Dec. 20
Breakfast: at Nick's Diner in Wheaton. This is an impressive old-school diner with an old guy (Nick?) manning the omelet station and a young guy next to him flipping the home fries and cutting ham off the bone right in front of you. While they cook, all the servers sidle sideways past them along the counter, back and forth to serve customers and access the kitchen. It's an even more cramped work space than the restaurant where I work, which is saying something. I respect what they do. But the menu wouldn't work in my town (full of vegetarian hippies and gluten-free purists): it's all meat, eggs and potatoes, pancakes and toast, no substitutions. I had a ham, egg, and American cheese sandwich on an English muffin, and a side of home fries. Decaf coffee with half and half. Cash only.
Lunch: Did I have lunch? No, I don't think so. Sundays are weird. At lunchtime, we were at the mall, finishing our Christmas shopping and still full from breakfast.
Someone else's shumai. Breakfast: at Nick's Diner in Wheaton. This is an impressive old-school diner with an old guy (Nick?) manning the omelet station and a young guy next to him flipping the home fries and cutting ham off the bone right in front of you. While they cook, all the servers sidle sideways past them along the counter, back and forth to serve customers and access the kitchen. It's an even more cramped work space than the restaurant where I work, which is saying something. I respect what they do. But the menu wouldn't work in my town (full of vegetarian hippies and gluten-free purists): it's all meat, eggs and potatoes, pancakes and toast, no substitutions. I had a ham, egg, and American cheese sandwich on an English muffin, and a side of home fries. Decaf coffee with half and half. Cash only.
Lunch: Did I have lunch? No, I don't think so. Sundays are weird. At lunchtime, we were at the mall, finishing our Christmas shopping and still full from breakfast.
Dinner: take-out from our local Thai restaurant, while we belatedly watched the Survivor finale. Japanese squash (Kanpyo) sushi roll, yellowtail and scallion roll, steamed pork-and-shrimp shumai. I guess none of these things are actually Thai. My husband did have a Thai curry. For dessert, we finally cut into the fancy Austrian Imperial Torte that my husband's old friend, who is like an international spy or something, sends us every year for Christmas. It is an overwhelming block of chocolate-covered marzipan with the texture of crispy shortening, and I have just learned by looking up the website that we have been receiving the king-sized version. The plan is that I will take half of it to work, but we'll see.
Snacks: 3 other cups of coffee with half and half, 2 regular, 1 decaf. A few dried figs and dates here and there. A couple of gingersnaps. A small handful of the Himalayan dried fruit mix my husband bought. Is that all? I am not sure. The holiday sweetness snacking addiction has apparently begun. I am really going to try hard to keep it minimal this year.
Dec. 21
Breakfast: A couple of chunks of dark chocolate, small piece of Imperial Torte (you know, really I find it kind of yucky. I don't think I'll have any more), hard-boiled egg, carrot slices.
Lunch: 1/2 grapefruit (looked kind of dried-up and hard on the outside, but still fine inside!); 5 gingersnaps; 5 dried figs and a handful of Himalayan dried fruit mix; slice of white bakery toast with a buttery fried egg on top.
Shopping (co-op): baguette, half and half, Barbara's cheese puffs, Terra Mediterranean exotic veggie chips, Applegate sliced organic ham, 6 Chobani Greek yogurts (assorted flavors), alfalfa sprouts, bulk salted pistachios, Organic Valley raw sharp cheddar cheese, 2 tomatoes, 1 orange bell pepper. $44.
Dinner: sandwiches served on baguettes, with Applegate honey ham, organic raw cheddar cheese, tomato, orange bell pepper, sprouts, mustard and mayonnaise. Terra veggie chips on the side. A no-brainer but tasty. The Terra chips were outside of my homemade guidelines, obviously. So are a lot of things lately. I'm still doing better than I used to.
Snacks: several small handfuls of Barbara's cheese puffs (my daughter requested these); 4 cups of coffee, 2 regular, 2 decaf, with half and half; 1 Red Hook Long Hammer IPA.
Snacks: 3 other cups of coffee with half and half, 2 regular, 1 decaf. A few dried figs and dates here and there. A couple of gingersnaps. A small handful of the Himalayan dried fruit mix my husband bought. Is that all? I am not sure. The holiday sweetness snacking addiction has apparently begun. I am really going to try hard to keep it minimal this year.
Dec. 21
Breakfast: A couple of chunks of dark chocolate, small piece of Imperial Torte (you know, really I find it kind of yucky. I don't think I'll have any more), hard-boiled egg, carrot slices.
Lunch: 1/2 grapefruit (looked kind of dried-up and hard on the outside, but still fine inside!); 5 gingersnaps; 5 dried figs and a handful of Himalayan dried fruit mix; slice of white bakery toast with a buttery fried egg on top.
Shopping (co-op): baguette, half and half, Barbara's cheese puffs, Terra Mediterranean exotic veggie chips, Applegate sliced organic ham, 6 Chobani Greek yogurts (assorted flavors), alfalfa sprouts, bulk salted pistachios, Organic Valley raw sharp cheddar cheese, 2 tomatoes, 1 orange bell pepper. $44.
Dinner: sandwiches served on baguettes, with Applegate honey ham, organic raw cheddar cheese, tomato, orange bell pepper, sprouts, mustard and mayonnaise. Terra veggie chips on the side. A no-brainer but tasty. The Terra chips were outside of my homemade guidelines, obviously. So are a lot of things lately. I'm still doing better than I used to.
Snacks: several small handfuls of Barbara's cheese puffs (my daughter requested these); 4 cups of coffee, 2 regular, 2 decaf, with half and half; 1 Red Hook Long Hammer IPA.