Indoor "Picnic" Spot in Jerusalem

Yesterday I had to travel to Jerusalem just before lunchtime, and I took food with me. It was my usual cooked vegetables with some techina paste. Especially since I really am trying to get my weight down again, I must bring food and not buy whenever possible. But because of the heatwave, the idea of eating outdoors just didn't appeal to me.

A week or two ago, I had breakfast at a table in Center 1 very early in the morning, before the nearby food place was open. That wouldn't work yesterday, since it was midday.

Luckily, I noticed some girls sitting and eating at a table that wasn't next to any food joint. I decided to find a place there, too, which I did. In the end nobody bothered me or sent me packing.

The only problem was that my food was frozen. I had left it in the freezer too long after making it that same morning.

I presume that these tables are for customers of the various "fast food" places in Center 1, and I'm glad that nobody stopped me from sitting there. I really needed to eat in a nice relaxed way and not holding my food container in my hands or on my lap.

Purim Gifts- Mishloach Manot

This is the clever a perfect sort of Mishloach Manot I can never come up with. I got it as a gift from a fellow teacher where I work. And not only was it cute, attractive and delicious, it was the perfect lunch last Wednesday when I didn't want to eat in the yeshiva's Dining Room.

• 2 low fat plain yogurts
• a small bag of perfect strawberries 
• a jar of irresistible granola
• packed in a lovely Purim gift bag

Yes, I know that it wasn't yet Purim on Wednesday. That's pretty obvious since I studied and taught then. It was a very long day for sure. But since it wasn't Purim, the Mishloach Manot was more symbolic than anything, and the strawberries wouldn't have lasted another few days...

Usually I do eat lunch in the yeshiva dining room on Wednesdays, but last week I was very upset with the menu. In the tradition of the Jewish Month of Adar, leading to Purim there was a "reversal." The meat meal this month is at night for dinner, not for lunch. And the week before I was very upset to discover that the menu was mostly carbohydrates, except for the salads. And there was no protein. For me that's not a meal. I don't eat carbs, and salads aren't very satisfying.

Since I generally sleep out on Tuesday nights, I can't bring lunch with me on Wednesday. I was overjoyed to have received this gorgeous gift. Yes, I know that granola is very fattening, but the yogurt is a nice protein. I was starving and ate it. For me it was a more balanced and satisfying meal than I would have gotten in the dining room.

Perfect Size Tuna Sandwich for Only ns15.90*

I'm always looking for a good sandwich deal, one that not only doesn't cost too much, but there's something to eat in it. I did try a few of those ns5 places, but even though there was enough roll for me, it was hard finding more than a bite of tuna inside. I've bought some nice big sandwiches for ns20, but I really don't need so much food.

I bought this one in the Sambooki, 34 Rechov Yaffo, Jerusalem. It's between Zion Square and the Jerusalem Municipality. As you can see, it was full of salad and tuna and a hardboiled egg. That's a meal. It was readymade, so service was quick. I think that the custom-made ones cost more.

*I'm pretty sure that was the price. If I got it wrong, it's small mistake, unless they've raised the price since I bought mine.

Quiet Lunch Escape in the Center of Jerusalem

As you know, I'm always on the quest for a low-cost worthwhile lunch in Jerusalem. I've tried out many of the ns5 places. They are fine if you don't need the nutrition of a "real meal." The rolls are large enough, but sometimes there's barely a dessertspoon (smaller than a teaspoon) of tuna in the sandwich, and I'm not always in the mood for eating on the sidewalk or in motion.

One solution I've used a few times has been the "two meals for the price of one"  ns25 large tuna salad which comes with a roll from the Neeman on the corner of King George and Jaffa Streets. I eat about 2/3 the salad for lunch and then take the roll and the rest of the salad to work for my dinner. Yesterday I was not in the mood for that. I also didn't want any "too big" sandwich for ns18 or so. I decided to have their sandwich and coffee deal for ns20. The roll was large enough, and from what I could see, there was the equivalent of about ten ns5 sandwiches of tuna if not more.

When I asked where to wash my hands, I was sent "upstairs." There I discovered a quiet place, much nicer than the few tables on the street overlooking the busy corner, which one shares with pigeons and strangers.

Tired, I sat at the table closest to the sink, which was by the 00 WC's. The downside was the strong smell of urine. Apparently they don't clean there often enough. Next time I'll just pick a different table.

I definitely did need that escape from the hustle and bustle of the street. The ready-made whole-wheat tuna sandwich was full and tasty and just the right size. The coffee was good, too. I don't usually drink coffee in the middle of the day, but I did feel the need and had a long day of work still ahead of me. It did end up to be a good choice, because I functioned well for hours after eating that meal.

Two Meals for the Price of One!

I've written before about the ns10 salad I've bought from the Cafe Ne'eman on the corner of King George and Yaffo Streets in Jerusalem. Not long ago I needed to buy both a lunch and dinner, since I was going to work. So I bought their larger salad which comes with a roll for ns25 (or was it ns24?)

For lunch I ate most of the salad. When I got to work, I put the left-overs in the staff fridge. What remained was more than enough to fill the roll.

It made me a very satisfying dinner, and healthy, too.

PS The service was very accommodating. I requested olive oil, since the dressing they provide isn't my "cup of tea." And they gave me two little containers of olive oil.

Eating Out in Ramat Eshkol

A couple of weeks ago I met a friend in the Ramat Eshkol Shopping Center for lunch.  Since I got there early, I was assigned the task of finding a good place to eat at.

I wandered up and down the shopping center, which is a long street of stores, banks and a full variety of food places.  As it was the tail end of summer, I found the idea of purchasing a grill, but that wasn't my assignment.  I needed a reasonably priced dairy restaurant.

Jerusalem Kosher News

So I settled on Sam's which offered me a meal, the breakfast, at about ns10 less than most places.  I quickly bagged the bagel to take home to freeze, and I found the rest of the meal perfectly satisfying.

Sam Bagel's Bakery

15 Paran

Ramat Eshkol Shopping Center

Dairy

02-581-3388

Badatz Mehadrin  Rav Rubin

The above information is from Mehadrin Restaurant site, since I couldn't find a site run by "Sam."

The photos are all mine, Copyright(C)BatyaMedad, unless indicated otherwise.  Please give proper credit if you use them, thanks.

Finish That Matzah!

Matzah is one of those products that lasts forever; yes, in two ways.

1. It never spoils.  Properly sealed, it stays edible for years.
2. If you overbuy the amount of matzah you really need for Passover, something we frequently do, it's easy to forget to eat/cook/serve it. So you end up suddenly discovering that very expensive simple food when preparing  (cleaning) for the next Pesach.

I've discovered that I can give my husband perfectly good matzah brei during the year as his "lunch sandwich."  He generally gets two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, plus a couple of fruit and yogurt for breakfast when he goes to work.  With this eating regime, he has lost, and kept off, even more weight than I've banished.

Last night, since I realized that we were out of bread, making him matzah brei was the perfect solution.

I wrap it in foil and keep a piece of matzah dry for him to use to make the bracha blessing on bread.

The recipe is very simple.
Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of matzah
• 2 eggs
• water (milk or both) to moisten the matzah
• oil for frying
• honey or jam optional to sweeten it

Instructions:

• break matzah in pieces and put in bowl
• add water or milk or combination, about 1/4 cup
• add the eggs
• mix and then leave for at least 10 minutes
• heat the oil in the frying pan
• add the mixture and cover
• start on high and quickly turn to low flame
• when you can see that the matzah brei is solid, turn over and cook another couple of minutes
• leave covered on flame for a bit
• then serve or pack, with optional honey or jam

This is very easy and wonderful for traveling.

Extra flavor

Yesterday, eating my lunch, some fish fillet, sauteed with onion, squash and then already cooked spaghetti, with some catsup, water and tomato concentrate, served on cut up cucumbers, I felt that it was still "missing something." At the same time, my body was suffering from the after effects of the late "dinner" from the night before.

There's a health-diet eating rule, which mandates no eating after 7pm or to have at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. At most weddings here, which are 99% of the time, especially in the winter, in the evenings--ok, night--we're lucky to have the maincourse before 10pm, and that's after a first course which is more than most people have at home as an entire meal. And Israel is getting like the states, with a pre-Chuppah (ceremony) "Kabbalat Panin," "reception," in which you can eat a full meal plus. That means that without even "pigging out," you can easily eat three full meals at a wedding.

I'm not into salty foods at all, and something at the wedding we attended was salty, too salty. So I really didn't want to add any more salt to my lunch, which meant that I couldn't jazz up the food with Tamari Sauce. I checked the balsamic vinegar and discovered that it was full of salt, too.

So... I dressed my feast with olive oil and freshly ground pepper! it was great. I guess I should have put on fresh lemon juice too. OK, next time.

ps I only had "two meals," since I arrived too late for the reception, but I was so hungry, that I had lots of bread, which I usually skip.