What we’re eating, and other things

This past week has been rough. Emotionally, mostly. On the list of not smart things I have done, staying up to watch some of the Farrah story last week ranks high. It didn’t occur to me how just the glimpse of a waif thin Farrah dying in her bed would send me right back to the spring, when Michael’s mother was enduring roughly the same experience. I never really cried about the shitty-ness of the situation back then, except for the last three horrible days. So the sight of Farrah lying there hit me hard and I wasn’t prepared, didn’t have any shield up. I really freaked out the cat…not to mention my husband, who was smart enough to avoid the television like the plague that evening. It didn’t help any that his family has been…difficult…when it comes to my MIL’s remains and estate. That situation came to head last week, too. And I learned Thursday morning that there is a decent possibility that we might have to close five library branches. I’m not likely to lose my job, but still…crappy.

I wasn’t too interested in food last week, it turned out.  I guess that’s not so surprising, except I’m ALWAYS interested in food. I’m feeling kind of ambivalent again this week, but also, hungry.

Random, food-related thought: I’ve been drinking a lot of Green Monsters lately (smoothies w/spinach) and usually I include a decent amount of protein + wheat grass powder + a banana for some sweetness & texture. Tonight I made one with three fruits and no protein or wheat grass powder. It tasted like CANDY! It was actually too sweet and frothy for me. Which is crazy because I always hate going to those smoothie places where they add all those powders in. Perhaps I have retrained my taste buds.

Before I spin off into total random world, here’s that menu:

• Monday–leftovers, found food (I work late)
• Tuesday–Maple Glazed Tofu, French Lentil Salad (my version is closer to the original in French Food at Home**), Asparagus
• Wednesday–Black Beans & Rice, Grilled Veggies, Watermelon Slices
• Thursday–Edamame Salad, Broiled Salmon, Rice

Friday we’re driving up to Alabama again…I’m attempting healthy road food that we’ll eat:

• Breakfast–Coffee in thermos, warm chocolate pecan scones (made ahead & frozen), fruit
• Lunch–Sweet Potato & Black Bean Wraps w/Chipotle Sour Cream, carrot sticks, fruit salad
• Dinner–probably out somewhere in Birmingham
• Snacks–roasted almonds, cherries, homemade granola bars, graham crackers, homemade tortilla chips & salsa (this is more portable than you’d think)

**I was looking for a link to the lentil salad recipe when I came across the fact that Laura Calder has a cooking show!! Very exciting to me. Also kind of funny to read the reviews on Amazon from folks who only know of Ms. Calder from the show–they are disappointed by the lack of pictures and also that none of the recipes from the show are available. Except the book was published before she ever had a cooking show.

The stupidity of the world is really getting to me…

Ok. This article in the NYTimes really pushed all my buttons. I am in favor of gun control and gun ownership–I think there is a happy medium. I really don’t care too much about people who gather together to wave their firearms around; whatever floats your boat, although I’d prefer to be out of range. HOWEVER. The church is NO place for guns!!! I feel really strongly about this. In my reading, Christianity, Christ himself, is largely non-violent. I don’t mean wishy-washy, I don’t mean cowardly, I don’t even mean conflict averse. I just mean non-violent. I think the Crusades were wrong, stupid and ultimately damaging to the religion. I think the Inquisition was absolutely evil. And I think a bunch of southern Americans stomping into CHURCH on July 4th with guns held high is dumb and totally misses the point. I also think this kind of stupidity, picked up by the press and flying about all types of media, reinforces the image of Christians as right wing backwoods rednecks and further marginalizes religious moderates & liberals. My husband disagrees with me on this (although he is not at all religious), so perhaps I am irrational.

Are the shock waves harder and deeper when Republican politicians engage in extramarital affairs? Why do politicians not think they will be caught? Is it possible, now that both sides of the fence have been caught with their pants down, that we can stop worrying so much about the bedroom activities of our elected officials and pay more attention to the actual work they are doing? I think there is plenty of room for real anger and outrage on that topic alone.

Michael Jackson has died! This is very wrong and very shocking to me. Michael and I were just talking about how it must feel when the folks you grew up with–famous and un-famous alike–start to die. I didn’t grow up with Michael Jackson in the literal sense; he is a couple decades older than me. But he was a huge factor in my childhood (even I, who grew up in BFE Pennsylvania and was allotted VERY LITTLE tv time knew who Michael Jackson was). Plus, it seemed like we’d be forever living with stories of increasing fantabulism coming out of NeverLand.

Farrah Fawcett passed away today, too. That’s sad and her fight with cancer was awful to witness.

NBC is holding a two hour special tonight about both Jackson & Fawcett. ABC & CBS are holding 1 hour specials. We live in an odd world.

My city is running out of money. My state is running out of money. I generally think that Florida elected officials leave a lot to be desired (namely, the ability to speak well on the floor [Wende, I think our state politicians would greatly benefit if you took them under your wing]). But they have at least not gone and done something as childish and idiotic as this. I wouldn’t put it past them, but the Republicans have a pretty strong hold on Florida, so I don’t see it happening any time soon.

Let’s not talk about Iran.

Rag Bag

Does anyone else have this problem? I cannot throw away clothing, especially after reading about the terrible amount of waste created by the garment industry. This is mostly not a problem–I have no issues about donating gently used clothing to local charities. But the stuff that is really worn out–I run into problems. The first problem is that these items are WORN OUT and NASTY. So no one in their good mind WANTS them. They are only good for RAGS! And that brings me to the second problem–a person only needs so many rags. I currently have about 3 times more than I will ever use (particularly given the frequency with which I clean). I know that this behavior is something I inherited from my mother (she’ll never admit it)–she was always loathe to give up “such a nice piece of clothing” and our closets as kids were filled with hand me downs that we NEVER wanted or wore. She also kept/keeps paper sacks filled with torn up clothing in the pantry as rags. Probably 3 or 4 bags at a time. There’s precedence, but that doesn’t help my own problem, just explains it.I just need to throw them away…

I’m beginning to realize that I am a HOARDER…just the thought is suffocating.

Menu Plan Monday

We were out of town this weekend and just returned tonight. I have to say, handling a loved one’s estate is stressful. Particularly when the rest of the family is, shall we say, eccentric?! My diet over the weekend pretty much sucked, although maybe not as much as it has in past trips. Michael & I have really been avoiding fast food lately, but didn’t plan well for the trip and drove through for breakfast. It was gross–food we tolerated and even craved seemed pretty rank and an absolute grease-fest after not having it for while. It’s amazing to me, though, how quickly you can start to crave that kind of food again–even after one or two trips.

We stayed in a hotel this weekend, which was a good idea. I was happy to see that they have a fitness room–we’ll be back in a couple of weeks for a longer stay and I’d like to keep up my workout “routine” while we’re away. I’m discovering that just doing it is the biggest factor in keeping me committed to the next workout. All those personal bribes, etc. never work as well as just getting off my butt. I’m always hoping for a magic pill, even for motivation…

Monday: On the road (it was kind of gross)

Tuesday: Chili & cornbread (made by Michael’s grandmother), fruit salad

Wednesday: Fish in a packet, parsley potatoes, asparagus

Thursday: Veggie tacos, carrots & dip

Friday: Black beans & rice, grilled vegetables

Saturday: Out w/friends

Sunday: Something new from Gourmet (need to make use of those subscriptions!)

If you are interested in further boredom…

You can check out my new blog, where I keep track of what I eat and my workouts. I’m finding that this is most effective when I reflect a little on the whole process rather than just keep a dry log. So, in addition to being dull, it’s hokey too! What’s not to like, I ask.

Menu Plan Monday

Spicy Black Bean & Rice Cakes, Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Red Cabbage Slaw

I’ve been working out after work lately, so I want quick, easy and light meals most nights. The Spicy Black Bean Cakes were GOOD, and something I just threw together, so I’m hoping I’ll have similar success later this week!

• Leftovers–Laura at meeting until late.

• Maple Glazed Tofu, Broccoli, Brown Rice

• Spicy Black Bean Cakes, Sauteed Spinach & Pine Nuts

• Penne with Shrimp & Vegetables

Random Thoughts

• Today I picked up our mail–for some reason I am really terrible about getting the mail down here in Florida. I think it’s becuase the mail is housed in some little building kind of away from my actual apartment. Before moving to the land of massive apartment complexes, I always had to pass my mailbox on my way home. Anyway, I always get annoyed because there are these circular pavers that make a path to the mail shed from the main side walk. And the first paver is NOT equally spaced with the others. In fact, I think that they started from the mail shed side and were grooving with their placement until they came to the last paver and realized that they would need one more to keep up the spacing. They did not get the extra paver–instead the last paver is haphazardly thrown onto the ground as if it’s a testament to the shoddiness of the whole job.  This uneveness is SOOOOO annoying to me. I really think about it the whole time I am going to the mailbox and back to the apartment. I used to be one of those kids who would make games about where to step on the sidewalk, etc. Perhaps my annoyance is a remnant from those days…
• I have been working hard at actually fitting in workouts during the week and not letting my preoccupation with weeknight meals get in my way of working out after work. So far, so good, although hanging out at the gym with all the cool kids made me feel a little self-conscious in my raggedy sweat pants and oversize tees. I moved up in the world of workout clothes only to realize tonight that I still look like a tubby librarian sweating it out on the treadmill. I wonder if I will ever have that “fit” vibe that makes working out look natural. My guess is that I will have to reduce the number of times I run into the front of the treadmill if I even want to get out the gate on that goal.
• I am slowly killing the HUGE peace lily my parents sent us when my MIL passed away. This makes me feel like crap, although I rarely manage to keep a houseplant alive, so I’m not sure what I was thinking when I stuffed the lily into the car for the 8 hour drive back to Florida from Alabama. Also, lilies are lethal for cats and I have to keep the plant in a room I don’t use that often and so I am even more likely to forget about it.
• I love mystery novels, of all sub-genres, and have about 18 random titles on hold in the hopes that I will discover a new series in which to immerse myself. I just finished Death and the Lit Chick. It was enjoyable, although the ending was little more Miss Marple/Sherlock Holmes-esque for me. I don’t really love the 2 page recitation of the inspector’s brilliance that also serves to trap the killer by it’s absolute veracity despite the lack of any hard evidence. I’ve had a hard time lately finding a series that I really want to get into, so would love any suggestions! I’m open to pretty much anything, but some that I have really enjoyed are Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series, the early books in the J.P. Beaumont series by J.A. Jance (her other stuff, not so much), Ruth Rundell, the Insepctor Lynley novels by Elizabeth George, and the Merrily Watkins books by Phil Rickman. Plus a ton of others.  Do you like mysteries? Please share with me!

ME Meme

Me in 1960...if I'd been around!

Found this meme on Corgi Hill Farm and thought I’d play along!

A – Age: 30

B – Bed Size: queen

C – Chore you hate: mopping

D – Dog’s name: no dogs here but we have a cat, Fey

E – Essential start your day item: coffee

F – Favorite color: hard to choose, but probably green or blue

G – Gold or Silver: silver

H – Height: 5′6″

I – Instruments you play(ed): piano, Michael is trying to teach me the guitar

J – Job title:  Senior Librarian/Branch Manager

K – Kid(s): Not right now

L – Living arrangements: large apartment

M – Mom’s name: Becky

N – Nicknames: min-min, La, Lurleene

O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I don’t think so…

P – Pet Peeve: Whining & also people with a really poor attitude

Q – Quote from a movie: I can never remember movie quotes.

R – Right or left handed: right

S – Sports – Walking/running (I’m trying!), hiking

T – Time you wake up: 6 a.m.

U- Underwear: Yep.

V – Vegetable you dislike: Baby corn. It tastes like a can.

W – Ways you run late: Many…Sigh…I’m trying to correct this habit…

X – X-rays you’ve had: I think I had a stomach/chest x-ray when I was a kid, teeth

Y – Yummy food you make: Bread, Cookies, Risotto, Lasagna, Granola, Glazed Tofu, Chili

Z – Zoo favorite: Big cats (any) or gorillas

WIPs

These are by no means all of my current works in progress, but they are what I’m actually working on right now…

A pinwheel block for a heating pad cover…I really like this block! I was just playing around with a leftover pinwheel block  and some scraps–there may be more added, or I may just decide that simple is better for this project. We’ll see.

I snatched up as much of the Katie Jump Rope fabric as I could a little while ago and have decided to make a nine patch quilt. I love, love, love the nine patch block and I think these retro prints will look great done up so simply.  I’d like to use every KJR print that I have, so it will be pretty big. I’m planning on 12 inch blocks, with a white sashing around each one for a more modern look.  Right now I’m obviously just working on getting all the squares cut out.

Last but not least is the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along, which I blogged about here.

Menu Plan Monday

My menu plan for last week ended up being a little too ambitious–six nights is just more than I need to cook for the two of us. And more than I feel like cooking, too. We’ve been enjoying a wine & cheese evening once or twice during the week–great for this warm (hot!) weather and also a good way to use up bits and pieces hanging out in the fridge and pantry. These meals are not in any order–I respond better to a general outline than to a rigid game plan. Breakfasts and lunches are basically the same as last week…

• Mexican Lasagna (made the beans last week, but never finished up the dish)
• Maple Glazed Salmon &  Steamed Broccoli
• Salad De-Luxe (basically a composed salad w/hard boiled eggs, tuna, green beans, olives, etc.)
• Linguine tossed w/sauteed vegetables and goat cheese

Happy Eating!