Day 17: Luck and Spirits

Money Spent: $0

Amount in food eaten: $1.90

Breakfast: Cereal ($.25)

Lunch: Mac and Cheese ($.40)

Dinner: Spinach salad (~$1.00)

2nd Dinner: Rice and Chickpeas ($.25)

I think I've mentioned that the gas in the office was off for like a month and a half.  It sucked.  We couldn't cook anything, except in the microwave (and as you may have noticed, I'm not much of a microwave cooker - Mike doesn't even have one).

Well, today when I walked into the office, one of the administrative people in our building stopped me to tell me we'd be getting a "compensation check".  And it was pretty generous.  Um, ok.  My boss told us to go ahead and use the money to buy groceries for the office for lunch.  Ummm, ooookay!

My coworker, Corinne, is also looking to save some money and enjoys cooking, so we had a great time thinking up new cheap recipes for things we can make for lunch and freeze.  Corinne made burritos using my recipe (though she added LIME to the rice... which was perfect) and brought them to work today.  We ordered groceries at the end of the day, which will come tomorrow. Could we have had better luck?  One less meal to worry about for a while... 

I cashed my babysitting check.  I decided I'm going to use all the extra work I'm doing to pay for my food, and my regular job will be for bills and rent and paying back my taxes.

Okay, so now for the spirits...

Lenny, our cat, randomly started acting VERY freaked out about the bedroom in the last few days.  He wouldn't come in there and he would stare intensely at the bedroom before yelping and running away.  Consistently.  And if I was hanging in there, he would sit at the end of the hallway and cry until I came to him. I'm very much an existentialist and don't really believe in spirits, but for the first time since I was a kid, I felt some kind of spiritual presence.  Last night, when falling asleep, I had this really strong sense of a man named David who had a daughter, Emily - those were the only facts I was feeling.  I donno.  It just happened. Mike decided to call his friend Diana, who is a healer, to come check out the space.  

Before she came, I made dough pockets.  This time, though, I did it right.  I used the bottom of our Slap Chop (we got it for $1!!!) to cut out the dough into round disks, and made them with tomatoes, spinach, onions, and Australian cheddar (which I used the garlic press to grate).  I made about 15 and froze them.  They're such a good snack/meal.

Diana sensed the presence in the bedroom (who she said was name David... ahem) and asked him to leave.  She said he told her that I reminded him of his daughter, Emily (yikes...) and he wanted to stay because he liked being around me.  The whole thing was incredible and very interesting, and thus far, Lenny seems totally at peace.  As soon as it was over, he fell asleep. 

 Isn't he cute?

I made some chickpeas and beans (cooked with pepper, onion, and garlic in a frying pan) for Diana after the apartment cleanse, and Mike and I shared some as well.  I don't know if I really believe all this spirit stuff, but it certainly feels much more peaceful here (not to mention that we both felt the same thing).  Whether it's all psychological or there is actually something to it, this space is definitely better. 

And my tummy is FULL!!!!

Day 16: Back to Work and Brooklyn

Money Spent: $5

Total on food: $1

Breakfast: Cereal ($.25)

Lunch: Burrito ($.75)

Dinner: Wine?  ($0)

Okay, so I had wine for dinner... it happens.  The good news is that the burrito filled me up so well that I was only hungry for snacks in the evening.

Mike and I went to my friend Jamie's house in the evening (after a nice nap...) I finally got to meet her husband Christy and we had a GREAT time playing the Joke Game and talking.  We brought some snacks (grapes and popcorn and chips), which is what I spent the money on. 

Very simple day. Work's been busy but it's all good.

Day 15: Gospel Choir

Money Spent: $0

Total amount in food: $1.40

CG Tip of the Day: Cook your meals for the week in two spurts - make 2-4 dishes one night, and 2-3 extra dishes a few days later.  This will help you stay on track (you'll always have food in the fridge), but won't overwhelm you (you can plan your second round of meals after you assess what/how much you have left.

Breakfast: Cereal ($.25)

Lunch: Macaroni and Cheese ($.40)

Dinner: Burrito ($.75)

I had a lovely lazy Monday since I will now be working Mondays at the office.  Mike and I got to laze around in the morning.  I watched a ton of Weeds (Buy Weeds - Season One)...

The macaroni and cheese is incredible - I heated it up in the oven for about 15 minutes on 350 degrees.  I think I should have baked it covered 'cause a few of the top noodles are unacceptably crunchy/dried out, but otherwise I'm incredibly happy with it.  The onions and garlic cooked in the milk seem to have made all the difference - it's rich and incredibly flavorful.

Tonight, Mike and I went to see the Broadway Inspirational Voices gospel choir concert on 64th st.  Three of our good friends were in it.  I was pretty nervous about the cost of the tickets ($20-40), but when we got their, our friend Bradley's mom paid for both of us.  I don't always know how we get so lucky, but it's awesome...  The show was great (we couldn't hear the words very well, but the music was awesome)

I have a busy week.  A bunch of my friends have found me some odd jobs (greeting at a bat mitzvah, cleaning apartments, fixing a prop for work, and babysitting).  I'm also meeting with my friend Rachael tomorrow because she's getting rid of a bunch of clothes, and I just happen to really love her style :)  

Jason's coming to hang with us in a little while - I live in his apartment and he's simply an amazing person.  A great day, overall...

Day 14: Concert and Macaroni

Money Spent: $0

Total amount in food eaten: $1.82

CG Tip of the day:  Make 1-Ingredient Ice Cream!  Freeze a banana.  Then smoosh it into a custardy smooth pulp. Freeze again.  It will amaze you - super creamy, mild, delicious flavor, and oh so satisfying ($.20).  Try adding some cinnamon!

Breakfast: Yogurt ($1.42)

Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit, Coke and orange juice, provided by concert venue ($0)

Dinner: Mac and cheese ($.40)

Mike's band (The Dirty Sock Funtime Band), had a concert today, so I tagged along to see the show and help out.  It was amazing - their show is so tight and it was so much fun to see them play at a huge venue with a really big crowd.  I hadn't been to a show in a while, so I had a total blast.  AND I got fed for free - it wasn't organic (and I had a Coke, which doesn't help the whole "big business" thing, but it satisfied my caffeine cravings and I guess once in a while is okay?)

When we got home, I boiled some macaroni while I sauteed 1/2 a chopped onion and 2 large cloves of garlic, minced.  Once they were tender, I dropped in about a cup or so of milk and cooked them together 'til the milk smelled like garlic and onion (I'm so specific...).  Then I drained the pasta (al dente) and mixed it with the milk.  I popped the whole concoction into a baking pan ($.50), mixed in about 1.5 cups of shredded cheese, and topped the whole thing with the rest of the cheese and some pads of sharp cheddar.

I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (the top was nice and brown and bubbly).  I made this whole recipe up from reading about 50 different versions of mac and cheese recipes.  It's awesome.  Just doooo it.  (~$3.10, makes 8 servings)

Tonight, we're joining some friends for a Star Wars screening.  Mike's eating my pasta salad for dinner, which he said the following about: "You know, when you said 'pasta salad', I was really hesitant.  All I can think of when I hear those words is goopy drowning noodles.  But this is awesome!!!"  Awww yeah.