Last night I reached a new high (or low) in expired food consumption. I never thought it would be possible, and I certainly do not recommend this to others. Eating expired canned food is not that big a deal, but expired dairy is a whole other level of potential disaster. Luckily, my nose has not failed me yet.
I have had this tub of yogurt in my fridge since December 2008. I kept it because it hadn’t been opened yet. Gradually, time passed and the thought of opening it grew increasingly scary, so I left it in the fridge. Most people would have thrown it away, but I avoid confrontation, so I let it sit in the fridge even though I told myself I couldn’t possibly eat it. Then two days ago I decided that it was time to throw it away– fridge space is dwindling again and I’ve been resorting to stacking and stuffing things on the top shelf and closing the door quickly to contain any possible overflow.
One internet source suggested that yogurt would change colour if it had gone bad. I opened the foil and the yogurt was still white, and only a bit watery and it smelled like yogurt! I was shocked and immediately decided not to throw it away. Why would I throw away perfectly fine yogurt? It did smell a little bit sharper than it maybe should have, but in the grand scheme of things, it was in fine condition. I stuck it back in the fridge and thought about what to do with it.
I decided on a chicken curry-type dish. I’ve only recently started making curries and I haven’t made a chicken one in a while and I found two recipes that use yogurt, a butter chicken recipe and a simple chicken curry recipe, so I blended the two and made a sort of watery, tasty, but not super-tasty chicken curry. It’s pretty good, I would make it again, but it’s not so delicious that I can’t resist it. I didn’t add any butter or too much oil, but I did leave all the chicken fat and skin on, so that added some fat. I think it would be even better with cream and butter, but I don’t need those right now since I still can’t fit into my summer pants after a meal. I also think it needs some other flavour, but I’m not good at figuring out what that is. I just know it’s missing something.
I have enough yogurt left to make two or three more dishes. I think the next one I will try uses the yogurt as a marinade overnight along with some spices. I actually wanted to make that one first, but I was hungry last night and wanted to eat something within a couple of hours.
My crap eating days are over for now. I can’t take it anymore. There is half a meal of that terrible stew left. I’ll probably finish it this weekend and then make sure I cook smaller portions of tastier stuff. I fell off the wagon last weekend with two days worth of good food and it was hard to eat the stew this week.
My knee is still not 100%. It’s pretty crazy that it’s taking so long to heal. My fitness is not improving either. In fact, yesterday’s run was quite difficult even though I had two days of rest. I did manage to zone out after the first lap though, so that made it a bit easier, and I tried to do that for the remainder of the lap, so I managed to run the entire mile. I should probably do a longer run this weekend, with walk breaks. Almost every day this week while walking through the park I have seen runners, most of them move like gazelles. It’s amazing how fast they can run, and how controlled their stride is. If I tried to run that fast I would be all over the place, but they’re all very calm and controlled. They make it look effortless. I can’t even guess what pace they are running at. And they must have less than 10% body fat. I would like to know what it would be like to have 10% body fat.
I have been doing lady push-ups almost every day now, but I couldn’t do more than 5 last night because of sharp pain in my left elbow. My body is falling apart.
I’ve been trying to fit into this pair of summer pants for about three summers now, and since I noticed that I have lost a bit of weight, due to the aforementioned weight loss techniques, I figured I would try them on again today. I wasn’t actually trying to lose weight, it just happened that for a few days in a row I had to wait a long time between meals, and I got a headache and then I got the nice tingly brain feeling when I would finally eat, and then by that time I wasn’t even really in the mood to eat, so I would eat less than I normally would and I realized that I wasn’t fainting or dizzy and didn’t have stomach cramps due to not eating, so I let it happen again, and then a few days later I realized that my face looked thinner. Anyway, I can now zip up that pair of summer pants without fear of breaking the zipper, and I am almost able to wear them in public, but the thighs are still too tight, so they look ridiculous, and I don’t think I could sit in them. I tried on some other summer pants as well, and they also sort of fit, but my thighs are also too big for these pants, and waist is tight as well. I was able to start wearing one other pair of pants of though, these are just normal pants that I’ve not been able to button up for a while, not summer pants. So now I have three pairs of pants that fit. I had to buy one of those pairs recently though, so maybe that one shouldn’t count, and my favorite pair is falling apart and almost beyond repair, so it has to be retired soon, and I can’t wear them that often, so maybe that one shouldn’t count either. So I have one pair of pants that fits.
I have several pairs of pants that fit on an empty stomach, but once I consume a meal I have to change pants. That’s what I had to do today at lunch time. Actually, I just took them off even before I started eating so I could be more comfortable. It’s no fun to eat when your abdomen is constricted.
Don’t eat when you’re hungry– eat when you’ve got a headache because you’re so hungry. As an added bonus, you’ll get a nice tingly feeling in your brain upon feeding. Once you get started on this regimen, it’s fairly easy to follow, especially if you have nothing really great to eat. For example, last week I made a pot of really good beef curry. I ate it all in less than 24 hours, but it should have lasted 2 days. The next day, I made an even larger batch of beef curry, but this time, I modified the recipe drastically, so that it was not really a curry and didn’t taste nearly as good. In fact, I will not make this recipe again. I added eggplant and lentils, and less tomatoes and no potatoes. It’s not vile, it’s edible, and pretty healthy, but not tasty. It’s the type of thing you’ll eat just because you’re really hungry and are willing to eat anything so that you don’t faint, but otherwise, you would not likely eat it. I still have more than 3/4 of this stew left, and it’s been 4 days. Sadly though I’ve not eaten any in two days, so I’m not really following the protocol. I’ve been craving tastier foods. The stew is so blah that I’ve been forced to do extra cooking. I also ate some chicken that had been in the fridge for a week. I smelled it first– there were no signs of spoilage and I didn’t get sick and it tasted quite good actually, especially when compared to the dreaded stew.
Here’s another tip– Metamucil is a great complement to any meal, and a good snack as well, if you don’t have anything to snack on. It makes you feel full, it helps you meet your daily fiber requirements AND it’s quick to prepare. Scoop and stir! No cooking! I use the orange sugar-free kind, I’ve not tried the other brands or flavours, so I can’t comment on them. I can comment on the fact that expired Metamucil works just as well as it did before it was expired. My current 1kg jar expired in 2003, but I’m still using it. I still have another 40 doses or so I figure. My new 1kg jar expires in 2011, I figure I’ll be finished that one in 2015 or so. Metamucil does not recommend that you consume their expired product, in fact, they advocate that you DO NOT eat it, but I have had great success with the expired product. If it smelled funny, I would stop using it, but it smells fine.
Lactase Intolerance Update- I’ve been grinding up lactase tablets with a mortar and pestle and adding it to the regular milk overnight before drinking it, and it converts enough lactose that I’m able to have cereal and more than a cup of milk without very much gas or bloating. Then I tried a half tablet to see if that would work, but it is not enough for me.
I just found out. I have not been watching regularly this season or I guess I would have known that last month. I’m shocked and disappointed. It is my favorite CBC show, and one of the best Canadian TV programs. On today’s episode they were talking about it being their last show in the studio, but I just thought they meant that they are moving to a new studio or something, not shutting it all down.
Too bad you can’t cancel crappy shows on other networks and funnel the money to the CBC. I’m talking about you, W-Five, 16×9, Canada AM, and others that I can’t think of at the moment. I’ve never actually watched 16×9, but the fact that I thought it was a spoof TV show and not a ‘news’ program says it all. I haven’t seen much advertising for it lately though, so maybe it’s already been cancelled. Okay, I just checked, and 16×9 has not been cancelled. They recently had a ‘news’ stories about “how bras make some women sick” and “Is your spouse gay?”. Ridiculous.
Anyway, there’s a nice interview with Larry King on the CBC News: Sunday website.
I saw that yesterday at a Shoppers Drug Mart. It is the best set of aisle descriptors I’ve ever seen. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t bring my camera. I never think to bring my camera while grocery shopping.
If I do not run today it will be my fourth day of not running. I definitely could not run up until yesterday because my right knee has been having sharp pains when walking downstairs, and sometimes while walking upstairs. While walking downhill yesterday there was slight uncomfortableness, it definitely would not have been able to withstand running. Walking today still feels a bit not normal, so I probably should not run. The sharp pains are gone now, but while going downstairs I’m still trying not to put too much weight on the right knee. Pretty soon my left knee is going to complain about that. I think I have to strengthen my leg muscles. I’m not sure how I hurt my knee. I was doing some yoga lunges, so maybe that set it off. I haven’t done those in a while. And I’ve been running without doing much strength training so that probably didn’t help things. Knee pain is not fun at all.
I rolled out the yoga mat in front of the couch, so now I have a constant reminder to do some sort of physical activity while watching television, or even as soon as I get up in the morning. My knee doesn’t hurt as long as I don’t put too much weight on it, and as long as I don’t ask it to move in a certain way, so last night I did five lady push-ups and two lunges, one per side. It was a productive evening.
Today I cleaned the nosepads on my glasses with an old toothbrush. I think that is the most useful and satisfying use of old toothbrushes I have found to date.
Hmm. My knee is hurting now for no reason. All I’m doing is sitting here, I’m not even applying any pressure. I guess that means I will not run today. This is disappointing since I had just started getting back into running regularly and I could see noticeable improvements in my fitness. Instead of only doing two laps and having to stop, I was able to do three and at the same pace.
It’s really interesting to see what other people keep in their fridges and how neat or messy they are. I saw two fridges that are similar to my own, and many that would never be mine, like the fridge with all the Styrofoam take-out containers, and all the empty/half-empty fridges. My fridge is never empty, even though I often feel like there’s nothing to eat, my fridge is always full of stuff and it’s a chore trying to find room in there after cooking. Like last night, I made 2 large casseroles and I had to stuff them in there. That actually wasn’t too bad since I hadn’t cooked in a week, but ordinarily, it would not have been possible without a lot of rearranging. My freezer is always at least 80% full. I don’t know how it’s possible to have even a 50% full fridge. I just can’t do it. If I see there’s free space, I fill it. That space-filling phenomenon is also what happens all throughout my apartment. I can’t keep any surfaces free of clutter for more than 24 hours. The pinnacle of my space/no space cycle came yesterday– I started leaving dirty dishes on the couch because there was no more room in the kitchen, and there was only one small uncovered spot where I could leave my plate. The couch was covered in clothes, books that I’m not reading, and other random junk.
I have a system for dirty dishes– the ones stained with food that would impart gross flavours onto new food get taken to the kitchen sink, and are not re-used. Dishes with mere crumbs or not-very-soiled dishes with flavours that would complement new food can be used again, and will be left in the counter area, next to the stove. However, when the kitchen starts getting messy, counter space is at a premium and I will leave these re-usable dishes on the couch, or on my bed. This helps to quickly ferret out the semi-clean dishes and prevents me from dirtying even more dishes. With this sophisticated instant notification system, I am able to detect when the clutter level is approaching unmanageable levels (no space on couch) and I can reduce dish washing to once a week, if I am so inclined. However, sometimes the mess gets to be too much and I am forced to do the dishes more often than that. Or sometimes I need the cutting board and I will wash other things at the same time.
I did have a system where I would do the dishes every day– like I hear normal people do, but this doesn’t last very long. It is a good system though. It makes sense and makes the task less daunting. I just can’t do it all the time, but I’m always quite impressed with myself when I do manage to wash the dishes two days in a row. It feels like a big accomplishment.
There are a few exceptions to the not washing immediately rules. I wash and dry my nice knives after using them, but only the nice ones, and I only have two. And I will wash my tea pot before using it again. So I wash a teapot almost every day, but it’s mostly just rinsing.
And that is how to do dishes like a sloth. I could write a book with all of these sloth tips, but it goes against the philosophy of sloth living.
These methods are also environmentally friendly, though not for your immediate living environs, but they enable you to use less dish-washing soap and less water overall than multiple small dish-washings. However, there is decreased sanity. And you have to be careful not to sit on the plates and soil your clothes.
P.S. Just an aside that I forgot to write about a couple of months ago– I stopped justifying my blog posts. I read a font book that says ragged right is easier to read, so I started keeping the text ragged. I know it doesn’t look as nice, but it makes sense. It is easier to read ragged right because it’s easier to find the next line because all the lines aren’t the same. So I guess I sort of knew that but I didn’t really clue into it. When I’m reading quickly sometimes I’ll find myself reading the same line twice, and I’ll only discover half way through the line. I didn’t take notice of the justification all those times, but I bet it was probably on justified text since it doesn’t happen to me all the time. It also frequently happens when I’m not really enjoying what I’m reading.
This is fascinating. Seriously.
via: http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com
Update: I am forever editing my posts, and I decided to separate this into two. It makes more sense.
I managed to burn something in the microwave today. It was my curried split peas, which were a bit too dry for the microwave, luckily there was no damage.
I found a good way to pass some time: http://www.freerice.com/index.php
It’s a word game. For every word you get right, 10 grains of rice gets donated to the UN World Food Program. I’ve learned quite a number of new words.
Oh, I just noticed that they have other subjects too: German, French, Italian, Spanish, chemical symbols, world capitals, grammer, and famous paintings.
The quizzes are multiple choice and adaptive, so if you get something wrong, it will make it a bit easier and it also re-asks the ones you got wrong, so you can see if you’re learning. It also records your best level so you can see how you’re doing.
I haven’t written in here in a while, so I figured I should type something. I’m using a PC terminal and it reminds me how much I love my Mac. There’s nothing wrong with the PC, it works, but it’s not customized to my liking. Even using someone else’s Mac is slightly annoying because it doesn’t have my short-cut corners. I have really come to rely on that feature.
I had some bunion pain yesterday and a few days last week. I don’t know why. I think I’m going to try to run today even though I really do not feel like it. I feel like going to sleep, but if I do then I won’t be able to sleep properly tonight, so I have to keep myself suitably occupied so I don’t drift off.
My apartment doesn’t smell like smoke anymore. Last week I left the stove on and went out and didn’t come back for 8 hours or so. I did not leave it on on purpose, it was an attempt to save time for a future meal, which never ended up happening because the rice turned black during the 8 hours I was away. I’m lucky it didn’t catch on fire, it just turned all black and emitted a very dark smoke and put about a 2-inch black mark on my pot lid. I also have scattered black marks inside the pot. I was supposed to turn the stove off when I left the house but I forgot. It is the first time I have left the stove unattended. I hope it will be the last.
This weekend I have discovered curried yellow split peas. They are very good and very easy to make. The first batch I made was really good and gone in less than a day and I decided to scale up and change the recipe, which is a bad idea, but I did it anyway. The results were just okay. It’s definitely edible, but not as tasty as the first batch.
Here’s the good recipe:
1 cup dried yellow split peas, or equivalent legume/bean item
2 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4-5 pieces cinnamon bark
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1 onion
3-4 canned tomatoes + some juice (that’s individual tomatoes, not the number of cans of tomatoes)
1 zucchini
Bring the peas to a boil in about 4x the volume of water. Turn the heat down and simmer for a while, until the start to fall apart.
Heat frying pan, add oil, add the cumin seeds, fry them for a bit. Crush cardamom and clove, add to pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cinnamon bark. Fry in oil until it smells nice. Add turmeric. Fry some more. Then add onions. Cover and cook for a while. Then add tomatoes + juice and zucchini. Cover and cook.
After the peas have taken up all the water, add the frying pan contents to the peas.
Eat.
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Continuing on with random tidbits, today I learned that Soy Joy is a real product. I first heard of it on 30 Rock and assumed it was a fake product (as did other people), sort of like Sabor de Soledad, which I probably would buy. I probably would not buy Soy Joy, even though I am in their target demographic, women aged 18-49. I just don’t like the name. When I first saw the show I thought that can’t be real, no one would name a candy bar “Soy Joy”, but someone did. It was not a joke. I just checked out their website, it’s not a candy bar, it’s a snack bar. I also spelled it wrong, it’s all one word and all caps: SOYJOY.
