Dear reader:

These blog posts are getting later and later.... I've got to find some way to not have such a full, full life.   Ha.   Somehow, taking calories out of one's life does not create more time and space.

Well, here are the stats for today:

Calories consumed:  1834
Calories burned:  0

And, here are the pics:

Breakfast:

Lunch (pistachios in little container):

Dinner:

A couple of snacks included peanut butter crackers and pickles...

So, here's the whole truth about me and "cooking" (notice how I use the quotes).   My mom is a very good family cook.   I always enjoyed food in our house.   But, I never really learned to cook - anybody else in the kitchen probably would have just gotten in the way for my mom.   And, I obviously learned how to cook some basic stuff when I got to grad school and beyond, but cooking for one just never got me excited.   I like to imagine my fantasy self as some sort of domestic goddess/earth mother who can cook up the most delicious dishes for dinner parties for which she becomes famous amongst her circle of friends (I actually have a couple of friends like that.  You know who you are.  And, I love you and your food...).  In reality, I can pull off a dinner party, but no part of it is really enjoyable to me.   Chopping vegetables, stirring soups, etc.   Meh.   So, then, of course, I fantasized that I would meet my particular Mr. Right.   And, Mr. Right would, of course be this guy who LOVED cooking for me.  He would really be chef quality.  But, of course, the reality is that I just wanted someone to cook for me.   Like maybe I should just wish for a little bit more money to pay for a personal chef, rather than basing a relationship on "You had me at "What would you like for dinner tonight..."  I find myself wanting to gently re-enter the world of cooking and give it another try, but I don't want to try and turn myself into someone I think I should be.... So, I decided to buy this book recently:

Mollie Katzen is the author of the Moosewood Cookbook.  Good credentials.  And, the blurb on the back says this:

"If you're tired of pizza and broke from carry-out – and you just realized that after two hours of watching cooking shows on TV there's nothing to eat for dinner – this book is for you! Here's your chance to take charge and get cooking with terrific, economical options and a great new set of skills that can make you happier and healthier."

OK, I'm game, Mollie.   MAKE ME LOVE IT.  No pressure here.  Just please save me.

Anyway, back to food/eating.  (Wait, I never really digressed from that...)

After I did some traveling in college, grad school, and professional life, I became a big fan of ethnic cuisines - Thai, Indian, Chinese, etc.   I still remember certain meals from my childhood (ask me about biscuit burgers) and certain really excellent meals I had in the past:  a glorious roast chicken dinner in Sussex, England, a white asparagus soup in Austria, the first time I ever ate a banana nutella crepe from a Parisian food cart (!!!!!!!), a to-die-for tapas meal in Spain, a fantastic piece of pizza in, of all places, Edinburgh.  And, you know, lots of American places too.  Ha.  So, anyway, I can enjoy me some food.   But, somehow, lately with all of the emotional eating, I have ceased to really savor or enjoy food.   I eat with desperation rather than with leisurely enjoyment - and I want it back.   So, being an academic I, of course, bought yet another book:

I am attracted to the benefits of mindfulness in other areas of my life, so maybe this can help?   Anyway, I am hopeful.   Tomorrow should be a great day because I have time for a workout in the afternoon - both cardio and weight training.   And, I'll have time to shop for my kids' birthday party.  So, here's to having time to spend on things that will "feed" me (pun intended).

Thanks for reading!