106 degrees & counting

The heat has sent everything haywire. By everything, I mean: the electronic thermometer* that's reading the the air temp instead of waiting until it's under the tongue to beep; the meals themselves which have been altered because it's too damn hot to eat let alone cook (mmm mmm smoothies); the pulse checking* (because we're grazing instead of eating full meals); the computers laboring under the effort to keep recording our efforts (please please please don't crash).

*One purpose of the elimination diet is to determine what foods e and i may have sensitivities to. Temperature and pulse rate are two indicators.

The elimination diet guidelines are hardcore -- pulse rate, for instance, should be taken prior to and 30 minutes after eating each meal, and temperature is supposed to be taken at least 3x per week, 3x each day. [Now ask me if we're doing that.]

It's getting hot in here

The local forecast is already making me anxious about the next few days meals, and as a result I spent the morning being a "crabby patty".

I realized that dish is most certainly not on the menu, so I managed to shake it off and plan the next week with Mary's pragmatic and attentive help. We set out to the grocery to stock up on fresh goodness for the next few, and managed to get out again alive, and with some bank account still intact. We did some quick math though, and figured that we're still saving money over our previous dining habits. Given the recent investments in staple items, which we're actually using over time (I used to let things disappear into the backs of cabinets, long forgotten), it was a tough first hit last week. We both acknowledged feeling better and agreed to stick to this. M is already sleeping better and feeling more energetic. I think a boost in exercise will offer me the same, and I got my bike back from the shop - whisper quiet now, with it's new bottom bracket - so I'll soon follow suit.

Before we started she was vexed about meal planning and I sat her down with a stack of back issues of Martha Stewart FOOD and told her to rip out whatever looked appetizing. Perhaps that was kind of mean, given all the delicious prospects generally contained therein, many of which centered on things we're no longer consuming for the next several weeks. I put my eyebrows up on a few suggestions - combinations of ingredients I'd never considered - but we stashed the recipes she chose, and today was the day to give them all a second look. One of our personal goals during this diet has been to promote as much variety as possible, especially given the bounty of local produce, in our garden and at market. To that end we're trying not to rely too heavily on any particular ingredients, and not to repeat meals, other than as lunch the next day. It's tough, and I feel I'm lacking in ideas and skills. Sometimes it helps me to go back for try two on an experiment. Here's Saturday's very late lunch, which doubled as a stealth dinner at the movies.

Quinoa Chick Pea Fritter Scramble, with Broccoli and Tahini dressing

So after yesterday - where I "corrected" Thursday's mistake - we worked from one of the recipes M culled. This was the one dish I really tried to discourage, since I still have some mental blocks against fruit with other foods. I learned early on to eat fruit on its own and I have a hard time turning that edict off. Thankfully I did and Mary's Fruited Pilaf wishes came true. We paired it with a house favorite and this is the resulting meal... with extra love, for my lady.

Wild Rice Pilaf with Grapes and Cherries, and Beet Apple Carrot Slaw

For those of you wiping drool off your keyboards, or savoring the memory of the nibble at lunchtime show-and-tell, I promise to start including recipes. At the moment though, it's too bleeding hot. So you'll have to wait, I hope with smoothie in hand, until the next installment. I will try to get us all caught up from beginning to end, and if anyone's interested in suggesting recipes, or swapping, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at crouchinglentil@me.com.

First minor loss

Some meals just don't turn out the way you hope, and yet I find myself with a partner willing not only to eat the less satisfactory experiments, but also to savor and enjoy them. Last night's meal was the first of those, at least since we've started this. I guess statistically I'll see more of these since we're cooking every day, but they're always a surprise and leave me festering with some deep seated disappointment in my efforts.

I guess one of the best skills Mary brings to this venture is her ability to remind me to be gentle in my self-reproach. And she appreciates what we cook. She's always been better at shaking off the little bumps life hands us, and it holds true in the kitchen. The meal was haphazard - my "plan" being some configuration of quinoa, chick peas, kale, carrots and taratour sauce (a tahini lemon dressing)... I came home later than I'd hoped, after a terrific massage, and M had started the meal in the best way she could figure - cooking the quinoa and heating up the chick peas. After M gave me a worried look in reference to eating chick peas whole, I shifted gears and mashed them up with quinoa as a makeshift binding agent. My attempt to fry patties yielded some hot oil burns to my bare stomach and arms, and a sort of crispy (and tasty if strange looking) mass of fritter-like scramble. The results can be seen here, and M quickly scarfed it down and pronounced it "Yummy".

Honestly it was better than simply edible, but just not what I'd intended. The other side of this equation was that I'd failed to prepare enough for the next meal, Friday's lunch... which meant we were both left to our own devices. It's not a situation I want to put either of us in. My work is like being in the middle of the ocean sometimes - water everywhere, and none to drink - with food being prepared and delivered all day all around me, but little of it suitable for this diet. M has the choice of the salad bar at the college cafe', which apparently means she comes home cranky because she didn't get enough for lunch, or there weren't many suitable choices. I lucked out, running to the grocery on the way back from an appointment and grabbing half a roasted chicken and fresh sugar snap peas. Together they were fairly inexpensive and both delicious.

Dinner tonight turned out much better, and we had a dinner guest! Our friend Molly, soon to be our landmate, joined us for a meal of sauteed catfish, kale, more quinoa and taratour (easy to use leftovers), and some tasty olives. We all realized too late that we forgot to photograph the meal. We'd been hungry and enjoying talking together and just dove in. So this is tonight's dinner picture, courtesy of Mary. She was wearing a wonderfully impish smile when she took it, and it meets our commitment to photograph each dinner, even if only the final morsels.

chicn's view of things

virtually inept in all things kitchen-related [i do make damn fine smoothies], mostly i do my fair share of "moral support", ie. stand around talking and watching e create our meals...

...looking at the food she's making...

...as well as the aftermath.

Respite

The last few nights have cooled considerably, and this morning it seems like I have a respite from the days long caffeine withdrawal headache... finally sweet relief? I can't count on it, but I'm hopeful.

The body reacts when foods are removed from daily habits, and sometimes it feels like an ornery relative asked to kindly take leave after a long visit. The hissy fits ensue, but eventually you're left with the quiet thrum of the house - all to yourself again. In celebration of the calm, I'm enjoying the songs of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Billie Holiday. Right now it's Nina singing one of my favorites:

"In the dark
It's just you and I
Not a sound
There's not one sigh
Just the beat of my poor heart
In the dark..."

This has gotta be one of the sexiest songs ever sung... but that's a related tangent. I think one of the best possible outcomes of this diet will be renewed energy, and feeling well, and those things naturally spur and support confidence. Confidence is very sexy. And when you pair that with way fewer headaches... Mmmm hmmm.

"In the dark
Now we will find
What the rest
Have left behind
Just let them dance
We're gonna find romance
Lord, in the dark"

Third Night - like eating sunshine

Today as we prepped the third night of dinners on the elimination diet*, I decided we ought to write about this experience together. We'd already had the forethought to begin photographing each night's meal, and here's a quick recap.
Monday night we made one of Mary's favorites - to ease us into the new life of not being lazy eaters...
Quinoa salad with black beans, veggies and lime cilantro dressing.

It's been a staple in our house for some time, so it was a logical first choice when menu planning.
And now to explain the diet*... For over a year Mary and I have been talking about cleaning up our act, so to speak.
We've wanted to do something that would help us understand our bodies' interactions with particular foods more, and to be healthier generally. After a long time of saying we should do something about the current state of affairs - overspending at restaurants, eating the same five things over and over, suffering from varying ailments related to bad food choices and inactivity - we took the plunge and started with menu planning. This elimination diet is designed to help reduce inflammation in the body, and to help pinpoint foods that are regressive for you (i.e. you would do very well to just not eat them). For two weeks we get to cut out all of the following -
All sources of Gluten (Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat, Spelt, Kamut, Bulgur, Malt)
Dairy
Soy
Eggs
Beef, Pork and Lamb
Sugar and Honey
Corn
Caffeine (oh, sweet coffee, I will return to thee)
Alcohol
the entire family of Nightshade - Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peppers, Yams, Eggplant
We personally added to the list
Garlic
Onions
fermented foods
Grapefruit and Orange

"Well shit, with all that off limits what the hell are we going to eat?" you might ask...
That's what this blog is for. To show off our creations that help us stretch in the kitchen, let us eat from our garden, and make us think about and work together to put the food in our bellies at every meal. Since both of us work, and cooking at home takes up a lot of our time we're just gonna document dinner (which we eat for lunch the next day anyway)...
So here's the second and third dinners from the beginning of this effort:
Tuesday
Curried Lentil Soup with Millet

and Wednesday - today!
Tuna Salad with Beets, Carrots, and Chives over garden greens

and our home grown Maxibel Green Beans with Almonds