Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Apple.
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich, cucumber slices.
Afternoon snack: Apricot pie.
Dinner: Leftover Thai food.
Dessert: Leftover birthday cake
6.8.2014 | TI8
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Apricot pie.
Lunch: Burrito at Chipotle.
Afternoon snack: Cake scraps.
Dinner: Thailand Restaurant in Mill Valley. After hiking at Muir Woods, we really wanted some Thai food; this was the closest spot with the best reviews. The food was fine, but I wouldn’t rush back.
Dessert: Birthday cake!
6.7.2014 | TI8
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Yogurt.
Lunch: Roast beef and rocket sandwich, apple slices.
Afternoon snack: Apricots.
Dinner: Burrito bowls. We didn’t realize we were out of salsa, which was a total bummer, but at least we had guacamole. Phew.
Dessert: Apricot pie with ice cream. I love summer fruit.
6.6.2014 | TI8
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Yogurt.
Lunch: Leftover Ramen Noodle Soup.
Afternoon snack: Apricot, apple, pecans.
Dinner: Hawaiian Potluck at the kids’ school. Can’t believe the school year is almost finished.
5.22.2014 | TI8
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Raspberries.
Lunch: Leftover pizza.
Afternoon snack: Yogurt and raspberries.
Dinner: Burrito from a taco truck at my kids’ back to school night. Genius idea to have food trucks show up to feed busy families.
5.14.2014 | TI8
WEDNESDAY I ATE:
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: Yogurt and raspberries.
Lunch: Leftover Zachary’s Pizza.
Afternoon snack: Apple. Girl scout cookies.
Dinner: It’s still super hot. Fortunately grilling brie-stuffed burgers and corn on the cob keeps the kitchen cool. Moose even cooked the bacon that topped our burgers on the grill.
I’m kind of obsessed with stuffed burgers. Mostly, it’s because I like to taste the cheese and most kinds just slide off the patty if they’re on top. Usually I put gorgonzolla in, but we were all out. There was a decent hunk of brie in the fridge, so I decided to give it a shot. It was a great flavor, and the texture actually worked out better than with blue cheese that is clumpy. There were lots of good, cheesy bites.
Dessert: Homemade vanilla ice cream from Cook’s Illustrated Best Recipes. This is an OK vanilla ice cream, but far from my favorite… like many with a custard base, I just find this one too eggy-tasting. I’ve tried a couple of Philadelphia-style recipes with no egg, but they are usually kind of icy. Still looking for the ideal. There’s also the problem of knowing when to stop churning. I usually overdo it, and end up with a hint of butter flavor. Next time, set an alarm for 18-20 minutes and pull it off to harden.
5.13.2014 | TI8
TUESDAY I ATE:
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Morning snack: I couldn’t wait for lunch, so I had some leftover Zachary’s Pizza at about 10:30. Let’s call it second breakfast.
Lunch: More leftover Zachary’s Pizza. I could eat it three meals a day.
Afternoon snack: An entire box of popsicles. It was really hot. Did I mention that I shared it with my kids?
Dinner: Way too hot to cook. Turned leftover filling from our southwestern steak tacos with chopped charred summer vegetables into taco salad.
Glazed Carrots
When I looked for some kind of vegetable to serve with our leftover pork the other day, all I found was a bag of carrots. I don’t usually think about cooking carrots, but since I didn’t have anything else, they had to do. I wanted to make something fast and easy, so I reached for Cook’s Illustrated Quick Recipe Cookbook. To my delight, this recipe produces tender carrots with a sweet, bright flavor. I used yellow, orange and red carrots, so they looked impressive as well.
I now see carrots in a new light. Of course I’ll be making glazed carrots again soon, but now I’m on a mission to find new ways to prepare carrots. Please share your favorite recipes.
Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar divided
- 1 pound carrots about 6 medium, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick on the bias
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut in small pieces
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring broth, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar to boil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add carrots, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are almost tender when poked with the tip of a paring knife. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to the skillet. Toss to coat and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are tender and the glaze is light gold, about 3 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and toss to coat. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.
5.9.2014 | TI8
FRIDAY I ATE:
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Lunch: Ham & cheese sandwich with arugula and spicy mustard, apple.
Afternoon snack: Carrot sticks, dried cherries.
Dinner: Roasted maple-glazed pork tenderloin, broccoli, rice, green salad, which we got to eat outside at our new picnic table!
Dessert: Coffee ice cream and chocolate covered caramels.
5.8.2014 | TI8
THURSDAY I ATE:
Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and grapefruit juice.
Mid-morning snack: Some kind of granola/oat/fruit bar my friend Rebecca offered me as we headed out on a walk.
Lunch: Leftover lasagne cupcakes, apple.
Afternoon snack: It was cold and rainy. Tessa asked for oatmeal. Sounded so good that I made some for myself, too. Lots of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Perfect comfort-food snack.
Dinner: Anything goes nachos! Everyone’s plate looked a bit different, and we had one serious outlier that included not a speck of cheese. Will someone please talk to my daughter about this? You can’t have nachos without cheese. Am I right? Anyway, here were the topping choices du jour: black beans, sausage, chopped chicken, green onions, black olives, artichoke hearts (random, I know, but requested by small girls, and actually quite good), cheddar cheese, salsa, cilantro, and sour cream.