Perpetual "What's for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Today" thread

Kahrey · Post by **Kahrey** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:52 pm

BREAKFAST: Yeah, I had McDonald's. I worked this morning, so I got a free meal, couldn't pass it up....

I have no clue what I'm going to eat for dinner. Probably nothing.... I don't feel like cooking. When you're around food that much, you don't really want to cook. Most of the time I don't even want to eat. Especially considering that the only thing in the fridge is hamburger patties. *sigh*

mccormack44 · Post by **mccormack44** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:28 pm

I have no idea what to eat at any next meal. Luckily, I visit with a dietician next Monday. Balancing added fiber for controlling diverticulosis with the controlled carbs of diabetic management and the food sensitivities that I have had all my life is driving me nuts.

I'm hoping for a new and happier response by the middle of next week!

Sue

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:37 pm

kids and I went out for yakisoba noodles at a foodcourt place I like, and had yummy frozen yogurt afterwards. Skye, sadly, is not terribly ethnic-food-friendly... she kept asking me to move the vegetables so she could find the "pasghetti" underneath *sigh*

mccormack44 · Post by **mccormack44** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:11 am

My children were VERY "new food" unfriendly until I convinced them to try just one bite â€” the smallest bite they could manage. This got to be a game â€” just how small could "a broccoli" be? With the fear of being stuck with a plateful of unwelcome food removed, they began to sample many new foods, one "a bite" at a time, and soon lost their fear of the new.

My mother, of course, objected to my methods and never, ever noticed that my children had become adventuresome eaters.

Sue

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:29 am

Oh my kids will eat just about anything, but the beef was poorly done (extremely salty and dry) and the vegetables were *barely* steamed and kind of wilty looking. It didn't look terribly appetizing (sadly, Zachary's and mine were fantastic!) so she stuck to the familiar, which was the noodles. I actually got her to try Romarins the other day (barely sprouted broccoflower heads) and she loved them

Zachary looked at it and said, "Mom, when do the aliens hatch?" LOL (Brad, I may have the name wrong... I can't seem to find them online, but I swear, I had the package in front of me, and that's what it said!)

Post by **Darb** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:18 pm

tollbaby wrote:kids and I went out for yakisoba noodles at a foodcourt place I like, and had yummy frozen yogurt afterwards. Skye, sadly, is not terribly ethnic-food-friendly... she kept asking me to move the vegetables so she could find the "pasghetti" underneath *sigh*

I can teach you some easy basic asian sauces, if you want to learn to make, say, soba in peanut sauce, at home. Peanut butter and pasta are regular staples in most households with small children, so it's a natural pairing, with only a few extra ingredients.

Post by **Darb** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:20 pm

tollbaby wrote:Oh my kids will eat just about anything, but the beef was poorly done (extremely salty and dry) and the vegetables were *barely* steamed and kind of wilty looking. It didn't look terribly appetizing (sadly, Zachary's and mine were fantastic!) so she stuck to the familiar, which was the noodles. I actually got her to try Romarins the other day (barely sprouted broccoflower heads) and she loved them Zachary looked at it and said, "Mom, when do the aliens hatch?" LOL (Brad, I may have the name wrong... I can't seem to find them online, but I swear, I had the package in front of me, and that's what it said!)

Perhaps you're referring to "Broccoli Rabe" ?

If so, I believe they're in the Broccoli family, but are actually a different plant ... they're extra bitter too, if you like bitter flavors. It's a classic pairing with Italian pork sausage, garlic and pasta.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:03 pm

no... this is actually the barely-sprouted head of brocco-flower, I just don't know what they're officially called. I know what Broccoli Rabe is - different beast. They look like little green crowns. They're pretty nifty

Kind of like this http://www.mortalspaces.com/illuminatio ... flower.jpg but just single spirals, and only about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Oh, and thanks on the Peanut sauce, Brad, but I'm mildly allergic to peanuts, so I tend to avoid them.

Post by **Darb** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:35 pm

Well, here's my recipe anyway, in case anyone wants it.

Sauce, Peanut (Asian)
Comments: My version of an Amerasian staple ... Iâ€™m still refining it.
Batch Size: Makes just over Â½ cup ... enough pasta sauce, or satay dipping sauce, for 1-2 adults.
Pasta Type: Soba noodles, or Vermicelli.

Amount Ingredient
Â¼ cup Peanut Butter, creamy style
1/8 cup Dry Sake and/or Ginger-infused Vodka
1/8 cup Soy Sauce (Tamari)
1 tbsp Honey
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
Â½ tsp Salt
pinch Chinese Five Spice Powder
pinch Cayenne Pepper
dash Lime Juice or Rice Vinegar

Garnish (for pasta):
Something moist & crunchy (thin sliced celery, julienne of cucumber, or mung bean sprouts). Toasted sesame seeds are optional.

Directions:
1) SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl, until smooth. Thin with additional sake, if needed, for desired consistency. If you like it richer, add a little dark sesame oil. Adjust salt, sweetness, and spiciness to taste.
2) SERVE: For noodles, toss warm pasta with sauce, along with crunchy garnish. For satay, place in small finger bowls for dipping.
3) VARIANTS:
Â· SPICY: Increase the cayenne pepper and/or add finely shredded fresh green chili peppers (deseeded) to the noodles.
Â· THAI DRESSING (for salad): Add curry powder, double the honey, add dash of rice vinegar, and lessen soy sauce slightly.
Â· SATAY DIPPING SAUCE (for chicken or beef satay): Same as Thai, but omit the curry powder.

mccormack44 · Post by **mccormack44** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:18 pm

I want to try the peanut sauce some time if the new diet allows it. In the meantime, the new diet thanks the Tap Room for some earlier help. I think it was the vegetarian thread, but the recipe is now moving into our staples file.

I think it was last September I asked for help in doing bean dishes without tomatoes. Thanks to the postings I developed an old favorite into "IBDoF Lentils Monastery Style." I'm pretty sure I posted the revised recipe.

Anyway, a package or two of this dish was in our freezer when I went down to try to find something for a high-fiber meal. I have just eaten it for lunch with great enjoyment and NO after effects. So thank all of you again for helping me develop good tasting food that caters to my health issues.

Sue

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:56 am

Going out with a large group of friends for dim sum today at lunch

shall report back later! (should be fun... last time at this particular restaurant, I actually got Paxil, who hates seafood, to eat deep-fried squid tentacles! - we'll see what I can get him to try tomorrow!)

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:08 pm

interesting experiment for dinner.... I didn't feel like turning the oven on, so I defrosted some sole fillets. Then I nuked them, chopped them, added some broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, basil, and about 1/2 cup gouda cheese... nuked it a bit more, and it was pretty damn good

the kids weren't nuts about the texture of the cheese mixed with the fish, but after it cooled a bit, they devoured it

I don't think I'll ever make this particular experiment again, but it worked out okay tonight

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:38 am

Hey, props for experimenting.

Mixing cheese with fish is considered a culinary no no in Italy ... but I've never been one to obey that. I like salmon kedgere with a good Engish cheddar, for instance, or flounder stuffed with spinach and a little feta.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:26 pm

well, I have to admit, I could have probably come up with a better pairing than sole & gouda, but meh. it was edible. It was an invention born of necessity, because I refused to turn on the stove last night (it was 105 in my apartment)

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:36 pm

105 ?!

Ugh.

I prefer cold food when it's that hot.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 1:35 pm

sadly, I had nothing pre-made... thus the need for nuking food.

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 1:38 pm

You have young kids, but no peanut butter & ice cold jelly/jam in the house ?

/me indignantly dials Child Welfare services, and turns TB in for being a delinquent Mommie.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 2:05 pm

of course I had peanut butter and refrigerated jam, silly.... but it's been so hot & humid, my bread had gone mouldy

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:56 pm

tollbaby wrote:of course I had peanut butter and refrigerated jam, silly.... but it's been so hot & humid, my bread had gone mouldy

Unless it's a fresh crusty loaf that I just bought that very day, I usually store my bread in the fridge year round ... as long as the bag is good and you keep it tightly sealed, it'll keep for up to 2 weeks before it gets noticeably stale - and even then it still toasts up nice, and can be used in salads (croutons) and soups and as a binder in seafood burgers & meat loaf.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:20 pm

I normally do too... you wouldn't believe the amount of condensation in my fridge right now.

Post by **Darb** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:40 pm

I hear ya. I rent, and as a result I'm stuck with a really sh**y fridge that's poorly insulated and frosts/sweats up a storm in summer.

One of the first things I'm buying, when I get a house, is not one, but 3 good and well insulated fridges with digital controls ... one for everyday food, one for wine and medicine, and one for dry-aging large cuts of meats and curing lox.

Emperor · Post by **Emperor** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:26 am

You'd do better to buy a wine fridge for the wine as pect, I say that because they come with the nice racks already in them, and you only have 1 temp to worry about and not the humidity lol when my parents got one it freed up alot of space for every day food.

I also rent but I got lucky with a good fridge and stove, and I'm totally up for having some of the lox, more so if you smoke it though.

Me I just wish I had a freezer along side the one ontop of the fridge (standard over under style) That way I could have more of the foods I like and not have to worry about the lack of room in the freezer I have

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:31 am

I got creative on Sunday. It turned out quite well, so I thought I'd share. I had some leftover chicken breasts, so I made some.... stew-ishness

2 Tbsp butter
1 large spanish onion
3 cloves garlic
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
6 beefsteak tomatoes
6 small carrots
6 new potatoes
1 can peaches & cream corn
1 block Haloumi cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Normally, I sautÃ©e my vegetables in olive oil, but I was fresh out of any kind of oil at all, so I used butter. SautÃ©ed the garlic and onions in the butter until they were transluscent. Tossed in the chicken pieces and put the lid on to let it all steam until the chicken was cooked. Then I threw in the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and corn and let it simmer until the potatoes and carrots were tender. Tossed in the seasoning and the cheese, let it simmer another 10-15 minutes, and served on a bed of vegetable broth couscous. Not quite vegetarian, but I figured the kids might not be too crazy about the Haloumi, and I wanted to cook those chicken breasts before they went bad. We had some for dinner Sunday night, and I had enough left over to make myself lunch for two or three days this week

yummy stuff.

mccormack44 · Post by **mccormack44** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 9:03 am

Sounds good, though I'll need to omit the tomatoes and substitute for the corn (acute sensitivities). I'll have to chart out the substitutions, but it sounds worth a try.

Sue

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 10:56 am

well, you could always use a cream sauce... cream of celery or cream of broccoli soup would have been a lovely base, or onion soup, but as I had a bag of tomatoes in danger of going bad, tomatoes it was

And I can't do without corn. My wonderful fantastical parents (I like them at the moment LOL) bought me a half-dozen ears of corn on the cob... sadly, I'll have to steam them or boil them, as I don't have a grill. *sigh*

Forgot to mention, by this morning, all that lovely juice from the tomatoes and other yummy things had thickened up considerably (I removed the seeds & ... um... "innards" from the tomatoes before adding them to the pot, since I wanted stew and not soup). It's really nice on couscous