prismaticbleed | iscah meal log 061017 (Reply)

Jun. 10th, 2017 09:30 am = welcome, Patricia! ♥

Breakfast= oatmeal, raisins, a strawberry pop tart, a blueberry pop tart, vanilla soymilk, vanilla VHC, chai tea, and 10 MINUTES TO SPARE!!! ♥ I'm learning to eat in less time while STILL treasuring & chewing every bite! My goal is to have <30m mealtimes at home, and <15m snacks, to not only give me more time to LIVE and create, but also to teach me to pay ever-closer & more-loving attention IN smaller time periods, learning to "holographically" value MOMENTARY data, therefore sanctifying and truly cherishing each moment, every tiny experience & fleeting event, therefore allowing me to COMPLETELY participate in life, as a unified whole, fluid & infinite IN its finiteness... eternity blooming FROM the temporal, if only we are there TO immortalize it in the NOW. Plus, smaller mealtimes will destroy that disordered compulsion of taking hours to overcomplicate things. And what do I always say to that? "Well, NO MORE!!" ♥ Time is true currency-- pun intended, double time!-- and, as I have also stated previously, if you don't value your pennies, you cannot value your dollars. And so on it goes, for the want of a nail, as it were. Reverence through constancy in Love, and Love granting attention through gratitude! We got this!! And on THAT note, it's breakfast time! The green chai tea always smells so strongly like Christmas-- it's deeply soothing & lovely. The VHC in its thick & creamy vanilla taste & warm tone, is also very comforting. The soymilk isn't that comfort-quality, as it's too light in tone and too playful in sweetness, but it's reassuring. It's very nice, always. And, surprisingly, the POPTARTS were actually comforting too, today? It must be a sweet-heavy-warm thing! (I think Ayurvedic medicine & diet agrees with that, actually!) But yes, they got wonderfully heated again, ALTHOUGH this time it seemed to affect them both differently? The blueberry one was very soft, and stayed quite warm-- it broke softly & easily, almost bending, and the icing was also softer. The filling tasted really nice, too, all warm like that-- it really made me smile! It was a cute, childlike warm comfort, like the Saturday-morning cartoon vibe of total safety & relaxation & happiness. The blueberry flavor is so unique, too-- it always surprises me how, despite its sugar-sweetness, blueberry filling like this is STILL soothing and serene at heart. Which makes total sense-- that color is like that! ♥ But the strawberry filling, when heated, becomes warmly "calmer" BUT stays full of brightly smiling enthusiasm! And THAT Poptart stayed firm like a biscuit, but the FLAVOR!! Dude it was like a FRESH pie crust, but not so floury-- it was warm but "buttery" so, and-- man, I can't even think of words to describe it but it was BEAUTIFUL. ♥ Gosh. Honestly, the difference was surprising but so precious, in them both! Oh yes, and the strawberry icing was also not-melted OR softened like the blueberry-- it stayed firm, but it was mellowed just enough to match the also-warmer filling! Dude I legit might do Poptarts for snack tonight; I would love to experience this again. But the sugar isn't smart so late at night! So we'll see. In any case, I still have to wait at least two days to re-experience the blissful combo-trio of oatmeal, raisins, AND vanilla VHC! DANG, SON. The raisins are BELOVED to me now, 100%-- their soft yet firm-giving texture, their uniquely variant sweetness & crystallized sugars, their bit of fruit-tart red-violet tone-taste, and their awesome mouthfeel are all SO LOVELY and I am SO THANKFUL we are such close friends now. ♥ Same with my dear OATMEAL!! ♥ I almost never cooked oatmeal at home, and I've been missing out on its lovely, warm, humble, simple, gorgeously textured qualities-- which are treasured so deeply as they are, but which are complemented WONDERFULLY by those raisins, and which ALSO sing fantastically well with the VHC!! ♥ The creamy vanilla texture & taste spread out the oatmeal so it's silky, not sticky, and enrich its mild wholesomeness with its vanilla-beige mild sweetness, and all that is the perfect calming-sweet balance to the raisins' sharper sweet tendencies, and a wonderful "softening" influence on its stiffer textures too! All in all, it's SO NICE. ♥ The creamy light texture-- while STILL staying "thick" in terms of starch-sticky influence & VHC viscosity, without being heavy-- is so lovely, and a much-appreciated relief from old habits of eating waterless, super-dense oats-- such was not meant to be! But like this, they're happy & harmonious. If only I had some spices to put in them-- OH! I wonder if a tiny bit of the actual green chai spices would work?? We'll have to try on Tuesday-- splitting them between the oatmeal & the yogurt, & seeing how they sing! I'm sure it'll be lovely. ♥ But until then, I am totally grateful to God for today's breakfast gifts. ♥

Lunch= grilled chicken w/ herbs & garlic on a wheat bun, lettuce & 2 tomato slices, vanilla VHC, broccoli cheese soup w/ onion & carrot, and a strawberry syrup mini-sundae. I must say, again, right off the bat, that the devil keeps trying to lie about this meal, and that is NOT cool. So here's the truth: this is a GENUINELY NICE LUNCH. ♥ I sincerely enjoy the mini-sundaes, with their foamy-cream, vanilla-white sweetness, beautifully gentle texture & mouthfeel & tone... and then that joyous strawberry-red brightness & optimism acting as a perfect visual AND flavor complement! Then when the bottom-syrup mixes WITH the sweet-delicate white vanilla, its red enthusiasm softens to a blissfully gentle happy pink, tasting just so! I treasure EVERY bite of it. ♥ In contrast and yet in similarity, the vanilla VHC is thicker but still so beautifully smooth, its vanilla tone is heavier & leaning warm instead of being so airy & light-- white vanilla really isn't cool or warm? It's neutral, and can really lean either way based on context, I think-- and yet it's still just as kind & sweet, in both flavor & personality. I just wish I could grasp their flavors more solidly... that's why liquids do seem to be amenable to dunking & soaking & such: not only does it allow them to unite with another food AND enhance their flavor & texture, but it also allows the flavor of the drinks themselves to be more totally grasped, even as part of such a combination! It just requires wisdom & reverence for ALL parts of the unification-- dunking things NOT out of friendship but out of wantonness or rejection is sinful, obviously-- it's irreverent! It's ungrateful! BUT if one is able to TRULY & TOTALLY Love & respect each ingredient on its own, AS its own beautiful thing, AND is combining them SOLELY to CREATE a beautiful, LOVING UNION-- a cooperation, a greater whole that EMBRACES its parts and their individual uniquenesses while STILL being something new... if one is able to so "fuse" two unity-inclined foods-- pun intended, or rather, reference intended-- THEN it is holy and Good and precious and allowed. So, like the oatmeal & VHC this morning! ♥ BUT nothing in this meal-- it wouldn't have respected the existing, ALREADY complete unities!! But yes. On their own, both the VHC and sundae were 100% perfect & beloved. ♥ So was that good ol' broccoli cheese soup! I tried eating it first today, but it was too hot and that made the true flavor hard to distinguish. So I waited, and that not only let it cool, but it allowed for that beloved little dairy quirk of the "SKIN" on the top! I don't know why it happens but I LOVE it. ♥ So that was a bonus! The soup itself is really lovely in its simplicity... it's milky & cheesy, but both are mildly so, with a flowy fluidity and very subtle creaminess. And the broccoli was HUGE and DELICIOUS today-- three big stem pieces and TWO WHOLE CROWNS! They weren't "wilted" either-- despite being cooked & therefore a yellower-leaning desaturated green, they still had such loveliness in their flavor, now rich in that new hue, and held so well by that cheese-milk gentle warmth! Honestly, the color-flavor complement is so nice. Similarly, those bits of carrot & onion-- softer than usual & not as plentiful-- were also perfect, colored clear-white & rich vermilion, to complete that palate pallet! Lastly, but never least-- as always with finishing foods-- is the CHICKEN BURGER! And it was a SUPER NICE one today-- the chicken itself was LOADED with rosemary & garlic-- like the one we usually have on Thursday (which wasn't so seasoned this week; that's OK, as this one made up for it! ♥)-- and the bun was REALLY moist to the point where it could be squished-flat (best), but not so wet that it'd be soggy. And that moisture made it hold the super-thick chicken better, too-- although it's still tricky to get the lettuce to stay on a burger-- it tends to slide off-- and the tomato tends to drip. But no matter! All together, it's LOVELY. ♥ Today I cut it into fourths, both to prevent a big mess from grappling with the inevitable last-bite-of-the-burger challenge (it's delicious but it's so tricky to hold together), and to get an idea of how that sort of division would affect the burger-stability in terms of the same slipperiness... and it worked QUITE nicely! ♥ It made it more manageable, and felt like I was giving it closer attention, too, piece by piece. And that CHICKEN, dude-- it was SO tender & juicy & richly flavorful today, with that bright fresh tomato zip & richly green lettuce fullness & wonderfully wholesome & sweet-bready wheat bun... as always, this burger was truly loved. ♥ Thanks, God!!

3PM Snack= they totally forgot, and I was too busy looking up the mind-blowing variety of cheeses and cheese foods all over the world. It's fascinating! I can only imagine the variety of grain-based cultural foods! But that's what I mean about partaking in God's Creative Goodness and Infinite Wonder-- there are potentials & possibilities everywhere, and it's beautiful... temporary & fleeting, like like itself, but all the more precious & deserving of respect & grateful Love for that. ♥

Dinner= breaded & spicy chicken tenders, french fries, peach yogurt, and fig newtons, plus the usual vanilla VHC! A simple meal, but a dearly beloved one. ♥ I thoroughly enjoy this dinner, every single week-- and yes, I'm definitely going to have to learn to make my own at home! But as for now, let's start with the usual opener-- the equally simple & sweet Fig Newtons! Today they were inexplicably cold, and THANK GOD for that, because it made their texture EXTRA BEAUTIFUL! ♥ The cold made the fig insides FIRM, and the flour seemed a tad less prone to crumbling? In any case that texture shift was just WOW. It was a joy to chew, to bite, and to taste-- all lovely raisin-like sweet-tartness, but with a browner sugar tone, and less of a bite, and those SEEDS! ♥ The flour, too, had SUCH a nice taste-- how I ever thought it was flavorless I'll never know! But with the filling, it made such a good soft-thick mouthfeel, too. Lovely, lovely stuff. ♥ So was the peach yogurt! You've gotta really roll it around in your mouth a bit to turn the texture from silky-smooth & creamy to frothy-thick & heavy, but it is SO worth it. ♥ I don't think the Greek gets like that?? I can't tell if the "frothy" effect is from air or enzymes or what, but I'll have to check THAT on Monday or Tuesday (Tuesday is Greek Vanilla day, but Monday might be plain Strawberry-- we'll see). Until then, suffice to say that the peach was cherished. ♥ Those little fruit bits are so nice, darker amber-orange and tasting just a little sweeter & less "springy" in texture than the Dole cups, and the yogurt itself is this beautiful pastel-peach tint and it tastes just as nice-- the neutral gentle creamy taste of the yogurt base, all mildly sweet & cultured, plus the happy-bright overtone of an actual peach, one of the most purely joyous-tasting of fruits, blend into a surprisingly serene-yet-brightened flavor tone that is truly unique and which I NEED to experience more! (Maybe I'll have the peach on Monday?) The vanilla VHC was starkly neutral-sweet & calm-brown-toned in comparison to that peachy keenness-- and I drank it slowly, to really appreciate that taste AND its richly thick texture. Honestly it is SO cool-- I like how it's thick AND velvety smooth, not textured like a smoothie or blended drink! (I honestly cannot remember what milkshakes are like, SO I'll have to challenge myself with one of THOSE in the future, too!) <-- But speaking of milkshakes, how about those FRENCH FRIES? ♥ Honestly they are ALWAYS utterly perfect, in taste & texture both!! There was even a greener one today, a tiny tough pointy-edged piece, and it was LOVELY. Also, with those beautifully-firm-chewy yet oily-crisp pointy ones, I noticed that their "fried" surface tone-feel & texture & oiliness was reminding me of Christmas fish?? Like the Long John Silvers breading! I have NO other "fry"-like texture data besides these, the fish, and the home fries-- McDonalds & Farmers Market fry data is too soft & cushy-potatoey-- so it makes sense that my mind would go there. But yes, that's a curiosity-challenge of adamant Love that I want to do one day-- actually get as many different fast-food fries as I can & compare 'em. It wouldn't be a repeated thing-- it's unwise to base a diet around fast food-- BUT, so many people condemn & sneer & scoff at & fear fast food, my heart wants to CHALLENGE THAT, as well as the IRREVERENCE that many fast-food eaters show towards the food itself, eating it in a mindless rush or purely-sensory, almost hedonistic haze. I've done both in the past. That STOPS NOW. When I eat fast food, I want to SEE & TASTE GOD'S GOODNESS IN IT, TOO, and put that Loving challenge down in ardent victory of Truth over hate & malaise & fear. THAT is always my ultimate goal-- to love the loveless, to reveal the light despite the darkness, to bring hope to the hopeless... to testify to Truth and Faith and GOD when awareness of those is missing or muffled or even ignored. I want to LIVE my Christ-given calling to be a modern prophet & priest, to be part of His Holy People with and in everything I do, think, feel, & say. And step #1 is LOVE, ALWAYS, UNIVERSALLY, AND DIRECTED ALWAYS TO GOD-- in AND beyond all things! And tonight, I have to praise His loveliness in those LOVELY CHICKEN TENDERS. ♥ They were SUPER SPICY & CRISPY TODAY. ♥ The end bits were SO hard and crispy that I could barely even cut them, and they actually had a CRUNCH to them-- it was FLIPPIN' BLISSFUL, DUDE. ♥ And of course, the insides were white & soft but not juicy or salty, OR dry and tacky-- they were, like chew-soft? I'm still not sure HOW to phrase it! They bite so soft but there IS firmness to them, and their mouthfeel is so smooth-- it's awesome. Thank You, God, for this meal!! ♥

8PM Snack= because we missed 3PM, tonight was the SUPER HEALING CHALLENGE= one of each PopTart, a chocolate Sundae, AND Doritos! ♥ And ALL OF IT WAS AWESOME. ♥ The Doritos taste beautifully of corn & cheese, the sundae is all sweet foamy gentle vanilla and uniquely rich & "warm" chocolate-- Chocoloco loves it-- and the PopTarts, even cold, are so lovely & icing-sweet & buttery-biscuit kind & fruit-filling happy and smiling. I'd say this "challenge" was MET!! ♥