I started my work week off on the wrong foot by not going into the office, and I think it set me up for epic productivity failure. As much as I'm not a huge fan of being out in Dallas, I at least have structure to my days when I'm there. I enjoy the freedom of working from home, but I think I abuse it a little sometimes. I get distracted with personal stuff I need to do when I work from home (by home I mean my apt), and 1 hour turns into 4. I managed to really waste a lot of time today, and I'm frustrated by it. Blah. I should know better by now, but working from the apt was just too tempting today.
One of the pluses, though, was that I got to make all my meals, and I didn't have to plan ahead. I used to buy my lunch about half the times I went into the office, but lately I've been avoiding it. I find that I'm just more satisfied by the lunches (and planned hourly snacks...) that I make at home. And it saves moolah, of cour$e!
I experimented this morning with putting cottage cheese (I buy the whipped, spreadable kind because I don't like how runny the other is) on my challah as a pre-gym snack. It was definitely not bad, but I'm not running back to it. It only tasted good on the raisin-heavy bites. At the gym today, I tried to keep up my speed on the treadmill, inspired by last weekend's race time, but it was HARD! The race atmosphere must really be a bigger factor than I thought. I did 1 mile at 8:00 and it was too hard! I had to slow down. I also find that I don't do a great workout unless I've been awake for at least an hour... but since I'm not waking up at 5am anytime soon, I will just continue to save hard workouts for the weekend when I have more time.
For my actual breakfast, I used up the rest of my MojaMix, which at this point was mostly cacao nibs and chia seeds with a few oats in there somewhere. I combined that with some regular oats. The result was very flavorful, although I wish the little seeds hadn't sunk to the bottom of the bag. What is a chia seed, you ask? Excellent question. In my expert seed opinion, I have deemed chia to be the next flax. They're an ancient Aztec thing, packed with omega-3s and amino acids. They're the little black specks in my oats. Very up-and-coming in the natural foods world. Mark my words, you heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen.
Lunch was a highlight for me, and something that is very versatile. I give you: my signature potato salad! Based on a potato salad my host mom used to make, and reinterpreted based on what I remember it tasting like. I change it up a little every time I make it, but today's salad included:
- several small varied potatoes from the farmers market (I just pick ones that are said to hold up to boiling), chunked
- 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (but I think I prefer them quartered)
- ~2 tbsp EVOO
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp minced shallot (red onion is good too)
- 1 tsp capers
- 1/2 tsp "especias surtidas" (A secret Spanish blend I bought in Sevilla -- uh-oh, just realized that means it's 3 years old... bad? I think paprika and oregano would work ok instead. Unless you're going to Espana this week.)
- salt and pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Mix it all up, and it's GREAT. I like adding fresh or roasted bell peppers for a little texture and moisture, but the capers were surprisingly good at filling that role. I love this stuff, and it really cooks up quickly. I cut the potatoes first, so they only boil about 10 mins, and I do the eggs way ahead of time. They're better cold than hot, and I actually like this salad best at room temperature. And it travels well! It will be tomorrow's lunch at the office.
I got hungry while I was waiting for the potatoes to cool, so I cooked up some leftover baked eggplant with fresh basil and chili paste. I REALLY wished I had had coconut milk to cook it in, but no such luck. It's funny -- I forgot to add salt and pepper, and the first few bites were just so bland. After I added just a little of each, the whole thing turned around! I would really love to learn how to season foods appropriately. I'm very hit or miss.
Dinner was a very delicious and un-photogenic noodle kugel and some super sweet honeydew, a la Mommy. Just as good the 2nd time around! I think that one of my favorite add-ins to anything is cooked raisins. Mmmm plump and juicy. So good. Maybe I can snag the recipe for that one?
Conclusion for the day: Working from home gives me more flexibility in terms of being able to wake up late and still go to the gym (I got back to the apt at 8:40, then showered, then bfast, etc. etc.). I can also cook what I want when I want it, but it's a huge distraction. And I ended up snacking a lot with my friends Vinny Chase, Lloyd Lee, and Blair Waldorf. And so, as much as I hate to say it, the office is better. Back I go. Le sigh.
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