12.07 - Triple Threat

I haven't written in awhile and not much has changed really . . . except for the fact that I've gained nearly 10 lbs. in the last five months. I know I've been indulgent and I know I need to eat better and start working out and all that-- but every time I think about it, I get depressed and turn to bad, bad food. Darn my emotional eating.

This morning was a low point. I went to the doctor for a regular check-up, and I was horrified to find out how much I weighed. I tried to attribute it to the sweater I'm wearing, but it's actually fairly light. *sigh* So to make myself "feel better," I bought this:

Please take a moment to truly appreciate the three degrees of fatness.

07.15 - Friday Obsession

Every Friday for the past seven Fridays-- without fail-- temptation on wheels has arrived at my door. Well, not exactly my door, but more like my office building's door. And not quite in front of it, but about twenty or so feet away. Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is that it comes every Friday. And every Friday, I give in . . .

to this:

Ah, the beloved mac and cheese truck has finally descended upon Chicago. And it just so happens to know where I work. It is physically and emotionally impossible for me to ignore its presence, so I have very gladly welcomed it with open arms (a.k.a. bought container upon container . . . upon container).

This-- the chorizo, pepper jack, and cojita mac and cheese-- is just one of the many varieties that has won me over:

Other varieties include an original cheddar; cheddar with hot dogs; Italian sausage, mozzarella, and giardiniera; blue cheese, bacon, and mushroom; truffle with one-year aged cheddar; and sun-dried tomato with smoked gouda. I love this truck because, while plain ol' mac and cheese will probably never get old for me, they are always coming up with these deliciously surprising combinations. I'm really looking forward to the day they roll up and offer me an amazing lobster mac and cheese concoction. That'll be the best Friday in the history of all Fridays for sure. I can't wait.

Eatery Info: The Southern Mac & Cheese Truck, locations vary, Chicago, IL

07.13 - Lovin' Me Some Ballpark Eats

Our building likes to throw these big, elaborate tenant-appreciation lunches in the summer. Last summer, we had a luau. This summer (today, to be exact), we had a ballpark-themed party.

There was so much good food, I made myself sick by indulging in all of it. Italian sausage, hot dogs, stuffed pizza, popcorn, cracker jacks, freshly-squeezed lemonade, peanuts, chips, ice cream. And it wasn't all served buffet-style either. They actually had hot dog carts and popcorn carts and even those guys that walk around with boxes strapped around their necks, shouting, "Peanuts! Cracker Jacks!"

Quite an enjoyable lunch, I'd have to say. And I even managed to smuggle two pieces of stuffed pizza back to my desk for lunch tomorrow. Score.

06.09 - Wiri Wiri Wir(d) Tomato

My coworker was kind enough to offer me her tupperware of food for lunch yesterday because she had a craving for some greasy American food and wanted to go out and buy something instead. She had cooked fettuccine and chicken together in some Guyanese spices, and on the side was a single cherry tomato. She and I generally have the same taste, so I knew I would enjoy this.

I ate the pasta and chicken quickly-- and when I was almost near the end, I happily popped the cherry tomato in my mouth. As I bit down, I was horrified to discover that this tomato was unlike any other tomato I've ever tried. It filled my mouth with FIRE.

I spit it out immediately and quickly made eye contact with my generous coworker. "What is this?" I yelled out weakly. She looked at me with horror and realized what was going on. "I forgot!" she said, "I forgot to tell you that I put a pepper in there!" By this time, my eyes were watering like crazy and I felt like I couldn't breathe (partly from panic, partly from the heat). I knew I shouldn't drink water and I had hardly any food left in sight, so I didn't know what to do. She said, "Suck on some sugar! It will cut the heat!" I immediately found a few packets of raw sugar in my drawer and started pouring those crystals into my mouth as fast as I possibly could. Between the packets of sugar, I drank ice water which was a wonderful albeit temporary solution-- but finally, after a little while, the pain slowly began to subside.

I later learned that the cherry tomato in the tupperware was actually a wiri wiri pepper, a pepper widely used in Guyanese cooking that is also called a cherry pepper. That harmless looking little pepper is deceptively hot and actually has about 150,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). SHU indicates the amount of capsaicin (heat) in peppers. I read all about the SHU in different peppers yesterday, and found that the wiri wiri is up there with the best of them. Never again will I assume . . .

06.02 - Magic Vending Machine?

I had a mid-afternoon craving for Cheetos, so I decided to go down to the breakroom and get a bag from the vending machine. I brought a dollar with me and was delighted to find that it would cost only 80 cents.

I put the dollar in and typed in the corresponding numbers for that beloved orange bag. I watched the spiral move the bag to the front and . . . nothing. The top of the bag was stuck. I shoved the vending machine in slight frustration and, suddenly, the spirals moved a second bag to the front . . . but only to get the top of that one stuck on the top of the first bag. Once again, I shoved the machine in greater frustration. And, surprisingly again, the spiral moved a third bag to the front . . . only to get this one stuck with the other two. I shoved the machine again, but this time nothing happened, and the machine beeped to remind me that I still had a dollar in the machine.

I typed in the corresponding numbers yet again only to get this message: MAKE ANOTHER SELECTION. I was indignant. No way was I going to make another selection! I wanted my Cheetos! I tried again. Same message. And again. Same message. Finally I decided to just eject my money-- only to have the machine give me four quarters and an extra 20 cents. I figured that was a nice way to make up for my difficulty and decided to try one last time. I put the coins in, typed in the numbers, and unfortunately got the same message. Fed up, I ejected my money, looked one last time at the tempting row of Cheetos, gave the machine one last shove . . . and out came all three bags.

I'm not quite sure what to make of all that . . . but I'm about to finish the second bag now.

04.20 - Love Conquers All

Sometime last week, a coworker received a gift of Girl Scout cookies from a vendor. I was so excited that I tore open a box and helped myself to several. So this week, I told myself that I needed to get my own boxes. I went onto the Girl Scouts website to see where they were having sales-- only to find out that the last sale within 40 miles had happened on April 1. Needless to say, I was crushed. I forgot that there was a short time frame to obtain those cookies and I had obviously missed it. I nearly went into hysterics and began walking around the office, asking my coworkers if they knew where I could get these beloved cookies.

After pestering several people and searching like crazy online, I finally decided to call the Girl Scouts of Chicago main office. When the operator answered, my voice was quivering as I sheepishly asked her whether there were any cookie sales still going on. She told me that there weren't . . . . . . BUT that I could come down to the office to purchase them there and that the cookies would be available till the end of the month. I think my voice cracked a little as I thanked her and immediately plotted my visit.

Fast forward to today-- I am the proud owner of eight boxes of cookies! I walked through wind, rain, and cold to get to their office yesterday, had to obtain a pass from building security, and finally entered Girl Scouts paradise. The office has a little gift shop that is chock-full of pretty shirts and patches and vests and stickers and all kinds of adorable GS memorabilia. Looking around, I actually felt a pang of sadness that I had never been a Brownie or Girl Scout. So to make myself feel better . . . I bought myself an "honorary" patch to go along with my cookies. :)

"I" thinks it's sad that I'm so obsessed with GS cookies, but the heart wants what the heart wants. :)

Eatery Info: Girl Scouts of Chicago, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, #2120, Chicago, IL 60606

04.06 - Weeknight Dinner Spot

"I" and I had a delicious dinner the other night all for about $10. Where, you ask?

Costco, I say.

1 chicken bake, 1 carne asada bake, a Vienna Beef hot dog + drink special, and 3 scoops of gelato. Yum.

And we weren't even there to shop. We drove there just to eat. I am not ashamed.

03.31 - Pitiful Child

My mom works nearby, so I decided to walk over and visit her for lunch. We had a nice time talking and sharing coffee and a blueberry scone. As I was just about to leave, she handed me a small baggie of sauteed green beens and half of an orange (not a whole one, but a dried-out half).

How exactly am I supposed to interpret that . . .?

03.24 - Bread Lover

I've realized that one of my biggest weaknesses is bread. It's nearly impossible for me to walk by a bakery and not want to stop in for some fresh rolls or loaves of bread. I get so happy when restaurants serve free bread before a meal. Even walking by Subway in the morning gets me all riled up. Sad, I know. What confuses me, though, is where this love originated. I mean, I was raised on rice, for goodness sake. I was the girl who went to school with dried pieces of rice stuck to her shirt sleeves. Don't get me wrong-- I love the smell of freshly made rice steam wafting through the air as much as any asian, but for some reason, it doesn't make me as excited as the smell of freshly baked bread. I mean, put fresh bread together with salty butter, and it's over.

With that said, there was a whole tray of pumpernickel, sesame seed, and whole grain rolls randomly sitting in the kitchen yesterday with a bowl of individual butter packets right next to it. I nearly had a heart attack, I was so happy. As stealthily as I could, I smuggled five rolls into a paper napkin, stuffed six packets of butter into my pocket, and walked excitedly back to my desk. Near the end of it, my desk looked like this:

That was my lunch yesterday, and I have to say it was pretty darn wonderful.

The only one thing that ruined it, though, was realizing that my coworker had clearly witnessed me squishing pieces upon pieces of bread into those insufferably small butter packets. :\

03.22 - Incredible Fruits and Veggies

In the past two months, I've really tried to incorporate more fruits and veggies into mine and I's at-home meals. Before, I would eat fruits and veggies about 1-3 times a week. Now I have fruits and veggies about 1-3 times a day. That's certainly a significant change, but I never thought it would make that much of difference until I started dropping pounds like crazy without once setting foot in a gym. Now, I'm 12 pounds lighter than I was two months ago.

Everywhere I go, people comment about how much weight I've lost or how saggy my pants are-- and when they ask what happened, I just shrug and say, "I eat a lot of fruits and veggies." Ha. It's strange, right? I've always heard that fruits and veggies are good for you, but I never realized how good.

But now I know firsthand that:

- they're rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals
- they make you feel just as full as, if not more than, the fatty stuff
- they give you a high amount of energy with significantly fewer calories
- they make you go to the bathroom daily (as opposed to once or twice a week...)
- they help prevent and reduce the risk of diseases
- and they increase weight loss by 3x in those who simply eat low-fat foods

My favorites as of late are:

- spinach
- romaine lettuce
- mustard or collard greens
- kale
- broccoli
- green beans
- red and yellow peppers
- tomatoes
- oranges
- blueberries
- pomegranates

Now that I have the fruits and veggies down, all I need to do is start working out again. While losing weight is great, being flabby and bony is not. :\ Here goes  . . .

03.16 - Pretty Petite Treats

Starbucks had a "Tribute Days" promotion from March 10-12 to ring in their 40th year. With any drink purchased between 2 to 5 p.m., you would get a petite dessert of your choice. The choices were: birthday cake pop, carrot mini cupcake, lemon sweet square, peanut butter mini cupcake, red velvet whoopie pie, rocky road cake pop, salted caramel sweet square, and tiramisu cake pop.

I had my tastebuds set on the red velvet whoopie pie. Unfortunately, when I made it out to a Starbucks on March 12th at 4:50 p.m. and put in an order for two drinks, all that was left were a few of the cupcakes. The Starbucks associate threw two of those babies in a bag and handed them over to me, and while they were quite yummy, my craving for the whoopie pie remained.

So I decided to make a Starbucks whoopie pie run earlier today-- and I was happy not only to find that there were plenty of petite treats available but also that they pack them in adorable little boxes! They must have held out on those during Tribute Days, but who could blame them. I carried my pretty, precious cargo back to the office and sat at my desk, savoring my red velvet whoopie pie with small bites. It was delicious-- soft, moist, packed with flavor, and generously filled with whipped cream cheese frosting. Mmm mmm good. I just wish they didn't come so small. Under 200 calories blue blundred blalories.

Next visit: salted caramel sweet square

03.04 - BOGO Chipotle

I like Chipotle. There's just something about that freshly grilled chicken or steak (or, every now and then, that flavorful spicy shredded barbacoa) mixed together with cilantro-lime rice, melty cheese, a dash of black beans, a handful of romaine, and pico de gallo all lovingly held together by a warm, subtly salty, chewy flour tortilla. Yum.

So imagine my excitement when I walked into the break room last Friday and found a buy one-get one Chipotle coupon on the kitchen counter. I immediately dragged my coworkers to get some for lunch that day, and we saved $12. I went again on Sunday after church with a bunch of friends, and the ten of us together saved $30. Two of my cousins went last week, and they saved a combined $12. Another two of my friends went this week, and they saved $6. My brother went yesterday and saved $6. And I had Chipotle with my mom for lunch today, and we saved an additional $6. So, all in all, throughout this past week, I am pleased to say that my family, friends, and I saved $72.

Both impressive and shocking. Impressive because that's a lot of free Chipotle, and shocking because one burrito contains about 800-1200 calories. :\ Still, free Chipotle doesn't happen often, and I do have to say it was fun while it lasted. The promo ends today. If you want to get yours before it's over, visit http://www.facebook.com/americasnextgreatrestaurant?v=app_10442206389 and watch the 90-second video for this new reality restaurant show that's coming out. Then print the coupon and eat your poor heart out. :)

02.23 - Awkward Neighbors

We moved into a fancy new "green" office building last year, and it consists of large floor-to-ceiling windows, offices walled in glass so everyone can see what you're doing, automatic shut-off lights, and cubicles with windows. Cubicles with windows, you ask?

Yes, offices walled in glass and cubicles with windows (see pictures below):

Anyway, I guess they're unique little additions. The only problem is that when I look out my window, I'm staring directly into another lady's office. And when this lady sits at her desk and looks straight ahead, she looks out her glass wall and directly into my cubicle. *sigh*

It wouldn't be that awkward except for the fact that I eat a lot. And I'm not as neat about it as I should be. Today, she had quite a show. Throughout the day, I had a piece of herb bread, an orange, a bar of chocolate, rice with chicken and broccoli, half of a ham and cheese sandwich, a bag of crunchy kettle chips, and half of a chocolate chip cookie.

Even though it's absolutely not her fault, I've come to really dislike her presence as my neighbor. I delight when she's off for the day and I get irritated when I look over and make eye contact with her. *sigh* Sometimes a girl just wants to eat in peace, you know what I'm saying? :\

01.18 - Strange Occurrence

For lunch today, I brought in a baggie containing two pieces of fried chicken and another baggie that was about 1/3 full of macaroni and cheese. Both these baggies sat inside a plastic grocery bag that was tied at the top, which I placed inside the communal fridge this morning.

When I went back to the fridge to take out my lunch just now, I found only one piece of fried chicken and half of the original amount of mac and cheese. I stared at the two baggies in my hands, assured myself that I was not going crazy, and then started giggling.

Someone was actually hungry/crazy/wrong enough to take half my lunch from both baggies, to place them back inside the plastic grocery bag, to tie the bag, and to put it back where it belonged. Sooo weird.