Also2 in non-tangible-card style…
September 4, 2012 § Leave a Comment
We “went out” the other night. During the school year? Yup. Wowza, that’s crazy talk.
It was really super!! I highly recommend hanging out with neat people as much as possible. Cheers, Chum who hosted for us!!!
scrabbloos
I have to give my chum special mention for being a trooper in the “now, what is it that you can eat, exactly?” department. She tailored the meal to all of our (let’s call them) “food parameters.” It was delish with its turkey cutlet, courgette, zucchini, kale, and accompanying elements. Yay!
Mum & The Scoopmeals…
December 4, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Mum’s visiting! Yay!
And it’s Saturday! One of the best days of the week for me as it is also my Weekend Day One! I am thus allowed more time for relaxing; chatting with the nearest and dearest; and ‘dancing’ (quote marks to reflect reality: Polly is a self-confessed dancer-in-progress who’s current style is best described as ‘somewhat coordinated bouncing’). Well, having ‘danced’ around the living room for a spell this morning; mum and I ate breakfast together (cold cereal and milk for mumsy; hot wheat cereal for Polly) and planned the next week’s scoopmeal options and compiled our grocery/shopping list.
mumsyscoop
The current plans include a selection of the following:
- Be kindly catered for at the homestead of the In-Laws’ (at least twice) with the delights created by the magic hands of mom-in-law
- My Mum’s turkey bolognaise sauce with husband’s Z-Noodz & steamed veggies
- Vegan Black Bean burgers with all the ‘fixin’s’ & some more veggies
- Tea out at the same place we ate lunch today (more deets to follow below..)
- Tuna or salmon (I like tuna; mum’s a salmon lady) with husband’s Z-Noodz (double-header this week, eh?)
Then we shall sit down again next Saturday to figure out what else we haven’t sampled – Polly’s Pizza, Turkey Sausage Sandwiches and the like.
In case that was just unbelievable fascinating information and you are keen to know even more about the grocery-shopping/lunch-out combo of our collective Weekend Day One; read on..
Remember I was going on about being local people? Well, that extends to our ‘eating out’ habits also too. Truth is, we are not the ‘take-away dinner’ type folks; definitely the ‘cook-at-home as much as possible’ type (and largely because Polly struggles to find edible options in the outside world). That said, once a week during our grocery shop extravaganza; we have lunch ‘out.’
We do this always at the same locale; a small café that actively encourages the most awkward of ordering techniques with absolutely no eye-rolling when I get VERY specific about the type of milk in my decaf latte.
The great news too (given our mum-visiting-status) is that not only is this cute café my #1 top choice for outside the house meals; mum likes it too AND gets 10% off (though she hardly looks (or acts) like a stereotypical ‘senior’…)
When it comes to my food wants (and in spite of my seemingly stringent list of preferences); at heart I am a simple girl. For example, if there is oatmeal on a menu, I am:
- overly excited;
- highly likely to willfully ignore every other option on the menu and give it a go.
At this particular café; I only dream of knowing how the wonderful staff member makes this beautiful oatmeal with only water and baby oats:
golden scoopmeal
decaf scoopmeal
- hubby scoopmeal slice
Though my husband is an unpredictable order-er every time (keeping the staff guessing each week); I am one of those people who have had their order rung up on the register without actually saying a word.
Polly, creature of habit – why, yes.
Best outside-my-house oatmeal on the planet? A resounding, Yes.
Oh. And Mumsy inhaled (eating almost all of it! Brilliant choice, mummy; lots of healthy ingredients to fill you up with your nutrient quota) a Grilled Chicken Wrap with avocado on a Whole Wheat Spinach Tortilla accompanied by organic tortilla chips and a tiny pot of salsa. Given the remarkable speed and silence during its consumption; clearly, this was a winner too.
Nutshell Days…
November 27, 2010 § Leave a Comment
It’s been a few days, eh? Where you been, Polly?
Here and there.
In a nutshell, I have been/done all sorts….
polly in a nutshell
Tracy Anderson Dance Cardio super-a-thon.. I have been feeling – because every day since wednesday I have managed to get through all EIGHT routines of Ms. Anderson’s without stopping (except for a slurp of some water here and there). That’s neat; feels neat. Can’t wait until tomorrow when I get to give it another attempt (note the word ‘attempt’ – I’m still a bit shaky on remembering all the moves for routines seven and eight; plus, unlike Ms. Anderson, I am hardly the model of coordination, timing, and effortless bounce; I need the practice).
Thurdsay was (of course) Turkey Day here, Stateside. Here is a snippet of my British contribution to the festivities (no political assertions today; I genuinely enjoy the forced get-together-ness of this holiday and the fact that I get two extra days at home with hubby)
thankscooping tiny mince pies
Friday was no-shopping-of-any-kind day in our world (that is my political statement for the week). No stampedes, $3 plazma teles or store browsing before dawn for us. No online shopping neither to round out the political element.
Since I have been boogy-ing it up attempting to mimic the perfection (and remarkable composure and non-red-faceness) of Ms. Anderson each morn, I have been listening to some YouTube playlists composed by hubbo-tron who finds great amusement in my dance moves around the kitchen. Well, the truth is, it has been freezing in the homestead and it is a lot cheaper to bounce around than turn on the heater, no?
Hormones, Polly? What about them? Well, it has been the mother-load progesterone pill-wise this week with its accompanying extreme highs and extreme lows (hubby does well in spite of the randomness of my behaviour). I actually think it has been good timing this week because of the aforementioned additional paid days off work. Me tired. Me likes to sleep at this point in the month.
Oh, and I also need to mini-celebrate the continued excitement that I am still food diary-journal-ing and it is really working! I still haven’t over-eaten or over-evening-snacked. It feels like eons ago that I last did that. I make sure to note each day how great I feel post-success and do some self-positive-encouragement talk lest I give up the enterprise and return to my previous not-so-much-fun-the-next-day days.
Phew. Still reading? Here is a another Turkey Day Polly creation picture to reward you. I like to make tiny cute things with pastry.
thankscooping
The NYC Classics Part Two: The Bagel…
October 7, 2010 § Leave a Comment
….courtesy of Daniels Bagels, NYC.
As promised, here is Part Two to round out the deets on my classic New York food extravaganza ( ‘deets’ as in the short version of ‘details’ – does it need an apostrophe someplace?).
I digress…
bagel hunt on 3rd avenue
So we were on the hunt for a proper New York Bagel. I had done my interweb research prior to the trip and had identified a few choice options. I was very clear about one thing, though, I wanted a very specific type of bagel as I understand there are at least two kinds that New Yorkers go for: 1) the larger, doughier kind; or 2) the smaller, crustier, and chewier kind. I was up for the latter because I like tasty crunchy stuff.
What makes a New York Bagel so special? Well, apparently not only is it the way they are prepared: first, hand-rolling the dough; then boiling in water (the very fact that they are bathed in New York City water is the key, evidently); then finally baked to a perfect blend of crusty outside/chewy inside.
We headed for Daniels and I asked for what was hot out of the oven – Plain came the resounding response…
polly eyes the warm plain bagel
Now for Protein Polly to spring into action. “please could I have plain turkey breast with that warm bagel?”
“just turkey?!”
“yes please”
(I should quickly mention a typical New York Bagel Rule of Thumb – do NOT ask for the bagel to be toasted. Though not every establishment adheres to the principle, New York Bagels are intended to be served untoasted (as they are already oven-warmed and inherently crusty) and with a Schmear of cream cheese or something).
hubby bagelscoop in classic format
No toasting for me either and the turkey quota I received was amazing.
bagelscoop for protein polly
I quickly scooped all the turkey to one side as I was determined to experience the bagel itself in all its crusty, tangy marvelousness. And it was – marvelous.
Protein Polly rounded out the meal by inhaling all the turkey – again, to make it abundantly clear to my digestion that blood-glucose normalcy is the name of the game for the afternoon, please. Which is was. I was not hungry nor shaky; the protein appears to be the current solution.
All in all, the Friday of our NYC trip ended up being a day of the letter ‘B.’ Sesame Street would be proud.
B was for Breakfast (in my case 2 large tubs of Whole Foods Irish Steel-Cut Oatmeal from the hot food buffet with a handful of walnuts to keep me sustained throughout the morn)
B was for Birds (in Central Park which, in spite of the downpour that was occurring at the time, were out in abundance)
B was for Boat (as in the Staten Island Ferry at sunset – a fantastic, FREE, and lovely experience – definitely a highlight of our trip)
B was also for Book (and a Tote Bag) Buying (courtesy of Strand Books – 18 miles of independent bookstore loveliness on Broadway – I recommend going to there in lieu of other chain bookstores that happen to begin with the letter ‘B’ too)
then, of course, B was for Bagel!
I forgot the camera…
September 26, 2010 § Leave a Comment
For the last few years, I have been following a pretty strict no-sugar, no-yeast-feeding diet. I do like my some-sugar/yeast-feeding foods too, she hastens to add. I also follow the eat-all-the-stuff-you-like-in-moderation approach. I do what I can. I have found that by following this type of dietary lifestyle – I feel pretty good, have tons of energy, have clearer skin, less bloating, fewer headaches, less difficulty with blood-glucose management, and a better digestion. All of which I have spent many years struggling with.
The biggest challenge is the social impact of my food choices. There is a gigantic heap of stigma around what we all eat every day and so any sense that someone is on a ‘diet’ comes pre-loaded with an abundance of meaning. I am learning to stand up for myself when it comes to this. I do it because it feels good in my body. I am doing it for myself.
I have an understanding mum-in-law. She is also a super cook. Whenever we go over there for dinner; I am like a giddy 5-year old. She has been kind enough to really listen to what I can and can’t eat and makes conscious and delicious meals with that knowledge. This week she had cooked my favourite – steamed turkey breast; tons of oven-baked steamy vegetables, and the magic re-fried beans (I don’t know how she does it and she has shown me on multiple occasions; I think she has magic hands). Regardless, it is a truly nutritious and wonderful experience. I have been known to go back for a 4th bowl.
I forgot the camera – here is a picture of the leftovers that I stole…
leftoverscoops
Sausage Butties for Tea!
September 13, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Here is my recent take on a very old family tradition – Friday night sausage butties! If that sounded alarming to anyone: a sausage toastie is the thing. Every Friday, whenever me Dad was home, I could be found heffing down a sausage butty or two made up of a couple of classic British Pork Bangers, cut in thirds lengthwise; two slices of thin white toast; and lashings of Heinz ketchup (with more on the plate for dipping). These more recent ‘metabolically-challenged’ days of mine lend themselves to a new incarnation: voilà!
Ingredients:
- 2 x Applegate Farms Organic Uncured Turkey Hot Dogs
- 2 x slices of sourdough loaf (the crusty/freshly baked by someone else version)
- 1/2 tin of Whole Plum Tomatoes (stewed for a few mins with oregano & salt)
- Grill/Broil the sausages for a few minutes turning frequently
- Lightly toast bread
- Spread tomato saucey bit of stewed tomatoes on both sides of warm toast
- Cut sausages in half lengthwise and sandwich between the toast.
It’s a surprisingly close match to the original and significantly better for you….
