I've wanted to write a post about dealing with a new endocrinologist for going on 2 weeks now. I even slithered out of my nice, cozy bed on this very rainy Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 9 AM in order to do just that. After arming myself with some homemade chai tea and peanut butter toast (hey, a girl must be fortified for the complaining as I was getting ready to unleash), I..... got sidetracked.
For the next....five.... hours.
I was trying to (quickly) research some foodie spots for an upcoming trip to Ann Arbor my husband has promised me. A coworker had casually mentioned a deli/bakery that offered some pastry classes - it sounded of course, right up my alley.
That was the understatement of the century.
Zingerman's websites are in themselves pure magic for foodies. How in the world am I JUST NOW hearing about this place??? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? My day's plans of hitting the gym, cleaning, and hanging some pictures on my house's bare walls were washed away by words like "Culinary Adventure Society" and "Tuscany Food Tour".
I proceeded to read every word of each of their seven companies' websites. Basically, my trip to Ann Arbor is going to need to be extended - by several months. How else will I ever decide what cheese to buy in the creamery? Which sandwich to eat in the deli?? These are life and death situations, by god! After accepting the fact that my bank account will most likely be drained to the point we no longer have rent money, I even signed up for the mail-order catalogue. Brownie of the month club, here I come. We may be living in our Honda in an abandoned lot, but we'll have anchovy stuffed peppers and ventresca tuna. :)
All of these happy thoughts surrounded me in my own little bubble. I didn't want to think about the frustration of finding a new endocrinolgist and trying to get a referral from my PCP. I didn't want to remember the aggravation of driving an hour to said endocrinologist's office and then waiting an hour after my appointment time before being called back by a nurse. I definitely don't want to recall how I painstakingly logged months worth of blood sugars, food intake, basals and boluses and entered them into an excel spreadsheet which the endo never even glanced at. I really don't feel like brooding over the endo glancing at my Dexcom printouts and remarking, "Huh. Neat," while obviously having no idea whatsoever how to utilize them. I don't want to relive the nurse practitioner and the doctor huddling outside my door to discuss what my "diabetes plan" would be - without including ME, THE DIABETIC IN QUESTION, in said plan. Or arguing with the doctor over why I really did need to test my blood sugar 12-15 times a day. (Really, dude? You want to argue over someone taking good care of herself?) I don't want the exhaustion of restarting the whole process all over again.
I want to stay in my happy bubble with thoughts of Iberica ham and the imperfect hamburger.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Happiness in a shell
Today, something happened that made me absurdly, horrendously, ridiculously, crazily happy.
I bought some eggs.
These aren't just any eggs. First of all, they are a gorgeous light green color. Perfect for Spring!! And Easter - no dying necessary! And... Wednesday night with no dinner plans!
Secondly, these eggs were laid ...today. Hours ago, actually. Practically in my backyard.
The one (and only) great thing about small town living for me happens to be the little dilapidated farm house around the corner from my place. There's a little wooden sign in front of a gravel driveway announcing "Farm Fresh Eggs For Sale". For less than what a dozen eggs at the grocery costs, I got 2 dozen hot off the hen eggs, 12 brown and 12 special little green beauties. A few even still had a few downy feathers clinging to them.
Knowing where your food comes from is becoming more and more of an issue today, with huge agro-companies pushing through whatever legislation they want through the FDA, recalls of huge food product lines across the country, and the chemicals that are out there... (Sorry. That was was more political soap boxy than I was planning.) My point is, the shorter distance my food travels to me, the more I know about it - who's growing it, what their farming practices are, how processed it is. And it literally doesn't get any closer than this.
My neighbor, a lovely elderly woman who keeps a cow and 150 (!!) chickens, showed me around her little operation. Her farmhouse is something straight out of a movie - old, rambling, painted white, of course, with red barns out back and about 20 some cats chasing mice through the rafters. She took me out to the coop with her while she "let the hens out to get a little sun", since it was one of the first over 60's days of the spring. The majority of her flock are the large and beautiful orange and red feathered birds that lay the brown eggs - I didn't catch their breed name. The green eggs, however, came from three little Araucuna hens. These were much smaller, sandy colored, and had just the smallest tufts for a tail. As feathers floated slowly in the air, my neighbor recounted how she'd been selling eggs since she'd retired, and that she gets about a 5 gallon bucket's worth or eggs PER DAY!! (Now, that's a huge omelet!) She also gave me the sage advice that there was "nothing in this world better tasting than a still-warm egg from the chicken coop fried up right when you bring it inside." If you're a foodie like me, it literally doesn't get any better than this.
Now I'm off to find some egg recipes. :)
I bought some eggs.
These aren't just any eggs. First of all, they are a gorgeous light green color. Perfect for Spring!! And Easter - no dying necessary! And... Wednesday night with no dinner plans!Secondly, these eggs were laid ...today. Hours ago, actually. Practically in my backyard.
The one (and only) great thing about small town living for me happens to be the little dilapidated farm house around the corner from my place. There's a little wooden sign in front of a gravel driveway announcing "Farm Fresh Eggs For Sale". For less than what a dozen eggs at the grocery costs, I got 2 dozen hot off the hen eggs, 12 brown and 12 special little green beauties. A few even still had a few downy feathers clinging to them.
Knowing where your food comes from is becoming more and more of an issue today, with huge agro-companies pushing through whatever legislation they want through the FDA, recalls of huge food product lines across the country, and the chemicals that are out there... (Sorry. That was was more political soap boxy than I was planning.) My point is, the shorter distance my food travels to me, the more I know about it - who's growing it, what their farming practices are, how processed it is. And it literally doesn't get any closer than this.
My neighbor, a lovely elderly woman who keeps a cow and 150 (!!) chickens, showed me around her little operation. Her farmhouse is something straight out of a movie - old, rambling, painted white, of course, with red barns out back and about 20 some cats chasing mice through the rafters. She took me out to the coop with her while she "let the hens out to get a little sun", since it was one of the first over 60's days of the spring. The majority of her flock are the large and beautiful orange and red feathered birds that lay the brown eggs - I didn't catch their breed name. The green eggs, however, came from three little Araucuna hens. These were much smaller, sandy colored, and had just the smallest tufts for a tail. As feathers floated slowly in the air, my neighbor recounted how she'd been selling eggs since she'd retired, and that she gets about a 5 gallon bucket's worth or eggs PER DAY!! (Now, that's a huge omelet!) She also gave me the sage advice that there was "nothing in this world better tasting than a still-warm egg from the chicken coop fried up right when you bring it inside." If you're a foodie like me, it literally doesn't get any better than this.
Now I'm off to find some egg recipes. :)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Meatless Monday... on Sunday
As I mentioned before, this horrible thing known as "a job" has been keeping me from cooking much lately. Which, apparently, has affected my psyche and led to this:
When it comes to clothes, I am not really a "has to have it" kind of girl. My compulsive shopping side takes over when I see cookbooks. Or in this case, cooking magazines. And, no, I will never admit to how much I spent on cooking magazines today. :) Maybe it soothes my soul to look at pictures of things I may cook in the future - a sort of "light at the end of the tunnel" when I have blessed FREE TIME back again.
At least today was Sunday. A day of leisure spent with my husband, who wondered aimlessly around a Kroger with me for an hour. (In return, I went to a movie with him. Movies are his cookbooks. :) ) Today was also the first time in three days we ate at home. And that, given the chain restaurant only black hole where I currently reside, is definitely a blessing.
This is one of my favorite recipes - quick, easy, filling, with a bit of a bite. Good hot or cold as leftovers, so it doubles as lunch for work tomorrow! And for those of you interested in cutting back on meat, it's perfect for a "Meatless Monday".. er, Sunday.
This recipe is originally from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I have to gripe just a little bit here - the editors of the magazine go to all the trouble of posting the nutritional information (which, don't get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for), but they leave off how big a serving size is. Realistically, I can figure it out myself by the number of servings, but here is what usually happens in my house: Mr. Husband runs up the minute food is ready and takes an extra large helping. Then with what is left, I have to figure out how to divide the amount to make what would have been the 4 normal servings the recipe calls for. Really, Martha, can't you just go the extra mile and tell me that a serving is X number of cups?
(The pre-dinner bolus. Also,
FYI -please excuse the pictures today. I am neither a food photographer or a real photographer, and I'm working off an iphone - I realize these are a bit blurry!)
Couscous Salad with Black Beans, Mushrooms, and Corn
(EF notes that if you can't find Israeli couscous, which is different than regular couscous, you can sub in Orzo. I used half and half because I ran out of couscous. :) )
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup Israeli couscous
-coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1/2 pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used baby bellas. I think they have more flavor.)
- 1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups corn kernels (the original recipe specifies fresh, but I used frozen. Still delicious.)
- 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (original recipe states this is optional. Don't leave it out. I think it would be a bit bland without it. This really gives it a nice flavor, in my opinion.)
- 1 avocado, sliced
1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high. Add couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown - about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to skillet and add corn and scallion whites, stirring occasionally. Cook until soft and corn is browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add to mushrooms.
3. Add couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno, and scallion greens to mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 bowls (preferably before your husband comes in the room) and top with avocado.
Nutritional info - Makes 4 servings. Per serving - calories -432; fat - 15; protein - 14; carb - 62; fiber - 11.
When it comes to clothes, I am not really a "has to have it" kind of girl. My compulsive shopping side takes over when I see cookbooks. Or in this case, cooking magazines. And, no, I will never admit to how much I spent on cooking magazines today. :) Maybe it soothes my soul to look at pictures of things I may cook in the future - a sort of "light at the end of the tunnel" when I have blessed FREE TIME back again.At least today was Sunday. A day of leisure spent with my husband, who wondered aimlessly around a Kroger with me for an hour. (In return, I went to a movie with him. Movies are his cookbooks. :) ) Today was also the first time in three days we ate at home. And that, given the chain restaurant only black hole where I currently reside, is definitely a blessing.
This is one of my favorite recipes - quick, easy, filling, with a bit of a bite. Good hot or cold as leftovers, so it doubles as lunch for work tomorrow! And for those of you interested in cutting back on meat, it's perfect for a "Meatless Monday".. er, Sunday.
This recipe is originally from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I have to gripe just a little bit here - the editors of the magazine go to all the trouble of posting the nutritional information (which, don't get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for), but they leave off how big a serving size is. Realistically, I can figure it out myself by the number of servings, but here is what usually happens in my house: Mr. Husband runs up the minute food is ready and takes an extra large helping. Then with what is left, I have to figure out how to divide the amount to make what would have been the 4 normal servings the recipe calls for. Really, Martha, can't you just go the extra mile and tell me that a serving is X number of cups?
(The pre-dinner bolus. Also,
FYI -please excuse the pictures today. I am neither a food photographer or a real photographer, and I'm working off an iphone - I realize these are a bit blurry!) Couscous Salad with Black Beans, Mushrooms, and Corn
(EF notes that if you can't find Israeli couscous, which is different than regular couscous, you can sub in Orzo. I used half and half because I ran out of couscous. :) )
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup Israeli couscous
-coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1/2 pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used baby bellas. I think they have more flavor.)
- 1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups corn kernels (the original recipe specifies fresh, but I used frozen. Still delicious.)
- 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (original recipe states this is optional. Don't leave it out. I think it would be a bit bland without it. This really gives it a nice flavor, in my opinion.)
- 1 avocado, sliced
1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high. Add couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown - about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to skillet and add corn and scallion whites, stirring occasionally. Cook until soft and corn is browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add to mushrooms.
3. Add couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno, and scallion greens to mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 bowls (preferably before your husband comes in the room) and top with avocado.
Nutritional info - Makes 4 servings. Per serving - calories -432; fat - 15; protein - 14; carb - 62; fiber - 11.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)