Friday August 31, 2007

B: Leftover sushi roll

L: Apples, sliced (I had rice, but nothing to make to go with it.)

Late lunch addition: Angel hair pasta w. Prego(R) sauce, 4 Papa Luigi(R) Italian meatballs (microwaved), tomatoes, diced

I went grocery shopping, and following my new plan of cooking in bulk, cooked all the food I had bought and stored it in the refrigerator. While making the tomato and egg dish, I diced way too many tomatoes, so I added it in to my lunch.

D: 1 Hebrew National(R) beef frank and Ball Park(R) hot dog bun, toasted

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Items I cooked, too be eaten in the course of the next few days:
*Green beans, stir-fried w. garlic
*Napa cabbage, cut w. Italian meatball
*Tomato, diced and egg (5, beaten), w. onion, sliced

It was fun to be cooking!
I prepped, stir-fried, and boiled water, etc. all at the same time. It took me about an hour.

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Dessert: 1 Strawberry Milkshake from Denny's. I think it was a bit too much; I want a cookiewich now but cringe at the idea of more milky, frothy, creamy stuff. Unless I get ice cream with nuts in it... hmm there's an idea.

Thanks Cathy!

Thursday August 30, 2007

B: 1/2 bagel from Finestra Cafe (toasted) w. cream cheese

L: Peach
Banana w. peanut butter
I looked at the Mac-n-Cheese box, and it required margarine -- something I didn't have.

Snack: Wheat Thins

D: Freshly cooked white rice w. Salmon and mixed vegetables

3...


2...


1...


0!


It was good because it was different from what I usually eat, but it was not the best meal. The salmon was not the freshest since it had been cooked and brought from home. The mixed vegetables had some residue of the [spoiled] chicken smell on them.

~~~

I decided to go for it and make sushi. Ingredients I had on hand: freshly cooked rice, white rice vinegar, 1 avocado, and 2 small cucumbers (when I say small, I mean small -- they were each less than half the size of a regular cucumber). And of course, dried seaweed.



I dipped and mixed a little more than a cup of rice with 2 tbsps of white rice vinegar. While I let that sit, I peeled the cucumbers and cut some of it into slices, and grated the rest. Then I peeled and sliced the ripe avocado. I prepared the tools by taking a cutting board and putting Saran(R) wrap on it, taping it at the other end so it wouldn't come off.



I couldn't take any pictures during the process because my hands were all sticky from the rice, but it was pretty fun. This is a kid friendly meal, I'll tell you that!

When I was done, I tried to take a picture of it, but my camera died on me because of low battery power. However, I made about 4 Cucumber-Avocado rolls. Added soy sauce. Delicious!

This is what it would have looked like before I ate it all (this is an edited picture, obviously):

Wednesday August 29, 2007

B: Rye biscuits


L: 9 Dumplings w. soy sauce


D: 2 Zong(4) zhi (3) [like a Chinese tamale]. I was frustrated because last time I microwaved it for 3 minutes and the rice on the end of it was hard. I thought it was due to over-heating. This time I tried it for 2:45, but the rice just stuck onto the leaves. With the second one, I microwaved it for 3:30 I think. It turned out pretty good. (Next time that's what I'll do.) But it got worse because I put the two together and tried to heat it up again, to try to get the first one edible, but it ruined the second one, and the first one became a little soupy and inconsistent in texture (I had added water). Anyway, it was a pretty unsatisfying dinner. If only I had a steamer...



F: This organic fruit (pear?). It's terribly small for a pear, though.

Tuesday August 28, 2007

B: 2 GOLD Kiwifruit (sliced in half, and used a spoon to eat)

L: Vietnamese sticky rice w.
sauteed leafy vegetable w. garlic


Campbell's Chunky Chicken Broccoli and Potato Cheese soup

F: 1 banana, with some peanut butter

D: 1 packet Udon noodles w. Shin Ramyun seasoning (spicy)
3 Chinese mushrooms (soaked in warm water for 30 mins+, sliced)
1 egg
2 pieces of dried seaweed

Monday August 27, 2007

B: 1 peach

L: Leftover curry w. rice

D: I ate at Caroline and Sam's place; I had:
Rice w.
stir-fry cabbage
beef w. broccoli
kung pao chicken

F: 1 banana w. peanut butter, a few grapes. Yay for eating fruits!

Dessert: Sam's delicious Carrot cake w. blue-dyed cream cheese frosting, candy sprinkles and all!

Sorry, no pictures today~

Sunday August 26, 2007

B/L: Chee graciously offered me breakfast/lunch.
1 honey-wheat pancake
3 (imitation) blueberry pancakes
Tropical(R) syrup

D: I was going to make some sort of shrimp alfredo, but the alfredo sauce smelled odd, and not just a cheesy odd, so I disposed of it.

Angel hair pasta w.
Sauteed shrimp, cut in half, and sprinkled w. garlic salt
Sauteed spinach w. garlic

And later on I added Prego(R) sauce to finish off the remaining pasta.

F: 1 banana; red grapes

Saturday August 25, 2007

B: None. It was a day for a road trip, and I left the house at 9, without consuming breakfast.

L: Pit stop at:
In-n-Out Cheeseburger w. grilled onions
Fries w. ketchup

Afternoon snack: Tortilla chips (from Costco) w. 6-layer dip! I'd never had it before, but it was yummy.

D: BBQ (chicken)
Colombian soup
Arroz con pollo
Mashed potatoes
Costco sushi (two pieces)

Many thanks to the Wei family for their hospitality.

Friday August 24, 2007

B: 1/2 toasted bagel w. cream cheese

L: Yesterday's leftover curry w. rice

F: Jamba Juice Peach Pleasure

D: Chinese Church Friday night dinner (very good!!)

Thursday August 23, 2007

B: Edamame

L: Angel hair pasta w. Prego sauce

F: 1/2 can of pineapple w. juice

D: Rice w. Java(R) Curry Seasoning blocks (I used 3)

Chicken, diced and marinated

Red onion, diced

Potato, in chunks

Carrot, diced

Wednesday August 22 2007

B: 1/4 Barbacoa Chicken 8" pizza from Gina's

L: Teddy Grahams

Afternoon snack: Whole wheat Ritz crackers with Skippy(R) Natural Creamy peanut butter

Those tied me over until dinner...

D: The garlic cloves took forever to peel. I wasn't very eager to figure out an easier way to peel them, but I was working on the task for quite some time!

Rice w.
spinach w. garlic
egg w. pepper

Yeah, the dinner wasn't that satisfying, but the spinach was fresh and good, and egg gave me protein.

F: 1/2 a can of Dole(R) Pineapple w. pineapple juice

Tuesday August 21 2007

B: Cheez-Its

L: Turkey Chutney Foccacia sandwich from Coral Tree Cafe
It's really sweet, in an orange marmalade way.

D: 1/2 of an 8" Barbacoa Chicken Pizza from Gina's
I still crave a $2.00 slice of authentic NY pizza.

No pictures today!

Monday August 20, 2007

B: I'd bought the edamame last, last saturday. It's starting to dry out and yellow, so I need to eat it quickly.

Edamame

L: Today is the day of unplanned eating, apparently. (I didn't know what I would be eating until mealtime rolled around.) I settled on:

Edamame

7 chicken and leek dumplings w. soy sauce


F: 1 apple


D: Ugh. I think this failure of a meal might force me to become a vegetarian. Or, at least, in addition to swearing off pork, I think I just might swear off chicken, too. Yes, it was THAT BAD.

I had this packet of seasoning called "Amazing Taste! for poultry," or something like that. I decided to use it as a marinade (add 1/3 cup of water + 3 tbspns olive oil, so said the directions) and then broil/bake the chicken drumsticks.

I should mention the chicken had been the source of the unpleasant smell of late coming from my minifridge. I'd previously thought it was the shrimp, because they were in the same bag. However, it was the chicken. I don't know if it's the chicken blood/other juices, or the chicken itself spoiling(?!), but I passed it off as just what meat smells like.

I thawed it with hot water, washed it with cold water, and it seemed the smell wasn't as apparent anymore. I figured the smell was just when it was raw and in the bag with all the excess juices, so I went ahead to make my meal.

I cut up onion and green bell pepper to drizzle on top of the chicken drumsticks.

I baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. The juices did not run clear, so I sent it back in for another 15 minutes. After an hour in the oven, they were ready...

...ready for the garbage can. After eating a little bit, I couldn't get over the smell that the chicken still gave off, despite being marinated and everything. Plus, the "Amazing Taste!" packet was FAR from amazing.

I still have two chicken drumsticks left in the freezer, but I think I'll have to dispose of them.

A note: I did bring the chicken from home, so maybe it was the combination of the non-frozen transport time and the date when they were first purchased that caused this whole fiasco. I will most definitely be more careful when buying meat on my own from the supermarket. I might abstain from chicken for a while though. *wince

Rice w.
~1 chicken drumstick, marinated (story above)
Dried fish meat

Sunday August 19, 2007

B: 1/2 bagel w. cream cheese

L: El Pollo Loco's taco el carbon w. side of coleslaw

F: Red grapes from Albertson's

D: "Ghetto" spaghetti, haha because it didn't taste like spaghetti. The Clasico tomato + basil
sauce doesn't add that "oomph" that spaghetti needs, and I think the soy sauce I added to the bell pepper and the onion didn't help. And note: use fresh(er) ingredients next time.

Angel hair pasta w.
mushrooms, sliced
canned corn
onion
green bell pepper
Clasico(R) Tomato and Basil sauce
Ketchup, salt, garlic salt to taste

Saturday August 18, 2007

B: Leinah was entertaining company, and asked me to eat with them.

Noodles w. carrot coins, green beans, Chinese mushroom

L: Caroline calls; we're off to Super Cucas.

Nachos (fried tortilla chips w. guacamole, sour cream, beef, tomato, cheese, and other seasoning)

D: Leinah made a sandwich for me!

Albertson's French bread, toasted w.
ham, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pepper, other seasoning

Friday August 17, 2007

B: Wheat Thins


L: Rice w. mixed vegetables and dried fish meat

Yay, protein!



D: 1 Zong zhi (roughly, a Chinese tamale)
And because I was still hungry:
Omelet (egg w. mushroom, diced; onion, to taste; green bell pepper; salt)

To cook zhong zhi: microwave for 2:45 in a bowl with a little bit of water; cover the bowl (I used a towel).
This time I overdid it with 3:15; some of the rice became too hard to eat.


Dessert: I had made this at home, and then brought the dough to SB, froze it. I left it out to thaw last night, and made the cookies this afternoon.

They are Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookies. There's more oatmeal than chocolate chip, because I ran out of semisweet chocolate chips, and had no substitutes. Instead, I put what I calculated was an equivalent amount of cocoa powder; that is why the cookies are brown in color. People say they're good!

Oatmeal-Chocolate chip cookies

Success!

F: 1 banana

Thursday August 16, 2007

B: 1 Banana

L: I didn't expect to start eating Wendy's type food so soon (I want to eat as healthily as possible), but the circumstances did not permit it.

Wendy's chicken nuggets & BBQ sauce Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe

D: Yay for noodles.

Udon noodles w. udon seasoning

Iceberg lettuce salad (cooked with the udon)

Mushrooms, sliced (cooked with the udon)

Canned corn (cooked with the udon)

Broccoli (cooked with the udon)


The soup reminded me of "shi jing" noodle soup. :)

Breakfast and lunch weren't much, but dinner was a treat.

B: 1/4 bagel w. cream cheese
Bowl of Progresso(R) New England Clam Chowder

L: Saigon Noodle House leftovers w. salad (the stems are yellowing)
Rest of New England Clam Chowder left

D: I headed over to Sam and Caroline's to celebrate Francis' birthday! I brought:

Fried rice (rice, shrimp, egg, mixed vegetables, onion; soy sauce, salt, garlic salt)*

And we also had:

Cathy's Chinese chicken
Broccoli, steamed
White rice

Dessert: How yummy...

Chocolate cake w. dyed whipped cream, Swedish fish, and M&Ms
Neopolitan ice cream

*I loved that I was finally cooking something substantial. I had so much fun creating this. First, two eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt; 6 shrimp, washed, deveined, salted and cut into bite-size pieces; mixed vegetables thawed; 1/4 onion, diced (my eyes annoyed me for a bit, but i just sucked it up and it passed).
It was awesome that the amount of ingredients I had mixed perfectly with the amount of rice I decided to put in, so that none overwhelmed the other.
Ultimately, the dish (with the others) fed 7 people! And my roommate got to try a small bowl of it too, before I brought it over.
As for how it tasted, I got compliments. I thought it might be incongruous in taste, and at one point wondered if I put too much soy sauce in, but it turned out great (IMO).

Success!

B:
3/4 cup Silk soymilk w.
1 cup Smart-K cereal

L: I bought a big Costco bag of iceberg lettuce salad last Friday, and opened it on Sunday. It's still fresh (today's Tuesday).

Iceberg lettuce salad w. canned corn (topping)
and Progresso(R) New England Clam Chowder (dressing)

D: I finally "cooked," because I had ingredients (some) to work with. I'd gone to Albertson's on Sunday. It felt GOOD to cut up vegetables. Lately, all I've been doing is pressing "Start" on the microwave. -.-

Rice w.
broccoli
mushrooms, sliced
canned corn
minced garlic, salt, and garlic salt for seasoning

Unfortunately, there's no meat in the meal. I'll have to get my protein another day.

The broccoli isn't as soft as I wanted it to be, although I was aware that it takes a long time to soften, and even let it steam for a while.

I should have put more garlic salt --it's a bit bland-- but this is OK, too.

Dried fish meat (yu song)

I added a bit of the fish meat to a couple of spoonfuls of rice I still had. Hurray for protein!

F: Can of V-8 vegetable juice

No novel cooking these days, unfortunately.

B: I ate a dish that Zhen, Emily, and Rita cooked from Friday night. I'm not sure what kind of noodles they were, but:

Korean style noodles w. broccoli and some other ingredients (spicy) (can be eaten cold, as an appetizer)

L: I needed a quick lunch, so I had some dumplings.

9 dumplings w. soy sauce and sesame oil

D: I ate out with San, at Saigon Noodle House!

Spring roll w. peanut (?) sauce
1/2 Egg roll w. sauce
1 shrimp appetizer
(I couldn't finish it all:) Vietnamese beef noodle soup (w. steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe)

F: 1 banana

This morning, brunch was an omelette! (Picture forthcoming.) I put grated cheddar cheese, onions, and avocado in mine. It came out really nicely. The great thing about omelettes is you can put almost anything in them. I also had a tortilla that went with the omelette.

Our late lunch was Round Table pizza and garlic parmesan twists.

Dinner was a potluck at Vince's house! Yummy chinese food all around, including mushroom + dong fen, Leinah's awesome noodles, curry rice, potato salad, L&L's, and Caesar salad.

Fruit is a banana.

Dessert is a lott of chocolate Hershey's Kisses!

In Guadalupe (Madisyn's house), we ate tater-tots, chocolate chip pancakes, and Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles (with strawberries and chocolate chips and syrup) for breakfast!! Many thanks to Madisyn's sister, Kelsey.

For lunch, we ate at the Obon Festival in San Luis Obispo. I had Udon noodles.

Dinner was a 6" Subway sandwich (turkey, tomato, cheese, lettuce).

Dessert was a brownie with some kind of nut in it.

Fruit was a peach.

Breakfast (B): Leinah made Krusteaz Banana pancakes, and I had one.

1 banana pancake
Wheat Thins

Lunch (L): Finished the sardines.

Rice
Rest of the canned sardines
Canned corn

Dinner (D): I have plenty of rice refrigerated, but I wanted to eat noodles. Thus:

Japanese somen noodles
Canned corn
Chicken teriyaki patty, in cubes

It's funny, coz I thought the noodles were those flatter Chinese noodles, but the noodles are actually a lot thinner.

Breakfast (B): Found some mold on the bagels, threw some parts away and kept the others. I refrigerated what I didn't eat.

Almost 1/2 of a bagel w. cream cheese

Lunch (L): I went out to eat with Jen at Ruby's Diner. She was gracious to pay the bill.

1/2 Guacamole Burger
French fries w. ketchup
Garlic french fries w. ketchup
Caesar side salad

Sorry, no pictures available!

Dinner (D): Am came up from Riverside, woot! I was invited to Sam and Caroline's place to eat dinner. Yummy! Again, sorry, this is a no-picture post. :(

Rice
Egg, mushroom, pork, vegetables, other in a sort of stir-fry
Garlic bread
Stir-fry cabbage (might have been unwashed??) haha

Fruit (F): Strawberries, peach, grapes

Dessert: Cookie-wich, made with Pillsbury cookies and neopolitan ice cream

Breakfast (B): I decided to change things up a little. (I'll tell you how much cooking on my own consumes my mind: my roommate got up a little after 7, and everytime I found myself alert and conscious, I was wondering what to make for breakfast.)

2 scrambled eggs, w. garlic salt and ground black pepper
1/4 toasted parmesan cheese bagel

Lunch (L): The chicken drumstick took a while before I felt it was ready. It's not consistent in texture, and now eating it, there are still some undercooked parts. I'll wait longer next time.

I need to learn how to marinate it better with soy sauce and sesame oil. The taste did not sink in within the time frame I thought it would. My mom makes it a lot better.

Rice
1 cup of mixed vegetables (Albertson's brand), and
1 chicken drumstick w. soy sauce and sesame oil

Dinner (D): I've been telling my mom both of the past years how I could seriously survive just on mixed vegetables and rice. So no problem. I still believe it. Btw, when I say "1 cup," it might not be exactly; that's just my estimate :-)

Rice
1 cup of mixed vegetables (Alberton's brand), and
Canned sardines in tomato sauce

I wasn't able to finish the whole can, so I have some under Saran wrap in the big fridge.

Dessert: I had a small piece of carrot cake that Chee made.

Carrot cake w. icing

Fruit (F): Leinah offered me a refrigerated banana :-P

Banana (cold)

Several handfuls of Honey Nut Cheerios

Breakfast (B): Surprise surprise. After my mom told me the bagels will spoil easily, I want to finish them as quickly as possible.

1/2 toasted bagel with cream cheese

Lunch (L): I kinda wanted a sandwich, but the ones at the Arbor didn't look inspiring. Plus, I would have to spend money. And I have food at home. Ming Dynasty leftovers it was.

Rice with
Seafood sauce
Sliced beef w. bean curd

Dinner (D): Helicon and I went out to eat at Takenoya! With a $25 OFF coupon (if your meal comes out to over $40) and free drinks on the house, we really enjoyed ourselves. What a luxurious meal:

Milk Tea Smoothie
Crazy Roll
Spider Roll
Green Dragon Roll
007 Roll
Salmon Box Roll

Fruit (F): I had a few green grapes.

Breakfast (B): I had half a toasted bagel from Costco (from those 6-in-a-pack bags) with cream cheese.

1/2 toasted bagel w. cream cheese

Lunch (L): Ming Dynasty leftovers (it was supposed to be yesterday's dinner)

Rice with Seafood sauce,
Sliced beef w. bean curd,
and
3 pieces of Roasted duck

Dinner (D): I didn't want to eat leftovers again, so I cooked (first time, while on my own!)

Angel hair pasta with alfredo and tomato basil sauce
Edamame (cold)

Remind me not to buy this brand of edamame again. It's too salty. I should have bought mushrooms and onion to add into my pasta.

Fruit (F): I still have a whole bunch left.

Red grapes