I consider my job to be fairly important. I have about 100 impressionable minds and the task of discussing the gospel of Christ--the greatest news anyone has ever heard. Sometimes things get emotional, sometimes things get funny, and sometimes I think its downright thrilling. That being said, the most excited I've seen any of my kids all year was today when Delvin Dickerson managed to throw a tennis ball into a wicker basket from the other side of the room. It was freaking pandemonium...cheering, hugging, students running around the room. I have no idea what I need to do to get them as excited about Jesus as they are about trashketball, but I've got a month and a half to figure it out.
Breakfast--Peanut butter and peach preserves whole wheat toastwich, prepared by the lovely wife. That's twice in the span of a week that she's made breakfast for me...which may be twice more than the entire time we've known each other. It's exciting!
Snack--Fiber One bar. Of course.
Lunch--Peanut butter and banana sandwich. Unfortunately, the options today involved meatloaf. And something that began with the adjective "buttered." That was enough for me...eating healthy and "buttered" don't work.
Dinner--Jalapeno chip crusted chicken fingers, baked beans, and corn. Those "Food Should Taste Good" jalapeno chips were good to the very end, and made an incredible crust for the chicken without having to deep fry it and gain calories. AND, it was slightly spicy but Abby ate it. So double win.
Dessert--I wanted chocolate cake...I settled for a little less than a cup of mango sorbet. It wasn't a bad trade-off.
Tomorrow's the beatitudes and test day, and then the weekend...glorious, glorious weekend. And the Farmers' Market!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Day 94--Herbs and Peppers
Well, I finally broke down and did it. After years of deliberating and always talking myself out of it, I am now the proud owner of one rosemary plant and one jalapeno plant. They are sitting proudly on an old Omaha Steaks cooler on our apartment "balcony." So at the same time I'm both Green-thumbed and red-necked. Suits me well...and hopefully we'll have some fresh herbs and delicious peppers to spice up the summer's cooking!
Speaking of Omaha Steaks, they called me during dinner for the fifth night in a row, and finally I couldn't take it anymore and asked to be taken off their calling list. The lady seemed annoyed that I asked her to do this...when SHE KEEPS CALLING DURING DINNER. 6:40, every day, like clockwork. I enjoy their products, and the sales are really nice, but not enough to talk to you every day. Or every week. Or even every month...I mean, there's a LOT of food in there. So goodbye Omaha Steaks...I won't miss you disrupting my meals.
Breakfast--Oatmeal! On purpose!
Snack--Fiber One bar. I actually wanted something sweet more than I wanted the fiber or health benefits, but I suppose I got both anyways. So boom.
Lunch--Pulled pork sandwich that actually had recognizable pork in it! Huzzah! I also had some chips. I wanted a mango, but the one I brought had already left for the sweet hereafter.
Snack--Snickers bar. So so good.
Dinner--Taco salad with potatoes instead of beef. I threw some black beans on top to add texture and protein with the sauteed potatoes, jalapeno, and onions. I think it was just as delicious as last time...Abby disagrees. So that will probably be the end of that particular recipe. Feel free to steal it and keep its legacy going. We hardly knew ye.
Dessert--Cherry Fage with honey and chocolate chips. A fitting end to a weird and not altogether pleasant day.
Here's to getting to try again tomorrow.
Speaking of Omaha Steaks, they called me during dinner for the fifth night in a row, and finally I couldn't take it anymore and asked to be taken off their calling list. The lady seemed annoyed that I asked her to do this...when SHE KEEPS CALLING DURING DINNER. 6:40, every day, like clockwork. I enjoy their products, and the sales are really nice, but not enough to talk to you every day. Or every week. Or even every month...I mean, there's a LOT of food in there. So goodbye Omaha Steaks...I won't miss you disrupting my meals.
Breakfast--Oatmeal! On purpose!
Snack--Fiber One bar. I actually wanted something sweet more than I wanted the fiber or health benefits, but I suppose I got both anyways. So boom.
Lunch--Pulled pork sandwich that actually had recognizable pork in it! Huzzah! I also had some chips. I wanted a mango, but the one I brought had already left for the sweet hereafter.
Snack--Snickers bar. So so good.
Dinner--Taco salad with potatoes instead of beef. I threw some black beans on top to add texture and protein with the sauteed potatoes, jalapeno, and onions. I think it was just as delicious as last time...Abby disagrees. So that will probably be the end of that particular recipe. Feel free to steal it and keep its legacy going. We hardly knew ye.
Dessert--Cherry Fage with honey and chocolate chips. A fitting end to a weird and not altogether pleasant day.
Here's to getting to try again tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Day 93--Hang You Up
Confession: I am a big Yellowcard fan. Have been since high school, and I'm not ashamed. The first couple of listens, I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of the new album though. The one keeper, at least at an incredibly superficial level, is their single "Hang You Up." The song is great, the video is great, and the acoustic version they recorded for MTV showcases how musically solid they can be. Also, I've had it stuck in my head all day, as does Abby. Whoops.
One of my students, Andrew Dunlap, introduced me to the Warrior Diet today. The main premise is that you eat very little during the day (i.e. a warrior on the hunt...not eating large meals) and then gorge at night (i.e. after you catch/kill something). It sounds a bit like yo-yo dieting to me, but the reviewers on Amazon swear by it. Have any of you used it/heard of it? It's not really an option for me, because I am NOT dieting--just trying to eat healthier as a lifestyle choice--but I'm intrigued by the idea and can of course tailor a lifestyle around it. So how about it readers? Any thoughts?
Breakfast--Chocolate cheerios. My last bowl...sad day.
Snack--Carman's apricot almond muesli bar. Delicious, and I actually thought it was my last one of those too, but then I found one in the pantry. Huzzah!
Lunch--Spicy thai chili tuna on salad greens with a Fiber One bar for some added substance. Great meal, but I'm sort of getting tired of it as a lunch substitute. Looks like PBJ is making a comeback...
Snack--Pomegranate frozen juice bar. Oddly, for pomegranate, it didn't have a ton of flavor. Great for calories, great for texture and temperature...needs more acid perhaps? Oh well.
Dinner--Pei Wei! I had Mandarin Kung Pao vegetables, this time with fried rice (yeah yeah...don't judge. There's a reason.), vegetable spring rolls, and edamame. This may sound like a lot of food, and to be honest--it is. But that was the point. We ate all of the edamame (fiber and protein), and I only ate two spring rolls (leaving four) and half of my entree. Therefore, I've got another meal waiting for me AND I ate relatively healthy food for dinner. Edamame is a wonderful product...I'm a huge fan.
Dessert--A single piece of chocolate peanut butter whole wheat toast.
All in all, a great day. And tomorrow's dinner is going to be excellent...so get pumped!
One of my students, Andrew Dunlap, introduced me to the Warrior Diet today. The main premise is that you eat very little during the day (i.e. a warrior on the hunt...not eating large meals) and then gorge at night (i.e. after you catch/kill something). It sounds a bit like yo-yo dieting to me, but the reviewers on Amazon swear by it. Have any of you used it/heard of it? It's not really an option for me, because I am NOT dieting--just trying to eat healthier as a lifestyle choice--but I'm intrigued by the idea and can of course tailor a lifestyle around it. So how about it readers? Any thoughts?
Breakfast--Chocolate cheerios. My last bowl...sad day.
Snack--Carman's apricot almond muesli bar. Delicious, and I actually thought it was my last one of those too, but then I found one in the pantry. Huzzah!
Lunch--Spicy thai chili tuna on salad greens with a Fiber One bar for some added substance. Great meal, but I'm sort of getting tired of it as a lunch substitute. Looks like PBJ is making a comeback...
Snack--Pomegranate frozen juice bar. Oddly, for pomegranate, it didn't have a ton of flavor. Great for calories, great for texture and temperature...needs more acid perhaps? Oh well.
Dinner--Pei Wei! I had Mandarin Kung Pao vegetables, this time with fried rice (yeah yeah...don't judge. There's a reason.), vegetable spring rolls, and edamame. This may sound like a lot of food, and to be honest--it is. But that was the point. We ate all of the edamame (fiber and protein), and I only ate two spring rolls (leaving four) and half of my entree. Therefore, I've got another meal waiting for me AND I ate relatively healthy food for dinner. Edamame is a wonderful product...I'm a huge fan.
Dessert--A single piece of chocolate peanut butter whole wheat toast.
All in all, a great day. And tomorrow's dinner is going to be excellent...so get pumped!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Day 92--Stepping Out
Every couple of months or so I'll cooking something for dinner that has me asking my beautiful bride "did you every think you'd be eating [fill in food product here] and enjoying it?" Inevitably the answer is no, and so I am able to take great pride in the fact that I've introduced her to something new, delicious, and "adventurous ." However, as I've tackled new culinary challenges and Spring has awakened my sense of passion and fervor, I came to the realization that I very rarely try something new for myself. It's usually something that I had once or twice, or used to eat at home but can't really afford now, but never something that I just look at it and say "someway, somehow...I will cook and enjoy that." Therefore, I've made a conscious effort to try new stuff and see what happens. It may absolutely suck (see: daikon) or it may be delicious (see tonight's dinner), but at least I've got the courage to try and ask myself, "did you ever think you'd make that for dinner?" No, no I didn't. But I'm glad I did.
Breakfast--Oatmeal. I've missed you, old friend.
Snack--Fiber One bar. Not exactly missed, but still nice to get a routine going again.
Lunch--Stupid SAGE dining. The menu for today clearly says "Potato Kale Soup," which loyal followers will note as one of my favorite offerings. However, there is an EXTREME difference between potato kale and potato and leek soup. One is broth, the other cream. One is hearty, the other rich. One I'll eat, the other I won't. Therefore, the backup plan was some asparagus, grilled chicken, and a peanut butter sandwich. Lunches at WCS suck.
Dinner--Here's the awesomeness...so great, I even have pictures.
Breakfast--Oatmeal. I've missed you, old friend.
Snack--Fiber One bar. Not exactly missed, but still nice to get a routine going again.
Lunch--Stupid SAGE dining. The menu for today clearly says "Potato Kale Soup," which loyal followers will note as one of my favorite offerings. However, there is an EXTREME difference between potato kale and potato and leek soup. One is broth, the other cream. One is hearty, the other rich. One I'll eat, the other I won't. Therefore, the backup plan was some asparagus, grilled chicken, and a peanut butter sandwich. Lunches at WCS suck.
Dinner--Here's the awesomeness...so great, I even have pictures.
Leeks, caramelized in bacon drippings, then braised in apple juice and Riesling, topped with crunchy bacon pieces. I've never had leeks before, never ordered leeks before...now I wonder why I hadn't done this sooner! This might be the best side dish I've ever made...it was like candy. I almost ate more standing at the stove than I did on my plate.
Roasted pork loin with a sweet and spicy rub. I finally mastered the art of applying a rub to get it to caramelize into a crunchy crust. And there are leftovers...
Roasted potatoes with salt, pepper, and some ancho chili powder. They added a great silky, smoky flavor to go with the buttery leeks and tender pork. All in all, an incredible meal.
And, because she's my favorite, I bought Abby some flowers. Welcome to Spring everyone!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Day 91--Sleep and Jesus
I love our Life Group. While we definitely missed the St. Germains, the Smiths, Hamilton, Patrick, Chris, Crysta, and everyone else who couldn't make it tonight, I'm pretty sure its scientific fact that the world is at least 93% better on the weeks we meet. Tonight we discussed James, an amazing book, and I feel reenergized for the week and for my relationship with God.
I also slept about 11 hours today to recover from the weekend, and man I do feel tons better. Softer bed, new pillow, NOT getting up before dawn...in the words of Charlie Sheen, tiger blood. No wait. Winning.
Breakfast--Abby made pancakes! I had like four 4-5 inch pancakes, half of which had chocolate chips. It was a great breakfast...good to be home.
Lunch--Because breakfast was kinda late, lunch just didn't happen. I had cherry Fage with honey about 3...does that count?
Dinner--Wendy's! Ironically, our hotel in Abilene was right next to a Wendy's, but I never went over there to eat. Opportunity lost. Anyways, I had a spicy chicken sandwich, lettuce only, with fries and a Dr. Pepper. Scrumptious (trying out new vocab words...yay or nay?).
Exercise--Throughout the day, I did some squats, some free weights, and then Abby and I took a walk around the complex a couple of times. All about getting the metabolism back online...
School tomorrow. Yeehah? I hope the lunches are manageable!
I also slept about 11 hours today to recover from the weekend, and man I do feel tons better. Softer bed, new pillow, NOT getting up before dawn...in the words of Charlie Sheen, tiger blood. No wait. Winning.
Breakfast--Abby made pancakes! I had like four 4-5 inch pancakes, half of which had chocolate chips. It was a great breakfast...good to be home.
Lunch--Because breakfast was kinda late, lunch just didn't happen. I had cherry Fage with honey about 3...does that count?
Dinner--Wendy's! Ironically, our hotel in Abilene was right next to a Wendy's, but I never went over there to eat. Opportunity lost. Anyways, I had a spicy chicken sandwich, lettuce only, with fries and a Dr. Pepper. Scrumptious (trying out new vocab words...yay or nay?).
Exercise--Throughout the day, I did some squats, some free weights, and then Abby and I took a walk around the complex a couple of times. All about getting the metabolism back online...
School tomorrow. Yeehah? I hope the lunches are manageable!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Day 90--Return of the Jedi
Or at least the Westbury Christian TCSIT contingent. That's right, I'm finally home. I get to sleep in my own bed, eat food I prepared, and have a face to face conversation with my wife. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited.
We had a wonderful trip. The kids did extremely well, with some surprise successes and some expected dominations. I was incredibly pleased with our results and proud of how hard all the participants worked to put on a great show for the judges and those of us lucky enough to get to watch. All the hardware we brought back was just icing on the cake. Unfortunately, another bus trip means another weird eating day, so being back also means a return to a decent schedule. Here's the end of the madness.
Breakfast--A waffle and a banana. Eating in a hotel continental breakfast...you eat what you can.
Snack/Lunch/Snack--I don't know what this is. From the span of 10:30 to 3:30, here's what I ate: two bagels from Einstein Bros, cherry poptarts, some almonds, a palmful of sour cherry gummi something or others, and water. Sounds...healthy?
Dinner--Arby's! Large roast beef and fries. It was delicious...I love me some Arby's.
And now I'm home. No dessert, because I've eaten enough sugar recently to kill a small horse, and lots of water to help my body recover from the climate and humidity changes. Life groups tomorrow, then back to the grind on Monday!
We had a wonderful trip. The kids did extremely well, with some surprise successes and some expected dominations. I was incredibly pleased with our results and proud of how hard all the participants worked to put on a great show for the judges and those of us lucky enough to get to watch. All the hardware we brought back was just icing on the cake. Unfortunately, another bus trip means another weird eating day, so being back also means a return to a decent schedule. Here's the end of the madness.
Breakfast--A waffle and a banana. Eating in a hotel continental breakfast...you eat what you can.
Snack/Lunch/Snack--I don't know what this is. From the span of 10:30 to 3:30, here's what I ate: two bagels from Einstein Bros, cherry poptarts, some almonds, a palmful of sour cherry gummi something or others, and water. Sounds...healthy?
Dinner--Arby's! Large roast beef and fries. It was delicious...I love me some Arby's.
And now I'm home. No dessert, because I've eaten enough sugar recently to kill a small horse, and lots of water to help my body recover from the climate and humidity changes. Life groups tomorrow, then back to the grind on Monday!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Day 89--Hello, Good Friends
Alright...cat's out of the bag. I've been in Abilene the last two days for TCSIT, an academic competition for private and parochial Christian schools in Texas. It's been a whirlwind of a trip, with little free time and less time to breathe. Our kids have done amazingly well though, with many of them making the finals in their events and all of them competing and performing admirably. Because of the nutso schedule, finding time and places to eat has been a bit difficult, and therefore today's menu is a tad...different.
To everyone in Abilene I didn't get a chance to see: sorry. Literally my free time has happened around 11 at night or 5 in the morning, and I'm not overly sociable at either time. I like sleep, and my body likes it when I sleep. I'll try to catch you on the next go around!
Breakfast--Half a cup of granola with half of a Yoplait strawberry yogurt. It wasn't my first choice, but its free hotel breakfast. Whatyagonnado.
Snack--A palmful of smokehouse roasted almonds. It really helped take the edge off.
Lunch--Sharky's...oh how I love thee. Had a great time with Sarah, Michelle, and my new friend Brittany. They were kind enough to kidnap me and take me to lunch, and for that I am grateful. I had a whole wheat burrito with chicken, potatoes, rice, black beans, lettuce, roasted pepper salsa, and cilantro. With a side of chips it was a fantastic meal, if not the healthiest of all options.
Snack--The rest of my almonds. And I have a bag for the ride home. Holla!
Dinner--Little Panda...another long lost friend of mine. I had the house fried rice and a mango on the side. Again, not healthy, but worth it.*
Dessert--Frozen yogurt with Leah Bouteller. I had salted caramel and chocolate with a sprinkling of Reese's chunks (probably around half a PB cup). It was good food, but better conversation. I'm excited about hanging out with her some this summer!
I dearly love Abilene...it truly is one of my homes now. Coming back is a renewing experience, and since this is now the third time this school year I've been in its borders, I feel pretty darn good. I could even see myself back here for an extended period of time some day...who knows?
*Worth it disclaimer completely dependent on me getting off my butt and working out upon my return to Sucktown--I mean, Houston--and getting back into a decent routine. So, value TBD.
To everyone in Abilene I didn't get a chance to see: sorry. Literally my free time has happened around 11 at night or 5 in the morning, and I'm not overly sociable at either time. I like sleep, and my body likes it when I sleep. I'll try to catch you on the next go around!
Breakfast--Half a cup of granola with half of a Yoplait strawberry yogurt. It wasn't my first choice, but its free hotel breakfast. Whatyagonnado.
Snack--A palmful of smokehouse roasted almonds. It really helped take the edge off.
Lunch--Sharky's...oh how I love thee. Had a great time with Sarah, Michelle, and my new friend Brittany. They were kind enough to kidnap me and take me to lunch, and for that I am grateful. I had a whole wheat burrito with chicken, potatoes, rice, black beans, lettuce, roasted pepper salsa, and cilantro. With a side of chips it was a fantastic meal, if not the healthiest of all options.
Snack--The rest of my almonds. And I have a bag for the ride home. Holla!
Dinner--Little Panda...another long lost friend of mine. I had the house fried rice and a mango on the side. Again, not healthy, but worth it.*
Dessert--Frozen yogurt with Leah Bouteller. I had salted caramel and chocolate with a sprinkling of Reese's chunks (probably around half a PB cup). It was good food, but better conversation. I'm excited about hanging out with her some this summer!
I dearly love Abilene...it truly is one of my homes now. Coming back is a renewing experience, and since this is now the third time this school year I've been in its borders, I feel pretty darn good. I could even see myself back here for an extended period of time some day...who knows?
*Worth it disclaimer completely dependent on me getting off my butt and working out upon my return to Sucktown--I mean, Houston--and getting back into a decent routine. So, value TBD.
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