well, i must admit, the last week has not been the most stellar of diet times. in fact, let's make that the last two weeks. what with the culmination of the moving process and the federal grant proposal deadline, there have been too many times when working out or finding healthy options were not possible, and the stress eating went through the roof. all of that on top of other school situations and the constant search for spikers. so, hello 3 extra pounds!
that being said, i was thinking about it today and stressing out, but then i remembered that i need to realign continually with a healthier viewpoint regarding that whole area. so, yes, it wasn't the healthiest week in terms of staying within my calorie limit, but i thought perhaps it would be good to capitalize on all of those extra calories and celebrate the tasty enjoyment!
it's been awhile since i've fixed a meal other than the lasagnas, etc. that we eat on sunday afternoons (and usually jerry does those and i have a more healthy option), so i thoroughly enjoyed our tuesday night dinner. after closing the door for the final time on my old apartment, i felt the need to celebrate...to celebrate a new household that is healthier in so many different ways--physically/medically, emotionally, and environmentally. the peace that comes with being with loved ones in a safe and thriving environment cannot be overstated, and this is what i wanted to celebrate. my first thought was to go to my favorite salad bar and load up on goodies, but then i thought, "why not cook a great dinner at home?" it seemed much more appropriate to share the celebration with everyone else! (and also get to use some of the serving dishes that i had so carefully transported from the old apartment...) then there was the conundrum of what to fix. it's been so long since i've made dinner, much less an elaborate one, that i was overwhelmed by the desire to go home and pour over my new cooking light issues to find some recipes that would satisfy the vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetites in the household but ALSO to fix one of my old favorites (black bean soup or the tortellini bean soup, with chips or crusty bread).
in the end, i went toward the middle and made a splurge-worthy dinner that was easy but also not an "old faithful" that i used to fix all of the time. to start, we had spinach leaves with natural feta and almonds, then as a main course we enjoyed some seared asparagus with mozzarella topping, breadsticks, and three-cheese tortellini with pesto sauce. it was sooooooo tasty and the fact that it was easy to prepare made for the perfect combination of cooking activity and fun celebration! the cabernet sauvignon that i chose at the store was great--i was expecting a basic wine given the price and unsophisticated appearance, but it was surprisingly good! for dessert, i made a devil's food chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. it was a little wonky because i forgot that the beaters that i previously had actually belonged to jennie faucett (so they had been returned...or so i hope...otherwise they're lost and i'll need to buy some new ones for you jenn), but it turned out okay. those of you who know me can probably already guess that i didn't partake of the cake--i would have much rather had another helping of the pasta! but it looks like that everyone enjoyed the different parts of the meal, which adds to the joy of the entire experience.
although there were splurges throughout the week that functioned just to get me through the mind-numbing writing process, the other one that i would really like to mention was our dinner last night. matthew came over on friday afternoon since jerry was leaving this afternoon for germany, so we went out for a wonderful italian dinner. once again, the great thing about this dinner was the combination of the company with the good food. i really love spending time with jerry and his kids, and this was such a great time. matthew was hilarious--it always makes me remember a phone conversation that jerry and i had when we first started dating. he was sitting outside grilling and eating dinner with matthew, and told me that Matthew is an "old soul" in that he just adapts to any situation and has awesome communicative abilities with people of any age. it's so true--we always have a great time when matthew is here, no matter what we are doing.
so, we went out for italian, and i was sooo hungry--there was definitely some splurging going on there...trio sampler of fried mozzarella, bruschetta, and spinach dip, of course with PLENTY of tasty, crusty bread, and a big bowl of capellini pomodoro as the main course. the laughter and the good food was a great way to end the week, and i hope that it was a good time for jerry as he prepared to go overseas. i will definitely miss him, because things just aren't as happy or exciting when he's not here, but i'm looking forward to his return next saturday and i'm glad we had a fun evening out before he left.
now, on sunday, as jerry is in flight to germany and i'm trying to wrap up my proofreading of the federal grant proposal (and then preparing myself for the massive amounts of grading that have piled up because of the HAB presentation and this proposal), i've sampled some of the pizza that i fixed for matthew for dinner (even just the crust is good). i'm so glad he decided to stay here tonight too.
tomorrow, i'm sure there will be more splurging, as it is the birthday celebration for audrey clair (as opposed to baby audrey) in charlotte at olive garden. while i'm certain that she will get some stuffed mushrooms and take the plate home with her (to return it the next time she goes back--don't worry, it's an established situation), i'm hoping that i won't be too tempted. i do love the salad and breadsticks, so i usually try to stick to the soup option, but it's great soup!
here's to good food in collaboration with living well and experiencing amazing changes and wonderful relationships. although i will certainly be looking forward to a break when i'm not sick or moving, i am so thankful for our household and my place in it. this is the most important thing--not overly stressful thoughts of calorie counts or workouts.
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