I'm craving basil and tomatoes. Should I make tomato/basil bread with garlic, manchego cheese, and cured ham or tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar?

Do you have nice bread you could cube up and toast with oil and garlic? Because if you did, you have enough with the latter to make the panzanella caprese from the buffista cookbook.

I'm all about panzanella at the moment because my mom just took me out for a nice lunch at the local bistro and I had a very tasty salmon panzanella. She had a fancy reuben with red cabbage. Both tasty!

Oh, that sounds delicious, Laga!

I miss bread. I was talking to the receptionist after getting my lunch when someone brought down leftover pastries from their morning meeting (leftovers are usually brought to the front desk for people to grab as they pass by). Oh, sooooo tempting! But I had my meatballs and strawberries instead.

Right now the only thing I have is garlic and balsamic vinegar. A trip to the store is in my future. Essentially it boils down to- what do I want more- fresh mozz or manchego? If the store is out of manchego (as they often are) it's no choice at all.

I miss bread.

Ditto! Kathy, can you handle rice cakes? I've missed butterlogged toast and jam with my tea, so much. But I can spread a little strawberry preserves or lemon curd on a rice cake, sprinkle with a pinch of powdered sugar, and it's an acceptable substitute.

tomatoes and basil

Oh man, I miss tomatoes, too. I always have really good bread, a little mayo, salt and paprika, and slices of the best, most smelly farmstand tomato I can find for one glorious 'mater sandwich every summer, and just accept the damn consequences.

Feel better, back of Pix!

Good for you, Vortex. So hard.

Hugs to those who're hurting. Strength to those who are coping. More hugs to everybody else, just on principle.

Unfortunately, carbs just expand in my stomach and take up what little space it has left. So, when I eat, I have to concentrate on getting protein down first, and then veggies, fruit, and carbs, in that order. My dietician wants me to break it down so that I have protein and one other of those food groups at each meal and not to snack outside of those three meals (I have been having some fruit around 10:30-11:00 pm, and while fruit is okay for now, she warned me that people who start snacking on fruit soon progress to eating something much less healthy after they've established that habit, and it would be best to avoid doing that altogether).

If I do have carbs, I try and keep it at either corn or peas, and not a bread/grain product.

ETA: However, this Friday the cafeteria is having Indian food, and I am not passing up naan!

I buy fruit and then forget to eat it. So many tragic fruit funerals!

I buy fruit and then forget to eat it. So many tragic fruit funerals!

Same here. Also, veggies. I call it my expensive compost habit.

Me three.

I took another epic nap. So now I can't really go to the hardware store, as we have entered The Window for the delivery of The Cube. So I guess I'll eat a late lunch, see how tedious mopping by hand is, and maybe call to get my Internet set up.

Does whey-based protein powder go bad, does anybody know? I recently found an almost-full cannister that expired in January, and am wondering if I can use it anyway.

We have such awesome produce here that I'm making myself consume veg. Still not my first thought for "food", nor will ever be my favorite, but I'm trying to eat more of them. Still having humuus and crudites as snacks and occasional meals--lots of fiber, plus protein, plus garlic. It's palatable and almost entirely healthy.

But the wonderful thing is the fruit, in season. I froze whole strawberries--bagsful, and sliced unpeeled peaches, so they're available for smoothies. But if the whey powder's a bad idea, I can sub half a banana and a shot of almond milk along with the OJ/mango/peach juice and water, maybe.