forgotten blog site

Hello blog,

I nearly forgot you existed.  I haven't had any food revelations lately...greek yogurt, chia seeds, peanut butter and chocolate fiber bars, a whole lot of fish...It sounds like a healthy diet, except for the inordinate amount of chocolate I manage to consume during the day.

There's been a steady supply of coconut water in my fridge.  Mango juice has also made a reappearance.  Both have a good percentage of potassium.  I'm trying to find a good way to add electrolytes without the calories.  I was introduced to smart water not too long ago.  I made the mistake of leaving the hotel one day without a source of hydration.  I was dizzy and light headed by the end of the day. (Not that water or fluids weren't available elsewhere.  With all the walking we were doing, I just wasn't drinking enough.) It really helped with hydration while I was travelling.   It's currently on sale at Target, so I added a (small) supply of it to my pantry.

I got five pound of ruby red grapefruit yesterday.  I ate one this morning, and they are delicious.  I love citrus season.  Louisiana only had satsumas which I wasn't super impressed by.  Yay Florida.

I'm Bad With Change

Was it ever the case that comments could be seen from the main page, without having to click on the individual post or the comment link on a post?  Because I would like that better.

Hi blog.  Do you miss us?  :(

Fall 2012 Foodie Goals!

Now that I'm going to be living in Tampa, I hope to have friends again.  Also, now that I am free from New Orleans, my hair won't hate the water anymore and I can switch back to a natural shampoo.  Perhaps even no pooing.  We'll see about that.  I really got away from my natural habits in New Orleans because it was hard to find natural products and I didn't have much success with them.

I would really like to join a CSA in Tampa, but it's so expensive up front (like $500) - and I'm broke after this move, new apartment, etc.  It's no secret that I'm thrilled to have Publix back in my life, but I hope to shop for produce at this cute little farm stand near my house.

Chia is definitely something I need to add back into my life.  Fiber in general actually (sorry Carolyn, I know your issues with fiber).

Drinking more water is a serious goal too.  I was really bad at that this summer at Trinita - and just haven't gotten back on track.  It's rough being homeless, yo.  My schedule is all out of whack.  My stuff is all over the place.  It's like constant chaos.  But it all ends tomorrow.

I can't think of anything else for this right now - but I'm sure there are more goals.  Comment or edit to add yours!

Several New Things

So, "recently," I've tried several new things.  The picture on the left was stage one - a preliminary but momentous event.  Stage one included making Choffy and keeping a good supply in the refrigerator so that I didn't have to clean that french press everytime I wanted a cup!  (This idea, as well as the knowledge that you can unscrew the bottom of the press part to clean it is owed entirely to Eileen.)  Also, I finished off a bag of quinoa, cooking it just in plain water and crushed red pepper.  It was pretty good.  I also ended up adding to it some of the Trader Joe's low sodium chicken stock goo that I got when I went there with Sharon.  It was fantastic, and I still have several packets left and they don't expire until next year!

Finally, the most momentous part of all of stage 1 - discovering and cleaning the BLENDER!  We have had a blender this whole time!  Oh my gosh!!  Of course, I didn't have any berries yet nor did I quite know how to use the thing, but it was a good find.

Picture 2, Stage 2: Mastering the Blender.  It turns out that if you are trying to blend frozen berries and ice cream instead of yogurt, they both have to be warmed up a little first.  This was my fourth go at it, I was an expert at this point.  The bags of frozen mixed berries say they contain 4.5 servings, so I open a bag and split it as evenly as I can estimate into two freezer ziploc bags.  So hopefully over two servings of fruit in each bag.  Then I leave one bag in the fridge overnight before I make the stuff.  The next day I put a big bowl of ice cream in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.  Then I blend them together and split that mixture in two, eating one immediately and putting one in a cup in the fridge for the next day.  The "pint" shown is the whole shebang, two days and two servings worth.  The first time I made it I had reservations about the taste - I thought I might have to use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla.  But now I really like it!  In fact, when I ate this batch I thought, "I can really taste the vanilla in this - I could use even less ice cream."  Also, I've been adding a teaspoon of chia seeds to the mixture when I eat it.  A good way to up the intake without making that gel too thick to drink.  I think it also helps the smoothie stick with you longer.  That is all I have for now, enjoy!

afternoon snack

I've been looking for things to munch on today and decided to try a ginger syrup I found at the health food store.  A healthy way to do this can be tricky since 1/4 cup of the syrup is 60g of sugar.  I came up with this:

1 cup of greek yogurt
a handful of blueberries
about 1/4 mango chopped
1 tablespoon of ginger syrup drizzled over the top

It was yummy goodness.  I should have taken a picture before hand.  Perhaps I'll try it again tomorrow.

edit: I was at the market today and had an epiphany.  Dried fruit!  It travels well and goes well with yogurt.