can food incite feelings of naked-ness?

Or, rather, the lack of food?

OK, what I’m really getting as is that feeling you get when you forgot to wear your watch. You know, that naked/’I forgot something’ feeling? I was thinking about it the other day, and I feel that way about my fridge sometimes. As in, if I’m out of certain things, all is not right with the world. I feel like we have no food. I feel like I cannot cook or clean or anything until I get to the store. Most are probably obvious, but others, not so much. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Spinach – I probably eat this stuff at least once a day, if not more. I’ve started trying to eat my salad FIRST, because I think if I did that, I would eat even smaller portions for dinner. The trouble is, it makes sense to eat the hot food first, as it will eventually cool down, whereas the salad won’t. Dilemmas, dilemmas.

2. Yogurt – I make my own, which means I need some leftover yogurt as well. Andrew is a huge fan of Kefir, so I like having that around for his breakfasts.

3. Bananas – I use half to sweeten my oatmeal and have been known to slather them in peanut butter, too. I used to hate them once they got really ripe, but now I don’t mind so much.

4. Fruit – Right now it’s citrus, as well as these tiny organic Honey Crisp apples I found awhile ago. They are THE BEST. I don’t care that they are $5.99 a bag.

5. Coffee creamer – Duh. Although, I’m seriously entertaining thoughts of switching to one of the Silk or Coconut Milk flavors once I finish this bottle, or even one of the more “natural” ones. Anyone have any thoughts?

6. Eggs – I don’t eat them very often by themselves (although I LOVE a good omelette!), but the lack of them means no baking, which would put me in a tailspin.

7. Cheese – I usually have a block of parm, as well as a container of something else like feta or blue or gorgonzola. They go in eggs, on top of salads or even with fruit. Cheese sticks are an essential item; I pair one with an apple for a snack.

8. Nuts – I have a giant bin I keep in the freezer of just about every nut around (three varieties of almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds…) for baking, making granola or topping salads and oatmeal.

9. Seltzer – I’ve started drinking flavored seltzer sometimes when I just want something other than water. I used to absolutely hate the “flavor” (it’s carbonated water with a tiny hint of flavor, but not sweet), but it’s something I’ve gotten used to. I’m vehemently opposed to drinking my calories (except infrequent sodas and small amount of honey in tea, and, of course, beer and wine), and at 89 cents for a large bottle, I figured I should try to like it.

10. Ice cream – I’m actually on the fence about this one. I am an ice-cream-aholic. I am. Except that I don’t eat it that much; if I did, I’d have more room in my freezer! Seriously, I have like five pints of Jeni’s and Graeter’s ice creams we’ve brought back from Ohio, plus a christmas flavor of Perry’s I bought thinking Andrew would like it. He doesn’t, which means I’m stuck finishing it. What I need to do is learn to have just a small scoop each night–the problem is that even when I use a small bowl, once I start scooping, it’s like I can’t stop. I think I need a 12-step program…

Well, that’s probably about it. I also like having the ingredients to make things like hummus and granola on hand at a moment’s notice, so I guess I could include oats, real maple syrup and honey on that list, too. Oh and dried cranberries (as well as other fruits) and nut butters. I guess I could just keep going…

The good news is that I’m all stocked up right now and feelin’ good!

the rest of the trip

Andrew and I got back late last night from our week-long trip to Ohio and Indiana. It was filled (to the brim!) with friends, family and ice cream. Yup. Those three things pretty much sum it up.

After spending some quality time in Indiana with Andrew’s family, we headed back to Dayton with one more vehicle than we left with. We’re now the proud owners a 2001 green Chevy Silverado, and boy does Andrew look good behind the wheel!

We squeezed in one more trip to Graeter’s to meet an ROTC-friend of mine who I found out was in town. Charlie is a weapons officer on the RC-135 and is stationed in Omaha, NE, and is currently going through the weapons school in Las Vegas. I’m so glad we got a chance to visit, even if it was only for 20 minutes or so, but I wish we’d gotten a photo!

Andrew continued on to Orrville, OH, where he had a business trip and I headed to Susy’s house for a couple days.

We ran (of course) 6 miles in 47 minutes flat — sweet! This is going to sound crazy — we kept trying to slow down, but we must have been feeding off of each other and ended up pushing it the whole way. The next morning, we thought we’d take it easy, but ended up doing 4 in 31:14 — almost exactly the same pace! This whole running-WAY-faster-than-9-minute-miles-with-ease thing is still new to me… Thanks Susy! I owe it all to you. And my 20-pound weight-loss.

After hurriedly showering, we grabbed our friend Jennifer and left for some shopping.

GOODWILL!

There are NO good Goodwills in Western New York. I think there might be some in Amherst, but it’s a bit of a drive, so I haven’t ventured up there yet. I was in DESPERATE need of clothes that fit, and I really lucked out! My haul included two pairs of Gap jeans, two pairs of American Eagle cords, a pair of J. Crew khakis (almost exactly like my favorite pair that I had to give up!), two pairs of shorts, three skirts and a pair of BCBG “tuxedo” pants (they have stripes of sequins down the sides) — not sure where I’ll wear them, but they were in mint condition, looked fabulous on and probably retailed for $100 — I had to.

Onto more Dayton favorites…

…Trader Joe, I have missed thee.

I’d already done some shopping with Emily here, but I picked up some more essentials, like granola, peanut butter and mango gummies. One can never have enough.

Sara, a house church friend who met us Sunday for lunch, told us about the new popsicle place that opened up across from TJ’s. We had to go.

It’s a little gourmet treat shop and they have all sorts of fun flavors of popsicles. Susy got the raspberry/lime/coconut, Jennifer chose the honeydew/basil/lime and I was craving the banana pudding with vanilla wafers — all were yummy!

We’d been doing our shopping at TJ’s for the soiree Susy had planned for that night — an ‘open-house’ of sorts so that all our friends could stop by to see me while I was in town! Was that not the sweetest thing she could do? Love her 🙂

While I’m gushing about Susy, I’ll just go ahead and continue. She is the most EXCELLENT wine-and-cheese party-thrower EVER. Seriously. It’s all we ever did for get-togethers at her house and they are always just fantastic. I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who organizes and attends wine and cheese parties. Susy, thank you again for making this dream a reality.

Anna helped me make Ina’s brownie pudding for dessert. Topped with vanilla ice cream, it is heaven on a plate. Or in a bowl. It’s basically like eating brownie batter without the raw-egg grossness.

We bought wine at Trader Joe’s, made flatbread pizzas and a fresh mozzarella and tomato pasta salad with Susy’s homemade pesto, arranged meat, cheese and cracker platters, roasted garlic and set out olive tapenade and eggplant dips.

OH. MY. GOSH. Have you ever had bleu cheese with figs drizzled with honey? I hadn’t, either. I don’t even like bleu cheese, at least not very much. In fact, until a couple years ago, I thought it smelled gross. And it kinda still does. But I am telling you, combine it with figs and honey, and it’s like dessert. DESSERT. Seriously.

Our running friends Nicole and Kathy came over, and Jennifer returned as well.

Later on, Kathryn and Mia stopped by as well. These two are hilarious. HILARIOUS. I LOVE hanging out with them. I think they bring out a less-tightly-wound side of my. That, and a little wine helps, too.

We decided to howl at the moon that night and headed to the movies to see The Help. I’d read the book just before we moved, so I’d been looking forward to seeing it. It seemed like it jumped around a bit, but I love Emma Stone (although I think I liked her better about 10 pounds heavier–she just looks too skinny now) and really enjoyed seeing it with my girlfriends. Now Andrew is off the hook and can take me to see something else!

We stayed out past midnight, and because I didn’t say no to Susy’s shot of espresso from that afternoon, it was 2 a.m. before I fell asleep…

…little did I know she, just two floors above me, was having the same insomnia!

Good morning! I welcomed Susy’s espresso this time.

After our run we didn’t have time for a sit-down brunch before I left, so we went to one of our favorite haunts, Tropical Smoothie.

In true Susy-fashion, she convinced me to pop into Goodwill one more time on the way home. We learned Goodwill is a ‘two-hand’ job… Must. Finish. Smoothie. First! I scored a white J. Crew tuxedo shirt (to go with the BCGC pants, perhaps?) and a bunch of long-sleeve shirts and a Gap sweater in anticipation of cooler weather in NY soon.

I left, picked up Hadrian from puppy camp in Troy and got on the road. Andrew and I had decided to meet outside Cleveland and then continue on caravan-style.

I knew there was a Jeni’s somewhere in Cleveland, and it turns out it’s not far off of I-271! We were stoked.

It’s in Chagrin Falls, OH, which is just about the cutest, quaintest town you can imagine. Let’s just say it makes adorable East Aurora look like a ghetto.

It was a nice chance to take Hadrian for a bit of a walk and stretch our legs. I’ve been on a waffle cone-kick of late (I think it’s because it takes longer to eat than in a dish, thus more enjoyment – ha!), and I got all seasonal flavors: blackberries and sweet corn, blueberry and lemon yogurt and peach buttermilk. I told Andrew, upon finishing my treat, that I could go back and get a whole other one no problem. No joke. There is just something about Jeni’s. It’s not heavy like other ice creams, and the flavors are so light yet intense…almost addicting.

We got back on the road with three more hours to go.

I’d been craving Chick-Fil-A for dinner during the entire drive, knowing there is one about an hour and half from home in Erie, PA. I told myself not to get the cookies and cream milkshake, since I’d already had ice cream…

NOPE! I went all out. I hadn’t had a CFA sandwich in months and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. Now that we can’t have it all the time, I figured it’d be OK to totally splurge on exactly what I wanted: a sandwich, (small) fries and a shake. And it was all I had dreamed it would be.

Andrew was holding out for a Pasquale’s pizza when we got home, which he picked up on the way. I wish I could tell you I resisted the urge at 10 p.m. at night to have a slice, but I can’t. Oh well, this morning was a new day!

lunch, etc…

This was my lunch today:

Pretty good for a hotel kitchenette, huh? (Although I guess none of this required ACTUAL cooking, but still.)

I used the strawberries and red lettuce greens I got at the farmer’s market yesterday to make my strawberry balsamic salad. I added some gorgonzola cheese crumbles (still getting used to it–I so want to like blue cheese!), toasted pecans (I was too lazy to caramelize them) and red onion into the mix as well. I topped it with a drizzle of sunflower seed oil and some swirls of this balsamic syrup my mom brought back from one of her trips. The label is all in Italian…

I burned a couple corners of my GH Cinnamon Swirl bread (boo!) and added a dollop of hummus and some cucumber. I like the hummus from Patricia Wells’ Salad as a Meal cookbook. It’s garlicky and fresh as opposed to most that have cumin in them. Her version includes cilantro, something I’d never thought to add but is actually very good.

Today is the first day I can say that I’m actually bored. Like, seriously bored. Part of it’s the weather. It’s one of those ‘overcast one minute, sunny the next’ kind of days. I tried to go outside to read with Hadrian and wouldn’t you know we got all the way to the sitting area and it started to sprinkle. Grrr. I’ve tried alternating reading (just started Steve Martin’s ‘Shopgirl’), computering and taking Hadrian outside. Oh, and getting coffee (see below).

I thought running with Hadrian would completely tire him out, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m looking forward to upping our mileage together, both for him and me. Right now, I take him out for one mile (which provides a nice warm-up for me), then bring him back, give him a couple ice cubes in his crate (a great way to help cool him down without allowing him to slurp up too much water at once), then head out for my “real” run. I really like the companionship he provides, especially in unfamiliar territory, but it does add a bit to the morning routine.

Our hotel has coffee (regular, dark roast and decaf) available 24-7. This is bad. I find myself wandering to the lobby WAY too often to grab a bit here and there. I do try to mix the decaf with regular in the afternoons, but still.

I’m completely unmotivated to count my calories right now. I should be, since I only have a couple stubborn pounds left, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Maybe I just need a couple more days to get motivated again.

I’m planning on making a pretty ambitious meal tonight in our kitchenette–steaks, asparagus and barley–if I remember, I’ll take a photo!