'whole Foods' Wednesday Our Daily Dinner

'Whole Foods' Wednesday

chuckieb 9 years ago
Good Morning Everybody! It's still chilly this morning but supposed to get up to -8C/17F this afternoon which will be a real treat! Little snowflakes are coming down. Jim and Benjamin are still in bed. We've got a long day ahead of us. Meeting up with one of my girlfriend's for lunch at
http://www.playfood.ca/
in the Byward Market. Then bopping around to see Benjamin's old haunts and then ending up at a Pub on Elgin St. this evening where Benjamin is going to attend a Language Exchange Meet Up Group and Jim and I may actually watch the Hockey game. :) We'll all grab dinner down town at some point, probably not together. :)
Dinner at Ceylonta last night was fabulous. We had Chicken Palandi (Chicken marinated in Sri Lankan chillis and smothered in the Chef's special sauce), Curried King Fish in a creamy coconut sauce, and an Egg Dosai served with Sambal sauce (like a thick vegetable soup), Naan and Basmati rice. It was really yummy. Bold flavours and lots of heat to warm us up after the cold temperatures outside!
While Benjamin attended his Esperanto Meeting I remembered that "Whole Foods" had opened in November down on Bank St. so Jim and I went off in search of it. And voila...we found it and I had a good shop. :) Beautiful store, loads of gourmet cheeses, a great deli counter, bulk foods, 'different' items. A Foodie's heaven. I read that Whole Foods started out with one store in Austin, Texas in 1980 specializing in Organic food and now they have over 400 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada! (I even started following them on Pinterest!) :)
According to Wikipedia, Whole Foods Market only sells products that meet its self-created quality standards for being "natural", which the store defines as: minimally processed foods that are free of hydrogenated fats as well as artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives, and many others as listed on their online "Unacceptable Food Ingredients" list. Whole Foods Market has also announced that it does not intend to sell meat or milk from cloned animals or their offspring, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled them safe to eat.
The company also sells many USDA-certified organic foods and products that aim to be environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible. Stores do not carry foie gras or eggs from hens confined to battery cages due to animal cruelty concerns, as a result of successful advocacy by animal welfare groups.
The other cool thing I saw there were these beautiful woven baskets made by women in Uganda. They'd be perfect for harvesting veggies and bringing them in from the garden, gorgeous bright colours and the prices were reasonable IMHO. I bought some Carne Asada cold cuts served with a Jalopeno Cilantro pesto and asked the girl at the cheese section to help me match a cheese to go with. She gave me something that she says is a cross between a cheddar and a parm that has been brined in Merlot. So cool. Found some little samosa chip snacks and some roasted chickpeas with balsamic and black pepper, some Chicken Korma paste that I've been having a hard time finding and a bunch of other assorted items. Jim was a good sport going up and down the aisles with me. :) (Pic below from the bulk food section of Whole Foods....you can grind your own peanut butter, numerous types)
Then we popped in to the Coffee shop where Benjamin's meeting was and I had a Hot Chocolate and Jim had a Jasmine tea while we waited for Benjamin to be done. Came home and had a glass of wine in front of the fire and watched another episode of "House of Cards". Benj has got us hooked on it while he's been home and we've been binge watching. :)
Sorry your job is sucking at the moment Laurie. :( Glad you got your orthopedic thingys. How did the pipeline meeting go? LOL @ propaganda open house.
Sounds like you had a productive errand run Karen. That's good the commissary got re-stocked.
The boys are still sleeping......:)
Other two pics are of our meal last night. The dosai and the chicken.
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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Hello Janet! Haha on the boys sleeping in. I had a bunch of furry critters begging for a potty break. I didn't want to get out of my snuggly warm bed. They have been fed, watered and had a break outside. We are getting a cold front coming in and it rained lightly most of the night. They are forecasting 35 degrees Friday morning. I might have to put on long jammies. Dinner looks lovely. Whole Foods is a wonderful company. I haven't been to the new Trader Joes. Still to crowded and I look like an abused wife still. Busy day for you.

Allison saved me with the pudding cups. I am souped up. I pureed my borscht. The Pogresso chicken and dumplings was manageble. Noodles are slurpable. I'm going to make some eggs and grits for breakfast. My under eyes are changing from purple to blue green. I was going to errands today, but I think I'll give myself more time to heal. I have noticed that my right foot often goes numb and I can't really feel my toes, I suppose that could affect my balance when walking.

Laurie, so sorry your job is sucking the life out of you. Good Lord honey, I know how awful work stress can debilitate you. Hugs, dear friend.

Michelle, good score on the meat. I hope the strike ends soon. You don't need that extra pressure either. Bargains are good. Glad you had a night free.

Karen, I love you warm Gator ride cuddles with Wayne. Absolutely wonderful.

Lynda called from NC. She had two inches of ice on her porch, it was an ice rink. She had no way to chip it off. Her dog, Howie did the four foot splayed out slide. She had a massive leak into her bedroom from an ice dam. It is too cold for the contractor to fix it completely and she has a tarp for the leaking. $2200 temp fix. That sucks on her fixed budget. She traded cookies for a neighbor to plow her driveway.

Olivia has been MIA since Monday. She sure has a warped sense of caring for her mom. I'm frankly hurt at her indifference.

Time to fix my breakfast and work on cleaning the kitchen in little sections.

Marie, Joce.....have a great day dear ones.

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Good Morning Janet! What a menu they have at Playfood!! I would HAVE to get the quail, I haven't had that in years! I used to get it at a restaurant we'd go to when I was younger all the time. The mushroom ragout that goes with it sounds delicious too. Glad you enjoyed dinner last night, the food sounded delicious! Love, love, love that you enjoyed Whole Foods :) Isn't it the dream store!! People there are so helpful. Did you happen to stop by the fresh bread section? It's my favorite part :)

Michael is about to leave to go and work for his Dad and Caiden and I don't have much going on today. It's a nice sunny day but doesn't seem to have warmed up much, 42 degrees. Caiden may or may not have T-ball tonight, if the temperature is under 50 they won't practice. Bri for sure has tumbling class though, so no matter what, we have something going on :) Have not figured out whats for dinner yet, need to go and dig around since we have a bunch of new stuff. May be leftovers since we have a bunch of that as well. Hope everyone has a great day!!

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

SP Tina! I'm glad your at least up and able to do stuff after your nasty fall. Soups are a good call. I think purple to blue/green is a good sign? :) Ugh on Linda's leak :( I remember when I was like 8 or 9? We came home from eating out and my parents entire bedroom ceiling was on their floor and the room was flooded. A pipe had frozen and then burst. It was Christmas Eve. I'm sorry about Olivia. She will come around, I hope. I know it hurts.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Boys are up and I've finished my second cup of coffee and cleaned the kitchen.
Glad you got some food in to you yesterday Tina. Poor Lynda. Yikes on the temp fix price. Great trade for the cookies! A new neighbour of my Mom's has been clearing her drive way which is almost a mile long. She told him she wanted to pay him and he told her that if she tries to pay him even once then he will quit cleaning her driveway. :) Every body deals with grief in their own way and Liv may need some time to work things out on her own. Don't be too hard on her. You know she's there for you just as you are there for her.
Yes Michelle, Play has a fantastic menu. Jim's never been. Benjamin is very excited to go back. He and I had gone a few times while on Mom/Benjamin days. :) I didn't really look in depth at the bakery section at Whole Foods but thanks for the heads up so I know to do that next time. I am crossing my fingers that Caiden doesn't have T-ball tonight so that you get a bit more free time. :) Yikes on your parents bedroom ceiling caving in. That'd be crazy!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Janet, the picture in your avatar is super cool. Dig you buy one of the baskets? They sound really nice. Sounds like you have a busy day ahead! The nearest Whole Foods is in Kansas City, I think -- far, far away. Do wish we had one closer. We would definitely make use of it. Wayne would hunt for a bench to sit on after a few aisles, but he would probably like the store. It fits in with the Schwarzbein idea reasonably well.

Tina, so good Allison brought you something to tide you over. Agree it is good to take another day to recuperate. Do mention the numbness in the feet the next time you see the doctor. It could be any number of things but really needs to be looked into. Progresso soups are definitely better than Campbells, but even there soups lack flavor! However, they are easy to fix and that is what you need. Have you considered getting LifeLine (? name) -- my Dad had it and used it a couple of times when he fell after having a stroke. The Gator is fun but the doors swing out from the back so it is a bit tricky to get out of on the passenger side. Other than that we love it! Grits are one of my favorite foods - have you ever put an egg and slice of fake American cheese in a bowl of hot grits -- great comfort food. The heat cooks the egg and melts the cheese.

Well, if I don't get some cat food out for Geezer he will be meowing in the window at me. He was so bad last night I brought him inside and held the HUGE cat on my lap. After he settled down, he purred and kneaded for half an hour. He is lonely and wants attention. I am leery of importing another barn cat because he is dominate and could chase the new cat away. Spring is on the way so maybe then a stray will wander by and set up residence.

We have about 6 or 7 inches of snow on the ground - another inch, more or less, fell last night and they are calling for some on Thur-Fri and wintery mix on Sat. Low tonight is supposed to be anywhere from 0 to -9, depending on which station you listen to and which model they are following. Anyway you look at it, it will be COLD.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Morning Karen! The pic in my avatar is on the Rideau Canal this past weekend. They rent out sleighs which people usually use to push young children and babies around on the ice while they skate but sometimes older people use them too. :) The little building in the background is where you go in to put your skates on. No. I didn't buy one of the baskets. I'd already spent $60 on goodies and didn't want to totally freak Jim out. :) I did however, tell him it'd be a GREAT idea for my birthday present. :) Nice that you got a bit more snow. Geezer sounds like a cutie pie. I bet he is a bit lonely now without Miss Kitty for company.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

I wish we had a Whole Foods here, Janet. I would be in heaven however, Foodsmiths is a great health food here and we are lucky to have it for such a small town. I was surprised to hear Jim had never been to Play Food before. I bet he will really enjoy his lunch there today. Plus there are so many restaurants to choose from on Elgin Street and areas you shouldn't have a hard time finding a good place to eat dinner down there. Glad you enjoyed your dinner so much last night as well.

Tina, I am very pleased to hear you are healing up nicely now. Make sure you tell your doctor about not being able to feel your toes and feet which could definitely contribute to you falling so much lately. Poor Lynda and what an awful price to pay for a temporary fix! Liv will come around she is dealing with things at the moment the best way she can and after all it has only been two days. YUM! I love grits and eggs!

Michelle, Holy smokes on your parents bedroom ceiling! Yikes what a mess that must have been!

Karen, It does sound like Geezer is lonely poor guy. What is fake American cheese?

Den defrosted the freezer yesterday and we didn't really have to throw much out. Just a few mystery containers and things we had forgotten were even in there! I haven't been feeling that great with my IBS, Fibro and Chest acting up. Whatever we have for dinner will be very bland. Plain roasted chicken breast or something like that perhaps?

Hoping everyone has a great day!

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Great that your Mom's neighbor is clearing her driveway for her Janet :) Yeah, Whole Foods has some of the best breads I've been able to find. Ciabatta, Pumpernickle Swirl, Seed breads, Sourdough, ect.

Lol Karen at Geezer. We used to have a cat before Briauna was born. His name was Shady. We had to get rid of him because I had parents in my ear about cats and babies.... Brrrrr...on your weather!

Hi Joce, okay I have to ask, what does “defrosting the freezer” mean? I'm guessing it's a cold weather thing? I hope you feel better :(

Temperature is rising. It's up to 53 degrees now. T-ball is on for sure 5:30 then a gap time than back for Bri's Gym at 7:30. Not sure if I go home for the gap time or find something to do. Ugh!!!! Leftovers for dinner now definitely.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Good to see you in here this morning Joce! Sorry to hear you've been battling those IBS, Fibro problems. I'd only heard the ladies in the States talk about Whole Foods before so was so surprised when Ottawa got one! You'll have to make it a destination once you're up and running like normal again. You'll have a blast I know. It's very similar to Foodsmiths....but bigger. :) That's great Den got the freezer defrosted and that there wasn't too much waste. Roasted chicken sounds lovely. We've been eating in so many restaurants the last while that I will be quite happy just to stay home and cook for a while. :)
Like the sounds of that Pumpernickel swirl bread Michelle. Good luck with t-ball and tumbling.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Michelle, Our freezer is a chest freezer and gets all covered with ice/frost or whatever you call it and it builds up over time. Meaning it is not frost free and you don't get as much freezer burn with them. We have to empty it and turn it off and clean any excess frost out before turning it on again and putting the stuff back in. Let me see if I can find a better explanation for you.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Maybe this site can explain it better?
http://farmnatters.blogspot.ca/2013/02/chest-freezer-defrosting-organizing-tips.html
I did notice they make frost free chest freezers? Frost free freezers are like the ones in your kitchen fridge, you don't get any frost build up in them.

I love Ciabatta bread, Michelle and thankfully I can get it at Foodsmiths.

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Ahh that explains it! We have a side by side inside, and a fridge on bottom freezer on top in the garage, plus a huge stand alone freezer with a front door on it that opens.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Hi all. Michelle, your post was not on GR when I read Tina's -- crazy mixed up internet. I almost have to log out, wait, and log in to get new posts. Even hitting the refresh doesn't always work. So I will say hi now - LOL.
When our daughter was born we had a cat named Snicky. I had some well meaning people say the same thing about cats and babies but my family has had animals of all kinds and they generally coexisted with the kids. There are exceptions - some dog breeds are more iffy than others, but I decided they would learn to tolerate each other.
Geezer is an outside cat. He is a character. I can hold him, cuddle him, etc. and he will purr and knead the air. No one else can get close to him. He is long haired and HUGE. Wayne can get in two pats before the claws come out and he swats.
We bought a manual defrost upright freezer because of the freezer burn problem, Joce..it has to be defrosted once a year or maybe twice, depending. Fake American cheese is most any thing labeled American cheese slices - most brands have a lot of chemicals and stuff in them. Most yellow cheese has dyes and flavorings, also. But once in a while the urge for egg-&-cheese grits hits, and I pick up a package. It lasts forever.
Time to get lunch. See you later.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Oh I see now as well:) I always thought you had three big chest freezers full! I wouldn't want to pay your electric bill though:( Nothing is worse than a fridge running all the time in hot weather out in a garage trying to keep things cold:(
Our freezer is in the basement where it is always cooler and doesn't have to run so hard.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

LOL Karen, Your post wasn't there when I posted either! Oh yuck I see what you mean about the processed cheese stuff. I don't buy the stuff. LOL even though Den loves it!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Even worse was Velveeta, Joce. I saw a recipe for homemade Velveeta somewhere and will try it - like the way it melts into casseroles, but NOT the stuff in it.

I guess GR or the internet or something is slightly wacko lately.

Our freezer is on the back porch - cold in the winter and not-too-hot in the summer. I want to look into dehydrating foods next. Some day.

See you later.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Homemade Velveeta Cheese
Here it is Karen, Corinne is an ODD member we haven't heard from in awhile.
She is probably more on FB now as well.
The internet has been a bit wacky lately and this site seems extremely slow at times.
Pinterest can be very frustrating as well!

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

Hello all! Job is still crazy with leaks and ceiling collapses, never ending phone ringing, and today was my one year anniversary. Cindy was giving me a hard time about taking lunch, answering the phone by the second ring, and just overall being a PIA so I finally said with tears in my eyes. It's my one year anniversary and it might be my last day! She came back with a box of donuts for me saying I needed the sugar.

Love Whole Foods. I would shop there all the time if it wasn't so expensive. We love their chicken sausages.
Tina, maybe Liv is avoiding the house itself and not her poor mom. Trying to deal with it the best way her young self knows how.

Pipe line meeting was basically a sales pitch for Kinder Morgan. FERC wasn't even there, that's the agency in charge of giving them the permit.
I questioned them on their proximity to our water supply and I got a different answer every time. They test the water before and after the pipeline is put in place. I asked what happens if your test show the water is contaminated. The response was we would be compensated. How do you compensate a whole town for not having water?? They had no clue! If I asked a question they didn't like or have the answer to they said they are looking into changing the route in Wilmington. But I think they basically say that to make you walk away and bother the next person lol. I asked them about being so close to an active quarry that still blasts once a week (the pipeline would be between my house and the quarry). They said they had to do more studies, they had special pipes. I said how can you justify it when your own paperwork says you don't go near water supply or quarry? Again the answer was. They are looking into moving the route in Wilmington . Ugh. On a positive note the people attending the meeting didn't seem to be buying their bullsh*t.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Happy 1st Anniversary at work, Laurie. I think Cindy is a Royal PIA however, she is probably feeling all stressed out as well! We have had problems with Kinder Morgan in Canada as well in B.C. They are so big they don't care about people all they want is more money! I do hope you win your case!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

I printed the recipe, Joce, and will have to pick up two items to make it. I think Corrine is on Friends of GR FB page. I am a FB "Friend" with Tina, seldom on Pinterest because it drives me up a wall allowing double pinning of things and I have 2 identical pins on one board.

Laurie, Good answer to Cindy, and nice of her to bring donuts as a (we hope) peace offering. By the way, from working in a civil service job forever, I know that federal law mandates employees be given a half hour minimum for lunch, unpaid time if you are working an 8 hour day! Plus two paid 15 minute breaks per day! If you are working 8 hours, she is close to violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by growling at you for taking a lunch break. Mandatory for 8 hour days. I am not sure about shorter work days.

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

No she was growling at me for not taking a lunch break, she wants me to take it at noon, but I can't leave my desk with stuff on it (her rules) and the phone just wouldn't stop ringing for me to get anything done or cleared away. And I am not allowed to eat at my desk either I have to go to the confrence room because my desk is the first desk everyone sees. I only work 5 hours a day and she makes me take a 30 minute unpaid lunch break wether I want to or not.
Yes the donuts were a peace offering.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

That is much better than what I thought. Maybe you could just call her over at noon and say if she would like you to take a break, have you leave the desk covered with
"stuff" or have someone cover for you. Smile sweetly, and let her decide whether to give up on the must-go-at-noon or the desk-not-filled rule or better yet, sit there while you go on break. Chuckle chuckle. Good luck

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