The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Today was a fresh green smoothie day and, for breakfast, I made another with strawberries.

The flavor was terrific this time!   I used a banana, two kiwi, strawberries, half an orange and kale.   It was very good but I still made that weird face when I drank it.

It's obviously a reaction to something, I just haven't figured out what yet.  It's definitely not the flavor, though, because today's smoothie was very good.

For lunch, I was super lazy.  I had four slices of turkey, each one wrapped around a slice of cheddar.   I just wasn't feeling inspired and didn't feel like taking the time and effort for anything more complicated.  It was satisfying but not entirely filling.   I had a little mayo with it just to moisten it up a bit.

Between lunch and dinner I was a bit of a bad girl.  I had two mini Twix candies and one mini Snickers candy.

For dinner, I did an experiment.   I had bought some Rogan Josh sauce from the market the other day.  I was... curious.   Now, traditional Rogan Josh is a Persian dish that's made with lamb, but I don't have lamb and I have no idea how Rogan Josh is actually made.

What I did, was caramelized some onion and garlic, added mushrooms then cubed pork.   When the pork was about half cooked, I added a good dollop (probably half a cup although I didn't measure) of the Rogan Josh sauce and cooked it "stir-fry" style until the pork finished cooking and the sauce was nice and thick over the pork.

I admit, I was a little worried.   It didn't smell like my normal cooking.   Granted,  my cooking often leans towards Italian and Asian cuisine.   I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it though.   It turned out AMAZING!!  I ate the pork served over about a cup of white rice and with some of the leftover vegetable medley from yesterday.

Do I Have to Follow a Recipe when Cooking?

I don't do recipes.

It's true.   I don't.   I hate recipes when doing any kind of cooking other than baking. (Baking is special.  It's like chemistry and if certain ingredients aren't combined in the right allotment, bread doesn't rise, cookies turn hard, etc.)

I cook by smell with a gigantic dash of trial and error added in.

Sometimes this means I mess up.   Sometimes it means I have to eat some really nasty concoctions.  You've already read of me doing the first because of my trial and error with the green smoothies.   But its how I know how to cook.   For me, recipes bungle things up more often than not.

If you want to get what you cook perfect every single time?   Yes, you have to follow the recipe.  It will turn out the same every time if you do and thats what some people want.

Me?  I want it to turn out in a way that smells and, therefore, tastes 100% perfect each time.  And since our sense of smell and taste changes from day to day dependent on a myriad of factors (health, season, what we've ate or drank, even if a woman is on her menses) that means winging it more often than not.

So.... no.   You don't -have- to follow a recipe.   Not for green smoothies or for cooking supper either.  Just be aware of what you're putting in the pot.... and follow your nose.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Tuesdays and Fridays are dependably hectic days for me.   I wake up and need to be an the ball and moving at a fast and steady pace from the moment I roll out of bed until late in the evening.  Because of this, I make my smoothies on Mondays and Thursdays and then refrigerated half of it for the next day.

So, that means that for breakfast I had the second half of the strawberry green smoothie from yesterday, made with strawberries, mango, banana and romaine lettuce with a pinch of clove powder.   It was surprisingly better the second time around, too!    And convenient that I didn't have to stop work to eat  but could just work at drinking the smoothie while I toiled away at my shipping desk this morning.

I had lunch before running my errands as well.   I had debated on whether I should eat before I left or when I got back, but then I realized that it was a fool's debate because I already knew I wouldn't be back until way past lunch time.    So, I had  a leftover boneless chicken breast from the grill and a cup of white rice.    I really wanted some veggies too, but I'd run out so I'll have to fit them in with supper here in a bit.   I still haven't decided what I'm having, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Update 6:25pm -- Well, I decided what to have for supper.   It wasn't really all that inspiring, but it was convenient.    I had the last leftover chicken breast, the last 3/4 cup of rice and cooked myself some frozen veggies to go with it.  It was really good.    I also went to the market to pick myself up some more pork and chicken since we were out of both.

Update 11:50pm -- Between supper and bedtime, I've also had one mini Twix and one mini Snickers.

Monitoring Your Blood Glucose Doesn't Hurt... Liars

Yes, I'm calling liar on the myth that all doctors and pharmacists country wide try to make you believe.

Testing your blood sugar DOES hurt dang it! 

I'm not saying that, over time, you won't get used to it.   But, the fact of the matter is that it does hurt.

I mean, not surprising when you really think about it.  It's a needle being jabbed in your finger deep enough to make you bleed.   DUH, anyone that's poked themselves with sewing on a button knows how that feels and it isn't pleasant.

So why lie about it?   That's what I want to know.  Why do doctors and pharmacists insist on telling you it doesn't hurt?   Yes, I agree, it's no big deal.  The pain isn't extreem by any means, but it does hurt and, in my case, that darned spot hurts for a whole half hour or hour afterwards.  (And yes, I am following directions on where on the finger you're supposed to poke yourself.)

Now, granted, I have a great deal of sensitivity in my fingers, heightened further by what I do for a living.   But still, needle.... finger... blood.  Ouch!

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

As noted in my last post, I had a non-green green smoothie today.   It was made with strawberries, mango, banana and romaine with a touch of cloves.   It was the best one that I've made so far.   Oddly, my face is still making that "chlorophyll wince" when I drink my smoothies, even this one which was really good, and I'm not quite sure why now.   Maybe it's not the chlorophyll at all but the texture?

That was breakfast.   I then went to yoga.   On Thursdays I take a therapeutic yoga class to help with my mobility.  I have serious back issues and the combination of chiropractic care and yoga have pulled me back from needing a wheelchair to being able to not just walk on my own but with very little pain... and in some cases, no pain at all!  It's the best my back has felt in nearly 15 years, and that's with me being the heaviest I've ever been in my life.  

Chiropractor came second and then a doctor appointment before I could come back home for lunch.  

For lunch, I had leftovers from last night's supper.   A boneless chicken breast, 1/2 cup of white rice and about a cup of mixed frozen vegetables.  Reheated, the chicken was a little dry so I also had about a tablespoon of mayo.    And, starting to feel really deprived, I had one of those "snack size" mini Snickers bars they hand out during Halloween.

There was a 2 hour nap tucked into the afternoon hours.  The first one since I started the smoothies, actually.  I guess sometimes you just need one, regardless of how healthy you're eating.

Then, for supper I had the last bowl of leftover stir-fry from the other day. Pork, bok choy, broccoli and a bit of white rice.

Green Smooties Don't Have To Be Green

I made a green smoothie that wasn't green today!

I can't believe I did it, but when the smoothie didn't turn green in the blender I actually had to run to the computer and check if it was ok that it didn't turn green.   Yes, yes.  I know that its called a "green smoothie" not because of it's color but because you put fresh greens in it, but for some reason I still had to check.   Kind of silly, but I was helpless to go against the impulse.

My smoothie wasn't green because I'd added strawberries.  And, I need to look it up but I'm wondering if strawberries have some citrus in them?   Something in the smoothie was masking the Chlorophyll flavor and I'd forgotten to add the half an orange I'd meant to put in to the mix.

The smoothie today had strawberries, mango, banana and romaine (one more smoothie and the romaine should be gone.... next up to try is spinache).   I blended it with a bit of water and a half tray of ice.   I also added a pinch of powdered clove.

Clove are known to have higher concentrations of antioxidants than any fruit or vegetable. Their properties make them ideal for use as an anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative (relieving flatulence) and anti-flatulent.

For me, I was interested in the "anti-flatulent" part since um.... well although the bowel movements have settled down to "soft" instead of "soup", I'm getting tired of being gassy.    I got the idea when I was looking up the whole "poop soup" issue the other day.   On one of the forums I skimmed over (Raw Food Talk), I saw a reply to this issue that cloves might help.   When I researched cloves, I saw there were quite a few benefits and thought I'd give it a try.

I did notice a bit of a warming sensation in my tummy while I was drinking it and for about a half hour after.   It wasn't unpleasant, just different.   And, it was such a small amount that I couldn't really taste it (I'm not a cinnamon/nutmeg fan so it goes to figure I won't really like the flavor of cloves either).  I'm not sure if I'd add it to every smoothie I make, but I think there's nothing wrong with adding it to one every once in a while for the benefits it's reputed to give.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

YAY!  Today is cereal day!

Yes, I scheduled a cereal day.   Mom said once or twice a week and I decided that Wednesdays would be cereal days.

It's what works out best for my schedule.   Tuesdays and Fridays are mega busy days.  I don't have time to make green smoothies on those days would be a little too much pressure.

Since, when I make green smooties, I seem to always end up making enough for 2 days, this means on those days I need to make it the day before and have the second half on Tuesdays and Fridays.     This leaves possible cereal days as Saturday, Sunday or Wednesday.

Since I don't want to leave my smoothie longer than around 24 hours in the fridge (want it fresh) this means the weekend days are out. Can't make a smoothie on Sunday and have it sit there until Wednesday.    SO, Wednesday becomes the best day for cereal day.

So, this morning I had a bowl of Raisin Bran.    What I really wanted was Cookie Crisp... but, I just wasn't sure I could stop at just one bowl.   So I decided I'd hold off on that until some day in the future when I really feel the need for a treat.

Incidentally, I really liked my breakfast this morning   In fact, the raisins tasted almost too sweet for me, which kind of made it feel really indulgent.

Update 2:50pm - For lunch, which I ate while working, I had a bowl of the left over stir fry from the other day.   There's one bowl left in the fridge which I think will end up being tomorrow's lunch or possibly supper.

Update 8:50pm - My husband and I had a late supper tonight.   I know it's really not a good idea to eat at least 3-4 hours before you go to bed, but things got a little out of hand earlier and supper didn't get started at getting made until after 7:20pm.    We had grilled chicken (on the BBQ) flavored with Montreal Steak seasoning, steamed white rice, and frozen mixed veggies (they were getting a bit old and needed to be used up) with a smidgen of salt, pepper and margarine.   It was simple and really good.  I had one chicken breast with about half a cup of rice and a whole bunch of veggies.