Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sunday and Monday

Winter and I took a Reiki class on Sunday. It counts toward my continuing ed. I don't know if I really buy into the spiritual stuff behind it, but it's very relaxing to receive.

After we got home I tried my hand at Ethiopian food again. I got a bag of millet grain for free from the Buy Nothing group, and I cooked some up just to have some grain with it. Millet is definitely not African at all, but I did not allow that to dissuade me.

I mixed up a whole bunch of berbere (Ethiopian seasoning blend) maybe a year and a half ago using a recipe I found online. It's not quite right compared to the Ethiopian food I have had at restaurants, but it's what I got. I used up the rest of it, plus some olive oil and dried onion and a half pound of brown lentils.

I also cooked the crap out of some green beans, carrots, and garlic in olive oil. This is my favorite Ethiopian dish ever. You want to cook them down pretty soft until they get a natural sweetness.

It turned out better than my previous attempts. Still not perfect, but better. I am starting to think the restaurants just add a lot more oil than I do. That would explain a lot.

I love injera, the sour fermented pancake thing they serve the various foods on, but it is pretty ambitious for me to make myself. Plus I have read that it stinks pretty badly while fermenting and it takes a few days. I don't know about all that.

Breakfast: smoothie made with coconut milk, almond milk, banana, blueberries, strawberries, and chia seeds
Lunch: plain yogurt with honey, blueberries, and pecans, clementines, Baby Bell mozzarella cheese
Dinner: Ethiopian red lentils and green beans and carrots with millet
Snack/desserts: lemon pound cake ALT bar, cashews (provided at the class), small piece of dark chocolate
Beverages: water

Monday was super not exciting. I had to go to Goodwill and then Target looking for a workout bra after work, and didn't roll back in until around 8:45. Jeremy got a sugar free sparkling water at Target, and I got a Lara Bar to hold me over till I got home. It was closer to $3 than it was to $2 so we'll call it $3.

Breakfast: leftover smoothie (I froze the rest, and put it in the fridge to thaw overnight. It was still frozen but soft enough to eat in the morning)
Lunch: leftover lentils, millet, and green beans + carrots, clementines
Dinner: leftover vegetarian chili with brown rice and fiesta blend cheese
Snacks/desserts: chocolate Lara Bar
Beverages: water

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Wednesday thru Saturday, the lightning round version

Wednesday:

Purchased: nothing

Breakfast: granola and almond milk
Lunch: two clementines and a homemade granola bar
Dinner: Orange marmalade and hoisin glazed chicken, haricots verts with olive oil and pepper, roasted kabocha squash with herbed goat cheese, quinoa and wild rice pilaf with almonds
Snacks/desserts: homemade granola bar
Beverages: 1/2 can Blue Sky Free lemonade, water


Thursday:

Purchased: Cadbury dark chocolate bar, Lean Cuisine spring rolls
Total spent: $3

Breakfast: leftover chili with fiesta blend cheese and fried egg
Lunch: leftover tofu, squash and broccoli curry with leftover quinoa, wild rice and almond pilaf
Dinner: salad with lettuce, apple, leftover brown rice, herbed goat cheese, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 dark chocolate bar
Beverages: water, pumpkin spice coconut milk


Friday:

Purchased: frozen yogurt at Menchie's, can of green beans, can of beef tamales, Hormel pepperoni pizza Rev wrap (free Friday download)

Total spent: $10

Breakfast: plain yogurt with strawberry apple compote and pecans
Lunch: leftover tofu, squash, and broccoli curry with leftover quinoa, wild rice, and almond pilaf and a homemade granola bar
Dinner: leftover chili with leftover brown rice, sour cream, and fiesta blend cheese
Snacks/desserts: pineapple sorbet with strawberries and blackberries, homemade granola bar
Beverages: water


Saturday:

Purchased: head of green leaf lettuce, 2 lbs carrots, green bell pepper

Total spent: $7

Breakfast: granola with almond milk
Lunch: plain yogurt with thawed unsweetened blueberries, honey, and pecans and brown rice crackers with herb goat cheese
Dinner: chicken stir fry with bell pepper, green beans, brown rice, and spicy orange sauce (Jeremy made it)
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 dark chocolate bar
Beverages: water