I had some left over grilled salmon, baby spinach, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and avocado. This is what I came up with. I warmed the salmon in the microwave. I took out a pyrex pie dish and filled it to heaping with the baby spinach. I sprayed it lightly with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkled lightly with garlic pepper, then stuck it in the micro to warm and wilt it. Meanwhile I took prepared about 10 asparagus spears, popped them into a Glad Simply Cooking steaming bag, sprayed the spears with the oil cooking spray and a generous coating of garlic pepper and nuked it for 2 minutes as I prepared the avocado (baby avocado - 4/$1 at the local market) one was just the perfect amount. I dumped the hot spears on top of the spinach, tossed in the avocado chunks and a handful of grape tomatoes and topped it all with my warm salmon. I used my favorite Bernstein's Light Fantastic Cheese Fantastico salad dressing. My on my! Nirvana. I had my usual ice tea. It was a lovely dinner and I do feel domestic for making a health dinner for myself. Not many calories here! Good fat from the avocado and the salmon. Yummy. If it was a hot day, I'd make this chilled!
I reused the steaming bag for the 2nd night since it was for the rest of the asparagus (I did asparagus the night before to go with the grilled salmon and baked potato).
Before I go to bed tonight, I will make another pitcher of ice tea for tomorrow and make my
"basic breakfast" - soaked oats - a variant of Bircher Muesli. I dump about a cup of frozen mixed berries , in to a large mug and top with about a 1/2 cup of rolled oats, cover and refrigerate overnight. By morning the berries are thawed and the oats have absorbed the liquid. I mix it all with 1 cup of my favorite yogurt - Cascade Fresh all natural yogurt in vanilla. I also sprinkle it with about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Love it. Of course this breakfast can be varied infinitely to suit my cravings and what I have in the kitchen. A mug of green tea with lemon and I am ready for the day and full until lunch! (I have to remind myself to eat every 3-4 hours, or I could go all day on this.
Calorie count: 360
1/2 C rolled oats (180)
1 C mixed berries (70)
1 C CascadeFresh Yogurt vanilla (110)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
HOME EC AND OTHER NEGLECTED SKILLS
I remember how excited I was to finallybe in junior high school (7th grade). I was eager to be able to take "home ec"! Back then it was a required class - all the girls took it while all the boys took shop. In retrospect, it would have been a good thing for all of us to take, but this was the late 60's and things were just beginning to change. I do not think schools offer home ec any more, even as an elective and let alone as a required class. It's a shame. I think it is something everyone needs to experience. I learned a little basic cooking (cole slaw, burgers, etc.) and some techniques and terminology. I loved sewing. Mostly I just wanted to put together a sewing kit. But I made a swim suit cover up out of 3 red terry towels and a couple other items. I learned some mending and some embroidery, etc. The first term was cooking and the last sewing. Can't for the life of me remember what we learned during winter term? Maybe it was home management? Baby sitting? It is lost in the mists of time.
I am thinking back to 7th grade home ec today as I wonder where I missed out on the training needed to take care of a home. My mom was a pro at this and still is today. She is superwoman. But somewhere I missed out on the basics. I think mom was very busy with 4 active children and a husband who often worked long hours as a trucker. It was just easier to do it herself. Anyway-I missed the boat. I didn't learn to cook. Or to clean, or to organize or economise. Make a budget and stick to it. I did learn to sew, however, and I did know how to take care of the horses and the barn. I helped to put up the garden by freezing and canning. I do not know how to make hospital corners or how to cook without my microwave. My poor children! I was, of course unable to pass these unlearned skills on to them! Their father, when we were still married, was the cook of the family. So they did eat well until we divorced and I took over the kitchen -but it was scary since I was a working mom, too.
Dear son likes to eat and work out, so hence has learned to fend for himself. A stint in the military also helped him hone his house keeping skills. Dear daughter is a medical student. She can suture, so in theory she can sew. She can cook enough to survive. She has been known to practice her surgical skills on defenseless dinner entrees.
This post has been interrupted to watch the most violent spring thunder storm I have seen in a very long time. The rain, then hail was battering my house, coming down nearly horizontal and with violence. The trees were whipping. The sky was black and the hail was the size of marbles. The gutters could not take this and were overflowing. Looking out my second floor window was like standing behind a water fall. My back courtyard is flooded inches deep. But things are clearing now, and I can see blue sky. Mother Nature - what a show. We don't get storms like that here often. It was so violent, folks were wondering if it was a tornado. We don't get those either. Sad news - someone was killed when a tree fell on their car.
I have washed the sheets and tonight's goal is to make perfect hospital corners!
I am thinking back to 7th grade home ec today as I wonder where I missed out on the training needed to take care of a home. My mom was a pro at this and still is today. She is superwoman. But somewhere I missed out on the basics. I think mom was very busy with 4 active children and a husband who often worked long hours as a trucker. It was just easier to do it herself. Anyway-I missed the boat. I didn't learn to cook. Or to clean, or to organize or economise. Make a budget and stick to it. I did learn to sew, however, and I did know how to take care of the horses and the barn. I helped to put up the garden by freezing and canning. I do not know how to make hospital corners or how to cook without my microwave. My poor children! I was, of course unable to pass these unlearned skills on to them! Their father, when we were still married, was the cook of the family. So they did eat well until we divorced and I took over the kitchen -but it was scary since I was a working mom, too.
Dear son likes to eat and work out, so hence has learned to fend for himself. A stint in the military also helped him hone his house keeping skills. Dear daughter is a medical student. She can suture, so in theory she can sew. She can cook enough to survive. She has been known to practice her surgical skills on defenseless dinner entrees.
This post has been interrupted to watch the most violent spring thunder storm I have seen in a very long time. The rain, then hail was battering my house, coming down nearly horizontal and with violence. The trees were whipping. The sky was black and the hail was the size of marbles. The gutters could not take this and were overflowing. Looking out my second floor window was like standing behind a water fall. My back courtyard is flooded inches deep. But things are clearing now, and I can see blue sky. Mother Nature - what a show. We don't get storms like that here often. It was so violent, folks were wondering if it was a tornado. We don't get those either. Sad news - someone was killed when a tree fell on their car.
I have washed the sheets and tonight's goal is to make perfect hospital corners!
Swine flu - panic
I forgot to mention...
On my recent trip to Walmart, there was a shortage of hand sanitizer. The sales people stated that they had been "out for over a week". It makes me wonder about panic buying during a health scare. This particular Wally's is located in an area with a high Mexican population. I have yet to do a hand sanitizer check at the rest of my (reasonably) local stores.
On my recent trip to Walmart, there was a shortage of hand sanitizer. The sales people stated that they had been "out for over a week". It makes me wonder about panic buying during a health scare. This particular Wally's is located in an area with a high Mexican population. I have yet to do a hand sanitizer check at the rest of my (reasonably) local stores.
Friday, May 1, 2009
May Day!
Beautiful day-overcast and very warm! Now at almost midnight it has clouded up and is starting to rain, but it is still quite warm.
Spent the day shopping. Went to DollarTree and found some lovely silk Gerbera daisies to brighten up the place. Then to Walmart for a few more things. They had re-arranged the store and I didn't know where anything was anymore and most disturbing of all, the fabric and crafts section is all but gone. I forgot many things and will have to go back-I gave up shopping because I was frustrated with being unable to locate things in the new arrangement. The aisles are wider and their seems to be less stuff!
Spent the day shopping. Went to DollarTree and found some lovely silk Gerbera daisies to brighten up the place. Then to Walmart for a few more things. They had re-arranged the store and I didn't know where anything was anymore and most disturbing of all, the fabric and crafts section is all but gone. I forgot many things and will have to go back-I gave up shopping because I was frustrated with being unable to locate things in the new arrangement. The aisles are wider and their seems to be less stuff!
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