Switching it up

After a particularly ridiculous incident yesterday, I decided that I should probably stop dousing my cottage cheese in raisins and honey and pretending that it’s healthy. I mean, raisins and honey are healthy, but you know.  It was getting to be a little much on a daily basis.

I’ve seen some people eat it on things like crackers and bread, so I thought I’d give that a try:

Pretty good.  I used to like cream cheese on crackers and this was a similar, if chunkier, taste.  These are the Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Entertainers Crackers.  They are very good and absolutely enormous, but I can’t buy them again because every time I look at the box I start thinking about how stupid it is that they are called Entertainers Crackers.  It should be Entertainer Crackers.  Or, better still, Entertaining Crackers.  Am I right?  Have I put too much thought into this?  Do you see why I can’t buy them again?

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Worse blogger

Yikes.

Okay, so yesterday kind of got away from me…but I do have some pictures.  Afternoon snack was cottage cheese:

That’s the Trader Joe’s cereal that Chris buys.  I think it’s called Raisin Clusters or something? I don’t know, I am all out of plain raisins.  Sad.

And then, I had to run into this organic store by my apartment to get some things, and I got intrigued when I saw this:

I have no idea why I bought this.  I don’t even like soda.  But it was okay.  I thought it tasted like watered down Coke, but I haven’t had an actual Coke in years, so maybe that’s what it tastes like.  I wish they made root beer.  I could get into some root beer.

Anyway.  Then I went over to Jaclyn’s for dinner.  She made this awesome baked tofu and butternut squash/sweet potato puree, and Kate brought over margaritas.  Needless to say, I am not exactly feeling top-notch today.  I didn’t take any pictures, but if you’d like to see me catch tofu in my mouth and possibly even eat some off the floor, check it out.

And, because he’s very nice and romantic and because I said “wouldn’t it be nice if you took me to dinner and a movie” at least four times this week, I woke up this morning to a note from Chris saying to meet him to see Religulous and go to dinner after work.  So that’s exciting!  But right now I have to fight through my margarita headache and get some stuff done.

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Tongue tied

Like many others, my job often involves speaking.  I have to call people, talk to them, ask them questions, pretend I know things, and generally act like a normal human being.  This is all well and good.  I know how to talk and what not.  The problem is leaving a voice mail.

I can’t do it.  I get all confused, forget what I was calling about and sometimes even who I was calling.  I say incredibly stupid things, or, sometimes, nothing at all.  But the worst thing I do, and what I did just a few minutes ago, is sign the voice mail with my name.

Yep.  I’m like, “Hi, this is Arielle returning your call about something or other.  Please call me back.  Thanks, Arielle.”

I say, “Thanks, Arielle.”  Like I didn’t already say my name.  Like I’m writing an email or a note or something.  Like I’m some kind of idiot.

It’s really embarrassing, and I’ve done it maybe three or ten times, at least.  Today I tried to turn it into a “Thanks, Arielbye!” but it didn’t really come off.  There have been times when I’ve just let it be and hoped to god that the other person will just take pity on me and not return my call.  Ever.

Anyway, I ate the shame away with a few meringues, which seemed to do the trick:

And then I thought I should eat something substantial so I don’t starve waiting for dinner, so I had some cottage cheese:

I added some honey and a handful of cereal after I took the picture.

We will probably have something boring for dinner, so I may not post again today.

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The big debut

I guess it really doesn’t look all that different.  But it didn’t take me sixteen tries to get a shot that was only midly acceptable, so that’s a plus on my end.

Anyway, yesterday at the store I accidentally bought fresh mozzarella, which I actually really love but never use.  So I ate some for lunch with some little tomatoes and basil and some whole wheat baguette and cucumber and hummus.  It was exciting, eating a little of everything.  I am easily excited, I guess.

Then I had cottage cheese for a snack:

I got regular nonfat because they didn’t have the whipped kind.  I was a little nervous.  Those little chunks are rather scary.  But it tasted pretty much the same and I got used to it.  I think I’ll still go with whipped if I can find it, though.

I also took approximately 4,392 pictures of Jack, but I’ll spare you.  For now.

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A new bean burrito

I think I may have recreated my beloved Taco Bell bean burrito.  I used to eat those burritos all the time in high school.  And I do mean “burritos.”  As in plural.  Because I’d eat two.  With some chips and nacho cheese dip.  And a Choco-taco for dessert.

It was kind of awesome.  But, I can’t do that anymore, and even if I could, I guess I wouldn’t want to.  So I had to turn to the next best thing:  Trader Joe’s Refried Black Beans with Jalapenos.

I’d never had these before, but they are really good.  Especially with the enchilada sauce I had leftover from when I made shrimp enchiladas.

This is hardly a recipe, but here it is in case you want it:

1 can refried beans

1/2 cup enchilada sauce (or salsa)

3 large mushrooms

3 cups spinach

1 green pepper

1/2 cup corn

1/4 large onion

2 cloves garlic

2 scallions

1 bunch cilantro

1 small tomato

lettuce

Cheddar cheese

salt, pepper

tortillas

Add chopped onion to pan, followed by pepper, then mushrooms, then spinach, then corn.  Salt/pepper to taste.  Add chopped garlic to another pan and cook for a minute, then add refried beans and enchilada sauce.  Once heated, add tomatoes, half of the chopped scallions and half of the chopped cilantro.  Top tortillas with a scoop of bean mixture, some of the sauteed vegetables, lettuce, cheese, and more salsa or enchilada sauce.

Chris, who recently put the kibosh on my burrito making due to a long streak of black bean burritos once or sometimes even twice a week pre-blog, even liked these and said that he’d want to eat them again.  Score.

Anyway, earlier I spent some time with my new best friend cottage cheese:

I tend to go overboard in the raisin department.  I enjoy dried fruits, if you haven’t noticed.  Plus, if I put a lot of raisins on I can leave off the honey, and I figure raisins have a bit more nutritional value.

I also had a chunk of chocolate that I discovered in the fridge this morning:

I don’t know how this little guy slipped by me for so long, but no more.

And then after the burritos (I am not being very orderly today, sorry) I had some ice cream:

This is Breyer’s, by the way.  These little tiny bowls are perfect for ice cream.  I think they probably hold half a cup.  Of course, if you pile it over the top like I do, it’s more like a cup.  But still less than I can fit in a regular bowl.  Progress.

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Backing up

I ran out of time yesterday, so here is some cottage cheese from the afternoon:

I really like it now.  I didn’t even add yogurt to this and I still liked it.  Of course, I’d eat anything covered in honey and raisins, so I’m not sure I’m ready to eat it plain, but maybe I’ll get there. The rest of the day consisted of some running around and then a fun dinner with with Kate and Betsy involving margaritas and a mushroom quesadilla.

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Take #2

Thanks for all the cottage cheese ideas.  I actually gave it another go for lunch today, and mixed it with a little yogurt like many of you suggested, which made the consistancy a bit better.  I bet it would be really good mixed with vanilla yogurt, but all I have is plain so that had to do.  I also added some raisins, honey, and a handful of cereal.

Right when I went to take the picture, my camera died, so sorry about the blurry cell phone picture.

I actually haven’t eaten a snack yet, but I’ll probably have a Kashi bar in a little bit.

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I’ll consider it a challenge

What a day!  For starters, I had cottage cheese for the first time ever:

It’s under the peaches, sorry.  I got the whipped 1% kind and I thought it was okay.  It’s not something I’d eat for pleasure, but I can suck it up for the protein.  However, if anyone has suggestions for ways to make it taste better, I’m open.  I kind of have a lot left.

Then I made this for dinner:

Recipe here.

And if that isn’t enough excitement, I also discovered that I am apparently unfit for travel to other countries. Remember a few weeks ago when I had my passport photo taken?

Well.  Today I get a letter that says that my application has been delayed because “the identification I provided is not sufficient for passport purposes.”  After calling and speaking with a nice man named Fred, I learned that there are “a thousand” reasons why they might consider a drivers’ license insufficient, and that I need to somehow find five things that either have my name, picture, and a date, or my name, signature and a date.

This is harder than it sounds.  Fred told me that I could submit five signed credit card receipts, and I couldn’t even find that.  Then I started thinking about how it was rather absurd that five credit card receipts were going to verify my identity, so I called back and learned that – yep – Fred was wrong.

So tomorrow, I have to go and make a photo copy of my yearbook, because apparently, that is acceptable.  I will also be photo copying my gym membership contract, a signed receipt from when I took my computer for repairs at the Apple store, an application I submitted to rent this apartment nearly four years ago, and a freelance contract I managed to scrounge up from the depths of my junk drawer.

All of this, according to Fred, will “probably” prove that I am, in fact me.  But it might not.  Because he didn’t know.  And neither did his supervisor.  It’s quite the operation they are running there.  I also have to send the addresses of all former residences, the names and addresses of every school I’ve ever attended, and my complete employment history, including the names and phone numbers of my supervisors.

So.  I am fairly certain that the man who may or may not be named Jason who I think was my boss at Dairy Queen back in 1999 no longer works there.  But I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?

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