I'm posting all my food and commentary HERE. I don't feel like being the Head of the Deparment of Redundancy Department Head today so I actually will not be repeating myself today, actually. Plus the thoughts floating in my head today are not for public consumption. Till next time!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Package, restaurant, the ground
I visited my future in laws this weekend. They were powering their house on a generator and the internet was down until about 5pm on Saturday so I couldn't update as much. Here's my food Friday through Sunday as I can best recall:
Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal as usual.
Lunch: I had a turkey and black bean chilli for lunch with a few organic blue corn tortilla chips and hummus.
Afternoon: I DID NOT HAVE ANY CANDY!!! I’m so proud of myself. Except something very strange happened– I was very emotional/ angry. I started to think maybe the sugar has been like a drug for me and I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I believe I had a Larabar some time in the afternoon which is still a sugar because there's fruit in it but the nuts should slow down the absorption...so they say.
Dinner: A natural pb and organic fruit spread (no sugar added) sandwich on 100% whole wheat Wegmans bread (which has a pretty lengthy ingredient list). On the car ride down to the in laws I caved and had a handful of trail mix my fiancee made with nuts and candy.
Saturday:
Breakfast at 10am: Organic 100% whole wheat waffles ( my wonderful man did not add any sugar to batter) with real maple syrup and a slice of bacon and about 2oz of strawberry apple juice. I usually only eat 3 of my waffle squares but they were so light and fluffy this time and I ate all four. I was more than full.
"Lunch" at 3pm: A slice of cheese pizza we grabbed after buying a new car for me! I was starved! Oh and before we left the dealership, our sales guy Pete gave me one of those Quaker chocolate chip “granola” bars.
Dinner at 7 or so: We went to a fantastic restaurant called Settler's Inn for my FMIL's birthday. It's a bit of a drive (relatively) from their house but well worth it for the amazing food. I had 6 pot stickers over Asian slaw as an appetizer. My meal was braised lamb shank over potatoes with some pepper strips and covered with some sort of reduction. I had one glass of pinot grigio and 2 glasses of zin. I did not order dessert but everyone gave me a sample of theirs: bites of flourless chocolate cake, toffee pudding, some caramel covered grain (I forget what it was called) and a homemade chocolate ice cream.
Sunday:
Breakfast around 10am: Two white tortillas filled with scrambled cage-free eggs, sausage, black beans, peppers, onions, and garlic topped with salsa and tobasco sauce.
Snack around 1pm: A salted caramel hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. Again I employed the tactic of not ordering any sort of sweet so I got to mooch off my fiancee’s pumpkin muffin and my FFIL’s coffee cake muffin.The 2 Labradors had a couple of munchkins. I had never seen dogs eat donuts before!!
Dinner 5pm: I got to make a meal I would usually make during the week but to my FMIL, it was something special- chicken curry over brown rice. I don’t think the chicken was organic. The sauce was coconut milk and tomato paste that I seasoned with garlic, onions, salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. We also had a salad of organically grown farm fresh lettuce and spinach that we plucked from the earth THAT DAY (can we say yum?) topped with carrots also from the garden and store bought peppers, avocado, and a balsamic vinaigrette made with olive oil.
If no drinks are noted, you may safely assume I drank water or black coffee.
We were also sent home with a pretty big zucchini and a GINOURMOUS pumpkin that I get to do great things with. Also, my FMIL doesn’t like quinoa (I have no idea why) so we also came home with a 3lb bag! Score!!
Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal as usual.
Lunch: I had a turkey and black bean chilli for lunch with a few organic blue corn tortilla chips and hummus.
Afternoon: I DID NOT HAVE ANY CANDY!!! I’m so proud of myself. Except something very strange happened– I was very emotional/ angry. I started to think maybe the sugar has been like a drug for me and I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I believe I had a Larabar some time in the afternoon which is still a sugar because there's fruit in it but the nuts should slow down the absorption...so they say.
Dinner: A natural pb and organic fruit spread (no sugar added) sandwich on 100% whole wheat Wegmans bread (which has a pretty lengthy ingredient list). On the car ride down to the in laws I caved and had a handful of trail mix my fiancee made with nuts and candy.
Saturday:
Breakfast at 10am: Organic 100% whole wheat waffles ( my wonderful man did not add any sugar to batter) with real maple syrup and a slice of bacon and about 2oz of strawberry apple juice. I usually only eat 3 of my waffle squares but they were so light and fluffy this time and I ate all four. I was more than full.
"Lunch" at 3pm: A slice of cheese pizza we grabbed after buying a new car for me! I was starved! Oh and before we left the dealership, our sales guy Pete gave me one of those Quaker chocolate chip “granola” bars.
Dinner at 7 or so: We went to a fantastic restaurant called Settler's Inn for my FMIL's birthday. It's a bit of a drive (relatively) from their house but well worth it for the amazing food. I had 6 pot stickers over Asian slaw as an appetizer. My meal was braised lamb shank over potatoes with some pepper strips and covered with some sort of reduction. I had one glass of pinot grigio and 2 glasses of zin. I did not order dessert but everyone gave me a sample of theirs: bites of flourless chocolate cake, toffee pudding, some caramel covered grain (I forget what it was called) and a homemade chocolate ice cream.
Sunday:
Breakfast around 10am: Two white tortillas filled with scrambled cage-free eggs, sausage, black beans, peppers, onions, and garlic topped with salsa and tobasco sauce.
Snack around 1pm: A salted caramel hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. Again I employed the tactic of not ordering any sort of sweet so I got to mooch off my fiancee’s pumpkin muffin and my FFIL’s coffee cake muffin.The 2 Labradors had a couple of munchkins. I had never seen dogs eat donuts before!!
Dinner 5pm: I got to make a meal I would usually make during the week but to my FMIL, it was something special- chicken curry over brown rice. I don’t think the chicken was organic. The sauce was coconut milk and tomato paste that I seasoned with garlic, onions, salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger. We also had a salad of organically grown farm fresh lettuce and spinach that we plucked from the earth THAT DAY (can we say yum?) topped with carrots also from the garden and store bought peppers, avocado, and a balsamic vinaigrette made with olive oil.
If no drinks are noted, you may safely assume I drank water or black coffee.
We were also sent home with a pretty big zucchini and a GINOURMOUS pumpkin that I get to do great things with. Also, my FMIL doesn’t like quinoa (I have no idea why) so we also came home with a 3lb bag! Score!!
Friday, November 2, 2012
I noticed something...
I stopped blogging around the time I began counseling and also not long after my asthma flared up. Not sure if one or the other was the stronger influence. I wish I could draw some conclusions about what and why caused the lack of food tracking but since I have no record of my thoughts...I can't.
Anyhow. What I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: A half a cup of steel cut oats cooked with a sprinkle of chia seeds, raisins, natural pb, and a banana.
Lunch: Steak chilli, carrots and hummus.
Snack attack disaster: uncounted candy. There's two huge bowls sitting on the counter in the breakroom. I helped myself a good many times, almost brainlessly.
Dinner: Organic chicken fajitas on a highly processed tortilla that has some whole wheat flour in it. Odd that I mentioned my asthma flare up from June in this post...I made the same mistake I did the day before my attack; throwing diced raw pepper in a hot cast iron skillet. It makes a pepper vapor fill your entire kitchen. Then you inhale it into your lungs and proceed to cough and cry for 6 hours. This time it wasn't habanero, it was jalapeno so I thought it would be okay. Wrong. Well anyhow, we endured the pain so we could finish making our dinner, adding some veggie broth, garlic, onions and organic bell pepper and honey to the skillet. The result was delicious with just enough heat, a surprisingly endurable amount of spice.
I went to the OA meeting yesterday. Even though I was nervous again, I had a very good experience and I think I'm going to continue to attend. I don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about it publicly since I need to honor the "Anonymous" part of what I agree to by attending meetings.
Non-Food Thought of the Day: Lately, the sound of paper rubbing against paper or highlighter on paper has been giving me a weird headache. This is not helpful when I work in an office. Do you have any strange annoyances?
Anyhow. What I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: A half a cup of steel cut oats cooked with a sprinkle of chia seeds, raisins, natural pb, and a banana.
Lunch: Steak chilli, carrots and hummus.
Snack attack disaster: uncounted candy. There's two huge bowls sitting on the counter in the breakroom. I helped myself a good many times, almost brainlessly.
Dinner: Organic chicken fajitas on a highly processed tortilla that has some whole wheat flour in it. Odd that I mentioned my asthma flare up from June in this post...I made the same mistake I did the day before my attack; throwing diced raw pepper in a hot cast iron skillet. It makes a pepper vapor fill your entire kitchen. Then you inhale it into your lungs and proceed to cough and cry for 6 hours. This time it wasn't habanero, it was jalapeno so I thought it would be okay. Wrong. Well anyhow, we endured the pain so we could finish making our dinner, adding some veggie broth, garlic, onions and organic bell pepper and honey to the skillet. The result was delicious with just enough heat, a surprisingly endurable amount of spice.
I went to the OA meeting yesterday. Even though I was nervous again, I had a very good experience and I think I'm going to continue to attend. I don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about it publicly since I need to honor the "Anonymous" part of what I agree to by attending meetings.
Non-Food Thought of the Day: Lately, the sound of paper rubbing against paper or highlighter on paper has been giving me a weird headache. This is not helpful when I work in an office. Do you have any strange annoyances?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Plan
I am participating in The Healthy Apron's Fall Weight Loss Plan.
There, I'm sharing my food and exercise but I figured I can be a little redundant and add my commentary on my actual blog.
Yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of steel cut oats with cinnamon, raisins and natural peanut butter.
I eliminated almonds from my diet for a couple weeks to figure out if I had an allergy that was causing my asthma issues. Eliminating almonds meant switching from smoothies to oats. Well I'm not allergic to almonds but I've been enjoying my oatmeal in the morning. Very yummy and warm for Fall and as a bonus, it keeps me from reaching for the snacks until about 11:30am.
Lunch: Maybe 6 oz of a steak chilli with about 6 carrot sticks dipped in homemade hummus, and a clementine. A half hour after lunch I had a Larabar.
I didn't really need the Larabar. I just wanted something sweet. I always have sweet cravings after lunch and I usually give in since eating only takes me about 20 minutes of my mandatory hour- enough time remaining to drive somewhere and buy something terrible for me. Reaching for the fruit and nut snack seemed a little more virtuous than noshing on six mini Kit-Kats. However, I was already full from lunch and did not need to eat it. Excess calories are excess calories- healthy or not.
Snack: 1 green pear at about 4pm.
I'm proud of this one since my afternoon snack attacks are usually the worst.
Evening Consumption: I didn't exactly have dinner.
I went to my friend's house after work to show her my costume and had a glass of some sweet white wine there. Then I ran to my fiancee's place to grab the chilli I needed to bring to Chris (which I forgot anyhow) and ate about an ounce each of cheddar and pepperjack cheese with a handful of rice-almond crackers.
By the time I got to the house where Chris and I were handing out candy (7:15pm-- I usually eat dinner by 6!), I was not only ravenous with hunger, but also stressed from the drive over. I was so nervous about running into the copious trick-or-treating pedestrians hogging both sides AND the freakin' middle of the road. Seriously. I'm never driving on Halloween again! Unfortunate stress relief: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
Then I had a heated up lean-pocket and maybe 1/4 cup of frozen mixed veggies. Other things that made it into my stomach that night- a mini Hershey bar, a mini Whoppers packet, one mini Twizzler, another Reese’s cup, and a few nibbles of my fiancee’s frosted sugar cookie.
I'm pretty sure I didn't get enough water in the evening and I have and no exercise to report. Overall I think I had an ok day. Even though I noshed on candy, I feel better about having recorded it because it seems like so much less than it would have been in my mind...if that makes sense.
I'm going to another OA meeting tonight. Maybe this time I'll a little more relaxed.
Non-Food Commentary of the Day:
I got an email whose subject line promoted one particular Presidential candidate but the contents of the email was just bashing their opponent. I think that's tasteless. And I also hate that people assume that I want to be fed a bunch of Republican BS just because I'm a Christian. I also hate that just because I don't want to vote for Mitt Romney, people think I'd vote for Barack Obama. Most people suck.
There, I'm sharing my food and exercise but I figured I can be a little redundant and add my commentary on my actual blog.
Yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of steel cut oats with cinnamon, raisins and natural peanut butter.
I eliminated almonds from my diet for a couple weeks to figure out if I had an allergy that was causing my asthma issues. Eliminating almonds meant switching from smoothies to oats. Well I'm not allergic to almonds but I've been enjoying my oatmeal in the morning. Very yummy and warm for Fall and as a bonus, it keeps me from reaching for the snacks until about 11:30am.
Lunch: Maybe 6 oz of a steak chilli with about 6 carrot sticks dipped in homemade hummus, and a clementine. A half hour after lunch I had a Larabar.
I didn't really need the Larabar. I just wanted something sweet. I always have sweet cravings after lunch and I usually give in since eating only takes me about 20 minutes of my mandatory hour- enough time remaining to drive somewhere and buy something terrible for me. Reaching for the fruit and nut snack seemed a little more virtuous than noshing on six mini Kit-Kats. However, I was already full from lunch and did not need to eat it. Excess calories are excess calories- healthy or not.
Snack: 1 green pear at about 4pm.
I'm proud of this one since my afternoon snack attacks are usually the worst.
Evening Consumption: I didn't exactly have dinner.
I went to my friend's house after work to show her my costume and had a glass of some sweet white wine there. Then I ran to my fiancee's place to grab the chilli I needed to bring to Chris (which I forgot anyhow) and ate about an ounce each of cheddar and pepperjack cheese with a handful of rice-almond crackers.
By the time I got to the house where Chris and I were handing out candy (7:15pm-- I usually eat dinner by 6!), I was not only ravenous with hunger, but also stressed from the drive over. I was so nervous about running into the copious trick-or-treating pedestrians hogging both sides AND the freakin' middle of the road. Seriously. I'm never driving on Halloween again! Unfortunate stress relief: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
Then I had a heated up lean-pocket and maybe 1/4 cup of frozen mixed veggies. Other things that made it into my stomach that night- a mini Hershey bar, a mini Whoppers packet, one mini Twizzler, another Reese’s cup, and a few nibbles of my fiancee’s frosted sugar cookie.
I'm pretty sure I didn't get enough water in the evening and I have and no exercise to report. Overall I think I had an ok day. Even though I noshed on candy, I feel better about having recorded it because it seems like so much less than it would have been in my mind...if that makes sense.
I'm going to another OA meeting tonight. Maybe this time I'll a little more relaxed.
Non-Food Commentary of the Day:
I got an email whose subject line promoted one particular Presidential candidate but the contents of the email was just bashing their opponent. I think that's tasteless. And I also hate that people assume that I want to be fed a bunch of Republican BS just because I'm a Christian. I also hate that just because I don't want to vote for Mitt Romney, people think I'd vote for Barack Obama. Most people suck.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Ohai!
Whoa!
Wedding world has a way of sucking a bride away from her blog! Being so excited about getting married has distracted me from my healthy foodness...which actually served pretty well as a distraction from the pre-engagement frustration. So essentially, I've been distracted from my distraction.
In more ways than one, food provided relief while I anxiously awaited a proposal. I'd either research recipes or read about how other people are cutting out processed food, healthifying desserts, becoming vegan, going raw, etc. or if the mood struck...I'd binge.
See, I've struggled since Day 1 of my current employment situation. There seems to ALWAYS be some sort of treat or simple carbohydrate splayed out for anyone to grab. At the beginning it was simply an indulgence. After I settled into my position, I ate out of boredom. While I was dying to get engaged and doubting my self-worth, I gnawed on whatever was available until my mind is was longer on my dissatisfied heart but my uncomfortably full stomach.
After I got engaged, I was still eating after I felt full, noshing on all the most unhealthy things. At this point it was habit. Bored? Eat. Sad? Eat. Even when cookies and bagels weren't sitting out on the breakroom tables, I still felt the need to get my sugar fixes. I'd go out on lunch and buy extra food or I'd sneak into coworkers empty offices to reach into their candy jars.
To top this all off, the idea I had in my head that having a ring on my left hand would make all my problems go away turned out to be false. Surprise, surprise! Wedding planing has surprisingly been an emotional time. I'm actually very shocked-- I thought I'd be extremely busy and tired but I there have been a number of things popping up that make decision-making very difficult! Stressed? Eat.
I had been seeing a counselor since early July. Also, my asthma has flared up recently. Between therapy sessions and doctor's appointments, I've been having to take a lot of time away from the office which made me feel insecure about my job. So I took a break from therapy and tried to see if I could find a free support group during weekends and evenings.
This past Saturday I finally attended an Overeaters Anonymous (OA) group that I found a couple months ago. It's the same format as AA where there's a 12-step program and before you speak you have to say, "Hi my name is ___ and I'm a compulsive overeater." I don't like that because I really don't want to be declaring that on a regular basis. What I do like about the meeting is that God is involved. Hallelujah! I sometimes forget that I have help even if no person is around. So the reminder to pray is nice. It was suggested to attend 6 meetings before you decide whether or not OA is for you. So I plan on going to 5 more before I make a decision one way or the other. God help me.
My latest upset was last night when I saw our engagement photos. The ones that my photographer posted on facebook weren't so bad but there were a number of them in the online gallery displaying my ugly stomach rolls and chunky arms. Barf. Now I'm realizing that while I'm really scared to get on some sort of drastic weight loss plan before the wedding, that I really need to regardless. I do not want to look at my wedding photos and feel that way!!
That's about all the verbal vomit I feel like sharing today. I plan to track my food and exercise on my blog starting now. I'll probably also share wedding planning woes and success also.
Wedding world has a way of sucking a bride away from her blog! Being so excited about getting married has distracted me from my healthy foodness...which actually served pretty well as a distraction from the pre-engagement frustration. So essentially, I've been distracted from my distraction.
In more ways than one, food provided relief while I anxiously awaited a proposal. I'd either research recipes or read about how other people are cutting out processed food, healthifying desserts, becoming vegan, going raw, etc. or if the mood struck...I'd binge.
See, I've struggled since Day 1 of my current employment situation. There seems to ALWAYS be some sort of treat or simple carbohydrate splayed out for anyone to grab. At the beginning it was simply an indulgence. After I settled into my position, I ate out of boredom. While I was dying to get engaged and doubting my self-worth, I gnawed on whatever was available until my mind is was longer on my dissatisfied heart but my uncomfortably full stomach.
After I got engaged, I was still eating after I felt full, noshing on all the most unhealthy things. At this point it was habit. Bored? Eat. Sad? Eat. Even when cookies and bagels weren't sitting out on the breakroom tables, I still felt the need to get my sugar fixes. I'd go out on lunch and buy extra food or I'd sneak into coworkers empty offices to reach into their candy jars.
To top this all off, the idea I had in my head that having a ring on my left hand would make all my problems go away turned out to be false. Surprise, surprise! Wedding planing has surprisingly been an emotional time. I'm actually very shocked-- I thought I'd be extremely busy and tired but I there have been a number of things popping up that make decision-making very difficult! Stressed? Eat.
I had been seeing a counselor since early July. Also, my asthma has flared up recently. Between therapy sessions and doctor's appointments, I've been having to take a lot of time away from the office which made me feel insecure about my job. So I took a break from therapy and tried to see if I could find a free support group during weekends and evenings.
This past Saturday I finally attended an Overeaters Anonymous (OA) group that I found a couple months ago. It's the same format as AA where there's a 12-step program and before you speak you have to say, "Hi my name is ___ and I'm a compulsive overeater." I don't like that because I really don't want to be declaring that on a regular basis. What I do like about the meeting is that God is involved. Hallelujah! I sometimes forget that I have help even if no person is around. So the reminder to pray is nice. It was suggested to attend 6 meetings before you decide whether or not OA is for you. So I plan on going to 5 more before I make a decision one way or the other. God help me.
My latest upset was last night when I saw our engagement photos. The ones that my photographer posted on facebook weren't so bad but there were a number of them in the online gallery displaying my ugly stomach rolls and chunky arms. Barf. Now I'm realizing that while I'm really scared to get on some sort of drastic weight loss plan before the wedding, that I really need to regardless. I do not want to look at my wedding photos and feel that way!!
That's about all the verbal vomit I feel like sharing today. I plan to track my food and exercise on my blog starting now. I'll probably also share wedding planning woes and success also.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sundae
Sundaes on Sunday. But not for me!!
10am or something: Blueberries, peaches and pb and J wrapped inside pour-tillas rewarmed on the griddler. 1 blueberry, 1/2 peach with maple, 1/2 a pb and j.
I woke up and the pourtillas not dry. I figured if I didn't want moldy flatbreads in my fridge, we ought to eat these things as so as possible. So we pretended they were crepes.
12pm: Uhhhh a few nibbles of my whole wheat vegan brownies (I think). I definitely did not have lunch.
2pm: After Fellowship there was an ice cream buffet. I was asked to bring brownies. I'm like YES! Two things I can actually eat. So I made two varieties of honey sweetened brownies; gluten free (with eggs and butter), and whole wheat with coconut oil and a chia egg. Ohhhh delish! I had been prepping myself for this for a good 5 days so I entered with a firm resolve to only eat my whole wheat brownies and my organic strawberries. There were peanuts there too so I nabbed some of those. Everything else was sugar or high fructose corn syrup laden. I figured I just work too damn hard to blow it all on a damn ice cream bar when I haven't even had lunch. And even if it meant my waistline wouldn't suffer, I'm sure my sugar frenzy would have put me in a bad mood later.
Well...I was, kind of. Because someone was getting on my nerves and I never do well when that person is around. But if I had sugar loaded beforehand, I'm sure it would have been worse.
So anyhow.
Uhhh 6:10pm? Some chilli pepper triscuts (4 I think) with nut cheeze.
I was starving but we were going out to dinner with friends so I had to have something to tide me over. I was hangry until they brought the food out at...
7pm: A "black and bleu" burger complete with bleu cheese and bacon topped with onions and tomato on a fresh baked white bun beside fresh cut fries and a pile of pickles and peppers from the toppings bar (at Zebb's). None of this food was according to my guidelines but we were at a burger specialty place. If I had gotten a salad, I would have been disappointed and jealous of my burger eating friends. I had already spent my food-jealousy earlier at the ice cream social so I had enough and I got a damn burger. I did not get a beer, though! See? Balance. I had a beer the night before.
10am or something: Blueberries, peaches and pb and J wrapped inside pour-tillas rewarmed on the griddler. 1 blueberry, 1/2 peach with maple, 1/2 a pb and j.
I woke up and the pourtillas not dry. I figured if I didn't want moldy flatbreads in my fridge, we ought to eat these things as so as possible. So we pretended they were crepes.
12pm: Uhhhh a few nibbles of my whole wheat vegan brownies (I think). I definitely did not have lunch.
2pm: After Fellowship there was an ice cream buffet. I was asked to bring brownies. I'm like YES! Two things I can actually eat. So I made two varieties of honey sweetened brownies; gluten free (with eggs and butter), and whole wheat with coconut oil and a chia egg. Ohhhh delish! I had been prepping myself for this for a good 5 days so I entered with a firm resolve to only eat my whole wheat brownies and my organic strawberries. There were peanuts there too so I nabbed some of those. Everything else was sugar or high fructose corn syrup laden. I figured I just work too damn hard to blow it all on a damn ice cream bar when I haven't even had lunch. And even if it meant my waistline wouldn't suffer, I'm sure my sugar frenzy would have put me in a bad mood later.
Well...I was, kind of. Because someone was getting on my nerves and I never do well when that person is around. But if I had sugar loaded beforehand, I'm sure it would have been worse.
So anyhow.
Uhhh 6:10pm? Some chilli pepper triscuts (4 I think) with nut cheeze.
I was starving but we were going out to dinner with friends so I had to have something to tide me over. I was hangry until they brought the food out at...
7pm: A "black and bleu" burger complete with bleu cheese and bacon topped with onions and tomato on a fresh baked white bun beside fresh cut fries and a pile of pickles and peppers from the toppings bar (at Zebb's). None of this food was according to my guidelines but we were at a burger specialty place. If I had gotten a salad, I would have been disappointed and jealous of my burger eating friends. I had already spent my food-jealousy earlier at the ice cream social so I had enough and I got a damn burger. I did not get a beer, though! See? Balance. I had a beer the night before.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Pour-Tillas
I'm sick of store bought tortillas. The "whole wheat" ones we get are ChiChi's brand and aren't 100% and have a loooooong list of ingredients that I have a tough time pronouncing.
Wegmans does have a store brand 100% whole wheat tortilla which is nice...but it's "burrito style" so it's gargantuan! I don't want to make burritos at home- just tacos and fajitas. Plus it's really tough to wrap up. Oh, and it has a ton of ingredients, some of which sound too scientific for my liking.
I am not about to give up eating tacos. Before you tell me to just wrap it with a leaf of iceberg lettuce, let me tell you--that is certainly no substitute for the comfort of a soft flour tortilla wrapped around warm, delicious well-seasoned filling. No offense to raw foodists intended.
I've attempted to make whole wheat tortillas before. I combined the dough ingredients in a food processor, formed balls, covered and "rested" my balls, rolled them out and THEN cooked them on a skillet one side at a time. Too many steps for me. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking and baking, especially making dinner! But when it comes to staples like tortillas, I wanted a simple recipe, a short amount of prep time, and to not have to get out the rolling pin and flour my counter, get it all sticky and then have to clean for an hour.
I couldn't find anything that fit that description so I did what rational person who can't find a satisfactory recipe would do. I came up with my own.
Garrison has a Cuisinart Griddler. This thing is thebomb.com--it comes with a set of Teflon plates. One side is flat for pancakes, the other side has ridges for making panini's or indoor pseudo-grilling. You can also buy waffle plates! I like playing with this a multifunctional and space saving kitchen appliance. I decided to test it out as a tortilla maker.
Here's what I did:
1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups of water PLUS some extra to get a really thin batter
I headed the griddle to 450.
After spraying with evoo, I poured tortilla batter onto the bottom.
The oil on the top plate didn't go anywhere so I'm under the impression that the top plate never really touched the top of the tortilla so not much "pressing" happened. Once the green temp light came back on I took my tortilla off.
After a few rounds I stopped using the non stick spray. The result was fewer bubbles on the underside.
THE VERDICT:
They aren't really like tortillas. They're more like pancakes. I think next time I'll leave the baking powder out and maybe make the batter even thinner plus leave the non stick spray in the cabinet. The flavor is definitely plain. I know tortillas aren't meant to be eaten alone but maybe I'll add honey next time for flavor and preservative benefits.Oh and they're still moist. I should have left them on the griddler longer to dehydrate them some. I don't want moldy homemade flatcakes in my fridge! I hate it when I let food go bad, especially homemade food. Sadness.
They seem to wrap really well though! I might try to use them as breakfast crepes this morning or eat more quinoa tacos with Garrison for lunch.
QUESTION: What are your easiest homemade staples? Or do you enjoy taking your delicious sweet time in home cooking and baking?
Wegmans does have a store brand 100% whole wheat tortilla which is nice...but it's "burrito style" so it's gargantuan! I don't want to make burritos at home- just tacos and fajitas. Plus it's really tough to wrap up. Oh, and it has a ton of ingredients, some of which sound too scientific for my liking.
I am not about to give up eating tacos. Before you tell me to just wrap it with a leaf of iceberg lettuce, let me tell you--that is certainly no substitute for the comfort of a soft flour tortilla wrapped around warm, delicious well-seasoned filling. No offense to raw foodists intended.
I've attempted to make whole wheat tortillas before. I combined the dough ingredients in a food processor, formed balls, covered and "rested" my balls, rolled them out and THEN cooked them on a skillet one side at a time. Too many steps for me. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking and baking, especially making dinner! But when it comes to staples like tortillas, I wanted a simple recipe, a short amount of prep time, and to not have to get out the rolling pin and flour my counter, get it all sticky and then have to clean for an hour.
I couldn't find anything that fit that description so I did what rational person who can't find a satisfactory recipe would do. I came up with my own.
Garrison has a Cuisinart Griddler. This thing is thebomb.com--it comes with a set of Teflon plates. One side is flat for pancakes, the other side has ridges for making panini's or indoor pseudo-grilling. You can also buy waffle plates! I like playing with this a multifunctional and space saving kitchen appliance. I decided to test it out as a tortilla maker.
1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups of water PLUS some extra to get a really thin batter
I headed the griddle to 450.
After spraying with evoo, I poured tortilla batter onto the bottom.
The oil on the top plate didn't go anywhere so I'm under the impression that the top plate never really touched the top of the tortilla so not much "pressing" happened. Once the green temp light came back on I took my tortilla off.
After a few rounds I stopped using the non stick spray. The result was fewer bubbles on the underside.
THE VERDICT:
They aren't really like tortillas. They're more like pancakes. I think next time I'll leave the baking powder out and maybe make the batter even thinner plus leave the non stick spray in the cabinet. The flavor is definitely plain. I know tortillas aren't meant to be eaten alone but maybe I'll add honey next time for flavor and preservative benefits.Oh and they're still moist. I should have left them on the griddler longer to dehydrate them some. I don't want moldy homemade flatcakes in my fridge! I hate it when I let food go bad, especially homemade food. Sadness.
They seem to wrap really well though! I might try to use them as breakfast crepes this morning or eat more quinoa tacos with Garrison for lunch.
QUESTION: What are your easiest homemade staples? Or do you enjoy taking your delicious sweet time in home cooking and baking?
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