Bell Pepper Bread

A shout-out to Mark's Daily Apple for alerting me to this post on The Primal Parent for using red bell pepper instead of bread for sandwiches. I read the post yesterday as I was mulling over what to have for lunch. After reading, I went straight into the kitchen, cut a red bell pepper in half, put peppercorn deli-turkey (soy), kale, tomato, and a slice of soy cheese in between the pepper halves and YUM. I have found a new favorite lunch. 

Photo from THE PRIMAL PARENT blog

Menu Planning Complete

Oddly enough, when I started eating meat this year, I got away from the whole cooking thing. All I did each week was stick a couple of chicken breasts into the oven to bake, steam some vegetables, open a can of lentils and call it a meal. 

Now that I'm vegetarian again, I'm enjoying getting back not only to cooking but to menu planning. There's something satisfying about sitting down in front of a spread of cookbooks and magazines and getting to pick and chose what yummy delicacies or hearty dishes I'll make for the week. 

I spent some time this morning sipping hot green tea and looking at menus. I've got a bunch of swiss chard in the fridge that needs to be used so that's the focus of a couple of meals for early in the week. So far, our week is looking like this:

Sunday: Garlicky Roasted Shrimp and Swiss Chard

Monday: Crustless Leek Greens & Herb Quiche

Tuesday: On our own

Wednesday: Sloppy Lentils (on sprouted hamburger buns for Blair, plain for me) and Spicy Coleslaw

Thursday: I'm out with girls which probably means cereal for Blair. 

Friday: Carbo-loading night so some form of pizza or pasta. I found a recipe for cauliflower pizza crust which I may make for me. I thought of trying to slip it by Blair but that could have ugly repurcussions. 

I still have a damn whole chicken in my freezer. Unknown what to do with that. Again, maybe I'll just make it and send it over to my mom. 

Oh! And yesterday's clothes shopping excursion for Blair yielded a really fun new kitchen tool for me from my favorite kitchen store, The Extra Ingredient. Details soon. 

Cheers,

Dena

Smug Marrieds: Eggs & Wine

Blair and I went grocery shopping today (pause to give a "Wass up!" shout-out to the Super Wal-Mart that is the hub of our little town) and as we walked outside I smiled and said, "Did you see what the older woman behind us had in her cart?"

The woman in question looked to be in her late 60's/early 70's, with the carefully curled hair of those who visit the beauty parlor every Saturday to have it set and do not take comb nor brush to it in between visits. A rouged and powdered face, dowdy clothes, and the withered puckering of the lips indicated a lifelong smoker. 

"She had a sixteen-pack egg carton and two bottles of wine," I said, answering my own question. I winked at Blair. "Looks like a sleep over to me." 

"Funny," said Blair. "I was thinking she reminded me of you."

I burst out laughing. I've been doing the Tim Ferriss Slow Carb Diet on and off for months now. Eggs and red wine are staples of the diet and I buy each in copious amounts. 

"Oh my God, that was cruel," I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "I feel like I should run back in there, find her, and say, 'Are you doing the Tim Ferriss diet too!? Oh my God! We should be diet buddies!'"

"I keep telling you that diet doesn't look pretty from this end but you won't listen," said Blair. 

Maybe she is on the diet. Or maybe she really likes eggs and was restocking on wine. Or maybe, just maybe--and let's all send her some positive thoughts in this direction--she was gettin' her some. ;)

Cheers,

Dena