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As part of my own rejuvenation project, I’m trying to cook more at home. But it’s definitely tricky to balance my almost obsessive desire for white carbohydrates and fat (let’s face it, who doesn’t want those things in every single meal?) with the need to eat more healthily.
Luckily, I’ve managed to find a few recipes that meet my at-home criteria: fast, healthy and delicious. Here they are:
- Japanese mirin-poached beef: so tasty you’ll think it’s a restaurant recipe
- Chicken BLT salad with buttermilk dressing: hearty and with a great dressing
- Poached chicken with vegetable and orzo broth: poaching is my new best friend. No fat involved and it’s a perfect vessel for lots of flavors and veggies
And here’s one I made earlier! Not a bad rendition of the Japanese beef…
Here’s hoping I can keep this up!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted, but now that Spring is right around the corner, it seems like a good time to re-start and refresh! My boss posted about rejuvenation this week, and I’m making a few changes on that front too, albeit mainly in my life outside of work.
Some of the steps are basic health-giving ones, that I’m excited to make a regular part of my routine:
- Drinking a huge glass of water on waking each morning. I’m trying to get into the habit of setting a large glass of water on my bedside before I turn in each night. Then trying to gulp it down first thing, before even shuffling into the shower. It’s actually pretty difficult at first – that’s a lot of liquid at 6:30am! But i’ve read enough about this tip to be giving it a try.
- Drinking less coffee, better coffee. For Rick’s birthday, I splashed out on a beautiful tomato red coffee maker (try that link for a good list of options), and we now start the day with a lovely, small cup of freshly ground and brewed coffee. Even better, we also bought some beautiful espresso and cappuccino cups from La Colombe Torrefaction. One cup is enough, and we enjoy it together at home before the craziness of the day starts. No more being jostled in line at Starbucks to buy a coffee larger than my own head? That’s a win.
- Adjusting my work hours. A tricky one this. I start work really early, but I had gotten into a bad habit of staying really late too. And it was hard finding time to work out, and the energy! After I saw a few sneaky extra pounds appear, I knew it was time to make a few changes. So i’m trying to leave a little earlier, in order to make a commitment to exercise. With smartphones and laptops, it’s actually pretty easy to be a little more flexible with your hours and still be productive. In fact, it might even increase my productivity. So, I’m definitely going to try and make this a consistent part of my routine.
- Eating home-cooked food. I love to shop for food, and I love to cook. It’s super relaxing and great for your focus. And it HAS to be better for you to eat less processed foods. I’m really enjoying creating new dishes, and using my local farmer’s markets for fresh produce.
- Getting more sleep. Arianna Huffington is famous for her Sleep Challenge, and I’m a believer. Lack of sleep not only makes me irritable, but it also leads to me making less than stellar decisions about food. And of course, feeling refreshed is the best tonic for a busy and challenging day at work. So, i’m trying to get more sleep than I think I need. Most people need more sleep than they think they need.
I’ll be exploring more on this over the coming weeks and months, and I’m excited. Spring is here!
Perhaps it’s a sign of advancing years, or an increasing desire to become the next Martha Stewart (without, you know, the inconvenient and ever so untidy jail spell), but I find myself more and more drawn to the genius of Real Simple. For the uninitiated and overseas readers, Real Simple is a magazine totally and utterly devoted to making your life easier. Through being insanely organized and with a to-do list for everything.
Loyal readers will know that I have to-do lists oozing out of my pores, albeit in a very orderly fashion. I get the sense that to-do lists don’t ooze. But I digress. I even started this blog to try and capture everything I experienced “off list”, such was my dedication to them. There CAN be too much of a good thing. So I’ve been trying to ease off a little on the lists. My husband does not believe I’ve been successful…
But with a new year comes new-found determination to do everything better. Lists of resolutions, intentions and aspirations are everywhere. I don’t know if I’m ready to share all of mine so publicly, (although I’m doing pretty well on the health and fitness-related ones so far,) but here are two ways you can get yours into good, organized, Real Simple shape.
Simply download this weekly meal planner (soooo smart with how it divides into meals and their corresponding grocery aisles), and also this big “to-do” list, which simultaneously encompasses both the need to buy more cereal and a desire to climb Mount Kilimajaro. Then voila, you can safely proceed into 2011, knowing that your nutritional levels are balanced AND that you’re ticking off items on the way to global domination.
Download the weekly menu planner:
(c/o Real Simple)
And the 2011 Ultimate To-Do List:
Much like my love of beautiful clothes, I also love delicious food. I mean, who doesn’t? But instead of always admiring someone else’s work in a restaurant, occasionally I like to challenge myself in the kitchen. Easy, breezy summer recipes are one thing, but hearty winter fare? That’s a little more work.
Luckily, I had a willing (ok, maybe not so willing) sous-chef at hand in the shape of my husband and a lazy Saturday stretching ahead of us. The perfect time to try something a little more complex for dinner.
We opted for Bon Appetit’s beef shortribs with a red wine sauce and tangerine gremolata, accompanied by celeriac and potato mash. Yep. Sounds daunting right?
I’m not gonna lie, this recipe was not easy. That’s not to say it was super-complicated fare. Just that the preparation involved so many different steps and ingredients. Making a good sauce is something that for me, marks the difference between a great chef and a home cook. It is not easy!
Four hours later (!), we actually arrived at something that looked and tasted pretty good. It wasn’t perfect, but that’s why you go to a great restaurant, right? Never again will I take the “shortrib” dish on a menu for granted…
Two side notes? Gremolata? Delicious and easy. Going to try that with more dishes. And celeriac, otherwise known as celery root? Oh so good. Soooo ugly. But so good!
Here’s the evidence!
Where did the time go?? I actually can’t believe it’s already November, but after being prompted by Sapana’s post over at NYCFullHeart, i can’t risk being ‘tardy to the party‘. Yes, you know I live and die by the Real Housewives - don’t judge me!
So, here are my November goals. I had thought it was time to be a little more adventurous than October. But then, October did contain a pretty monumental event – my wedding! So, i’m still trying to catch up to the rest of my October goals. And you can’t really blame me now can you?
Here’s a recap of my October goals:
- Overhaul and update my wardrobe for Fall/Winter: Erm. I have a heap of clothes on my bedroom floor. I guess that’s a start? I need a rainy SF day to continue the purge! On the flip side, i did buy some great basics – details in another post to come soon.
- Conquer my nascent fear of flying: I tried all my techniques on a flight to NYC, and it worked great! My best tip is remembering to ‘move with the turbulence’, which essentially means jumping around in your seat to your iPod, instead of clinging onto the seat for dear life. Sounds crazy, and people will look at you like you’re nuts. But it works.
- Master at least one great new recipe: Aha! Even in the midst of all the craziness, i DID make something new. Roasted pork loin, rolled in rosemary scented salt from the farmer’s market and served with roasted butternut squash. Delicious, and very, very easy. Next up, poached eggs in red wine sauce, a Balthazar classic, and also recommended by my new sister in law Kirsten!
- Spend at least one day this month completely and blissfully free of chores, admin, or ‘to-dos’: Hmm, still not quite there! Although, a Saturday full of the King Tut exhibition, lunch and Muir Woods, might just qualify! Clearly, more work needed here on the “do absolutely nothing at all and don’t feel guilty about it” front
- Oh, and last but never least – enjoy being married! TICK!
So for November, I need a mix of easily achievable and something a bit more fun. It’s a crazy month, work and visitor-wise, and also my birthday month. So i reckon i deserve to chill out a little bit:
- Indulge in a full day of pampering and relaxation: with my birthday coming up, that’s all the excuse i need! No chores, no admin, no life projects. Just chilling out. Easy. Right???
- Ok, FINALLY sort my closet out, once and for all: capsule wardrobe here i come!
- Take plenty of time to really enjoy my friends: if anything has suffered most in the last few crazy months, it’s been my long lazy days hanging out with the girls (and boys). Time to make some positive changes there.
- Go to a Lindy Hop club and dance the night away: Rick and I are still loving our Monday night classes. But of course we never find time to practice inbetween times, and we’re still too shy/scared to actually go to a live club and dance with strangers. This is a big one for both of us, but i think we’re ready! Rick might not be quite so sure…
- Hit the gym BEFORE work, at least once a week: I start work at 8:00am. Yes, you read that correctly. Have done for years. So it’s pretty hard to fit a work out in, before the work day starts. But recently i’ve been so busy after work, or soooo tired and drained at the end of a 10/11 hour day, that i’ve been skipping the gym altogether. Not good. I actually did this once last week, and while it required a little planning and a lot of will power, it felt pretty good. The challenge is to make it a regular thing.
So, there they are. Pretty modest actually. But maybe that’s what i need right now. I’ve always been the type to have a big long list of goals and projects. It just feels so good to tick them off! But i do need to step and just enjoy the ride sometimes. Something i learnt from an adorable little girl this past weekend.
Feel free to nag me about any of these! Encouragement, nagging, it’s all the same, right?
So, I couldn’t let too many days of October slip by without setting some new goals, as prompted by the fabulous Modite. Even though my goals here are purely lifestyle-oriented (no work stuff can really make its way onto a blog about what to do when you’re not at work now can it?), I can see the holistic benefits in my overall work/life balance if I can manage to stick to them.
To recap, here were my September goals:
- As I’m getting married in October, my main goal is to plan a stress-free, low-key wedding that Rick and I will both remember forever: Aaaah, only a few days to go, and all still good (barring a few minor emergencies that have shortened my life span a tad…)
- This is still a nascent blog, so I’d like to increase my readership by at least 10% this month: A big fat YES! Thanks to all of you, my lovely readers, and i hope i can continue the upward trend.
- Plan out fun trips with R to NYC in October and the UK at Christmas: Done and done!
- Finally harvest my herbs I’ve been nurturing outside all summer (basil, thyme and sage), then actually incorporate them into new recipes!: Still a hmmm next to this, I might have to admit defeat, but there is still time for those babies to grow!
- Remember to spend quality time with my friends, when I’m not a) working, b) working out, c) blogging, d) talking to the dog, Sophie, e) planning aforementioned low-key wedding, f) watching SYTYCD and Glee, g) practicing Lindy Hop with R: This I can categorically and happily say a yes to. For some happy and not so happy reasons, I’m proud to say I’ve been there for my girls when they’ve needed me. And of course, it’s been a ton of fun.
Onto to October! This is what I’m thinking:
- Overhaul and update my wardrobe for Fall/Winter: At the age of 32 (nearly 33, eeek!), you’d think i’d manage to have some sort of capsule wardrobe, filled with classics and the odd ‘wow’ piece, right? Wrong. I still lack even the most basic good quality T-shirts and layering jerseys, let along any other foundational staples. So this is the month. I need to clear stuff out, give s**t away to the Goodwill and build on what i have left. Promise.
- Conquer my nascent fear of flying: I have NO idea why I’m suddenly jittery about flying, after many happy years of short and long-haul trips. I mean seriously. I was that girl who actually looked forward to in-flight food. I’m not happy about it, so need to nix the problem. Being a generally practical and can-do kinda gal, I’ve invested in a couple good books/podcasts, and also a day long clinic in Dec, so I’m on the right track.
- Master at least one great new recipe: Rick and I have been so busy recently, that home-made turkey chili is about as adventuresome as it’s gotten. Time to break out something new.
- Spend at least one day this month completely and blissfully free of chores, admin, or ‘to-dos’: I get it, it’s kind of ironic coming from a girl who’s all about lists! But even with a small wedding, i just seem to have spent all my free time recently engaged in ticking stuff off lists. Time to kick back and enjoy an unplanned day. This might be the hardest thing i’ve ever tried!
- Oh, and last but never least – enjoy being married!
I know what you’re thinking, these are all a bit too easy. And i agree. (But ask me that in a month when i haven’t achieved and i might be weeping tears of frustration over them!) But I’m getting married this month!! So i’m planning one easy month, before getting back to something a little more challenging. Which I’ll explain in a month’s time!
Along with the outrageously good SYTYCD and Glee, the other show that makes my Wednesday night TV viewing party complete is Top Chef. I’ve been on the bandwagon since Season One, which aired in the first few months of me moving to San Francisco. The first season was actually set in the city itself, which made it even better, as it helped orient me a little to the foodie culture here.
I never get tired of a good TC episode. Even when they’re bad or boring, they’re never bad or boring! I’m not sure what it is about the show that people love so much (whatever it is, it clearly wasn’t Katie “Fembot” Lee Joel, as she was replaced with Padma Lakshmi after the first run), but for me, it boils down to a couple of choice ingredients. Sorry. Had. To. Pun. Personal drama, great food, and challenging situations. The perfect episode is when the three mix to create something amazing, but I’m not gonna lie – sometimes the personal drama just makes the show!
So then, here is my Top Chef Top 10 . Of course, they’re in no particular order, and I recommend you wasting a rainy day sometime soon watching one of Bravo’s marathon stints. But, the reasons I love it so much:
1) Best cheftestant – No question, has to be Tiffani Faison, the flame haired bad ass of Season One. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that Tiff was badly mis-represented in the show. To me, she was just someone who was straight up about wanting to win, put her best into everything she did and demanded that everyone else do the same. In my book, that just makes you a formidable competitor and an effective one, not a b**tch. I loved Tiffani and her food. That pumpkin ravioli in the first ever episode? Oh my gosh. And looks like I’m not alone in my assessment, right Tom Colicchio??
2) Most mouthwatering dish – Hmm, tricky, as there has been so much great food over the last 6 seasons or so, but I think I’m going to have to go with the roasted chicken with tomato and corn salad that got served up at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, by Season 5 cheftestants, Jamie, Steffan and Carla. That dish had me craving roast chicken for weeks afterward, and actually motivated me to try a similar dish. Top Chef in inspiring people to cook shocker!
3) Best overall season – Yep, I’m going to have to stick with a classic and say Season One. Start with it being set in San Francisco, throw in an awe-inspiring trip to Napa, the best cast of contestants EVER, and the hilarious bitchiness from Dave and Stephen, and you have me sold. I also love the fact that some of the challenges were just really hard core (remember the original wedding challenge? Rough!), even though they got modified and made a little easier over subsequent seasons. Yes, it was lower budget and less glossy. But i think it was better for it.
4) Most drama-filled episode – Of course, you know which one I’m going to say. Remember in Season 2, when Cliff tried to hold Marcel down to shave his head and got thrown out of the competition? That was actually a little disturbing to watch, and went waaay beyond being a cooking competition. Seeing the judge’s reactions to the row of bald heads they were presented with the morning after was pretty funny though. And come on, didn’t you feel just a little bad for Marcel? Which brings me to…
5) Most mis-represented cheftestant – Even more so than Tiff, I think Marcel got a really bad rap, and I staunchly defended him throughout Season 2! Ok, so he might have been a little annoying at times, but I never saw him do anything that deserved the verbal kicking he repeatedly got on that show from the others. Especially Betty. Really Betty? Your slow-roasted soups were all that? I don’t think so… Unfair, unfair!
6) Guy who shoulda won and didn’t - Ok, I do think Stephanie was very talented, and I don’t begrudge her the win in Season 4. But Richard Blais totally deserved to get there. In addition to being a constantly inventive and technically excellent chef, he also seemed to be just a really nice guy. Professional, generous and sincere. I’d love to try out some of his food!
7) Most disappointing season - Sorry, but it was really hard to see anything that was cooked during the entire Season 5 that really deserved anyone taking home the big prize. I think overall, the quality in Season 5 was lacking actually. Sometimes, you could literally read Tom Colicchio’s mind thinking “The talent level isn’t good enough, the talent level isn’t good enough”. There were so many bad dishes that season! And worse than that, there was just a lot of mediocrity on show, and i think it showed in every episode. (To be honest, did anything in that season really knock the judge’s socks off?) Looks like they’ve rectified it for Season 6, especially with the addition of…
8) Hottest cheftestant – Ok, ok, so maybe I have a thing for soft-spoken boys with manners who also happen to have tattoos, but Michael V from Season 6! Luscious. Even cuter than Jeff (he of the blond hair and startling resemblance to Billy from Neighbours – that one’s for my English readers!) from Season 5. And damn, that boy (and his brother) can cook.
9) Most unfair elimination – Ooh, this is a contentious one, but I’m going to have to go with Dale getting the boot in Season 4. Ok, ok, he was the head chef that night of the restaurant challenge, but Lisa’s Laksa and sticky mango rice mess? Come on! Even the presence of Anthony Bourdain couldn’t stop me from shouting at the television in derision. I think Dale deserved to go further in the competition.
10) And finally, my favorite ever TC moment - So many good ones to choose from! But at the end of the day, it has to be when Fabio calls out Jamie for cooking one too many scallop dishes. “This is Top Chef, not Top Scallops!” Too funny. There are many, many, more. Probably another blog post!
I’m so glad Season 6 looks like a good one, both in terms of quality of food, and potential emotional drama. I’ll have to start following some of these blogs for their take. Yeah, I’ll admit the seasons where the drama was lacking (er, hello, Season 3??) kinda lacked something for me. And the TV producers, clever little things, know that. So expect it to be ratcheted up this season. My guess is it might have something to do with Robin. Anyone???
