h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My back is almost back to normal I think so pain free, and moving this oughta make working out at the gym a little easier on the system having said which, did a rather good session yesterday... 15 minutes on the ski machine/cross trainer, hands-free, and intervals then did a couple hundred abdominal crunchs, and as the weight room was packed, remained in the cardio room, where they have a bit of weight stuff, and so did lat pull downs and seated rowing, on that machine, about 120 reps of each with breaks inbetween sets, during which I did situps on the bench I was on for the machine

Went out last night to the pub which was a good night a bit busier out than it had been of late last night

In otter news, the police raid is still keeping this area, wildly err... not like this area. - there are normal people on the street, normal traffic, and just no scum in the street all day and night, and no over-powered cars and motor bikes, doing what drug-dealers use such things for, all night long

went into town today, got a couple kilograms fresh chicken breasts, 1 KG of which I baked in the oven early afternoon, and the other Kilo, sitting in the fridge, to be used during the week, for evening meals.
Also went into Lush, and bought bathing essentials, err, maybe a week or two's worth

breakfast was two hardboiled eggs on wholemeal bread, with added salt to boost my sodium levels a bit.
Lunch was one of the chicken breasts I'd baked, half for me half for W, with lettuce and diced red bell pepper, with some grated cheddar on top

Dinner was baked/roast cauliflower, oven-roasted 'chips', or wedges, done in sunflower oil, with a ton of paprika cooked slowely so they caramelise a bit, and with that we had some rainbow trout, grilled

did something slightly different with the cauliflower, rather than just the sunflower oil, and black pepper, used some ground cinnamon on it, and. oh... gorgeous

miles under calories for the day, and we got about an hour or so walking earlier, into and out of town...

Sun was nice this afternoon, whilst it lasted

Just had a long, one hour bath... a Lush candy (I think it is), bubble bar, and some Body shop rose bath oil, plus a good dose of the magnesium salts coconut shampoo and conditioner as per

in otter news, still wearing in my new ankle boots, which I finally had to buy online, as there aren't any shops selling things left in this town anymore (well none that will sell me a decent enough to wear pair of leather ankle boots). . the new boots are a bit tight over the toe area, although they're a size 42, the same as my trainers, and leopard print boots... (approx. a size 8 UK I think) the new boots have about a 2" heel, block mind, but bigger than I useually get, and took a little while to get the hang of walking down the collapsing pavements locally, in them - talking of pavements, got a missive through the mailbox, seems the local council are applying to central gov, for moneys to repair the pavements, as local gov is skint

Gym in the morning, then up early Tuesday to await the arrival (late) of the next (now bigger) batch of growth hormone injection pens... this batch is 84 pens, rather than the useual 28, so at least we'll only get the two week long arguments between us, surgery and the drug delivery firm, once every three months; hoping now this means we can actually plan ahead a bit, and maybe go for a break, somewhere, as whilst the prescription was only 28 days worth, we were effectively unable to leave the city with any prior notice as it was a constant battle to figure out which party was lieing and being incompetent on any month
I've one pen left, to inject tonight, so will have to miss a dose tomorrow night... not sure how badly that will affect me, its the only medication I'm on that made any noticible, positive improvement to my health ...

That cauliflower was gorgeous mind, so was the paprika potato wedges/chips and the rainbow trout

Sounds mouth watering.

Getting by on alternating roast beef sandwiches and fish burritos with a fresh chili salsa at the moment and an occasional deluxe omelette.

Omelette! wow... just not had an omelette in forever I feel I may have to rectify this absence

breakfast today was porridge, with flaked almonds, then off to the gym
15 minutes intervals on the cross trainer...
300 abdominal crunches, half at 28 KG and half at 38 KG
Then did about 40 minutes weights, on the barbell, squats, shoulder shrugs, upright rowing, curls, reverse grip curls, press, etc

Lunch was the last four portions of pita dough I made, which I'd left out to warm, whilst at the gym, rolled into pita bread, roasted/baked sliced onions on a tray, and threw on the already roast, chicken breast, cut into strips to warm that through made a small salad of lettuce, red pepper and cucumber, to go with it, and had plain yoghurt, and long pickled chilis with it 2 pitas each, and about 100 G of the chicken each (well each breast is approx. 200 G)

Dinner tonight, was chicken and mushroom pilaf with cinnamon, cumin, fennel seed, and mustard seed, plus black pepper and some oragino...
Oh, and had some more of the Curdistan pickled veg with it... they are truly curious things... can't identify most of the veg in it

up early tomorrow, as W has an appointment at hospital, and I'll need to be up to await the arrival of the growth hormone, plus I'll have to get up whilst W is here, so he can sort out the liquid levothyroxine for my morning dose of that

Didn't really do anything much today, cept cooking and the gym May pop to the pub tomorrow night, and then may go to a Lesbian disco on Friday Probably gym thurs and Fri and then on Sunday

Basic fresh salsa recipe, 1 globe red onion, for color and body, one green, one red and one yellow sweet bell peppers, one large globe tomato, bunch of cilantro, bunch of green onions.

Finely mince cilantro with scissors, cut green onions to 1/8 to 1/4 inch lengths, dice other ingredients, mix, season to taste with finely minced fresh hot chili peppers.

If its to be served fresh, no further dressing is required.

If its to be refrigerated any length of time, a minimum of vinegar and oil dressing seasoned with cumin seed or tarragon or dill seed etc. helps prevent wilting and oxidation.

To be served as fresh sauce for other dishes or taken as a salad.

thanks! not something I've made before, myself... Guess I wil, as summer looms nearer and we start moving from stews etc., to salad and similar no gym today, so have been doing some core exercises, mainly on the exercise ball, at home, and more stretches to losten up further (I'm so much more flexible now, than I was even as a teenager ) awaiting arrival of the growth hormones still... so trying to do stuff that doesn't take me too far in space or time, from the front door no idea what time they might turn up... W is off at his hospital appointment ATM

Next time I make my salsa, (tomatoes, tomatillos, white onion, jalapeño, cerrano, habanero, cilantro, garlic, cummin, lime juice, salt) instead of using my little food chopper/processor which takes as long or longer to clean than use, or scissors which sounds like a good suggestion I hadn't considered, I'm going to use an ULU knife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulu

An ulu knife is the traditional knife of Inuit women and looks a bit like a small executioners ax with the handle cut off. You can roll the arced blade back and forth over the veggies for quick chopping and mincing.

http://youtu.be/9uzOyikfTBQ?t=70s

It was traditionally used for fish as expertly demoed in this video.

http://youtu.be/w0EXRKpDVeM

I think this will be perfect and will make short work of the cilantro. I may still use the chopper for the peppers, onions, and garlic though. They work well in the chopper.

Certainly must agree with lime juice as an ingredient.

Its traditional, superior to vinegar and typically leaves people licking their bowls clean.

re 6:

My grandmother used one of these to chop parsley with:

http://www.kvalitninoze.cz/sekacky-pilky-palicky-kolebky-wusthof-solingen/kolebka-na-maso-15-cm-wusthof-solingen/

A few years ago, I saw two of these welded together. It should work twice as fast - at least it could stand on the chopping board. But on the other hand it could only be used for parsley and the like. Not for butchering fish, seal and whale and cleaning polar bear skins. Maybe five welded together would work really well - if you had a ginormous kitchen and a huge demand of chopped parsley

Yeah, I could see how using that two handed version could be good at chopping something like parsley and cilantro/coliander, but the smaller, one-handed ulu is more versatile.

2legs, I keep forgetting whose thread this is.

A Ulu is a bit like a half blade from a circular saw with a handle where the rest of the saw blade would have been.

Or - in my grandmother's case - with two handles so she could sort of wiggle the blade over a board filled with parsley.

Myself, I think I'll keep using scissors, I have a couple of pairs reserved exclusively for kitchen work.

I've an ulu with a 3 inch blade as well, but its an obsidian relic.

My mother used a thing called a "Parsmint" for chopping parsley and mint. Hers always worked beautifully, but I have had a couple over the years and they have always ended up tearing the herbs to bits. I also have a pair of scissors with half a dozen blades for chopping herbs - work well, and you get a sort of comb with it to clean out the bits that have stuck.

I never knew they were called that.... I've a couple, never used, somewhere in the house.... gifts... seems too much faff to get out a separate thing just to do fresh herbs, when I can do it quick enough just with a knife or sissors, or, indeed ripping it up... I do give into temptation with some 'energy saving' devices and gizmos, mind... - I don't always use the pestal and mortor now, when grinding spices, sometimes I use the hand grinder, especially if I'm doing a big batch of seeds etc lazy I know