Random tips and reports
Sep. 2nd, 2007 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
neadodsDamnit, I completely forgot about the BBC America Doctor Who marathon! (Yes, I can watch the whole series without commercials via DVD. But still. I wanted to see the Torchwood tidbits.)
Sunday 7
I didn't post a Sunday 7 last week because I didn't do a Sunday 7 last week. This was supposed to be the point where I type "and in penance I did a first-level purge of my entire bedroom" but I haven't done *that* either and don't really plan to. I have, however, started a clothing box for Goodwill and am making a point of getting at least 14 items into it. It's late enough in the season that I have a very good grasp of what I wear, what I don't, and what isn't worth the bother of ironing.
The AmEx Points Poll
Okay, y'all talked me out of the combo TV. The winner of the poll is pretty much what I think I'm going to do. The ipod Nano is already ordered; when it arrives, it will be loaded with the exercise mixes and put on "shuffle" mostly. So at least it will be getting almost daily use.
I also noticed, as I looked around for accessories, that I could put in points for wireless headphones, so I did. iPod earbuds hurt my ears, and the TV in front of the treadmill can't get loud enough to overcome the noise of treadmill and dehumidifier. So the headphones will let me listen without putting the sound up *or* dealing with earbuds.
This leaves enough points to get the Amtrak voucher, plus a play ticket via Ticketmaster, *plus* a $25 AmEx gift card (I found a menu online and did the math; the base price of my favorite meal from Da Rosina is $24.70.) So I'm thinking of an early December day trip to look at windows and see The Drowsy Chaperone, which should still be playing. The only cash I'd need is the $40ish to make up the difference between voucher and Amtrak ticket w/AAA discount, tax and tip for the restaurant, and a little bit spare in case I see something shiny in a street market. About $100 in all, probably... less if I pay for the Amtrak ticket with the voucher *and* a $50 AmEx gift card if I have enough points for that as well.
An AmEx-sponsored trip to NYC may become an annual tradition!
The Mathematics of Salad Bars
The Post is raving this morning about a book called Rich and Thin: How to Slim Down, Shrink Debt, and Turn Calories Into Cash. The idea is that we save too little and eat too much in America, and how much money (and calories) you can save if you stop doing certain things. I'm interested in the concept but usually find these books to be a waste of money, in that they tell me to stop doing things I'm not doing in the first place. I don't drink soda. I don't buy juice or coffee daily. Etc.
On the other hand, there is one unexpected place you can save a little $$, and that's salad bars. But you have to do it *right.* Salad bars average out the price of the food offered, so that you pay too much for anything weighty... but you pay very little for light, leafy things. I've stopped paying $3 or more for big bags of spring greens when I can pick up two meals' worth of baby spinach and lettuce and maybe a little shredded cabbage for 25 cents.
Balancing the Bentos
It looked really good on paper, and even in the box, to have a half sandwich and a salad (since I had to use up all those spring greens.) But I got too hungry too fast. I'm doing much better by having added roasted or steamed potatoes, and replacing the green salads with mixed ones. Better enough that I don't have to have a "plus" with my 3-cup bentos in order to stay full for the whole day.
For instance, instead of this salad:
mixed spring greens
slivered almonds
craisins
maybe roasted asparagus
assorted dressings
This week I'm going to make this salad:
1 chicken breast, steamed and cubed
1 bundle of asparagus, chopped into thirds and roasted until crispy
1 handful of baby spinach, lightly chopped
1/2 cup cooked tortellini or steamed, cubed redskin potatoes (haven't made up my mind)
pine nuts
craisins
corn, maybe corn-and-peas
and serve it sometimes with soy/ginger dressing and one day with a caesar for a change.
Now, pair that with a vegetable soup - I've got tomato or butternut squash for different colors - and some crackers and soft cheese and some candy,* and you've got yourself not just a fairly healthy meal, but a much more filling one than green salad, 1/2 sandwich, grapes, and some chocolate. And if I go the potato route, I'll have 4 veggies in that one meal alone (asparagus, spinach, potatoes, and whatever the soup is.)
*So far, I'm finding good bento desserts are: mini 3 Musketeers bars (they fit very nicely in tiny corners and are wrapped), a couple notches off a dark chocolate Toberlone, or 3-4 pieces of mixed chocolates. Yeah, I can excuse chocolate pudding on the basis of calcium intake, but I'm eating so much cheese that that's not really nutritionally necessary. So I'm going to save puddings for special occasions. The harder chocolate has the virtue of being freezeable.
Sunday 7
I didn't post a Sunday 7 last week because I didn't do a Sunday 7 last week. This was supposed to be the point where I type "and in penance I did a first-level purge of my entire bedroom" but I haven't done *that* either and don't really plan to. I have, however, started a clothing box for Goodwill and am making a point of getting at least 14 items into it. It's late enough in the season that I have a very good grasp of what I wear, what I don't, and what isn't worth the bother of ironing.
The AmEx Points Poll
Okay, y'all talked me out of the combo TV. The winner of the poll is pretty much what I think I'm going to do. The ipod Nano is already ordered; when it arrives, it will be loaded with the exercise mixes and put on "shuffle" mostly. So at least it will be getting almost daily use.
I also noticed, as I looked around for accessories, that I could put in points for wireless headphones, so I did. iPod earbuds hurt my ears, and the TV in front of the treadmill can't get loud enough to overcome the noise of treadmill and dehumidifier. So the headphones will let me listen without putting the sound up *or* dealing with earbuds.
This leaves enough points to get the Amtrak voucher, plus a play ticket via Ticketmaster, *plus* a $25 AmEx gift card (I found a menu online and did the math; the base price of my favorite meal from Da Rosina is $24.70.) So I'm thinking of an early December day trip to look at windows and see The Drowsy Chaperone, which should still be playing. The only cash I'd need is the $40ish to make up the difference between voucher and Amtrak ticket w/AAA discount, tax and tip for the restaurant, and a little bit spare in case I see something shiny in a street market. About $100 in all, probably... less if I pay for the Amtrak ticket with the voucher *and* a $50 AmEx gift card if I have enough points for that as well.
An AmEx-sponsored trip to NYC may become an annual tradition!
The Mathematics of Salad Bars
The Post is raving this morning about a book called Rich and Thin: How to Slim Down, Shrink Debt, and Turn Calories Into Cash. The idea is that we save too little and eat too much in America, and how much money (and calories) you can save if you stop doing certain things. I'm interested in the concept but usually find these books to be a waste of money, in that they tell me to stop doing things I'm not doing in the first place. I don't drink soda. I don't buy juice or coffee daily. Etc.
On the other hand, there is one unexpected place you can save a little $$, and that's salad bars. But you have to do it *right.* Salad bars average out the price of the food offered, so that you pay too much for anything weighty... but you pay very little for light, leafy things. I've stopped paying $3 or more for big bags of spring greens when I can pick up two meals' worth of baby spinach and lettuce and maybe a little shredded cabbage for 25 cents.
Balancing the Bentos
It looked really good on paper, and even in the box, to have a half sandwich and a salad (since I had to use up all those spring greens.) But I got too hungry too fast. I'm doing much better by having added roasted or steamed potatoes, and replacing the green salads with mixed ones. Better enough that I don't have to have a "plus" with my 3-cup bentos in order to stay full for the whole day.
For instance, instead of this salad:
mixed spring greens
slivered almonds
craisins
maybe roasted asparagus
assorted dressings
This week I'm going to make this salad:
1 chicken breast, steamed and cubed
1 bundle of asparagus, chopped into thirds and roasted until crispy
1 handful of baby spinach, lightly chopped
1/2 cup cooked tortellini or steamed, cubed redskin potatoes (haven't made up my mind)
pine nuts
craisins
corn, maybe corn-and-peas
and serve it sometimes with soy/ginger dressing and one day with a caesar for a change.
Now, pair that with a vegetable soup - I've got tomato or butternut squash for different colors - and some crackers and soft cheese and some candy,* and you've got yourself not just a fairly healthy meal, but a much more filling one than green salad, 1/2 sandwich, grapes, and some chocolate. And if I go the potato route, I'll have 4 veggies in that one meal alone (asparagus, spinach, potatoes, and whatever the soup is.)
*So far, I'm finding good bento desserts are: mini 3 Musketeers bars (they fit very nicely in tiny corners and are wrapped), a couple notches off a dark chocolate Toberlone, or 3-4 pieces of mixed chocolates. Yeah, I can excuse chocolate pudding on the basis of calcium intake, but I'm eating so much cheese that that's not really nutritionally necessary. So I'm going to save puddings for special occasions. The harder chocolate has the virtue of being freezeable.
