What are you eating right now ?

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

Veggie burger with naan... (with lots of chutney and black pepper and some lettuce because I need my green veggies)
And I'm drinking acai berry juice.

Might be a weird combination, but it's good, and the best I can do when I'm home alone and have to cook for myself

[m1469]

Veggie burger with naan... (with lots of chutney and black pepper and some lettuce because I need my green veggies)
And I'm drinking acai berry juice.

Might be a weird combination, but it's good, and the best I can do when I'm home alone and have to cook for myself

Yum!  I am just exploring the wonders of frozen dinners ... OK, they probably don't have a great reputation!  But, one of these days I won't just buy them, I will cook some stuff and freeze it in individual serving sizes!  Then, I will be golden.  I got lean cuisines ... and, I am ashamed to say ... I also got lean pockets  .  BUT, I also got some garlic naans, on which I will make very simple essences of personal pizza!  mmmm ...


Me:  Get into my mouth you chicken!
Chicken:  No, I desist and will not!

Me:  Get into my mouth you crazy chicken!  Get into there or I will eat you!
Chicken:  Well, that is a rather stupid thing to say, since if I get in there, you will also eat me.

Me:  Get into my mouth and let my stomach embrace you!
Chicken:  OK.



AND, yesterday, I picked loads of wild berries!  Over 4 cups, which is enough to make a pie or a cobbler!  Did I make one?  No, I did no such thing!  I ate them.  And, do you know what?  For some of them I had to climb a ladder, as the vines had grown up into some very tall, tree-like bushes, and those berry clumps were just sitting there, hanging down, taunting me.  I couldn't reach them without the ladder, though.  AND, I had to put the ladder in these crazy ways, so I could stand with one foot on that, will bracing a knee on our compost bin, and balancing over hoards of (ultra) thorny berry bushes in order to just barely get those other ones that were way in the back!  It was hard work! 

Some of them still have red kernels and are a little tart, and some of them have still some spider web on them, and I think I sometimes eat a little spider webs.  Oh well .  YAY for berries! 

[Bob]

Bread. 

And somehow I've lost weight.  I thought I had.  Ten pounds.  How?  By focusing on everything else.  Haha.  Actually I think it's just the result of habit, little changes over years.  And I bet it will come back soon.  I think the jogging last weekend actually took some off.  I could feel it a few days later.

[m1469]

Bread. 

And somehow I've lost weight.  I thought I had.  Ten pounds.  How?  By focusing on everything else.  Haha.  Actually I think it's just the result of habit, little changes over years.  And I bet it will come back soon.  I think the jogging last weekend actually took some off.  I could feel it a few days later.

Congrats, Bobamatic!


I'm eating a half of a frozen banana with chocolate on it ... mmmmmmm

[Bob]

Replace the chocolate with plain cocoa.  It tastes about the same.

I did see Bobali, whatever those little pizzas are, in the store the other day.  I can't buy those though.

[jzp93]

Salmon and rice.

[Bob]

Cherries.

[littletune]

I am eating left over from my cake from August 11, that I had on vacation and then there was one piece left and we took it home and now I'm eating it and it's still very good! 

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

AND, yesterday, I picked loads of wild berries!  Over 4 cups, which is enough to make a pie or a cobbler!  Did I make one?  No, I did no such thing!  I ate them.  And, do you know what?  For some of them I had to climb a ladder, as the vines had grown up into some very tall, tree-like bushes, and those berry clumps were just sitting there, hanging down, taunting me.  I couldn't reach them without the ladder, though.  AND, I had to put the ladder in these crazy ways, so I could stand with one foot on that, will bracing a knee on our compost bin, and balancing over hoards of (ultra) thorny berry bushes in order to just barely get those other ones that were way in the back!  It was hard work! 

Some of them still have red kernels and are a little tart, and some of them have still some spider web on them, and I think I sometimes eat a little spider webs.  Oh well .  YAY for berries! 

Fresh wild berries... mmmmmm. I want some! Wild berries make me wonder if the stuff they sell in the supermarket are really berries... or something else in disguise.

I'm eating brownies. Warm, chocolatey, decadent... yummy. And so healthy  .

[m1469]

Fresh wild berries... mmmmmm. I want some! Wild berries make me wonder if the stuff they sell in the supermarket are really berries... or something else in disguise.

*Hands thinkgreen some berries* ... I know what you mean!  There's nothing like fresh from the garden (or from the wild) fruits and vegetables!  My sister and her husband own 85 acres of fruit farm, and it's *so* delicious to eat those fruits!  There are also little tiny fresh strawberries that grow wild here, though I've never really harvested them.  There's also delicious mushrooms that grow wild ... mmmmmm ... except, with those, it is nearly inescapable that you eat little worms in them, too  :-.  

I'm eating brownies. Warm, chocolatey, decadent... yummy. And so healthy  .

Yum!  I love brownies, but I'm not sure what I like better ... chocolate cake or brownies?  I guess I don't have to choose!  But, of course, the cake has to be *goo-ood!*  


I just ate a not-so-frozen banana with chocolate on it.  so yummy.  I couldn't wait for the banana to freeze, but the chocolate was at least hardened!  *licks chops*

[Bob]

Cherries... which apparently help regulate melatonin.

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

*Hands thinkgreen some berries* ...

Thanks

I know what you mean!  There's nothing like fresh from the garden (or from the wild) fruits and vegetables!  My sister and her husband own 85 acres of fruit farm, and it's *so* delicious to eat those fruits!  There are also little tiny fresh strawberries that grow wild here, though I've never really harvested them.  There's also delicious mushrooms that grow wild ... mmmmmm ... except, with those, it is nearly inescapable that you eat little worms in them, too  .  

Better worms than weird chemicals and growth hormones... I just read a newspaper article about watermelons exploding like landmines due to growth hormones in a farm. 


 

I just ate a not-so-frozen banana with chocolate on it.  so yummy.  I couldn't wait for the banana to freeze, but the chocolate was at least hardened!  *licks chops*

Yum! Bananas and chocolate are so good together! Actually I like chocolate with almost anything. I heard that if you put frozen bananas through a juicer, it tastes like ice cream. Haven't tried it, but if it's true... that'd be amazing! Ice cream without all the sugar and fat.

[m1469]

Yum! Bananas and chocolate are so good together! Actually I like chocolate with almost anything. I heard that if you put frozen bananas through a juicer, it tastes like ice cream. Haven't tried it, but if it's true... that'd be amazing! Ice cream without all the sugar and fat.

Yeah, that makes sense!  I've probably tried it before.  Of course, bananas still have sugar in them, and are actually a bit higher in sugar than many other fruits, and I think they've got some fats, too!  But, that is OK in a balanced diet, which is what I'm aiming at again in my life.  In fact, a balanced diet *should* include sugar and fat!  And, I'm going back to my little bit of chocolate each day ... that's what I'm melting and putting onto my banana!

I'll tell you what makes me fat ... trying to cut everything out, or eating unbalanced in some way!  A banana and some measured chocolate each day, along with a balanced diet (meant to include the treat), along with regular exercise, is not it!  And, fyi (to anybody), Lean Pockets are not a good plan for me ... neither are Lean Cuisines ... that's not to say I won't try them again ... but, I think I'm better off making my own food and freezing it!


*ponders the banana w/chocolate on its way to being frozen right now*

[m1469]

I did see Bobali, whatever those little pizzas are, in the store the other day.  I can't buy those though.

Yeah, I'm over Bobalis ... well, at least I enjoy the idea of making my own crusts ... and, also, I tried my first garlic naan "pizza" today for lunch and it was heaven on a naan.  I'm sold.

[m1469]

Oh yeah, and I'm presently soaking some more pinto and black beans for my mexican salad for dinner ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Bob]

Pineapple.  One can.  Crushed.  ... The pineapple in the can is crushed.

[pianoplayjl]

Fried rice.

[pianoplayjl]

Nearly recess. gonna be earting apple and muesli bar.

[pianoplayjl]

Corn. I had salt, chicken salt and pepper to top it.

[pianoplayjl]

Iron man muesli bar.

[williampiano]

I just ate a really greasy chicken burrito!

[49410enrique]

[m1469]

Some Udon noodle soup, with (formerly dried) crushed up shitake mushrooms in there, too.  Ah gawd ... so good  .

[thalbergmad]

crushed up shitake mushrooms in there, too.

I dread to think what they are.

Thal

[m1469]

I dread to think what they are.

Thal

They are just dried Shitake mushrooms, Thaly.  They're grrrreeeaaatttt!  Here's a comparison guideline for any newbie shoppers ... one HUGE package of dried shitake mushrooms from costco, roughly $10 (I think ... I haven't gotten that package in quite awhile) ... whereas one pound of wets ("fresh" ... haha ... they don't know what FRESH mushrooms are ... my friends do, though.  I don't ... Okay, I do a little.  They do have worms in them ...  :-) ... $10/pound.

[pianowolfi]

I love Shitake

[49410enrique]

They are just dried Shitake mushrooms,...They do have worms in them ...  ) ... $10/pound.

so they're more expensive becuase they come with worms?

[m1469]

I dread to think what they are.

Thal

hahah ... Thal.  I guess I didn't understand before but now I do.

so they're more expensive becuase they come with worms?

Well, no   (I really mean the yahoo guy with his tongue hanging out, but this will have to do).  It's the free ones, straight from the forest that have worms in them.  *Those* are truly fresh!  But, they're wormy ...

I love Shitake

Yeah, they are my favorite of all the ones I've tried so far.  Although I like plain white ones, actually, pretty well too.  There are tons of varieties though, and I've only tried morrel (they have the worms), shitake, portobello, white, brown ... and I think that's it.  I have lots to do in my life I guess  .

[goldentone]

I am having hot chocolate with my customary whip cream on top, and chocolate chip cookies.

Yummy.

[ebnynivry]

Peanut butter crackers

[Bob]

Tator tots.  It's like... the filet mignon of potatoes.

With ketchup!   The French would be proud.

[cherub_rocker1979]

Some pasta cooked al dente tossed in a simple tomato sauce and sprinkled with parmesan, paired with a glass of an Italian Primitivo wine.

[Bob]

Les restes de Tator tots, réchauffé, avec du ketchup.

[cherub_rocker1979]

Tonight I'm enjoying a nice Belgian style Tripel ale.  I got a bit hungry so I put together some 'beer food' - some kettle cooked potato chips, green olives stuffed with pimento and a couple slices of ham.

[Bob]

Cookies (American cookies) and tea that's full of antioxidants supposedly.

[george_sand]

Homemade granola with plain Greek yogurt

[49410enrique]

soup and cherries (not at the same time, cherries after soup).

[commissiona]

Sardines in water and water.

[m1469]

I am eating a delicious salad ... mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts, chic peas, tomatoes, radishes, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.  mmm .  

Do you know that either today or tomorrow (or this weekend  ), I am going to make some roasted veggie enchiladas, with a tomatillo, roasted chilles/peppers, and pumpkin seed sauce?  mmmmm... it does have also some ricotta cheese in it, plus I think I will roast some tofu.  I might do some with chicken.

Oh, also I am going to try making a vegetable soup soon, too.  But, I might put either some chicken or pork in there, too.  We'll see about that.

[ahinton]

For me, much later tonight, I propose to let Thal down quite badly, I think, as he seems to think that I'm semi-vegan or something.

So what's on the menu? One lovely big organic Herefordshire sirloin steak, well hung (no, I'm not talking about Thal here!), beautifully matured and as tender as you please, pan-fried and rare (with the fat lightly charred), with some seasoned Rooster potatoes sautéed in a mix of unsalted organic Charentais butter and a light organic olive oil, the whole accompanied by a dressed (that's to say a mix of organic extra virgin Italian olive oil and Charentais walnut oil, a little lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper) salad of red oak leaf, spinach, frisée and beet leaves, organic watercress and fresh chives from outside the back door (if there are any left) - not forgetting a glass or three of a lovely 2000 St. Émilion that I picked up in St. Émilion itself a few months back. And, to follow, a tiny platter of cheeses - just two, a Devon Oke and an unpasteurised organic Dorset Blue Vinney with some petite mange blanc bread (sadly not from France where it would be much better than it ever is here) - then, to end, a mixed berry dish of Scottish raspberries, blackberries and local loganberries marinated in a very small amount of framboise with a little unpasteurised Cornish cream and just a sliver or two of Scottish shortbread.

You'll know if I've survived this if I post again.

OK, m1469 - you'll think this quite unhealthy, no doubt, but I'm past being fit enough for much more than long walks and writing the next piece!...

As a nightcap, I might just (or might just not) treat myself to a small glass of extra vieux Pineau des Charentes...

Best,

Alistair

[m1469]

No, the opposite.  Actually, I think that most things that are made artfully, thoughtfully, and with fresh and fine ingredients are *not* unhealthy, but rather part of a balanced diet.  It seems like that's true no matter what it is, but maybe my imagination is tiny right now.  Sometimes I have phases of wanting less meat, but that doesn't mean I think of it in general as unhealthy.  But, I think I've said this a million times  .

In any event, I'd like to see a photo sometime of one of your meals!  It sounds too good to be true  .  That's a whole class of home cooking that, if it's *ever* in my future, probably isn't going to be so for decades.  But, mmmmmm ... all the same .  

*puts it on the list*

Where I'm at right now, I could probably handle about three to five bites of red meat ... but, that might change before I know it!

[ted]

Right now ? Grilled monkfish fillets (giant stargazer) accompanied by brown rice, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, garlic, bean sprouts, spring onions and various other things, mostly from the garden. Monkfish, my favourite fish, has a strong, characteristic flavour which is not to everybody's taste.





 

[m1469]

Wow!  That looks beautiful and sounds delicious!  I'm hungry.  I've never had monkfish, I have a hard time with fish that isn't super fresh, and under those circumstances (it being super fresh) I'd like to try it sometime!  I've been thinking about *actually* posting photos ... next time, probably this weekend, that I make something, I'm taking photos and posting them.  mmmmm ...

[ahinton]

No, the opposite.  Actually, I think that most things that are made artfully, thoughtfully, and with fresh and fine ingredients are *not* unhealthy, but rather part of a balanced diet.  It seems like that's true no matter what it is, but maybe my imagination is tiny right now.  Sometimes I have phases of wanting less meat, but that doesn't mean I think of it in general as unhealthy.  But, I think I've said this a million times  .

In any event, I'd like to see a photo sometime of one of your meals!  It sounds too good to be true  .  That's a whole class of home cooking that, if it's *ever* in my future, probably isn't going to be so for decades.  But, mmmmmm ... all the same .  

*puts it on the list*

Where I'm at right now, I could probably handle about three to five bites of red meat ... but, that might change before I know it!

Believe me, I'm no chef! I can manage to keep going, but that's about it. It would never occur to me to photograph anything that I've prepared! There's a great deal of fine produce to be had around where I am at the moment, but there are hardly any decent restaurants, which seems to me to be a rather strange situation.

If sometimes you want to eat red or white meat and at others you want neither, just go for what you want. I go "veggie" on some days but not out of any principles - just because I don't particularly happen to fancy any meat or fish.

The composer Roger Sessions (read on - I'm not actually changing the subject!) had something of a reputaton as a rather dry and humourless academic (something that's certainly not borne out by such of his music that I know) and he apparently used to take his class out to dinner once a year; one of his students recalls being present on one of these occasions and the general feeling of dread when Sessions stood up to make a speech. "Garlic", he began, portentously, "is the beginning of civilisation". I imagine that the general atmosphere must have changed in an instant! He had a point, though.

Speaking of that stuff, part of due consideration of a healthy diet is how healthily the ingredients have been grown/reared and prepared. One aspect of this is the "food miles" to which so many foodstuffs are subjected today in order that those who can afford them can have almost anything from anywhere at any time of the year; the notion of eating "seasonally" has gone out of the window (although it seems now to be making a return in some places). Where I am, you can buy excellent lamb from the locality and from nearby east Wales - and yes, it sells well - yet you can also buy it from New Zealand; why would anyone want such a product after it's travelled some 18,000km when it can be had from just around the corner? Some products have to be sourced from other countries, of course; you can't grow bananas, decent olives, citrus fruit, coffee and tea, etc., in UK (yet!) and I admit to buying butter only from France even though there's plenty of it made locally here, but that's only because what they make here is decidedly inferior.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

So what's on the menu? One lovely big organic Herefordshire sirloin steak, well hung (no, I'm not talking about Thal here!), beautifully matured and as tender as you please, pan-fried and rare (with the fat lightly charred), with some seasoned Rooster potatoes sautéed in a mix of unsalted organic Charentais butter and a light organic olive oil, the whole accompanied by a dressed (that's to say a mix of organic extra virgin Italian olive oil and Charentais walnut oil, a little lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper) salad of red oak leaf, spinach, frisée and beet leaves, organic watercress and fresh chives from outside the back door (if there are any left) - not forgetting a glass or three of a lovely 2000 St. Émilion that I picked up in St. Émilion itself a few months back. And, to follow, a tiny platter of cheeses - just two, a Devon Oke and an unpasteurised organic Dorset Blue Vinney with some petite mange blanc bread (sadly not from France where it would be much better than it ever is here) - then, to end, a mixed berry dish of Scottish raspberries, blackberries and local loganberries marinated in a very small amount of framboise with a little unpasteurised Cornish cream and just a sliver or two of Scottish shortbread.

Sounds a bit too upper class for me. I have a packet of pickled onion monster munch and a can of Tizer.

Thal

[ahinton]

Sounds a bit too upper class for me. I have a packet of pickled onion monster munch and a can of Tizer.

You'll really lose loads of weight on that, won't you? Anyway, I ain't upper class and nor is wot I ate, innit.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I think monster munch had 200 calories and the Tizer not a lot, so not bad as this was my lunch.

Burrrrrrpppppp

Thal

[ahinton]

Burrrrrrpppppp

When this evening's weather forecasts mentioned there being much in the way of high winds this coming weekend, I had not realised that you would be partly responsible for this but I do now.

Best,

Alistair

[m1469]

Okay, I know that this is being a little carried away, but my enchies are in the oven and I started making parts of it in the morning, and I took pictures along the way (though not as many as I could have!!).  I haven't made anything this involved for quite awhile:

Here was one of the first steps, roasted peppers (never mind the Christmas plate ... hee hee):



Here was the next step, roasted mushrooms and yellow squash:



Step 3, toasted pumpkin seeds:



Chipotle, cumin, chili powder, and freshly minced garlic, cabbage:



That with spinach added (onions starting to caramelize in the background):



Caramelized onions, caramelized:



tomatillos starting to cook:

[m1469]

Okay, the finished pan of them, garnished with pumpkin seeds (and pepper jack cheese):



The first one out, garnished with sliced avocado, cut grape tomato, and a little chili powder :




Okay, I've already eaten mine ... I have to admit, it was incredible, even meatless (you don't think about it for even a moment) .  The filling was the cabbage and spinach, the mushrooms and yellow squash, one-third the caramelized onions, one bell pepper and one anahiem chili pepper, freshly chopped cilantro, ricotta cheese, some sour cream, and some pepper jack cheese.

The sauce was the tomatillos, two-thirds the caramelized onions, the rest of the roasted peppers, cumin, chipotle and chili powder, some vegetable stock ... all of that blended.