely around the axle today, at my wit’s end.  I need a car, ASAP, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things I need and want to do.

Breakfast:  lemon water; french toast with butter and syrup; sausage; spinach; grapefruit; traditional medicinals chai.  Lovely.  The day started out just lovely.  I mean, really.  Just look at my lovely breakfast!

Lunch:  rooibos tea; brown rice, broccoli, black beans, kale, spinach, avocado, dulse, sunflower seeds, carrots, olive oil, cider vinegar, southwest seasoning; blue corn chips.  By now the spinning of my brain was beginning to take over.  I dropped the ball on rescheduling a client, thought I would just die of embarassment.  I spent over an hour on the computer, surfing car dealership sites, my palms sweating and my heart racing.  It was madness.

Snack:  apple, cashews, unsweetened chocolate.  Yup, that’s 100% cacao, not for the weak of heart or faint of palette.  I had exactly one square, it’s all I could manage.  My brain was still spinning at the speed of light, I just couldn’t calm myself down.

Snack:  cherry tart.   Went out with Kate for the evening, she had made tarts and I ate one.  Figured I was already crazy in the head, the sugar couldn’t do much harm and besides, it tasted good.  I only had one, but I was sure to get the one with chocolate in the bottom.

Dinner:  beef saltenas, yucca and plantains, water.  We went to a little place on Columbia Pike, I really like the saltenas there.  Got to the Kennedy Center on time to see Alvin Ailey, the ninth time I’ve seen them.  I wept whe the curtain rose, a huge release of all the frantic energy that’s been plauging me these last few days.  Beauty, that’s what’s been missing.  I haven’t paused and taken in any beauty in a while.  I’m pleased to report I slept through the night and woke up with an incredible peace of mind.  Priceless.

troubling tuesday, 2/2

Okay, that Groundhog is going to want to steer clear of me.  If I see him, I’m gonna make him wish he’d stayed in bed, called in sick, played ‘possum – anything to avoid his proclamation that we’re going to have six more weeks of winter.  I am so very tired of snow.  And clouds.  And cold. 

Breakfast:  lemon water; oats, almonds, cherries, cardamom, spinach, water, a splash of almond milk; traditional medicinals chai.  My first day back to Bootcamp.  It was good, and by that I mean that  I sweat, I got tired, my body hurt.  You know, “good”.

Lunch:  beets and kumquats; blue corn chips; kale, spinach, avocado, black beans, carrots, olive oil, vinegar, southwest seasoning.  This is clearly not lunch at Restaurant Eve, but my date backed out on me so I had to fend for myself.  Just imagine all the money I’m saving.  Why, that $20 can go right into my car budget.  Or my condo budget.  Or my “I’m gonna need a massage” budget.

Snack:  88% cacao; cashews, decaf soy latte.  I had to go get the plates off my destroyed car today.  That made me sad, I felt I deserved a treat, and it’s a fine day when a trip to Starbucks feels like a real treat.  Here’s what I know.  That tall decaf has 20 mg of caffeine, and if you pair that with the last quarter of a chocolate bar (which I needed because I was sad) the combined caffeine will be enough to wake you up around 2am and keep you up until around 6am.  I hereby solemnly swear I will not have Starbucks decaf and chocolate in the same day. 

Dinner:  steamed dumplings, steamed broccoli, brown rice; sparkling apple cider.  Worked late, snow dumping down, I canceled my plans to have dinner in DC and grabbed take out on the way home.  Mighty tasty, and there are plenty of leftovers.

maudlin monday, 2/1

Well, typically I’m thrilled to see a new month begin, and I’m certainly ready to have January over, but this month is not off to a good start.  It’s just the wreckage of January oozing over to taint my perception, but in it’s own right, the weather thus far is less than inspiring.  More snow expected.  I’m gonna need a fireplace, some marshmallows and graham crackers if this keeps up.

Breakfast:  lemon water; oats, apple, kale, water, cinnamon; traditional medicinals chai.

Lunch:  cornbread and butter; lentil split pea soup with kale and carrots; beet salad with avocados.  All leftover or from the freezer.  I’m practicing being thrifty.  I’d gotten awfully used to being a bit of a diva, with the car totalled and looking to buy a house that may have to change.

Snack:  88% cacao; cashews; tea.  The higher the cacao content, the less room for milkfat and sugar.  And what I don’t need, in my current state of mind, is sugar.  Oh no, oh no.

Dinner:  fried egg; sprouted wheat toast with butter; tater tots and ketchup dipping pool; water.  My lunch date for tomorrow canceled, as did my dinner date for Friday.  I’m feeling decidedly re/de-jected.  There’s no bad day tater tots can’t fix.  An evening on the couch with a new episode of HIMYM helps, too.

Snack:  sprouted wheat toast with butter and apple butter; teechino.  Stayed up way too late uploading info about my Spring Cleanse Retreat to my website.  Check it out, won’t you?

back on the road sunday, 1/31

Finally, this month is over.  Is it just me or has it dragged on and on?  I don’t know what I’m expecting February to bring (new car, new man, new house) but it can’t get here fast enough.  Meanwhile, I headed home today, once I got my rental car dug out.  8″ of snow at the beach.  That’s unusual.

Breakfast:  fruit; orange juice; traditional medicinals chai; spinach mushroom quiche with cheddar; baked french toast with dried fruit; sausage.  Ah, yes, my last two breakfast day for a while.  But when the choices are this good, how could I possibly choose?

Lunch:  lentil split pea soup; cornbread and butter; chicken, corn, tomato, greens.  All leftover, enjoyed safely back at home.  Had a little heart wrench when I pulled up in front of the house – there’s a tree where my car used to be.

Dinner:  vegetable soup, popcorn, eggnog.  The soup was leftover from yesterday, the popcorn just went with the movie I watched (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), and the eggnog was really soynog, an impulse buy over the holidays that was just one swallow away from being gone.  Now it’s gone.

snowed in saturday, 1/30

Snowed in?  Me and the rest of the eastern seaboard, right?  Well, I’m at the beach.  It is January, I’m not here for the weather, I didn’t plan on spending the day basking in the ocean breeze, but six inches of snow is beyond what I had in mind.  I spent the day in my room at the Delaware Inn, and a fantastic day it was.  I got some good writing done, I took a nap, I caught up on missed episodes of “Men of a Certain Age”, I ate soup. 

Breakfast:  steel cuts oats with cranberries and butter; fresh fruit; orange juice; waffle with strawberries and syrup; scrambled egg; potatoes with onions; bacon; traditional medicinals chai.  I have a bad habit of having two breakfasts when I’m here.  That’s because the food is so very good and I get that “I’m on vacation” mentality.

Lunch:  mixed greens with chicken, corn, avocado and tomatoes; split pea and lentil soup; bean and cheese pupusa; honeybush tea; water.  The salad was leftover from yesterday, the soup and puspusa from a provisioning run I made early in the day before the snow came crashing down.  Nourish has a dozen different soups to choose from, this was hearty and full of flavor without being salty.

Snack:  apple pie, ice cream, mint tea.  Leftover pie from yesterday, with some Haagen Dazs I picked up while I was out.  I got one of those half cup little single serving things – the last thing I need sequestered alone for an entire day and night is a full pint of ice cream.

Dinner:  vegetable soup; beets with ginger and kumquats.  More from my Nourish run this morning.  I was decidedly not hungry, but come 8pm I figured I needed some vegetables.

franny and zooey friday, 1/29

My subject line today is a somewhat misguided attempt to bring more traffic to this blog.  I sat in on a webinar Thursday, “Financial Freedom Through Blogging”.  They suggested including highly trending topics in your headline.  Well, rest his soul, JD Salinger passed away this week, so a highly trending topic is “Catcher in the Rye”.  I did love that book, but have gotten far more satisfaction from endless re-readings of “Franny and Zooey”.  Truth told, if I could only read one thing ever again for the rest of my life, it would be the first five pages of “Franny”.  So, I may have missed the point of using highly trending topics to bring my traffic to my website, but  I’m giving props to Salinger in my own special way.

Breakfast:  fruit, yogurt and granola parfait; steel cut oats with butter, pecans and cranberries; bacon; orange juice; traditional medicinals chai.  At the beach, at the beach, at the beach.  I am so happy to be at the beach.  Staying at my favorite Delaware Inn, so nice to be at my home away from home and hang out with Sharon and Lois.

Lunch:  lemon water; mixed greens, figs, chicken, tomato, baby corn, avocado, balsamic dressing; sweet potato fries.  Had lunch at Beseme in Lewes with my friend Holli.  I know her from DC, but she lives here now, and runs Hot Yoga Delaware.  It’s a gorgeous studio, and she’s a delight.  I’m so glad we got to spend some time together and catch up!

Snack:  dutch apple pie, decaf.  Swung through Nourish looking for a treat; Deb had just made apple pie.  It was great to see her and Jane, too, who you may remember was the saint who brought figs back into my life last summer.

Dinner:  hot lemon water; frisee and roasted pear salad; crackers with pimento cheese; seafood stew.  Very much enjoyed dinner at Salt Air with Sharon, who owns Delaware Inn.  We’re masterminding a retreat here for April, with good food, yoga, massage and lots of R&R, it will be lovely.

Dessert:  fudge walnut brownie, mint tea.  Sharon makes a nice dessert treat in the evenings for her guests, tonight’s brownies were still warm and gooey.  Delicious.

tired thursday, 1/28

Yet another night of waking up around 1:30am and not falling back asleep.  This morning I just got up at 5:30am, it seemed pointless to loiter in bed not sleeping.  Maybe the decaf wasn’t, maybe it’s hormonal, maybe it’s the full moon – which is gorgeous, by the way.  I split town today midafternoon and drove myself to Rehoboth Beach, DE.  It’s cold and gale force windy here, but the sky is clear and bright and the moon, as mentioned, is gorgeous.

Breakfast:  lemon water; carrot raisin Manna bread and butter; arugula.  I knew I needed something for breakfast, but after all that food last night I truly was not hungry.

Lunch:  lemon water; corn chowder; 6-veggie strata with mixed greens, cucumber, radish, tomato, olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.  Met my dear friend Jim for a belated birthday celebration.  I love Le Pain.  I feel like a rock star there, they treat me so well.  Dontcha, y’all?  Dontcha treat me so well?

Dinner:  lemon water; pizza with sausage, pepperoni, peppers and mushrooms.  First night at the beach, you can find me at Grotto’s with a Baker’s Choice and a new book.  Tonight it’s “Let the Great World Spin”, for bookclub this month.  So far, so good.

Dessert:  sticky toffee pudding cake; decaf.  Go Fish has this lovely dessert.  I’ll likely be up again tonight.  That will make it a trifecta of insomnia madness.