Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Day 45- One *Big* Meal

Didn't get up until "late"- almost noon- and then it was off on job hunting fun, still icky and full from late night snax. So no breakfast.

Around 4 or 5 I was finally hungry and motivated. I decided to make a calzone- I need to use up the eggplant, tofu, and zucchini, and the second tomato was starting to look a little *too* ripe.


so this is a thrown together guess at a 1C dough recipe.

  • 1 C flour (plus extra for kneading)
  • 1/2 tsp ital seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp yeast (might have been less)
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1/2 C hot water
all the dry stuff goes together, including the yeast, then that gets mixed so there are no spice clumps. Then add the liquids, mix and knead like normal. I used too much water, 1/2 C less 2 or 3 tablespoons would probably be better. a bit more than 1/3 C, basically. For metric types, that's about (guesstimating here) 150 ml water.

While that was "rising" I mixed up some tofu ricotta. Just 8oz or so tofu, 1/4 lemon of juice, oil, salt, garlic powder, ital seasoning, mushed and mixed up. I use a lot of salt, because that's the main flavor of ricotta to me, and because i like salt. Someday my circulatory system will hate me for that, but for now my blood pressure can just take the hit. (Note- I can't "donate" plasma because my blood pressure is usually too *low*)

Then I rinsed and sliced about 1/3rd of the zucchini into thin rounds, sliced off a thin section of red onion, sliced 1/4 of my tomato, and grabbed the eggplant from the fridge. put flour dusted foil on the cookie sheet, stretched the dough out on it, and filled it. Baked at 450F for 20 minutes

I need to work on making more small things instead of just one huge one. The calzone ended up being over a pound. It was *huge*. It took me more than an hour to eat it. I'm still full. Very full.

While it was cooking I cleaned up- 4 minutes to do all the dishes. I thought how nice it would be to make a salad, but I don't have salad making stuff- yet. So that was out. I also could have started a crock pot of soup, but decided not to. I may not be able to make small calzones, or stop myself from eating a whole pizza in one go (or two, over time....) But I know how much food fits in my body at any one time. And after that calzone, nothing else was going to fit for a good long while.

I'm not sure if the "one big meal" thing is happening because I'm lazy and don't want to cook more than once, or if I just do better that way. While I was still living at home (and not cooking my own meals) I'd graze leftovers and easy stuff out of the fridge and pantry. I have no problem eating more than once. I tell anyone who'll listen that if someone else cooked and brought me the food, I'd never stop eating. It'd be healthier, too. I'm thinking it's the lazy thing.

So, grazing is better from a blood sugar/ energy/ guts stand-point, but anyone else go the huge meal route instead? The only good thing I can see about mine is that at least my huge meal tends to be mid-day.

In other news, I *really* need to use up the last pound of tofu. Time to break out the pasta machine. Ugh. I love ravioli, but it's so much work. At least once it's made it becomes frozen convenience food. And I want to hit publix for flour while I'm out- they have name brand flour (better quality then the save-a-lot stuff) for $1.49/ 5lb bag. I think even the unbleached and bread flours. Also name brand veggie oil for about $1.85/ bottle. Need to check the size though, brands have been changing volumes and weights again.

3 comments:

  1. I still can't believe you can eat once and be full for the day. If I don't eat every 4 hours I'm awake, I'm nonfunctional.

    Meanwhile, I'm going to try what another reader suggested and sprout my own beans. I'll let you know how it goes.

    The calzone sounds delicious. Do you know if it freezes well? I'd take a half a day and make a whole bunch and toss 'em in the freezer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. i'm not out and about all that much- an hour or two in the afternoon, running around dropping off resumes and filling out apps doesn't wear me out physically. And that one big meal is probably close to a day's kcals.

    yeah, though- they freeze ok. i'd either freeze them half-baked, and finish baking to defrost/ cook, or freeze them raw and bake from frozen. Reheating from fully coked only really works in the microwave, and the texture is.. bad.

    Probably faster/ better results to freeze dough and fillings separately, but ready to go. in the morning when you think you might want it, pull the dough ball from the freezer to the fridge. then when you get home you just have to shape, stuff, and bake. Cuts hands on time down to about nothing.

    But just about anything works. oh, and beware frozen potatoes. they get... weird.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The calzone looks good but...I kinda like the plate. It gives me a groovy 70's feel.
    Love J's mom...ps asparagus is on sale at Harris Teeter today for 1.29 a lb

    ReplyDelete