This documents a day of meals amidst the chaos of moving into a new apartment. A day fueled by quick workouts, grocery runs, IKEA furniture assembly, and surprisingly delicious homemade meals crafted from simple ingredients.
Wednesday, August 10th began at 7 am with a quick 5-minute stretching routine. Lunges, balancing poses, and a child’s pose helped loosen up tight hips. Ironically, I ripped my favorite shorts on a cabinet handle this morning. After hydrating, it was time for the gym.
At 7:45 am, I squeezed in a quick 30-minute workout focusing on four major body movements. I felt weaker than usual since this was my first gym session in three weeks due to illness and a subsequent vacation. But something is always better than nothing!
After the gym, I grabbed a $6 pour-over coffee at 8:30 am. My coffee setup wasn’t unpacked yet. I then worked for about an hour and a half using the Pomodoro technique on Ali Abdaal’s “Study With Me” video – a great tool for focused productivity.
At 10 am, I hit the grocery store on my way home. I stocked up on staples: proteins, produce, carbs, dairy, and pantry items like oils and spices. These versatile ingredients allow for a variety of meals. I also grabbed some nostalgic ice pops, reminiscent of childhood pool days.
I unpacked the groceries around 10:56 am. Finally, I could make something other than turkey sandwiches!
A fridge isn’t truly mine until it contains pickled onions. I combined equal parts vinegar and water with salt in a pot over medium heat.
While the pickling brine heated, I thinly sliced an onion root to stem. Thanks to a previous onion-cutting video I made, I now separate the onion quarters for even finer, more uniform slices.
After refrigerating the soon-to-be-pink pickled onions, I celebrated the arrival of my soap and shampoo. No more water-only showers! At 11:40 am, I relaxed on my phone for 10 minutes before tackling lunch.
Lunch was poblano con queso. I stuffed a block of Monterey Jack cheese into a seeded and topped poblano pepper. Then, I roasted it over a gas burner until nicely blackened.
After charring the pepper, I roughly chopped it and finished cooking it in a pan.
I added garlic and cumin powder to the pan and let the cheese melt beautifully.
Next, I crisped corn tortillas in the melted cheese, flipped them for even browning, and admired the satisfying crust. The tortillas stuck together slightly, so I chopped them into pieces.
Toppings included the vibrant pickled onions, hot sauce, and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt applied with a chopstick (no cutlery yet!). This satisfying lunch took just 10 minutes.
Before cleaning up, I prepped some chicken thighs for dinner. I thinly sliced, salted, and set aside some for tonight’s meal and the rest for tomorrow. Salting proteins in advance is a great cooking hack.
At 12:30 pm, it was off to IKEA – the land of furniture, Swedish meatballs, and lingonberry everything. I easily got distracted by the maze of cool items, but eventually secured my main objective: a desk and chair. Finally, a proper workspace!
By 2:30 pm, I was back home, music on, assembling the desk and chair. Not the sturdiest furniture, but it was affordable and functional for now. I also assembled a modular organization rack for my sheet pans.
At 3:54 pm, I sat down at my new desk to edit this video. I snacked on Greek yogurt (eaten with a discovered knife) and finished the crumbs from a tortilla chip bag.
By 5:43 pm, motivation waned. I laid down on a piece of cardboard, wishing I had also bought a couch at IKEA. Post-lounge, I started cooking rice for dinner and broke down some cardboard boxes.
I added a fresh bay leaf and salt to the rice during the final 10 minutes of cooking to enhance the flavor. I then opened a can of tomatoes for dinner with kitchen shears (dangerous, not recommended). This video is quickly becoming a list of things I still need to buy.
At 6:26 pm, I enjoyed a pre-dinner snack of a sun gold kiwi, eaten quartered with the skin on.
Dinner was chicken karahi. I lacked some traditional ingredients, but my simplified version (a more traditional recipe is on my website) is still delicious. I started by chopping ginger, red onion, and serrano peppers, then cubed the pre-salted chicken.
I fried the chicken in oil in a wok over high heat. Once cooked, I added the aromatics for 30 seconds, followed by the canned tomatoes. The mixture simmered and thickened into a sauce. I forgot to film the spice additions, but the whole thing simmered for about 10 minutes while I watched “The Adam Project” (a decent movie).
I served the rice and chicken karahi in my only two small bowls, garnished with fresh ginger and cilantro. Chopsticks were my utensils of choice again, until I remembered I had a serving spoon, which made eating the rice much easier.
After cleaning the kitchen at 7:59 pm, I transferred footage and edited for another 45 minutes. My reward was a handful of Twix minis at 9:01 pm. I then lounged on my bed (still on the floor) before going to bed around 10:30 pm. New videos will be coming this fall once I’m fully settled. Have a good day, everyone!
