input/output log week one

So, here's my totals for the week - input and output. Not going near the scales for a month.

It's really just for me to keep tabs on balance across a whole week and not obsess about calories and all that shit. That kind of thing can send you mental.

The only way to know for sure what is in food is to make it yourself. I am way too busy to spend hours in the kitchen, so I do fast food. Anything more than 20 min prep time means it's overcooked, and any nutrition that may have been in the dish has leeched out of it. Added to that, life (well mine anyway) is way too short to eat just for the sake of it. It should be a shared pleasure. Even if my portions are now smaller, the meal still has to be delicious and worth the time and energy (and love) invested in it.

Also, water is really important. I've got 2x 750ml bottles in the fridge for those moments when I find myself staring wistfully into is cold hard glare. Hopefully a swig or two of water will satisfy both food and nicotine urges.

Sat 20 Feb

Output: rode to town on the bike - 5 k

Input: Something eggy on toast - scrambled with tomato sauce. (I am so not giving up tomato sauce - an essential food group all on its own! - but when the tomato plants are bearing I'll make my own which won't have nearly so much sugar in it as the commercial stuff.)

Chicken (left over roast) salad - lashings of green vegies and balamic and oil dressing

Grandma's birthday (no way out) Roast lamb - small serve of meat, large serve of vegies and no spud.

One small slice of some gluten free apple cakey thing - no cream.

ONLY FOUR GLASSES OF RED ! Moderation, thy name is Hughesy!

2x750 ml bottles of water.

Sun 21 Feb

Output:

Rode back from town on the bike 5 k

Input:

Something eggy on toast - boiled egg with FINGERS (not soldiers!)

Yellow chicken curry made with a little suflower oil, much onion, carrot, garlic and ginger, stirfied for a few moments with Mae Ploy yellow curry paste till aromatic, coat the chicken in this mixtre for a moment till lightly golden and then pour in 200 ml of coconut milk, and 2 cups of boilin stock. The local organic chook producer's cheapest cut is 'wingetts' which are perfect for this - they are skinned and don't need to be in the pot for very long. When the chook is done, turf in a splach of fish sauce, torn kaffir leaves and a pile of any green vege to hand and only cook till just tender. Garnish with chopped deseeded red chilli and thai basil leaves. Steamed brown rice. Made a whole pot of it with intention of feeding G-man's grazing the following day, but we ate the rest for supper - couldn't be fkd cooking again

NO RED WINE!

Only half a fag - put it out half way

Mon 22

Output:

Nil - on deadline for a bunch of meetings not enough hours in the day. grrrrr

Input:

Something eggy on toast - fried + tom sauce
Many cups of black tea - no milk or sugar (because that's the way I always drink it) and over teh course of the mid afternoon, three strange sugarless nutty biscotti things of unknown recipe bought from the local health food shop, but weirdly delicious.

Pan fried chicken breast marinaded in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano (not a whole one, a half of one. A whole breast sliced through the centre still LOOKS like a whole breast, just thinner). Swilled some white wine in the pan juices and when it was boiled off, chucked in a pile of chopped parsely and more black pepper.

Green salad with a sprinkle of pine nuts, rocket and wafer thin slivers of pecorino with a splash of oil and balsamico dressing.

NO RED WINE AGAIN! WOW.

Several fags (yes, I hate myself but blame deadline neurosis for the relapse)

Tues 23

Outputs: Morning walk - up to the top of heartbreak hill. 3 k round trip.

Inputs:

Something eggy on toast.

I'm such a creature of habit. After only three days I have become conditioned to love the concept, and find that there is a vast range of dishes to fit this category. Today - croque madame (no cheese version) done under the griller.

Method. Cut a hole in the slice of bread with an egg ring and toast both pieces on a baking sheet under the griller. When you turn the toast, crack an egg into the hole and slide it back under the grill to cook the egg, but not too much - you want that yolk soft and gooey. When it's done, lay the slices of avocado and some generous spoonage of diced tomato on the egg, and place the toasted circle on top, throw on a couple of fresh torn basil leaves, then drizzle with a little olive oil and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Meetings all day - just fruit for lunch on the run.

Stirfry - lean chicken, snowpeas and beansprouts & rice. Jasmine tea.

NO RED WINE Abstemiousness on a stick.

Wed 24

Outputs: Walk to sugarleaf rd.

Inputs:

Something eggy on toast. Mmmm BLT.

The egg is in the form of home made mayo with one egg yolk, just enough olive oil to emulcify it, a teasp of grainy mustard, lemon juice, garlic, S&P and a splash of white balsamic vinegar and one small dribble of honey. On the toast goes (one only) sliver of grilled bacon, slices of tomato, lettuce and a tablespoon of that golden nectar that is mayonaise. Bacon once a week is absolutely essential for mental health - it's not all about the waist line you know.

Lunch - Vege Laksa

Ayam laksa paste is the BEST and most authenitc I've found up here in the sticks and makes a great laksa. A little sunfower oil in the wok, brown some onions, garlic and ginger and a couple of tabsps of paste, stirfry till aromatic. Add 2 cups of stock and 200 ml of lite coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add vegies, carrots first, caulie and brocolli florets next and any greens last, and only for a moment. If you want, you can whack some cubes of tofu in too - but resist the temptation to fry it. You should have a (small) handful of rice noodles soaking in hot water - drain them and put them in the bottom of a bowl, on top of that use bean sprouts to replace the amount of noodle you'd expect to get in a laksa. Pour on the soup and top with chopped corianda.

Thurs 25

Outputs: two hours scrambling up and down a newly bulldozed hillside sowing pasture grass with G-man. Now THAT's a workout!

Inputs:

Something eggy on toast.

Finely sliced rings of red onion, capers and a strip of smoked salmon on the toast, drizzled with a little olive oil and topped with a perfectly poached egg (and a sprinkle of oregano & black pepper)

Meeting lunch time - nothing - out at a meeting all day

Arvo Snack-Flat bread 'pizza'

One of my fave pizzas in italy is the margerita - it has no cheese - just the bread base with tomato sauce, oregano and olive oil. Rather than make the pizza dough, I just use leb bread as the base. G-Man will get cheese and a choice of other stuff on top, but I actually prefer the simplicity of the combination of totally slenderising ingredients.

Total blowout - I knew the abstenance bubble would burst. A bottle and a half of red. However, did not actually eat anything. We were too busy in the studio and by the end of the bottle, too pissed to be bothered. However, it was a quality blow out - found a bottle of 27 yr old pino nior in the back of the cupboard which, to my vast pleasure, was completely delicious!

Friday 26

Outputs: Afternoon walk up heartbreak hill and back 2 k

Inputs:

Something eggy on toast. scrambled with smoked salmon.

Panfried greek chicken breast & salad

There will be a break in transmission while I go to the Adelaide Festival, but I'm going to be trying to make lite choices - should be interesting. Intend to do most of it on foot - my accom is on the other side of town from the festival, AND, it has an indoor pool which I'll be making the most of each morning.

No doubt, G-Man will take the opportunity for a BBQ'd red meat fest while I'm away. But then, there's every possibility that I might too! There are times when you look down a menu and Venetian calves liver and onions is the ONLY thing you can see.

We'll see.