We ended lecture around 11:30 for a 15 minute break before lab, so I barely had time to eat again! I didn’t get to the Fage, which is bad because it had been out of the fridge for 7.5 hours by the time I got home and I felt it was probably unsafe to put back in the fridge, so I tossed it 😥 But I had cherries , veggie sticks and a yummy sandwich .
Avocado , turkey , romaine , mustard , jalapeños on Rudi’s 7 Grain Flax bread :
But not having time to eat the Fage ended up being OK because it was meat tenderizing day, which meant stir-fry! The experiment was to determine which meat (pork, chicken, beef, tofu, imitation crab (?!)) yielded the juiciest stir-fry and how they impacted the color/flavor/texture of each dish.
My group was in charge of tofu, which tasted better than it looked! I promise!
I had a small taste of each of the other kinds (but didn’t taste the beef because I could see it was really tough). Clockwise starting at the 11: Crab, random broccoli, pork, tofu and chicken in the middle.
We also did a tenderizing experiment with broiled flank steak . We were in charge of using commercial meat tenderizer in contrast to using a tenderizing mallet, vinegar, pineapple and a control. I didn’t taste any of the steaks – not my style.
I also got in part of an assignment that was hanging over my head on campus, so that’s a good job done!
I’ve got 2 hours to study and then it’s back in the car for the night half. Hope Chem goes by quickly tonight.
Hil says
Lucky you, getting the tofu! I’ve never really cared for the way that meat tastes in stir-fry–it gets so dry. I pretty much always go with tofu or a mixture of shrimp and edamame.
Did you get the tofu to come out with much flavor? That’s my one issue with tofu…I can never get it to taste how I want unless I either marinade it ahead of time, cook it low and slow with flavorings, or cook it ahead of time and then let it sit and soak it its sauce before serving. Not great for fast dinners.
Yesterday, I tried out the pre-flavored tofu steaks, which worked pretty well, but weren’t as good as ones I’d marinated myself. Any ideas?
Allyson says
LOL…The sight of the steak on that plate reminds me of a scene from Napoleon Dynamite! 🙂
Justy2003 says
Oh no! You had to toss the Fage?! I think I woulda given it a try anyway 😉
tfh says
It can’t just be because I don’t eat meat…that sandwich with its peeking lettuce does look so much more appetizing than the steak/meats, right? Mmm…
magpie says
Oh no, I hate throwing out yogurt 🙁 But don’t want to get sick!
I actually think the tofu looks pretty appetizing – I’ve been making a lot of scrambled tofu this past week, and it’s great!
Hayley says
I think it actually all looks good! Well, except for the steak flank because I don’t eat red meat..
Kath, I’m curious to know what you (and anyone else?) think about Weight Watcher’s?
Bev says
To bad you had to throw the fage away. It is expensive. Maybe you could pack the container in a ice pack container.:)
Foodexplorer says
Heya Kath —
Quick q for you on your sandwiches… How much meat do you typically use?
Also, just wanted to say this blog is amazing. I can’t even imagine how much time you dedicate to it, in addition to leading the full, active and happy life you so dutifully share with us at least three times a day. If Food Network/Cooking Light/etc. have any sense at all, they’ll be knocking on your door v-e-r-y soon…
Clara says
I second Foodexplorer… you’re amazing Kath!
As well as Food Network/Cooking Light, I’d say maybe SELF, Women’s Health, Fitness, Shape… all of the mind, body and soul magazines!
Do you think you’d ever want to use your RD degree (when you get it) to be on staff at one of these health/lifestyle magazines? 🙂
Rachel says
Hayley, I did Weight Watchers for a year and lost 42 pounds. It’s an easy plan to follow, but I found myself eating way too many processed foods (sugar free, fat free, etc.) because they are low in points and I am a volume eater.
I am thinking about trying it again (after an 18 month break) now that I have trained myself to pass up processed foods for more whole grains and veggies.
Rachel says
And Kath, your sandwich looks fantastic.
jrf says
Hayley, you might want to look into the Weight Watchers Core Plan. It’s all about “real food” like Kath eats — whole grains, vegetables, fruit, non-fat dairy, lean meats — and minimal point counting. I found it to be a fantastic way to retrain myself how to eat, and lost 40 pounds in the process. They don’t push it at WW meetings because most of the leaders are not that familiar with how to do it right. But the web site offers a ton of info…I did it all online.
Kath says
Hil ,
It would have been much better if we’d marinated it, but I like the flavor of tofu plain so it’s not a huge issue for me as long as there’s a sauce to go along with it.
Hayley ,
I think WW is a great portion control plan. I personally think counting calories is a little easier, but for those who need to learn the difference between 100 calorie candy bar and 100 calories in sweet potato, it’s a great learning experience. I’m not too familiar with the Core Plan, but it sounds like a great branch of the program from what I’ve heard.
Foodexplorer ,
I usually just use 1 slice of deli meat, as I don’t really need more. But sometimes I do put on 2.
Thanks for your kind words about the blog!
Clara ,
You too! I would LOVE to do something in media with my degree. I hope to combine a private practice with free lance writing, recipe development, and anything else that might come my way 🙂
Kath
Kristen says
You don’t have to toss the yogurt. In fact, you might consider making your own yogurt sometime to further illustrate why it’s hard to make yogurt go bad. Yogurt making is super easy, it tastes like the culture you use, and if made in individual containers, it keeps for quite a while. You can use a machine like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DE4TY
though some just use a warm oven or a heating pad to incubate their yogurt.
So on to yogurt science. The cultures in yogurt acidify it, making it inhospitable to bad bacteria. At room temp, the culture can continue to multiply, making the yogurt more tart, but not spoiling it.
Anecdotally, I would keep yogurt for 3 days when I was living in Zimbabwe and had no access to refrigeration. I never got sick and the yogurt always tasted fine.