Don’t mistake the ornament mug for my embrace or acceptance of winter…
Even though it was “sunny” over the weekend, it was still below freezing, and as much as I love running in races, 4 miles in Central Park just didn’t seem worth the misery of losing feeling in my fingers, toes, nose, ears, etc. Instead I slept in and spent time with Kyle…sorta. He actually had to work all weekend, which sucked since it was my weekend OFF of work. At least he was working from home? (that is definitely the only positive I can wring out of the situation). Ah well. Such is life. Moving on.
I’m pretty obsessed with this caramel apple combo I have going on…
This picture = wow. I’m not sure which is more pathetic:
- I couldn’t even be bothered to assemble a home-made meal on the weekend (thank goodness for Amy’s burritos, but still, Elise fail)
- Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules” (a commentary on the treacherous landscape of modern food and the often-confusing science of nutrition) is literally within a foot of a diet coke [this is probably the most contradictory thing I have ever seen]
- I drank a diet coke (wft?!? who am I??)
- There are heaps of bills and tax documents surrounding my lunch (sad)
- I ate the burrito with a fork (not necessarily pathetic, per se, but worth noting nonetheless)
In case you were wondering, the (above) side dish heap of beans/salsa was my first taste of azuki beans.
These beans are favorites of Terry Walters (Clean Food), as she uses them in many of her fall/winter recipes. Since I am a big fan of shopping seasonally, this book is a great guide. I found them in the bulk bins at Whole Foods a while ago and only recently cooked them up.
Dried VS. Cooked.
As you can see, they look similar to black beans after they have been cooked. They taste similar to black beans, but also a bit like kidney beans, too. They are popular in Asian dishes (second only to the soybean in Japan) and are often eaten in sweeter dishes (with sugar, made into paste, and even as a flavor of ice cream!). Anyways, I liked them and will continue to use them in other recipes now.
As I mentioned, this has been a recent fave. Most of his “rules” are very simple (and seem like they should be common sense), but sometimes it’s nice to be hit over the head with the obvious.
A few examples:
#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.
#36 Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
Clever, no?
So yeah, I was perfectly content reading, knitting, and doing errands around the house…and I really had no desire to leave the apartment all day. Unfortunately, the empty fridge situation forced me to quit my whining and man up.
This is what dreams are made of :) It also helped me face the outside temps. Thanks to Annabel (and the delivery services of our local Whole Foods)…We STOCKED up!
I had a little afternoon snack, which involved the Forty Spices Tribe hummus and then Kyle and I headed to a bar to watch the Superbowl. I brought this guy along just in cases…
My bar food options were a veggie burger or a veggie burger…so I went with the veggie burger 😉
Good thing I had my Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar stashed away. It made the Saint’s victory THAT much sweeter. Yes, I was rooting for New Orleans. For some reason I feel like their win was a win for America…cheesy, I know, but I still got butterflies of excitement when they showed Bourbon Street and the French Quarter as the final seconds ticked away.
It WAS cold this weekend…I wasn’t outside running either! I love Michael Pollen, so I’ve been meaning to pick up a copy of Food Rules- the breakfast cereal one is too funny! Sadly, I drink Diet Coke as well. I’ve been trying to give it up forever, but I still can’t deny myself the occasional can!
Haha too funny about the burrito and diet coke. I drank one at the movies and felt like I was breaking a million rules too. At the same time…I chew gum all day which has the same gross chemicals so whatever! I have to try those beans. Just read about them on another blog too!
tribe 40 spices is the BEST flavah!
And I can’t wait to read Michael Pollen’s book. It seems like everyone’s diggin it thus far. He is so wise.
Here’s the product of your inspiration and my jealousy of the 5K Kristine ran in SF…I ran a whole 3 miles without stopping! Unfortunately, the foot started hurting, but I know I have the stamina to continue. I finished off just a little over 4miles, with a bit of walking the last mile, but had a smile on my face cuz I know I can do better once my orthotics arrive. =D
p.s. Totally rooted for the Saints too! Not cheesy, but yes a “W” for America…hehe
p.p.s. Did you see that they brought out Kim Kardashian afterwards? I guess CBS thought Reggie was gonna propose then and there like the Boise State kid a few years ago…Sorry Kim.
Yeah, I’m so over the cold. Amy’s burritos are amazing, though.
Hahaha, the burrito is really funny. I really like that book! He is so clever.
HA, I like the one about not eating breakfast cereals that change the milk.
I actually appreciate that your pic was not posed just for bloggy purposes!! YA for being “natural” lol
Hang in there with those cold temps!!
What?!?! Your Whole Foods delivers?! OMG…they *may* be forgiven for not having frozen pineapple in that case. Wait–you said no medjool dates, right? Never mind–totally not forgiven! Nothing can make up for a paltry date selection 🙂
I read the NY Times review of that Pollan book–have you read his other books? I have read all of his other stuff, but not that one yet…it kind of sounds like it is just a list of rules? I know you are enjoying it, but is it a worthwhile read, do you think? Okay, that sounds dumb since you seem to like it, but still…?
Courtney
I am hearing such good things about this book! I definitely plan on buying it with the money i save on my car insurance this month… Yes it’s sad that i am so broke that i don’t have $20 to spend on books, no i didn’t switch to Geico… 🙂 Can your whole foods deliver to Ontario? Or is there a surcharge?
I forgot to mention that your caramel apple yogurt idea should be patented. Or you should at least pitch the idea to Oikos to include that in their next flavor…
Just finished reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma this morning, so I am excited to pick up Food Rules next!
I had a Diet Coke this weekend too but I’m blaming Gliding Calm. She keeps posting cans of DC on her blog so I had to give into the DC beast!
YAY SAINTS!! I’m really happy they won – they (the city) deserved to win!
I posted Michael and Food Rules and some of those very exact quotes on my post yesterday 🙂 Good stuff and I confess, I havent read the book. I want to. More books than time these days though 🙂
you should actually read it then…its good
stupid diet crack. i hadnt had one in forEVERRRRR…
its cute…nothing earth shattering, but good anyways.
how sad that the geico thing is the first thing i thought of! oh social media influences…the book is pretty cheap, espesh if you order directly from penguin
oh girl frozen burrito and diet crack nights happen to us all. whatevzzzzzz.
if youve read his other books then this is along the same lines…for people like you and i, its obvious, sorta preachign to the choir, but still fun to read. its gimmicky (the rules are simply stated, in lay-man’s terms, and kinda no brainers, while still being fun), which is why its good for the mass audience as opposed to the hippie readers that probably read his other books (like you and i).
yeah whoops! i wonder who was more bummed, cbs or kim? haha
Thanks for the info about the adzuki beans! Good to know. And oh my gooooodness do you know how lucky you are that your WF delivers?!?!??!
yes. i am quite aware. i thank god for it every single day. no joke, that is how much i LOVE it 🙂
whole foods gift cards=heaven 😀
40 spice tribe? This I need to try! I got 2 massive containers for $5 at Costco on sale a few weeks ago that I’m still digging through, though!
I love Amy’s Burrito’s. They are my go-to meal too!
Thanks–that is kinda what I figured. I may see if the library has it, but I won’t go out of my way to buy it or anything 🙂
Courtney
Hehe…love the Diet Coke/Michael Pollan contrast. Hey, I’m sure MP preaches everything in moderation, right?
I actually just read his new rules book and loved it, too! Wise words about the cereal. Thank goodness Kashi is color-free, right? 🙂
I’d really like to pick up a copy of “Food Rules” sometime. It sounds pretty interesting, and seeing it mentioned on blogs, I’m quite curious now!