So...whats for dinner?

Vegetarian nachos.

I'm trying to think of something for tomorrow in case we lose power..I'm not looking forward to this storm. We won't get the worst of it (Forks will) but it will be bad enough. Our forecasts are never accurate so I am hoping they are wrong again. It is so calm now....

Welcome, MiMi!

When I last checked in, folks were starting to have refrigerator problems, or at least worries, and we went through that in late summer. Ours was 26 years old and I could detect a burning smell coming from it. Eeeek! So we trekked over to the closest Home Depot looked at refrigerators (not much to be excited about since we had to get the exact size/type we had to fit into the space in which our builder encased that one), checked them out in CR, and once we learned we could have one we liked enuf, delivered in a week, bought it! And the delivery happened as promised! We never expected that, given all the supply chain horror stories. Despite seeming to be the same size as our old one, the interior space is smaller, and annoying, and both of us curse it quietly every few times we search for food in it. But…. It’s also stainless, Carole, but we ordered that goopy stuff that can function as magnets. Have yet to put all the family pix back yet tho.

Next we need to get a new washing machine. Soo many choices! If anyone has a suggestion for one they like, with an agitator, please share.

I’m still doing my concussion OT, and now need to get a new script for glasses since my former script has changed since the concussion, and I get headaches. Ugh! Sadly, my wonderful ophthalmologist just resigned after being on leave to care for a family member, and I have no motivation to continue there since I’m not crazy over her associate who did my cataracts, so need to try to get an optometrist appt BEFORE JANUARY, which I was offered at another recommended practice. So go my healthcare woes. The OT is going well. Need to get back on a fish oil that doesn’t have that back up taste. Ick! Am trying one from WF that has a mask of spearmint flavor, which is almost tolerable. Ideas?

Last week we had DGD staying with us for a few days while her parents took a needed getaway. She is a riot…so much fun, making our exhaustion worthwhile. I spent the whole time making sure to provide her with high fiber meals and snacks to help her “go”, as she is having trouble in that department. Fortunately, this house has lots of good fiber options, so the visit was a healthful success. Now she needs to keep that up at home…and I will try to keep quiet about it.

Enjoying “Nana’s”oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries.

Glad to read about all of your soup making! It is finally chilly here and time to make my fave kale soup. Last week I made a chicken red lentil soup that was delish. Even DgD enjoyed it. The turmeric and cumin were mild enough that it wasn’t too unusual for her palette.

I made a huge portion of my fave cod puttanesca, this time with linguini since the friends we were sharing it with loves linguini. We had it for two nights.
Tonight we’ll have leftovers of a balsamic chicken veggie toss that I made last night.

Consider me triggered with guilt upon hearing about Instant-pot users again. Mine is still new in the box in our basement! I so resist cluttering my counters more. I just end up cooking on the stove most nights…and find that I most often avoid even using my small appliances for cutting, shredding. Very old school, I guess.
and probably not so smart since my hand arthritis is steadily progressing.

Our “lobster fest” on the Newfound beach was delicious as usual, tho a bit less relaxing since DGD was there, too, and I was accompanying her around the beach as she explored as thoroughly as two year olds like to. The neighbor who organizes this event was camping in Utah earlier that week and got stuck in the Southwest cancelled flights mess, so his wife and several of the other “young” guys in our association filled in so not a beat was missed, much to the delight of the lobster fans!

I’ve prattled on for too long, so will check out, and hope to get back on sooner rather than later next time.

Winds have not amounted to much...yet. Managed a walk and holding our breath on the coming storm. Continue to hope they are wrong.

I made a bbq chicken "pizza" but made it on a socca crust. Leftovers tomorrow.

Mae - YUM. Love the pictures. Did you like the Tabbouleh? I've started making Quinoa as a side. Hope you're adjusting to the new cat - or rather the cat is adjusting to you.

Wallycat - had an email from my DS in Marin County around dinner time. They have had 10 inches of rain today so far on top of rain the last couple of days. Wow,. Luckily they aren't adjacent to a burn site so I don't think they'll have mud slides. So glad he didn't have to cross the Golden Gate bridge today.

When we lived in Seattle we had the luxury of three different Ivar's restaurants: the original Acres of Clams on the waterfront between downtown & the Magnolia area of the Queen Anne Hill peninsula; the U. District Salmon House where the Ship Canal empties into Lake Union; and the one on the downtown Alaskan Way waterfront next to the ferry terminal. I was never a fan of Seattle chowder, though--most of it was creamy red, an (IMHO) unacceptable mashup of New England & Manhattan styles, which are two distinctly different soups (all they have in common are clams, potatoes, and clam juice). IHMO, the best New England style I've ever bought for home use is Legal Sea Foods'. It even has a "lite" version (low fat, low carb except for diced potatoes, and no tomatoes) that worked for me decades ago when I was on Jenny Craig & WW.

Lacey, if all you need is an eye exam, Boston has at least one Warby Parker boutique with on-site optometrists. Their eye exams are $75 and include dilation if you want it (to check the retinas and vitreous, as well as the "capsule" behind your implanted lens) as well as the usual refraction for distance, reading and astigmatism. And unlike ophthalmologists who also sell glasses, you won't have to ask them for your pupillary distance (PD) measurement--it's included in your prescription, which you can print out to take to another optician whose frames you like better.

Bob stopped by Boston Market after work and brought home meatloaf with creamed spinach & steamed veggies. The meatloaf isn't keto-friendly (almost all meatloaf recipes call for some kind of breadcrumb "panade" binder) but I was ravenous--hadn't eaten since breakfast--and I hadn't had meatlof in over a year. it was delicious. I ate half my dinner and will nuke the remainder tonight, with salad and the tomatoes on the sill that are beginning to soften. (Most of them are no bigger than overgrown cherry tomatoes--even a tad smaller than the Campari ones at the grocery).

Might bake a pan of keto brownies (Lakanto mix) tonight, just to have something sweet with a cakelike texture that won't send me cascading over the cookie-and-candy waterfall before bedtime. Sugar-free pudding just isn't doing it for me any more.

Had one of those rare -- but maybe becoming more frequent? -- wins in which my DH and DS and I all sat down to a nice, home cooked dinner last night. I made lemony roasted potatoes (like what you'd get in a Greek restaurant), and I left a request for help and instructions for my husband, so by the time I got home, he had made braised Brussels sprouts (with bacon, to entice him), and then we worked together to get some breaded chicken cutlets into the oven.

It was so, so nice to (a) have a plan, (b) have a third of dinner done before I left the house, (c) come home to a cooking spouse and a house that smelled amazing, (d) have a well-balanced (-ish) meal that we made ourselves, and (e) have leftovers for lunch today.

I will be trying to enlist help more often. Gotta get my teenager in on the action!

Had a late-night carb binge--albeit mostly labeled keto-friendly--again last night (sigh). The calories ingested when I'm not burning them is becoming a massive problem. Even when I do consume things with sugar or starch, it's not for the sweet taste alone (I wouldn't go near hard candies, much less a spoonful of honey or sugar) but for the specific flavor (usually dark chocolate or pistachio halvah, or whole wheat) and texture (low-carb wholegrain toast, bran matzo, not chips or non-keto white bread). Nuts just don't cut it. I think subconsciously I am comforting my pain by indulging my sensory preferences. (There was a study a while ago that put normal weight and obese people in a room for half an hour, then 2 hrs. afterward asked them to describe whatever they recalled about the room; the obese people mentioned far more detail--specific colors, shapes, fabric textures). Meanwhile, I have gained 6 lbs. since Aug.--also due to the four back attacks keeping me from even the slightest exercise. Weighing (pun intended) whether to postpone the appointment or go and come clean as to what's happening. I've been in denial, because my size 10/M clothes (and size S sweats) still fit.

Bob will get home late tonight, so I'm on my own for dinner. Will pan-sear a salmon burger on a keto bun with lettuce, tomato & onion; with a side of spinach & tomato salad. Brunch was a WholeFoods ham/gruyere "egg bite" (basically a table-hockey-puck-size crustless quiche). I notice that on nights we dine out, I tend not to binge late at night.

We're going to host T-giving dinner (first time since 2018) at the Signature Room--so far 11 people (us included) are coming. Gordy is the wild card--he's working that day but may be able to shift his hours to late afternoon. Our HK & her DH are also wild cards due to his health--half the time they back out at the last minute. I will mention that to the restaurant when I have to confirm a final headcount 72 hr. in advance so I don't get dinged $40 each for them as no-shows. (They're also making dress code exceptions for Bob & another senior-citizen guest, who have bad feet and need to wear sneakers, per podiatrists' advice--she doesn't even own regular shoes).

Those photos of yours always make me hungry!

For lunch, I made salmon melts on naan bread with a side salad. Dinner was a purple potato/arugula frittata. Turned out much yummier than it sounds. Leftovers tomorrow.

I am having labs done in November, along with doc visits (not related to breast cancer) and I'm severely freaking out. DH's labs came in and he is stable, so that is some relief. If I had potato chips in the house, I am convinced I would stress eat. I did have some dark chocolate, but that's "health food." LOL

The pictures are fantastic! Today for breakfast a protein bar, lunch was cottage cheese with peaches and I'm thinking a poblano soup for dinner.

Last night I made a pork roast. My mother's recipe. Put the roast in a Dutch oven, cover with Ms. Dash, about 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and sauerkraut. This is also really tasty with a field roast (veggie roast). I had intended to add some more veggies the last hour, but my acupuncture appointment had me running behind. It was as good as I remember.

Hope everyone has a splendid day.

Today was the 2nd of two power burn days per week.

Breakfast was odd, spinach and Canadian bacon.

Lunch was a beef bullion and vegetable soup and a 1/2 banana with peanut butter.

Dinner was Kabob’s but I had no wooden skewers were gone and the metal ones were packed up months ago, so it ended up a medley with whole grain penne and lightly sautéed zucchini.

I used a grill tray, so my chicken turned out looking like meat dominos.

Mae - Looks delicious as always & I had a nice chuckle about the "meat dominoes"

Wally - I know brown rice is healthier, but I just can't get into it. If the rice pud works, I'd like the recipe. But only if you really like it.

Yesterday's meal was a HUGE Cobb Salad at Pappadeaux with my ex-DH - mixed lettuces, shrimp, avocado, tomato, egg, bacon, blue cheese, sweet onion.... I picked out all the shrimp at the restaurant yesterday & the avocados since they would have turned brown. Today I ate the other half of the salad after tossing in a bunch of sunflower seeds & some black olives.

I grew up eating white rice. A lot of white rice, with beans, gravies, jambalaya. The change to brown rice didn't happen fast but now I enjoy the brown rice I cook. I shop for good rice, brown basmati, brown jasmine. I ignore the directions and measure 1 cup rice and 2 1/2 cups water, add butter or olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Occasionally other flavoring. Bring to a boil and steam on lowest fire for 30 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then fluff. It's delicious. I use the same sauce pot!

One of the Hello Fresh meals including rice called for sauteing finely diced onion and then adding the rice and water. That was good but I'm normally too lazy to take this extra step.

MN is wild rice country. It's common for some of the Indian tribe members to harvest the wild rice and sell it. I've tried cooking it and am not a big fan. The wild rice seems to explode and break up. MN folks make wild rice soup and wild rice hot dishes.

I enjoyed last night's homemade Mexican dinner, a sort of fajitas meal. I used some of the jarred Goya Recaito in a mixture of ground beef and black beans. Sauteed sweet onions and red bell pepper. Made a guacamole with very ripe avocados, diced tomato, lemon juice and mayo. Crumbled some Mexican cheese. Heated white corn tortillas in an iron skillet. Got out the sour cream and jarred salsa.

Thanks for the tip about the Brown rice Carole. I'll try again.

And thank you Wally for the brown rice pudding recipe. My Mother always made rice pudding on the stove top in a double boiler. This will be an interesting change using the oven.

Went to the Hare Krishna temple restaurant for lunch today with 2 girl friends. It was their first time. Three days a week it is vegan only. Today was vegetarian. I really liked 3 of the 4 main dishes - spinach dish (Saag Paneer), potatoes & green pepper with curry in coconut milk, a cut vegetable dish w/tamarind. The chick pea dish was OK but not my favorite. Desert was Havlah w/coconut & pineapple (likely Seminola based rather than crushed sesame seeds) and (wait for it...) ... Rice Pudding with golden raisins and cashew nuts. (My BFF guessed pistachios. I guessed pine nuts. Both wrong.) It had more of a 'soupy' consistency but delicious. Huge bowls of mixed greens and at least 20 chopped or shredded salad ingredients, and of course Chapati and Papadum.

No dinner for me.

Made guacamole today with one huge avocado and an envelope of Frontera's guacamole mix. (Basically a mild salsa verde with tomatillos & jalapenos, 0 net carbs). Spread it on low-carb toast for brunch, with a chopped small tomato & minced shallot, topped with an olive-oil fried egg and Alessi Avocado Toast seasoning.

Last night I nuked 6 small Kroger frozen hot wings ("3-Pepper Blend"). They were the only precooked wings I could find that weren't breaded. (Nobody around here has the bone-in Tyson Any'Tizers any more)-- I was thinking I'd need to add more protein, but I bit into one wing and hoo-boy was it ever HOT! My mouth & throat were on fire--it'd been months, maybe over a year, since I'd had anything that spicy. I used 2 ribs' worth of celery sticks and 2 Tbs. of blue cheese dressing (with crumbled Roquefort). Normally, I have leftover dressing after finishing the celery, but this time was exactly the opposite.

Tonight I pan-seared mahi mahi, served it over baby arugula, and accompanied it with sauteed asparagus & red peppers.

Mae - I so admire you sticking to the diet. Hope you get the results you want - for DH right? The food actually looks pretty good.