Today I went to Seattle and had an awesome pedicure with my mom. It was my treat for her birthday, which was yesterday. I ordered the $47 pedi -- I figured why not since I have a feeling I haven't had a pro pedicure in... three years? Jesus. Anyway it was so good. The polish on my toenails was secondary, the best part was the buffing of my heels and soles, pushing down cuticles, the salt scrub, lotion, oil, massage, hot towel. Ahhh. A facial for my feets. They are so soft now.

We also went to my mom's favorite yarn shop, a few doors away. They were having a big sale, 40% off everything, so we picked up some yarn to make Kona a cute sweater. Also about eight balls of variegated yarn to make a sweater coat for me. They had a sample in the shop which I tried on and knew I would like it. My mom asked me before christmas if I wanted a sweater coat; I said I didn't think so, but after seeing this pattern I changed my mind. It has a high funnel neck and short sleeves, to be layered over a long-sleeved tee. The colors are shades of gray and black. It'll be really cute! For the cool parts of spring I can wear it as a coat, maybe. Or just store it for fall when I have my regular body back.

We have so much food in the house right now. I've been cooking a lot. Last night I made a huge pot of ham and bean soup, from scratch, including soaking the beans. Have bags of carrots and celery all prepped to be taken to work. Container of pineapple quarters, for Brian's protein shakes. Big bag of swiss chard, for tomorrow. Leftover refried beans, chopped steak (from Valentines Day), and tonight's spaghetti. We cleaned and organized the pantry yesterday so now we can actually see and find everything. Realized we have a LOT of dry cereal, no more buying that this month.

And here I am sleepy again at 9:30. It's a good thing I love to sleep.

the recipe, by request:

Ingredients:

1 apple
1 tsp brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
handful golden raisins (or craisins, or other dried fruit)

1 heaping cup of regular rolled oats
1 1/2 cups milk or water or combination of each
dash of salt

1. Core apple and chop into thin slices or small cubes. You can leave skin on. Saute apple in a saucepan with brown sugar, cinnamon, and dried fruit on low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until fruit is cooked, about ten minutes. Remove from saucepan and set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, add liquid. Bring to a simmer and watch carefully that it does not scald or boil over, it should just begin to bubble around the edges. Add salt. Stir in rolled oats. Add cooked fruit back in and stir around once.

3. Cover and remove saucepan from heat. Do not disturb for about 12-15 minutes. Then, stir well and serve. Makes two portions.

In the summer you can use seasonal fresh fruit like blueberries or cherries. Also you can add fresh cut bananas. Another option is to add a spoonful of peanut butter before removing from heat. DO NOT add any kind of protein powder; it becomes gummy and inedible in oatmeal!

Yay for sparkly pinky coral nail polish.

I didn't make a to-do list for this weekend... though I know there will be a long dog walk at some point today. I got up just after seven and made apple cinnamon oatmeal on the stovetop, one of my favorite breakfasts. It's so simple. There will never be instant microwave oatmeal in my house.

This brings me to something I thought about while grocery shopping yesterday. My cart was full of mostly fresh vegetables and fruit, a couple packages of meat, a carton of organic milk. I passes a mom and her kid, who looked to be around ten, maybe. I peeked into their cart, which was full of NOTHING but packaged, processed "food". Crap like rice-a-roni, betty crocker cake mix. Just pure garbage. I felt worried for a second that parenthood will corrupt my sound values about what I eat. Maybe this lady always ate crappy food and is just continuing the tradition. But there seems to be this idea that having a kid will mean I no longer have "time" to care about whole, natural foods. Isn't that kind of antithetical to what you're told in pregnancy, that you need to support the fetus by eating the best way you can? And then I guess that all flies out the window when the kid is old enough to eat solid foods, and then they begin their decade-long diet of nothing but macaroni and cheese and sugar cereals, getting their nutrients from gummi vitamins.

I am going to fight like HELL not to slide into that sellout lifestyle. Our kid is not going to eat at McDonalds. I won't poison myself, why would I poison my child when his/her little body is developing, when their basic eating habits and opinions about food are developing? I guess I don't "get it."

I kind of want to have or go to a superbowl party this weekend. I like the ridiculous spectacle of this uniquely American holiday, and I like chips and dip. In order for this to happen I think we'd either have to be invited by our neighbors, or do something ourselves. We've entertained quite a bit these past few weeks so I'd kind of rather not have it at our place. I have a feeling the folks on our left side will do something. Maybe.

This weekend I also plan to attempt again to devote a few hours to uninterrupted writing. LOL.

Two of my coworkers are fetching lunch for me today: humbows from Mee Sum Pastries. Nom nom. The only other food I've had today was a blueberry cake donut from Sluy's, purchased at 6:50 this morning while snow was blowing sideways through town. We ran across the street to the coffee shop for the accompanying beverage then sat in the warm car at the park and ride waiting for my bus and watching the snow blow around like dust.

Almost done with the Gay Talese book. Bit too much devotion to the Lorena Bobbitt case that he almost covered for the New Yorker, but otherwise it's really good. I still want to read the John Adams book but it weighs four pounds and that's just not something I want to drag around every day. So that might be a weekend thing.

Got up early and had coffee while watching the prelude to the Inauguration. It was wonderful! I loved every minute. Though I was annoyed we don't have CNN in HD for some reason. So I watched NBC in HD. Because I am addicted to HD.

For breakfast I had two pieces of bacon and a scrambled egg. Later, after a 3-mile walk with Kona, I had leftover baked chicken for lunch (drumsticks, with skin and breading). Then I began feeling pain at the site of my former gall bladder. This has been happening lately after eating foods high in animal fats. It concerns me. It's not terrible pain, and there's no other symptom going on, but I really thought the surgery in July was supposed to cure this thing. It's really frustrating that it apparently didn't. Because I love eating just about anything.

So I am thinking of going back to a vegetarian diet for a little while. Or, you know, fishatarian. I was vegetarian for about 6 years in my 20s, so I can do it. I'll need some more interesting recipes tho. In my 20s I ate a lot of pasta and burritos and bagels and other carb-heavy foods that one can eat when one is young and doesn't gain weight.

I think I am going to make hummus in our new blender tonight. And some more greens. Off to the store.

(Pasted from the New York Times)

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.

2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.

3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.

4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.

5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.

6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.

7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.

8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.

9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.

10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.

11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

+ + +

I love nearly all of these foods, though I am not that familiar with Swiss chard.

I think I'll make this for thanksgiving.

Roghan Josh

Ingredients:

2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1⁄2 to 2-inch cubes
3 lemons, juiced
1 1⁄4 cup yogurt
2 onions, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1-teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fennel
2 cinnamon sticks
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 teaspoons curry blend, like Garam Masala
1-inch piece of ginger root
2 fresh serrano chiles
6 cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
Pinch allspice
1 bay leaf
1 can, 15 ounces lite coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1⁄4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Method:
In a large bowl, add juice of one lemon, lamb, onion and yogurt and spices. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee and canola oil on medium-high heat in a medium saute pan. Add the lamb and begin to brown. Add the ginger and Serrano and cook until fragrant, constantly stirring, 5 seconds. Add the remaining coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, garam masala and allspice and cook until aromatic, 3 to 5 seconds. Add the remaining onions and cook until caramelized, stirring, 6 to 7 minutes. Add juice from remaining two lemons and the coconut milk. Cook long enough to allow the flavors to come together – about 2 hours.

Garnish with cilantro, mint, and salt and season to taste. Serve garnished with the toasted almonds.

Also of course cucumber raita, basmati rice, and some mango.

Here is what I made for dinner tonight: Lentil & Couscous Salad, starring one of my favorite grains, Israeli couscous.

I made a ton, so plenty to have for lunch the rest of this week.

A fun activity to do when hungry: Grab a couple of good cookbooks and slowly read them cover to cover, marking the recipes you'd like to make, even if they sound a bit adventurous. I just did this with "Bold Italian" and "Barefoot Contessa at Home."

My surgery was two months ago today... and today I'm feeling some residual old pain at the site. I'd really like this to be done now.

Took Kona for a walk today in her new prong/pinch collar and retractable leash. For the first time, she walked with a relaxed gait right at my side, instead of constantly pulling and straining at the leash. Amazing. Good dog.

I also went to a rather disappointing consignment/thrift shop in town. They had about ten million shitty awful romance novels (one series was actually called "Marry me, Cowboy!" lolz), but I managed to dig up "The Book of Ruth" and "Waiting" for a buck each.

Today was busy and full.

+ took kona for a walk

+ vacuumed entire house

+ put laundry away

+ went to driving range with dad and Brian and watched Brian get a golfing lesson. The range is very small, north of our town, adjacent to a pasture full of black cattle, and uses the honor system for buckets of balls. I put a couple bucks into a cookie tin for a bottle of water and some oreos for us to share. The empty lobby was full of old leather furniture, books, and thick rugs.

+ went grocery shopping. dessert tomorrow: two-bite brownies (local bakery, no I'm not making them, I fail at brownies).

+ Back home, we steam-cleaned the living room rug, then as it dried Brian got all heavily involved in cleaning his office.

+ So I decided to prep tomorrow's dinner -- we are having the neighbors over. I made two cups of bbq sauce, chopped up a walla walla sweet onion, and rubbed salt and pepper on the country style pork ribs I got at the market. It's all going into the slow cooker in the morning.

+ then I made tonight's dinner: green salad with farmer's market greens, steamed rice, and some chopped chicken breast sauteed in butter, tarragon, lemon juice, and mushroom soup.

+ now what? long hot shower, olympics