Winter Cooking by Mad Chef, Jr.

I'm finding it really tricky to eat vegetables right now.  Salads aren't doing it for me: the produce section is incredibly expensive and sad.  Plus, I'm craving comfort food... but I still need to fit into my clothes.  So, I'm crock-potting it.

I'm too busy during my work week to cook, so I cook vats of vittles.  I try to prepare at least two different meals because it becomes tedious to eat the same thing over and over and over again.  I can fake myself out when I alternate chili and Moroccan Stew.  I freeze some of it in individual containers so that I can just grab something on the way to work or when I come home hungry.  It gives me good reason to stay away from fast food.  It can also be inexpensive.  I'm becoming a bigger fan of vegetarian because of the money factor.

Cooking multiple things at once also consolidates cleaning time.  You clean up once.    And, I'm leaving out that I cook steel cut oatmeal and put into a big tupperware and scoop it out in the morning and heat it in the microwave with a splash of water.  Because one can only consume so many protein shakes. I'm also cutting up carrot so I have something crunchy to snack on that isn't chips or other forms of simple carbs.  Bananas, oranges, carrots, shredded cabbage and onions are about the only thing I'm buying in the produce department right now.  Because everything else is a very sad expensive.

Pinterest is awesome for finding recipes.  My sister contends that Pinterest is a dumbed down version of Digg for women.  She's probably right-- I don't come away from Pinterest intellectually stimulated, but I do come away psyched to cook.  My favorite recipe websites are skinnytaste and forksoverknives and friends' recipe boards. Here are the recipes I've most enjoyed because I successfully made them, they're relatively inexpensive, and they store well.

Asian Noodle Salad by Eclectic Chef

Asian Noodle Salad: I made this after buying some Asian Noodle Salad at Trader Joe's for lunch.  I thought, "I could make this healthier, cheaper and better than this."  And, I was right.  Notes: I can't find good red cabbage right now. Splurge on the cilantro-- it's worth it.  I use whole wheat spaghetti. I use edamame instead of peas.

Skinny Taste's Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Spinach Lasagna Rolls: These are really yummy and easy.  They look kind of fancy too. These are perfect portion control.  Next time I make them, I'm going to add diced up carrots and more spinach.  I used a spicy hot spaghetti sauce-- and it was really nice.

Forks Over Knives' Chickpea Ratatouille

Oven Baked Chickpea Ratatouille: This stuff is fantastic served over brown rice.  This dish was my biggest surprise.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Moroccan Lentil Soup: Easy to make.  Fun spices.

Please share your favorite easy recipes!

when is "too late"?

In the past three days, I've gotten two responses to emails in mid-June.  I'd forgotten that I'd sent the emails.  I had to read the email I sent one friend to figure out why he was emailing me.  That said, all was not in vain. I enjoyed reading my email; it was quite witty.  I have no idea what took him so long to respond... maybe he was intimidated.  I just responded my question had been rendered moot by time.

This highlights my sense of time-- it's off kilter.  Partly due to this, I am feeling a deep ambivalence towards making plans... and life in general.  I realize at this juncture that I have waaaaaaaaaay too much time on my hands to analyze and worry, and most people don't have the luxury.  I've always been prone to over analysis and now can fully indulge it.

Time is a luxury.  The problem is that I'm to anxious, stressed and worried to use it well.  And it affects my sleep patterns: it's a vicious pattern. I'm sure everybody had experienced it. There are days I can't read because I can't concentrate.  My sense of reality has morphed into fun-house mirrors.  Major problems get dwarfed by little problems, and it's hard to find a way out of the mental maze.  Prayer and people seem to normalize the patterns and eliminate some of the anxiety.

I picked up Streams in the Desert at the ReStore yesterday.  Yesterday's devotional was on waiting patiently.  I read it in the store, and it made me mad.  So many people have implied that I'm not trying hard enough or have done something wrong to be unemployed, that I should have felt relief.  What does waiting look like?  What's my responsibility in it?  All the tension between faith and action-- I must be looking at something incorrectly.  All this said, I bought the book for $2.

Unexpected Pleasures and Small Stuff

Unexpected pleasures are a beautiful thing. For instance, The Buick Verano's Unexpected Pleasures commercial that lives up to the concept. It makes me smile each time I watch it, which is fitting. I think my job counts as this too: the people are fun, and I get payed to workout! It's like a cool, old lady from my church who I waited on today said, "This would be a fun place to work! I'd work here." I agreed with her. It's one of those jobs such as barista or book store clerk that's kind of day dreamy.

And so is small stuff. This British lady's post was an excellent reminder of Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. It's not a life changing book, but it's good.

My small stuff this week is the Hunger Games soundtrack-- I'm totally digging on it. And, I've worked ten days straight (8 days of work and 2 days of 6+ hours of interviewing), and I get a day off. When it rains, it pours. It's nice to work and have the hope that interviews bring, but I'm glad to have a day that's low key. I heard from some friends and professors because of applying to jobs that care about my intelligence... it's on the refreshing side. My last teaching job didn't check with my professors.

plus side

Free time is a definite benefit to unemployment. It's an exercise to take advantage of it, to use it constructively. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed when I don't know the end point and spaz out, escaping any form of productivity. I remember a rowing workout where my coach explained that we would do anywhere from 3-12 all out 1k sprints. I said all out for three looks different than all out for twelve. Then she said, "No, it doesn't." You could argue both our points, but hers is stronger. I've got to give all my effort in each sprint regardless of how many are to come. I like to plan for the future even I don't have the least clue what it will bring. Take for instance, this time last year, I had no idea that I'd be unemployed, dog-sitting, in a long-distance relationship, training for a marathon.

One time when I was lamenting my lack-luster career and station in life my sister gently chastised me. My sister always warns me that I have no clue what the future holds; so, I need to be neither fearful nor complacent. She's right.

So, I'm trying to look for a job that I'll succeed in, grow in my faith in God, and enjoy the time instead of feeling guilty. So, I'm reading a lot and watching movies and cooking. Yesterday afternoon I watched The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. I would highly recommend it. It's the same guy who did Supersize Me. It provokes thought and awareness. Is advertising bad? Can we live without it? How influenced are we by it? Et cetera.

I've also been muscling through a bio of the Brontes and enjoying a bio of Eudora Welty aptly titled Eudora. I've read Welty's memoir and a lot of her work. I like Flannery O'Connor better but Eudora is great. Here are two quotes from the first page:
1) "As you have seen, I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within." from her own One Writer's Beginnings
2) "'It wasn't that Eudora Welty was plain,' said a woman who had grown up in Jackson and now lives in Boston. 'She was ugly to the point of being grotesque. In the South, that was tantamount to being an old maid....'"

I'm finding it really entertaining and interesting, esp. since The Help takes place in Jackson, Mississippi too.

calendars are a lie!

This week has been delightfully offbeat. Today was a lovely, unexpected kind of day following completely in line with the others. Maybe it's the shiny snow that refuses to melt away. Maybe it's how my week turned out very differently than I anticipated, reminding me how magical and mysterious the future really is. My life isn't measured out in teaspoons, Mr. Prufrock... or little calendar boxes.

Maybe in lieu of the perfect little square boxes, calendar makers should shape divvy up the days of a month like puzzle pieces. No two days the same size or shape to remind us how special Tuesday, January 11, 2011 really was. The blank or metered-out rectangle of a normal calendar gives an illusion of control and boredom. That the days are little dominoes in a row to fall neatly one after the other.

Not that there isn't rhythm and meter in a week. Ritual and repetition are lovely and necessary. I'm not proposing eliminating Monday mornings or Thursday afternoons, but to celebrate them in the same manner the Mad Hatter celebrates unbirthdays. He's right, you know, unbirthdays are rather splendid days.

Maybe I should designate all unbirthdays that fall on Mondays "celebrate a friend" day and write or call one of my friends to tell them how he or she sparkles. Tuesday could be "celebrate a word day" and I could pick a word of the day to run into the ground-- or to say with an accent-- or I could blog it over and over again like "maybe" in this entry. Wednesday could be "celebrate food", and I could decide to eat 100 french fries or to savor a bowl of my delicious pumpkin curry soup. Thursday could be "celebrate music" day, and I could choose a genre or sing along or dance around in my socks. Friday could be "celebrate silly" day and make fun of my ridiculous self all day long or wear a feather in my hair or something else to let people know that my eyes twinkle even when I sleep. Saturday could be "celebrate small tasks" day and turn vacuuming into a game or dish washing into fun. Sunday could be "celebrate rest" day, and I could take a long, luxurious nap!

These are just examples. I could just as easily celebrate running or weather. Imagine how different my mornings would be if I considered inclement weather as adventure instead of imposition. We have a good and gracious God worth celebrating-- and so is his creation. Maybe I need to recalibrate my attitude from complaining and cynical jabs to little outbursts of wonder and awe of the amazing, zany, and exciting things that happen in a day. I get so focused on a door slamming that I don't even feel the orange light of the sunrise streaking through the window. Instead I let the the slam echo in my ears instead of stare in awe at the gorgeous day dawning. I'm so sure I know how my life is going to turn out. God must laugh and shake his head.

For instance today I went into a hen house and rooted around for eggs and talk about African versus Italian bees. Like I saw that coming. Plus I took the verbal section of the SAT and read really interesting excerpts about the fundamental physics. Who saw that coming to someone in her thirties? This was no boring calendar slab. Celebrate surprise! Celebrate strange! Celebrate failed plans!

A Day of Sloth

My brother makes fun of me for being completely predictable and for good reason. I read Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, wrote, and ran today. I played on FaceBook-- there's a lot of stuff I couldn't do from my BlackBerry (that's my excuse). I did the map of all the cities I've been to, which was fun. It was a good review of 2010-- well, at least the summer. I had so much fun on the Galapagos, especially Isabella.

This holiday season has made me realize that I need to seek out my friends more. Why do I let it be so long between calls for people I adore? I've had great conversations over food and the phone with people that make me happy. There's a warm afterglow to a conversation with a friend that makes even washing dishes more pleasant. And, no doubt topics of the conversations will plop out into my writing and other conversations. So, I invited a friend to dinner who accepted then canceled; therefore, I was forced to eat a lot of cookies and drink milk for dinner! I was going to try to make grilled cheese sandwiches with brie but settled for chocolate chip cookies.

Scurrying at the back of my mind are my goals for 2011. Some are obvious: find a job for September, run a race a month (do I train for a marathon or ultra?), read, blog. Of course even the obvious goals need specifications. Then, there's the question how do you make spiritual goals? I can prioritize quiet time, reading Scripture, etc. It's like planning to fall in love but a surer bet. Maybe even cooking and not watching TV count towards spiritual awakening. Perhaps, word choice counts too. I should be more cognizant of the weightiness of words. And Eugene Peterson writes about hurry and procrastination being bad too-- they distort the sacredness of time. Perhaps, I should redirect my gaze from my navel to God. I need to go on a God-hunt every day figure out where he met me in my day-- isn't that what Marva Dawn refers to it as?

I actually tried doing some work, but my computer wouldn't open the CD. It must be because I haven't gotten Microsoft Office yet. So, I settled on cleaning out my inbox for 30 minutes... and I put a 10% dent into it. Yikes.

And, I've decided I'm going to write a book this year-- 300 pages 12 font double-spaced. How's that for specificity? I have ideas for 17 chapters. I've already outlined two. Boo yah.

Perhaps I should make it a goal that my posts have a point?

get-away

I went to Richmond this weekend. I took a sick day on Friday and scooted on up 85 and 95. I had a fantastic time with my sister! We had a very girlie, very foodie kind of a weekend. I felt very pampered. We're talking mani/pedi and facial, Valentine's Day the movie, Red's, Cafe Guttenberg, Millie's, Red Robbin and the gyro place. It was fun and relaxing. I'm tired but revived. I'm going to stay late at school tonight to work on my centers, which debut on Friday. I've got to get them organized.

And, my sister and I've have decided on a massive undertaking for Lent. We're going to do the Daniel Fast (vegan, no caffeine, no alcohol, no fried, no added sweeteners)for Lent, we're going to read two books of the Bible and journal. It's hard core, but it's really the only way. I've been getting less these couple of months both with food and reading my Bible. My body, heart and mind need to detox. Lent is a structured time with a great celebration at the end. What's not to like? I'm going to be in pain starting Wednesday. No caffiene.

I found two running clubs: one meets on M/W/F at 5:45am at the Country Club-- about a five minute jog from my house. And the other, meets Mondays at 7:15 and Thursdays at 6:30 pm at an elementary school. I'm a little concerned about the earliness, but it does appeal. And, I imagine the morning people are a little more hard core. Any opinions/insights?

I haven't heard anything from any jobs. We shall see.

sweet desert

My vacation has provided little opportunity for blogging. Perhaps, we shall call it a vacation for my readers as well. But, the blogging famine was a feast of living.

My trip was full of goodness... God's grace and goodness to be precise. Friendship is such a humbling and beautiful gift. I got to spend time with three friends that have an intense impact on my life and soul. Their love and commitment is far beyond anything I deserve, and I get energized just being around their awesomeness. They are so alive in the truest and fullest way-- the God intended way. Their laughs tinkle. Their truth tingles with the slightest of sting. I sleep really well after spending time with them-- it's like a day at the beach.

I feel more relaxed and priortized. I feel... ready. Expectant. Hopeful. I've been a stress bunny all this year, but life isn't feeling so heavy right now. I'm more self aware now-- not in an bent-in way, but a how-am-I-impacting-the-people-I-love way. I feel open. Excited. Joyful. I am in a planning stage.

Several of my friends are in love. I found their healthy, happy relationships enjoyable and inspiring. Maybe it's feasible for me to find someone compatible?

I even got reinvigorated about reading the Bible. It's exciting again. I heard some intelligent, passionate preaching in Vancouver by two of my favorite pastors.

I'm benefitting from the recreate that comes in recreation. Fun and relaxation are powerful stuff.

I've been staying with a friend's seventh grader the past couple of days. I've had a blast but am exhausted. We checked out puppies and fedoras, ate Japanese, I cooked a "visually appealling" meal that night. Then we went to church, Wendy's, Discovery Place, played with blocks, watched Transformers on Imax, walked around uptown, ate ice cream for dinner. Today, we slept in, worked out at the Y: I ran, he swam, researched puppies at the library, ate huge salads, watched Inkheart, and I did some of the homework I'd planned on doing. And, I had a great conversation with my brother today about the LSAT, running, life and God.

vancouver

I'm off to Stanley Park to meet C for a run. Then, we're going to meet up with M, and go to the Vermeer and Rembrandt exhibit at the VAG. This morning I rode a bike around the sea wall to Granville Island and did the gallery crawl up Granville. I had a delicious lunch. Tomorrow I head out to Bowen Island for a three-day retreat. My half marathon went surprisingly well. It reminded me of high school Cross Country-- low key and small. I'm having a great time!

long and fast

This is the week that never ends. It keeps going on and on my friends. By Wednesday 7pm while I was still in my classroom, I felt like I'd accomplished enough already for it to be Friday night. But, no.

I'm exhausted and still have so much to do. My sister's graduation party is on Saturday. I have Symphony tickets for Friday night and promised my friend we'd go out to eat before the concert. Tuesday I had small group then went to my school's choral concert (I'm skipping the band concert tonight-- I couldn't stomach the squawking and honking this late into the week). And, I have my half marathon training to scrunch between the bedlam of work and my "social" life. I need to buy a plane ticket to Vancouver really soon, but the lack of internet service is making that difficult. Maybe I'll join AAA because my car with 254k miles and they could find me a flight. Do you get good deals through them?

Apparently my uncle reported about my party to my sister, "It's like B said. The people who were at J's party really love J." I think the kayaking, cookout and monsoon weren't necessarily his party format of choice. He also said, "It was cold and wet." And, it was... at the very end.

All this whining is to say, I think this level of business is helping to prioritize and not lose sleep over any one thing. Although I did wake up at 2:30 am last night petrified that none of my kids are going to pass the state test. We shall see.

This is such an interesting period of life utterly different from last year this time. Now I need to go home and mix cow manure and lyme into my soil and plant my 6 grape tomato plants and cross train. My second annual patio garden will provide some continuity. Only four more weeks. And miles and miles before we sleep. Yowsers.

the big three OH!

I'm not sure why I decided to have a party. It turned out to be a good idea fraught with lots of work (but definitely worth it). We met on the Catawba River and kayaked, played whiffle ball, and cooked out. The older people played cards, and my uncle read Dostyeovksy's The Idiot in a foldable chair by the river. This is all to say it was low key. Twas lucky to have a beer tasting on the same grounds. All my guests had a couple of cups of microbrewed beer for free before hitting the kayaks. One person out of twenty was on time, and it was all good.

The weather was pleasant until the monsoon hit while we were eating our local, organic burgers. A lightning storm hit while we were gathered under a tin roof. It wouldn't have been that bad except for the tropical storm level winds. Everybody got soaked due to the fact that there were no walls. G said, "You're never going to forget your 30th party." "Neither are you," I replied.

The food was good. But, my favorite part of the whole shindig were my guests. My friends are such lovely folk and good sports to boot. When I was asked what the rain plan was, I answered, "You get wet." Little did I know how prophetic my smart ass comment would be. I'm such an enigma: a majority of my present were books, followed by UNC paraphenalia and then green and blue jewelry and clothes. And, the other odd detail was the drunk 47 year old woman who crashed the party because somebody had taken her keys (must have been a beer-tasting casualty).

Last night I slept like the proverbial log because I remained faithful to my training plan (6 miles yesterday before 8 am) and kayaked. Today, I ate birthday cake for breakfast, went to church, took a nap in lieu of the planned journal writing at the botanical gardens. Now I need to clean and organize and work for next week.

I always imagined I'd have it together by the time I was thirty. Ha. I don't feel mature enough to be twenty five; I guess I should make a habit of SPF 45 to compensate for the disparity in my age and compentencies! I need to come up with some goals for the year. Maybe to laugh more and listen better and listing to-do. Most people assure me that their thirties were/are an improvement on their twenties. I hope so.

revamp

I need to revamp busy-- to figure out the architecture of balance. It pains me to reach this point, but I think I need a schedule. I was so productive in high school, and it was due to the structure of my time. Breakfast check in was by 7:45 am. Study hall was from 8-9:30. Sports 3:30-5:30. Lights out was at 11. Everything was so nice and slotted. I still managed to have a ton of fun and down time: it was called the weekend.

Structure and order are not a bad thing. I need a time budget in order to prioritize my priorities. It sucks when I get to the end of the day and am too exhausted to read or journal. And, it's my own fault. I'm responsible for letting myself get to the point where I resent my job. I think this schedule thing will function as a type of boundary.

We shall see. Today was a day that made me consider a leave of absence. But, it was redeemed by the meeting after school-- they fed us Outback chicken, salad and potato. The restaurant donated it to the new teachers. And, the Junior League donated cook books. Awesome.