Speed Trials

I don’t know if it’s because I’m really hungry, or if it really is the best salad ever, but I am so digging today’s lunch…

I feel kinda silly posting this as a “recipe”. It’s just a salad. Here’s what I did:

handful pre-shredded Cabbage in a Bag
5 or 6 leaves fresh Basil, torn
1 carrot
Cucumber, chopped
Green Onion, chopped
handful pre-washed Spinach in a Bag
A few green olives
A few crumbs goat cheese

Dressing:
tbsp honey (probably more)
tbsp dijon (probably more)
splash sesame oil
couple ounces Rice Vinegar

Shake Vigorously. Drizzle however much you want over the salad (I’ve still got PLENTY dressing left). Put a lid on the salad and shake it vigorously.

It’s super yummy because the goat cheese sort of gives the dressing a creamier texture, and it’s got some zing to it. I love tasting fresh Basil in salads, too. Yum Yum.

Wish I had a camera, but then, it really doesn’t look like much, and i do have a nasty habit of eating solely out of Tupperware, so maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have a camera…

I want to move out. Now. No, that is to say, I want to move into my house. Now. Right now. But we have a whole month to wait… I hate waiting. I really am starting to feel the sting of annoyance that Angelo and I don’t already live together.

Having two apartments was great at first. I could go home whenever I wanted, and Ange did the same. We didn’t invade each other’s space, we were always happy to see each other when we did meet up. It was just nice. But now, now it’s just pretense. I’m always at his place, though none of my shit is there. I’m constantly cooking meals, and having to pack them in Tupperware and haul them across the city, until they’re cold and lifeless, and I’m disappointed and frustrated. And when I do hang out at his place, I feel like I’m there solely to entertain him, like I can’t cuddle up under a blanket with a book or some knitting, or putter around the house like I love to do in my own place. Basically, we’ve stepped over that line of living two disjointed lives, but our logistical situation hasn’t caught up yet. But it will. And soon enough, I suppose.

Total side note: I am now on Facebook. You’ll see the link on the right hand column of this blog. It’s fun, I suppose. I posted some things about Angelo’s races and bike polo, as well as some posts about Artengine workshops. Whatever I forget to post here, chances are will be covered in Facebook. So head on over and check it out. There are some photos and videos and all kinds of fun stuff. Guaranteed to suck away hours of your working day.

Another total side note: I haven’t made much in terms of food lately. Though my muffin recipe improves with every batch. I’ll photograph the next one, I promise. I made some Buddha’s Delight as well, and when I sampled it right out of the Wok I was overjoyed; it really REALLY tasted like the kind you’d get from take out, but by the time it made it to Angelo’s and was reheated over rice, it lost a lot of its zing. Too bad. The recipe for that one came from Fat Free Recipes.

I’ve joined a gym. They suckered me into it. But truly, for $15 a week, it is the logical next step for this whole weight loss thing. While the bike on rollers was a great kick-start to my new healthy lifestyle, just pedaling alone in my kitchen doesn’t quite give me the stellar workouts I need anymore. It’s too easy to slow down when it gets taxing, or to shorten the ride when it gets boring.

So I’ve been going to the gym pretty steadily since I joined up last week. I’ve done a few classes, and I’m on the Step Machine every day (work those glutes!!). Yesterday I decided to just go for a run on the treadmill. Way rudimentary. It ended up being the best workout to date. I hit that endorphic high. I couldn’t crank the incline or speed high enough; I was flying. It was a great realization that my lung capacity and general cardio fitness is the best it’s EVER been. I think also there’s something to be said for the fact that I’m 15lbs lighter, and so there’s less of me to cart around when I’m working out.

What also helped were the tunes I had blaring through my earphones. I started out with the Flaming Lips for the step machine warm up. Yeah Yeah Yeah and Free Radicals are great warm up songs. Then I crossed over to some Gorillaz and SinnerMan from Nina Simone, those got me flying through the intense part of the jog, and the absolute best cool down song of all time is Daft Punk’s Around The World. It’s slow enough that you can walk to it, but still jammin’ enough that you just want to strut on that treadmill! It was so much fun.

Next time I’m thinking of RJD2, some JSRF for its intensity, and I don’t know, maybe a little trance for my cool down… We’ll see. If anyone has any suggestions or favourites, let me know!

I’ve discovered something quite disturbing about my cooking style. I think it’s a testament to my neophyte status as an epicurean… (thank you daily crossword for the fruity verbiage!!). I find a recipe I’m really keen on, buy all of the ingredients, follow amounts and measurements (somewhat…ahem) and then add spices according to my whim. I start off with a sprinkle of this, a dash of that, and then… mere feet from the finish line I trip up and wreck it all. I decide that I’ve been too timid with a certain herb, and add TONS more, wrecking the delicate balance of other ingredients.

I seem to lack that understanding of balance in cooking. I know what tastes I like, what tastes go well together, even how some flavours react to each other, but I don’t know about ratios! I made a soup today, and the whole apartment smelled wonderfully of fresh greens and garlic and spices, and then right at the end of it, I attempted to sprinkle some more oregano, and ended up dumping a HUGE amount in the pot. Dried Oregano. It was so overpowering, and I was totally bummed by the whole thing.

Though I must say, the soup still tastes terrific. Yum yum. Another recipe pulled from the FatFreeVegan. Love it!! And I bought a super yummy loaf of Rye bread from the Green Door (though it does have that doorstop quality to it) that will go with the soup perfectly.