EJCC and Showbread's Cooking/Exercise Extravaganza!

[Showbread]

Weird. I've been enjoying it re-heated. What flavors have been bothering you?

The flavors are still fine, it's the sauce. It's all dried up/absorbed into the noodles. I'm thinking if I store the sauce separately and only put it on one portion at a time it will work better next time.

 

[EJCC]

The flavors are still fine, it's the sauce. It's all dried up/absorbed into the noodles. I'm thinking if I store the sauce separately and only put it on one portion at a time it will work better next time.

That is very strange, because it did NOT happen to me. But on the other hand, the noodles were very sauce-y to start with. Maybe if you add fewer noodles/less kale next time? Or store the sauce separately -- that would work too.

 

[Showbread]

That is very strange, because it did NOT happen to me. But on the other hand, the noodles were very sauce-y to start with. Maybe if you add fewer noodles/less kale next time? Or store the sauce separately -- that would work too.

I didn't use quite all of the sauce because of the saltiness. Lessons learned!

 

[Showbread]

Conclusion for Spanish Chicken and Potatoes remake: YUM. I don't know if it was the better produce, letting it cook down a bit longer, or heavier seasoning, but it was SO good. After I blended it, it almost had a creaminess that was so delicious. I skimped on the olive oil last time, but I used almost the full amount tonight.

Zucchini muffins/bread were also a huge success! Here is the recipe:

- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 unsweetened applesauce
- 1.5 cups white sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry/white whole wheat flour
- 1.5 cups AP flour
- 1 T pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup chopped walnuts

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Beat in oil and sugar. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir into egg mixture. Blend zucchini and nuts. Pour into two 9x5 loaf pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 mins - 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans. If making muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes.

It seems like a lot of oil and sugar, but this makes either two full loaves or two dozen muffins. So, it's really quite a bit of zucchini bread.

 

[Showbread]

Rock climbing was a blast, but now it's back to real life. My back is not thrilled with me for spending 15+ hours in the car this weekend so I'll probably take it easy on the exercise.

I'll be going grocery shopping today and I have no idea what I'm be making. Should probably consult my work schedule first. Open to suggestions!

 

[Showbread]

I'm going to a yoga class today! There's a really awesome bouldering gym that is also a yoga studio about 10 minutes from my apartment. They had a special running for the month of August where their 10 visit punch cards were 50% off. So, I bought one! They have a pretty diverse offering of yoga classes, I'm going to a typical Vinyasa class today. I'll also being rock climbing on Thursday night, and doing physical therapy exercises.

For food, I have been doing a little bit too much of the "eat whatever you want" thing for the last week. Oops. I did however make Honey Sriracha Chicken, which ended up being really good. A little too sweet though. Next time I will use less sugar in the sauce. I have plenty of leftovers in the fridge I need to eat tonight, and for lunch tomorrow. Tuesday night I am going to happy hour after Grad School orientation with some friends. Then on Wednesday night I'll probably make enchiladas (roommate and I are cooking for her boyfriend and his roommates). So on Thursday, I will finally need to make a meal for myself. Not sure what it will be yet... Maybe a big salad? I've been craving the spicy Thai peanut dressing from TJ's for awhile now.

 

[EJCC]

Exercise:

[MENTION=19948]Showbread[/MENTION] Yet another weird commonality that we apparently have encountered, is that my yoga studio had a special at the exact same time as yours -- 5 classes for $8 apiece, when they're usually $13 -- that I have to use within the month. I've used one class already, and wasted two by oversleeping (once unintentionally, once intentionally, after my roommates kept me up too late). I'm not happy about it, because I wasted $16, but now I know not to attempt any sort of exercise that requires me to get up before 6am. Unless someone goes with me to hold me accountable.

There was a period of a week and a half where I didn't do much exercise at all, because I had just switched to a standing desk at work and wanted to give my legs time to adjust. Not sure if that was necessary, but what's done is done. Next step is training for a potentially arduous hike that I'm doing with a group of friends at the end of the month. (There will apparently be lots of steep slopes, jumping across crevasses, and a rock scramble.) The plan is to go running 3x a week, do my usual treadmill thing, but program the treadmill to one of its automatic "hills" or "peaks" settings -- giving me some intensive hiking-esque exercise without actually hiking. However! If you all have training recommendations for something like this, let me know. I've got about two weeks before then, so it's last minute, but every little bit helps.

Food:

Roommate will be out of town next week, and I have been spending more money than I am comfortable with recently, so I canceled this week's CSA bag and will be making things almost entirely with food I have around. My weekly grocery total is $20, and $10 of that was a six-pack of fancy beer.

Recipe plans for the week include...

- Spaghetti squash from last week's CSA, with pesto, parmesan, and burst cherry tomatoes (already made this with half the squash and it tasted great! even though I'm not the biggest spaghetti squash fan!)
- Cold Comfort | The Traveler's Lunchbox (one of my standards -- made a big pot of it today and froze most of it for later)
- Last week I used up some CSA wax beans and potatoes with this recipe (which was great btw), and had a bunch of dressing left over, so I chopped up some celery and red onion and chicken and made a pretty simple chicken salad, to have on sandwiches for the next few days
- I attempted to make hummus, since I had all the ingredients already and nothing else to do with them. I learned a valuable lesson from the experience: I desperately need a new food processor. My food processor sucks, and the hummus is not smooth at all. But it's yummy enough to eat until I run out, which is the most important thing.

I'm a lot more comfortable improvising in the kitchen nowadays. Which is great, and kind of exciting. For non-SJs, this should put into perspective how difficult it can be for SJs to switch from Si mode to Ne mode, as it's taken me at least a year and a half to get to this point!

 

[Red Herring]

- I attempted to make hummus, since I had all the ingredients already and nothing else to do with them. I learned a valuable lesson from the experience: I desperately need a new food processor. My food processor sucks, and the hummus is not smooth at all. But it's yummy enough to eat until I run out, which is the most important thing.

What kind of chickpeas did you use and- if you used dry ones instead of canned chickpeas - how long did you soak and boil them?

 

[EJCC]

What kind of chickpeas did you use and- if you used dry ones instead of canned chickpeas - how long did you soak and boil them?

I went the easy route and used canned chickpeas. (ISTJ former roommate left them behind and, well, finders keepers!)

 

[Showbread]

So, I've kind of dropped the ball on posting here lately, whoops.

I made Tuna Patties last week that ended up being really good! Only substitution was using panko instead of torn bread. Served with rice and salad. I really enjoyed them, but I also generally like tuna and fish

Food has gotten interesting. I've kind of ended up joining the cooking/meal planning system that my guy friends have. Once a week I volunteer to cook for them, and then in return I eat a meal at their place once a week. My ENFJ roommate is almost always over there in the evenings so this ends up working well for a couple reasons. 1) I get to hang out with her more 2) I don't have to cook dinner or eat leftovers one guaranteed night a week. 3) Not eating with them generally results in sitting in my apartment alone. 4) I have feelings for one of the guys and this guarantees I get to see him at least twice a week.

The downside: they don't generally make super healthy things for dinner. Lots of pasta, rice, etc. But, it's provided the opportunity/challenge to get
creative in cooking for them, which is kind of fun, but also really hard. There are 5 of us total, but they eat almost twice as much as ENFJ roommate and I do (re: 23 year old men). So finding recipes and meals that aren't too expensive, involve vegetables, and will appease picky eaters has been interesting. One of them is legitimately picky, and the other just hasn't tried a lot of things. I had to explain what both kale and pesto sauce were to him.

So, tonight I am making Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry. ENFJ roommate picked the recipe, but other than the broccoli I'm actually pretty excited about it. I'm assuming we'll probably end up doubling it, because boys.

Exercise: I did a ton of physical activities this week/weekend. I walked about 5 miles on the beach Saturday, painted for 5 hours Monday, and rock climbed for almost 2 hours Tuesday. Today I'm planning to go for a walk and do some yoga with my yoga app. I'm having some struggles finding classes that work with schedule at yoga studio. The last few times I've tried to go the Hatha class has been the only one that has worked. I'm a little wary of Hatha because their description of it almost sounds more spiritual than physical, which isn't really what I'm looking for. Vinyasa is definitely my preference. But, maybe I'll try it eventually.

 

[prplchknz]

why was the treadmill despondent?

because he kept running, but felt he never actually got anywhere.

 

[EJCC]

why was the treadmill despondent?

because he kept running, but felt he never actually got anywhere.

*pat pat* I know that feel, treadmill. I know that feel.

 

[Showbread]

Get ALL the exercise.

I ran on the treadmill before church yesterday AND went swing dancing in the evening. I forgot how much fun swing dancing is! I'm actually pretty decent at it now too, so I feel less self-conscious with the more experienced dancers. Plus, dancing with better dancers is the only way to improve. I think I'm going to try to make swing a regular Sunday night habit. Such a fun workout.

On Friday I decided that doing weighted lunges for the first time in like 5 years was a good idea. My glutes disagreed. It's such a great way to build muscle though, so I will probably keep doing it. I also did some yoga and cardio that day.

It's looking like rock climbing is going to one again be something that happens at least once a week. Exxx friend suggested that we just get memberships at the one in Portland we've been going to. It's pricey, but they also have yoga and bouldering. So, might be worth it. I want to go to one of their lead climbing clinics where you learn how to set up a rope outdoors to climb real rocks. I've gone before, but I've always had to rely on someone else for set up.

Food:

Lemon pasta ended up being good. Not amazing, but good. I'm not a huge fan of lemon as a primary flavor in savory foods, but it was decent. I've been eating the leftovers for lunch. Currently I have chicken in an Asian marinade I threw together. I was craving the spicy Thai peanut salad dressing from Trader Joe's, so I bought some of that yesterday.

On Thursday I am planning to make these again:

Made Chicken and Dumplings last night. So easy, and so yummy. No cream of anything nasty, just some canned chicken broth. Everything else was fresh ingredients. Next time I might make the dumplings with half whole wheat flour.

Modifications I made:
- Only used 2 T of butter
- Added extra thyme
- Omitted dill (yuck). Instead I added dried rosemary and a little shredded parmesan to them (YUM!).
- Didn't cook chicken for a full 20 minutes initially. It was done after 10-15.
- Swapped peas for green beans, added them with the carrots and onions

I've been craving them for awhile but the weather has just been too dang sunny. But, now it's cloudy, rainy, and about 60 degrees. So time for cozy food!

 

[EJCC]

Food planning will soon change significantly due to two factors:

1) My last CSA bag will be next Wednesday
2) I am trying to model my spending as much on the words of Mr. Money Mustache as I possibly can

We shall see how that goes...

 

[EJCC]

Food updates:

Things I cooked over the weekend:

Healthy Maple Pumpkin Muffins - Cookie and Kate
Verdict: Fine, but not anything I'd make again. Too boring. Also, an inefficient use of a fairly expensive ingredient (maple syrup). You can't even taste the maple in it.

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Tomatoes - Budget Bytes
Verdict: amazing as always. This time I crumbled a mini Babybel cheese wheel on top of it and it worked great!

pumpkin lassi — A Brown Table
Verdict: it's the first thing I've made in a long while that I loathed. To the point of feeling sick to my stomach. If you think the taste of yogurt is the best thing ever, which I don't, then you'd like it. But I don't, so I didn't. Maybe it was because the pumpkin didn't balance out the yogurt taste like mango tends to, in mango lassi.

Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network
Verdict: Really, really good.
FYIs and modifications:
- Use either a VERY large squash, or more than one small squash. Otherwise you will barely have enough.
- Cook the squash to the point of overcooking it, or else it won't blend well. Although if it doesn't blend well, it'll still be excellent in the lasagna.
- You will most likely use less cheese than they call for.
- I ignore the amaretti cookie thing -- why the hell would you put cookies in your lasagna?? -- but it tasted amazing anyway
- I used dried basil and it was great, but it would be even better with fresh

Also, my last week of CSA food is this week / next week, so [MENTION=19948]Showbread[/MENTION], if you're down for the recipe sharing/reviewing, then I am also down!


Exercise updates:

I did a super intense hike/rock scramble last weekend (not this past weekend), and also did yoga and attempted to go for a run. That was way too much for me*. Also, it's getting less sunny outside, and colder, so my energy level is dropping. Hoping to gain some energy and motivation as I give myself some rest time? I still have yoga scheduled for tomorrow, but don't plan on running until I feel up to it.

I bought a foam roller this week, too, and have been using it a bit -- but not as much as I should. I chicken out after about 30 seconds, when apparently each area needs 2 minutes. I'm not sure how people can deal with 2 minutes of that much pain, though


*Had the worst side-splits I've ever experienced in my life after about mile 2 of said run. Had to walk/run/limp the remaining mile home.

 

[Showbread]

Food updates:

Also, my last week of CSA food is this week / next week, so [MENTION=19948]Showbread[/MENTION], if you're down for the recipe sharing/reviewing, then I am also down!

Totally forgot to respond to this, but yes! Lets do it!

 

[EJCC]

I think I need to buy a new pair of running shoes. I bought my current ones in February, and 1) they're not really springy anymore, 2) I think(?) they've been harder on my knees than they used to be, and 3) it's been eight months and I've heard that you're supposed to replace your running shoes every 6-12 months. Not looking forward to spending $75-100 on something like this, but if it's necessary in order for me to keep running, then I will.

On a related note, I'm starting to feel like IT band syndrome and other knee-related injuries are to runners as cancer is to the general population. Anything can give it to you, it's inevitable, and whether you emerge from it unscathed seems entirely random. I've tried stretching, I've tried a foam roller. Pretty soon I'll try new running shoes. But I don't know if any of that will help.

(Also related: I seriously bruised my leg when I was foam rolling it, last week, and the bruises still haven't gone away. Whatever source told me I had to put my entire body weight on the roller/my IT band for two straight minutes each day was TOTALLY wrong.)

 

[EJCC]

Exercise news: Bought some cold-weather running clothes, including long pants* and wrap around earwarmers. Also, finally bought the new running shoes, and am now waiting for them to come in the mail. Not running again until I get them. (I'm already stir-crazy! I guess that just means more yoga in the meantime.)

Food news with [MENTION=19948]Showbread[/MENTION]: The two of us went back to our cooking pen-pal thing last week, and we both made this: Spaghettini with Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs - Blogging Over Thyme . It turned out AMAZING. Pro tip: use lots and lots of salt.

We were both set to make this, this week: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies - Gimme Some Oven . But Showbread had a life and I didn't have a life, so I made them on my own. I would definitely recommend the recipe, even though my cookies ended up on the chewy/crispy side, and were not as pretty as the pictures.

Food news sans Showbread: You all may have seen that I had a food crisis a few weeks back. Those problems were solved by tons of cooking, and tons of stuff being put into the freezer.

All my freezer food at the moment:
- 1 loaf of zucchini bread
- 3-4 servings of lentil soup
- 2-ish servings of radish greens soup
- 2 servings of spinach chickpea curry

Recently finished dishes include:
- red kuri squash curry (lol @ the name -- pretty good, but a sad reminder that I can never eat Thai Kitchen brand curry paste again now that I've had the more flavorful stuff)
- butternut squash lasagna
- pumpkin muffins
- zucchini/heirloom tomato crustless quiche

So the problem I'm having is that I have all this food in the freezer, that I need to eat before it gets freezer-burned... but I'm already bored with it. Hoping to stave away the boredom by making snack-type food and breakfast food, that I already have the ingredients for, like pumpkin energy bites and either apple walnut flaxseed bread or apple walnut baked oatmeal.



*I have tried running in long, legging-type pants before, and every pair I have tried is too tight in the ankles and too big in the waist. So they keep falling down. And it is both awkward and annoying as hell to have to constantly hitch up your pants when you're running! So I gave up and bought looser-fitting elastic-waist pants that are made out of some kind of windbreaker material. Hoping that chafing won't be an issue... but if it is, I'm only out $12, so whatever.

 

[Showbread]

Food news with [MENTION=19948]Showbread[/MENTION]: The two of us went back to our cooking pen-pal thing last week, and we both made this: Spaghettini with Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs - Blogging Over Thyme . It turned out AMAZING. Pro tip: use lots and lots of salt.

We were both set to make this, this week: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies - Gimme Some Oven . But Showbread had a life and I didn't have a life, so I made them on my own. I would definitely recommend the recipe, even though my cookies ended up on the chewy/crispy side, and were not as pretty as the pictures.

If by a life you mean weekend classes, work, shit tons of homework, and spending every spare moment attempting to maintain relationships and not go completely crazy... I'm glad they turned out well though! I'm excited to make them.

*I have tried running in long, legging-type pants before, and every pair I have tried is too tight in the ankles and too big in the waist. So they keep falling down. And it is both awkward and annoying as hell to have to constantly hitch up your pants when you're running! So I gave up and bought looser-fitting elastic-waist pants that are made out of some kind of windbreaker material. Hoping that chafing won't be an issue... but if it is, I'm only out $12, so whatever.

This problem is the WORST. Honestly, the only solution I've found is buying pricier pants. I recently bought these and I am obsessed. I wear them as real clothes, to rock climb, and do yoga. That's how I justified the $35. They're pretty high rise, so I doubt they'd fall down. And the ankles are actually a tiny bit loose on me. Also, they have POCKETS.

 

[kyuuei]

I bought a foam roller this week, too, and have been using it a bit -- but not as much as I should. I chicken out after about 30 seconds, when apparently each area needs 2 minutes. I'm not sure how people can deal with 2 minutes of that much pain, though

My routine is 15 minutes long total. It sucks. I'm going to watch a show while I do it at home to try to distract me.