Saturday, October 18, 2008

:: i want!!!! ::

Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. Thanks Aylin for the reco!


I'm gonna try out one of her fig spread recipes that sounds really interesting! hope it's a hit!

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:: discovering mirepoix ::

So it's pronounced "meer-pwah" and supposedly the holy trinity of french cooking. It's a combination of onions, celery, carrots (2:1:1 ratio) used as a flavor base for a wide range of dishes such as soups, stews, sauces etc. It's cooked in butter typically and allowed to sweat, i think there's the step of adding white wine as well. Had the ingredients so I thought I'd try it out for a strong fish stock today. I realize after the fact that I didnt chop up the carrots quite find enough so we'll see how it goes. :)
My mirepoix sweating in the pressure cooker...

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:: Day 125 - Summary ::

Activities: Saratoga Farmer's Market with Mikee. We decided to give the organic pasture fed chicken a try, per Tracy's recommendation. It wasn't cheap but what do you expect. We got a 5.2lb chicken for $20 and paid an extra $3 for feet. Mikee's rosemary BBQ chicken is amazing so we've decided to use the chicken for that. And i'll save the bones + feet for more stock. These chickens get to run around, get sunshine and hang out with bugs. How more natural can it get? :P Oh and here's a pic of all the produce we got - cant wait to consume it all!


8am
: 1 apple, random sampling of stuff at farmer's market


Lunch
@ Tai Wu with Mother-In-Law


Main meal @ home

A small bowl of leftover chinese food, a bowl of vege soup, 1/4 coldstone icecream
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Friday, October 17, 2008

:: Day 124 - Summary ::

Activities: Bah. 12 hour work day again.

7am: Bowl of fresh fruit, strawberry banana odwalla, small slice of egg white vege fritatta


Main meal @ home
We bought some random dishes from whole foods and shared. With the $5 off coupon it was pretty good! Turkey Lasagne, TUrkey meatloaf, parsnip cake, orzo and spinach salad - All for $16. Not bad!

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

:: Day 123 ::

Activities: 12 hour work day. blah. + small group in the evening.

8am: 1 apple

2pm: a few mouthful of homemade kale soup


Main meal @ home: vege soup party!!!
White leek soup, Orange soup (Laura's recipe), Cauliflower soup, Leftover vege fritatta

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

:: sad poop ::

So if you recall one of my posts from last weeks... I've been eating real bad for a few days... chocolate, cookies, cake... you name it. All the "C"s. And yesterday at lunch I sampled some indian food (yum but lots of heavy cream, another "C") and also had birthday cake.

My poop has not been happy. I get tummy aches randomly through the day - I sit at the toilet and feel constipated. A feeling I haven't had in awhile. My body is not liking the onslaught of the "C"s and I keep apologizing but doing jack about it. Well this morning was the final straw - I went out for a run and the whole time I felt like I was having diarrhea when in fact, I wasn't. I hate feeling like this. i really really need to eat clean again and get rid of the Cs and random GMOs in my system. Talk is cheap - now I have to do.
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:: Day 122 - Summary ::

Yay! Mikee's lab test results came back and everything is great! His cholesterol has improved alot since his last test in 2005 and we have pretty much identical values on everything! :)

Activities: 7am 3.0 mile run, 33:34, 409 cal burnt, HRa 168 HRm 174

8am: ABC Juice + small bowl of freshly made leek soup

12pm: Leek and Kale soup, 2 M&Ms

Main meal @ home
White Leek Soup, Brown-rice fried rice with chard and chicken, eggs with chives

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::White Leek Soup ::

My soups usually tastes good but today's concoction was just amazing. I decided it was important to pen this one down...

1/2 onion, chopped
1 bunch of baby carrots, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/3 cauliflower head, chopped
1/3 cabbage, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 beefsteak tomato, whole
EVOO

1. Heat up 1-2 tbsp evoo
2. Throw in the onions until translucent
3. Add in the red peppers and carrots and fry for a few more minutes
4. Add in the cauliflower and stir for a few more minutes
5. Add in 2 cups of broth and bring to boil
6. Add the cabbage and leak with remaining 2 cups of broth and bring to boil again
7. Turn off heat and pour everything into the blender (vitamix) and you might need 2 batches
8. Blend on high for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy
9. Season accordingly (i use swiss edamare and sea salt) and blend on medium for 30 seconds
9. Throw in the tomato and blend on low (level 2 on the vitamix) for 30 seconds (the idea is that you can still see the bits of the tomato floating around)
10. Serve immediately. YUM!
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

:: Oh Carrots, how i love thee!!! ::


I eat alot of carrots. Alot. They don't taste very sweet to me but I found out this morning that they may be high in GI? I looked up glycemicindex.com just to be sure and raw carrots have an index of 16. I think that's low but I'm not entirely sure. Is it bad that I consume so many carrots? On average about 2 sticks a day. Carrots are really filling though... And i dont get hungry for hours after munching on it. So i feel my blood sugar is well moderated throughout the course of the day. Could it be possible that the same fruit/vege can have a different effect on different people's blood sugar level? I dont know!

And i digress, do you like my new apron?? I figured I deserve one since I cook so much in the kitchen now. $9.99 from anthropologie. Eagle eye strikes again.
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:: Day 121 - Summary ::

I love color!!!

Activities:
6am: 20 mins max VO2 snatch protocol, 175 cal, HRa 161, HRm 168
5pm: 12 mins swings/TGU interval

7am: ABC Juice + 1/3 banana
Rest of day: Tracy Reifkind's "Live" trail mix, Leek and stem soup

Random sampling of indian food from team lunch

Main meal @ home
Keta salmon fillet (thanks sctemplar3 for the headsup), Laura's asian quinoa, greens

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:: Laura's Asian Quinoa Recipe ::

I can't wait to try this one!


5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water, sliced
Reserve and strain mushroom liquid
Half carrot thinly julienned
1 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked and minced

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil
Fry onions until lightly browned, then ginger and then garlic
Add shrimp and mushrooms and fry until fragrant
Add qiunoa and stir fry until quinoa is coated in oil
Add enough liquid (chicken stock or veg stock and mushroom liquid) to cook the quinoa
Once it is cooked (10-12 minutes)
Fluff it and stir in the julienne carrots
Season with salt and white pepper
Garnish with slice fried eggs or boiled eggs
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Monday, October 13, 2008

:: soup recipes ::

I don't really have a fixed recipe but the tune goes something like this...

Part A: Making homemade stock
Dump 1 onion, chicken parts (skin removed), carrots, 15 peppercorns into the pressure cooker and cook on first red ring for 30 mins. Let cool naturally. Strain and remove fat.

Part B: Making soup
- Saute 1/2 onion in olive oil until translucent
- Add in 'tougher' vege parts like stems and also squash/potatoes finely chopped
- Pour in homemade stock (3-4 cups)
- Add in the rest of the veges (whatever you have)
- Heat until boiling
- Blend in vitamix blender for desired consistency
- Add raw veges at the end for some extra texture... e.g. sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions but only blend on low level so you can still see chunks of it :)

Based on this method, it will taste different each time. But oh so much goodness! Props to Tracy Reifkind for getting me started on the pressure cooker and thanks to Dyl for loaning it to me! :)

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:: Day 120 - Summary ::

Activities: ...

8am: ABC Juice shared with mikee, a small bowl of freshly made leek and kale soup



12pm:
Spicy stem soup

Main meal at Laura's place:
- Bowl of tomato cream soup
- Slice of Laura's homemade spinach quiche, sans cheese
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:: Day 119 - Summary ::

Activities: 3-hour photoshoot with andy & karen

7am: 1/2 cup of ABC Juice
10am: Nuts, apple, raisins
1pm: 1/2 chicken burrito

Main meal @ home with Effie and Mikee
Leek and kale soup, brown rice, chicken

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:: Day 118 - Summary ::

Activities: 12 hours of wedding coordinating in high heels! Body GLIDE is awesome for the feet!!!

8am-5pm: All day snacking at the wedding ceremony cite

6-9pm:
10 course chinese dinner + wedding cake at joy luck place
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Sunday, October 12, 2008

:: coming clean ::

this week, I ate more chocolate/cookies/cake than i ever consumed in the last 4 months of new life. Wow - I could not believe how bad it was. There were several reasons for this...
- lack of self-control, duh
- wanting to enjoy like everyone else was (wedding weekend)
- chocolate as gifts (organic though!)
- crazy sugar craving

I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the 1/2 marathon but this week was just cccrraazzyyyyy. I am not only coming clean this weekend I will be eating clean. Full Warrior diet on the weekdays for sure. I need to atone. My body needs the atonement.
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