More weekend things

I also spent most of Saturday (before the premiere of PONIES  - and more about that later, when it's a bit less spoilerish for those who have to pick it up on iTunes or somewhere, but I was NOT "disappoint") cleaning house.

Because it needed it badly (at first I had been too busy, then I had been too bummed/tired (following the dx) to want to do it). But also because now next weekend I can decorate for Christmas. Yes, I acknowledge that that's "too early" but given my schedule (being gone over Thanksgiving and then hitting the exam week period shortly after), if I plan to decorate I need to do it then.

And I want to. I did nothing for Hallowe'en or fall because of the bummed/tired thing. So I really want to decorate for Christmas, to bring out all my pretty glittery multicolored light-up things and put them out, and feel cozy and happy.

I also did a bunch of cooking. With the diet, I've shifted from "Wah, I can't ever just stop off for a pizza or Chinese food again if I'm tired and in a hurry" mode to "Okay. This is a problem I can solve" mode, which means I will be much happier about it. If I can see something as a challenge rather than a "sentence" or a deprivation, I can manage happily.

So: When I went to Sherman, I looked about a bit. The Target there sells Pacific Organics "Low Sodium" chicken broth - 80 mg per cup. I almost did a little dance in the aisle when I saw that, because now I can make quick soup again. I can have my mock sweet and sour soup again (well, without soy sauce, but that's OK. Most of the flavor in mine comes from ginger and vinegar). And I can make quick soups at home again. Yes, the stock is a little bland but I can deal with that.

And I found no-salt-added beets at the Kroger. I only bought one can because of some bad previous experiences with 'no salt added" things. But I should have bought more as the beets were pretty good and were much lower than the other canned beets I have (which probably aren't off-limits, anyway).

Saturday evening I made pork chops (after finding "unbrined" ones) and made a Cumberland sauce (shallot, red wine, vinegar, mustard powder, and currant jelly) to serve on them. Sunday noon I made pumpkin soup with garam masala spices (which was good, but which needs sparking up with SOMETHING. Cayenne, maybe?The soup is a little too bland. I don't normally do hot sauce but maybe I need to start).

And for dinner, I made MUFFINS!

It was a recipe out of the Mennonite cookbook ("More with Less") that I have - it had half whole-wheat and half white flour in it, and not a lot of sugar (I'm still trying to do lower sugar, both to try to stave off my familial risk of Type II and because I've read too much sugar may affect blood pressure). And it has a cup of undrained crushed pineapple in it. (I can get the kind in JUST pineapple juice, so no added sugars there).

They were quite good. A bit more like a cross between a scone and a muffin, because of the whole wheat flour, but still good. I do think next time I will (a) add a drop of orange juice as the batter was a bit dry and (b) add a bit of either cinnamon or cake spice to add more flavor. (I left the salt out of the recipe and they were a little bland). Or I might add some grated coconut and a drop of coconut water for moistening. (Pina colada muffins! Heh.)

Part of the reason for cooking more is so I have stuff to eat during the week when, like tonight, I have an evening meeting and can't mess around with very complex cooking. But it's also part of my changing my schedule to be less stressful: I've decided to rework things so I don't go in as much on weekends any more, and if I take work home, have it be stuff like reading or light grading. There were weekends this fall when I felt as if I got NO time at all off and was as harried when I returned on Monday as when I left Friday, and that's not good for me.

I also pulled out the long-stalled "Alpenglow" socks - these are a complex crossed-stitch pattern - and worked a good bit on them. And I find I'm able to CONCENTRATE on things better now. I don't know if my elevated blood pressure was making me antsy or almost making me a little ADD-ish, but I find I can concentrate better now.