Full Day's Food for May 11, 2010

Meal: Thomas' Multi-grain bagel with butter in the car, and then a plain bagel with cream cheese with a Tall hot chocolate at Starbucks for breakfast.


Rating:
Taste: multi-grain bagel- 9, plain bagel- 10, hot chocolate- 10

I picked up the multi-grain bagels for lack of a better choice on snowy night in February while at Weis, one of the other supermarkets around here. I was surprised to find, once I did finally eat it, that it tasted good, and that it was high in fiber, which I could always use more of in my diet.

I knew, though, that this one little bagel wouldn't be enough to sustain me until lunch {one of the reasons I go to Starbucks in the first place in the morning...aside from using it as a place to hang out before I have to go to work}, so I opted for a bigger bagel, this time with cream cheese to go with my tall hot chocolate.

The bagel complimented the cocoa perfectly, and had a small hint of sweetness I didn't expect. And the cocoa...try it if you haven't, because Starbucks has the best cocoa I've ever had.

Meal: last of the leftover Pizza Hut, an oats and chocolate Fiber One bar and a can of Coke for lunch.

Rating:
Taste: pizza- 8, Fiber one bar- 8, Coke- 10

I was surprised I wasn't sick of the pizza by now, as a lot of people would be having the same food three days in a row, but I guess that's a testament to Pizza Hut and the food they make. Also, I was afraid that not refrigerating it right away would negatively effect the taste, but it didn't, so that was good.

The bar was scrumptious as always. I used to eat about two of these every time I went to my friend Rebekah's house back two summers ago. I've started trying to eat at least four a week, which also helps with my fiber intake, something everyone should take into consideration when they pick food to eat.

The Coke was cold and crisp and not my original choice to have for lunch, since I left my water in the car when I was dropped off in the morning. Canned soda is my second favorite way to have soda, second only to soda from a fountain. Yuuum.

By the way, even though I had two bagels for breakfast in the morning, I was so hungry by the time 12:30 rolled around that I started to feel sick. It looks like I'll have to have something a little richer or more filled with protein to supplement it in the mornings or else this will become a problem.

Meal: Regular sized Chicken Carbonara sub from Quizno's and a large Coke from Jerry's for dinner.

Rating:
Taste: Chicken Carbonara- 7, Coke- 9

The Chicken Carbonara sub is the only one I ever get when I go to Quizno's. With ingredients like bacon, mushrooms, chicken, mozzarella cheese and "Creamy Bacon Alfredo Sauce", why would I ever want anything else? One time I deviated, not by choice, and got cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella. The sandwich was still tasty as ever, but I don't think I would ever deviate again. I normally would give this sandwich a 10, but because I left it in the microwave for about two hours to keep it warm, all of the heat turned into moisture which soaked part of the paper it was wrapped in. The sandwich was still good, but not as good as it usually is when it's fresh out of the oven.

The Coke was refreshing as usual. Fountain soda is the only proper way to drink soda, in my opinion. Followed by can soda {I can't describe why, but try it, and you'll see what I mean}, and then bottled soda, which makes the soda lose something.


It's definitely time for a gym visit tomorrow, I think.

Food Quote: "In terms of fast food and deep understanding of the culture of fast food, I’m your man." —–Bill Gates

Full Day's Food for May 10, 2010

Meal: Red Delicious apple in the car followed by Sweet Mallorca Bread and a Grande Earl Grey tea at Starbucks for breakfast.




Rating:
Taste: Apple- 10, Sweet Mallorca Bread- 9, Earl Grey tea- 10

For me, apples either rate a 10 or a 1 on the taste scale. 10 being crunchy, delicious and sweet {depending on the type}. 1 being mushy and disgusting, no matter what type. We bought these apples a few weeks ago, and I tend to grab one on the way to work to tide me over until I get breakfast at Starbucks, something I've started to add to my morning routine over the last month and a half.

During that time I've usually stuck with my usual of a Tall Hot Chocolate and a blueberry scone, but this morning, I thought I would try something else, in the form of the tea and the sweet bread. Now, I am a big tea person, and their tea is Tazo, one of my favorite brands aside from Twinnings. As far as taste and quality of tea goes, you can't beat either one of these. The sweet bread was a new venture, and I'm glad I made the decision to get it this morning. The bread was sweet, but not overpowering, which I liked. The powdered sugar sprinkled on top kicked the sweetness up a small notch, but again, it wasn't overpowering. At 420 calories, according to starbucks.com, 220 of which are from fat, it's not something I'd want everyday, but it will be nice to treat myself to once in awhile.

Meal: Leftover slice of sausage pizza, Fat Free chocolate pudding and water.


Rating:
Taste: leftover pizza- 8, pudding- 8, water- 10

Most of my lunches consist of things like this now. Sometimes I have enough time in the morning to make a sandwich, grab a piece of fruit and then a bottle of water before I run out the door. Most of the time, though, it's something hastily put together from either leftovers; homemade or take out, or just random things I happen to grab. I try to always incorporate water, which has only not been drunk twice, since there's a handy soda/snack machine in the backroom of work.

After I reheated the pizza in the microwave, the crust became very soft, the grease so prevalent in the pan crust pizzas at Pizza Hut cooked out. Probably for the best. Despite this and the softness of the crust, the pizza was still delicious; the sausage yummy, and the cheese perfectly melty.

Are you getting hungry? I certainly am.

The pudding, for being fat free, was surprisingly good. Definitely not the best chocolate pudding I've ever had, but when it's fat free, you take what you can get.

Water...it's water. Unless it's been sitting in the car getting hot or out in the open getting stale, there's not much that can be done to make it nasty.

Meal: Slow cooked steak, frozen mixed vegetables and Light cran-raspberry juice.





Rating:
Taste: steak- 10, vegetables- 10, juice- 10

My Mom and I aren't the biggest "cook all their meals at home" people. We used to be, but since moving in 2003, after almost renovating a house, and you know, getting older, my Mom's stamina for cooking for us has dwindled. My own excuse is a mixture of laziness {largely} and the fact that I'm working two jobs now. It's not that I don't like to cook or that I don't want to, it's just that when there's something to microwave that will be available to me within a 1:50, or a place I can hit on the way home and have delicious artery-clogging food given to me right away, it's easy to lapse into laziness.

My Mom put on the steak she had defrosted the night before, asking me to watch it and turn it over every so often, putting it on a heat setting of '2' out of '9'/'High'. It's important not to cook steak too fast or else it will not taste as good as it does from soaking in its own juices for 20 minutes. I flipped the steak a few times, and seasoned both sides of it with salt and pepper, pushing it around in the juices that had drained from it while it was slow cooking. At the same time, I opened a bag of frozen vegetables, put half in a bowl, filled half of that with water, and then put it in the microwave for 10 minutes. The vegetables were done before the steak was, but keeping them in the microwave made sure they stayed fresh and hot.

Once the steak was cooked to my satisfaction, probably about medium, I cut it in half and divided it up on two plates for myself and my Mom. I drained the vegetables, divided them up, and then rinsed off the cookware. I got myself a glass of Light Cran-Raspberry juice, which I didn't discover until late 2007, and paired that with my dinner.

The end result:
A fairly healthy dinner, for once.

The steak needed no sauces or added seasoning because of how we cooked it. Remember this the next time you reach for the BBQ or A1 steak sauce. All I seasoned it with was salt and pepper. If you only need something minimal like that, or even not that, you are cooking your steak in the best way possible.

Meal: German chocolate cake and skim milk


Rating:
Taste: cake- 10, milk- 9

Well, after an exceptionally healthy dinner, I decide to blow it, and give into my craving for cake by running to Giant Food, one of the many supermarkets in Maryland {for those not in the region}, and grab a 1/2 whole cake they had in the bakery. Thankfully, I wasn't going to get the whole thing since Mom had half of the half with me.

I haven't had German chocolate cake in a long time, and oh my was it worth the wait. Giant always makes delicious cakes {I use 'delicious' a lot, don't I?}, and this was no exception. If they had had one of their cream cheese cakes, it would've been all over.

The milk I had shouldn't need to be explained since....how can you have cake and not have milk with it? They pair so well, like peanut butter and jelly.

Until next time, Bon Appetit!

Food Quote: "We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." —-Adelle Davis

Dinner for May 9, 2010

Meal: Large sausage pizza with lasagna from Pizza Hut and Swiss Miss hot chocolate.

Rating:
Taste: Pizza- 9, Lasagna- 10, Hot chocolate- 7

As always, Pizza Hut makes a superbly delicious sausage pan crust pizza. The sausage was hot, the cheese was melty and delicious, and the crust was a thing off beauty. The lasagna, what little I had of it, since it was my Mom's dish, was the highlight of the meal. The cheeses; ricotta, Parmesan and Romano blended perfectly with the meat sauce and the lasagna noodles.

The hot chocolate I combined it with could've been better. I've been having a lot of it in the last few months. Normally I put 3 scoops of the instant cocoa in the cup, but this time I put in 2, like the container said to. It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit more watery than I would've liked.

Presentation:






Food Quote: "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." —Mark Twain

Introduction

It's no secret that I like food. I've had a love affair with it since I was a kid. And, judging from the size of me, it's obvious that that is still ongoing. I love it all; pastries, cakes, ethnic food, hamburgers, pasta, breads, fruit, vegetables {certain ones at least}, pizza, etc. I could go on, but then I'd be here all day listing the foods I like.

What I aim to do is to keep this is a sort of food diary/showcase of the things I eat on a daily basis. This way, I can keep track of my eating habits, share recipes, show off my cooking prowess, and showcase awesome local food places in my area.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy bringing it to you.

Bon Appetit!