Friday, January 23, 2009

天六十三


Homemade Veggie Soup (breakfast o' champs)

It's been a gloomy morning over here. It rained part of yesterday and last night. More rain is supposedly coming this weekend. Yah! That's right ... Yah! I love the rain. It was a perfect morning to sleep in. And so I did ... a little bit.

My agenda for the day? Stay positive and methodically take care of everything that needs doing. I'm confident that I'll accomplish that goal.

Later today I'll head over to Whole Foods for our weekly shopping spree. I'll try to find some interesting new items for my menu. I tend to be a creature of habit but maybe it would be a good thing to vary things up a bit - for me, my wife and for those that check in on this site.

I hope you all are rebounding (or trying to) as well. I know it can be hard but we must try! Please let me know if I can help you in your efforts to do so. In the meantime, I'll try to set a better example (than I have been). Happiness is a choice - at least it is to some degree :)

update: It's about 7:30 pm now. I did get a bit uptight earlier. Managing stress isn't my strong suit. Still, my mood hasn't taken any major turns to negative-town.

More commentary to come ...


Friday - January 23, 2009

10:30 am

+ a cup of "choco-coffee" - (2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, 1 packet of Also Salt and 1 packet of stevia + FOS and hot water)

12:00 pm

+ homemade vegetable soup - (fatty beef broth and organic broccoli florets ... made into a smooth soup via my immersion blender)

3:45 pm

+ 2 small Roma tomatoes, sliced and topped with organic sour cream and two types of cheeses: Manchego (sheep's milk) cheese and Comte cheese

+ approx. 2 oz of organic sliced salami

+ a glass of organic red wine

7:15 pm

+ a cup of "choco-coffee" - (2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, 1 packet of Also Salt and 1 packet of stevia + FOS and hot water)

8:45 pm

+ spicy catfish fillet (from Whole Foods)

+ 1/2 cup of homemade mashed cauliflower

11:00 pm

+ a strong tea made with 2 tea bags of organic white tea and 1 tea bag of a chamomile-blend


More to come ... I hope!

13 comments:

~Oct said...

I like rainy days as well. The sound is soothing. Thunderstorms are even better.

Harry/JP said...

They're rare around here. But when the rain comes ... I do love it. :)

Thunder is even more scarce 'round these parts. But I love that too. Except for that time I was struck by lightning. ;)

~Oct said...

eep! you're joking! owy!

NewVision said...

My brother was struck once, well actually it struck the big tree next to the house traveled down the metal fence that he was leaning against. Knocked him completely off his feet and about 6 ft back.

You were joking, right?

Harry/JP said...

Yes, only jesting. :) I wish my nuttiness could be explained by such an event. But, no such luck. ;)

I think I was inspired by a character in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - who claimed to have been struck by lightning seven times!

Sorry to hear about your brother. Yikes! Did he suffer any lasting consequences due to the lightning strike?

bayoubabe said...

Down south, we call 'em 'Mercy Drops of Rain' :)

That soup looks interesting, like its pureed a bit much.. golly I'd have some of my Hickory Farms Beef Summer Sausage cut up in your soup. lol. Girls gotta have her "BEEF".

What state are you residing in ?
(NOT state of mind) :P

Harry/JP said...

Howdy, Bayoubabe.

Yeah, the soup was blended until completely smooth. Sometimes I like to add something to chew on (like sausage or roast) into the soup. Other times, I'd rather have something that goes down real easy like. :)

We live in the LA area of Southern California. LaLa land. :)

Anonymous said...

I love a rainy day also - especially if I have a good book to curl up and read.

Your soup looks yummy - I might need to buy me one of those devices! Then again, I could probably use my food processor.

Have you had much time to practice your meditation, Harry? I've been trying to do some each day and I really think it helps keep me centered. I'm hooked on Kelly Howell. She's the one that does the 'theta brain wave' guided meditations.

cheers-

Harry/JP said...

Howdy, Sybil.

The soup was pretty tasty. :) There's nothing like homemade broth. And you're certainly right, a food processor would work just fine.

I haven't been meditating much. I need to but I'm just not getting it done. Much room for improvement there.

I haven't tried any of Kelly Howell's meditations. I've seen them on Amazon.com but never purchased any.

Which of her meditations are you most impressed with?

My best to you.

x said...

After seeing this post, I've suddenly got a craving for soup!

Anonymous said...

Hi Harry,
What do you put in the mashed cauliflower? Also I'd have to use my hand-held mixer to make it. At the moment, I don't own a blender or a microwave or an iron or a bread machine or a food processor. Never had the food processor, and the others quit working correctly. I'm making it fine without all of them though.
Also I'm watching Miller's Crossing tonite. I'll let you know what I think about it.

Harry/JP said...

Good day, Amanda.

After reading your post yesterday, I suddenly got the craving for LC muffins! :)

I'll be heading over later to read your book review.

Take good care!

Harry/JP said...

Howdy, Lynn.

I'm a simple kind of fellow. I like recipes that are easy to make, easy to eat and easy to clean up. :) Maybe I'm just a lazy fellow? ;)

I'll happily share my recipe (below).

I hope you like Miller's Crossing. I think it's a beautiful looking film filled with the snappiest dialog and lots of plot twists. The musical score is one of my favorites of all time.

And now for the mashed cauliflower:

Mashed Cauliflower

1. Steam about 16 oz of cauliflower florets. You can use fresh cauliflower or buy the pre-cut frozen variety. Make sure you steam them until they’re very tender.

2. Sautee some diced garlic in a pan in a small amount of butter. I usually use a few tablespoons of butter.

3. Once ready, remove the cauliflower from the steamer and add it to a pot with the sauteed garlic mixture.

4. Add 2-4 oz. of natural cream cheese and 2oz of natural heavy cream to the cauliflower and garlic. Combine all ingredients on low heat.

5. Mash or puree all the ingredients. I use an immersion/stick blender, but a simple potato masher would also work.

6. Finally, just season to taste. I use an organic, fresh ground pepper-mix and a salt substitute (that’s rich in potassium) to add the final touch.

If you give this a shot, please let me know what you think. Also, keep in mind that the recipe is flexible. Add or substract anything that you'd like. You just might make it even tastier.