Year 2, Day 113: It Ain't All Fluff

By now you've all heard about this one. But in case you aren't married to an always-on computer, this from the Associated Press.

Sen. Jarrett Barrios was outraged that his son Nathaniel, a third-grader, was given a Fluffernutter sandwich at the King Open School in Cambridge. He said he plans to file legislation that would ban schools from offering the local delicacy more than once a week as the main meal of the day.

The Democrat said that his amendment to a bill on junk food in schools may seem "a little silly" - but that school nutrition is serious.

His proposal seemed anything but silly to Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein, a Democrat whose district in Revere is near the company that has produced the marshmallow concoction for more than 80 years, Durkee-Mower Inc.

She responded with a proposal to designate the Fluffernutter the "official sandwich of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

"I'm going to fight to the death for Fluff," Reinstein said.

An aide to Barrios insisted the senator is not anti-Fluff and even plans to co-sponsor Reinstein's bill, although he still believes schools should cut back on Fluffernutters.

"He loves Fluff as much as the next legislator," aide Colin Durrant said.

Fluff has a long history in Massachusetts. The treat was popularized by H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower, who cooked up the concoction in their kitchen at night and sold it door to door during the day.

*****

I love that the aide felt the need to add "He loves fluff as much as the next legislator." Please everybody, if you're not registered to vote, do so now, so we can throw EVERYBODY in office out of office in the next election.

Breakfast:
3 Slices of Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
1 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
6 Stalks Celery
3 tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch: Russo's ($4.78)
Red leaf, red onion, red pepper
chicken, chick peas, broccoli, feta

Dinner:
Feta & Spinach Burger
Emily's Cauliflower

I must tell you that Ruby went through at least a year in her life where I was making her fluffernutter sandwiches constantly. After one jar of real fluff I switched to the Whole Foods Vanilla spead. Same ingredients, which are: sugar.

Many people don't know the various tricks involved. You must keep your Fluff at room temperature. If cold, it will be impossible to spread and break the soft bread. Then you will be cursing as your hand will be, like a ventriloquist, through the hole in the bread and you'll probably have fluff on your fingers. This will tempt to you to lick your fingers, but then you'll have to keep licking them because you really can't get the fluff off with one suck, it's a commitment. Don't even start with firm bread or toast— you think it might make the sandwich assembly easier, but your kid won't eat it, unless he or she likes multi-grain bread in case he or she couldn't possibly like fluff, which is essentially cotton candy in a jar that's white. Another thing is that you must you put the peanut butter on first, because it's much easier to clean the peanut butter off the knife and then spread the fluff than the other way around. Lastly, be very careful when you put the pieces together—if they are misaligned you'll never forgive yourself. I'm still kicking myself.

Year 2, Day 112: Chemistry

If you noted a few days ago I wrote that my niece was here, and she was about to embark on her college career following the completion of her regents exams. Those, for those of you that didn't grow up in New York or California, are standardized tests that students have to take in all the major math/science/english arenas from 9th grade on in order to graduate. I wrote the following in an email to her, and I thought I would publish it again here (below), as it was very illustrative of who I am.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean
1 Cup Heritage Flakes
1 Cup Blueberries/Strawberries
1 Cup 8th Continent Light Soy Milk

Snack
12 oz coffee (Half Decaf)
2 oz 50% jalapeno Cheddar
5 Stalks Celery
3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (SC)

Lunch: Tantawan
Shrimp, Mushroom Soup
Chicken/Lettuce/Peanuts
Beef Salad

Dinner
Chicken with Scallions
Big Salad

I was so poorly versed in Chemistry, and so poorly studied, that I took someone's advice to draw the "clown face" on the mechanical form you must fill out with #2 pencil to complete the test. No joke, this is exactly what I did. I finished in 15 minutes but I didn't want it to look bad so I waited till someone (smart) finished and then I handed in my test.

I got a 65, which was a passing grade, allowing me to pass Chemistry and graduate 10th Grade. Chemistry had been very difficult for me, because it was taught by Mrs. Gellert, an immensely overweight woman who was the first woman I ever knew that displayed female balding. I despised her because she was strident and had a grating voice. In addition, she lived in Great Neck, where I went to school, and whenever there was a blizzard she was NEVER absent. She never got sick. She missed only two days the whole year, and they were both due to a funeral. We had quite a tense relationship, and she was always trying to prove that I wasn't paying attention, which I wasn't.

One time, when she was discussing something about particles (which she was illustrating by holding up models), and I, Ruby-like, was prattling on about nonsense, she called on me. "Mr. Deutsch," she said, "please tell the class why these ions (she held up the model) don't conduct electricity." I looked at her for a second. Then, defiantly I said "Because they're made out of styrofoam." The class erupted in roars that did not die down for minutes. It was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. I think that had a lot to do with who I became later in life.

Year 2, Day 111: Father's Day

Sure, it's traditional to sleep late on Father's Day, and to be awarded a present of a necktie, but being an untraditional family, I got up early, and went shopping, which is actually something I like to do. To reward myself for doing a necessary house chore at 8:30AM, I decided to get an iced-black coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I could already tell the day was going to make good on its threat to be very, very hot. When I opened the door to the DD I realized there was a problem, and soon I discovered what it was. The Sunday morning crew was taken by surprise by a large Father's Day order containing what I assessed at six or seven breakfast sandwiches and multiple 'box of joes'. I considered leaving, but decided the effort extended wasn't worth it. I stood my ground, and with line attrition, and a little patience, it all worked out. On the way home I also stopped at CVS to get myself a new pair of sunglasses, since Magnolia had twisted my other ones out of existence.

Breakfast
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain
1 Large Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee

Snack
4 Celery Sticks
3 Tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter
2 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn


Lunch
Romaine, Cabbage, Feta and grilled chicken


Dinner
Chicken, Bok Choy
Strawberries (Magnolia didn't eat)

Getting back home there was a lot to do, but I had hoped that Ruby and I would take advantage of the heat and go see "Cars." Since I never get to see movies, I was really looking forward to it, though I imagined it to be a lackluster animated picture. In fact, she didn't want to do that at all, she wanted to go to the pool, so after a few false starts, that's where we went. She spent about half the time in the pool and the other half on the monkey bars. I made small chit-chat with other families, including one joke that didn't go over that well. In conversation, I suggested that a third family didn't like the Needham kindergarten they were in because at the end of the semester their child could not read "Wuthering Heights." It really landed like a lead balloon. I learned a lesson about jokes and school families— they don't mix, especially when the jokes are bad and the families humorless. Later that night when I was putting Ruby to bed she said "I'm sorry I didn't make you a present for Father's Day." And I replied "But my present for Father's Day was BEING your father." She was stymied by that, and promised to make something for me the next day.

Year 2, Day 110: Lots of Action

Saturday, after poker, as many readers know, is often a very S-L-O-W time for me but this AM was different. When I got home from cards last night Emily and my niece were still up so in the AM I was probably among the most familiar with being that tired (of the adults). Ruby and I set out earlyish (9AM) to get a toy for the birthday party we were to attend later that day. Alas, my memory did not serve and the toy store opened at 9:30, not 9, so we had to kill time. We decided to go to Dunkin Donuts, but to walk, not to drive, and it was not an insubstantial walk. Naturally, we also had to walk back, and then we had to walk to the birthday party (since it was right in our neighborhood). Although I'm used to a long walk, it seemed like a lot of walking for me. Ruby and I both ate prior to going to the birthday party, because the invitation did not specify lunch, even though when I called this neighbor she said "we have a ton of food." That really isn't very helpful when you're planning for your kid's lunch (or even my own). When we got there it was chicken, sausage, hot dogs and hamburgers, prepared by the birthday girl's father, a professional chef. Ruby was only interested in the chips and salsa (she's going through a phase) but at the suggestion of the host, I had a sausage, which despite advertisements, was not at all spicy, but rather cheesy.


Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean
1 Cup Heritage Flakes
1 Cup Blueberries/Strawberries
1 Cup 8th Continent Light Soy Milk

Snack
1 Small Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee (black)
3 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 Rye Vita Cracker

Lunch (Part One)
Ham & Cheese Omelet
1 Rye Vita Cracker with Butter

Lunch (Part Two: Birthday Party)
1 Not Spicy Sausage

Pre-Tennis Snack
1 Joy Stick

Dinner
Hamburger
Peppadews
Pickles
Salad with Cauliflower and Feta
Bok Choy

Emily thought that a Sunday Morning tennis match would be a good Father's Day gift, but since our niece was going home on Sunday morning, Saturday turned out to be the best day, even though we were all quite tired. Also, they were predicting hot hot humid Sunday, so it seemed like late Saturday would be good, though it was quite muggy. We played some pretty out-of-fine-shape tennis and by the end we were both ready to be carried off the courts, much like Carl Weathers and Sly Stallone at the end of Rocky. The score, for those who have interest in such things, was 6-3, Emily.

Year 2, Day 109—Another Poker Game

A big day today. It was Ruby's last day of Kindergarten, I had an ultrasound, there was the card game, and I snuck in a workout in to boot (just four miles in 40 minutes). I had the day off from work for all these reasons but I was so busy, it felt like working. Last night Ruby had had a very bad night, up at 2:45 and up until about 4AM when Emily finally had to sub in for me because I had lost my ability to parent correctly. We were all a little gorked that her last day of Kindergarten had actually arrived— it didn't seem like that would ever happen. We thought we'd celebrate by taking her to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. However, a night of very broken sleep, plus an all-popsicle snack at Kindergarten, plus a hot day meant she probably wanted to just come and relax when it was all done. After we ordered the food she could barely keep her head on straight and shortly after she ate one slider (the nickname for small hamburgers, like those served at White Castle) she wanted to be taken home, and Emily obliged (because I had to go to the Ultrasound). Before she left though, Emily and I finished her burgers.

Breakfast
Ham and Cheese Omelet
Tea

Snack
1 Slice Balthazar Multigrain (with butter)

Lunch
SEARED TUNA TATAKI SALAD
Pacific Albacore Tuna Lightly Seared and Served Rare with Avocado, Tomato and Mixed Greens Tossed with Wasabi Vinaigrette

Hamburger meat of one slider

Dinner/Poker: Snacks
Strawberries
Almonds 'n' Cashews
Pistachios
Popcorn

Chinese
Moo Shi Pork (with 1 Pancake)
Beef with String Beans
Chicken with Broccoli
1 Beef Teriyaki
1 Spare Rib
Szechwan Spicy Pork
2 Shrimp in Lobster Sauce

Knowing that I would be at the card game tonight (I won, but came in FAR second place to my brother) I knew I could not have any nuts, and very few carbs today. This is always a challenge because it requires strategy. It means avoiding peanut butter and having as few carbs as possible. As it was, I did eat a lot at the card game (as always) but having worked out in the afternoon, I certainly didn't feel as bad about as I might have. Again, there was the temptation of pie (this time Cranberry Apple), but I was able to avoid it. But the fresh-picked strawberries were another matter—I ate a lot of them.

Year 2, Day 108: Fauna and Flora

We went for a brisk walk today. It was quite muggy and one of the Domania Gang commented that it was 'like walking against a wall." It felt like quite a long walk, even though it did not differ in length from our usual walk. I'm glad we got two walks in this week, because I'm still not over my trip to New York, food wise. I have an appointment tomorrow for an ultrasound which should be incredibly boring.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
1 Cup 8th Continent Light Soy Milk
1 Cup Blueberries

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad with Feta

Snack:
2.5 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 Sticks Celery
3 Tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Dinner
Emily's Kicked-Up Lettuce Wraps
Molly's Big, Crunchy, Green and Nearly Tasteless Salad

Our niece is staying with us and she has always been quite strict about what she eats. She is known for ability to consume large amounts of salad, and I believe tonight's salad had string beans (raw), broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and scallions in it. It was just about the crunchiest thing I've ever eaten, but her choice of dressing—olive oil and lemon—made nearly tasteless. It really made me feel like a rabbit or science experiment to eat it, though I had two bowls, because basically, I'll eat anything I can eat a lot of. At this point, the flavor is secondary.

Year 2, Day 107: Move Over Corn-Fed Beef, Here Comes Teflon

How much do you love your teflon/silverstone pans? Really, how much?

Whoops, Dupont (owner of the state of Delaware) has been asked to phase out perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. Apparently, this is the chemical that is released when you heat a teflon pan to 600 degrees— is that even possible in the home?
In animals PFOA can cause cancer, immune-system damage and death. Whoops again—it lingers in carpets, drapes and towels long after it's gone from the air. And, guess what, according to Time Magazine: 95% of all Americans have traces of PFOA in their blood. In 2004, the company admitted no liability but paid $107.6 million to settle a lawpoint with 50,000 people who lived near DuPont's West Virginia plant. In January, an EPA advisory board labeled PFOA a likely human carcinogen."

"The EPA has since asked DuPont and seven other companies that use PFOA to phase out the chemical. Although DuPont disputes the classification as a carcinogen and won't stop making Teflon, the company has pledged that by 2015, it will reduce the amount of PFOA used to make the coating and will guarantee that the chemical won't be released into the environment from DuPont manufacturing plants."

2015. Wow, they got right on that.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
1 Cup 8th Continent Light Soy Milk
1 Cup Blueberries

Lunch:
Russo's Salad ($5.51)
Red Leaf, Red Pepper, Red Onion
Broccoli, Chick Peas, Feta, Chicken

Snack
Coffee
Peanut Butter
Celery
15 Almonds
1/2 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Chicken
Cauliflower

Not sure why, but I was INCREDIBLY hungry today. I should have just kept my jaw shut and enjoyed the burn, but by 3:30 I had to have a 1/2 of popcorn. Even though it's a whole 'snack size' bag, it's really about three bites, for me. Still later, I was compelled to eat some almonds that are lingering around the office. Not very happy with this new hunger, maybe I have not been managing snack time properly. It's very hard to wait until 3:30 and the truth is I have been having the celery snack earlier and earlier. I've got to watch that.

Year 2, Day 106: Beware What You Don't Beware

I was at Ruby's "Field Day" celebration today, and at 4:00 there was an hour long 'talent show' that showcased the various (and some might say debatable) talents among the three Kindergarten classes at the school. The acts were all mostly very short, though they varied in length and quality. One boy however, got up to do a lip-synch to "We are the Dinosaurs" (a song which will cause all current parents of toddlers to slap their heads but leave everyone just imagining). It must have gone swell in rehearsals, but he was struck dumb with stage fright and even though the teacher was pantomiming the moves, he could not perform them. Even when she came out on stage next to him, he couldn't do it. Someone wisely started some applause, and he held his ears as if in pain, and walked off the stage, searching out a parental or friendly face, which he found shortly and deposited hisself on said lap. Later that day back at our park, Ruby hurt herself on the picnic table. What do these things have in common? I suppose it's that as parents and people we spend a lot of time worrying about 'the big thing' we're worried about. And yet the thing that happens to us is something we weren't expecting. To try and make it clearer: I might hang around, over-protective, while Ruby works her magic on the monkey bars, as I fret that she might fall off and break an arm. Yet what she hurts herself is a picnic table that she spends every day at. So was I worrying about the wrong thing? That talent-show boy's parents probably had every reason to think their son would put on a great show. Now for all we know, it's a life long trauma and fear of public speaking. Do you think for one minute they worried about that? There's a lesson in there, somewhere.

Breakfast
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain
5 Slices Ham
Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (Super Chunky)
5 Stalks Celery

Lunch: Sushi 21
Seafood Teriyaki
Salad
About six shumai
Pickled Ginger
Miso Soup

Dinner
Chicken a la Emily
Broccoli 'n' onions
Peppadews

Dessert
The ice cream left on the spoon used to transfer the ice cream from one container to another.

Emily and I decided to take Ruby out for ice cream, a tradition that began in our salad days. Many of those trips contained the same exact conversations, such as: "What are you going to get?" , "Get a small, not a large!" and "I don't like that flavor." JP Licks, Ben and Jerry's, Emack and Bolios, Herrels, White Mountain Creamery, you name it, if they sold ice cream, Emily and I went there, and fought about flavors and sizes. From the perspective of having gained and lost 40lbs, I guess I can say she was right— I probably didn't need to get mediums, but I was going on the principle that the ice cream was the least of my problems, so I guess we were both right. We got to Friendly's and sauntered up to the take-out window. WOW, there are about a dozen choices, each one more mind-blowing for a five year old than the one before. Ruby chose the Peanut Butter Cup Sundae, which had peanut butter topping, chocolate fudge, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and one whole Reeses cup. I convinced her that she SHOULD only eat a portion of it (it was $4.99) and that she could have the rest of it tomorrow. Even though we went there for Ruby-reward, there was a moment, after we got the kids ice cream (yes, Magnolia had some vanilla) and parked it by the window, where we were just being a family eating ice cream on a summer evening, and that was its own reward.

Year 2, Day 105: Back in Boston

Even if it's restful, going away can sometimes feel like depriving yourself of a weekend. You come back and you're tired, and you just have to get back in the saddle. It's June in New England and usually that's a pretty good time because it's not too hot but the days have that powerful sun that usually makes you glad to be outside. Unfortunately, it looks like rain this week, so I knew we needed to get walking right away. Today we went for a brisk walk around the Charles and it was good.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean!
3/4 cup Heritage Flakes
1 Cup Blueberries
1 Cup 8th Continent

Snack
12 oz Coffee (half decaf)
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
6 Stalks Celery
2 Tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Greek Salad with Chicken

Dinner:
93% Sirloin Burger
Emily's Stir-Fried Cabbage
Peppadews
Bubbie's Pickles

As I continued down my trail of fretting about the corn-fed beef, I felt it necessary to inquire both on the Web, where www.eatwild.com has good links to information and national farms to get grass-fed beef, and in my local Whole Foods, who told me that the Alewife store had a selection of grass-fed beef. The meat-man I spoke to said that he had tasted and wasn't convinced it tasted better. I asked what the meat they served was. He said that Whole Foods served a combination of 'grass and grain.' Then I thought "what if Grass-fed beef doesn't taste good to me because I've been trained to like this other corn-fed taste?" I have decided to pursue it (since Alewife isn't that far). If it's good, I could see going to a farm and stocking up. If not...there will probably be less beef eating.

Year 2, Day 104: The Unveiling

This Post Dedicated to My Grandmother Sylvia.

Day to get up, get dressed in a suit, get packed, into the car, don't forget anything, clean your room, etc. While my brother and I were in our home in Great Neck, we made a valiant attempt to clean up his old room, which had lately become the repository of everything from mail to discarded toys and various failed electronica (a copying machine, for instance). We worked hard, and I came hope with some toys for the girls and box of stuff for me. Everything was a bit of a crazy rush but I did discover (thanks to my brother) a new light Soy Milk called 8th Continent. In a side by side comparison with Silk Unsweetened Soy Milk, the 8th Continent had less grams of fat and less sugars. Upon inspection of the ingredients, I noted that 8th Continent contains sucrolose, which is also known as Splenda. THAT explains why they don't sell it at Whole Foods; and why I probably shouldn't be drinking it. When farmers are feeding your cows corn, you really don't need to look for additional ways to put the wrong kind of thing into your body. I will finish the bottle, though.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean!
1/2 cup Oat Flakes/Oatios
1 cup 8th Continent Light Soy Milk
1 cup Strawberries/blueberries

Snack
2 oz. Jalapeno Jack Cheese

Lunch: Unveiling Spread (Dairy)
Greek Salad with Tuna Salad, Egg Salad and Whitefish Salad
American Cheese
Strawberries
Decaf Coffee

Dinner
Three Eggs
1/2 Chicken Chorizo Sausage
Tablespoon Salsa
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain
2 oz. Jalapeno Jack cheese

It was a big cheese day. It started when we got back from the unveiling and the food had not arrived yet. I knew I was going to have a Low-Blood-Sugar moment, so I nipped into the car and cut myself a wedge of cheese. Then, as is so often the case with these gatherings, you eat your lunch, and then you're just hanging around, talking, chatting, and the plates of food are just beckoning you to eat them, and you oblige them. At one point, the cinnamon bobke was calling so loud to me that I couldn't hear the civilized conversation being addressed to me; I had to leave the room so I could concentrate. After that, we headed home, where I got to enjoy some of the new Balthazar bread I scored from MOM. Overall it was a good weekend, though I really thought I was going to get a chance to get on my Mom's treadmill, but it never happened. From a SoBe perspective, it wasn't great: I ate twice the calories and didn't get to the gym. Hopefully, I get a lot of walks in this week at work.

Year 2, Day 103: A Day in Great Neck

Torrential rain made it slow going on the way home and we didn't get home till Midnight. If you take frequent three-plus hour car trips, you'll know that often it's hard to unwind and get right into bed, no matter what time it is. I had a hard time getting to bed, and that mean not a great night of sleep. My mother had the fridge full of all my favorite SoBe foods (a big plus of her blog fandom, she knows exactly what to get), but I figured we better finish the steak.

Breakfast
Leftover Corn-Fed Steak
Eggs
Coffee

Lunch
Mesclun Greens
Feta Cheese
Grilled Chicken
Grape Tomatoes

Snack
3 Celery Sticks with Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter

Dinner: Sashimi
Edamame
Seaweed Salad
House Salad
Lobster Moto
Sashimi: Tuna, Yellow Tail, Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Unagi
Sake

The big meals continue as we ate out for both lunch and dinner. Lunch was very respectful salad, and one of the best non-russo's salads I've had. We went to a place called Bruce's, a bakery that puts the best, freshest donut at Dunkin Donuts to shame, and then some. As a token of appreciation, a nod to the terrible American diet, they sit you down with a bowl of baked goods, ranging from muffins and brownies to onion rolls. Like many diner-type establishments in New York, they have a 10 page menu, and the list of salads was so long that trying to find the one I wanted took me quite a while. That night we went to a new sushi restaurant. I didn't have rice, but I did have Sake (which is like rice-beer). I did throw caution to the wind a bit, but when in Rome...

Year 2, Day 102: Trip to the Unveiling

For some reason, fate had it that I would travel to New York this weekend for my Grandmother's unveiling, which if you don't know is when you get to see the tombstone in its place for the first time. While I do not hold that this means a great deal, I still felt honor bound to attend, so my brother and I left after work and got on the road. As a present to ourselves, we stopped off at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse which was about 95 minutes into the trip, which seemed to be a good place to stop both from the trip perspective, and the time we got there (8:00pm). It was a smallish place about 5 minutes from the Highway. I must say that everything there was very very good tasting, and the wait staff was very interested in snapping to attention.

Breakfast
3 Eggs, Scrambled
1/2 chicken chorizo sausage link

Snack
12 oz coffee (half decaf)
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 Sticks Celery
2 Tablespoons SC Peanut Butter

Lunch: Russo's ($5.11)
Red leaf, red onion, red pepper
broccoli, chick peas, chicken, feta

Car Snack:
1/2 of 1 sleeve (2.5 oz) peanuts

Dinner
2 Shrimp in a shrimp cocktail
spinach salad with bacon, eggs, mushrooms
sirloin steak (50%)
asparagus spears
mushrooms.

I must say that the longer I am on the diet the more aware I am becoming of the problems in the American Food system. In this instance I specifically talking about Ruth Chris' claim that they sell "Corn-Fed Beef." To me, this is idiotic, since any good Whole Foods customer knows that corn-fed beef is a disaster for multiple reasons:

1. Cows weren't born to eat corn (they don't have hands or cornholders); they were born to eat grass. Their bodies don't know how to digest corn, so they have to be given antibiotics so they don't die from eating the wrong diet.

2. Corn-fed cows have more bad fat (Omega 6) and less good fat (Omega 3s).

3. Humans eating corn-fed beef is a disaster (as evidence by the prevalence of disease increases) since we don't process unnaturally fed cows.

So all in all, this would be like having a seafood restaurant and claiming boldly that your fish live on a diet of cotton candy. Fish are supposed to eat other fish or sea vegetation, unless they live in the bowl (in which case they need to be overfed by a six year old until they die). So I sadly make another note in my diet book: NO CORN-FED BEEF. Does that mean I'll always ask or always avoid it? No, but it means that when I have a choice, between grass-fed and corn-fed I'll choose grass. Sorry Ruth's Chris. And PS: Your restaurant name is a grammatical nightmare.

Year 2, Day 101: Seattle

We were all just pondering on the incredibly frigid temperatures in Boston today. It was about 58 degrees and raining hard for the second day in a row. I don't mind the nice warm summer rain, but this definitely felt more like the cold February rain and none of us liked it. It really can put you in a sour mood, so much so that you can't possibly eat salad, even if you crave it. So it was off to the Chinese restaurant.

Breakfast
3 Eggs, Over Easy
1/2 Chicken Chorizo Sausage
Tea

Snack
12 oz. Coffee (half decaf)
2.5 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
6 Stalks Celery
2 Tablespoons SCPB

Lunch: Shin Yuan Chan
Pork, Cabbage and Peppers
Beef with Chinese Celery
Hot and Sour Soup

Dinner
Salad with Feta, Broccoli and Cabbage
Beef Stew

I am a big Hot and Sour soup fan, but lately I've been suspicious because I know how it's made—that is with cornstarch (for thickening). Dieters are supposed to stick with wonton (broth only) or egg-drop soup (high in protein, low in carbs). But the waitress today thought we were having the 'special' so she brought us the soup in advance, which we accepted gladly, because as I mentioned, it was a cold cold day. We ordered everything extra spicy, and it was good.

Year 2, Day 100: Be Careful What You Renounce, Volume 2

I knew we were going to have a meeting with a vendor today at their office, and I knew it would last all the morning. While I was planning to horde cheese sticks up my sleeve, and eat them covertly while pretending to cough, I realized I could probably request a whole wheat bagel, since our host had offered to get bagels for the crew. Now ordinarily whole wheat bagels are a sad affair, with their too-dense texture and far too wheat-y taste. For years, they were often small, almost mishapen when compared to the other bagels, and they frequently were missing the lovely sheen one comes to expect from a boiled, then baked bagel. However, these were good. I have determined that they were the 'fortified multigrain bagel.' One bite and I immediately suspected what I later confirmed—that they were loaded with SUGAR (10g—honey, malt syrup, rye malt, etc.). Not only that, but they had the highest level of carbohydrates—68g—of anything I had put in my mouth for over a year! Amazingly, the only bagel with a higher carb count was the whole wheat bagel at 73gs. From a carb perspective, I would have been better off with any other bagel from the basket, since all of them, from Asiago to plain, have a lower carb and sugar count. This tells me that Bruegger's has a nefarious plan to punish those who want to eat healthy by actually serving them the diet-wrecking bagels in disguise of a healthy alternative. Shame on you, Brueggers. I had to include the nutritional facts sheet and eyebrow-raising ingredients list because I had never HEARD of some of the things on it. Am I wrong? Has anyone heard of "Buckwheat Groats" or "Triticale?"


Breakfast
3 Eggs, Scrambled in the pan, with
1/2 Chorizo Chicken Sausage Link
Tea

Snack
Coffee
1 Multi-Grain/Wheat Bagel Bruegger's
Very Light Coating of Cream Cheese
5 Sticks celery
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

Lunch: Denilla's ($8.77)
Mesclun Mix, Romaine, Red peppers, red onions, red beans
assorted olives, shredded bacon, sunflower seeds, feta
oil & vinegar, TURKEY

Dinner
Korean Marinated Pork Loin with Honey-Soy-Ginger
Cabbage a la Emily
Peppadews

Of course, no sooner did I fess up to my pretty consistent loathing of turkey when I found myself face to face with more Turkey. Being in an unfamiliar environment (Lexington) we had to stop somewhere on the way home to get lunch. Emily, who knows Lexington quite well, advised me to seek out Denillo's, a kind of Russo's-like 'farm stand.' When we got there, it did smell good, and there was an impressive salad bar. After giving it the once over, and finding it satisfactory, I checked out the protein—TURKEY. Since they roast their own, and I could see they did a brisk turkey business—in fact a very successful offering was the "Turkey Terrific" ordered by a few people as I stood there—I thought I would give it a shot. Besides, even though I'm as healthy as I've ever been, I just didn't think I needed any more eggs. At $6.50 a pound, it was not quite Whole Foods expensive, but expensive enough. They served non-pitted olives, which I think is a salad-bar no-no, but over all it sufficed. I must say though, Russo's is just looking better and better all the time. And with my incredible carbohydrate overload, I'll definitely be going there tomorrow.

Year 2, Day 99: Spring Thoughts

Today probably was going to be the best walking day of the week. Instead of a walk, I went to Russo's, which is necessary, because I was out of celery, and I am nearly at the point where I must travel with celery all the time. Emily had a tennis date this evening, so I came home early to be with the kids. Fortunately, everyone ate a good dinner and then braving the mosquitos, we went out for about 90 minutes. It was warm enough, and the sun was out, and there was a light breeze. After 10 minutes out there alone, for some reason, all the kids in the neighborhood just materialized, one by one. The park was crawling with kids. Big and small, boy and girl. Everyone was screaming and running and swinging and having a great time. Though it wasn't quite the dog days of August, it did seem like one of those moments that you remember from being a kid—just the spontaneous burst of great playtime, when everything in the world was in a game that had its rules being made up as you went along, nothing in the world is wrong, and there were enough swing seats for everyone.

Breakfast
2 Eggs Over Easy
1/2 Chicken Sausage Link
Tea

Snack
3 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
8 Sticks Celery, 2 Tblspns Peanut Butter
12 oz Coffee (Half Decaf)

Lunch: Russo's ($5.77)
Red Leaf, Red Onion, Red Pepper
Chick Peas, Chicken, Feta, Broccoli
Olives, Oil & Vinegar

Dinner:
Chicken Breast
Broccoli & Peppadews
Two Cheese Sticks

They say that eating while standing up is not a very good thing to do. "They" further say that taking the time to eat your food, to really savor it, is the key to making it satisfying enough that you don't overeat. I have a hard time savoring my food. Ever since the seventh grade, when I had, and I kid you not, 20 minutes for lunch. Since then, I have been a food gulper. You can time me—I will finish my meals in less than 20 minutes all the time. I am a broken product of an uncaring school system! I realize that one of the problems I have is that if I took longer to eat, I would probably be full before I was done. As is, I always finish before I'm full, which leads me to feel hungriest right after I'm done, and then being forced to eat cheesesticks that my daughters both abandoned for dessert.

Year 2, Day 98: Detecto Says 184

Mondays can be tough when there's a weigh-in. I don't think about it, but when you get on that scale and the number is bad, it can really set your day off wrong. Fortunately, today was good and the number was 184 (though I'm sure Donna would have said 183). So that's good news out there, the needle still moving the right way.

Breakfast
4 Slices of Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Bread MultiGrain
Tea

Snack
6 Sticks Celery, 2 Tblspns SC Peanut Butter
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
10 (1 oz) Tostitos Multi-Grain Chips

Lunch: Sushi 21 Bento Box
Chicken Teriyaki
Seaweed Salad
Pickled Ginger
Two Shumai
Green Tea

Dinner
Emily's Turkey-Cabbage Wraps
Green Beans

Having improperly packed my snacks today, I had to improvise with the celery-snack in the AM, and then popcorn in the PM. However, the half-ounce bags of popcorn just don't do it, so I went to the store 24 to get another bag, but they didn't have it (they are extremely unreliable, even if they are open 24 hours in a row). I noted the new Multi-Grain Tostitos and I had to, literally, bite. I figured it was my celebratory act of the day. In fact, they aren't much better or worse than the Whole Foods brand of chip, except naturally they contain more sugar.

There is sad news, though. Dr. Parent is moving to Norwood, presenting me with a conflict—do I keep the office that's so close to me, or do I move with Dr. who is responsible for my new healthy life? Decisions, Decisions...

Year 2, Day 97: What Kid Doesn't Eat ONE French Fry?

Today we had plans, but they got all messed up because Ruby needed to go the doctor. I took her, and by the time we got done with waiting and being seen, it was time for lunch. Since the Doctor's Office is in Chestnut Hill, Emily suggested we go to the Rotisserie and get some chicken for Ruby. Ruby and I actually went there, but when I realized they didn't have ketchup (THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY KETCHUP) we had to skedaddle, and fast, which is kind of good because I was having a hard time thinking about what I was going to have. I used to go there (and rotisserie places like Boston Chicken, when it was good) all the time and get the Chicken Sandwich [author floats off on a dream cloud] with corn and mashed potatoes, mixed up. Talk about high carb! But now in my SoBe state, I see that everything they have is lousy with butter, or a pasta salad, or something that's somehow not as healthy as it could be because they added something that was unnecessary to make people who don't like healthy food buy more of it.

We went next door, to the Aquitane Bis for a $40 lunch. I ordered the Ham & Cheese omelet (it was called jambon and gruyere) and Ruby had the burger, naturally. It was actually a fru-fru Boursin Bacon Burger, but I ordered it without the cheese, and she didn't want the bacon that came with it (so I had it). She did want the bun (which I covered liberally in butter). Amazingly, she did not want even ONE french fry. Not one. Not interested in tasting one. She didn't even push over the stack for fun. I felt it was my duty, then, to sample one. As you would imagine, they were fantastic. Vive la France! Then of course, came the chocolate mousse, that met the same fate. She ate only the whipped cream on top and determined that the rest was, well... turkey.

Breakfast
1 Cup Kashi Go Lean!
1/2 Cup Ancient Heritage Flakes
1 cup blueberries
1 cup USM
Green Tea

Snack
Coffee
2 Dark Rye Vita Crackers
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
6 Sticks Celery
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
2 Slices Ham

Lunch:
Ham & Cheese Omelet
2 Strips Applewood Smoked Bacon
One French Fry
1/2 slice of 7 Grain Bread
Ass't Fruit
Coffee
2 small Bites of Chocolate Mousse

Dinner
Tilapia a la Robert
Leeks a la Robert
Some of Ruby's Hot Dog

A little bit pressed for time today, so I ran fast on the ol' life fitness elliptical machine. I was back up to my old pre-exercise embargo speed of about 6.5 mph. I did 4.5 Miles in about 47.5 minutes. Fortunately for me, the new machines were all busy, forcing me to take one in the back row, which gave me a view of the television that was showing the baseball game instead of CNN. That was really was so much better, because I didn't once fret about the state of the deteriorating world at all during my workout. Instead, I just saw a lot of Aflac commercials.

Year 2, Day 96: Turkey Wraps and the new Lettuce

I'll tell you that while Emily has become a great cook, I love the turkey-crumble wraps the most. I'm not sure why, but I theorize that it has something to do with my nearly mystical love of Tacos. It also is very much like eating a sandwich, which is a sensation I miss mostly for the convenience but something I think about a lot. I realize that I could eat them nearly every day and Emily could tell you that I like leftovers about as much as like a broken septic tank, but I couldn't wait to get at them today.

Breakfast
2 Eggs Over Easy
2 Strips Turkey Bacon
Green Tea

Snack
1 Light Rye Rye Vita Cracker
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Coffee
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
1 Stick Celery, 1 Tablespoons SCPB

Lunch
Emily's Kickedup Cabbage Wraps

Dinner
Steak Tips
Peppadews
Broccoli

From strangenewproducts.com:

Crispy Lettuce Wraps

President's Choice, a Canadian brand of food products, introduced new "Crispy Lettuce Wraps", leaves of hybrid lettuce for the purpose of making low-carb bread-free burgers.

Because so many carb-conscious people are using lettuce leaves in lieu of hamburger buns, Loblaws Inc., which owns the President's Choice brand, decided to sell lettuce leaves designed expressly for this purpose.

They claim it's a versatile cross between Romaine and Iceberg lettuce flexible enough for folding, but still crispy.

Year 2, Day 95: 2nd Rate Salad Bars

This morning I was with a friend who was showing me his office and took me on a tour of a little cafe that's connected to his wing of the building. He proudly showed me his salad bar, but in fact, what a sad, sad salad bar it was. I pitied him, really, because he does not know the glory of the Russo's salad bar. He told me "I eat a salad here every day." Yes, you probably do, I thought, and I'll bet you think it's just grand.

Breakfast
1 cup Kashi Go Lean
1/2 Cup Heritage Flakes
1/2 cup USM
1/2 cup Regular Soy Milk
1 Cup Blueberries

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 Strawberries

Lunch: Whole Foods Salad Bar
Mesclun Greens
Feta
Tomatoes, Olives, Snap Peas
Tuna
Chick Peas
Oil & Vinegar

Dinner
Emily's Turkey & Cabbage Wraps
3 Bites of an Edy's Coconut Pop

Then, I met Emily for lunch at the Whole Foods on Washington Street where I took in their $7.99/lb salad bar, that I once regarded with hearts in eyes. Sadly, I realize now what a sham it is, with its impossible to close plastic salad container, and no grilled chicken anywhere in site. I had to do two laps just find the feta and they were clearly pushing the grape tomatoes, because they were in everything. My salad was over eight dollars, and Emily's was in the seven-nineties. All I can say is I felt a surge of pride for the work I've done at Russo's. It can beat the piss-cakes out of just about any salad bar I've seen.

Year 2, Day 94: Watch What You Renounce

As some people who know me well know, I was at one time very interested in becoming the authority on the available lunch items anywhere in a ten mile radius of the company I worked for. In fact, I always prided myself on knowing (or at least being able to suggest) the best place to eat, for a particular group of people or for some particular occasion. For this reason I dubbed myself the manager of "Food Services" (with Jill) at the first incarnation of Domania. I feel that it's important for someone to care, and pay close attention where folks should and shouldn't go. After all, where we are now, a local sub shop caused many a case of gastric distress and was put on the 'watch list.' A very suspicious Chinese restaurant called the "Tiki House" was ordered from only once; it's food was determined to be non-edible. I feel it's my job to keep people from repeating my mistakes. This often means 'taking one for the team' at my own gastric risk. But it's worth it, because the exciting few times when you trail-blaze something new is so very rewarding. Of course, now it's become so much harder, since I rarely eat pizza, never eat subs, and avoid so many things that are standard fare at lunch places. So I have all but given that up.

Breakfast
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
2 Soft-Boiled Eggs
Tea

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
6 Sticks Celery, 2 Tablespoons SCPB

Lunch: Asiana Fusion
Broccoli
Chicken with Celery, Bok Choy
String Beans
Scallion Omelet
Unidentified Chinese Greens

Dinner
Chicken
Cauliflower

Now it's gotten to a point where people actively seek me out to tell me about new places, and one co-worker told me about a barbecue restaurant that he saw was opening within walking distance of our office. Being a fan of BBQ and loving to walk, I thought it was perfect. In fact, today we did just that—we all walked and then met the rest of the staff at the restaurant. I won't go on about the fact that it was not BBQ at ALL but simply a Chinese restaurant, because it is clearly misleadingly labeled as "Asian Fusion Barbecue." Surveying the menu I found only two items that could be called "Barbecue" (ribs and a pork dish) and even less that could have been called "fusion". For this reason we all mercilessly teased the employee who told us about it. He didn't find it especially funny that we kept referring to everything as the product of 'fusion' for the rest of the meal. So, I went for 'fusion' but instead met a standard Chinese lunch buffet. And here, just days earlier I had renounced all lunch buffets. It was $6.95 for the buffet, and I thought that preposterous, since everything looked like carbs. When I checked out the menu I realized everything even remotely SoBe friendly was 12 dollars. I went with the buffet. I kept it one lunch plate and a second plate of broccoli and beans. I completely avoided the fountain of fondue chocolate with side plates of melon, bananas, marshmallows and strawberries. Though stuck at a buffet, I was not conFUSED.