My Heart Yearns...

for my bentos. I feel as though I have foresaken them. I haven't really; it just hasn't been good days for bento-making. So instead, you the unfortunate reader of this blog, must read some whining. Would I like some cheese with that? No thank you. I'm not overly fond of cheese. A small handful of pistachios would be nice though.

My last post of a bento was Wednesday of this week. Thursday, I didn't plan a bento. I thought I would come home for lunch. I was wrong.

Thursday morning, I had a glucose tolerance test scheduled. As mentioned previously, I plan to consult a nutritionist familiar working with insulin resitant women. I have received the referral but the nutritionist's clinic wanted updated bloodwork. So there I was Thursday to have the requested tests run.

I hate having bloodwork done. Not because of the needle, but because I have deep set veins that can be hard for the technician to find. While I don't mind the needle, multiple sticks aren't fun.

The glucose tolerance test isn't lovable either because of "THE DRINK." The drink masquerades itself as a carbonated orange beverage that looks like Sunkist or Orange Crush. However after a sip, you realize that 50 grams of glucose to this one little 10 oz bottle is no joke. The stuff is so sweet you involuntarily shudder and your stomach wants to revolt. Afterwards, more blood is drawn over a 2-3 hour period to determine how your body is reacting to the high glucose intake. After 45-minutes, my body was ready for a long nap or to regurgitate the the drink.

Once the test was over and I was free to go, my only thought was FOOD. Please, get me some food. First, I was hungry. It was noon, and I hadn't eaten for 15 hours. Second, I needed something to settle my stomach. Waiting to get home just didn't feel like an option. So I stopped at Cracker Barrel and enjoyed grilled chicken, a biscuit, and a house salad.

By the time I got home, my body said, "Enough!" It then promptly and satisfactorily took a 3 hour nap. When I awoke, I was again hungry and feeling not-quite-normal after the abnormal sugar high. The body said, "Red meat sounds good. Feed me steak." "What a good idea," I replied. There's only one problem. I ruin steak everytime I cook it. If you are reading this blog, please don't reply with advice on cooking a steak. I've read books on it. I have instructions and wonderful advice from my brother and my friend Kim, both of whom cook an excellent steak. I just can't duplicate it. So instead of wasting my money and ruining a steak, I normally go to a restaurant to enjoy one.

Another problem Thursday I felt guilty about was not going to my gym. I felt too off and still a bit nauseous that evening. I decided the mall was the place to be.

I walked around each floor of the two-story facility once, browsed the shops, window-shopped, and purchased a few things that caught my eye. Certainly not as good as a gym workout but at least I was up and moving around for an hour. Across the street from the mall is a Logan's Roadhouse which serves steaks I like. A half a steak and sweet potato later I was feeling much better.

Today, my staff and I attended a wonderful seminar that took most of the workday. Afterwards, we ate out at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro, a very nice establishment with great food. I enjoyed half of a delicious chicken and salad wrap. I sampled but didn't overindulge in the fried onion strings accompanying the wrap. The other half will be lunch tomorrow. Tonight, I don't feel too hungery so dinner became a bagel with some fruit.

Ahhh, I feel so cleansed now after my confessions of non-bento eating. LOL! But looking over my food choices in print makes me realize I didn't do too badly. I could have done much worse with the amount of fried foods at my disposal. My worst slip was the rootbeer I had tonight with the bagel. I haven't had a carbonated soft drink in a month, and I've felt much better for it. I won't have another anytime soon. The rootbeer just didn't satisfy as before.

Now that I've bored you with that long diatribe, I'll share a picture with you.

This has become my little breakfast ritual of late: half a whole wheat english muffin with a small amount (1 tsp) of bing cherry preserves and a boiled egg. Since my cholesterol is a potential issue and I'm not too fond of yolks anyway, the yolk is popped out and given to my dogs. This has been a nice symbiotic relationship of late between my dogs and I. Breakfast is as fun for them as it is for me lately.

The olive plate is new too. A purchase I made at the mall last night. One of the things I've considerd lately is the size of my current dinner plates. They seem too large for the portions I should eat. Furthermore, I'm enjoying more finger foods lately: raw carrots, grapes, nuts, etc. I have used small rubbermaid containers as dinnerware this past month.

I've kept my eye out for salad plates that made me happy and looked as though they would hold the right portion size for me. I found this plate at Macy's in the mall. I purchased this small plate, another slightly larger salad plate, and a small pasta bowl. The pasta bowl has gently sloped sides that will make it a great bowl when I have a full salad for dinner. I also purchased a small matching fruit cup for a side dish. I can't wait to use my new dishes. I didn't purchase a full set of them. These aren't for company, just for me at night. I'm finding that keeping myself with a limited number of Lock 'n Locks and plates makes me clean my kitchen more often. Trust me when I say, my mother will think that is wonderful!

It's been nice talking to you again, my readers. I'm finding that this blog stays in my mind. I find myself thinking of what I will post next. It certainly helps keep me motivated. Thank you Kim for making the suggestion to start this blog.