‘This is the start of a difficult day’

07/26/2010 Nichole 3 Comments

“This is the start of a difficult day.” Poppy has told me that at least four times this morning. She’s only been up for four hours. There’s some truth in what she says, though. Last night my throat started to hurt. And this morning I woke up with a full-blown cold, complete with a vocal range that moves from Very Croaky to Entirely Nonexistent. I don’t know that her day’s been all that difficult, though. The kids get to watch far too much TV when I’m sick.

On the bright side, at least now I kind of have an excuse for not going out into the broiling hotness that’s been our weather lately. Anyway, it’s a good that I’d already planned The Laziest Menu Plan Ever for this week. Here ’tis:

Monday: Breakfast for dinner.: I had an omelet for breakfast this morning. I’ll probably have another tonight!
Tuesday: McAlister’s Deli.: Tuesday is Kids Night at our McAlister’s, which means the kids will eat free. If I’m still feeling rotten tomorrow, we’ll probably get take-out.
Wednesday: Undecided.: We’re supposed to have dinner at a friend’s on Wednesday, but I’d rather not infect them. So we’ll see.
Thursday: Fish sticks and mac & cheese: The kids will undoubtedly be excited about this one.
Friday: Pizza.

Flotsam / Jetsam

Fitness fashion follies & faux pas

07/24/2010 Nichole 6 Comments

Manatee Me Dear Lady at the Gym,

I know it’s an uncomfortable feeling, going to the gym when you’re overweight. The only thing that might make it more uncomfortable is going to the gym in a swimsuit. I know this because I’m overweight, and I was going to the pool to swim laps in my brand-new swimsuit, which does not have any sort of ruffle or skirt or anything to hide the fact that I’m shaped like ~~an Oompa-Loompa~~ a manatee.* And there you were, walking laps and wearing a dress. What I’m saying here is this: I understand that you might have felt insecure about being in the pool. However. Wearing a dress in the pool is definitely not the way to avoid drawing attention to oneself.

Sincerely,
Nichole

* * * * *

Dear Dress Lady’s Son,

Stop flopping yourself through the swim lanes, and please for the love of Peter Tork stop the falsetto hymn singing. I know it’s echoey in the pool area, and I suppose you might feel a certain thrill at hearing your ululation bounce around the room. But you’re reaching an Errol Morris level of creepitude.

Sincerely,
Nichole

*A Google Image search tells me that Oompa-Loompas are not as rotund as their name might suggest.

menu plan Monday

Take a chance and eat some food

07/19/2010 Nichole

I faced down one of my culinary fears this weekend: Grilled fish. I’ve thought about making grilled fish many times, but I always picture watching my dinner drop through the grate as the delicate little fillets flake and fall to bits. The recipe for Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce in this month’s Bon Appetit sounded so good, though, that I decided to take a risk. After visiting two grocery stores in my quest for mahi-mahi failed, I turned to tuna steaks. Which are imminently grillable, I learned. I overcooked them a bit, but they were still tasty, and the sauce was light, flavorful and a lovely shade of green.

So that was Saturday. The rest of the week isn’t going to be quite so daring, but I hope it’ll be delicious just the same!

Monday: Chicken sausages and mac & cheese.
Tuesday: Spaghetti.
Wednesday: Pork stir-fry.
Thursday: Poblano, Potato and Corn Gratin.
Friday: Pizza.

Grilled Tuna with Thai Coconut Sauce
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4 ounces bottled clam juice
4 ounces water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons minced seeded serrano chile
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon minced green onions, divided
4 6-ounce tuna steaks

Heat grill to medium-high. Combine first 7 ingredients — coconut milk through fish sauce — in medium skillet. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons serrano chile, depending on level of heat desired; boil until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and 1 tablespoon green onions. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Remove 1/4 cup sauce from saucepan and brush onto each piece of fish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill fish until opaque in center and grill marks appear, 5 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fish. Divide coconut sauce among four plates; top with fish.

*Bonus points to you if you know the title’s inspiration!