Why am I awake?

I hope that being unable to sleep past 6:30 on a Saturday morning is not a symptom of my new life as a married lady. That would be uncool.

Yesterday, we got married, and it was the best day ever. I got to marry Matt AND there was no weird weather, no timing issues, no one forgot a ring or anything, I only laugh/cried once during the ceremony, dinner was great, and the cake was awesome.

Since it was my wedding day, I felt fully comfortable taking food pictures at dinner. Here’s some Prosecco and our table’s bruschetta appetizer. Both were amazingly good.

My first piece:

There were many more. Hey, it was my day.

Dinner was Rainbow Trout with red pepper aioli and pecan foccacia breading. So bascially, the greatest food ever.

The fish actually isn’t as big as it seems. I did not eat a whole fish, they just slice the filet or something and lay it out, kind of butterflied. Anyway, I ate half of the fish, some rice, and all of my asparagus. I’ll finish the rest in a few minutes today.

Matt had the Alakan Halibut special:

And there was a decent bit of this:

And after all of it, I looked like this:

(full)

But I still found the strength to come home and eat our AWESOME cake, designed and executed by Donna.

PB&J cake:

Sorry for all the extras in the picture. I probably should’ve at least put away my oat bran. But I wanted you to see the scale of it, compared to our microwave.

I told Donna we liked chocolate and fruit and she came up with this wonderful cake. Each tier is chocolate cake with two layers of filling: one raspberry jam and one peanut butter based. All topped with buttercream and raspberries. THE GREATEST WEDDING CAKE EVER. Also, HFCS and trans fat free. Unlike my birthday cake will be next week. We froze the top tier for our first anniversary but we still have almost the whole bottom tier. I wonder if it’s bad luck or anything to eat it now?

I hope not. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

If you don’t, what I mean is that I might need it for breakfast. To round out the trout.
Speaking of breakfast, I think I’ll go eat that now. If I’m going to be up at this ungodly hour, I might as well eat from my swanky new married dishes.

99% local

Well, we ate local and I have the bruises to prove it. You’ll see.

I was really productive today and checked off maybe 42 things from my to do list. Granted, I’m one of those people who adds things they’ve already done, just to check them off. But, whatever. I’d say that 47 or however many things is still a lot.

After kickboxing, I had to go to Target to get a new prescription filled and to pick up some absolute essentials like conditioner and Now and Laters. By the time I got home I thought I was going to die, and Matt was wasting away on the couch so I made my quick local dinner. Things got thrown off track when the local cheese I already had on hand turned out to be bad (which I didn’t know until I ate some of it). I had to run to the grocery store. I literally ran. I was that hungry. And still in my gym clothes so it looked normalish.

Anyway, here’s what we had:

Spinach/tomato/cheese/egg scramble with a strawberry salad w/ honey dressing and kale chips. The 1% non-local food was a little olive oil. I need to do research, but I’m guessing we don’t have olives here.

What would have made this perfect would have been some goat cheese. I know there are goats around here, so I’m going to have to look into that.

I went back for seconds on the kale chips and the salad, and while I was eating the salad, I also, inadvertently, ate half a bug. The other half is on the floor somewhere, where I threw it, screaming. I was screaming, not the bug. That would have been horrifying.

Matt was in charge of washing the greens. That’s all I’m going to say.

His response? “Like my dad always said, bugs indicate freshness.”

I’m trying to work through it.

Last night we had balsamic chicken with steamed green beans/asparagus and whole wheat couscous. See:

Tasty.

Miss Rap Supreme is on, so I’m outta here.

Guess what? We had pasta and veggies again.

After last night’s state of events, I woke up to a really shockingly beautiful day. I mean seriously, when my alarm rang at 6:15 there were birds chirping. It was ridiculous. So, anyway, that meant that I didn’t have to cancel my rheumatologist appointment in Topeka, so I checked my oil and went on my merry way.

My rheumatologist didn’t have a clue about all of my recent health issues, which was a surprise to me, as my pulmonologist was all “Oh, we must keep your other physicians apprised of this situation” (no lie, that’s how he talks). So anyway, today my doctor said “Let’s find out what’s going on,” which was really comforting until the lab assistant came at me with the big needle and took half of my blood. I ate a snack but I still felt woozy. LUCKILY, there is a Kohl’s nearby where I could wait it out. And buy some shoes.

Then I drove back and went to work, after which I forced myself to go to the gym because I felt guilty that I didn’t really get any exercise yesterday.

Wait, does RUNNING FOR MY LIFE count? Man, I really could have used that earlier.

Then we played mini-golf and came home for an exceptionally late dinner of pasta and tuna and feta and a ton of veggies that were on their respective ways out. I bet you wish I had skipped that whole first part and just gotten to the point.

I think we really nailed the whole colors of the rainbow thing.

Now I’m watching The Tudors. So far, it’s pretty dirty.

In a hurry

Tonight’s dinner was Heidi Swanson’s In a Hurry Green Curry and it was pretty delicious. Of course my photo won’t be as aesthetically pleasing as hers, as I don’t have tulip bowls and I don’t think we have a piece of actual wood in the whole apartment to serve as a food styling surface. A girl’s got to have something to aspire to. To which to aspire? Whichever sounds right to you.

This was my first curry, and I’m glad I went with a springtime theme instead of starting out with a heavier, wintry kind of curry. Next year, though, I’m all over it.

I served this with some Texmati American brown basmati rice. I’ve never made that before either, but I was really proud that I didn’t somehow ruin it, as I am wont to do with rice. Seriously, I usually get the boil in bag kind because I just can’t hack it when it comes to cooking totally normal things. Have you seen my grilled cheese sandwiches? No.

Exactly.

Anyway, the name of that recipe was pretty appropriate, as I am in a hurry to finish this up so that I can set up my brand new Wii Fit, an early birthday present from Matt. He risked life and limb going to buy it for me. He’s just that kind of guy.

Here it is, waiting for me:

Right there with some of my shoes, a poster we need to re-hang, a bottle of detergent, and it looks like there are some comics back there, too. Just a little window into our rich and complex lives.

This is the greatest thing that I have ever made.

Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Parmesan

I have no idea how it turned out so well. I’m a perfectly competent cook, and I like what I make most of the time. But this was in a class by itself. I’ve only had risotto once or twice, and only in restaurants. And since rice isn’t always my #1 grain, I liked it even better with the barley.

I’ve been intrigued by this recipe for a week or so, but I didn’t want to make it tonight because I didn’t get home until after 7, but after taking stock of my vegetable situation, I saw that the asparagus wasn’t going to make it much longer. So I bit the bullet, figuring it would be an okay night for dinner to turn out poorly, since Matt’s at work. I should have a similarly pessimistic attitude every night, and see if all of my meals turn out this well. And now I really want Matt to get home and try it so that I can see if maybe it was just me.

I’ve had terrible allergies since I was in middle school, I think. I may have the year confused, but really, I can trace most of my health problems to 7th grade cheerleading camp, so I’ve decided that’s when my allergies started. Today I walked around like a zombie with enormous red eyes and a sniffing problem. So, like a junkie, really. Anyway, one of the reasons that I didn’t get home until 7 was that I went to buy this:

That’s my new BFF, the neti-pot. I had just rinsed it, so that’s water. Not anything gross. If you’re unfamiliar with this magical contraption, here’s a video for your educational pleasure:

I have to say, it was much messier than this clip would have you believe. But that’s okay, because I can actually breathe through my nose again.

Which seemed like the perfect opportunity to enjoy some granola.

Hey it’s 9! That means it’s almost time to force-feed Matt some risotto and get all in his face, saying “Is it good? It’s good, right? Really good, right? RIGHT?”

Some kind of chicken

When I was growing up, we weren’t a very adventurous family in terms of eating. This explains why I’d never eaten totally normal things like pears or hummus until recently. So, pretty much every night for dinner, when I’d ask my mom what we were having, she’d say “Oh, some kind of chicken.” And so, every time I make chicken, I think of her, fondly. Especially tonight, since she actually provided the chicken that I so expertly prepared.

Spicy Citrus Chicken Packets with vegetables and couscous

With some ginger beer. To be followed later by barley beer. You know how much I love my grains.

Close-up of the chicken packets. It’s a fancy way of saying: cooked in foil. This is a Clean Eating recipe that Matt requested. Something about those orange slices just makes the chicken so much better.

Lime roasted asparagus and zucchini balls. These are the guts left from last night, professionally melon-balled by Matt.

I think I’ll have some fruit in a little bit. We have a mango that’s looking kind of sad.

The farmer’s market started up again today, which is quite exciting, because it’s right across the street from our apartment. Last year, we only went once, but I think we’ll be hitting it every week this spring/summer. Especially now that I know about all of the baked goods. The produce was still a little sketchy, but I picked up some cheap local spinach that looked decent, so we’ll see what I can do with that.

I also did the Arthritis Walk with Matt and Donna, went to the gym, got coffee, did some work, and now Matt’s watching No Country for Old Men and I’m trying really hard not to because it’s a little intense for my current state of mind. So, I think I’ll drink some beer and eat some fruit and call it a night at like 8:30. Perfect. That should give me a good, solid 12 hours of sleep and make it easier to face my Sunday.

Double deja vu

I’m sure you were all worried that this happened to me.

Not so.

I just got distracted by things like: a shopping trip to Topeka (no, really, this is exciting); having a saleswoman tell me that I look like I’m “fourteen, fifteen, maybe sixteen AT THE MOST” and that she ask ed me for my ID because she thought I was using my mother’s credit card; the most depressing college basketball game in the world; trying to do my taxes, realizing I’m the least organized person I know; almost having to pay 600 dollars for overdue books (they probably would’ve taken away my official librarian decoder ring for this, too); etc.

Last night, at Matt’s special request, we had bulgurritos. I made a filling with bulgur, a red potato, and leftover cheesesteak fillings. And some kale chips. Matt would not eat those. Here it is, with some of the filling that wouldn’t fit in the burrito on the side:

See how beautifully I set up this photograph, delicately placing my plate on the living room chair. In case you didn’t know this about us, we usually eat on the floor. We only sort of have a table, so we always eat in the living room. On special occasions, we use trays.

I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten that off my chest.

Tonight, we had a modified version of last week’s pasta.

Whole wheat penne, roasted tomatoes/asparagus/zucchini, chicken breast and feta.

Now I’m going to go work on my taxes some more.

Yay?

Pretty penne

After another crap day, a ridiculously easy and delightful dinner was just what I needed. I won’t even go into it. I know you’re getting tired of it. I did, however, find out what’s wrong with my foot - it’s sesamoiditis! Yes, it’s real. I looked it up. I have to get special inserts for my shoes. Seriously, it’s like I get cooler and cooler with each passing day.

Okay, I lied. I’m going into it. The good news is, today’s lameness was totally unrelated to my health, which seems to be returning to me (or else I’m just so happy from all the flaxseed that I’m not realizing how bad it is). It was all work-related and (hopefully) temporary, which is, I guess, better than a permanent health problem. So, I like my job. I make websites and I teach people things. Those are pretty much the two things I’m good at, professionally, so it’s a good fit. But some days, I don’t know. Some days, it’s like the people I teach DO NOT WANT TO BE TAUGHT. Tell me, what’s not to love when it comes to learning how to do research?

Oh well, I’ll always have that website thing. I’ve heard the internet is probably going to catch on and all that.

Ahh, remember when I was still pretending that this is a blog about food? And not a place to process my thoughts and feelings until Matt gets home?

Anyway, dinner. Why have I not been making this every day for the last few years? Here’s penne with lime roasted tomatoes and asparagus.

There’s some feta in there, too. Also, this serving looks small because I had already eaten part of it. And a lot of post-work, pre-dinner candy. Again. (Is it a special kind of emotional eating if you actually walk to the candy store in the mall, buy a bag of candy, and eat it on your way home?)

I’ve roasted asparagus tons of times, but never tomatoes. WHY? Why have I never thought of this? They were so good. I roasted a pint of grape tomatoes (my favorite) with 1/2 bunch of asparagus, cut in half, at 425 for about 20 minutes. Then I added some lime juice. And some black pepper. Crushed red pepper might have also been nice, for a kick. With these little tomatoes, it was really easy to tell when they were done roasting, because they got all wrinkly.

They tasted better than they look.

I plan to make this again. About four times a week until fall rolls around and I can switch the vegetables to be more seasonal.

Simple minded

I’m ravenous today. Being less active seems to make me hungrier than usual. Which is counterintuitive, really.

So, we had leftovers that we could have eaten, but we also had a bunch of asparagus in the refrigerator that was looking kind of rough, so I resuscitated it for dinner - chicken and asparagus with orzo. I made this once last month after seeing it on Eat Like Me, but it came out much better this time.

So, there’s that. It was simple, it has different colors, we always have chicken and tomatoes, and it was warm.

And now, I’m going to lie down for the rest of the night. So, for the next 20 minutes until I fall asleep.

Bracketology

I was going to take a picture of my NCAA tournament bracket for you, but I’m not going to because I know you’ll try to steal it.

Dinner tonight was a fancy work thing at a restaurant we’ve never even tried because it’s too expensive. This town is interesting like that. Just when you think you’re feeling really depressed b/c of all the chains, you find some crazy expensive fancy pants restaurant stuck in the middle of a strip mall, right next to Snip n’ Clip and Subway.

Anyway, I felt like I was in that credit card commercial with the cute couple where the woman has really good, voluminous hair, and everything’s going well, and then the food is… tiny. That kind of happened. The actual main part of my meal was quite good-sized, really, a nice slab of mango-peppercorn glazed salmon. But it was on a a bed of, oh, I don’t know, 1/4 cup of greens, and it propped up (literally) 5 pieces of asparagus. I love asparagus, and that’s one of the main reasons I ordered the salmon. WHY WOULD THEY ROB ME OF THAT?

I didn’t actually finish the salmon b/c the mango-peppercorn glaze was just a little too hardcore there at the end, but I did get ricotta cake with blueberries and ice cream for dessert. Mmm. Ricotta.

Here’s what’s left, as I didn’t take any pictures of the actual meal. I’m just not ready to explain myself with the camera yet.

And here’s what I’m currently resisting:

That’s my pedometer, resting lovingly on there to remind me of the many miles I’d have to walk per cupcake.

Not.

Actually, I just set it down on whatever surface was handy when I took it off. Not that I changed my pants in the kitchen.

Don’t judge. It’s a very small apartment.