A Cleaner Pantry

This, my friends, is pricey (I pay about $12 in-store) but divine. I will soon have my nighttime snack: 2 tablespoons on a Cinnamon Toast Whole-Grain Rice Cake. And to think I found it in more mundane ShopRite, not Whole Foods.

I’ve been workng hard to get my life in a healthy order. I need to resume daily walks and/or biking; did take steps in that direction last week but not this one. 

I’m more organized now, and my food is more balanced. I’m eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and feel good about that. I try to keep these staples on hand:

• Bread Alone Bakery Organic Whole Wheat Catskill Bread, found at Whole Foods or Kings and kept in the freezer (no preservatives).
• Real butter (measure one teaspoon).
• Bacon (two slices, not daily).
• Artisana Raw Walnut Butter with Cashews, so yummy, or Fix & Fogg Everything Butter, the first from ShopRite, the second from Kings or Whole Foods. Measure by the tablespoon.
• Good coffee. (I just joined the Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters Hoot Club Subscription Program, which guarantees excellent beans coming my way from Cape Cod and also supports the Grounds for Health Cervical Cancer Prevention Nonprofit.)
  
• Sky Top Farms organic whole milk. I feel bad about buying the plastic jug, but this leche is superior to even the glass-bottle milk at Whole Foods. Dan doesn’t go to WF, so when he shops, we get the cheapest brand and an even bigger plastic jug. Such is life. IDK where Sky Top’s cows live--couldn’t figure that out on the website.
• Cottage cheese, preferably Friendship Whipped.
• Bananas.
• Fresh veggies to steam or roast. Dan has been writing at a perch in the Clifton Public Library lately and has come upon a farmer’s market there, bringing home a bounty: farm eggs, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onions, potatoes, cauliflower, kale, parsnips, parsnips, baby turnips*, carrots (bumpy and irregularly shaped in that locally grown way). I have also started roasting peppers and we like them (but teen Skippy hates them). 
• Baby spinach and lettuce.
• Jarred vegs for backup. Sauerkraut, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers--and canned crushed tomatoes to make a quick thick sauce.
• Berries.
• Fresh salmon, chicken cutlets, chicken sausages, rotisserie chicken, veggie burgers, frozen shrimp, turkey or beef meatballs (MamaMancini’s), pork loin to roast, steak, deli turkey and/or ham.
• Cinnamon Toast Rice Cakes, 3 g added sugar per "cake."
• Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, whole-wheat angel hair pasta, rice.
• Oatmeal. I used to add peanut butter and even dark chocolate to my bowl of morning oats but now I weigh 2 ounces of Purely Elizabeth Apple Cinnamon Pecan Superfood Oatmeal (no added sugar), stir in enough milk, microwave and top with berries, banana slices and/or a tablespoon of healthier nut butter. I plan to do the same with Bob’s Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal--I bought a bag, drawn to the tartan plaid trim on the label. Seeking fashion and style even at the supermarket. Why not?
• Fresh lemons and chopped garlic.
• A jar of everything seasoning to sprinkle on cottage cheese and (oddly) berries.
• Olive oil, walnut oil and cooking spray for pans.

Have I missed any categories you keep? I used to keep fine dark chocolate on hand, but not anymore. I try to avoid cheese except ricotta, measured. It is delicious. Good night to you.

*My Dad always mashed turnips for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We love them, too, but this time I made a mistake. I added parsnips to the mash. They add a bite that overwhelmed the precious purple-skinned--delicate and tender--baby turnips. Opportunity missed.

The Magic of Pumpkin 🎃 Spice

It’s a no-sugar mix of cinnamon, nutmeg etc--I’ve long used McCormick pumpkin pie spice but somehow like this blue-label one (called pumpkin spice) from Kings Supermarkets better.

I feel like it’s my own healthy twist on Pumpkin Spice Latte season.

Nice over a bowl of plain Greek yogurt with a chopped Honeycrisp apple on top. Good night.

Baker’s Urge/Splurge: $44.53 Spanakopita

The image above is worth a million bucks in my book. That magic happens when you combine phyllo dough, melted butter and toasty oven heat. Photo from the blog Alexandra’s Kitchen.

What’s a lifelong dessert baker to do when she swears off butter/flour/sugar combinations?

I send roses, roses to my long-time writer friend and fellow blogger, Kim, who wrote about the Alexandra’s Kitchen blog, which I love. I’m also holding myself back from ordering Alexandra’s cookbook, called Bread Toast Crumbs. It looks so good. Might succumb one day. (Breads generally don’t contain sugar!)

I made the large spanakopita below, not the individual strudels. (Keep scrolling way down, past the strudels.)

https://alexandracooks.com/2012/03/23/spanakopita-strudels/

I was thinking Punch and I would be in all day and night and I would have her make it. Pandemic cooking lesson #9? (Pot roast twice, chicken pot pies once, skillet chicken ratatouille twice, raspberry buttercream chocolate cake for Christmas, Baker’s Famous One-Bowl Brownies twice.) 

She would be very good at the layering of paper-thin phyllo dough, the spooning of spinach/cheese filling, the brushing of melted butter. I know she would.

BUT: Dan was driving down to South Jersey to get his first vaccine at Rowan University, then driving into NYC to meet his lifelong friend, Dan, for dinner at an outdoor cafe. So he took Punch with him. I got a whole Saturday afternoon and evening off. I plan to take a bath while this baby bakes. It is in the oven now. 

I made two important switches because the recipe was very rich:

1. Reduced melted butter from 3 sticks (!!!!!!) to 1.5 sticks.
2. Reduce feta cheese from 1.5 lbs. to 1 lb. 
3. Reduce number of beaten eggs from 10 (!!!) to 7. After all, I was reducing the cheese, so it made sense to decrease the eggs in the filling.
4. Had to reduce the baby spinach. Recipe called for 20 oz. total (hence, all that filling, I guess) and I asked for two 11-oz. bags, but my shopper brought me two 6-oz bags. Dan has our car, and I didn’t feel like walking to Kings in freezing cold or spending more money. So be it.

Here is the receipt:

• Dozen eggs in cardboard carton (I sidestep single-use plastic when possible), $1.99.
• 2 half-pound feta blocks at $6.99 each (sounds like a lot $), $13.98.
• 2 six-ounce bags baby spinach at $5.99 each, $11.98.
• Friendship Cottage Cheese, 16 oz., $3.79.
• Athens Phyllo Dough, twin pack, 16 oz. total, $6.79.

I already had the butter on hand.

Grocery total: $38.53.

Tip: I had done $3.85 (10 percent), but bc Chaquanda had chatted with me about replacements, etc., I increased it to $5 after giving her a 5-star rating.

Service fee: $1.00.

I got Express Member free delivery but that is because I pay $9.99 per month for my Instacart membership so that I can get groceries and other items delivered from many different stores. Dan and I are looking at our grocery budget with a sharp eye, so I might cancel this membership. I’m not sure what delivery fees would be otherwise. But until now, this monthly investment has been pandemic wise, that’s for sure.

This big 9 by 13 pan is supposed to be 12 servings, so I figure if my family went out to a diner for spanakopita, it might not be as fresh and good as this and also, we would pay close to $10 each with tax and tip, and that’s not counting extras, like beverages. Maybe it would come with a salad, though.

12 diner servings x $10=$120.

Thus, $44.53 for the whole heavy panful is a bargain.

I roasted cauliflower with walnut oil. So I plan to have one serving and round out my plate with vegs.

I plan to watch the 1966 movie "Georgy Girl," set in "Swinging London," which I have never seen.

Good night to you.

PJs Calling

I really want to get on my cozy red plaid flannels and go to bed. Winter makes me tired, with night's dark curtain dropping early.

I also have not been eating properly. Too much coffee and TOO many carbs, and white ones, to boot. Meaning pasta, roll, even hot pretzel from street cart. It wasn't even good, so why did I bother eating it? Not energizing. Slug food.

Tomorrow is another day.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Walked about 50 min, NYC. 
2. Some baby spinach.
3. Tomatoes.
4. Ice water.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• 10-trip DeCamp bus tickets, $69.50.
• MetroCard refill for subway, $20.
• Cafeteria lunch, $8.13.
• Cute Vineyard Vines Santa gift for Punch, 25 percent off sale price, $35.99.
• Trish McEvoy eye makeup sale, free shipping, $29.
• Met Sis briefly at Grand Central when she was on way to a lecture and I was heading to Port Authority. She joked when we saw her Sunday that she thought I would have brought a one-pound box of chocolate, so today I got her one milk chocolate marshmallow bar at Li-Lac Chocolates in the Grand Central Market, $3.14 and a tiny chocolate Yule log pastry, $6 at a bakery, but I don't think it will hold a candle to the pastries we have had at La Maison du Chocolat. 
• Salvation Army red kettle, $1. Wow, so miniscule compared to everything else.

Total daily spend: $172.76.

Ongoing monthly spend as of December 4: $683.14.
Avg daily spend: $170.79.

I have to bring this down, but I also have to buy a lot of gifts this season.

_____________________________________________________

COMPARE TO 4 PRIOR MONTHS:

Total spend for November (30 days): $2,979.03. ⬆️

Average daily spend: $99.30. ⬆️

__________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR OCTOBER (31 DAYS): $2,495.36.🍎 ⬆️

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $80.49.🍎 ⬆️

_____________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.🍎⬇️

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.🍎⬇️

___________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

Reminder to Self: What I Wrote August 30

And I add white breads to this list--Italian, French, Wonder [yes, Dan sometimes buys that soft, airy junk for Punch], etc.

I’ve been on shaky ground w carb consumption this week. Being on a low budget doesn’t help. I cooked pasta for Punch and two friends at lunch today. Nice and cheap, $1.49 per pound.
I’d like to sketch out a plan of triggers to avoid:

1. Bagels. Too big.
2. Donuts, cakes, cookies.
3. Fried foods, including potato chips.
4. Ice cream. I had my ultimate chocolate-dipped vanilla custard cone of the summer on the Cape earlier this month.
5. Sweetened cereals.
6. Candy and chocolate.
7. Pizza. If possible. Sometimes it’s whats for dinner.
8. Sweetened coffee drinks.
9. Pasta. Also a tough one.
10. Crackers, pretzels.

And ADD more salads, brown rice, Ezekiel bread, steamed vegs, fresh fruit, unsweetened cereal, turkey on good rye bread.

H & H

Hot and humid. Hoping there's a new episode of "Big Little Lies" [HBO, now with Meryl Streep in the star-studded mix] to watch.

Good night to you.

TCOY

1. Just checked yoga schedule, hope to get to 8 a.m. class with Melissa.
2. Elvis Smoothie [PB, frozen banana, a little honey, milk, ice].
3. Kale salad.
4. Bought ingredients for next smoothie Punch and I want to make--it's also vegan, for Fig. Avocado, unsweetened vanilla almond milk....add pure cocoa powder, pure vanilla etc....

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Whole Foods, large garden flower plant, small garden basil plant [both on sale], half-gallon oat milk, half-gallon almond milk, pint half and half, bananas, avocados, long Balthazar baguette, small no-sugar-added sweet potato cheesecake, dark chocolate bar, small cold brew and tiny dark bar from the coffee counter, and four separate hot bar/salad bar meals for me, Dan, Punch and Fig. I did feel bad wasting all that plastic, though the containers are recyclable. $74.61.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $74.61.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH AS OF JUNE 18: $2,853.96.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $158.55.

MONEY THOUGHTS: Big June spends include LillyPulitzer.com dress, tech sleeve 
for laptop, market tote, $154; Vamp salon cut, color and shampoo product, $271; 

gift, $80; Ubers while our only car was in shop for 4 days; 

Joyist, school morning, $37; teachers' toasts tickets, $74; 

teachers' gift contribution, $40; Aerin sale at Williams-Sonoma, $78; blowout 

June 14, $45; 15-class yoga pass, $285; Maggie's Organics, 3 items clothing plus Dan,

$107; Local Coffee, beans plus etc., $31; CVS good sunscreen sale plus, $79; Aveda

lipstick, $24; taking Sis to lunch in NYC June 17, $75; Cornerstone General Store,

graduation gifts for Punch plus more, $136.

KEEPING AN EYE ON PAST MONTHS

MAY TOTAL SPEND: $2,348.24.

MAY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $75.75. 

APRIL TOTAL SPEND: $3,634.28.

APRIL AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $121.14.

Good Day

I rose by 6:10 to open the door for the 7 a.m. support group. Good meeting. Helpful.

Got my hair cut, always a pampering treat with blowout by Danielle, who also does editorial and advertising work.

Saw my friend Rach for lovely coffee.

Moved on a step with a staff position I would love to have.

Kept my Private Benjamin appointment.

Made healthy chicken cutlets piccata, with Rach's shortcut skillet recipe.

Good night.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Vamp Hair Studio, haircut, which I get every 3 months. $120 plus tips, $151.
• Jar of moisturizing body butter made by Nico at Vamp, $10.
• CVS, mascara and shampoo, both with coupons to trim prices, about $8.
• Joyist, used my free punch for lunch. Then hazelnut energy bites, $7.
• Coffee shop tip [Rach had treated for drinks], $2, and bag of upscale City of Saints coffee beans, $21.19.
• Kings, two large cans of white beans to make white bean mash, another great Rachael recipe, $2.50.

$ TODAY: $199.69.

ONGOING TOTAL FOR MARCH: $569.79.

Born to Run

I rested this weekend but am back in the saddle. 

Punch returned by 11 a.m. from her Mimi's--it’s a 2.5-hour drive--and was up and running with two play dates, one til 4:30ish and another [part trampoline jumping, part talent show practice] with dance partner from 5:40 to 6:40. She ate some dinner, then read the book Flush for 15 minutes of the school’s 6-hour reading challenge. Each child who completes it gets a ticket to Six Flags!

Now that Punch is nearly 12, the play dates do require less hands-on attention....she and her pal walked back from town, 20 minutes, and the fresh air pinked their noses and cheeks.

But we cannot tune out totally, or God knows, batches of slime might be whipped up; "brownies" made with no recipe, wasting ingredients, making a mess and turning out like a rock; or too much time spent on devices. Dan or I must take those away. These kids are sly, and the internet beckons big-time. Such a huge time waster, and feelings can be hurt via email or text.

Must rest. Good night.

TCOY

1. Made pumpkin oatmeal.
2. Talked to Sis [planned Met Museum for this Thursday]--and to my friend Bruce, from Rutgers Daily Targum days.
3. Shopped for and made healthy dinner....Grace's Mushroom Soup, from the little cookbook we bought on Isle au Haut off the coast of Maine, when we stayed with young Figgy at a lighthouse keeper's house turned into a B&B! I love Judy's recipes in this book. Made some of the soup vegan for Fig, without butter, milk and sour cream.
4. Applied for another job that interests me; that makes three.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Parking meter, $1.50.
• Montclair Bread Co., Rosemary Sourdough loaf, $7, and small jar granola, $5, + $1 jar tip, $13.
  
• Williams-Sonoma, deep sale on Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookie Mix [I tucked box in freezer for company/special occasion] and Frosted Gingerbread liquid hand soap. Original prices were $16.95 + $12.95. I paid $9.71 + $3.99. Add tax, $13.96.
• Punch asked if I could take her and V. to Little Bear Poke for lunch, and I said yes. Bill for three of us, $41.05 + $2 jar tip, $43.05.
• Girls then walked to Learning Express, the toy store a few doors up the street. Punch had the $20 gift card we gave her for Val Day. She needed a bit more for her purchases. 22 cents.
• I was after a jar of lemon curd for recipe my lovely friend Rachael, health coach, told me about: Icelandic yogurt with a dollop of lemon curd and fresh raspberries. Want to make for family, too. Got almond milk/nondairy yogurt for Fig, and she can't have the lemon curd [butter]. Wasn't sure ShopRite would have the jar, so went to Kings. While there, got chicken and other things on sale, plus fresh dill for the mushroom soup [above]. $38.55.
• ShopRite next, where things really were much more affordable. I had $17 and 3 coupons and bought a lot, including 24 oz. baby Bella mushrooms,10 oz. white mushrooms, butter, milk, 4 shiny green apples, a lemon and more. Was dismayed to see the exact high-end French brand of lemon curd [Bonne Maman] on sale for $3.99. I had paid $5.49 at Kings, but didn't have energy to exchange/bring it back, etc...$16.53.

DAILY TOTAL: $126.81.

Good night to you.

My Heart Feels Small

But these things happened:

• Dan brought me a bouquet of red and white roses.
• I took a hot bath.
• Applied a few drops of Detox Balancing Facial Oil to my cheeks, chin and forehead, and it felt good and looked even better. [The little bottle with dropper arrived in a box in the mail basket Saturday.]
• Started raking leaf-carpeted backyard.
• My dear friend/sitter Elaine delivered a big tray of homemade manicotti and a loaf of bread from an Italian bakery. She does this as a birthday gift every year. She makes the crepes by hand. Tastes so good. Angel.
• I ate some broccoli.
• I did not get a cupcake.
• Had some ice water.
• Read Travels with Alice by Calvin Trillin.
• Reached out to pursue a job opportunity.

It is /is it? entirely possible that my heart feels small because I miss fine dark chocolate, marshmallows, cake, cake pops, cookies and pie. I did not make a Little Daisy Bake Shop stop, as I might have in the past if I felt low. Change is hard. I say fashion softens life--fluffy sweaters, smooth suede pumps are an asset to help you ease on down the road.

For a sugar addict, a pillowy donut or tender butter cookie holds the same allure. But the bitter truth is that the white stuff may feel like armor when life is hard but it really is not. For me, it tends to lead to the next bar, the next cake pop....and then I'm in a battle, a struggle to be free.

I can roll in a huge Trojan horse, Twinkies golden sponge cakes and Devil Dogs concealed inside, but in the end it's just me facing the sugar force. I cannot hide in a fake structure, a decoy. If so, I'm a moving target.

My ticker might also feel small--like a hardened Necco sweetheart/conversation heart--because of trying times with the short person to whom we are legal guardians. Tough times, some sweet messages in between. BE MINE.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Java Love, 5:15 p.m., large decaf latte; slender, crunchy chocolate biscotti; $3 Valentine's Day donation to help a group that supports adolescents in need; and $1.11 in tip jar. $11.11.
• CVS w Punch for cough drops since her throat hurts a little and I also let her choose a candy bar [Payday]. $2.85.

TOTAL: $13.96.

Saturday Spend

Hello...I went back to Kings for a quick sweep, even though I have been doing my best to avoid it, as it is pricey and bugs Dan.

And in the cereal aisle, I came across a box of steel-cut Irish oatmeal packets from a brand [above] that gives back. This is an example of the upscale, new or trendy product that Kings excels at. You know, a tall refrigerator case of chilled Junior's Cheesecakes from Brooklyn; breads from famous bakeries, like Balthazar; expensive almond flour; indulgent cheeses, $19.99 and more per pound; artisanal crackers. Things I am curious to reach out and try--in this case, to try while also helping feed someone else. Things that just jump into my cart.

I went again for timing reasons; Dan was driving to work at a party Saturday afternoon. I had gone to my morning support group, talked to my friends and had to have car back by 11:30 so he could leave. Kings is on my way home.

My friend Rachael doesn't just inspire me about lip gloss but often about healthy, delicious recipes to try. She had texted me this link for Crack Broccoli and I really wanted to try it, so zipped into Kings for the ingredients, including freshly grated Pecorino cheese, sliced almonds, fresh lemons and olive oil, in case our bottle was empty. It is now Sunday and I plan to make it momentarily.

I had a set amount of cash with me, so that was my cutoff.

I mainly stuck to sale items, though not all.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Broccoli crowns, 1.7 lbs., $1 off per pound on sale, $5.11.
• The oatmeal packets, box of 5, $3.99.
• Tulip plants in clay pots, one of Sis and one for me, $5.99 each. [Sis was coming over to get Buttercup.] $11.98.
• Sliced almonds, $2.49.
• Olive oil on sale, $5 off, $7.99.
• Card for neighbor whose husband died, $3.79.
• Pretty travel candle in tin for that neighbor, $8.99.
• Triscuits, buy one/get one free, $3.99.
• Freshly grated Romano cheese, $7.40 [it cost less than the wedge to grate].
• Victoria marinara sauce, $4 off, $2.99.
• Lemon, $1.
• Pint Organic Valley Half & Half, $3.49.
• Garlic, 65 cents.
• Tax, $1.64.

TOTAL: $65.41. You can see how going in for broccoli mushroomed into something bigger--but I am making two trays, one without cheese for Figgy. And my neighbor died months ago. I'm late with card, and Kings has great gifts.

P.S. to Saint Anthony Post

Punch found Mochi this evening! Yay. He is back safely in cage.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Joyist, delicious, very generous Dwight salad with spinach, arugula, organic walnuts [yum], nutritional yeast and hard-boiled egg, plus excellent goat cheese crumbles. $12 + $1 for egg add-on. One Paleo Haystack Cookie, smallish, $4. 10th punch on card, free, got The Dina bowl, with peanut butter acai and fruit [$12 value]. 1/2 lb. coffee beans, $10.  $27.

TOTAL: $27.

When It Rains, It Pours

Not raining pennies from heaven, but dollars from my wallet. I hope to be more restrained tomorrow, but [unplanned] scholarship donations on debit card were $103 today.

TCOY

1. I put on our winter coats, two of them quite small, and took a nice stroll around the block with Butter & Sugar.
2. Walked to town to work.
3. Going to a women's event this evening at the home of Angel, who used to live in my neighborhood. She has a good heart. When Punch was a baby, Angel came over and showed me how to use her blue and white striped baby sling, telling me the baby would like it. I never really got the hang of it, sad to say. Tonight's gathering is at her Montclair home from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and she describes it as "a lovely evening of sisterhood, personal reflection and creativity. Energy exchange $20 (or what you can give)." I love that term--energy exchange! I admit it. I'm feeling wounded by Punch, and not very eager to devote my evening to being home. Glad to go check this out. It is BYO but it doesn't say your own what, so I got some snacks. Note at 10:38 p.m. We went til almost 10 p.m. Met four nice women and we all shared, talked, meditated--and made mala beads. Fun. Talked about manifesting good things in our lives. Will be meeting most Monday nights and fee covers craft materials plus.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Naked + Thriving, makers of beautifully nourishing skin oils, emailed me about a Detox oil for the face that is good for rosacea, which I have. It contains jojoba oil, evening primrose and frankincense. They offered free shipping and 15 percent off. I took the bait. $49.30.
• Another email before I left home to work was from the Montclair High School scholarship fund. I made 3 donations on behalf of our family in memory of or in honor of special people. $25 + $50 + $25. Plus clicked OK to "help us cover costs," so add $3. $103. [Liz, I can hear you asking why I listed this here, since it's not a food, coffee, style or beauty purchase--and it is a good cause. But it is an unbudgeted, unplanned impulse spend, and so easy to do online with a debit card, so I want to track it. :)]
• Walked by The Sky's the Limit thrift store at St. James Church on Valley Road--open Tuesdays. Found an old blue & white Currier and Ives pie dish, a knockoff, I think, $1; Calvin Trillon's book Travels with Alice, which I've long wanted to read, $1; 6 vintage floral napkins [trying to move away from paper], $7; and a rosary with little pink hearts instead of beads and pink purse that says "My Rosary" on the front, $1. Might give to Punchy, or keep. Tells how to say rosary on back of package. $10.
• Joyist to work. Large mushroom zucchini soup w small slice GF zucchini bread, $12; avocado toast, $6. "Caramel" latte--flavored w coconut milk, dates and a little pure maple syrup--$7. Pack of 4 Java Energy Bites to bring home to girls, $5. Then, $10 for 1/2 lb. of Java Love organic light roast Ethiopian Sidama whole beans--the special Joyist blend. I can make a French press potful on three mornings with this one bag. $40.
• Joyist closed at 5, and Punch is home with my sitter [it's Tuesday], so I walked over to Marcel Bakery & Kitchen to eat dinner and work more before event at Angel's. Bought roasted eggplant dip, $5.95, and freshly made pita chips, $1.95, to bring to gathering. Then I got dinner: 3 mini bourekas [Middle Eastern pastries], two cheese and one mushroom, 3 for $5. Tip, $1.25. $15.
• Dan had car, so Uber to Angel's, $7.80 + $2 tip. $9.80. 
• "Energy exchange" donation, $20.
• Uber from Angel's back home, $7.85 + $2 tip, $9.85.

TOTAL: $256.95

Eating Well--Except Fritos

TCOY

1. I DID get up at 6:11 a.m. and get to my 7 a.m. support group meeting, although not until 7:17. God bless the person who unlocked the church building door and set up the meeting, even so early and in a downpour. Proud of myself, and it was a great start to the day. I would love to go every Tuesday and Thursday morning if I can. I will see if I am unusually tired later, because today is a long day, with Punch gymnastics from 7 to 8 p.m. NOTE: Dan did gymnastics shuttle tonite.
2. I think TCOC [taking care of car] also counts as TCOY, for safety. One of our headlights was out--again--this time for a week or more. And it was time for 190,000-mile oil change. So I dropped off the old blue Toyota. NOTE: Our very good mechanic couldn't get to the car today, so I'm taking it back tomorrow morning.

$MSOOP

• Drove Punch to school, took car to mechanic, walked to Joyist. The way I look at it, I don't mind spending money to work here from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. I could be renting office space--and I'm eating all clean, nutritious, organic food, fruits and veggies etc. in a soothing, friendly place. No refined sugar. So this is an investment in my health, and I see lots of people come in and out--friends from boot camp, a woman from yoga, an Irish dad I like, shop owners--and a famous actor who lives in town. I'm working here for a few days on about $2,000 worth of articles [supplemented with working on them at home, too, but easiest to concentrate here]. And people can see what I am wearing and how I look, so there is a reason to put on a skirt and heels--and concealer. Anyway:

1. Delicious, large chocolate latte, $7. 
2. At 11:25, first time for delectable Organic Breakfast Bowl: soft-boiled egg, roasted mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and crispy kale on a bed of mashed root vegetables. Comfort and nutrition in a bowl, only sold until 11:30 a.m. $10. 
3. Gift for family [all four of us will fight to use it]: Tall, tapered reusable 22-ounce hot and cold tumbler, sleek, shapely black with silver Joyist logo and comes with hot & cold lids and reusable straw. Yay, because I love to recycle and hate to create landfill. Tight fit, hot coffee won't leak in car. It is the Slim Cruiser model from simplemodern.com [but customized for Joyist] and it keeps drinks hot or cold for hours. $20.
4. Chia pudding with organic strawberry/blueberry puree, house-made cashew milk and house-made granola. $8.  JOYIST TOTAL: $25 food and drink + $20 family gift=$45.
5. Waste of money? Convenience store near Punchy's school, pouring rain, she barely eats all day due to ADHD med, so we usually get her something on Thursdays between 3:35 dismissal and 4 p.m. CCD class on other end of town. Dan has done the CCD run the last few weeks and has gotten her ham and Cheddar on a  roll with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Then she got a big bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos to bring to CCD and I got a $1.89 bag of Fritos [had salty, crunchy urge] and a half-gallon of milk. Convenient, yes, but overpriced. $16.06.

DAILY TOTAL: $61.06.

"Clean & Healthy" Sweets for the Paleo-Minded

Last month, just in time to inspire Christmas baking and treating, I visited the Montclair Culinary Academy on Valley Road, located in a 120-year-old house across from CVS, to talk to owner/chef Karan Fischer and Elizabeth Gabrielson, who makes paleo goodies--under the label VerdeSweet--in the professional kitchen there. 

I will be doing some writing for them. [*Please see below for what the Mayo Clinic says about going paleo.]

The women met when Elizabeth took one of the group cooking classes Karan offers at the lovingly restored home--now cooking school--originally built in 1899. 

And now the chef, who comes from Queens, New York, and the baker, who was raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have rolled out a line of treats that are 100 percent grain, gluten, soy, dairy and refined sugar free--and poised to please the sweet tooths among Montclair's leagues of healthy eaters.  

The goodies are sweetened with raw honey [I just bought this big tub from a local beekeeper in Passaic, says Elizabeth. He was my cabinetmaker and I hunted him down for his honey], pure maple syrup and coconut. 

So far, you can find the baked goods at Montclair Farms on Bloomfield Avenue, Joyist in Upper Montclair, and Cedar Bean's and the new Woodland Indoor Playground for drop-in play, both over the hill in Cedar Grove. Joyist recently pumped up its menu with lattes, cappuccinos and other hot organic coffee offerings made with a handpicked Java Love bean blend--and starting Tuesday, January 22, you can pair your luxe java with a VerdeSweet treat.

We talked and sipped coffee Karan brewed-- from Kimbo espresso beans from Italy [shhhh. she buys online from Espresso Zone]--and sampled the midnight-snack-worthy Chocolate Haystack Cookies Elizabeth had just perfected at home the night before with a little help from her taste tester--her son, age four. The Haystacks are flour-free, made with honey, eggs, cocoa powder, coconut and a pinch of salt--and oh, maybe a bit of espresso, which heightens the flavor of chocolate.

Karan's taste has been honed over decades. She worked in the film industry for 18 years, living in Los Angeles, writing and producing, and crossing paths with Reese Witherspoon, Whoopi Goldberg, "Sandy" Bullock (they took the same spin classes) and Dustin Hoffman. Then her work as a chef back on the East Coast took her to Daniel Boulud, Abigail Kirsch Catering and the homes of private clients.

She opened for business in Montclair in November 2017. Some of her tempting classes are even taught by my neighbor Colleen, a mom with a pastry chef toque in her past--and present. She taught private classes on the art of croissant making and also happened to win our annual block party bake-off last fall with adorable little Apple Pie Pops [buttery pastry pockets filled with fruit and balanced on lollipop sticks].

Paleo is very hot because people work out so much and are mindful of eating unrefined, nutritious food or have food sensitivities, but there's nothing around town that really offers paleo baked goods, says Karan. Most bakeries are full-sugar and use refined grains, and the gluten-free stuff doesn't taste so good. It's really only helpful to those with celiac disease. But now you can have your sweets.

The products are even soy-free because, as Elizabeth points out, Legumes are not a part of the paleo lifestyle.

Karan and Elizabeth were tinkering that weekday with a fudgy brownie made with high-quality unsweetened, artisanal Scharffen Berger baking chocolate, raw cacao powder, coconut oil, raw coconut sugar and local honey...the next morning, the devils in disguise [or dark angels, since paleo] were for sale at Montclair Farms. I drove right over and bought a single Espresso Chocolate Brownie for $5. I felt virtuous. And because I'm a Scharffen Berger snob, I didn't mind the price.

The sweets mavens plan to offer a website ordering option, but in the meanwhile, look for mini coconut loaves, brownies, cookies, savory protein breads, muffins (Karan calls them "super clean"), and chocolate and lemon madeleines. 

And what about some paleo ice cream to go with those clean brownies? The pair may have some pints ready to go by summer. They might even stir up a batch of CBD brownies soon. Follow their journey on Instagram:  @VerdeSweetpaleo.
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WHAT THE MAYO CLINIC SAYS

Paleo diet: What is it and why is it so popular?

Is the Paleo diet, an eating plan modeled on prehistoric human diets, right for modern humans?

By Mayo Clinic Staff

A paleo diet is a dietary plan based on foods similar to what might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era, which dates from approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago.

A paleo diet typically includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds -- foods that in the past could be obtained by hunting and gathering. A paleo diet limits foods that became common when farming emerged about 10,000 years ago. These foods include dairy products, legumes and grains.

Other names for a paleo diet include Paleolithic diet, Stone Age diet, hunter-gatherer diet and caveman diet.

Purpose

The aim of a paleo diet is to return to a way of eating that's more like what early humans ate. The diet's reasoning is that the human body is genetically mismatched to the modern diet that emerged with farming practices -- an idea known as the discordance hypothesis.

Farming changed what people ate and established dairy, grains and legumes as additional staples in the human diet. This relatively late and rapid change in diet, according to the hypothesis, outpaced the body's ability to adapt. This mismatch is believed to be a contributing factor to the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and heart disease today.

Why you might follow a paleo diet

You might choose to follow a paleo diet because you:

• Want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight
• Want help planning meals

Details of a paleo diet

Recommendations vary among commercial paleo diets, and some diet plans have stricter guidelines than others. In general, paleo diets follow these guidelines.

What to eat

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Lean meats, especially grass-fed animals or wild game
• Fish, especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna
• Oils from fruits and nuts, such as olive oil or walnut oil

What to avoid

• Grains, such as wheat, oats and barley
• Legumes, such as beans, lentils, peanuts and peas
• Dairy products
• Refined sugar
• Salt
• Potatoes
• Highly processed foods in general

A typical day's menu

Here's a look at what you might eat during a typical day following a paleo diet:

• Breakfast. Broiled salmon and cantaloupe.
• Lunch. Broiled lean pork loin and salad (romaine, carrot, cucumber, tomatoes, walnuts and lemon juice dressing).
• Dinner. Lean beef sirloin tip roast, steamed broccoli, salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, onions, almonds and lemon juice dressing), and strawberries for dessert.
• Snacks. An orange, carrot sticks or celery sticks.

The diet also emphasizes drinking water and being physically active every day.

Results

A number of randomized clinical trials have compared the paleo diet to other eating plans, such as the Mediterranean Diet or the Diabetes Diet. Overall, these trials suggest that a paleo diet may provide some benefits when compared with diets of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy products. These benefits may include:

• More weight loss
• Improved glucose tolerance
• Better blood pressure control
• Lower triglycerides
• Better appetite management

However, longer trials with large groups of people randomly assigned to different diets are needed to understand the long-term, overall health benefits and possible risks of a paleo diet.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Smooth, rich cappuccino made with exclusive Joyist bean blend
from Java Love. Delicious.

I have my worries today, but felt good to walk w Elly for an hour. Then I worked in town from 3 to 7.  I will walk 20 minutes home. Hope things are rosier in your corner of the garden.

$MSOOP

• 3:15 p.m. at Joyist. One large bowl organic mushroom/zucchini soup and small piece flourless zucchini bread. One cappuccino.  $18
• 5:15 p.m. at Marcel Bakery & Kitchen, since Joyist closed at 5. Got a bag of 3 giant seeded Jerusalem bagels, $3.95, to bring home [Fig + Punch both like bagels]. Will have ice water, but since sitting here,  ordered a sandwich for dinner. $14.82 plus $1 tip. $15.82
• It's Tuesday again and I have my sitter from 4 to 7, $13 per hour. [Dan got Punch from school about 2 and took her to ADHD dr appt today, then brought her home.] I have to get out of the house to be productive often/sometimes. My fingers are flying over the keyboard. It gets depressing to be at home and see the peeling paint, dust balls etc in our house, not to mention falling garage and fence that we haven't gotten repaired yet. Heavy loads. $39

Total: $72.82

Getting My Groove Back?

Did a lot of things right today:

1. Made oatmeal with cinnamon and ginger. Stirred in pure canned pumpkin for a boost, topped with a little dark chocolate and drizzle of maple syrup.
2. Stirred up pot of white bean and spinach soup [recipe above], ate large bowlful. Check.
3. Walked around block, including up the hill.
4. Took Sug [Fluffball] to vet for follow-up on cyst. Dr. Cameron said she’s looking good.
5. Went to Mass at 4 for All Saints’ Day. It’s a Holy Day of Obligation, but I tend to miss many of those, not on purpose. The Thursday afternoon CCD classes [including Punchy’s] were going and parents were invited. I’d say there were 100+ kids from the religion classes and a scattering of parents--many of us use that weekly hour to run chores, get coffee, groceries, etc. Nice homily about saints by Father Marc. [Saints were not all or always smart, good-looking and kind. One barely studied for a test; one had an ugly facial mark that grew bigger and bigger; one was known to yell and even curse.] I would learn more from homilies written for kids than those targeted to adults.
6. Read, took short nap.
7. Made cheeseburger sliders for dinner [Figgy had the white bean soup] and matzo ball soup from a mix for Punch. Turns out the Fluffball really likes a good matzo ball simmered in chicken broth, too.

Misstep, but we’re all human:

1. Ate some sweets left over from Halloween party. Stopped. Threw some out. Then Punch asked for them later. Oh well. I’m still struggling with the all or nothing, black & white view on sugar. I really am.

Good night.

Pumpkins, Scary + Sweet

Oh my yum. It’s called the Amanda, and I felt like Supergirl, energized and empowered. 

After reading the nytimes.com reviews today of the original "Halloween" horror movie [1978, starting Jamie Lee Curtis] and the new one [released today, with an older Curtis and Judy Greer as her daughter], I faced my fears and watched the classic on TV.

Since Punch is with Mimi this weekend, Dan and I hoped to go see the new thriller at the movies w. Figgy. But she is busy studying and applying for scholarships. Tomorrow, she works from 9 to 6 at Montclair Stationery. Hard worker.

So we started watching the old one in the living room, until Dan was invited to go down the hill to his friend’s house to watch the play-offs with the guys [and have beer and snacks].

I hung on every minute; had never seen the whole film and found it gripping. I think if I had seen it when it came out, when I was 17, about the age of the babysitter victims in the plot, I would have been terrified. I was a babysitter, too.

Oh, these are the things I can do when impressionable young Punch is away. She acts brave but still gets nightmares. I want to protect her as long as possible from movies like this.

And--I worked productively today at my office away from home, Joyist. Look at that tall, delicious pumpkin-spice smoothie I had today, shown above. Ingredients below.

I was in pumpkin heaven.
Good night to you.

TCOY List, to Think Positive

1. Weeded--and filled another big brown sack to put at the curb.
2. Made a healthy vegetable soup from the Oh She Glows Cookbook of vegan recipes by Angela Liddon. I oversalted it, but had with buttered slice of Ezekiel sesame toast. Let’s not talk about the Mocha Chocolate Sauce from The Joy of Cooking. I made a half batch, w just 1.5 tablespoons sugar, coffee, espresso powder and 3 oz. Divine brand 85% chocolate, I had whipped up a simple vanilla Panna Cotta to chill in my retro aqua Tupperware mold for dessert--called for just 1/3 cup sugar but didn’t set yet. So I, um, spooned up the mocha sauce, which had gotten nice and thick as it cooled. Oh well, I’m human. With a serious sweet tooth.
3. Noticed my first Heavenly Blue Morning Glory bloom. It’s been months of waiting. They are late bloomers.
4. Talked on phone w my cousin, Linda; Sis; and Moey. I do love to chat.
5. Walked Sug up and down block.
6. Bought healthy groceries--bananas, PB, steak, broccoli, an orange, dates, herbs, beans. Good night to you.

Healthy Cooking

I made Spinach Scramble Egg Muffins from Aspicyperspective.com so we have healthy breakfasts on hand this week. Even Punchy liked them. And they’re supereasy to whisk up in a bowl.

For dinner tonight, I made Vegan Corn Chowder from minimalistbaker.com, using fresh corn from a local farm, veg both, almond milk, Cape Cod sea salt and smoky paprika. All four of us liked it. I sautéed shrimp for Punch, Dan and me--to add to our soup bowls.

And yet--if I do one thing, I forfeit another. Take time to shop for healthy ingredients, cook and clean up, and then run out of time to apply makeup. Take time for makeup and arrive at Mass even later. Can’t win. I am a work in progress.

And this was a day when Dan did dishes and took Punch to Art in the Park w a couple of other dads and their girls.

So I had free time. But instead of carefully wielding a black mascara wand and rolling on my Trish McEvoy creamy eye shadow from the Hamptons, I chose to kick back on the couch and watch "Dial M for Murder," Hitchcock’s 1954 classic starting Grace Kelly, and take a nap to conserve energy for Punchy's return, like a bear filling up on berries for winter.

Good night to you.

+CHANGE

OREOS ARE VEGAN photo by John Komar via delish.com.

I just went to CVS to get Punch's RX refill and while waiting, browsed around and plucked items so I could cash in on my CVS grocery coupons, saving well over $10.

I noticed this +CHANGE:

I am getting much better at not wandering the cookie aisle and haplessly/helplessly/hopelessly tossing a package of Oreos, Fig Newtons, Nutter Butters or even trail mix with mock M&Ms into my cart--"for our daughters." 

I still falter sometimes [usually with the Tate's chocolate chip cookies Punch favors, from Kings] but far less often.

Simply put, if I buy it, I will eat it. 

The package might last until Punch and Figgy return from school [Oreos are vegan] but then again, it likely will not. 

I will inevitably eat most of it.

It is a battle. The voice inside me reminds me again and again that Punchy's ADHD meds suppress her appetite; her dr. monitors her weight closely and wants her to gain--thus, cookies. We see him every three months. Her weight is low on the growth chart. 

Yet she is strong and fast and smart, so I will continue to focus on normal foods that will not be tempting for me, such as plump dried apricots, cashews, steak, corn on the cob, chocolate milk, berries--and Saltines she can spread PB on. 

She does not take the meds if it is not a schoolday, so she usually enjoys eating on the weekends, vacays, holidays.

This is a sea change for me. As a slim young twentysomething, I would buy one of those single-sleeve boxes of Fig Newtons when I went to do my laundry at the Busy Bee Laundromat in Bradley Beach. The owner, Kathleen, very petite, might eat a couple of them but.....

Change is hard. So hard. I remember Oreos as a rare childhood treat, driving up to the Catskills to visit friends, Dad driving, Mom turning around to hand me a couple from the cellophane sleeve.

I want to sweeten my girls' lives. But a cranky, vicious mother high on sugar and exhausted from being overweight will not sweeten their lives. Such a mother could poison them.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Signed, Oreo againster