blog fail

the title of this post might as well be the title of this entire blog thus far.

it has been months since i updated.  sure, there were many a weekday that i sat in front of the tv or even in front of my computer and thought to myself, “maybe i should write a blog entry.”  but, alas, my laziness and ability to make excuses is truly extraordinary.

“but i’m already eating and the food is halfway done so it won’t be pretty anymore…”

“this is just plain old steamed broccoli and a veggie burger.  who wants to read about that?”

“i have a greek translation i really should be working on instead.”

“i don’t know where my camera is.”

“i just don’t feel like it…”

you get the point.  perhaps i began this blog at an inopportune time–midway through one of the most important semesters of my academic life.  i was taking classes that were by no means easy and that i absolutely needed to do well in.  i don’t think i was ready to make this blog one of my priorities.

BUT things are different now.  at least somewhat.  for one, it is summer i.e. i am not taking classes.  and i haven’t even started my internship yet, soooooo i have been spending every moment either eating, sleeping, or ‘insert mindless entertainment’.  what better time than now is there to get into a blogging routine?

so here goes.  this is now my summer project: make good on my goals from my first post.  stop being a spectator to the food blogger community, and become an active participant.  take the first steps toward being healthy in the way that i have always aspired to.  make real changes that will lead me toward a happier, more-balanced, and more-adult life.

get it?  got it?  GOOD. –>that was me talking to myself.  i’m cool like that.

shall we begin with the food?  i think yes.

ok.  to start, i’m not much of a 3-square-meals-per-day eater.  all through elementary school/middle school/high school/even some of college, dinner was pretty much the only major ”meal” of my day.  i was always a grazer–quick bite in the morning e.g. small granola bar or apple or serving of dry cereal, followed by intermittent snacking throughout the day and night.  but second semester freshman year of college, that changed a little.  my dining hall had horrendous food.  and the few things that were vegetarian friendly were not necessarily food i was too hyped about eating.  so when i transitioned back into full vegetarianism after being a pescatarian first semester, i had to find new ways to use my meal plan.  and that’s when i discovered the wonderful world of breakfast.  the only meal my dining hall seemed to do well.

eggs to order.  omelettes.  5 different cereals (including kashi!).  granola.  fresh fruit.  yogurt.  tater tots on the days i was feeling extra indulgent. my college dining dreams had come true.

unfortunately though, the breakfast hours of the nearest dining hall–fun fact: it was inside my own dorm!!–ended at 10 am.  and when i became a sophomore and moved into a new dorm, i decided to forgo a mealplan.  but the months of eating breakfast had opened my eyes to what i had been missing.  and now, i can honestly say that no matter what i have eaten the night before (like, say, 2 slices of pizza and tofu lo mein while drunk…) or no matter how busy i am in the morning, i need to have my breakfast.  and a granola bar just does not cut it anymore.

my favorite breakfasts?  oatmeal with pumpkin.  a huge bowl of high-fiber cereal with almond milk.  an egg-white omelette.  greek yogurt with cereal and fruit.  nom nom nom… breakfast, once the forgotten meal, has now become my absolute favorite meal of the day.

this particular morning, i woke up with the intention of making myself a monster bowl of oatmeal.  unfortunately, a few sudden obstacles and ideas turned into an oatmeal experiment that only went slightly awry…

since i don’t have any pictures, i’ll try to make the writing as vivid and ridiculous as possible for entertainment purposes.

as i trudged into the kitchen at the bright and early hour of 2 PM, only slightly awake, i searched deep within my heart for my breakfast-desire.  suddenly, i remembered:
http://hungry-girl.com/askhg/askhgdetails.php?isid=2092

“hmmmm,” i thought. “what a perfect moment to attempt this oh-so-creamy concoction.”  up until that moment, i actually had never made oatmeal with milk or almond milk or anything other than H2O.  so after i excitedly poured a cup of water and a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze into the pot, i pranced over to the pantry to collect the usual suspects.

blast!  whoever did the shopping bought the quaker “quick 1-minute oats”.  .  a staunch believer that it’s the old-fashioned oats way or the highway, i almost abandoned my oatmeal adventure, until i spotted a box of steel-cut oats in the back!!  they might take ages to cook, but at least the product would be respectable.

realizing that 2 cups of liquid was far too much for a single-serving of steel-cut oats, i reasoned that i would just wait for the liquid to boil off.  i prepared myself the usual cup o’ joe, which quieted some of the stomach growls the sound of the bubbling  oatmeal only seemed to worsen. 

momentary distraction: sister calls me and we argue over something insignificant.  but apparently, it was significant enough that i completely missed that the oats had overflowed, completely bypassing the metal cover that seemed to quiver as it tried to contain the almond milk waterfall that now blanketed the entire surrounding area in an ivory-film.

i instinctively tried to do some damage control–and learned the lesson that attempting to clean a stove while still cooking on it is both dangerous and only attempted by those momentarily robbed of all common sense.

but despite the minor mishap, i managed to add all the rest of the necessary ingredients: a heaping serving of libby’s canned pumpkin, several shakes of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, whatever was left in my bag of 365 frozen blueberries, and a few generous squeezes of sugar-free maple syrup.

i then cleaned most of the soiled stovetop while the oats cooled off somewhat.  and when all was said and done, i was rather pleased with the result.

the oats were undoubtedly creamier than usual.  the almond milk seemed to add a depth to the pumpkin-pie flavors i had gotten very used to–and it also curbed the bitterness that i sometimes taste from using so much pumpkin.  however, the texture of the skin of the blueberries was a bit off–almost dry and chalky.  i don’t know if i overcooked them or maybe they were just old or perhaps they just did something strange with the almond milk.  i suspect they would have tasted better had i just defrosted them first and added them closer to the end.

but what was most surprising was how much more filling the oats were than usual.  don’t get me wrong–i am usually more than satisfied by my oats+water+laundry list of ingredients.  but halfway through this bowl, i literally found myself so full that i doubted i’d even be able to finish (i did, but it took me twice as long ).

so what made these oats so filling?  was it that they were steel-cut?  the almond milk?  doubling the liquid?  i’m not really sure.  maybe next time, i’ll follow the advice of my third grade science teacher and only mess with one variable at a time.

until then, your guess is as good as mine.

Hello world!

so this is it.  i’m finally attempting to join the foodie community that i’ve been stalking from a distance for the past year.  i did try to comment on a couple entries a few times, but, once asked for a username or any form of identification, i would chicken out.  something about surrendering my anonymity was frightening–as if someone was going to angrily point a finger at me from across cyberspace and say “you!! you’re a fraud… that comment was idiotic.”  and thus all my attempts to infiltrate the world of food blogging have come and gone without any real success. until now.

i don’t really know what has spurred me to finally start my own site.  you’d think i would take some baby-steps.  make a comment on one of my go-to blogs.  make a real attempt at a couple recipes more challenging than microwaveable bagged broccoli.  but i live my life in extremes, i guess.  i always dream bigger and higher than i can really manage.  and this is probably no different.  but a girl can hope.

for starters, i should probably introduce myself.  my name is joanna.  i’m originally from new york but i go to school in philadelphia (where i am currently a junior majoring in classical studies).  i love school but i loathe schoolwork, so a lot of my posts here will inevitably be written the night before (or even the day of) an exam or a term paper.  procrastination is kind of my thing–i’ve been told i take it to new and impressive lengths.  but apart from all that hatred of reading and writing and such, i actually do love learning about ancient greece and rome–hence “tofu and PLATO.”  (fyi i actually kind of despise plato, but i just happen to be reading him for all four of my in-major courses this semester.  so he’ll be sure to take up lots of my life through december and beyond.  lucky me.).

and now onto the tofu party. <–that was a typo.  i meant to write tofu part, but i think tofu party sounds more fun.  yayyy tofu.

i would tend to call myself a select-atarian.  i’m kind of a fail when it comes to vegetarianism.  i try, which i guess counts for something.  i haven’t really touched red meat or pork since before i can remember (sometime in elementary school or early middle school probably).  i definitely don’t miss those.  and i have been on-and-off eating poultry since i was 14.  mostly off.  i haven’t had any for the past year and a half, which is probably the longest stretch i’ve gone yet.  but i definitely still eat fish, dairy, and eggs.  which kind of brings me to my next point…

i would love to be vegan.  but when you put the whole “tofu” and “plato” things together for me, it just becomes too much for me to handle.  

first, i am easily stressed and i do not manage my time well.  so when it’s the night before my ancient history midterm and i still have four chapters to read, i’m not going to spend my time making vegan meatballs, as much as i’d like to.

second, i’m not going to spend my money on a ton of prepackaged vegan food when i’m already not a careful spender.

third, i’m a creature of habit.  there are certain healthy, easy, cheap, vegetarian meals that i have made for a long, long time–and they are by no means vegan.  i cannot even begin to count the number of times i have tried a new dairy- or egg-free version of an old recipe only to find that i totally screwed it up and have to throw everything out.  it’s just easier for now to stick with what i know works for me.

and lastly, i’m too much of a snacker and compulsive eater to comfortably transition to veganism, confident that i won’t gain 20 pounds munching on all the vegan foods that you’re only supposed to eat in moderation (vegan chocolate cake, nuts, etc.).  moderation is so not me.

so overall, i’m trying to say i’m not ready for veganism.  but hopefully this blog will help me make some steps in the right direction. i’ll be doing something constructive with my time spent putting off the mountain of work waiting for me in my room.  and i’ll learn to balance my life a little better (cross your fingers).  between schoolwork and fun.  between healthfulness, convenience, and cost of my diet.  between vegetarianism and veganism.  tofu and plato.  and whatever else is in need of some balance.  wish me luck.