Happy Meals

I don’t like to “waste” meals.

Yesterday I took a quick trip to Ikea. I hadn’t eaten properly, it was getting late (and I was getting cranky), so I decided to eat the swedish meatballs that everyone is always raving about. EW!!! Gross! I could’ve had a lobster roll at the Red Hook Lobster Pound or even the one at Fairway. A wasted meal! (And wasted Weight Watchers PointsPlus values, as well. Good thing I only ate 1/3 of it!) Ikea didn’t even have what I wanted. A wasted meal and a wasted car rental!

Fairway, coincidently, was kind of gross, too. I wonder if Fairway Red Hook isn’t on the same level as the uptown ones. Or if things just ain’t what they used to be... Let’s just say, it was like no other market I’d want to go to again. A wasted trip!

Negativity ends now. The rest of the night was lovely: hanging out with JustAwesome, eating some baked pasta (a la Jamie O), drinking some delicious Nebbiola D’Alba. Ahhhh!

What seems to work for me—in terms of all around happiness plus healthy weight loss—has been preparing two or so dishes on Sunday to have during the week (or freeze for the future). Thing is, they have to be really tasty, they have to excite me. Otherwise, I won’t eat them—I’ll start thinking about going to this new ramen place or that favorite hand-pulled noodle joint. Not the best choices.

Last night’s baked pasta, for example, will also be tomorrow’s lunch. Tonight’s Indian feast (red lentil daal soup with mustard seeds, masala curry with cauliflower, peas, mushrooms & carrots, and a lemony basmati rice) will also be tomorrow’s dinner and probably lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of the soup will be frozen for another time. A future delight. A happy meal.

Red lentil soup, masala curry with cauliflower, peas,

mushroom & carrots, and lemon basmati rice

I haven’t tried all 650 recipes in Madhur Jaffrey’s book but I want to. Really easy and super tasty!

And no wasted meals. I love this stuff!

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