Food Escapism
Oct. 10th, 2025 02:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mousmeI've been on a "liver-shrinking" diet since October 1st, which consists of meal replacement shakes, better-known in our household as "Sadness Shakes." I'm also allowed roughly the equivalent of two cups of raw green veggies a day (I've stuck to celery, broccoli, and green peppers) as well as clear liquids (water and broth, basically). It's fine, but I miss real food, so I've been coping by planning this year's Christmas menu.
I'm actually working over Christmas this year, so I will be resurrecting the UnChristmas tradition of yore. This will also be our first Christmas post-bariatric surgery for both me and KK, so I am trying to plan dishes that I can portion out quite small and/or that will keep well if I freeze them afterward. Last year I made a roast goose which was reasonably successful, so I'm going to do that again this year. With more room to work in the kitchen and the experience from last year, I'm hoping to improve on last year's performance.
So far this year's menu looks like this:
I also have to plan for the next couple of weeks after surgery, when I'll be on a mostly liquid and soft food diet, so on Monday I'm going to make some soup ahead of time and freeze it using my new Souper Cubes, which are silicon moulds that come in 1/2 and 1 cup sizes (also 2 cups, but I didn't bother getting those because both KK and I require quite small portions now. The cubes so far have been a game changer for food prep, almost as much as switching to a vacuum sealer instead of Ziplock bags (no more freezer burn!). Eventually I want to move away from the freezer as my main form of food preservation, but for the moment it's all been a godsend.
Depending on how much time I have on Monday and Tuesday, I'm planning on making split pea soup, squash soup, lentil soup, and maybe a potato-leek soup (I always call it Vichyssoise, but I think it only counts as Vichyssoise if it's cold). That should keep me in soup for a very long time, because KK doesn't eat most of those soups--the only one she likes is the potato-leek soup.
I originally toyed with the idea of doing something with quail for Christmas, but I'm holding off until I know for sure my current little flock is sustainable. I lost my last original female last night, which has made me very sad. She and her husband have a terrible habit of throwing their water around their enclosure, and last night the temperature plummeted to just below freezing, so I think she got wet and couldn't regulate her body temperature properly. I'm going to switch out their watering setup to see if I can convince the silly birds not to play water park with their drinking water and accidentally off themselves in the process.
All righty. Work is picking up, so I'm going to leave it there for now. Catch you on the flip side, friends!
I'm actually working over Christmas this year, so I will be resurrecting the UnChristmas tradition of yore. This will also be our first Christmas post-bariatric surgery for both me and KK, so I am trying to plan dishes that I can portion out quite small and/or that will keep well if I freeze them afterward. Last year I made a roast goose which was reasonably successful, so I'm going to do that again this year. With more room to work in the kitchen and the experience from last year, I'm hoping to improve on last year's performance.
So far this year's menu looks like this:
- Amuse-bouches: asparagus mousse, truffle bacon and eggs, and parmesan lollipops
- Entrée: creamy roasted red pepper soup
- Main course: roast goose, wild rice, and lemon pepper buttery green beans
- Salad: beet salad with goat cheese
- Cheese: TBD, but it will be 3-4 cheeses
- Dessert: Ile Flottante (it's my mother's favourite and doesn't look too difficult to make)
I also have to plan for the next couple of weeks after surgery, when I'll be on a mostly liquid and soft food diet, so on Monday I'm going to make some soup ahead of time and freeze it using my new Souper Cubes, which are silicon moulds that come in 1/2 and 1 cup sizes (also 2 cups, but I didn't bother getting those because both KK and I require quite small portions now. The cubes so far have been a game changer for food prep, almost as much as switching to a vacuum sealer instead of Ziplock bags (no more freezer burn!). Eventually I want to move away from the freezer as my main form of food preservation, but for the moment it's all been a godsend.
Depending on how much time I have on Monday and Tuesday, I'm planning on making split pea soup, squash soup, lentil soup, and maybe a potato-leek soup (I always call it Vichyssoise, but I think it only counts as Vichyssoise if it's cold). That should keep me in soup for a very long time, because KK doesn't eat most of those soups--the only one she likes is the potato-leek soup.
I originally toyed with the idea of doing something with quail for Christmas, but I'm holding off until I know for sure my current little flock is sustainable. I lost my last original female last night, which has made me very sad. She and her husband have a terrible habit of throwing their water around their enclosure, and last night the temperature plummeted to just below freezing, so I think she got wet and couldn't regulate her body temperature properly. I'm going to switch out their watering setup to see if I can convince the silly birds not to play water park with their drinking water and accidentally off themselves in the process.
All righty. Work is picking up, so I'm going to leave it there for now. Catch you on the flip side, friends!
