Fremont - Oral Fixations

June 26, 2012

Farmers Market

I snacked on fresh strawberries at my last trip to the farmers market in Union City.

I picked up carrots, kale and a recipe for white bean and kale soup.

I enjoy one-pot dishes. I bopped around to some Pandora stations (Feist, Deerhoof and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone) as I prepped the soup. My favorite, decadent part about this recipe: the Parmigiano-Reggiano rind. I got a kick out of cutting out the rind from the cheese and plopping it into the simmering pot. I think you could taste its salty, hearty elements in the broth.

I ended up making more than I needed. So I used some batches for bentos. I also froze the leftovers for future newsroom lunches.

May 22, 2012

The Magic of Butter and Steaks

It was a beautiful day for grilling in the East Bay. My hubby fired up the grill after he got home from work. I spent my afternoon prepping the steaks and pasta.

On the plate: grilled steaks rubbed with chipotle powder, lime butter melting on top. Plus, pasta shells with chickpeas, mozzarella and arugula.

Poor dog hoped for some leftovers….or for us to screw-up. She’s always getting in the way. We suspect she’s trying to make us trip and drop food. Sneaking Daisy!

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April 26, 2012

Bento Baon

My new online addiction: bento blogs.

The food presentation dazzles the eye and tempts my belly. Rice shaped into panda bears. Carrots cut-up into flowers. The bentos are also adorable. They reminded me of my fancy pencil boxes from elementary school.

I also read about bloggers who lost weight with the help of bentos. It sounds like the size and the food prep helped them control calories.

So, I started a new experiment with portion control.

As long as I made bentos for lunch, I promised myself a bento shopping trip (or 2) to Daiso at NewPark Mall.
I added the My Fitness Pal app to my iPhone to keep track of the calories in my bento and my other meals.
I also added more running days to my week.
Finally, I bought a new scale to see any changes in my experiment.

Some people would call this a diet. I think that may set me up for high expectations and disappointment. So, I’m calling this an experiment. I’ll evaluate the data with my smartphone/web tools. I may blog about the results if I see any positive signs. For now, I’ll stick with blogging about all things edible.

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