Freezing Frenzy

So, I am now working two jobs, editor by day and English instructor by night.

Which leaves few evenings home to cook. And I hate buying lunch, though I love going out to eat.

Anyway, I bravely ordered myself a CSA box from the South Central Farmers' Cooperative.

Which contained:

That would be: 4 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, some kind of round summer squash, a pint of cherry tomatoes, 3 other tomatoes, 4 green peppers, a million chili peppers (note: the yellow ones are hot as hell), 2 cucumbers, 1 bunch Tuscan kale, 1 bunch regular kale, Chinese long beans, 1 bunch basil, 1 bunch cilantro, a passel of okra, a watermelon. For $20. I know. Amazing.


Anyway, I picked this box up on Saturday. And on Sunday, for lunch, we had a salad with the cherry tomatoes and the cucumbers, and some spinach we already had.

And then I made:
Self's Vegetable Lasagna, sort of. I couldn't find whole wheat lasagna noodles so I used whole wheat orecchiette and made a casserole. It was delicious, and I used one of each squash, as well as two peppers and some basil. Bill, a squash hater, loved it. And I packed up the remainder into four for-a-later-date portions, two for the freezer, two for the fridge.
     And then, for lunches/freezing, 101 Cookbook's Buttermilk Summer Squash Soup. I unloaded one more of each squash, as well as a chili pepper. I ended up with seven servings (4 of which I froze, 3 in the fridge for lunch this week), one of which I ate today (delicious!), alongside another spinach/tomato/cucumber salad.
     And then, I made a loaf of zucchini bread. And that was the end of the squash. And thanks to Bill's hearty appetite, the bread has barely survived the first twenty-four hours.  
    And then tonight, I made a stirfry with a pork chop, some long beans, two green peppers, a chili pepper, cilantro, and some other stuff I already had (broccoli, carrots, garlic, ginger). One leftover serving, in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.
     And then! I made this Spicy Kale and Chickpea Stew from Gourmet. One serving in the fridge, five in the freezer (I halved it). Used up both kinds of kale and the remaining green peppers. And of course, I added a chili pepper.

That leaves me with some more cucumber, a million chili peppers (which I figure I'll be throwing into everything from here to eternity, including perhaps the freezer), a watermelon (which I'll cut up for my lunches this week), some cilantro and basil (I'm thinking a pesto, or maybe an herbaceous hummus), and some long beans I'll be eating later in the week. And OK, I unloaded the okra at work, because I'm afraid of its slime.

I have 11 meals in the freezer, and enough in the fridge to get Bill and I through the week! If everything coming out of the freezer tastes as good as it did when it went in, I'll be a happy, happy girl.

What I am eating, day seven

OK, this is my last day of this exercise. I assume you are now bored silly by my tedious recounting of food consumed.

6/8/09
Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled
1 piece whole grain toast
coffee

Lunch:
Greens with Beans and Artichoke Heats (mixed greens, 3 oz chicken, 2 canned artichoke hearts, 1/8 cup cannelloni beans, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1/2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, Italian parsley, red wine vinaigrette. Yum!)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Dinner:
Hearty Lentil Soup
Spinach Salad with tomatoes, feta, and red wine vinaigrette
Sliced mango

Snacks:
Apple
Homemade popcorn

Exercise:
20 minutes of cardio (bike), 20 minutes of weights

Assessment:
A good Sonoma diet day. The past week, however, included too many missed gym days and indulgent meals. And so will the upcoming week. Hopefully I can continue to find the time to exercise, and will manage to eat a few healthy meals.

What I am eating, day six

6/7/09

Breakfast:
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Honey Almond cereal
1 cup milk
Coffee

Lunch:
3 pieces fried chicken (dark meat)
A little bit of potato salad
A few handfuls of fries
A biscuit with honey
1 glass champagne
Slice of sponge cake with ice cream

Dinner:
Large salad with red leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, and red wine vinaigrette
Very small bowl of whole grains spaghetti with homemade bolognese

Snack:
1 carrot
herbal tea

Exercise:
45 minute run/walk combo, covered just over 3 miles

Assessment:
Obviously not a healthy lunch, but hey, it was a friend's birthday. Today the scale tells me I am like 3 lbs heavier than yesterday; I blame the salty chicken and bolognese and claim water retention. Anyway, I am pleased with how hard I pushed myself during my run.

What I am eating, day five

6/6/09

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled
1 piece whole grain toast
coffee

Lunch:
1/2 whole wheat pita
Sonoma Diet Tuna Salad
Spinach salad with 2 tsp red wine vinaigrette
Apple

Snack:
1/2 whole wheat pita spread with 1 tablespoon hummus and topped with cucumber slices

Evening:
1 small movie theater popcorn with butter
1 red vine
Several (I think 4) pieces of homemade pizza on whole wheat crust with caramelized onions, pepperoni, mushroom
1 chocolate macadamia nut candy
Many pita chips with hummus
2 cupcakes made with that No Pudge mix (which were awesome)
Probably around a bottle of white wine

Exercise:
90 minutes of yoga class

Assessment:
Ahh, yes, the drinking/eating/socializing mix, my kryptonite. The popcorn was somewhat of a mishap, I didn't intend to be hungry for our 5 pm movie (the Hangover--hilarious), but I was starving when we got there. Though our friends who hosted us served us fairly healthy fare, I obviously failed at exercising portion control. To be fair, faileed implies that I tried and I did not. Still, I should probably attempt to do better when I am out and about, especially since I anticipate a pretty social summer calendar.

What I am eating, day four

6/5/09

Breakfast:
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Honey Almond Crunch w/ 1 cup skim milk
Black coffee

Lunch:
Sonoma Diet Tuna Salad
1/2 whole wheat pita
Red leaf lettuce with some of my coworker's light Ranch dressing (yuck)
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese

Dinner:
Broiled chicken breast with salt and pepper
Wild Mushroom and Barley 'risotto'
Steamed broccoli

Snacks:
Homemade popcorn
Apple
Sliced cucumber

Exercise:
40 minutes cardio (elliptical), some abs work

Assessment:
Normal Sonoma Diet day!

What I am eating, day three

6/4/09

Breakfast:
2 pieces whole grain toast, each spread with 1 tablespoon of natural crunchy peanut butter
Coffee

Lunch:
Spinach dressed with 2 tsp red wine vinaigrette
Sausage Garbanzo Bean Soup
Cherries

Dinner:
Chicken breast sauteed with cherry tomatoes, basil, and arugula over whole grain pasta, topped with a few shavings of parmesan cheese

Snacks:
Peach
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons hummus with one carrot and a few slices of cucumber
11 raw almonds
herbal tea

Exercise:
40 minutes gym time: 10 minutes of elliptical, 30 minutes of weights, done circuit style

Assessment: Pretty typical Sonoma Diet (wave 2) day-- more cardio at the gym would be desired but I hadn't done any strength training in almost a week so figured that needed to be my priority.

What I am eating, day two

6/3/09

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled
1 piece whole grain toast
Coffee

Lunch:
Sonoma Salad with Tomatoes, Feta & Leftover Pork Tenderloin
1 serving of Kashi TLC crackers
1 peach

Dinner:
I went out, and generally have avoid dieting while dining out. Sometimes, I try to go with healthier options... not tonight.
Roast beef sandwich with swiss cheese and cornichons on a soft, white roll.
French fries.
Macchiato

Snack:
1 string cheese
2 tablespoons hummus with sliced cucumbers

Exercise:
Aside from walking from car to restaurant to theater last night, there was no exercise.

Assessment:
Perfection is not my goal? The French fries were worth it. And as long as I have to go to work, sleep, and deal with LA traffic, it is not possible to exercise every day. Still, I'll do better the rest of this week.

What I am eating, day one

Readers, I thought you might appreciate a recap of what I am eating in a day, so I will try to update daily with this news. Initially I thought such things might be tedious, but maybe you are curious?

Anyway.

6/2/09
Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs (with just salt, pepper, & water)
1 slice whole grain toast
a few cups of black coffee

Lunch:
Ate at the work cafe today (a very rare occasion), and ordered a taco salad, light on the chips (this meant maybe 5-7 homemade corn chips), with black beans, chicken breast, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Didn't eat much of the sour cream (maybe a tablespoon); otherwise, ate the whole thing.
1 Starlight mint

Dinner:
Turkey Garbanzo Bean Soup
Homemade Hummus (2 tablespoons) with two carrots and about 4 inches of cucumber
Apple

Snack:
Big bowl of popcorn with a big shake of popcorn salt. 1/4 cup raw popped on the stove in one teaspoon canola oil.

Exercise:
1.5 hour class, yoga flow.

Assessment:
Rather unusual in that I did not pack my lunch, and thus consumed less vegetables than usual and probably more calories. Also, I literally never eat candy. I think that starlight mint was the first I've eaten since beginning the diet in February.