Restaurant Widow

Pictorial Meditation for Winter

The snow is melting, it's a seemingly balmy 45 degrees outside, and walking around outside is a battle between the ice and the 3 inches of gray sludge on top of it.  Yes, it is late winter in Central Ohio.  Lest we all begin to fear spring and summer will never come, I thought I might prepare this slide show so we might all remember that it's the cold, gray, foggy, sludgey days which make the summer so much more beautiful.  Click on the thumnail to see the larger picture; don't forget to look at all three pages. . . Here's to summer!  Cheers!

(To get your own cool Flickr sideshow, click the "info" button at the bottom of this post - it's very easy!)

Attempting to Live the Pyramid Wrap Up

As I continue with Attempting to Live the Pyramid - after my Thanksgiving Day sojourn, wherein I indulged in a few more than 2000 calories - I have realized it doesn't make for the most interesting writing.  I am not a health food writer, and I find it leads into a sort of writing, talking, and living, which I absolutely hate: excuse-making.  Even things which sound like excuse-making drive me crazy "I just couldn't make it to the gym because . . . I couldn't eat well because we were at this restaurant . . . I can't exercise because . . . I can't eat lots of vegetables because . . ."  The answer to all of these things is, of course, laziness.  And I will only speak for myself here.  I am the sort of person who will say "I can't face the gym today because I have an article due and I have to work."  Does it matter that said article is already written and I have a 4 hour window before I have to go to work?  Not at all.  I'm just being honest. 

That being said, I am going to continue in my quest, and I might offer more updates.  I might even write a sidebar blog on the subject, which will probably be more personal but hopefully will not deteriorate into whiny excuses.  Healthy living is a choice.  Exercise is a choice.  Just as responsible eating - local sourcing when possible, the eating of happy animals, etc. - is a choice and takes time to develop, so does the habit of healthy eating.  I can't even imagine trying to go from the "typical" American diet of processed, packaged dinners and fast food to a diet composed of fresh, natural meals.  It is hard enough to transition from eating fresh, natural meals packed with fat and not enough veggies to a diet focused on whole grains and vegetables!

All of this aside, I am, after all, a food writer, one focused on the best things available in the city of Columbus, and that doesn't always mean which restaurant has the best salads.  To that end, I will provide periodic updates on my transition into a 5 cups of veggies a day sort of person, but I won't bore you with it on a daily basis, at least not here.  Many of you have asked what software I have been using to calculate my daily intake: a friend pointed me to the very helpful Fit Day website, which I have been using and will continue to use.  I will keep you posted on the updates as I get back to the task at hand.

Living the Pyramid 6

I almost hesitate to put up this day, but I made a commitment and I'm sticking to it.  Why do I hesitate?  Well, occasionally work interferes with my schedule, and when I am committed to eating well, it can be more difficult to actually eat a meal.  I try to pack a dinner for myself, but yesterday I found myself running out the door to catch my ride with no dinner in hand, which meant I didn't come close to taking in my 2000 calories. 

It is eye-opening, however, to think that I would normally have had a dish of potatoes covered in cream sauce for dinner, in addition to an entire frankfurter (I have a confession to make - I love, love, love hot dogs.  I don't care what goes into them.  And these were really, really good kosher (no scary bits!) beef franks from somewhere in Brooklyn) instead of just a bite to taste.  That would have been my dinner.  With just a bit more effort, I managed to wrangle some shrimp and veggies instead.  So here it is - day 6, Saturday, November 18th - and my secret will be out: sometimes I am lazy and make things from a box (Saturdays, in general, are my too-lazy-to-cook day, what with going to farm markets, work and all).  I know I rail against processed food, but I do like Zataran's black beans and rice.  And, all things being equal, it's pretty good for you.  It's also a little hard to admit I have only made it to the gym twice this week.  Does that mean I'm not fulfilling my goal?  Am I blowing my cover?  Should I pretend I'm being perfect?  I think it goes to show it's a process.  Yes, that's what we'll call it. 

Some of you might be aware there was a big football game in my fair city yesterday.  To celebrate our victory, one of our regulars bought a round of drinks for our staff.  Who am I to turn down free champagne?  I should have made my red wine rule a "one drink" rule instead, I suppose. . .

While "cooking":  4 ounces 3 berry juice
Lunch:  1/4 roasted chicken from Weiland's with 1/3 box Zataran's black beans and rice
Work:  one latte, one bite of delicious kosher beef frank (research purposes), one bite of Buckeye donut (research purposes - note to self, that is a fine donut.  Must remember to return when not trying to live according to USDA standards of healthy eating), 4 shrimp sauteed with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and a little tomato juice.  One bite of Jeni's salty caramel ice cream (hm, can't claim research on this one, as I've had it thousands of times in the past.  Let's call it a treat).
Alcohol: one glass champagne
Exercise: does shopping count?

I consumed 989 calories, 38 grams of fat, 80 grams of carbs, 44 grams of protein, and 12 grams of fiber, eating 6 of 6 meat requirements, 3 of 6 grains, 1 of 3 fruits, 5 of 6 veggies, and 1 of 3 milk servings.

Living the Pyramid - Day 5

Here is the list for Day 5 of the newly-re-christened "Attempting to eat the pyramid," Friday, November 17th:

Breakfrast: Shredded oats with 2% milk and a banana on the side.
Lunch: Stir fry (pictured above) with leftover lean pork, Swiss chard, mizuna, tofu, edamame, carrots and a little hoisin sauce on 2 ounces Japanse stir-fry noodles (alas, not whole wheat - could have done better by using buckwheat soba noodles or brown rice, but brown rice did not cook according to package directions, leading to hasty noodle decision)
Snack: one cup whole milk yogurt (Brown Cow creamy coffe flavor, yum)
Work/Dinner:  One Asian pear, one can of smoked trout with a nice big plate of sauteed Brussels sprouts and broccolini
Exercise: um, okay.  The thing is, I have no excuse.  I didn't go to the gym.  Didn't dance around to music at home, lift weights, or other.  Just made lunch and went to work.
Alcohol: one glass of red wine

I consumed 1228 calories, 31 grams of fat, 159 grams of carbs, 65 grams of protein and 23 grams of fiber, fulfilling 5 of 6 servings of protein, at least 6 of 6 veggies, 3 of 3 fruits (large pear counts as 2), 1.5 of 3 milks, and 4 of 6 grain servings.

Living the Pyramid - Day 4

Here is a list of foods eaten on Day 4 of Living the Pyramid (Thursday, November 16):

Breakfast: Brown Cow Low Fat Maple yogurt (yum!), Asian pear, and a banana
Late Lunch: Carryout sushi (eel, tuna and crab) from Tensuke Market, along with tomago (Japanese sweet omelet), miso soup with tofu, and a dish of edamame (green soy beans)
Evening: Low Fat yogurt and an apple
Exercise: Does doing the laundry count?

I consumed 3 of 3 fruits, 2 of 6 veggies (yikes!), 4 of 6 proteins, about 2 of 6 servings grains, 2 of 3 milk milk servings.  1154 calories, 25 grams of fat, 187 grams of carbs, 57 grams of protein, and 20 grams of fiber.

Living the Pyramid - Day 3

Wednesday got off to a good start, but I hit a road bump when Husband got a surprise night off (not that I wasn't thrilled, of course) and wanted to go to Alana's (not that I don't love Alana's, you all know I do).  I suggested maybe getting sushi, but it was cold, rainy and dark (at 6pm).  We were both in the mood for something a little more comforting.  I still did well by smart ordering and controling my portions.  Of course, no matter how good you think you are in restaurant ordering, you never know for sure.  I plan to write a post dedicated to this topic, but believe me: the reason everything tastes so good in good restaurants is because no one cares how much fat - especially butter - goes into the food.  I am constantly amazed to see our line cooks cooking side dishes and putting in giant hunks of butter.  There's a reason Brussels sprouts in my restaurant are delicious, and that reason is butter.  I try to get to them before they are fatted and cook them myself.  Of course, I don't have that luxury when dining in someone else's restaurant, so I just nicely asked if the Beef Burgundy was loaded with butter.  It doesn't have to be, and Alana said it wasn't, so I took her word.  The Brussels sprouts tossed with Boursin (a soft French cheese, usually flavored with herbs; they actually make a lowfat one which is quite tasty), on the other had, a completely different story . . . (but oh, were they ever good, and still, Boursin has half the fat of butter, so it's better for you, right?  Right?)  I bent my wine rule by having 2 glasses of red wine with dinner, but I did make it to the gym for a good workout.  Let's count the black beans as a veggie (they can go either way - meat or veg).

And so, here's the food list for Day 3, Wednesday, November 15th:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cherries & pecans, latte
Lunch:  3 ounce pork chop with refried black beans and rice (white, alas)
Dinner:  (at Alana's) one fabulous shrimp as amuse bouche, beet stack salad with black walnut yogurt, 1/4 quail, 1 cup (roughly) beef burgundy with root veggies, which was delicious and perfect for the weather we were having, 1 cup Brussels sprouts, smothered in (hopefully no more than) one ounce Boursin cheese.  2 glasses red wine.

I consumed 8 of 6 proteins, 4 of six grains, 1 of 3 fruits (yikes!), 6 of 6 veggies, and 2 of 3 milk products.  I consumed 1905 calories, 57 grams of fat, 183 grams of carbs, 118 grams of protein, and 21 grams of fiber.  I also burned 385 calories, doing 45 minutes of the 30-60 recommended minutes of exercise.