Fancy a good brunch

Often on the weekends I get to cook a good breakfast. Mainly because I have time but most often prompted by my brother's request for an omelet. This morning it will be an egg sandwich because my brother is at work this morning.

I like the egg. It was one of my first culinary bucket list challenges (sometimes still remains). As a kid I learned how to make scrambled eggs very quickly and learned how to cover them in ketchup just as quickly. I thought I didn't like eggs, it turns out I just didn't like my mother's eggs.

When I grew up i found myself cooking a lot. It's a passion and at times a missed career path. I remember the first time I had scrambled eggs cooked differently was at a relatives house after sleeping over. They were fluffy, moist, seasoned well. Namley, they weren't my moms dried and over peppered eggs. The difference I later found out was water instead of milk, a little cheddar cheese, and salt.

I often found new forms of egg devotion when sleeping over someone's house. In junior high I learned how to make an egg mcmuffin at the house. A skill that has been perfected many times over. I learned the differences between sunny side up, over easy, over hard and how to cook each one. Once, with several women at the breakfast table I was cooking morning eggs. I asked a much younger woman how she liked her eggs. Another woman, older than I laughed and remarked "She didn't know." The younger woman said, she took what ever she was given before. That is a travesty I said and made her an over easy egg, some salted fresh avocado, a tomato & toast.

I've perfected a french fold omelet, know how to poach an egg, can create Hollandaise by hand whisking or the blender, can make a soft or hard boiled egg, and I am still working on making a coddled egg, shirred eggs, scotch eggs, and making Huevos rancheros.

Breakfast always seemed to be easier to make than most fancy dinners and for awhile I stuck primarily to breakfast cooking. It allowed me to gain confidence. I knew I could bake but I didn't know if I could cook. I still have daydreams and fantasies about clear plastic squeeze bottled filled with sauces that I make on the weekends to use throughout the week. I think about making fresh pasta and fresh sauce. I'm still working on my salting as tenderizing beef skills. I want to make a brick or stone oven outside this summer for pizzas and breads. I want to be that foodie in your neighborhood who invites you and your partner over for good food and you bring over good wine in return. Yeah, I'm a nerd. A foodie nerd.

Creature of Habit

So I plan out a menu for the household so we all know what we are having for dinner. What about the lunch dilemma? Currently, I don’t have to worry about going out to lunch because well I just don’t have the money for it. So, I’ve become a creature of habit.

I am a big fan of the assemble your lunch in the cafeteria method of preparation. Why? Because you don’t have soggy bread, melted cheese, or the question of can mayo sit unrefrigerated. The other reason why I do it is because I like to get out of the house at a reasonable hour in the morning.

Prior to the week starting I took 7 chicken breasts and I grilled them on the stove top. I cut them in small pieces and placed them in the snack pack size zip-lock bags. I got a big box of spring mix and each morning I take from the box and place it into a sandwich size zip-lock bag. These items along with a large wrap, piece of cheese, & a mini salad dressing packet the size of travel ketchup go together for the chicken wrap of the day. I switch the dressing up from french, to ranch, to Italian, to spicy mustard.

I have a chocolate or butterscotch pudding to finish off my meal and lately it’s paired with fruit punch Gatorade (that is made from the powder at home). I’ve been trying to stay away from soda as much as I can so bringing in juice, milk or Gatorade in my recycled glass bottle from an iced tea purchase allows me to have variety if I want.

I eat 3 meals while I’m at work. I have yogurt in the morning around 10:30. Then lunch around 12:30 or 1, then I have a snack (usually some protein bar) around 3pm. I know it helps to keep my metabolism up, so I’m OK with having a routine or a schedule. I make a lot of tea at work as well. I’m out of my favorites of green tea with mint & tazo Passion, so I’ve switched back to my PG Tips. For the afternoon snack it’s usually the chocolate brownie CLIFbar or the chocolate peanut butter special k protein bar.

One of my old friends often commented on how she couldn’t eat the same thing day in & day out. However, she knew several of her friends had no problem doing so. Me? I am a creature of habit, I’m OK with that. Dinner is often where I splurge, or on the weekends I do fancy a good brunch. Yet, I find that when I am trying to get back into a place where I feel better about my food choices routine is a comfort.

keeping up

So, I'm not the greatest blogger. I want to stress that my fitness was not a new years resolution. I'm still be up working on my fitness. It's just the blogging that got away from me.

Since I last wrote a few things have happened. One huge thing is that I got a job, so now I'm a 9-5 working girl who has an hour commute each morning & evening so I'm relearning my routines and trying to fit in a plan for running. (as my training start is approaching: March 1)

Also, for the past month & a half I've worked on dinner menus for my family. I was enticed by photos that my high school crush had posted on her facebook page. She's a doctor and recently working on her fitness, so when she mentioned a cookbook I checked it out. I've been doing a lot of recipes from the Clean Living Magazine. I also take a lot of my recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast.

My friend Katie posted her weeks menu on her blog NNYlife so it inspired me to list out what the weeks menu is here. I have some flexible days filled with my dad's favorites or else he complains a bit for all the healthy eating. As well as Fish-a-palooza a.k.a. Lent is coming up so it's finding a happy medium of vegetarian or seafood dishes that the whole family will eat.

Most of my meal choices are based on if my mom can buy in bulk (i plan two weeks at a time), offering my dad more than chicken and good for diabetics, and keeping me at a lower sodium & fat level while gaining protein. It's a difficult blend of things. So we print recipes, try them and if the family likes them we keep them, if not they get labeled as gross and toss them.

This weeks menu is up on the fridge (so everyone knows what we're having ahead of time) so I figured I'd post next weeks menu. We go Sunday - Saturday, I'll post links to recipes when I can.

Week of Feb 27 - Mar 5:
Sunday
Southwestern Pumpkin Soup & Turkey Carver Sandwiches.

Monday
Dinner out - I give my parents the option once every two weeks, they used to go out about 3 times a week.

Tuesday (I'm at rehearsal so I'll be getting a Februany sub at Subway)
Dad's Choice - Ham Steak & Scalloped Potatoes.

Wednesday
Beef tacos with radish & avocado salsa - Everyday Food

Thursday
Pacific Pork Kebabs with pineapple rice

Friday
Sauteed Chicken in mustard cream sauce, fresh asparagus, baked potato, & salad.

Saturday
Clams & Spaghetti for Dad & my brother, Meatballs & spaghetti for mom & I, salad & bread.

Well, the timer is going off and I've got peas & brown rice to cook to add to our Ginger Honey Chicken.