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June 29, 2005
Blog Readers Pick April's Dinner!
Laura calls these situations "Challenges" and I think that's brilliant because it puts us in a frame of mind that is optimistic and energetic, not nervous and despairing.
Tomorrow night I am going to a celebration dinner for the bargaining committee of nurses at the hospital where we just settled that great contract! The dinner will be held at a restaurant that I absolutely love called the Iron Hill Brewery. Interestingly enough, it is located right next to a Trader Joes! Hmmmm... Trader Joes! Anyway, I want you bloggie readers to pick out what I should have for dinner. Here's where you find the online menu. Just to give you some background: I'm hitting about 1200 calories per day these days -- usually around 1100 but still having those up days at least once a week. I'm going to take it light during the day so as to save a bunch of calories for dinner. The morning will have right on 200 cals between eggwhites, flax oil, and grapejuice chaser for creatine. That's 29 g protein right there in the eggwhites. Then lunch will be 10 g hazelnuts for 66 cals plus 130 cals non-fat fruit yogurt, for 40% of the RDA of calcium and 12 g protein. Dinner is at six, and I'll be very hungry! So let's choose what's best for me to eat. May the best bloggiefriend win!
Tonight my mother finally got back from her long trip to Chicago, and she took me out to eat at Ruby Tuesdays, home of the amazing salad bar. I filled up on veggies, salsa, olives, fruit, and a small dollop of chocolate pudding! I adore their salad bar. They also have a calorie controlled "Smart Eating" menu (Click on nutrition information to get the calories, fat grams, net carbs, and fiber) that I read with interest. MR and I have been talking about how much fun it would be to go out to these places like the RT and Applebees that have calorie controlled menus. MR almost never goes out because he is exact about his daily calories, so I would be quite excited to be the first woman to take him out to dinner in goddess knows how long. Of course, I will expect something in return. I have very old fashioned ideas about dating: I buy you dinner, you owe me a fresh batch of megamuffins. And if you don't want to put out, don't accept the invitation.
This weekend I'm heading out to NC to visit my father and step-mother. My father is the pastor of a church, and I am honored to be participating in his official installation service. They're installing him as pastor, that is -- it's not like there's a worship service around installing a new air conditioning system or something. Though in NC, there probably should be! It will be great to see that set of parents, and we will also stop over to see my fabulous grandparents, the adoreable ones who wear matching suits and go dancing. They've been de facto CR'd their whole lives. They eat a little fruit plate with yogurt for brunch, then a little dinner of usually a piece of fish that they split, a salad, a vegetable, and a tiny portion of rice. Every morning they weigh themselves, and if their weight is up, they eat less that day. My grandmother drinks coffee like a Starbucks employee, and my grandfather drinks a drop of wine now and again. They are extraordinarily healthy and in their nineties. I hope I have their genes, and I hope I stick to the healthy kind of lifestyle that has gotten them this far.
Speaking of parents, MR's Mom had an interesting experience the other day. She owns a children's clothing store, and she hosted an event for new moms in her town. She made up some delicious sounding healthy food: two of my dip recipes (artichoke heart and walnut dip with olive oil and fresh lemon, and tapenade with olives, capers and olive oil), plus fresh veggies, fruit, and yogurts. She also made up a flyer on good nutrition (with editing from her son) and handed these out to the new moms. She was horrified that they didn't seem all that interested, and they didn't eat much of the food! If I had been there, there wouldn't have been a drop of food left on the plate! MR's mom is serious about feeding kids healthy food, and I think it's one reason why MR has been so successful in his CR. He was raised with the idea that gak is bad! Those of us who had health-conscious moms and dads are so lucky. I really admire all you parents out there who fight the hard fight. As you know, I don't plan to deal with it. Though I do have fantasies of keeping my niece on a weekend or two once she's old enough to appreciate it, and feeding her healthy food and taking her shopping. I really want to spend a lot of money on some fashion conscious girl-child, and the King of Prussia Mall is nearby and fantastic. All the cute outfits we could buy! Dresses, shoes, makeup, perfume! I want to be Crazy Aunt April who spoils her niece rotten and teaches her to love Chinese vegetables and Quorn. When she returns home, she will say to her parents, "Mom, why can't we have Quorn like Aunt April?" One of my main aims in having no children of my own is to have the money to spend an absurd amount of cash on my niece once she's at the Age of Fashion (about 12). We've got ten years to go... so I'm not quitting my day job!
Tell me what you want me to eat for dinner tomorrow night. I await your wise instruction.
Posted by april at June 29, 2005 4:19 PM
Comments
I'm not sure how large they mean by "shared plates," but I think the hummus could be really good if you ask them to bring you some raw vegetables (bell pepper and carrot are also on the menu, perhaps?) to dip with instead of the pita, which the others could eat.
Posted by: Tamar at June 29, 2005 5:37 PM
Yes, yes - crazy Aunt April. My mother was not a "healthy" mother. We had a coke machine in our garage which was rigged to work without money and a special drawer in the kitchen for candy bars. My mother loved to take us to fast food restaurants. One summer I spent a month with Aunt Mary Jane in the country. I learned to eat fresh vegetables from the garden and came back saying how much I loved spinach and black eyed peas. This confounded my mother, who tried to serve me these things from cans. Blecch! Not the same.
My grandson's fixation on blueberries and other fruits and dislike of candy is hopefully my fault!
Posted by: Mary at June 29, 2005 5:54 PM
Whoa, that looks like a FABULOUS restaurant. Look at all the Louisiana food! (Um, I think I got kind of carried away and may have, in my rampant enthusiasm, accidentally applied for the job as Executive Sous Chef. Fortunately I'm not remotely qualified, because that would be one hell of a commute). Anyway, I'm kind of leaning towards the Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna Tataki, hold the honey drizzle, and I probably wouldn't be the least bit inclined to share.
How bad is all that searing and blackening though? I really don't know. It's not something Cajuns actually do here, it was invented by Paul Prudhomme who is native to my town, his family still lives here and he pops around pretty often (not exactly the picture of perfect health, iac). But he just made that balckened business up out of his own head, it's not an authentic Cajun custom, so I don't run into it often enough to understand what's involved.
-Liz
Posted by: Elizabeth at June 29, 2005 6:22 PM
All:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
They seem to be engaged in some kind of (yes, I'll say it) Lucy-pulls-the-football game: lots of these items start off sounding like great, CR-friendly recipes, only to throw in one high-fat dairy product or another just to mess one up ... I would vote for the Asian grilled chicken, with a suspicious eye turned toward the number of peanuts.
Love is the law, love under Will.
-Michael
Posted by: MR at June 29, 2005 7:52 PM
uh.......wine? i don't know.......ahi salad?
hey. a few blogs ago i think you mentioned some
line about you'd never be able to get skinny skinny
like some cr folk. whats with that? you'll surely be around a long time and have lots of zing for cr, a ton of
creative ideas, not to mention the best support on the planet.
im going for it cuz i know the less jigglys i have the better i feel. but im plenty happy at the rate of 1-2 lbs/year for the next 7 years.
Posted by: fruitgirl at June 29, 2005 9:18 PM
April,
what fun! I'd probably go for the pan-seared scallop entree with a starter of the garden salad. The blackened ahi salad sounds like a pretty awesome entree. If you have an accommodating waiter, (and doesn't everyone want to accommodate the thin, fashionable girl with the winning smile?)you might ask how they feel about a shared plate of some of those herb grilled veggies that are on one of the pizzas. You could share these in good-conscience, Have a great time!
Laura
Posted by: Laura at June 30, 2005 7:21 AM
I'd go for the small mesclun salad, dressing on the side or not at all and if possible without cheese, although you could always pick the cheese out and feed it to the pigeons later. Also, the petite crab cakes look good to me, if they're baked rather than fried. Bit of a carbfest, but lots of variety, what with the jicama and the cranberries, etc.
I can't go into a restaurant too hungry, myself - I'd have to eat something like raw broccoli beforehand, otherwise I'd probably eat too much.
Posted by: Suzanne at June 30, 2005 9:37 AM
MR's considering eating in restaurants? Mon Dieu! As for your dinner, I'd suggest the Mesclun Greens salad and the Pan Seared Scallop dish. They both sound very yummy & healthy. MR just gave me a heads up about the healthier aspects of scallops over shrimps, BTW.
Hey, though -- don't wait until your niece is 12! There are probably numerous small retailers in your area with fabulous clothes & accessories for little girls whose owners LOVE crazy aunties. I know I do..... JD ;-)
Posted by: Judith at June 30, 2005 11:30 AM
The Southwestern Grilled Chicken salad had me until the cheese, tortilla strips, and ranch dressing, so I guess the Asian Grilld Chicken salad it is. Too bad about the peanuts...almond slices would be a healthier and (I believe) more authentic choice. Also, what the heck is a "wonton strip?" I'm having a hard time picturing a dumpling shaped like a band-aid.
-Dan
Posted by: Dan at June 30, 2005 3:38 PM
Hehe, I swear I didn't cheat off MR's "paper"...but if I had known he had posted a comment, I would have just short-cutted by reply to, "See MR's comment."
Posted by: Dan at June 30, 2005 3:43 PM
the blackened Ahi tuna salad, sans bacon, and with vinegar instead of the dressing?
either that or the scallops, sans "drizzle" - I don't think sweet flavors go well with seafood anyway...
Posted by: James at June 30, 2005 3:56 PM