Oh, I'm so excited! I've just found Roti Mediterranean Grill, which opened up across the street from where we work. Aaron and I tried it for lunch today.
We had a chicken wrap with laffa bread. The chicken is made on a big rotisserie (like lamb for Gyros). They cut it up into small pieces and then there's a bar where they add your sauce. I tried roasted red pepper (medium heat), then they add vegetables and other toppings. I tried eggplant, pickled red onions, salad greens, tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese. I've got to say it was totally great!
For 2 wraps and a bag of assorted pita chips the bill was $15 +. So we've got to try to fit this into our budget. Honestly, the sandwiches were a little too big for us, but we were so excited that we ate more than we should have. So I think in the interest of eating healthier, we will get one and spit it with some pita chips and hummus or a salad. I'm thinking twice a week...
Next time we'll try the steak...cous cous...baba ghanoush...etc etc.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Poetry and Cooking!
We had a great weekend. I went to the dentist yesterday morning to get my teeth cleaned and my new dentist said I had a Rolls Royce mouth and all I needed to do was get the oil changed every six months. He is so proud of the condition of my teeth...so am I.
Aaron and Mom can't say the same thing, however. They both need alot of dental work and will be taking the rest of this year and most of the next to get their work done. $$$$$$$ to say the very least!
We went to Johnny's Chop House again yesterday for dinner...can't seem to stay away. It's so good! Aaron ordered his usual 1/2 dozen raw oysters. We all had a $5 Cosmo special and then started off with chicken rosemary soup with peas. I had the pork chops and a sweet potato. Mom had shrimp diablo and Aaron had shrimp alfredo.
Our favorite waitress, Mary, and I are now trading poetry regularly so it was my turn and I read her "The Eleventh Hour." It's a poem I wrote in November 1995 when my life didn't seem to be going anywhere at the time and I felt I needed to accomplish something. I also was feeling a sense of urgency. The poem goes:
When the moon at eleven
hovers over the fields,
when the wispy clouds
lace the foggy light,
when the last few grains of sand
threaten to fall
through the curved glass,
I take a stand...
against time.
I reach for hat and gloves.
Bursting through the door
into the brisk cold,
my face catches the wind.
Coming alive again
in the eleventh hour -
time ticking away.
I strangle a chrysanthemum
with my clenched fist,
feeling strange,
light,
as if floating
like those alluring clouds
that snap under my nose,
bringing the scents of old,
wet leaves, eternal dampness,
everything cold, crisp, crackling.
I walk on under the midnight sun,
my beacon, my guide.
Enlivened by this chill
striking a balance in my being,
commanding my lungs,
pumping my heart,
a surge of energy prevails!
Feet pound pavement,
stamping out the ache inside.
The final stretch toward home,
the race almost run,
yet, running out of time.
Needing to seize the finish line,
I circle around the bend
with a tear stained face,
bursting through the door
into the safe warmth of home.
At dinner Saturday, we had a long talk about my poetry. Aaron had a great idea. He said that I should make a collection of my poems and write a short bio about what was going through my mind and what was happening in my life at the time. He and Mom are really encouraging me to do this. And after only a short time to think about it, I think they are right and I will be striving to do this very soon.
Poetry and cooking! Cooking will be my poetry in motion!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I am on the edge of my seat waiting for my new appliances to be installed. The project is coming together very nicely and it's already beautiful - even with just the cabinets up. Today Aaron and I bought a stainless steel toaster and deep fryer and a griddle for the top of the stove, a pizza stone and peel from a restaurant supplier, and we're researching coffee/espresso combo machines. I am going to dedicate myself to learning how to make everything. I will have no excuse and I don't want one! I really want to be able to say I can make anything from a crown roast to a souffle to pasta made from scratch, an apple pie, soup, sauce, all different ethnic dishes, french fries (healthy), homemade pizza, and the list goes on.
Aaron and Mom can't say the same thing, however. They both need alot of dental work and will be taking the rest of this year and most of the next to get their work done. $$$$$$$ to say the very least!
We went to Johnny's Chop House again yesterday for dinner...can't seem to stay away. It's so good! Aaron ordered his usual 1/2 dozen raw oysters. We all had a $5 Cosmo special and then started off with chicken rosemary soup with peas. I had the pork chops and a sweet potato. Mom had shrimp diablo and Aaron had shrimp alfredo.
Our favorite waitress, Mary, and I are now trading poetry regularly so it was my turn and I read her "The Eleventh Hour." It's a poem I wrote in November 1995 when my life didn't seem to be going anywhere at the time and I felt I needed to accomplish something. I also was feeling a sense of urgency. The poem goes:
When the moon at eleven
hovers over the fields,
when the wispy clouds
lace the foggy light,
when the last few grains of sand
threaten to fall
through the curved glass,
I take a stand...
against time.
I reach for hat and gloves.
Bursting through the door
into the brisk cold,
my face catches the wind.
Coming alive again
in the eleventh hour -
time ticking away.
I strangle a chrysanthemum
with my clenched fist,
feeling strange,
light,
as if floating
like those alluring clouds
that snap under my nose,
bringing the scents of old,
wet leaves, eternal dampness,
everything cold, crisp, crackling.
I walk on under the midnight sun,
my beacon, my guide.
Enlivened by this chill
striking a balance in my being,
commanding my lungs,
pumping my heart,
a surge of energy prevails!
Feet pound pavement,
stamping out the ache inside.
The final stretch toward home,
the race almost run,
yet, running out of time.
Needing to seize the finish line,
I circle around the bend
with a tear stained face,
bursting through the door
into the safe warmth of home.
At dinner Saturday, we had a long talk about my poetry. Aaron had a great idea. He said that I should make a collection of my poems and write a short bio about what was going through my mind and what was happening in my life at the time. He and Mom are really encouraging me to do this. And after only a short time to think about it, I think they are right and I will be striving to do this very soon.
Poetry and cooking! Cooking will be my poetry in motion!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I am on the edge of my seat waiting for my new appliances to be installed. The project is coming together very nicely and it's already beautiful - even with just the cabinets up. Today Aaron and I bought a stainless steel toaster and deep fryer and a griddle for the top of the stove, a pizza stone and peel from a restaurant supplier, and we're researching coffee/espresso combo machines. I am going to dedicate myself to learning how to make everything. I will have no excuse and I don't want one! I really want to be able to say I can make anything from a crown roast to a souffle to pasta made from scratch, an apple pie, soup, sauce, all different ethnic dishes, french fries (healthy), homemade pizza, and the list goes on.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Managing the stress, finding the cures
It feels like an eternity since I've written, only a few days ago.
We are working out the details fo rour kitchen, dining room and living room upgrade. Tonight we picked out the stone tile flooring, ordered the microwave and kitchen faucet. We picked out the pendant lights last night and will pick them up this weekend or next.
We will have to buy 8 new chairs for around our island in the dining room and then just all the little things like a new deep fryer, a new coffee maker, toaster, etc. Ooh, this is so fun!
It's been interesting cooking meals in the basement kitchen area. It's a little old fashioned. For instance, I have to manually fill up ice trays with water and stack them in the freezer. I giggle doing it because it's been years since I've had to think about that. It feels like camping out.
Our kittens are confined to the basement for now but it's only temporary. They are handling the stress quite well. We are too for that matter.
However, I am making very simple meals...hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breast sandwiches, fish tacos, tuna melts, egg and bacon sandwiches and, of course, we are ordering food to be delivered on Fridays, going out to Johnny's Chop House on Saturdays, and I'm cooking a healthy family meal on Sundays.
Tonight I had such a taste for a Greek salad, that I stopped at Panera on the way home and purchased one to share with Aaron. We loved it and will do it more often. Got to eat our greens!
I took Baby outside tonight and put him on Dolores's flower box. He had fun sniffing everything and then decided to jump into the middle of it and sniff the rosemary and geraniums. He's such a little brat! He's had an allergy to the plaster dust in our house due to the remodeling, so his eye is a little goopy and he's got the sniffles. I've given him an antihistimine last night and tonight and he's made remarkable recovery since then. I think he's 99.9% healed! Thank Goodness!
I went to see Dr. Clark last week for a follow up blood test...hemoglobin, INR, etc. He called and said my hemoglobin is improving so he doesn't need to see me until November. That's also good news. He is suspecting uterine fibroids, which is causing my iron deficiency anemia, which is causing my orthostatis (which I still have). I will know more when I get my pap smear and pelvic exam September 1st. If nothing is found on exam, then I'll most likely have an ultrasound. We have to find the cause of the bleeding to make my hemoglobin low that causes everything else. If it's not gyne related, then we have to see how my colin is doing. Oh Great!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
"It's hell to get old!"
We are working out the details fo rour kitchen, dining room and living room upgrade. Tonight we picked out the stone tile flooring, ordered the microwave and kitchen faucet. We picked out the pendant lights last night and will pick them up this weekend or next.
We will have to buy 8 new chairs for around our island in the dining room and then just all the little things like a new deep fryer, a new coffee maker, toaster, etc. Ooh, this is so fun!
It's been interesting cooking meals in the basement kitchen area. It's a little old fashioned. For instance, I have to manually fill up ice trays with water and stack them in the freezer. I giggle doing it because it's been years since I've had to think about that. It feels like camping out.
Our kittens are confined to the basement for now but it's only temporary. They are handling the stress quite well. We are too for that matter.
However, I am making very simple meals...hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breast sandwiches, fish tacos, tuna melts, egg and bacon sandwiches and, of course, we are ordering food to be delivered on Fridays, going out to Johnny's Chop House on Saturdays, and I'm cooking a healthy family meal on Sundays.
Tonight I had such a taste for a Greek salad, that I stopped at Panera on the way home and purchased one to share with Aaron. We loved it and will do it more often. Got to eat our greens!
I took Baby outside tonight and put him on Dolores's flower box. He had fun sniffing everything and then decided to jump into the middle of it and sniff the rosemary and geraniums. He's such a little brat! He's had an allergy to the plaster dust in our house due to the remodeling, so his eye is a little goopy and he's got the sniffles. I've given him an antihistimine last night and tonight and he's made remarkable recovery since then. I think he's 99.9% healed! Thank Goodness!
I went to see Dr. Clark last week for a follow up blood test...hemoglobin, INR, etc. He called and said my hemoglobin is improving so he doesn't need to see me until November. That's also good news. He is suspecting uterine fibroids, which is causing my iron deficiency anemia, which is causing my orthostatis (which I still have). I will know more when I get my pap smear and pelvic exam September 1st. If nothing is found on exam, then I'll most likely have an ultrasound. We have to find the cause of the bleeding to make my hemoglobin low that causes everything else. If it's not gyne related, then we have to see how my colin is doing. Oh Great!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
"It's hell to get old!"
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Saying Goodbye
We had a great time with Brandon yesterday. He came out to spend the day with us. We took him to a wine tasting at Phil's wine shop in Grayslake - Wine Knows. He sniffed a few of the ones we were tasting. Then we went to Johnny's Chop House in Antioch.
Aaron and Brandon had cowboy cut rib eye steaks and I had the Mediterranean chicken - one of my favorite dishes. We had Brandon try a raw oyster and he liked it. He's adventurous and that's always fun for us.
I made him a care package to take to NYU. It has some healthy foods such as 100 calorie popcorn, cereal bars, 100 calorie blueberry muffins, cans of soup, etc. I wanted to give him a little head start on the groceries for his dorm room. I also gave him a couple easy to cook recipes.
We watched the movie, "Almost Famous" together. He really liked it so we felt good about that.
We will miss him very much as he heads toward his new life in NYU. We'll keep in close contact though and we'll see him again in December.
Now we must plan a trip to New York in the Spring...
Aaron and Brandon had cowboy cut rib eye steaks and I had the Mediterranean chicken - one of my favorite dishes. We had Brandon try a raw oyster and he liked it. He's adventurous and that's always fun for us.
I made him a care package to take to NYU. It has some healthy foods such as 100 calorie popcorn, cereal bars, 100 calorie blueberry muffins, cans of soup, etc. I wanted to give him a little head start on the groceries for his dorm room. I also gave him a couple easy to cook recipes.
We watched the movie, "Almost Famous" together. He really liked it so we felt good about that.
We will miss him very much as he heads toward his new life in NYU. We'll keep in close contact though and we'll see him again in December.
Now we must plan a trip to New York in the Spring...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Emotional Day
Aaron and I took my assistant, Brandon, out for lunch today. It was his last day for the summer. He goes off to NYU for the first time to study film and dramatic writing.
We had a very nice meal and conversation at Wildfire. Brandon and I had the filet mignon medallians - one with blue cheese crust and one with horseradish crust. Aaron had a crabcake melt. We enjoyed some calamari and mussels together and then Brandon had a blue berry pie dessert and I had a low carb chocolate mousse.
We are really going to miss Brandon so we showered him with presents and our love and support. Thankfully he will be coming over to our house this weekend to spend one last day. We will take him out for a nice dinner to say our final goodbye...sniff sniff.
I will send him some care packages throughout the year and will keep in close contact with him so I can be a great help and resource and a friendly strong shoulder for him. He's a great young man and I'm proud to know him.
Day 3 of the demolition:
The plumbing and electric are being re-routed so we can see the changes behind the drywall! I made fish tacos tonight and it worked out beautifully. I even boiled some fresh broccoli to go with it and we shared a glass of white wine and had a great conversation about our faith. We spent some quality time with our cats before going to bed early.
We had a very nice meal and conversation at Wildfire. Brandon and I had the filet mignon medallians - one with blue cheese crust and one with horseradish crust. Aaron had a crabcake melt. We enjoyed some calamari and mussels together and then Brandon had a blue berry pie dessert and I had a low carb chocolate mousse.
We are really going to miss Brandon so we showered him with presents and our love and support. Thankfully he will be coming over to our house this weekend to spend one last day. We will take him out for a nice dinner to say our final goodbye...sniff sniff.
I will send him some care packages throughout the year and will keep in close contact with him so I can be a great help and resource and a friendly strong shoulder for him. He's a great young man and I'm proud to know him.
Day 3 of the demolition:
The plumbing and electric are being re-routed so we can see the changes behind the drywall! I made fish tacos tonight and it worked out beautifully. I even boiled some fresh broccoli to go with it and we shared a glass of white wine and had a great conversation about our faith. We spent some quality time with our cats before going to bed early.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sense of Accomplishment
Continued success for day 2. The floor in the kitchen and dining room has been pulled up and the plumbing is being re-routed to where the new sink will be.
We had Ray buy our hood vent for the new stove because we couldn't figure out what to buy. The new "Wonderfridge" and dish washer will be delivered Thursday along with the stove (2 separate trucks!)
I am using Dolores's stove now, so for dinner I made Angel Hair pasta with 95% lean ground beef, onion and some jarred pasta sauce with roasted garlic. I served it with some unbuttered bread. Thought I would just keep it simple tonight.
Tomorrow I have grandiose plans of making fish tacos. This will be a difficult process with no counters downstairs. I have a stove, a table for 2, 3 hung cabinets and a laundry room sink that I'm employing...but I am a stubborn woman! Throw the cutting board on the dryer and away we go.
It's actually rather fun learning how to live with limited resources again. We have to wash dishes every night, dry them and put them away. I don't think we've done that once in the past 6 years that we've been at this house. Aaron washes, I dry and put them away.
Our TV is not hooked up downstairs, so we've been reading together and spending time with the cats and just talking. It's refreshing to not hear the TV.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I've learned some things over these past couple weeks as I've been packing and preparing for this new kitchen, dining room and living room remodel project.
I've learned that I have way too much "stuff." It took me 5 weeks to go through all of Dolores's things, my things and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I had over 30 big black garbage bags that were picked up by the Cancer Federation over a span of 3 weeks. I brought many things to work for my co-workers to pick over. I garbaged many things that weren't worthy of anyone having. We've moved everything downstairs into the back bedroom and closed the door so the cats wouldn't get at it. I can't even go into the room because there are still so many boxes and bags of things all over the floor. It's actually quite overwhelming to think of all the stuff that I still have. Some of it has sentimental value - my grandmother's things, Dolores's things, Aaron's grandmother's things, etc. I know in my mind that it's all just stuff, but in my heart it's hard to let go. We don't have any children either, so who the heck am I going to give this stuff to?
I also learned that if we ever had to move (God forbid!), that I would have to hire people to help me pack. HA! Seriously, I think I would collapse if I had to do it all by myself.
Another thing that I've learned is it's ok to be distracted to not feel grief so much. I actually had a decent time going through Dolores's things. I'm glad that I waited 7 months before doing it. I couldn't have done it before without sobbing. I thank God that she lived with us and we didn't have to rush through it like some people have to do with their parents' items. Grief takes time and sometimes TIME is a four-letter word.
I feel such a sense of accomplishment and now that our project has begun and it's day 2 and the sky isn't falling and our cats are ok, I am ready to take a deep breath and remain calm and just let it happen. I'll stay on the side lines writing my poetry, reading my books, playing with our cats, talking to friends that I've inadvertently snubbed over the past couple months during my focused frenzy. (I know they forgive me...) Oh, I can come up for air now.
Perhaps I'll begin by looking at Mediterranean Diabetic recipes, Asian Diabetic recipes, and then I'll get some sleep.
We had Ray buy our hood vent for the new stove because we couldn't figure out what to buy. The new "Wonderfridge" and dish washer will be delivered Thursday along with the stove (2 separate trucks!)
I am using Dolores's stove now, so for dinner I made Angel Hair pasta with 95% lean ground beef, onion and some jarred pasta sauce with roasted garlic. I served it with some unbuttered bread. Thought I would just keep it simple tonight.
Tomorrow I have grandiose plans of making fish tacos. This will be a difficult process with no counters downstairs. I have a stove, a table for 2, 3 hung cabinets and a laundry room sink that I'm employing...but I am a stubborn woman! Throw the cutting board on the dryer and away we go.
It's actually rather fun learning how to live with limited resources again. We have to wash dishes every night, dry them and put them away. I don't think we've done that once in the past 6 years that we've been at this house. Aaron washes, I dry and put them away.
Our TV is not hooked up downstairs, so we've been reading together and spending time with the cats and just talking. It's refreshing to not hear the TV.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I've learned some things over these past couple weeks as I've been packing and preparing for this new kitchen, dining room and living room remodel project.
I've learned that I have way too much "stuff." It took me 5 weeks to go through all of Dolores's things, my things and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. I had over 30 big black garbage bags that were picked up by the Cancer Federation over a span of 3 weeks. I brought many things to work for my co-workers to pick over. I garbaged many things that weren't worthy of anyone having. We've moved everything downstairs into the back bedroom and closed the door so the cats wouldn't get at it. I can't even go into the room because there are still so many boxes and bags of things all over the floor. It's actually quite overwhelming to think of all the stuff that I still have. Some of it has sentimental value - my grandmother's things, Dolores's things, Aaron's grandmother's things, etc. I know in my mind that it's all just stuff, but in my heart it's hard to let go. We don't have any children either, so who the heck am I going to give this stuff to?
I also learned that if we ever had to move (God forbid!), that I would have to hire people to help me pack. HA! Seriously, I think I would collapse if I had to do it all by myself.
Another thing that I've learned is it's ok to be distracted to not feel grief so much. I actually had a decent time going through Dolores's things. I'm glad that I waited 7 months before doing it. I couldn't have done it before without sobbing. I thank God that she lived with us and we didn't have to rush through it like some people have to do with their parents' items. Grief takes time and sometimes TIME is a four-letter word.
I feel such a sense of accomplishment and now that our project has begun and it's day 2 and the sky isn't falling and our cats are ok, I am ready to take a deep breath and remain calm and just let it happen. I'll stay on the side lines writing my poetry, reading my books, playing with our cats, talking to friends that I've inadvertently snubbed over the past couple months during my focused frenzy. (I know they forgive me...) Oh, I can come up for air now.
Perhaps I'll begin by looking at Mediterranean Diabetic recipes, Asian Diabetic recipes, and then I'll get some sleep.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Dday - A Success!
Well the first Demolition Day was a big success. We spent our evening downstairs with our little furry children. I made hotdogs and a salad, pickles and reduced fat chips. We shared a glass of rose wine and played with the cats until they decided to go to bed. Baby is sleeping in a magazine basket and Dolly has found a space on Dolores's bed that she loves. I don't understand the magazine basket but OK - as long as he's content.
I'm planning to try some Rachel Ray 30-minute meals...most likely next week since our menu is planned for this week. This week I'm mostly preparing things I don't have to cook in an oven.
We've decided that we are going to keep Dolores's old stove. It has a broiler beneath the oven which is not available in the newer stoves. We like that feature. So we'll get rid of our gold harvest Kenmore stove that I've had upstairs for the past 6 years and keep Dolores's. We had a long discussion about it tonight. I'm looking forward to my Viking professional stove, which is going to be delivered on Thursday. And I'm looking foward to having my back up stove be an old fashioned stove. A white Admiral. This should be interesting!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I am a very lucky woman and I don't take this for granted! With this new change, I've renewed my commitment to making healthy choices. Mediterranean and Asian cooking...here I come. I'm going to learn how to make just about everything healthy that you can imagine. I'm so excited! Thanks, Mom!
I'm planning to try some Rachel Ray 30-minute meals...most likely next week since our menu is planned for this week. This week I'm mostly preparing things I don't have to cook in an oven.
We've decided that we are going to keep Dolores's old stove. It has a broiler beneath the oven which is not available in the newer stoves. We like that feature. So we'll get rid of our gold harvest Kenmore stove that I've had upstairs for the past 6 years and keep Dolores's. We had a long discussion about it tonight. I'm looking forward to my Viking professional stove, which is going to be delivered on Thursday. And I'm looking foward to having my back up stove be an old fashioned stove. A white Admiral. This should be interesting!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I am a very lucky woman and I don't take this for granted! With this new change, I've renewed my commitment to making healthy choices. Mediterranean and Asian cooking...here I come. I'm going to learn how to make just about everything healthy that you can imagine. I'm so excited! Thanks, Mom!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Kitchen Demolition Tomorrow!
We're all packed up and ready for the kitchen demolition tomorrow. I think the kitties know something is up. I just pray it won't be too stressful for Baby and Dolly with all the noise. Although, they made it through the past 5 months. In the past 5 months we've:
Replaced our deck
Replaced our siding
Replaced our windows
Painted the 3 bedrooms upstairs
So we're on the verge of the last project - a new kitchen with all new appliances, a new built in bar and island in the living room, a new entertainment center with built in bookshelves and a big screen TV with surround sound in the living room. This is going to be awesome!
We had our last meal in the old kitchen tonight. I made scrambled egg sandwiches with cheddarwursts. We also had a nice white wine to go with it.
The kitchen is now bare and it echoes when we talk. Weird.
It finally cooled off today so I took Baby outside for awhile. He sniffed around for about 15 minutes and then came back upstairs and waited at the deck door to be let in. Dolores's flower box is doing wonderfully. Our tomatoes and hot peppers are doing well, our rose bush is not and all our marigolds died. I think I will fill those in with pretty stones next year instead.
Mom, Aaron and I all had a great dinner at Johnny's Chop House once again. Mom and I had London Broil with broccoli and a salad. Aaron had Mediterranean chicken and cream of potato soup. We shared a bottle of Crossings Savignon Blanc. The meal was perfect, healthy and within our budget. Johnny's is our favorite restaurant. Our waitress-friend, Mary and I are now sharing our poetry. I brought a poem that I had published in a book and read it to her. She has all of her's memorized so she performed one for me! It's so fun to share this way.
Now that I'm going to be in limbo for awhile with the kitchen project, I've promised Mom and Aaron that I would write more. If I find it worthy of an audience, I will also post my writing here.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I'm trying to decide if I should continue this blog after the 1 year mark or if I should begin another one of all my creative writing instead. What do you think? What would you like to see? Let me know.
Replaced our deck
Replaced our siding
Replaced our windows
Painted the 3 bedrooms upstairs
So we're on the verge of the last project - a new kitchen with all new appliances, a new built in bar and island in the living room, a new entertainment center with built in bookshelves and a big screen TV with surround sound in the living room. This is going to be awesome!
We had our last meal in the old kitchen tonight. I made scrambled egg sandwiches with cheddarwursts. We also had a nice white wine to go with it.
The kitchen is now bare and it echoes when we talk. Weird.
It finally cooled off today so I took Baby outside for awhile. He sniffed around for about 15 minutes and then came back upstairs and waited at the deck door to be let in. Dolores's flower box is doing wonderfully. Our tomatoes and hot peppers are doing well, our rose bush is not and all our marigolds died. I think I will fill those in with pretty stones next year instead.
Mom, Aaron and I all had a great dinner at Johnny's Chop House once again. Mom and I had London Broil with broccoli and a salad. Aaron had Mediterranean chicken and cream of potato soup. We shared a bottle of Crossings Savignon Blanc. The meal was perfect, healthy and within our budget. Johnny's is our favorite restaurant. Our waitress-friend, Mary and I are now sharing our poetry. I brought a poem that I had published in a book and read it to her. She has all of her's memorized so she performed one for me! It's so fun to share this way.
Now that I'm going to be in limbo for awhile with the kitchen project, I've promised Mom and Aaron that I would write more. If I find it worthy of an audience, I will also post my writing here.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I'm trying to decide if I should continue this blog after the 1 year mark or if I should begin another one of all my creative writing instead. What do you think? What would you like to see? Let me know.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The new stove shipped!
Well Greek Hot Dogs didn't go over too well. In fact, I never even got to make them. We talked about it in the car on the way home and Aaron crinkled up his nose so tight that I just made regular diet hot dogs with fat free turkey chili, mustard, onions, tomotoes and whole wheat buns. Sounds boring doesn't it?
I did make an artichoke and black olive salad with olive oil and vinegar and seasonings to go with it though.
Oh, well. I guess it wasn't the best of ideas that I've had.
Tomorrow night I have to work late, which is very rare. Aaron is going to the dentist for phase 2 of his many phases of dental work that he needs done. So, I think I'll go to Subway for a turkey sub tomorrow night. I'm not sure what Aaron will be able to eat but I hear that it may be filet of fish at McDonald's. Not the best choice, but considering what he's going through and the fact that it will be "soft" food, I won't put up too much of a fuss about fast food.
The Viking professional 6-burner stove that we ordered from New York for our new kitchen has shipped!!! The new stainless steel refrigerator and dish washer are in at Lowes and ready to be delivered as soon as we say so. I still need to pick out a microwave, a hood vent, a new kitchen faucet, stone flooring, stones for the archway over the stove and lighting. But one day at a time! Demolition of the old kitchen is scheduled for Monday, so we have time.
I've been looking at some 30-minute Rachel Ray meals from her magazine. Once we move into the basement (Monday) I'll need some quick meals to cook during the week that are easy to make. I'll have limited space and time with all the construction and chaos going on in our home. I've found a few that look good and I will share them when I make them. I love the fact that she's trying to help get kid's school lunches healthier. Kids are so much heavier now and it will be that much harder for them to lose weight later. I commend her for this!
I did make an artichoke and black olive salad with olive oil and vinegar and seasonings to go with it though.
Oh, well. I guess it wasn't the best of ideas that I've had.
Tomorrow night I have to work late, which is very rare. Aaron is going to the dentist for phase 2 of his many phases of dental work that he needs done. So, I think I'll go to Subway for a turkey sub tomorrow night. I'm not sure what Aaron will be able to eat but I hear that it may be filet of fish at McDonald's. Not the best choice, but considering what he's going through and the fact that it will be "soft" food, I won't put up too much of a fuss about fast food.
The Viking professional 6-burner stove that we ordered from New York for our new kitchen has shipped!!! The new stainless steel refrigerator and dish washer are in at Lowes and ready to be delivered as soon as we say so. I still need to pick out a microwave, a hood vent, a new kitchen faucet, stone flooring, stones for the archway over the stove and lighting. But one day at a time! Demolition of the old kitchen is scheduled for Monday, so we have time.
I've been looking at some 30-minute Rachel Ray meals from her magazine. Once we move into the basement (Monday) I'll need some quick meals to cook during the week that are easy to make. I'll have limited space and time with all the construction and chaos going on in our home. I've found a few that look good and I will share them when I make them. I love the fact that she's trying to help get kid's school lunches healthier. Kids are so much heavier now and it will be that much harder for them to lose weight later. I commend her for this!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Kitchen, Hot Dogs and Revelation
Getting ready for the kitchen demolition which is scheduled for Monday, 8-16-10. We are really excited and hopefully I will be able to post some photos. If not on this site, then on my facebook page.
All packed up in the kitchen, dining room, living room and hallway. Sunday night we're moving downstairs. Ray and gang are coming over Saturday to move the final pieces of furniture in place so Sunday won't be that big of a deal.
I'm spending some quality time with the cats tonight. They are going to have to adapt to moving back downstairs and we are feeling sorry for them, but they are doing pretty well considering all the changes they've dealt with since Dolores passed away.
Tomorrow night I'm going to try Mediterranean hot dogs. I'm going to make diet hot dogs on wheat buns, but I'm going to add feta cheese, onions, tomatoes and green olives on top. Then on the side I'm going to make a black olive and artichoke salad with oil and vinegar dressing with seasonings. Aaron turned his nose up at the idea, but I think he's going to like it. At least he said he'd try it. I'll have mustard and fat free chili waiting in the wings just in case!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I've been reading Revelation in the Bible. It's very interesting how many times the reference to supper, eating with Jesus, wine, olive oil, the wedding feast, etc are mentioned in this book. It is an honor to share a meal and all food must be blessed and not sacrificed to an idol in order to be holy and worthy of eating. God is very interested and specific about what should and shouldn't be eaten. Take a look, despite many other topics discussed, food is mentioned throughout as John describes his vision.
All packed up in the kitchen, dining room, living room and hallway. Sunday night we're moving downstairs. Ray and gang are coming over Saturday to move the final pieces of furniture in place so Sunday won't be that big of a deal.
I'm spending some quality time with the cats tonight. They are going to have to adapt to moving back downstairs and we are feeling sorry for them, but they are doing pretty well considering all the changes they've dealt with since Dolores passed away.
Tomorrow night I'm going to try Mediterranean hot dogs. I'm going to make diet hot dogs on wheat buns, but I'm going to add feta cheese, onions, tomatoes and green olives on top. Then on the side I'm going to make a black olive and artichoke salad with oil and vinegar dressing with seasonings. Aaron turned his nose up at the idea, but I think he's going to like it. At least he said he'd try it. I'll have mustard and fat free chili waiting in the wings just in case!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
I've been reading Revelation in the Bible. It's very interesting how many times the reference to supper, eating with Jesus, wine, olive oil, the wedding feast, etc are mentioned in this book. It is an honor to share a meal and all food must be blessed and not sacrificed to an idol in order to be holy and worthy of eating. God is very interested and specific about what should and shouldn't be eaten. Take a look, despite many other topics discussed, food is mentioned throughout as John describes his vision.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Weekend Update
Pam seared some rainbow trout for dinner tonight. I served it with some home made potato salad, fresh asparagus, french bread and diet butter, and Mama made a fresh salad with a little salmon in it. Oh boy, that was a good meal.
Friday I was having some trouble with anemia...completely wiped out. Aaron took me out to Johnny's chop house in Antioch for raw oysters and liver. I had to get some iron in me. I felt much better after that.
Saturday we went out again to Johnny's this time with Mom. We all ordered chicken. Aaron and Mom had Mediterranean chicken and I had martini chicken. It was a chicken breast char broiled with vodka and vermouth cream sauce and then smothered in green olives. It was very good, but not as good as the Mediterranean chicken. That dish has a chicken breast with tomato, spinach, feta, lemon and garlic piled on top of garlic mashed potatoes. It's very yummy.
We took it easy this weekend, watched movies and got some rest.
Tomorrow we find out when we'll break ground for the new kitchen. I am so looking forward to it!
Friday I was having some trouble with anemia...completely wiped out. Aaron took me out to Johnny's chop house in Antioch for raw oysters and liver. I had to get some iron in me. I felt much better after that.
Saturday we went out again to Johnny's this time with Mom. We all ordered chicken. Aaron and Mom had Mediterranean chicken and I had martini chicken. It was a chicken breast char broiled with vodka and vermouth cream sauce and then smothered in green olives. It was very good, but not as good as the Mediterranean chicken. That dish has a chicken breast with tomato, spinach, feta, lemon and garlic piled on top of garlic mashed potatoes. It's very yummy.
We took it easy this weekend, watched movies and got some rest.
Tomorrow we find out when we'll break ground for the new kitchen. I am so looking forward to it!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
More sleep
I just love my Mediterranean Tuna Melts that I was inspired by Rachel Ray to create. Canned tuna in water, capers, roasted red peppers, green olives with pimento, onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil. Put this mixture on whole grain English Muffin halves and sprinkle Fontina cheese over the top. Bake at 450 degrees until the cheese starts to turn brown. They are yummy.
I'm all packed up in the kitchen and we are just waiting for a go-date to break ground so to speak. The kitchen will be gutted. The renovations will take place in the kitchen, dining room and living room. The hallway will also be painted and we're getting all new interior doors.
Can you believe that we ordered a Viking professional gas oven/range with 6 burners in stainless steel? I am so excited. We're getting a new fridge, dish washer, microwave, sink, all new cabinets, a built-in bar which will incorporate our 3 wine coolers, a built in entertainment center and new TV and stereo system, new floors, an island that seats 8 people and the list goes on and on. I am blessed. My Mom is helping us with all of this both financially and creatively. She is a special woman. I do have to say. She is encouraging me to cook right and eat right in our new kitchen.
I've been eating dried Mediterranean apricots with raw almonds and edamame lightly salted for a snack at work. Also, I alternate with South Beach protein fit bars. I've found these Lean Cuisine Asian lunches and they are really good. The stir fry chicken with peanut sauce is excellent for a diet meal.
Tonight we had diet hot dogs with fat free chili and whole wheat buns, onions, mustard, cheese and a spinach and romaine salad to go with. Must keep up the iron intake!
Good night everyone. Remember to get your beauty sleep. That's so important and I just don't get enough. However, tonight I am seeking a long night of sleep!
I'm all packed up in the kitchen and we are just waiting for a go-date to break ground so to speak. The kitchen will be gutted. The renovations will take place in the kitchen, dining room and living room. The hallway will also be painted and we're getting all new interior doors.
Can you believe that we ordered a Viking professional gas oven/range with 6 burners in stainless steel? I am so excited. We're getting a new fridge, dish washer, microwave, sink, all new cabinets, a built-in bar which will incorporate our 3 wine coolers, a built in entertainment center and new TV and stereo system, new floors, an island that seats 8 people and the list goes on and on. I am blessed. My Mom is helping us with all of this both financially and creatively. She is a special woman. I do have to say. She is encouraging me to cook right and eat right in our new kitchen.
I've been eating dried Mediterranean apricots with raw almonds and edamame lightly salted for a snack at work. Also, I alternate with South Beach protein fit bars. I've found these Lean Cuisine Asian lunches and they are really good. The stir fry chicken with peanut sauce is excellent for a diet meal.
Tonight we had diet hot dogs with fat free chili and whole wheat buns, onions, mustard, cheese and a spinach and romaine salad to go with. Must keep up the iron intake!
Good night everyone. Remember to get your beauty sleep. That's so important and I just don't get enough. However, tonight I am seeking a long night of sleep!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
New website support
This past week has been stressful at work with all the goings on. Good things, very good, but stressful just the same.
At home, all I've been doing is packing up the kitchen, dining room and living room and moving things downstairs in boxes - with Aaron's help of course. It's been fun but very time consuming and labor intensive. Getting alot of exercise though.
With this anemia, I'm cold all the time and so tired. I am not as dizzy and my neck feels better now that it's aligned so I'm sure that's helping. I'm still taking the One A Day Plus Iron supplements so I'm doing better. Today at work I had on a thick blouse and a sweater. I wore it outside and I know people were looking at me funny but oh well, I was COLD!
Ok, so the diet update. I actually am so frustrated by trying to watch what I eat and not seeing the good results that I Googled: "Can Type 2 Diabetics Lose Weight?" Here's what I came up with:
Lifelong changes in eating habits, physical activity, and attitudes about food and weight are essential to weight management. Unfortunately, although many people can lose weight initially, it is very difficult to maintain weight loss. People with type 2 diabetes may have a particularly difficult time. Here are some general suggestions that may be helpful:
1. Start with realistic goals. When overweight people achieve even modest weight loss they reduce risk factors in the heart. Ideally, overweight patients should strive for 15% weight loss or better, particularly people with type 2 diabetes.
2. A regular exercise program is essential for maintaining weight loss. If there are no health prohibitions, choose one that is enjoyable. Check with a doctor about any health consideration. 3. Hunger pangs should not be taken as cues to eat. A stomach that has been stretched by large meals will continue to signal hunger for large amounts of food until its size reduces over time with smaller meals.
4. Be honest about how much you eat, and track calories carefully. Studies on weight control that depend on self-reporting of food intake frequently reveal that subjects badly misjudge how much they eat (typically underestimating high-calorie foods and overestimating low-calorie foods). In one study, even dietitians underreported their calorie intake by 10%. People who do not carefully note everything they eat tend to take in excessive calories when they believe they are dieting.
5. For patients who cannot lose weight with diet alone, effective weight-loss medications are now available, including sibutramine (Meridia) and orlistat (Xenical). Orlistat may have particular benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes. This drug may delay or even prevent the onset or progression of diabetes. It may also improve cholesterol levels, regardless of weight loss. Sibutramine is also helpful in weight loss but should not be used by patients with high blood pressure or kidney or liver problems.
6. Once a person has lost weight, maintenance is required. To maintain a healthy weight, make careful decisions about how many calories you consume in food and how many calories you expend through physical activity. Such thinking will eventually become automatic.
Well, I'm glad I found this website. It's from Health Central (MyDiabetesCentral.com). I guess I just needed some reassurance that it's harder for Type 2 Diabetics to lose weight and maintain the weight loss.
My recipe for last night's dinner was my own creation of a cross between lamb stew and beef stroganoff. I cooked lamb and beef in the crockpot Sunday with seasonings and water. Then last night I made some eggwhite noodles, and put some fat free sour cream in the stew and mixed everything together. Aaron added some merlot to the pot and we had a really nice stew. It wasn't the best, but it was really good. There is so much flavor in the M-A diet. We're really liking it.
We just began watching Michael Symon's Cook Like An Iron Chef on the Food Network. He made lamb a few different ways last night with some fresh mint leaves in his sauce and it looked so good I had to run outside and cut some mint leaves from the garden so we could munch on them while we watched. That was kind of cute.
At home, all I've been doing is packing up the kitchen, dining room and living room and moving things downstairs in boxes - with Aaron's help of course. It's been fun but very time consuming and labor intensive. Getting alot of exercise though.
With this anemia, I'm cold all the time and so tired. I am not as dizzy and my neck feels better now that it's aligned so I'm sure that's helping. I'm still taking the One A Day Plus Iron supplements so I'm doing better. Today at work I had on a thick blouse and a sweater. I wore it outside and I know people were looking at me funny but oh well, I was COLD!
Ok, so the diet update. I actually am so frustrated by trying to watch what I eat and not seeing the good results that I Googled: "Can Type 2 Diabetics Lose Weight?" Here's what I came up with:
Lifelong changes in eating habits, physical activity, and attitudes about food and weight are essential to weight management. Unfortunately, although many people can lose weight initially, it is very difficult to maintain weight loss. People with type 2 diabetes may have a particularly difficult time. Here are some general suggestions that may be helpful:
1. Start with realistic goals. When overweight people achieve even modest weight loss they reduce risk factors in the heart. Ideally, overweight patients should strive for 15% weight loss or better, particularly people with type 2 diabetes.
2. A regular exercise program is essential for maintaining weight loss. If there are no health prohibitions, choose one that is enjoyable. Check with a doctor about any health consideration. 3. Hunger pangs should not be taken as cues to eat. A stomach that has been stretched by large meals will continue to signal hunger for large amounts of food until its size reduces over time with smaller meals.
4. Be honest about how much you eat, and track calories carefully. Studies on weight control that depend on self-reporting of food intake frequently reveal that subjects badly misjudge how much they eat (typically underestimating high-calorie foods and overestimating low-calorie foods). In one study, even dietitians underreported their calorie intake by 10%. People who do not carefully note everything they eat tend to take in excessive calories when they believe they are dieting.
5. For patients who cannot lose weight with diet alone, effective weight-loss medications are now available, including sibutramine (Meridia) and orlistat (Xenical). Orlistat may have particular benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes. This drug may delay or even prevent the onset or progression of diabetes. It may also improve cholesterol levels, regardless of weight loss. Sibutramine is also helpful in weight loss but should not be used by patients with high blood pressure or kidney or liver problems.
6. Once a person has lost weight, maintenance is required. To maintain a healthy weight, make careful decisions about how many calories you consume in food and how many calories you expend through physical activity. Such thinking will eventually become automatic.
Well, I'm glad I found this website. It's from Health Central (MyDiabetesCentral.com). I guess I just needed some reassurance that it's harder for Type 2 Diabetics to lose weight and maintain the weight loss.
My recipe for last night's dinner was my own creation of a cross between lamb stew and beef stroganoff. I cooked lamb and beef in the crockpot Sunday with seasonings and water. Then last night I made some eggwhite noodles, and put some fat free sour cream in the stew and mixed everything together. Aaron added some merlot to the pot and we had a really nice stew. It wasn't the best, but it was really good. There is so much flavor in the M-A diet. We're really liking it.
We just began watching Michael Symon's Cook Like An Iron Chef on the Food Network. He made lamb a few different ways last night with some fresh mint leaves in his sauce and it looked so good I had to run outside and cut some mint leaves from the garden so we could munch on them while we watched. That was kind of cute.
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