A fine cena, dopo aver mangiato una bella fetta di torta Sacher (non originale!), Lacomizietta dice:

Figlia: Mami, adesso mi andrebbero degli alberelli. [=broccoli cotti a vapore]
Mami: No! I broccoli no!
Papi: Perché no?
M: Ma dopo la Sacher! [La Mami è quella che mangia il salame con il cioccolato, tanto per dire.]

Lacomizetta mangia il suo alberello, che era in tavola come cena, e dopo:

F: Mami, adesso mi andrebbe un poco di prosciutto.
M: Il prosciutto… Ma sei sicura che lo mangi?
F: Certo Mami!

E così è stato.

Today did not start out well. I was having the WEIRDEST dream ever, and must have turned my alarm off during said dream, because when I actually woke up and figured out where I was, it was 6:15 am, and I had to be out the door in 15 min! ACK!

I threw on some clothes, washed up, and put some food in containers and was out the door. I even made it to class on time, but had to wait until after class to dig into breakfast. Boy was I hungry!

In the thermos I had yogurt, the last of the quince, and pomegranate arils. The other container was just some Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal to combine with said yogurt & fruit.

Yogurt close up!

It was horrendous weather all day. It just rained, and rained, and rained. Good thing I had my new fancy boots – they kept my feet dry and warm! But to warm the rest of me up, I had to hit up the Sbucks.

Do I even have to say what’s in there?

My last volunteer shift at Agora later, and I was on my way home. First thing on my mind when I walked in the door? What’s for lunch?

I made a grilled ham & cheese sandwich with baby spinach and red pepper jelly. Too bad my cheese didn’t want to melt.

I also heated up a bowl of broccoli soup my sister had made on the weekend.

Topped with a little more cheddar. What’s better than broccoli & cheddar?!

Rainy day food, for sure!

With a Werther’s Original candy for dessert

I spent the afternoon at home, expecting an important phone call. Of course, my mom then ended up on the phone all afternoon, and we don’t have call waiting, so I figured they called and got a busy signal. But, low and behold, and 5 pm I received my call. Looks like I’ll be working with a dietitian on a project at Children’s Hospital. Alas, it is only volunteer, but still – it’s all about boosting that resume, right?

Dinner was served way too early for my hunger, so I only had a bit.

Meatloaf, green peas, and apple/craisin/pecan salad. There were baked potatoes as well, but I wasn’t feeling it. And wouldn’t you know it, all my close ups turned out poorly. So this is all you get!

I made a quick trip up to the store to get a couple things (I was all out of good peanut butter), then had a sweat session with the dvd’s. Then it was time for me to satisfy my baking desires!

I had a hankering for muffins. I thought oatmeal and apple should be involved. I searched out some recipes, decided on this one as my inspiration, concocted a variation in my head, then assembled the required ingredients.

Some mixing, grating, scooping, and baking later, and I was presented with this:

Apple Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (would have used whole wheat, but we had none)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins

Method

1. Combine dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a large bowl.
2. Combine wet ingredients (milk through vanilla) in medium bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry, then add carrot, apple, and raisins.
4. Mix until just combined – don’t over mix! (you know how muffins go).
5. Divide equally between 12 greased or lined muffin cups.
6. Bake at 375 F for 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These turned out really well. I was a little worried that my wet to dry ratio would be off, but it was perfect. They are hearty, moist, slightly sweet, with a nice balance of spices. Both of my parents tried them out, and gave them the thumbs up. I think they would be a great breakfast muffin, pairing nicely with your favourite nut butter.

Obviously, I had one as my evening snack, with a another cup of chamomile tea.

I still have another project on the stove, but it’s totally time for bed, so I guess I’m calling it done. I’m sure you’ll get to see it tomorrow. Night!

As of 3 minutes ago, it’s officially Thanksgiving! I’m cozy at home in my bed, surrounded by my stuffed animals, Polaroids from high school, and hundreds of books, among other things. What was your childhood bedroom like?

Speaking of childhood, I got a fun e-mail from my friend Jenny at 8 this morning while I was sipping on my coffee. Jenny is hands-down my oldest friend; our mothers grew up together, and although Jenny and I have been separate by half a country for our entire lives and only get to see each other once a year, we’ve always been close. When my grandfather was still living, my parents and I visited him in Indianapolis every winter between Christmas and New Year’s; this photo is from the winter of 1988. (That’s me on the right, with the bowl cut.)

Here we are this past summer, in Lake Michigan.

I miss her so much during the year. We look forward to our week on the lake so much!

After my trip down memory lane, I made a quick breakfast: Ezekiel English muffin with almond butter and a banana, raspberry jam on one side and pumpkin butter on the other.

I went to the post office to mail something; it didn’t open until 10 (which seems a little later) but there was a machine that got the job done. Then to physical therapy I went! It as a particularly good appointment. I learned some new exercises to stretch my hips; I can easily do them from the hotel room in Russia. After PT I raced back home to eat lunch before I had to turn right back around and go to an interview. I made a quick salad:

In the mix:

• romaine
• celery
• tofu
• leftover roasted veggiesM

It was one of the rare occasions where I could not finish my meal. Usually, once I’ve dished a certain amount of food out, I will eat every last scrap even if I’ve long since reached capacity. (Last night’s pasta plate was an example of this.) However, today I started getting a stomachache about partway through, and just picked out what I wanted (roast vegetables, tofu, hummus), leaving a fair amount of spinach.

I felt guilty about throwing the rest out (I won’t be back at the house for two weeks), but it was better than making myself sick. As it was, my tum hurt for the next two hours. My eyes are bigger than my head sometimes, and I think the most important thing I need to remember to do is slow down while I’m eating. I’ve been so rushed these past few weeks that although I’ve been eating foods I love, I’ve barely tasted them as I’ve had to practically inhale them to get from appointment to appointment on time. It’ll be nice to have a little break

There’s always room for sweets, though! I had a couple of these strawberry gummy candies from the Japanese grocery store in our neighborhood. Not bad!

I was starving after my interview. Luckily I had about four different snacks in my bag, so I ate one of the apple-flavored Heart Thrive bars that I was sent to review. I’ll do a formal review once I’ve sampled all of the products, but I liked this a lot!

When I got home I folded laundry and did some preparatory packing for my trip to Russia. I am one of the worst packers ever. I always take too much and forget crucial items, like spare contact lenses or pajama pants. Do you have any fool-proof (or LVP proof!) packing tips?

I snacked on some Concord grapes that were about to go bad while I waited for my dad to help me pack some things up. These grapes are really addicting. There are seeds, which I thought I wouldn’t like, but are actually kind of fun to work through and take longer to eat. Plus, these are the kind of grapes used to make grape juice, so they’re the perfect combination of sweet + tart.

While my dad was at a holiday party, my mom and I had dinner at watched Hannah And Her Sisters. Not only is this a really good Woody Allen film, but it’s told between two years’ worth of Thanksgivings! I ordered a bento box for dinner, which came with a spicy tuna roll, tempura, sashimi & shrimp shumai. (It came with rice, salad & miso soup as well, but I’m saving those for tomorrow.)

I also had a glass of Black Box Wine’s Sauvignon Blanc.

My mom brought home dessert from Billy’s Bakery, the same shop she ordered my birthday cupcakes from.

She bought one pumpkin cupcake and one pumpkin bar; we split them three ways. De-lish.

I’m off to bed. There’s a lot on the agenda tomorrow! Have a great night, a happy holiday, and safe travels wherever your day takes you.

Went to my brothers place for lunch… and I was on a veggie kick. I had a Carrot, Broccoli, Cucumber Salad and then followed it up with two pieces of Cheese Pizza…. On vacation this eating plan is put on the back burner. Especially when there’s pizza in the same room with me. Pizza and French Fries are my downfall….

Stopped in to Whole Foods and picked up a side dish of Rice Pilaf and went to my step brothers house for dinner. It turns out, his wife ordered Pizza from Pizza Hut too!! At least I had the Rice Pilaf:)

Thanks for all of the “sleeping tips”!!  I’m going to have to try some variation / combination until I find something that works, because being a zombie?  It’s not much fun!

Luckily, we got out of work early today because of Thanksgiving.  Which we didn’t know until half an hour before the end of the day, but who would complain about that?  Not me!  I used my extra time to go to the photography supercenter… and instead of figuring things out, now I’m even more confused than ever before.  I can’t decide whether I should shell out the extra couple hundred dollars to get a brand-new camera and marine pack, or buy a used one… I’m giving myself a headache just thinking about it.

Jumping to a totally unrelated topic, when I first discovered Jazz apples, I got everyone addicted to them… my dad, especially.  I was telling him about Honeycrisps, and how they’re the size of my head.  He didn’t believe me.  So to prove it, I bought one that was .60 lb … he said it’s too big and that I’ll have to split it with him.  Ah, hello — I don’t like big apples!  That’s why I hogged this Honeycrisp! 

That’s more like it.  I’d show you a photo of the huge one, too, but I’m too lazy to go downstairs!

Because I got home earlier than usual, I had the time and patience to cook up some wheat berries.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder — I missed these!  Paired with a vegetarian “drumstick” and a mountain of steamed broccoli and cauliflower.  Is it possible to have an addiction to cruciferous vegetables?  Because I think I do…

Romaine, roasted rutabaga, roasted delicata squash, and Lightlife Steak Style Strips.  Not very colorful, but it tasted good, and isn’t that the most important part?!

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving… and even though I don’t celebrate it, I still have the next two days off from work.  I’m thrilled about that, obviously.  What I’m not so thrilled about is the way the whole world seems to shut down on Thanksgiving.  Everything is closed.  My gym is closed.  I am feeling very, very anxious about the prospect of an exercise-free day.  I’m trying to convince myself that it’s just one day, it isn’t going to kill me… and I don’t have to just sit around and vegetate all day.  In fact, I should venture into my scary closet.  Which probably counts as a workout… just not in my book!

What I would like to do tomorrow is sleep in … until at least 7.00 AM.  That is my goal, for the time being.  And after that?  I’ll figure it out as I go along.  Don’t freak out and don’t “forget” to eat are on the list, too.

I’m guessing my “laid back” day will be in stark contrast to the dozens of people who were in the supermarket tonight… I generally go there after my appointment with my nutritionist, because it’s open 24 hours and when I go late at night, it’s not at all crowded.  Seems that a whole bunch of people have just realized that Thanksgiving is tomorrow and they have food to cook!  I do not envy them.

Snapple “Real Fact” #833: Children have more taste buds than adults.  Well, duh.  By the time you’ve grown up, you’ve killed them all!

I think I just wrote an entire post of “fluff” … I’m too tired to concentrate on anything!  Oh, well.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Since I moved to US, this is my fourth Thanksgiving. I’ve always thought saying what we’re thankful in this day is kind of cliche. Why you need a special day to do that? Well…. today I’m going to do it because I need and feel it!

I’m thankful

- to have a wonderful boyfriend, I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s the only man in this world who really appreciates who I am “raw” and to be unconditionally supportive on whatever I do.

- to have healthy parents and to have spent two months with them.  They’re in their 60s and they’re still strong, ill-free and are enjoying life more than ever.

- to have the opportunity to challenge myself to the edge. As much as I complain how stressful I am somedays, overall I do enjoy what I do and I do it because I chose choose to.

- to be able to travel. Nothing is as exciting as to go to a new place, to learn a new culture and to know a new lifestyle. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to visit Chicago, San Francisco, Fresno and Germany this year and revisit New York, Buenos Aires and Shanghai.

- to have this blog. No matter how busy I am, blogging and reading other blogs have been the most gratifying and relaxing thing to do in a daily basis. I met so many amazing people and whenever I write a post, specially when I need extra love like yesterday, you’ve always been there for me. Your words touch me deeply. Thank you my friends!

No Thanksgiving dinner, no family gathering, this is the way I’m celebrating it:  feeling thankful. Wish everyone a great Thanksgiving, enjoy and remember to take few moments to think what you’re thankful.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Yesterday was productive in term of work (9 hrs) so I feel much better than Tuesday.

Breakfast: Ricotta waffle with ricotta & jam sauce

I used this recipe, substituted squash by ricotta cheese and used another 1/4 cup ricotta, 2 tbsp jam, 1 tbsp dry cranberries for the sauce. Very satisfying, just what I needed

okay. this is not the most appetizing environment to eat. But as I moved my work place to dinning table… that’s all I got!

Lunch: soup with added veggie and tofu, baby corn pickles and Dr. Krackers.

Dessert: ricotta + jam + cinnamon= faux cheesecake! an old favorite!

Went to gym for a powerful cardio session to de-stress! It’s amazing that 99% of the time works!

Dinner: Mom’s wonton added spinach and seaweed.

plus sesame oil and white pepper!

Delicious!~~~ I could taste love~~

I wanted to show you where I store my dark chocolates. Look this box, isn’t it cool?

that half bar was 1/2 of my dessert, you can imagine what’s the other half right?

Q: Are you cooking tonight? What’s on the menu? for me it’s just another day, but I’d love to hear what yummy foods you’re going to eat.

Finally, Campbells V8 Soup giveaway winner is:

Brandi @BranAppetit!

Fried rice

Tomato cream sauce pasta

Broccoli

Kabocya(Japanese pumpkin)

Nimono

Chicken nugget

Sausage

Fried rice : fry beaten egg and rice, add Japanese soy sauce and dried parsley

Tomato cream pasta : boil small pasta. stir ham and corn with butter, add tomato-tin, fresh cream and pasta

This is Today’s Obento!

**Caveat: Amazing Grass is having an awesome sale right now! Go to there website(accessible through the button to the right) and enter the code BAR09 on any purchase of Amazing Grass bars and get 20% off! Isn’t that awesome? I think I’m going to have to stock up on the chocolate peanut butter protein bars–so good**

I’m pretty sure that title is the last thing people who eat around me would expect me saying but–let’s face it–it’s true; and there ain’t nothing wrong with food fried in good oils in moderation Wait, where was I? Oh yes, yesterday morning was filled by a light-hearted class in which 3 people ditched for Thanksgiving were mysteriously sick. 3 might not sound like a lot for a college class, but you notice it in the Classics. I was so relieved when I got out I wanted to jump for joy’ instead, I kicked it into gear to get back to my dorm so I could pack and go. I basically combed the room, thinking of everything I could possibly need for 5 days and throwing it somewhere else. Around 1 I realized I was hungry. I wanted a repeat of yesterday’s amazing spicy oats, but I needed something faster and portable so I racked my brain for a veggie dish.

Broccoli Salad And Flamegrilled Gardenburger With The Heat Is On PB

Stewed Tomatoes With Crumbled Morningstar Breakfast Patty, One Lucky Duck Raw Rosemary Quackers

Ok, this was still basically my breakfast, just with oats metamorphosed into broccoli. I just could not get enough of The Heat Is On! The stewed tomatoes were dining hall fare and I wish I could have thought of something more intricate to do with them but I did not have the chance. It game me an opportunity, though, to sample and review the One Lucky Duck Rosemary Quackers. They were not exactly what I was expecting/hoping for, but it was fun to try something raw. I think I’ll be sticking with baked chips from now on, though(and, yes, the occasional fried ) Well this is what things looked like when my dad showed up:

Packed And Ready To Go

That’s 2 bags of food, an extra bag of clothes/toiletries, a backpack, laundry, a coffee maker, and a stevia plant. I suppose 5 days is a while and deserves all this, right?(Back me up here). We swung by the mail room to pick up some last minute arrivals, and hit the open road. I got a package from Gnu Foods and I couldn’t wait to dig in, so I didn’t.

Chocolate Brownie Gnu Foods Bar

Um, yum?! This hit my chocolate tooth. And the nutrition was astounding. I loved reading the company info they sent in the car(because I was doing that instead of work). They’ve created their own blend of grains and seeds to give each bar 12 grams of fiber! When I read that, I took it slow and drank a ton of water–smart move. I can’t wait to try the other flavors now, though somebody remind me NEVER to eat this pre-run(for obvious reasons).

Before we got home, we swung by Framingham to hit up Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. It’s really fun when these are right next to each other. I tried to stick with just buying essentials/sales and coupon items/what we still needed for Thanksgiving, because I know we’re going to have a lot of leftovers pretty soon. In the end, I think I stuck to my mission mostly.

Groceries

The big unmarked bag is about 2lbs of steel cut oats, like I go through anything else that much. The lemon bars were a new Trader Joe’s product for Turkey Day as is the TruWhip(can’t wait to try this!). Of course, the one thing that made me ditch my entire plan of items was my vegan whole wheat cinnamon raisin rolls. But seriously, how often do you find these? I went with the grab and run method… The fiber bar held me over really well but by the time we got home and I completely unpacked it was 5 and I was famished. I went for a meal rather than a snack.

Amy's Shepherd's Pie With Colby Jack Cheese

An Amy’s meal, that is. I think I’d been wanting to try this for a few months; last weekend I bought it with a coupon on the cheap, and I broke it out yesterday. I was not going to wait 45 minutes for the oven, so instead I nuked it for 3 minutes and topped it with 1 ounce of colby jack cheese which I’m pretty sure would have had a “Don’t touch. For Thanksgiving” note on it were my mom more careful. The meal was okay, but I don’t think it ever would have held me over on its own as a dinner or anything. I supplemented this with another snack.

Empire Apple

2 apples in 2 days? I think I’m setting a personal record. A very sad and low personal record. Thankfully, unlike the last one, this tasted juicy and fresh. Considering I picked it 3 weekends ago, I’m now wondering how old the apples from the dining hall must be… I caught up on Top Chef and The Next Iron Chef–you know, my chef shows. As a family, we all were slackers on dinner, so when the time came and passed and no one was doing anything it was a little frustrating. I felt hanger(hunger –> anger) coming on, so I went for something I knew would make me a happy boy again.

WildWood Original Veggie Burger, Broccoli With Soyaki Sauce

I’d never actually tried this veggie burger before, but I was 99% sure I’d like it because it’s fried. I learned in 11th grade bio that humans crave fat because of our ancient ancestors who got the opportunity to eat so little that nature is to pile it in and store it when we come across it. Why fight nature, especially when it’s healthy fat and portioned, right? Needless to say, it hit the spot, and I think I’m making a permanent place in my fridge for those little fried wonders.

I spent quite literally the rest of my night tying up loose ends and doing other work on the computer. It wasn’t the dream way to kick off vacation but C’est la vie. It gave me a great chance to watch The Biggest Loser and have some blogger faves as dessert:

Oikos In A Cherry Butter Jar With Dried Cherries, Cherry Dark Chocolate, And Vanilla Sugar

Can we fry this somehow? Paula? Scratch that. I think jam jars are so much easier to empty out than nut butters. Fortunately, both are good options. I just love the spoonfuls of whole jam towards the end, which are bites of tart heaven. I’m really enjoying all you new commentors who might have read this for a while but just got to saying something and getting to find new blogs that way. Keep it coming! Afterwards I just had to break into these.

Vegan Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Roll

Food like this are what rededicate myself to an all-natural diet; I challenge any mass-bakery product to rival this. And it’s vegan to boot! It almost makes me think I could be vegan… and then I remember yogurt, cream cheese, flavored nut butter, fish, meat, etc. It wouldn’t work.  But is anything better than peeling back layers of yeasty dough? I think not. Maybe… Paula, can we fry this? I wish I were kidding here.

Peanut Butter Gnu Bar With Mighty Maple

I was a little worried eating this right before bed. 12g of fiber? That’s dangerous. But everything worked out fine, and this was a great peanut butter treat. This bar probably would have been a little bland on its own but with an extra dose of peanut butter it was the perfect piece of toast. I find it funny that most of America has trouble getting in enough fiber when I got 100% just between 2 bars both of which felt like “desserts”. I think Americans need to learn to love fiber more.

I did was not feeling the pressure to get up and run this morning with no warm gym and treadmill to entice me. I slept in almost until 9(that’s really late for me) and instead spent way too long deciding on how to make a bowl of oatmeal. I am very happy with the conclusion of that thinking.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Smart Balance And Mocha Milk Chocolate Frosting

Holy yum. Let me walk you through this one. I did a standard pumpkin base with 1 1/2 tablespoons Smart Balance Agave Sweetened. I’ve decided I really like this version better than the molasses sweetened; I don’t know why but the flavor “works” better. For the frosting, I melted a Newman’s Own Organic Mocha Milk Chocolate square and then mixed that with 2oz sweetened Oikos. Ahhhhhmazing. The milk chocolate with the peanut butter comes out just like my childhood favorite candy.

I might head out for 6.7 miles in a bit. Or I might not run at all today. While I’d enjoy it, there’s plenty I have to do around here that would keep me occupied. I might just have to make an identical bowl of this oatmeal.

Secret Santa Alert!! Who doesn’t love this time-honored tradition? Well there’s a blogger’s version about; visit this post for all the info to join in!

It’s nice to have a partner in the kitchen. Howard is a great helper, but, more important, he does a great job on his own when he’s the chef. He makes our breakfast every morning. It’s something simple during the week, usually just toast and fruit. On weekends, it’s more elaborate: eggs in many styles, pancakes, waffles.

As a trained scientist, Howard comes up with his own kitchen experiments. Some time, I’ll tell you about his sous vide setup (assembled from parts purchased on eBay). This week, he worked on perfecting Chinese pickles. These were inspired by a garnish on the entrees at Baumgart’s, a place we ate with Howard’s family in New Jersey. The garnish was pickled broccoli stems. They were tasty. Howard made similar pickles with the stems from our CSA broccoli plus carrots and daikon (also from the CSA share).

Here’s the formula:

Howard’s Sweet and Sour Chinese Pickles
Makes about 1 quart

3 to 4 cups crispy vegetables (such as broccoli stems, carrots, daikon, radishes, salad turnips), cut into penny-sized slices
2 tsp kosher salt
¾ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1½ Tbsp shredded fresh ginger

Prepare the vegetables. For broccoli stems and daikon, peel, quarter lengthwise, then slice thinly. Carrots can be treated the same, but don’t need to be quartered. Radishes can just be sliced. Turnips probably need to be quartered, depending on the width.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for 2 hours. Rinse off the salt and drain.

To make the brine, combine vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add ginger.

Put the vegetables in a clear jar big enough to hold them. Pour the brine over the vegetables to cover. Store in the refrigerator. Wait overnight or longer before eating them.

Evening! How was your day?  Mine was just fine, but I’m ready to crawl into bed and call it a night!

This morning when I woke up at 8:30, I panicked for a few minutes before remembering that my boss (at my internship) had canceled work for the day. I was up and ready to go, though, which things to do and people to see!

I was excited to try these goji berries with my breakfast.  I’ve only ever tasted these chopped up and mixed into other things, but when I snatched them right up when I spotted this bag on sale for $2.19 at the food co-op this weekend (they’re usually almost triple that price).  Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, and among their many benefits they are touted to improve eyesight (they’re rich in beta carotene), boost immunity, and spice up your sex life

I tossed them in with Greek yogurt, 1/2 toasted Trader Joe’s Berry Mango muffin, warmed frozen berries and flaxy peanut butter. The goji berries are firm but chewy; the texture really complemented the rest of the mess.

This held me over for a really long time.  The rest of the morning was spent reading, researching, and waiting until I was digested enough to go for a run.  I warmed up with a 20 minute hip opening flow, then set out for an easy 2 mile run.

Total distance: 2 miles

Total time: 20:09

Most of my runs are going to have to be in the morning now that it’s getting dark earlier; I’ll have to crank out some long runs on the treadmill when I’m in Russia, however.  I’m a little nervous that I won’t be able (psychologically) to run 7 miles on a treadmill…. What are you tips for making it through a long treadmill session?

Lunch was pretty basic (and very green): the last of the spinach and rice soup and a crunchy salad (spinach, broccoli slaw, celery, roasted almonds; sesame oil/rice vinegar/sesame seed dressing).

My interview was at 3:30; when it was over I hopped right back onto the subway and headed home.  I had 1/3 of a Key Lime Pie Larabar on the ride back:

I found myself in one of the rare instances when I didn’t have anything to read on the subway… it was completely disorienting.  I always have a book with me (sometimes two!); I would have brought one to prom if it had fit in my clutch!  Ari calls me his word nerd.

When I got home, I went straight to the kitchen to unwind and get dinner started.  I’ve had my eye on Martha Stewart’s recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest (in the November 2009 issue) for quite some time… a little too much time, because the head of cauliflower I’d bought in anticipation a couple weeks ago had started to mold.  But have no fear! I just sliced off the offending areas. I’m frugal, what can I say?

While slicing onion, I remembered what one of my cooking teachers always said: always cut out the middle greenish part of an onion.  I can’t quite remember why that is; I think it has something to do with it not being fully developed yet and causing stomachaches.

I was eager to try out this pasta… Nature’s Place is Hannaford grocery store’s natural, minimally processed brand.  Fresh (not dried) pasta always tastes so much better to me.

Plus, they look like little nests! Two “nests” make one serving.

When the veggies finished roasting (perfectly crispy!), it was all I could do to keep myself from eating them all right off the baking sheet.  I’d already made quite a dent in the cauliflower while I was chopping it… if I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t have any ingredients left for dinner!

I tossed the roasted cauliflower with the pasta and added lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

When it comes to parsley and other fresh herbs, I’m of the “more is more” mindset.

Lest you think this was a dainty, “ladylike” portion…

I had enough fuel to run a marathon with this baby.  Come November 6, you just might find me eating it!

There wasn’t too much room in my tum for dessert, but in the words of Tim Gunn, I made it work.  Dried figs and prunes stuffed with dark chocolate chips are so good… and they just keep me going back for more.  They kind of look like frogs, right?  I seem to have successfully eaten nuts in some form or other for every meal and snack today.

I’m off to seal my day with a lunar flow practice and hope to be in bed by 10.  I’ll make it work.

Bonne nuit

Edited to add: Kristina from Stonyfield Farm wants me to let you all know about a fun “Greek” opportunity!

“When consumers buy our quarts instead of single-serving cups, they pay less for their yogurt, but we know that a quart is not as convenient as single-serving cups for on the go consumption,” says our President and CE-Yo Gary HIrshberg. “The reusable yogurt cup gives our quart buyers the convenience of the Stonyfield 6 oz cups by providing a way to create easily transportable single servings for anywhere, anytime.”

Yogurt lovers just have to buy four Stonyfield yogurt quarts through December, and mail in the foil lids (describing this offer), and they’ll receive the reusable, eight-ounce yogurt cup made by Preserve®. Made from 100% recycled plastic, the cup is perfect for yogurt-lovers on the go, the ideal size for breakfast or a snack, with room to stir in fruit or granola. It’s dishwasher safe, BPA-free with a screw-on lid – and it’s made in the US.

Consumers will also get  $4.50 worth of Stonyfield and Preserve coupons along with the cup.

Our recycling partner since 2000, Preserve uses innovative methods to turn used materials (including used Stonyfield yogurt cups) into stylish, useful household products like toothbrushes, colanders, cutting boards and tableware. Preserve products are 100% recycled and recyclable too.

Consumers can mail clean foil lids, with name, address and phone number on an index card or 4” x 6” sheet of paper by February 28, 2010 to:

Stonyfield Farm
Reusable Cup Offer
PO Box 4840
Manchester, NH 03108-4840

Cups will be shipped starting in January, 2010 with delivery in 10 to 12 weeks. This offer is good only in the US, while cup supplies last, and is limited to one cup per household (to better spread the love around).

So save those lids!

I swear I want to stop negativity in this blog. I hope this is the last one

The previous title I wrote was: The miserable happy moment because of this

After work, dinner and finally time to enjoy the happiest moment of my day: a nice bowl of ripped kabocha! As I take the picture, I thought: this is really a miserable life! Who else would consider this as the happiest moment of a day?

This year I realized two things: The source of happiness and unhappiness

• Happiness: being with the family. Just being with them brings me immense happiness, nothing is comparable to that.
• Unhappiness: compare to others. This is a double edge knife. Sometimes it makes me feel good about myself, other times it makes me feel anger and anxiety. But both times it makes me feel bad anyway because the fact of feeling something from comparing to others makes me despise myself. I need to change that, I try hard but still not getting there!

Q: What’s your source of happiness and unhappiness?

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After the glorious 8 hours sleep (despite the 3 hours long nap) I was ready for a yummy savory breakfast.

Poached egg + babybel (my first time trying it)

1/2 cup steamed broccoli + 1/2 cup cooked oats

mixed

End product! YUMMY~~~

tried another Kusmi TEA

sorry, it’s still not right… lack of flavor?

work companion: chocolates, ginger mints and tea!

Went to school and lunch with people from our program. Can you guess where my negativity came from?

Came home, back to work

opened another new bag of Lupicia tea: Ginger & Lemon Myrtle

paired with another honeycrisp and almonds. This flavor is my favorite so far (I still have 9-10 to try), so light but so intense in term of ginger flavor! I had two big pots!

Dinner was simple: sauteed bok choy with baby corns and Kimchi.

served with porridge.

Oh…. forgot to mention. Today is Star’s 33 birthday! I feel bad not celebrating with him. ALL because I’m doing this permanent head damage (Ph.D) thing!

Terribly sorry for this negative and boring post! I just needed to vent out!

Q1: How are you celebrating Thanksgiving?

Q2: What’s the best part of Thanksgiving?

I’m not celebrating but I’d love to hear from your happy moments in  this Thanksgiving!

This is listed under the kids’ section of Barefoot Contessa Families (p. 205), but the garlic, lemon zest, and pine nuts definitely jazz it up for an adult audience, too.

This is one of the most delicious recipes we have on hand here at
Cave Chow.  Thank the Chinese and whoever decided to invent broccoli
for this heart healthy, savory dish of natural food.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Double the amount of broccoli (2x more than chicken)
Crushed red pepper
Soy sauce
Olive oil

Optional VIP ingredient – asparagus

Splash your pan with olive oil and soy sauce (about half and half).
Cut the chicken breasts into 10 slices apiece.  Medium heat, turn and
burn as necessary.  When the outsides are cooked but you can sill see
some pink when you slice through the thicker pieces, dump the broccoli
(and asparagus if applicable) in.  Add additional OO ans SS as needed
if the chicken starts to stick (sometimes requires a good amount
more).  Continue to cook until all the pink is gone and the broccoli
doesn’t look raw anymore.  Eat your fill and bag the rest.

Cave Cook

is a cabbage.

They're all related.

The cabbage (brassica) family umbrellas over broccoli and cauliflower, which are heading cabbage.

Thanks for reading the first Quick Bite on Gluttonize!

On yesterday’s post was a good comment made by Jeff(or Jon or whatever name he used this time ) about the processed foods I eat, saying that aren’t I being a hypocrite with how I present myself? I say: No. I do eat processed food. And I love it. And I can, because the processed food I choose doesn’t conflict at all with my all-natural ingredient diet. A mint Newman-O is just as processed as a mint Oreo, but I’ll gladly chow down on the former whereas I won’t touch the latter. Of course, I completely expect some people to think this is absurd and not see a distinction, but I very much do and that is what shapes what I eat. I definitely think Jeff’s comment was a good one as it gave me the opportunity to share this all about me. And I was touched by how many of you replied in defence of this distinction I make It reminded me of how I have some of the best readers in the world. Oh, and while I’m publically responding to comments–Food Makes Fun Fuel is a blog written by a guy. Rare in blogworld, I know, but true.

That’s not to say I never eat raw foods, though, like this apple I grabbed before class:

Apple

Then again, this was pretty nasty and old and by the time I finished I wished I had something more processed. Thankfully, coffee washed it down and I picked up a new bar to try later that I’d been eyeing. In class we got yet another end-of-semester paper. If I didn’t use Google Tasks and Google Calender to keep track of things like this, I’d be very frightened right now. But I’m not. That apple, as bad as it was, held me over well through class and blog reading, to the point where I was making a lunch to eat in Greek History. It came in two parts.

Broccoli And 2 Eggs Scrambled With 2 Lightlife Sausage Links

2% Chobani With Raspberry Chocolate Jam

For the “main course” I scrambeled 2 eggs with the last 2 of my new, favorite processed not-meat and microwaved that until most of the liquid was set–so good! I loved the spicy sausage in the egg with a little salt. For “dessert”, I sweetened the 2% Chobani a little and topped it with jam; the 2% are really hard to find but they’re soo good. Full fats a bit too much, but plain’s a bit… plain :-/ This is a great compromise. This meal had over 40g of protein. I don’t really track that for the most part, but sometimes I like to check for kicks and giggles, and that impressed me.

Class 1 was dull. Class 2 was duller. I had to take the escalator with my teacher. She’s nice but that’s always a bit awkward. She also smokes everyday before class so that was a bit nauseating to be in close-quarters with. After class I wasn’t quite ready to go back to my dorm and finish up some work, so I didn’t

Blue State Coffee At The Book Store

I know I’m not alone in loving book stores and coffee on really rainy days. Last year, one of my classes was a good mile down Comm Ave in Boston from where I had been picked up normally, so on nasty weather days I just went to Barnes And Nobles and waited for a ride to come to me. I also got a message while I was moseying saying my dinner plans were not. Not ideal, but much better than learning this at 6. Eventually, I hobbled back to my dorm. I got a bit peckish and broke out that new bar I mentioned.

Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Odwalla

I like the idea of trail mix, but I don’t like how clumsy it is. I like bars. So I had good hopes for this. In the end, it was good, but didn’t blow me away; it reminded me of a Clif mountain mix Mojo, except with an oat base instead of soy protein, and a little less nuts. Since I get plenty of oats on a regular basis, I think I prefer the Mojo because of the protein. Otherwise, this was decent. Speaking of getting enough oats…

Pumpkin Oats With Vanilla Almond Butter And Vanilla Powder

I wasn’t feeling like anything extravagant, per say, so instead I kept it pretty vanilla. Vanilla, in my book, is quite tasty I think I listened to all my Bing Crosby Christmas songs at least once while catching up on television. I watched 2 episodes and I still have a good 10 left. I guess I slipped on that last week. I have to say I was a bit happy when dinner was called off; it was pouring last night and I was happy to be in PJ’s a bit early. It also let me have a go at this cornucopia:

Acorn Squash With Macarroni And Cheese With Tuna

Yum! It tasted as delicious as it looks. It’s amazing what you can make with canned tuna and a single serve mac n’ cheese packet. I had a lovely tofu dinner planned but this salty mess stole my mind and the show. The acorn squash was perfect steamed in the microwave in a bowl of shallow water for 5 minutes and let rest.

I loved Heroes last night for some reason. It totally dragged me back in to the season where it lost me. I think I’m a bigger fan of Claire’s story line at the time than anyone else’s. Afterwards I had a snack.

Peanut Butter Yogurt With Strawberry Jam And Chocolate Chips

I wasn’t sure if the strawberry, peanut butter, and chocolate chip would work in sync. What was I worried about? This was delicious. I just love the crunch of whole chocolate chips, and the strawberry was a nice sweetness to the sweet-but-not-too-sweet yogurt. Because I foresee questions on this, peanut butter yogurt is 6oz plain greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons Byrd Mill peanut flour(PB2 also works for this) and vanilla liquid stevia. It has a slightly nutty flavor and packs a protein punch. I think The Big Bang Theory was also great last night–what a good ball comedy. To the Jay Leno show, I finished the night with this.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Chocolate Chips, 3/4 Cup Silk Nog

I like to think I have some restraint around Silk Nog. Mighty Maple and chocolate chips, on the other hand… I need to remember to pack that today because it’s clearly one of my favorite nut butters and yet we don’t have one at home! Shame. While watching Leno, I came to the conclusion that, while Lady Gaga is fun to run to, she’s a scary scary person to watch perform. Not Adam Lambert scary, but still. Now I could definitely picture him opening for her.

This morning I hit the snooze twice and felt totally rejuvenated after my morning routine. Seriously, why didn’t I feel this good yesterday morning? I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I grabbed this bar knowing it would make my workout that much more amazing.

Amazing Grass Whole Food Energy Bar

It must have worked because my running felt so strong. Seriously, where was this energy yesterday? I planned for 10 miles, and ended up doing 13.1 in 1:51:02. I easily could have done the 15 I wanted except for time restraints; I can’t wait until next semester when, no matter which schedule I end up with, that won’t be an issue Monday, Wednesday, or Friday! Even more shockingly, I wasn’t feeling very “sweet” for breakfast. All I wanted was something spicy!

Oats With An Egg, Morningstar Breakfast Patty, And The Heat Is On PB

Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

I decided to do oats that Green Dog Wine would be proud of These set my mouth on fire with The Heat Is On. And the processed breakfast patty was the perfect protein touch to compliment it all Lol. I jest, because if you can’t make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of? The yogurt was more of a thing of convenience, as in, it’s convenient that I don’t have to take home 2 tubs of yogurt because I dumped what was left of them in there with some pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and liquid vanilla stevia.

I’m currently employing the throw-everything-on-the-bed method again for when I go home today!! Ok, that might be a tad more exciting if I didn’t have to go home this past weekend for the party, but still it’s pretty fun when it’s for 5 days. Later on I have a nut butter review to share with all of you  :-)

Broccoli soup

No introductions needed. Broccoli soups are awesome. Super healthy, nice velvet texture and so yummy! I know you can find about a million broccoli soup recipes on the  web. Loyal to the core principle of this blog, here’s the simplest, easiest yet super yummy version.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil or butter
• broccoli florets from a large head
• chicken broth (about 2-3 cups, enough to just about cover the broccoli, maybe less)
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk, or milk)

How to make: Saute the onion. Add broccoli. Add chicken broth. Boil for 20 minutes. Add salt & pepper. Puree with hand held blender . When you are ready to serve, add some heavy cream or milk. Give it a good stir and serve with nice multi-grain toasted bread.

Notes and tips: We like broccoli a lot so I almost always have fresh broccoli in the fridge. For the just in case occasion, I also keep a bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer.  For an even creamier texture you can mix 2 tablespoon flour in heated butter, blend with milk and add to the soup. About the chicken broth, well you know your choices, I’m not going to lecture you. Use what you have. I’ve used them all at different times: home made broth, broth in a can, concentrated stock.

This is not broccoli where I come from. This is Boris-weed, which you dry out and smoke in pipe in uncle’s slaughterhouse.  Boris-weed make me do strange things like take off clothes and roll around on slaughterhouse floor. And the squealing. That was me too.

Broccoli rabe? I don’t think this.

What to do with leftover turkey on Friday? Try this warm, creamy, cheesy broccoli soup. Perfect for leftover roast chicken or turkey.

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Shredded Chicken or Turkey

Yield: 10-12 Servings

2 Tbs butter
1 large bunch broccoli, chopped
or 2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups cream
1 can broccoli cheese soup
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1-2 Tbs fresh chopped oregano or ½ tsp. dried oregano
2 C cooked, diced chicken or turkey (or 2 cans chicken)
½ cup cheddar cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese (fresh grated)

Sauté broccoli, onion and garlic in butter (If using frozen broccoli, sauté onion and garlic first until tender; then add thawed broccoli). Add chicken broth and cook until broccoli is crisp/tender. Puree half of mixture in blender. Return to pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook until hot and thickened (about 15 minutes). Garnish with additional cheese, if desired.

_

Photo by Ashton Smith

Eat more, not less!

It always amazes me how a lot of people won’t eat certain foods. And I don’t mean they don’t like peas, or they’re cutting sugar out of their diet. I mean whole food groups. There are even people out there that LITERALLY DON’T LIKE CHEESE! Weirdoes.

I’m the opposite of most people. I love vegetables and I hate frozen pizzas and crap like that. But I know exactly what I adore and what I’m not keen on because I’ll try anything. A lot of people simply won’t.

It seems really weird to me that some people are unhappy with their weight or their skin, or complain that they have no energy, when all they have to do is change their diet slightly.

People really are mard-arses when it comes to food. What’s the worst that’s going to happen; your wickle sensitive taste-buds are going to taste something a teensy bit nasty? Oh you poor little thing.

You know what? Just because you didn’t used to like a certain food, that’s not necessarily the case for the rest of your life. You can try a new food, one that you don’t like the look of or haven’t eaten for twenty years, and discover that you like it.

If you feel like you really hate a particular food, it’s probably because last time you tried it:

It wasn’t cooked properly:

Perhaps it was undercooked or overcooked. Any food can be delicious if it’s cooked and served properly, and many foods are disgusting when over or under cooked. Overcooked vegetables that have been left to go cold are particularly revolting.

You had an immature palate:

Children’s taste buds are different to adults. Children instinctively spit out anything they find bitter. This is to protect them from poisons. Remember, the way your body functions comes from caveman times. Children are naturally attracted to sweet foods, because foods with natural sugars in are meant to be eaten. The plant puts the sugar in the food so that creatures will eat it and poop out the seeds.

Honey, which is just about the sweetest and most delicious substance in the natural world, is high-energy bee food. This shit is supposed to be eaten. As a cave-child you’re taking your chances with leaves, some of which may be very poisonous. So children’s palates are naturally inclined more towards sweet foods and away from anything that tastes bitter. Even if it doesn’t taste bitter to an adult.

If you’ve eaten, or worse still been forced to eat something as a child which you instinctively wanted to spit out, never touching it again is a natural reaction. But you’re not a kid any more. Recognise the emotional baggage for what it is and try again.

It was the wrong temperature:

If what should have been a crisp, steaming bright green floret of broccoli was a cold, sloppy slug-like blob on the side of your plate, it would have looked and tasted like a lump of snot. I don’t blame you for not eating it.

If you were forced to clear your plate then your cave-child self would have been freaking out. You would have been upset and resentful, and never want to eat that food again. I’m sure there are therapy groups in California for ‘food trauma’ and yes, I do feel for the child inside but you’re not seven any more, get over it.

Something grossed you out:

I used to like beans on toast as a kid. Then my little brother said something really gross about beans as I was eating them. I won’t inflict the same charming mental picture on fellow bean-lovers, but it was seriously gross. Upon seeing my reaction, he decided to open up his bean-filled mouth and chomp at me like the back end of a bin-lorry. He found it highly amusing for 30 seconds or so. I didn’t eat beans for nearly ten years after that. The feeling of disgust is there to protect you from bad food, poison and bacteria. It’s extremely effective, but can often be reversed in things that are genuinely not dirty or poisonous.

Someone told you it was gross:

My ex boyfriend was from one of those numpty families that mistrusts all foreigners on general principle. When they went on holiday they would insist on Proper Food, i.e. overcooked meat and potatoes. His Dad would not touch foreign food at all. He was particularly freaked out by sauces, which he referred to as ‘slop’.

His son, my boyfriend at the time was totally grossed out by my cooking! The sight of homemade soup, pasta sauce and curry made him almost retch. When I chopped carrots and chucked them into the soup-pot, he looked at me as though I were some kind of third-world savage. He wouldn’t even taste any of it. We lived together for six years, and he never once tasted any of my cooking.

He hadn’t grown up around home cooking, and was shocked when he realised that vegetables have a distinct smell when they are cooked. His extreme reactions were a direct result of his stupid, ignorant father and lazy cow of a Mother, who got their ideas about food from their own stupid, ignorant parents. The negative comments from his family were powerful enough to make him feel physically sick.

Looking on the bright side, if he continues to live on stuff from jars and packets, he’ll probably die of bowel cancer.*

*I’m not suggesting that I think people who don’t like sauce should get cancer. Just him.

If one of your parents detested peanut butter or the kids at school screamed and made silly noises when they smelled an egg sandwich, it’s going to put you off. It’s the caveman equivalent of saying ‘don’t eat the stripy caterpillars, they’re poisonous,”

If you haven’t eaten an egg sandwich since the girls in the first year screamed when they smelled one on a bus trip, think about it this way. Are you going to let some ignorant little snot-noses stand between you and perfect protein? No!

Sometimes it’s relatively simple to like a food you previously avoided. My fella Matt lived on microwave burgers, fry ups, ready made pizzas and other total shite when I first met him. He was totally gob smacked when he saw my trolley in the supermarket, full of fruit, veg, fish and brown rice. He eats like a horse and he’s always hungry. I was cooking all this strange stuff (fresh pasta, couscous, homemade curry, and pan-fried salmon) and he just tried everything. He put some broccoli in his mouth and discovered to his amazement that he liked the taste of it, because it wasn’t overcooked or cold.

Last reason – you’re just not much for it:

OK, maybe it just doesn’t set your taste buds on fire. Maybe you would genuinely prefer to chew on gravel than a handful of hazel nuts. If you really aren’t into certain, specific food e.g. sardines or pineapple, then it’s not going to kill you to ignore it the rest of your life. But at least give it a chance.

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had wonderful, relaxing days. I did, but it was also very productive. I got up a bit later than usual and got some organizing and homework done before breaking my fast.

Kashi Blueberry cereal + a banana

I spent the rest of the morning out running errands, which included a stop to buy NEW RUNNING SNEAKERS. Let me explain, I’ve had this on my to-do list for about four months. I’m not kidding.

I’ve been switching on and off between two pairs of old running sneakers; one pair since September of 2008 and another since April of this year. I know, basically a mortal sin for runners to have shoes that old. I was definitely due for a new pair.

Ta da! New, meet old. I had the guy at the checkout cut the tags off so I could wear them on my walk back.

These sneakers are very ambitious. Boston Marathon, what what?!?

I timed my errands perfectly, so that I finished up just in time to get to work at 1:30. I packed a lunch in advance of a turkey and hummus wrap, baby carrots, and a Nature’s Path granola bar.

I liked this bar, but it was a bit sticky to eat. And the “pumpkin” flavoring actually just meant about three pumpkin seeds on top. A bit of a disappointment in that sense, but hey, it was a freebie!

Dinner was some leftover pizza

and steamed broccoli.

Desset was swell as well.

Well, I’m off to bed now. Only two days of classes this week and then I’ll be home sweet home for Thanksgiving! Yay!

Watch this site for an upcoming post on using grow tunnels to protect your cool-weather-hardy veggies from freezing temperatures.  I’d be posting full details now, but I just got finished putting my tunnels on my broccoli and cabbage and now need to make dinner with what’s left of warm-season eggplant and tomatoes.  :)

This recipe is not much of a recipe, but it is tasty and makes a good make-ahead meal, or last minute throw-it together dinner. In our case, I made it ahead for dinner Friday night, but then we saved it for Saturday. We paired it with this happy salad, of spinach, sprouted mung beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and apple cider vinegar.

Chop 4-5 small potatoes and boil about 10 minutes until soft. Drain in a colander and set aside. Toast 1/3 cup of raw almonds in a dry pan, or in the oven. Set aside. Saute 5-6 garlic cloves in 1 TBL olive oil and 3 TBL lemon juice, add 1 TBL hot chili flakes. Add in one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. Stir in potatoes and 1 cup of broccoli. Add a little more lemon juice or water to the pan it if is too dry. Stir in almonds and season with salt and pepper.

I noticed that someone found this site after searching for organic controls for the little wormies that attack broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.  These little wormies are actually caterpillars, but I don’t care what they’ll turn into when they attack my veggies.  I begin by smooshing (yes, it’s a technical term, like wormies, buggies, and veggies) the caterpillars I can see.  Next, I apply an organic control.  Your best solution is to use Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly known as BT.  It is easiest to find in the form of Dipel Dust, but you need to check the Dipel Dust carefully to make sure that it is organic, as not all Dipel Dust carrying agents are.  BT will kill the bad bugs but only the bad bugs because it’s a  bacteria with limited impact.  I dust on BT with a food strainer that I use  exclusively in the garden.  Of course one of the great things about winter gardening is that if you wait a few weeks, frost will reduce your buggie, wormie problems.  Happy organic gardening!

Broccoli