Caroline Dines

We awoke this morning to find that winter was about to hit Boston hard. A huge storm was making its way up the east coast and was predicted to hit us by 9 p.m. tonight. We are slated to get anywhere from 7-15 inches of snow over the course of the storm which should end mid-day tomorrow.You can imagine the excitement/panic that was going through my mind. On the one hand I am so excited to be getting snow in Boston but since it is the last weekend before Christmas and we have LOTS to do still, there was no time to be wasted! I made us each some cinnamon sugar toast which I drank with a mug of candy cane green tea. This breakfast reminded me of being a kid, every now and then you need that! Also, we didn’t have ANYTHING else in the house so toast was it!

After finalizing our list, we set out to the stores. The malls were crazy of course but we managed to get some things accomplished. The first thing on our list was eating lunch out! I wanted to get a few things “in the bag” first but Darin was hungry and I was easily talked into starting our trip off with a meal. We stopped by Chili Duck on Boylston Street which we had both been to before, but not in a long time. It was a very spur of the moment decision but I was quite pleased with the way it turned out. Chili Duck is located in the basement and so has no windows but ends up feeling rather spacious and cozy due to the decor and mirrors on one side of the wall. I was so bummed when I realized that I forgot my memory card inside my computer at home! I had to rely on my iphone which isn’t as high quality but got the job done I guess.

While looking around, I caught sight of a “specials” board which was advertising “Jungle Curry: A healthy curry made without Coconut Milk”. I was immediately intrigued and knew that I had found a healthy alternative to my typical noodle dish or heavy curry concoction. I was not disappointed with my meal when it came out, in fact I was overwhelmed when they lit the whole thing on fire! It was quite exciting and just added to the enjoyment of it all.

The curry flavor was not very strong since I asked for it to be mildly spiced. Basically the dish was a light broth with strips of chicken, bamboo shoots, peppers, basil, ginger, and other veggies. I ate mine over rice. It ended up turning into more of a soup than anything but I was happy I opted for something light and healthy. I left the restaurant feeling vibrant rather than like I wanted to take a nap!

After we were all “fueled up” we hit the Prudential and Copley Malls. We split up for awhile since Darin had shopping to do for yours truly. Since I was all done with my shopping I browsed and people watched. It didn’t take him all that long (he must have had a plan!) and before I knew it we were walking back home. Since it had warmed up a bit, we opted to walk rather than taking the train. Later on this evening we poured ourselves some wine (with ice, it was warm!).

And had some crackers and cheese. These are the TJ’s Triscuit variety (reduced guilt) and they are delicious with a slice of light havarti.

Since lunch was really dinner and the food is sparse around here, I decided to make myself a little hot dog n’ beans dish. Baked beans are one of my favorite foods that I don’t eat that much anymore because of all the sugar. I treated myself tonight though…oh I am so wild, eating baked beans and hot dogs!

The hot dogs I used were the following:

Just a dollop of mustard on each “dog bite”.

By the way, it would be wrong of me not to mention the fun night out I had with Meg C. We ended up going to The Border Cafe in Harvard Square (Veggie Planet will happen at some point but last night it was just too crowded!). We enjoyed drinks and…

…salsa and chips hot from the oven!

I had a great time talking with her about everything under the sun. It’s so fun when you find someone that you really click with! I can’t wait for our next outing and hope to include Kristine from Purple Pinky Toes and Meg’s sister Anna from Blue Plate Special who will be home from Kenya!

This morning I woke up craving something sweet. This rarely happens (usually my sweet cravings only kick in after 8 p.m.!) so I decided to go with it and fixed myself a mug of hot chocolate. For a pepperminty twist I hung a mini candy cane on the rim which added just a hint of flavor while it dissolved in the hot, creamy beverage.

I simply couldn’t do the cereal this morning but wanted something “carby” and was delighted when I remembered that I had some “When Pigs Fly” Low Carb bread in the freezer. One small piece toasted with a smear of Kate’s Homemade Butter was the perfect accompaniment to a serving of Honey flavored Oikos yogurt.

I have been having the SAME routine for days now and it’s starting to get boring, thank goodness Christmas break is just around the corner. I need to mix things up a bit! After my yoga class I was starving and came home to a warm bowl of Tomato Soup. This is the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup from TJ’s to be exact. I had the Low Sodium version for some reason and ended up adding salt! Whoops. I also added some cheddar cheese chunks for the oooey goooey goodness!

Since it’s almost Christmas, I wanted to share with you a few of my “holiday decorations” that have been keeping me company during the day. These little guys always put a smile on my face when I look at them sitting quietly on the book shelf. The big snowman was a present from Darin about 6 years ago, the little snowman was given to me by my Mom around the same era, and the reindeer I won in a Yankee Swap this year! They keep each other company.

I also wanted to highlight a few of my ornaments that MAY be of interest to you healthy food bloggers out there. First off the infamous Pickle Ornament. My Dad gave me this since pickles are really his thing and we always had one on our tree growing up.

I think this little Red Raspberry ornament is pretty old, I am almost certain it was my Mom’s as a child. Either way it reminds me of berry season which can’t come soon enough!

What foodie tree would be complete without a gigantic cupcake? Darin’s sister found this ornament two Christmases ago and knew that it would be right up my ally, she was right, I LOVE this ornament.

She also bought me this one which was picked out carefully as well since we completed a Tri-Athalon together a few years back and were both quite proud of our accomplishment!

And the last ornament I will highlight for you all is a special one because it was made for Darin and me by my mom the first year we lived together. This was on our first tree and I hope it will be for many more to come.

Alright, enough personal stuff, back to the food! For an afternoon snack I literally ripped into this red grapefruit. Such a mess but so delicious.

It was a good thing I had such a filling snack because dinner was being prepared for the house tonight by the Emergency Room Fellows at Children’s Hospital and I was not in control of when we got to eat! I was so hungry by the time everything was done! Check out the spread!

They did a fabulous job and I made sure they knew how much I appreciated all the healthy options. I mean look at this plate! They had spinach balls, lentil stew, turkey chili, salad, grilled chicken, and baked ziti.  Sorry the picture isn’t high quality, I had to snap it on the run since I didn’t want to draw attention to my food blogging ways with such a crowd.

Good thing I saved some room for dessert because there was NO way that one of these was going to get by me. This is a Gingerbread Cupcake with a half a gingerbread man sticking out the top (incase you couldn’t tell!). The frosting was H-E-A-V-E-N and the cake wasn’t bad either! YUMMMM. I love my job.

I am trying my hardest to be better about my posting but my computer has been acting up (not much memory left after all the pics I have been uploading) and I think I need to replace it or do something to fix it fast. Having to wait until I get into work to post isn’t ideal.  Breakfast was eaten quickly because I was running late. What better to eat on the run then toast with barney butter and apple butter. Yum.

My first stop of the day was the Farm. Today was Volunteer Appreciation day and I was so glad that I was able to make it, even if it was for a short time. It was nice to have a bit of closure and celebrate a great growing season with my fellow volunteers. They had apple cider, apple pie, and sour cream coffee cake for us to enjoy. I had a small glass of apple cider (served in a mason jar. love this.) and a small piece of coffee cake.

It was a gorgeous day for this small outdoor gathering. The table here displays the yummy eats as well as the honey, raspberry jam, and hot sauce (all made by the Farm Managers using Farm ingredients). Each of the volunteers were able to choose one of the jars to go home with. I chose the hot sauce because I was intrigued listening to Farmer Matt talk about the process he went through to make it. He said that for days after wards his hands still burned, that’s how hot this stuff is!

After the Farm I rushed to the bus stop. I caught one bus and one train and then walked the 10 or so blocks to the Corner shop. My shift went great despite being frazzled at the beginning. I was impressed with the new packaging we have for our chocolate chip cookies (one of the biggest sellers).

While I didn’t have any of the cookies I did have two samples of the soup. I feel it is my duty to try them for two reasons: to make sure they are hot enough, and to give customers an honest opinion on the taste. The first was the Curried Pumpkin. Hands down this is one of the best soups I have had in awhile. I have to recreate this somehow.

The other soup on offer was the Minestrone which had chunks of turkey sausage and tons of white kidney beans in it. Yum. Hearty and rich but still brothy which I liked. Sadly my camera ate the picture. I also had a big cup of tea. They have the best tea here, MEM tea. I tried this variety today and added a splash of soy milk.

I also ate an apple (that I picked up at the Farm earlier) while I worked and I hate to say it but I gave in to a few samples.

Today was the passion cupcake which has the most heavenly frosting and is topped with coconut. It doesn’t look all that pretty in this picture since it was the last piece on the sample tray, but boy did it taste good!

After my shift I rushed home as quickly as possible to be sure I had time for a nice long run. I ate a slice of cheese and a piece of turkey bologna wrapped up before I set out (sorry no picture). The weather was perfect and I was totally “feeling it”. I ran for about 5 miles, mostly along the Charles River. I came home to ice and stretch my piriformis muscle I am determined to beat this injury and have a big run planned for Sunday with Meg so I need to step it up a notch! Tonight is our third “Recipe Night” at the house and we were lucky enough to have a family staying here all the way from Iceland who offered to cook a traditional Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup). While the recipe is fairly simple (lamb, carrots, potatoes, onion etc) the secret ingredient as with most foreign dishes is the spice mixture which she brought with her from Iceland. I was able to score a tupperware container for my freezer so I will be eating it again but I wish that I had access to the special herb mix that she used so I could recreate it on my own.

The dessert was unlike anything I have had before. The mother called it a cheesecake but this was not like a typical “american” style cheesecake which is so rich and dense you can hardly get through one bite. This was light, airy and refreshing. She made the crust using digestive biscuits (whole wheat she told me) and layered it with cream cheese that had been whipped with the smallest amount of confectioner’s sugar. Then it was topped with milk chocolate that had been mixed with sour cream. This sour cream in particular.

Finally fresh strawberries and blueberries were sprinkled over the entire “cake” and then a dollop of homemade whipped cream (just heavy whipping cream and a splash of special Icelandic vanilla). I had told myself that I wasn’t going to over do it in the dessert department tonight and even though I had a good portion of this I feel perfectly content right now and don’t have that awful sugar high that I usually have after birthday cake or cookies. I am going to get the recipe for this for sure.