#but I bought a whole chicken to fry

[sweetandglovelyart]

Christmas dinner 🎄

[lawrenceofbessarabia]

Chicken Paprikash

In the spirit of #draculadaily, here's a translated-by-me recipe for chicken paprikash from an old Serbian cookbook that used to belong to my great-grandmother. Other than adding a few editorial comments and reformatting it to make it easier on modern readers, I haven't changed the text much. Photo of original recipe below the translated text.

Chicken Paprikash with Nokledes

Ingredients:

For the paprikash:

1 whole chicken (recipe starts by assuming you will pluck your own!)

0.5 kg yellow onion (about one large one)

1 tablespoon butter (can substitute other cooking oil, but I recommend using a saturated fat)

1 tsp paprika*

1 red bell pepper OR 1 long, green pepper

4-5 roma tomatoes

Parsley

Black pepper

For the nokledes:

2 egg yolks

1 knob butter

"Snow of two egg whites" I think this means egg whites beaten to stiff peaks

Flour (no quantity specified, typical grandma stuff)

Pluck and clean chicken, if not done already, and cut into pieces. Peel onion and slice into thin ribs. Place in pot (I recommend a large dutch oven) one tablespoon of butter/oil and heat over medium-high heat. When butter/oil is hot, add sliced onion and salt immediately, then fry until completely soft. Add on top one tsp* paprika, bell pepper or long green pepper with the chicken meat, and fry with onion until onion is completely fried (nice and brown). Pour in enough water to cover meat. Add into the paprikash 4-5 chopped tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, a little black pepper, and salt as needed. Lower the heat and simmer the paprikash on a low flame until nearly all the water reduces, all while stirring frequently to avoid burning. When it is ready, it must have enough juice. Serve the paprikash with nokledes that are made in the following way:

Mix together all ingredients listed until well-beaten. Fill a pot with water, salt it, then bring to a boil. Wet a spoon in the boiling water and use it to take out little balls of dough and add them to the boiling water. Remove nokledes when cooked, and finish by frying in butter (you can also just use store-bought...)

Personal note: the original recipe calls for "one blade" of paprika, which my dad says is equivalent to one teaspoon. I have no idea what it means, so if anyone knows please share in the comments!

Unfortunately the bit about the nokledes got cut off, so if anyone wants the rest let me know and I'll get my dad to photograph the rest.

[buffetlicious]

Mum is cooking tonight and I present you the Chicken & Bitter Gourd Stir-Fry with whole scallops. The chicken meat is deboned drumsticks and thighs with frozen scallops. Next dish is more premium as mum is using expensive grouper fish for this Spicy Red Grouper & Bamboo Shoot with tomato wedges for acidity.

Here is my Dinner with the above two mentioned dishes and leftover pork ribs & fish maw soup from yesterday. Mum also bought a bowl of pork & shrimp dumplings during her morning market trip to add to the dishes.

[is-the-fire-real]

So, I'm in a place right now where I cannot consume any alcohol, even in food. (Alcohol does not actually cook out of food, in case you have a similar restriction for health or religious reasons.)

My in-laws decided to serve rabo del toro after the point when I could no longer consume alcohol. They have had the oxtail in the freezer for a month. But they waited until now to serve a recipe which features an entire bottle of drinking wine as part of the sauce.

I googled to make sure, and then told them, in writing, that I'd like if they could try to substitute something else for the wine, so I could also have some of the rabo del toro. They said nothing in reply. I assumed, at that point, that they would not be substituting anything, and I'd have to skip the whole dish.

Okay. They do this a lot. They know I don't eat any shellfish and have responded to this by repeatedly buying and serving it and then acting miffed that I won't eat it, so why would this be any different?

My MIL asked if she could make chicken wings instead. I, politely, said no. I have seen how she makes chicken wings.

She brought up making me chicken wings four more times in the next 24 hours. She was, in her way, sorry; she was also, in her way, trying to make sure that she could tell other people that she'd tried to feed me but I'm very unreasonable and stubborn. After the fourth no, she said: "I'm just worried you're not getting enough protein!"

To which @the-gazpacho-ger said that beans and soy all have a ton of protein, and so do eggs, and I'm getting all of these things so please stop trying to shovel meat into my husband.

So they decided they were going to Play Nice and serve me something I could eat. Fish. Hake, specifically. I'm kind of excited. It's a type of fish I can definitely eat. Wonderful.

I go down to their kitchen area, and see that they've set up the sauce they'll fry the fish in.

It's full of in-shell clams.

Then, after Gaz points it out, I see a now-half-full bottle of white wine by the stovetop.

"Hey, is there wine in this?" Gaz asks.

"It was in the recipe," FIL says, already defensive in his tone. "I had to add it."

"Okay, but Fire can't have it even if it's in the recipe," and that starts a whole new round of But The Alcohol Cooks Out and No It Doesn't The Flesh Retains It and I Thought It'd Be Okay and We've Already Been Over This Multiple Times and Okay Well Sorry. We don't even address the clams because why bother, we've been over that roughly a billion times and they'll never listen and they'll never stop.

I'm still not over how we explained to MIL the fish I can eat (which all also happen to be kashrut fish) and how I explicitly cannot have shellfish because they're filter feeders (no way we're safe in telling them about our conversion yet). She smirked and said "What about shrimp?" and then walked away without waiting for a response. She then bought shrimp, which I have literally never liked even before I resolved to eat kashrut, and had herself a pity party when I told her I couldn't eat it. And so it goes.

I sit down to my dinner of potatoes and green beans.

"You're being very good about your food," my MIL says. "I'm so impressed."

This is her way of saying I've gravely insulted her by refusing her food.

I know this because she follows up by listing everything she's going to make for Gaz's birthday meal and I think maybe I'll be able to eat the salad, but only if she doesn't put any dressing on it because there's booze in the dressing. And then she says she's invited people over without asking us first. So I will get to sit there with a bit of dry salad on my plate while she pointedly says I'm being very good (picky) and how impressed (furious) she is with me, while I get to smell all the good smells of special homecooked meals I cannot touch and watch everyone else enjoy themselves.

Is there a prayer for this situation, Jumblr?

[knifeforkspoonhand]

Top left: A whole side of boneless salmon that was discounted from £24.88 to £6.06 and I'm still living off that high. I brushed on top a mix of oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, tomato powder, garlic powder and oregano. It was delicious and smelled fantastic.

Top right: The same chocolate cake as the last post except with a chocolate ganache topping as per the instructions of the recipe. It tastes much better but that's because you have ganache left over to eat. The cake is so simple and hits the spot.

Middle left: Stuffed paratha, made from about four and a half cups of plain flour, nearly two tablespoons of sunflower oil, some salt and keep adding water until it forms a dough. Leave to rest for half an hour. The stuffing I made from grating cauliflower and frying it in oil with: one bay leaf; three cardamoms; salt, turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and ground black pepper. You portion your dough into small round balls, flatten them out with a rolling pin, putting some of the stuffing on top of one rolled dough before putting more dough on top. Continue rolling it out with the rolling pin. Cook in a non-stick pan on low heat with a lid, flipping every minute until it's cooked and takes on a little char. This is a long paragraph.

Middle right: I followed a chilli chicken recipe but with mushrooms since I didn't have chicken breast. It was really tasty with the mushrooms absorbing all the flavours in the pan. However, the chicken was notably absent from my version. I think it definitely needs something firm or with a meaty texture for it to be more rounded out. I ate it with some garlic and parsley flatbread.

Bottom: Chicken madras. In a pan with neutral oil, fry three medium blended onions with eight cloves, six cardamoms and a stick of cinnamon. You can add your garlic and ginger paste after or before the onion, I haven't noticed a change either way. Keep stirring for about few minutes, adding cumin, coriander powder, salt and chilli powder. Stir until all the colours have combined. Then, add your diced chicken breast, making sure to cover all the pieces in the paste. Add your blended tomatoes (I use store-bought passata), add sugar if they're particularly acidic and it tastes unpleasant otherwise. Cook on medium-low heat for half an hour, adding water if it reduced by too much. It gets asked for a lot.

[she-is-healthy]

Favorite Meals

I'm learning to love food for all that it is, from the cooking process to how it nourishes my body. Being involved with fresh ingredients and mindfully preparing my meals helps with my propensity to binge, so here's a list of stuff I love to make 💚✨️

Vegan BL(s)T: Whole grain bread, vegan mayo (store-bought or homemade WFPB), spinach, tomato, marinated tofu "bacon"

Burrito Bowls: Shredded tofu, black beans, corn, tomato, red onion, garlic, jalapeño, lime, rice, taco seasoning

Air Fried Tempeh: Tempeh, vegan Buffalo sauce, panko bread crumbs

Dubu-jorim (banchan): extra firm silken tofu, soy sauce, garlic, gochugaru, brown sugar, sesame oil, green onion

Stir-Fry: Brown rice noodles, garlic, soy sauce, Sriracha, sugar, frozen veggie mix, soy curl "chicken"

Bibimbap: Brown rice, carrot, soybean sprouts, spinach, mushrooms, tofu, gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper

Pasta Salad: Chickpea pasta, vegan mayo, red onion, red bell pepper, peas, carrots, paprika, onion powder, black pepper

Cauliflower Wings: Purple cauliflower, flour, soy milk, spices of choice

Kimbap: Seaweed sheets, rice, sesame oil, pickled radish, spinach, carrots, fried tofu, vegan spam

I'll add more as I think of them!

[astrojaxsaga]

Week 1 keto update

After a month in December of basically eating whatever I wanted (my parents and in-laws bought us all the food we needed to make all the amazing holiday dinners, and that included sooooo much dessert and candy and pie) I'm finally getting back into good habits with food again. Keto has helped to make me feel full and not so snacky, so I kind of don't have food on my mind as much. Though obviously if I smell popcorn or see Bahn Mi, I desperately crave it until I can get away from the smell/imagery. Following a lot of food channels on YouTube has made this kind of hard lol. But I've been taking more time to spend on knitting, watching movies, and other self-care stuff that I don't usually get to do. It's actually crazy to me that I do have all this time to cook and make my own meals, when like 6 months ago I would complain that I couldn't do it all, like making meals, taking time for myself, taking time for my partner and cat, PLUS work, because I would spend my evenings at the gym. Or I'd get home late and be too tired to make food and do gym. I kept feeling like I wasn't getting it all done and so I must be failing. It was stressful, and clearly not really sustainable.

But ketosis is kicking me into the next gear and allowing me to just enjoy easier effort activities like walking and yoga, which is nice. If I don't have time for them it's nice that I no longer feel like it's a requirement for success.

The keto flu was pretty brutal yesterday. The fatigue was really annoying to handle during work hours, but I worked all weekend on my final post-doc fellowship so I called it a half-day due to burnout. I have been having some headaches, but I've been drinking lots of water and I am trying to take electrolyte packets with water first thing in the morning. If I can get past day 10 I'll be in the clear. Today on day 9 I weighed in at 183.6, so -6.4 lbs down. I know this will taper off soon but it is helping to keep me motivated. Especially to avoid drinking.

I think one of the most interesting things that I remember happening last time that I did keto, I was very focused during work hours which was GREAT. This was before being diagnosed ADHD. I recently read somewhere that studies show a keto diet can help mitigate the symptoms of ADHD ?? Anyways I haven't read this in detail and idk if rats have ADHD lol. I'll have to catch up on the literature some time.

Some staples I've had that have been really working for me:

Tuscan chicken soup

Beef stir fry (basically a slaw mix you can buy at any store + beef + soy and Sriracha and ginger)

Almonds

Cheese

Eggs + sautéed veggies (mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion) + avocado + smoked salmon (and sometimes to make the eggs extra creamy I add cream cheese to the finished eggs and let it melt down)

I'm still trying a bunch of recipes, some are good and some are pretty mid (broccoli cheddar soup is okay but not enough protein for my liking). But at least it's all whole foods and stuff I'm actually excited about eating.

[fuckkbrunch]

Shrimp were on sale at work, and I had almost all these ingredients collected already. Was procrastinating it though, because first, you have to make the laksa paste yourself.

Here we go.

A lot of work. Those spices need to be roasted and ground. The nuts need to be roasted, then chop everything else and throw it all into a mixing bowl. Still surprised that I found actual fresh galangal at the tiny Asian market and didn't have to settle for ginger.

My new stainless steel bowl was being trippy, it's still so shiny.

Throw it into a frying pan with a big glug of oil and babysit it for an hour, stirring very frequently. I needed tamarind pulp for this recipe but could only find fresh whole tamarind that I had to peel and soak and seed myself. Such a fucking pain in the ass to do that process yourself, so try to avoid it. It tacked on another 45 minutes to this already time heavy recipe.

At least it slid around in my cast iron nicely, barely sticking, easily scraped off if it begun to stick. Add the tamarind and sugar to cook for another twenty. I may have forgotten to stir it near the end and things got a little caramelized, but it turned out very nicely. This was only a half recipe, by the way. Total makes TEN CUPS of paste. Tony is insane.

Half of one of these little jars is enough paste for two servings of laksa. He says the longer the paste sits in the fridge, the better it gets, so I may update this post.

On to the laksa itself. Peel and clean 4 shrimp per person. Keep the heads and shells aside, you need to boil them later.

Mix some soy sauce and eggs while you poach a bone-in chicken breast ( chicken not pictured). When the chicken is done, set it aside to shred later. Boil the shrimp shells in the remaining chicken stock, and cook your egg omelette while you wait.

I've never made an egg omelette this satisfying. It didn't stick AT ALL. No butter or anything.

Get your noodles soaked and all your accoutrements together, because once you strain the shrimp shells out, it's go time. Poach your shrimp for thirty seconds in your soup, then remove them and add a big glug of coconut milk. Arrange your noodles and toppings in a bowl and ladle the broth over top.

I had to find a special shrimp and chili condiment called "sambal belacan" (sp?), but I couldn't find anything with that name at the market. I did find something called "satay" that has shrimp and chili as the main ingredients, and it was on the shelf near the store bought laksa paste, so that's what I went with. The spice level was nice, and the noodles were perfect, but the broth was missing something. It was good! But definitely missing something umami.

| Kuching Style Laksa & Sarawak Laksa Paste |

Taste is a 3 out of 5. I expected more.

Difficulty is a 4 out of 5. Prep heavy, with multiple cooking techniques.

Time was about 3 and a half hours, which includes the time it took to make the paste.

I already tweaked this soup by adding more coconut milk, more of the shrimp satay condiment, and more salt. Maybe I just got the proportions a little off for my laksa paste versus the chicken stock. Will definitely be making this again, since I still have so much damn paste to use.

[steelplatedhearts]

so I bought a whole bunch of chicken thighs on sale last week to freeze and use over time and every single time I’ve tried to cook them I’ve failed. the deep frying experiment was black on the outside and raw on the inside. the air fryer attempt was bone dry. the oven roasting failed immediately because I used the wrong oil and started a small fire. I’m starting to think these thighs are fucking cursed

[bandofchimeras]

here are my contributions, I've got sensitive stomach*** dairy free, try to avoid wheat, autistic and need consistency, but also try to eat fresh, etc:

splurge kitchen items disclosure:

quality olive oil. it just makes everything taste better + extra calories

balsamic vinegar, doesn't have to be quality but instant sour + umami tones to flavorless food

honey or maple syrup

good knife + bamboo cutting board

decent blender (thrifted is fine)

slow cooker or instant pot or rice cooker

-----

I splurge on flavoring things and try to keep a decent stock of random canisters of dry goods like beans, lentils, soup mix, chia seeds, quinoa, oats, rice, flour, or whatever things you feel necessary for a basic pantry setup and spices.

------

LEGUMES VEGETABLES MEATS

refried beans - if you're dedicated, you can make your own (whole process, traditionalky involving lard) but the cans are cheap and honestly few things are as filling. as a gross broke college student I would eat straight beans with chips or crackers.

miso soup packets or just a container of miso - great for warming the stomach esp if you've not eaten all day! I drink it like tea and it's surprisingly filling

for exhaustion purposes I like to buy those bags of baby potatoes - wash and toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika, maybe a splash of balsamic if you have it, bake on 425 until cooked thru- food of the gods. no peeling needed. tender. crispy.

chickpeas. chick. peas. aka garbanzo beans. drain and heat these bad boys up with some margarine or butter on the stovetop, salt and pepper - delicious. can also be transformed into a chickpea sandwich with some basic condiments like bbq sauce, mayo - or a lettuce wrap if you're gluten free.

If you really need to save money, they can be bought in bulk, soaked and boiled. but canned is usually affordable enough to cut out the middleman.

bonus if you can afford fresh tomatoes, cook them down over med heat on a cast iron with some olive oil, splash some green tea, pasta water, any suitable flavored liquid, and add to the chickpeas. it beats tomato sauces w high sugar content anyday.

yellow dal - you can find super cheap lentils at most Asian markets that carry Indian foods. or even at the store. These are those orange or yellow split lentils, throw them in a slow cooker with an onion and a tomato and some chana masala (cheap bulk spice mix also @ the Asian market) and salt l, ginger if you can afford- learned this from an Indian slow cooker cook book. one of the best tummy soothing meals out there.

apples and bananas are gut soothing for most people - bananas can combine with some protein shake powder or even just peanut butter, oat milk, cocoa powder, frozen berries, for a super filling morning smoothie.

bonus is most food banks carry them.

frozen berries - you can get them relatively cheap sometimes, if not freeze berries when they're in season. delicious refreshing instant dessert or "I need vitamin c help" boost. Blend with milk of choice for instant refreshing summer treat.

you can make your own banana milk or oat milk as a milk alternative pretty easily with a blender.

carrots - get the bulk unpeeled ones, they're cheaper. to store longer you can chop them into quarters and store in water.

blend chickpeas with some tahini (if you buy a bottle it will last years in the fridge) and voila hummus to dip carrots in.

make your own stocks! like they said above, boiling chicken carcass is one way but you can also get cheap soup bones and make beef stock, or collect and wash vegetable scraps to make vegetable stock, and freeze it. pasta water can also be saved to thicken soups and stews.

chicken hearts, chicken feet! WAY cheaper than any other meat. sometimes a package of them is barely over a dollar. fry chicken hearts in oil with salt and lime or Tajin until they're crispy. also works great in soups and stews.

BEETS. I cannot praise the beetroot enough. packed with vitamins, antioxidants - they will save your ass in the winter, and are fairly cheap. you can make a mean, cheap borscht soup with homemade beef or vegetable stock, beets, potatoes, carrots,.onions, cabbage, some vinegar and dill. meat if you have any handy. freeze it if you have extra. it's healing to the soul and body.

Or you can fry the beets diced in margarine with salt and some herbs. sweet, tender, not everyone's taste but so good for you.

shred with carrots and add to plain lettuce or use as a salad alternative w vinegar and dill as dressing.

cauliflower is usually cheap and you can cut the heads like "steak" and marinate/season and bake them! or "rice" your cauliflower florets by crumbling, grating, or blending and then lightly saute in oil.

tilapia tends to be the cheapest fish in my area and most grocery stores carry bags of boneless filet that are easy to slide right out into a pan with some salt, lemon, herbs (I like fennel) and a splash of balsamic. fuckin impeccable dish.

cabbage is a great soup filler. you can also cook it with milk or milk alternative for a yummy German dish.

quinoa is a bit expensive sometimes but once you get a big canister of it it's endless. expands rapidly. you can mix it after cooking with eggs salt and mustard to create "patties" if you're vegetarian. they'll keep you stuffed.

canned tuna - can become tuna wraps, sandwiches, salad - I used to mix with hardboiled eggs celery and pickles and some dill. it's surprisingly versatile esp if you pair with veggies. or mix it into mac n cheese. for dairy free, frozen peas and tuna in pasta with some margarine and salt - pretty damn good.

-------

Grains based:

if you can afford plain yogurt, overnight oats or muesli is also incredibly filling. add dash of maple syrup or honey.

rice rice rice rice. use leftover chopped veggies and your cheap meat to make fried rice. eggs and rice in morning. rice with fish. rice with soy sauce. rice is the extender of meals, the filler of stomachs. bless rice.

get discount fruit from fruit stands or bruised fruit at the food bank, cut up the good parts and put em in a dish with some butter/oats/brown sugar mixture - filling and quick dessert.

***something to note is that most people's tolerance for specific foods will be tied to their genetic heritage and ancestry (mine is mostly German and Eastern European). if a lot of foods bother your stomach leaning into what your ancestors might have eaten is a good place to start. not a universal rule ofc

I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?

[linkware]

super awesome resippy for my instant ramen. tbis is the only way ill eat it and i sometimes will add or take stuff but only i decide this for me (and if i bought miso soup.)

ingredience:

-1 packet maruchan instant ramen, chicken flavor (i do not eat any other type or flavor. do not try snd get me to eat top ramen or the cup noodle type ill light on fire snd then explode^_^. i sometimes eat the soy sauce flavor of the gold maruchan tho #yummy)

-1 quart stainless steel saucepan w lid (not to eat but like, its essential to how much water you need. i use the one from mainstays at walmart, it has a small indent for pouring and a built in strainer in the lid)

-enoigh water to barely cover the noodles (idk i dont fucking measure) (thats why i only make it in the pot. i bought one to make this recipe correctly after i went to college and then i left it oops so i bought another ^_^)

-low sodium soy sauce, like. idk....i measure w my heart 1-2 tbsp? i love salt 2 much so i nerfed it. ill be real its the store brand too im cheap 😗

-lil red peppy flake action (like 2-3 good shakes)

-lil garlic powder action (like 2 shakes)

steps:

1) put water in the pot. i cannot tell you how i know how much water so i guess dunk the noodles in once or something idk (ill check tomorrow)

2) add soy sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and ramen seasoning to the pot

3) mix if u want. i don't

4) add lid (!) and turn stovetop to medium-high

5) after 30sec-2min at a rolling boil, add ramen brick, cover again. like not as soon as it starts boiling but dont let it boil forever, i just do this for mystery reasons

6) cook for 3 minutes and 30 seconds, covered, do not stir!!!!! do not disturb those noodles!!! the texture is a little different i swear 2 u its different.

7, optional) add 1 packet kikkoman miso soup powder to bowl (i think its white miso w tofu specifically but id have to look at it. imagine how i felt when the packaging changed and i thought i got the wrong type) before putting soup in bowl

8) put it in a bowl. i usually have a fork and a 1/4 cup measuring cup so i can eat it easier without spilling everything or hunching over the coffee table cuz i eat on the couch most of the time

9) wow its my recipe . enjoy i love it. sometimes i add less water, seaweed strips, or a little sesame oil. yummyness

important notes:

you have to cook the noodles in the broth you cannot adf the seasonings after cooking. also do not use a microwave. also i have the cheapest spices availible. and also i have made this into like a different recipe by (after cooking) making a cornstarch slurry and adding the noodles into a frying pan with some broth, and the Liquid Thickener slowly and it was fucking banging... im super original so its "saucey noodle instant ramen" oh also read the whole recipe so i can tell you that if you add miso dont add as much soy sauce beforehand and also mix it with the broth first (lid strainer is handy!) and then let it sit so the tofu rehydrates better ^_^

[vahnikana]

I asked ChatGPT for a diet plan.

I asked ChatGPT for a diet that helped collagen production, reduce inflammation, and improve gut health. Here's what it gave me. Breakfast is inedible. Sigh.

The plan checks all the boxes, but maybe just try the ingredients in different recipes. I love ChatGPT...it tries (but sometimes lies).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To support healthy living, improve collagen production, reduce inflammation, and promote gut health, your diet should focus on nutrient-dense, whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fibers. Here’s a daily diet plan designed to address all three areas:

Breakfast

Bone Broth Smoothie - Who in their right mind's will try this?

Why? Bone broth is rich in collagen and amino acids that support joint, skin, and gut health.

Ingredients:

1 cup homemade or high-quality store-bought bone broth

1 cup spinach or kale (anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamins and minerals)

1/2 cup mixed berries (antioxidants)

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seeds (omega-3s for inflammation)

1 scoop collagen powder (to boost collagen intake)

1 tablespoon almond butter (healthy fats)

Instructions: Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Oats with Turmeric and Ginger: - Get away from me demon!

Why? Oats are a good source of fiber for gut health. Turmeric and ginger are potent anti-inflammatory agents.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon chia seeds or hemp seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk

A drizzle of honey (optional)

Instructions: Cook oats with almond milk, then stir in turmeric and ginger, and top with seeds.

Mid-Morning Snack

Probiotic Yogurt with Flaxseeds and Walnuts

Why? Yogurt contains probiotics that promote gut health, while walnuts provide anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt (or dairy-free alternative)

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 tablespoon honey (optional)

Instructions: Mix together and enjoy.

Lunch

Salmon Salad with Avocado, Olive Oil, and Lemon- Nice.

Why? Salmon is rich in omega-3s for reducing inflammation, and avocado provides healthy fats to support collagen production.

Ingredients:

4 oz grilled wild-caught salmon

1/2 avocado (rich in healthy fats and antioxidants)

Mixed leafy greens (e.g., spinach, arugula, kale)

1 tablespoon olive oil (anti-inflammatory)

Juice of half a lemon

Cucumber, bell peppers, and tomatoes (rich in vitamin C for collagen production)

Sprinkle of sea salt and pepper

Instructions: Toss all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon.

Afternoon Snack

Carrot Sticks with Hummus - Okay, but only because I love hummus

Why? Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which supports collagen formation, while hummus provides fiber and protein for gut health.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup carrot sticks

2-3 tablespoons hummus

Instructions: Dip carrot sticks into hummus. (Haha)

Evening

Chamomile Tea with Ginger and Lemon - We brew tea with ginger, so close enough

Why? Chamomile promotes relaxation and gut health, while ginger is anti-inflammatory and soothing for digestion.

Ingredients:

1 chamomile tea bag or dried chamomile

A few slices of fresh ginger

Lemon juice (aids digestion and collagen production)

Instructions: Brew tea and add ginger and lemon.

Dinner

Chicken Stir-Fry with Broccoli, Bell Peppers, and Sweet Potato - Love!!!

Why? Chicken provides collagen-promoting amino acids, while vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers offer vitamins and antioxidants.

Ingredients:

4 oz chicken breast (organic or pasture-raised)

1 cup broccoli florets (rich in vitamin C for collagen)

1/2 bell pepper (vitamin C)

1 small sweet potato (rich in beta-carotene and fiber)

1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: Sauté chicken in olive oil, add veggies, and stir-fry with turmeric, black pepper, and a pinch of sea salt. Serve with a side of roasted sweet potato.

Additional Tips:

Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Bone broth, herbal teas, and fresh juices (like celery or cucumber) can also contribute to hydration and gut health.

Foods to Avoid: Reduce processed foods, sugar, and refined grains, as these can increase inflammation and hinder gut health.

Key Nutrients for Collagen:

Vitamin C: Found in citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and strawberries.

Amino Acids (Proline and Glycine): Found in bone broth, chicken, turkey, and fish.

Zinc: Found in pumpkin seeds, cashews, and lentils.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Focus On:

Omega-3 fatty acids: Salmon, chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts.

Antioxidants: Berries, leafy greens, turmeric, ginger, garlic, green tea.

Gut Health Support:

Probiotics: Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi.

Prebiotics: Garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas.

This diet plan integrates all the necessary nutrients for healthy collagen production, reducing inflammation, and promoting gut health. By incorporating these nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory foods, you’ll support your body from the inside out!

[personaldairyentriesarchive]

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

09:24

When I woke up in the morning my right eye was feeling funny again, used some eye drop and the whole trip to work was a torment. I feel better now. The traffic was crowded and i almost crush into people for a few times. After i arrive and had coffee and opening the shop, i saw an article on WeChat moment about the movie Farewell My Concubine, it was talking about its filming process, about how crazy and nuts it is and i need to say that is one of my favourite movie of all time and i need to shot one like that one day, probably about how Devon coping with Mina’s death (she can’t and will kill her self). The article was really good it has many behind the scenes research in it. I sent it to mom, she said it was good but soon changed the subject to the neighbourhood bull dog’s seizure attack, the owner says possible cause by brain inflammation or whatever that disease is called, the owner is still processing the bad news and she called my mom crying last night because the dog had another seizure attack, she want to give the dog medication for a week and if he turns out fine she will continue the treatment, but if not she needs to take the dog to have a MRI. Mom says she can’t immediately dump all the information to the owner because mom doesn’t want to take the responsibilities of misinforming and does want to give the owner too much pressure. Which i can understand and respect.

09:35

The bull dog owner is very affective by how others perceive her. Once she took the dog to underground parking lot for a stroll because of the summer heat, some neighbour saw them and quads like “why are you walking the dog here its sunny outside!”, and now she takes the dog for a walk five in the morning because its cool outside. Mom’s comment: “what’s more important? 66’s well-being or others comments?”

09:51

Mom told me to tell dad and mr wang to restock milk, she said just report the number and don’t make any decision. She will visit 66(the bull dog) and his family tonight when I’m at home with Dave.

12:39

heating up food at the moment. Lunch: chicken steak and squash.

16:18

It looks like its gonna rain. I couldn’t finish the lunch. A guy asked for direction of washroom and i told him and lend him the key card but the receptionist tells me that we are forbids to do that. Later he bought a cup of latte. I read 2666 for a while and felt got the morb. I’m sweating. I had my second cup of coffee. After a few minutes a woman in white shirt came by, asked if cappuccino is 23 yuan, i said yes and she tried to order 6 cups of them but later changed her. Ind because the cups we are using are not suitable for her situation, where she wants to give them to her clients. I was scrolling through cptsd memes and i realized that when I first had penetrative masturbation I didn’t bleed or feel pain, it was weird and i talked about this to darling. Later i made a copy pasta about wanting to have sex with vulpes. It got no upvote but downvotes. I now just had my second lunch and wasn’t able to finish it, tried to open a bottle of soda and it made a deafening sound. I was startled. I sit on the step to the display refrigerator for a while and being tired and exhausted for no reasons, I’m forcing myself to write this diary. The chicken steak was too salty

16:29

A woman and her companion is complaining really loudly in the cafe area.

16:34

I realize the complaining woman is the other receptionist, the fat one.

21:15

I just had shower and finished my skin care routine. Tonight we had Cantonese bbq pork, tofu and mushroom stew, fungus I don’t know the name of with vinegar, and stir fry bok-cho for dinner. Before dinner I watched serial experiment lain for a while. Dad is happy today and I organized my earring and stuff after dinner, then took a walk.

[danieyells]

Bought chicken broth to try and make some lazy chicken and rice soup, realized i would not have space for the broth container in the fridge with the ⅔ cup of rice i now have in there because i did not have the appetite to eat a whole cup of rice, some chicken, and vegetables, just ate like ⅓ cup of rice, some chicken, and half a bag of 'stir fry blend' vegetables, like half a cup of orange juice and a cup of hot tea

👍🏾 more than i ate yesterday so that's good even if my appetite still feels meh!

[jeraliey]

Fooding experiments!

(TW: Discussion of food and nutrition)

So I took a CME course on nutrition from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and I liked some of the ideas for eating slightly healthier, so I'm a-gonna try some! It's basically going to be eat-less-animal-product-and-more-plant-product stuff.

(Note/disclaimers: I am a big non-fan of orthorexia; I have the same mistrust-to-scorn for the dieting-and-extremist-yoga-juicing-guru industry as I do for anti-vaxxers. The healthier and least sin-and-virtue-oriented a person's relationship to food is, the better. Also note: I have the privilege of never having had to worry about weight or body image issues, so use appropriate grains of salt. My decisions are only right for me for who I am as a person. Also note: I am a medical professional.)

Anyway, I decided to add some new food items to my repertoire! Some will be additions, and some I'm going to see if they work as substitutions.

-I've had tofu and tempeh before (not something that I preference when ordering, but also not anything that grossed me out). But I never learned how to cook them, so I never bought them for my fridge. I decided I didn't want to mess with the whole press-your-tofu situation, so I got some silken tofu to put in my smoothies instead-of-or-in-addition-to-yogurt (I'll report back if I like it), and some tempeh to use as a meal protein. Also got some cornstarch because apparently that makes these things crispy when you fry them.

-Got some dried-seaweed snacks and edamame for snacking. These are things I already know I like.

-Got some pre-made seaweed salad. I think I've had it before, and I remember liking the texture even though it's not one of my normal expected food-textures. I'll probably make some sesame-ginger marinated tempeh and have those for dinner sometime, I think that should work.

-I bought oat milk. Never bought a non-dairy milk before. Anyway, I'm gonna see if I like it in my tea instead of half-and-half. I got the "extra-creamy" version. I suspect I'll eventually go back to half-and-half (though I've never tried oat milk before so who knows!), but let's see what happens.

-Got some mixed greens for salads, even though I've been trying to eat more salads for years and usually the greens end up wilting uneaten in my fridge. I suspect this pattern will not change anytime soon, but I'm going to continue giving myself the opportunity.

-I got some pre-made tuna salad for sandwiches. Maybe some of the greens will make it onto those too.....

-I also re-upped my requisite ice cream and oreos and bought a pre-made pound cake. And the pre-made curry chicken salad looked good too, so I got some of that even though the overall goal is to reduce the amount of chicken and beef and stuff that I usually eat. Because reduction is not the same thing as elimination.

-I also got some ricotta cheese, because my zucchini plant in my garden is making squash blossoms, and I hear they taste good stuffed and fried. Planning to chop up some parsley and maybe oregano from my garden, make a ricotta stuffing, and fry them up as they arrive. I'm trying to make sure this zucchini plant survives long enough to make female flowers (unlike multiple previous attempts) so I can actually grow zucchini, but even if it doesn't....at least I'll get something out of it this time. -I was actually surprised that buying all of these snooty plant-foods as additions to my usual grocery list actually cost around the same as a normal grocery store visit. And that's even with buying a few new multi-use items like pre-made marinades (for the tempeh). Was not expecting that.

Anyway, let's see how it goes!

[starstrike]

Where do you live and where do you shop because spam's whole thing my whole life is that it's the poor people's meat.

Oregon and safeway. Looking online, I don't think it's marked up. I just wait out big sales on nicer meat and freeze that shit. A 12 pack of spam on amazon is 3.68 a pound. A two pack of spam at walmart is 4.77 a pound. Chicken breasts and thighs from safeway butcher block are on sale for 2 dollars a pound right now. Got bone in pork chops for 77 cents a pound for a saint patty's day sale. The cheapest I've seen spam on sale is 2.84 a pound. I figured I'd get some at that price. But that week, I bought 3 pounds of medium-quality bacon at 2.77 a pound instead. I cut most of it in half, then plastic wrapped and froze it in chunks of 10 half-pieces of bacon. Packing it took about 10 mins. Lasted me months. Safeway has a meat sale almost every week tbh. Something is on sale for cheaper than spam most of the time. Preparing those meats might take "more work", except... it doesn't. Rub a chicken breast with olive oil and slap paprika, salt, and pepper on that bad boy. Put it on tinfoil on a sheet pan. Bake it. 0 dishes. Takes about 25 mins. 3 mins of labor. You have to thaw it the night before, maybe. Making spam taste good means making rice and pan frying at the minimum(unless you know smth I don't) or some kinda sandwich, which uses more spoons than oven baked chicken. For me, at least. In conclusion, I have no idea why spam is the "poor people's meat". Maybe it used to be, but it isn't actually cheaper! Is it just coasting on its reputation? To me, the only benefit is that it's pre-cooked and lasts forever without freezing. Also, spam musubi is yummy. Spam, as far as I can tell, is something you buy because you like it. Not because it's cheap. Also, on a $2 a pound sale, one chicken breast with rice is about the same price as top ramen with an egg cracked in.

IMO, paying attention to sales is the best poor people's meat. I just browse the safeway app from my bed. And safeway isn't even a particularly cheap grocery store? I think their sales are just pretty good and easy to navigate. I hope someone out there gets some benefit from my budgeting essay haha. But frfr do your math and scope things out. You might be surprised what you'll find.