Noodling Around

Well, I was hoping to have some pictures of the lunch I had at Noodle & Company but my iTouch screwed me over by deleting the whole posting AND pictures.

That said, I will wing it.

The place in question is at 1555 Woodlands Mall right across from the Pinecroft shopping center.

It was quite active this Friday at mid-day so this was a good sign that I was in for a decent meal.

I ordered the Regular size Japanese Noodle bowl ($5.97) with extra shitake mushrooms ($1.00) and  grilled chicken breast ($2.99).

The service at the counter was polite and pleasant.  The speed in which I received my meal was fast.  This would be a good place for a speedy lunch.

The bowl itself was a mingling of seasoned, wok fried udon noodles in a sweet and spicy sesame sauce.  Interspersed in the bed of noodles were sizable buttons of broccoli and my mushrooms.  Carrots were present, but the thin strings they use only added a hit of color and very little flavor.  Perhaps a angled, bias cut would do for better flavor.

The best part of my meal were the fresh, clean bean sprouts topping the pile.  Each was cool, crisp and had a very pronounced snap when I bit through them.

The spiciness of the sauce worked well but I wanted more from the chicken bits that masqueraded as chicken pieces.  A slightly larger portion of the meat can be served at the $2.99 charge to add to my noodles.

I would buy this bowl again.

To wash it down, I had a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA ($2.99).  Not the best pairing, but on its own, a fine and balanced brew.  I should have tried the Sapporo Lager instead.

Maybe next time I will save the pics before I add them to the blog.

Ciao!

Darrell

No Junk June - The Aftermath

Well, the No Junk June has been put behind me and I have had a chance to reflect about what I learned.

What was it that I learned ... I learned that it is far easier to avoid fast food than I thought possible.
It is harder to eat healthy meals every meal of the day and have healthy snacks ... I never thought that I would get tired of a crisp Gala Apple, but I did.

I lost absolutely no weight during this month, but I did see my desire for crunchy, green veggies grow.

Was it worth the deprivation of fast food for the month ... you bet it was.

I tried new vegetables in new ways with different cooking methods.

I also know that I don't like some vegetables that I thought I might like.

I found several lettuce varieties that were, to me at least, downright noxious and not worth growing in my garden.  In fact, they get pulled up this week and tossed in the compost bin.  I do not like them Sam-I-Am.!

That being said, I am, however, going to eat more salads with ingredients that are rift with micronutrients and other amounts of necessary minerals that my body has been needing for years.  I might not be the ravenous beefeater that I thought all Texas Men needed to be, but I am getting a better, more sensible diet in this trade off of lifestyles.

Ciao!
Darrell

No Junk June Part 2 ... The Everflowing Salad

Week one flew by and then two ... salads have been the main meal for me during lunch.

I have been adding different things to them ... mushrooms, radishes, carrots, pineapple, plums, pears, apples, ground beef, sardines and various canned beans.

If variety is the spice of life, then this everflowing salad that changes almost every day should last me the month.

More to come.

Ciao!
Darrell

No Junk June Challenge - Part 1

Well, June is here and I am participating in our Company "No Junk June" challenge.

My goal is to go without fast food for a whole month.  This is not as easy as I had thought given the subject of what I like to write about ... and that something is food.  Well, maybe not fast food, but food that is not the best type for me to eat.  Needless to say, we do eat our fair share of fast food in my house.

With our busy schedule, we don't have a whole lot of time to make a meal and dine at the table.  Nope, ours is a household of "we gotta get Quesadilla Girl to after school sports and pick up Burger Boy from his friend's house" about 4 days out of the week.

Apparently, this is a LOT of folks routine when school is session.

This leaves me to really focus on the two meals that I can control ... Breakfast and Lunch.

I am trying my best to make them good meals.

Today it was breakfast tacos from Murphys and a very large salad with garbanzo beans.  Protein, dairy and roughage.  Mmmmm ... this week is starting off with a bang.  I am serious about that, I love fresh veggies and salads ... especially when I can grow some of the fixins in my own backyard.

My dinner will just have to wait this week until school ends and the Missus can start prepping up the meals that I can cook when I drag in after a day of work.  Then we can focus on those.

So, I open my email and there it is ... the Excel Spreadsheet declaring that I am officially in No Junk June for the duration.  Oh joy.

I open it.  Oh joy.

There in front of my eyes is an actual tracker spreadsheet that has NO controls over it!!!  OH JOY!

Pencil whip, Here I COME ... or do I.

I need to take a step back here and think for a second about what I am doing.

As someone that struggles with eating healthy, this will come as a boon to me in making better choices for myself and my soon to be very unhappy and ungrateful family.

Personally, I look forward to a better diet.  Hopefully this challenge can get me part of the way there.

I'll keep all of you posted.

Ciao!
Darrell