Cafe Asia in Rosslyn

Life has become increasingly hectic lately.  I feel like I've been moving belongings for months since the office move just finished and I'm preparing to move apartments now.  Weekends mean sorting and packing up my belongings now that the apartment search is finally over.  Today I was able to catch up with one of my favorite people for lunch near my apartment in between boxing up kitchen things and clothing.

 Lemongrass chicken soup with vermicelli noodles.

 A good friend is one who not only waits for me to take a quick photo of the dish, but also does a noodle pose for me. (^o^)

Curry Laksa with shrimp and fried tofu puffs with egg noodles.  It's not as spicy and flavorful as the version at Malaysia Kopitiam, but it's a nice bowl that helped make the rainy gray day a little warmer.

Honeypig Annandale

I loved Honeypig for many reasons, but never for its service.  For a brief period, it felt like the waitresses were trying a bit harder with the non-Korean speaking clientele.  For the last few visits, there have been more non-Asians dining there, and the service has been returning to the semi-uninterested state from two years ago.  Sigh.

 My boyfriend loves the galbi.  It's a pricier option at $24.99 per order but we were planning to cook spicy pork belly at home soon.

 Grilling the jalapeno slices and garlic on the pan adds nice flavor.

 The waitress came by to turn the meat.

 She returned to use her cooking scissors to cut the meat off the bone.

 Delicious soon dubu with seafood.

Mandu.

Let Him Eat Carbs

Despite my best intentions, my boyfriend does not seem to be ready for a world without complex carbohydrates.  He had a business lunch where the buffet was too tempting and he went wild like a kid in a candy store.  He sounded so bashful when he admitted he had a piece of pita bread with some hummus.  Aww.  My man cannot survive on salads and small portions alone.  Time to dial back the diet.  On a positive note, he said he's feeling ready to start working out again.  I don't think that diets should feel like deprevation.  A mixture of healthy foods and moderate exercise will get him farther towards his goal than a strict diet alone. 

 Arugula, tomatoes, yellow peppers, kalamata olives on 1/2 portion of buckwheat soba with a small piece of roasted cod.  Buckwheat is gluten-free and a slow-releasing carbohydrate, and a nice addition to the salad and fish.

Side of boiled dumplings with soy sauce and rayu, a chili-infused sesame oil.

Semi-South Beach

I've been researching different diets this week.  I like to experiment with foods that make me feel more energetic and reduce those that put me into a salt-coma or carb-overload.  I'm shaking up our diet right now, finding a better balance of foods to fuel our bodies with portion size playing a role.  After looking at a variety of diets, I think the South Beach-style fits us the best.  We're experimenting with a two-week curb on refined white carbohydrates, deep-fried things, high-fat proteins and high glycemic foods to jumpstart his return to exercising.  Instead of focusing on what we're eliminating, I'm trying to emphasize how wonderful vibrant vegetables and lean proteins can make you feel.

 Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and arugula in champagne vinaigrette.

Roasted cod topped with the vegetable mixture with roasted brussel sprouts. 

***

Serving a lean protein with vegetables on 3/4ths of the plate is my goal.  I've reduced our plate size to the salad plate too.  Instead of family-style bowls on the table, I now plate the food in the kitchen.  After the initial two weeks I'll begin incorporating rice, pasta, whole grain bread and fruits too. This is a challenge for my boyfriend since he attends many lectures where free platters of croissants, bagels, danish and muffins are de rigueur.  It's not the end of the world if he succumbs to their allure, but I hope that after this experiment he sees how the initial sugary deliciousness is followed by a post-sugar crash.  Ultimately this is about eating better, feeling better and making healthier decisions.

Miso Soup for Breakfast

We're trying to curb the toasted bagel at the office breakfast.  One toasted bagel with cream cheese can ring in at 436 calories, and buttered bagels are around 495.  Eeek! Trying to fit in breakfast at home is going to be a necessary challenge.  It's tough to get up early when it's still dark and cold outside, so I made the soup last night.  This helped make reheating our breakfast miso soup much easier this morning.

Onions, carrots, tofu, mushrooms and miso paste.  Around 40 calories, the soup is much lower in fat and calories but the sodium content is pretty high. I think I can do better, but I'll have to see how my boyfriend felt.

Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Since we bought a lot of fresh vegetables this week, I wanted to incorporate some in a light but warming soup.  This soup was also super fast to put together after hitting the gym after work.  I chose a small soup bowl for myself, and an even smaller soup bowl for my boyfriend.

Chicken broth with oregano, green beans, carrots, onion, cabbage, arugula, tomato, mushroom and fresh pesto tortellini. 

In an attempt at moderation, I divide the tortellini into 2 soup bowls and 3 small storage containers.  The packaging said it contained 2-3 servings.  Maybe I'm a glutton, but I have definitely eaten a whole package with sauce by myself.

Nicoise Salad

My week of healthier meal planning continues.  Last night's dinner was a riff on the nicoise salad.  My boyfriend was working late, so I had plenty of time to put everything together. Perhaps too much time as I ended up making massive salads with enough for our lunches as well. 

 Arugula, Persian cucumbers, yellow bell pepper, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs and cooked grean beans.

 Added some roasted yukon potatoes to the plate with a dijon vinaigrette.

Pan-seared tuna steaks. 

I chose a salad plate to help create the illusion of a full plate.  However, I overloaded the plate with the vegetables so the tuna was on another plate, defeating the purpose.  I need to do a better job with portion sizes for us.  Even though the majority of the meal was vegetables, I piled on too many ingredients.  We would have been better off sharing one of the salads I made instead of having one each.  Learning some new lessons as we try out new things.