They are called S'mores because once you eat one you want some more. And for good reason.
In all seriousness, though, they are easy to make and you can make it part of something to do as a family. It's very simple... marshmallow, graham crackers, and 2 squares of a bar of chocolate.
Now, honestly, it's very easy. Just start a fire, not with one of those fire-starter-logs, but with leaves and small, dry branches. Then let the fire get bigger and add bigger logs until you have a low flame with hot coals. Break the graham cracker in half, and place two rectangles of chocolate on one of the crackers... roast the marshmallow (some like it blackened- like me, and others like it toasted and browned). Place the marshmallow onto the chocolate and take the marshmallow off by squeezing the sandwich together.
While this is a rite of passage for many, it seems to be a lost art. The art of making S'mores requires scavenging to find the right pieces of wood (from kindling to logs) and knowing how to make a proper fire. There are many "helper" products in stores, but seriously what's the point. S'mores might take a little bit of work, but if you can include the family in the making, you'll only have to deal with minimal effort... you might even get the joy of poison oak, which really isn't all that bad.
Remember, you should enjoy your food, not dread it... so get out there and make some S'mores!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Following Good Advice Pays Off
This strained(?) calf muscle is obnoxious, but I am thankful for the wisdom of learning to love and push myself with cycling. I don't know much about cycling, but I do know it is excellent cross-training and tends to work the quads in a different way than running... which is good, because it was those good-for-nothing quads that betrayed me in my last marathon so I figure if I work them in as many different ways as possible, I might overcome such a problem in my next 26.2.
About a month or so back, I had posted on this blog about an experience of having a blowout a mile in to a 12 miler. I walked the bike home and wrote about the experience. Then a friend commented about getting a kit with a CO2 cartridge since having a blowout, a slow leak, or running over some sharp something that embeds itself into your tire are just a part of the sport. I went out a few days later and picked up a CO2 kit and a spare tube and placed them all in my saddle-bag which hangs under my seat.
I didn't think much of it until today. I have been going regularly 30+ miles 1 day a week and about 15+ on another day. These are my cross training days. I've been running longer runs twice a week and speed/tempo runs twice a week. Then this whole calf thing happened, and while I'm not yet classifying it as an injury, it can be a precursor to one if I'm not careful. So, while today was supposed to be a speed workout, I turned it into a 16 mile bike ride, instead (time constraints as they are).
I went out about 8ish miles and turned around to come back. This is when I started to notice that my front tire felt a little low and sluggish, eventually I pulled over next to a guardrail and took the little pump that is attached to my bike and pumped up the tire. I realized that there was probably a slow leak, but that I might have enough air in the tire to get home. In about another mile, the slow leak turned out to be a fast leak and a flat tire. I pulled off to another guard rail and knew what needed to be done.
I thanked God for the advice of my friend, Amy, who suggested me buying this kit and that I had the wisdom to follow the advice. I simply took off the front tire, removed the tire and tube (quickly finding a small metal wire stuck in the tire), pulled out the new tube and gave it a little shot of air with the CO2 kit, put the tire back on and shot more CO2 into the tire (it took less than a second and the tire was completely full), and I rode home. The whole episode with the tire took less than 15 minutes off my anticipated finish time.
So, thank you Amy :-)
I really hope this calf thing heals itself soon, but I am beginning to like cycling, too... all I need is to get into some open water and start swimming and I'd be ready for a triathlon.
Thanks for reading, and God Bless!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Among the Things that Suck
What the heck is that?!
I've had what I have been describing as a knot in my calf muscle for a week or so... I've been running on it fine for my last couple of runs, but today it just got crazy.
I wasn't even half way into my 12 miler when POW! It felt like something moved in there and the pain made me stop and walk the last quarter mile (5.75 miles out of 12 miles). I was (and am) pretty upset to say the least. This does not go well with my goal of an injury-free, personal record year! I hobbled home, stretched it out, rolled it with the foam roller, the stick, and the wobble board. I then put ice on it and took some vitamin I (ibuprofen). At this point, I'm glad I have warmed up really well to my new cross-training activity of cycling... but what the heck?!
Seriously, I've run much harder weeks have had much harder workouts. I even decided that I needed to mix things up a bit and not work so dang hard and yet, here I limp. I refuse to call this an injury yet. But, again, I'm glad I have already decided, and am doing well at, a cross training activity... but I'm still really mad.
I'll keep you updated... I've got 2 half marathons and a full marathon coming in the fall and this is NOT in my training plan. I guess no matter what you do right, the possibilities of little hick-ups along the way are always there.
I've had what I have been describing as a knot in my calf muscle for a week or so... I've been running on it fine for my last couple of runs, but today it just got crazy.
I wasn't even half way into my 12 miler when POW! It felt like something moved in there and the pain made me stop and walk the last quarter mile (5.75 miles out of 12 miles). I was (and am) pretty upset to say the least. This does not go well with my goal of an injury-free, personal record year! I hobbled home, stretched it out, rolled it with the foam roller, the stick, and the wobble board. I then put ice on it and took some vitamin I (ibuprofen). At this point, I'm glad I have warmed up really well to my new cross-training activity of cycling... but what the heck?!
Seriously, I've run much harder weeks have had much harder workouts. I even decided that I needed to mix things up a bit and not work so dang hard and yet, here I limp. I refuse to call this an injury yet. But, again, I'm glad I have already decided, and am doing well at, a cross training activity... but I'm still really mad.
I'll keep you updated... I've got 2 half marathons and a full marathon coming in the fall and this is NOT in my training plan. I guess no matter what you do right, the possibilities of little hick-ups along the way are always there.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The Pampered Chef People Are Jealous of this Cold, Cream Cheese, Veggie Pizza
This one is meant to be eaten cold, and it's a flavorful, refreshing summer dinner. Oh, and yeah, I know that Pampered Chef does some "cream cheese pizza" thing, but this is nothing like it and shouldn't even be considered together in the same breath. Thanks!
1.) First, make homemade pizza crust:
2-3 Cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
Olive oil
Dissolve 1 tsp yeast in the warm water, then add 1 cup of the flour and stir together. Add the remaining yeast, salt and sugar and mix. Add the second cup of flour slowly mixing together until the dough is hard to stir. Dump out another 1/2 cup flour on the counter and turn the dough onto it. Fill the bowl with water and let soak. Knead the dough adding flour until it doesn't stick anymore but is pliable and still a little moist. Keep kneading, lightly dusting remaining flour until the dough is springy and not too sticky (5-10 minutes). Rinse out and scrape the bowl and dry. Pour some olive oil into the bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl coating it with the olive oil. Cover with damp, lint-free, cloth for about 2 hours.
When the dough has risen (approx. 2 hours), preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Dust a pizza pan with some flour then work the dough onto the pizza pan until you have what resembles pizza crust.
2.) Crust coating:
Coat the pizza crust with a mixture of olive oil, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle all over the uncooked pizza crust.
3.) Baking:
Place in preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, but check after about 12 minutes and allow it to stay in for 20 if necessary. You're looking for a golden brown crust. Remove from oven and let cool.
4.) Cream cheese, veggie topping:
Put about 8 oz softened cream cheese in a bowl add to it salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, dill, and garlic powder. Stir until the completely combined. Spread out onto the cooling pizza crust.
5.) The toppings:
You can do whatever you want with this one, but here's what I did. Tomato, cucumber, spinach (which I ripped into small pieces), fresh basil (just a few leaves, which I ripped into tiny pieces), diced avocado (this was a risk that paid off in flavor and texture), topped off with some grated Parmesan cheese.
Try this and enjoy! Here are some pictures.
1.) First, make homemade pizza crust:
2-3 Cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
Olive oil
Dissolve 1 tsp yeast in the warm water, then add 1 cup of the flour and stir together. Add the remaining yeast, salt and sugar and mix. Add the second cup of flour slowly mixing together until the dough is hard to stir. Dump out another 1/2 cup flour on the counter and turn the dough onto it. Fill the bowl with water and let soak. Knead the dough adding flour until it doesn't stick anymore but is pliable and still a little moist. Keep kneading, lightly dusting remaining flour until the dough is springy and not too sticky (5-10 minutes). Rinse out and scrape the bowl and dry. Pour some olive oil into the bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl coating it with the olive oil. Cover with damp, lint-free, cloth for about 2 hours.
When the dough has risen (approx. 2 hours), preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Dust a pizza pan with some flour then work the dough onto the pizza pan until you have what resembles pizza crust.
2.) Crust coating:
Coat the pizza crust with a mixture of olive oil, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle all over the uncooked pizza crust.
3.) Baking:
Place in preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, but check after about 12 minutes and allow it to stay in for 20 if necessary. You're looking for a golden brown crust. Remove from oven and let cool.
4.) Cream cheese, veggie topping:
Put about 8 oz softened cream cheese in a bowl add to it salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, dill, and garlic powder. Stir until the completely combined. Spread out onto the cooling pizza crust.
5.) The toppings:
You can do whatever you want with this one, but here's what I did. Tomato, cucumber, spinach (which I ripped into small pieces), fresh basil (just a few leaves, which I ripped into tiny pieces), diced avocado (this was a risk that paid off in flavor and texture), topped off with some grated Parmesan cheese.
Try this and enjoy! Here are some pictures.
 |
| Bon Appetite- the paper plate just classed it up |
 |
| My 5 year old does not like topping, hence the triangular void- He loved the pizza though |
 |
| The Crust |
Saturday, July 7, 2012
5 Word Phrase to Make Any Trail Runner Freeze
"There's a rattlesnake over there"
Today was 100+ degrees and I needed to do a long run. My goal was 12 miles, I stopped at 10- and I only made it to 10 miles because I had a revelation right before I was going out the door. I realized that it was the perfect time to hit the Stony Valley Rail-trail- a flat, straight, and easy trail that was created when they picked up the old rail tracks. The beauty of this trail is that it is located in between two mountains and is lined by tall, shade-bearing, trees.
I was right about this choice, there was even a breeze- but a slight breeze on a shaded trail when the temperature is over 100 degrees is still a very difficult workout. I had strategically mapped my route so that I came back to my car every 5 miles for a reload of sport drink and re-evaluation of my plan based on the weather.
During my first out-and-back loop two bicyclists rode by, within a mile I looked ahead and noticed they were stopped... perhaps just looking out over the reservoir, I thought. Then the man shouted back to me, "There's a rattlesnake over there." At first I didn't quite make out what he was saying, but it sounded like the word rattlesnake, so I stopped and had him repeat it.
Surprising myself, I didn't freak out, I didn't turn around, my heart didn't even skip a beat. I just asked a few questions, (1) Where is the snake? (2) Is it coiled or just laying there? (3) Is it rattling?
He told me it was coiled, the woman who was with the man said she could see it rattling. They also informed me of its position, which was on the same side of the trail that I was running, so I walked to the other side and moved slowly forward. They then informed me that it was gone, it had slithered away back toward the water. I walked slowly down the side of the trail until I passed the point where the snake was, there was nothing. The man told me he was a little surprised because he had just rode passed it, but as I approached it took off.
Once I started running again, I evaluated the situation. Was it still safe to run this trail as there was just a rattlesnake spotted? It is extremely rare for a runner to come across a rattlesnake on a run, but it does happen. I've been reading up on this for a little while and decided that it was still safe, so I decided to continue, but to keep even more vigilant about snakes... of course that meant that everything looked like a snake after that.
One thing that's really important to note about rattlesnakes is that they have no intention of eating you, so it's not to their benefit to bite you. Even if they were to kill you, they wouldn't eat you, so the only reason why a rattlesnake will bite you is if you startle it or threaten it in any way.
Snakes don't hear with ears, but they feel with the vibrations in the ground, this is why they are rare for a runner to come across one. The snakes can feel the pounding footfalls from a pretty good distance and they will take off the moment they think you're close. This is why the cyclist rode right by it, and I think it only coiled when he stopped and got off his bike- the cyclists had come upon the snake suddenly, so the snake was preparing for defense... my footfalls, plus the man not getting too close, gave the snake the impetus to bolt in the other direction. Had we cornered the snake or gotten too close, it would have struck. Also, had the man said nothing to me or I just ignored him and ran up to the snake, it would have struck in defense. However, if I had been in front of the cyclists, it is more likely that my footfalls would have cleared the way. At least that's how I read it.
If you encounter a snake on the trail, stop. Give it a lot of space and move slowly away from it. Don't make any threatening motions, don't hit it with a stick or a rock, just slowly move away from it or stand completely still and wait for it to leave. It doesn't want to have anything to do with you, either.
If, by some small chance, you get bit, call 911 as soon as possible (in other words, carry a cell phone) and move slowly and calmly to a place where the ambulance can get you. Most initial bites are "dry" bites to warn you, but assume it was a wet bite.
Here's a good resource. Click Here
Be safe and have fun! Thanks for reading!
Today was 100+ degrees and I needed to do a long run. My goal was 12 miles, I stopped at 10- and I only made it to 10 miles because I had a revelation right before I was going out the door. I realized that it was the perfect time to hit the Stony Valley Rail-trail- a flat, straight, and easy trail that was created when they picked up the old rail tracks. The beauty of this trail is that it is located in between two mountains and is lined by tall, shade-bearing, trees.
I was right about this choice, there was even a breeze- but a slight breeze on a shaded trail when the temperature is over 100 degrees is still a very difficult workout. I had strategically mapped my route so that I came back to my car every 5 miles for a reload of sport drink and re-evaluation of my plan based on the weather.
During my first out-and-back loop two bicyclists rode by, within a mile I looked ahead and noticed they were stopped... perhaps just looking out over the reservoir, I thought. Then the man shouted back to me, "There's a rattlesnake over there." At first I didn't quite make out what he was saying, but it sounded like the word rattlesnake, so I stopped and had him repeat it.
Surprising myself, I didn't freak out, I didn't turn around, my heart didn't even skip a beat. I just asked a few questions, (1) Where is the snake? (2) Is it coiled or just laying there? (3) Is it rattling?
He told me it was coiled, the woman who was with the man said she could see it rattling. They also informed me of its position, which was on the same side of the trail that I was running, so I walked to the other side and moved slowly forward. They then informed me that it was gone, it had slithered away back toward the water. I walked slowly down the side of the trail until I passed the point where the snake was, there was nothing. The man told me he was a little surprised because he had just rode passed it, but as I approached it took off.
Once I started running again, I evaluated the situation. Was it still safe to run this trail as there was just a rattlesnake spotted? It is extremely rare for a runner to come across a rattlesnake on a run, but it does happen. I've been reading up on this for a little while and decided that it was still safe, so I decided to continue, but to keep even more vigilant about snakes... of course that meant that everything looked like a snake after that.
One thing that's really important to note about rattlesnakes is that they have no intention of eating you, so it's not to their benefit to bite you. Even if they were to kill you, they wouldn't eat you, so the only reason why a rattlesnake will bite you is if you startle it or threaten it in any way.
Snakes don't hear with ears, but they feel with the vibrations in the ground, this is why they are rare for a runner to come across one. The snakes can feel the pounding footfalls from a pretty good distance and they will take off the moment they think you're close. This is why the cyclist rode right by it, and I think it only coiled when he stopped and got off his bike- the cyclists had come upon the snake suddenly, so the snake was preparing for defense... my footfalls, plus the man not getting too close, gave the snake the impetus to bolt in the other direction. Had we cornered the snake or gotten too close, it would have struck. Also, had the man said nothing to me or I just ignored him and ran up to the snake, it would have struck in defense. However, if I had been in front of the cyclists, it is more likely that my footfalls would have cleared the way. At least that's how I read it.
If you encounter a snake on the trail, stop. Give it a lot of space and move slowly away from it. Don't make any threatening motions, don't hit it with a stick or a rock, just slowly move away from it or stand completely still and wait for it to leave. It doesn't want to have anything to do with you, either.
If, by some small chance, you get bit, call 911 as soon as possible (in other words, carry a cell phone) and move slowly and calmly to a place where the ambulance can get you. Most initial bites are "dry" bites to warn you, but assume it was a wet bite.
Here's a good resource. Click Here
Be safe and have fun! Thanks for reading!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Sweet Smell of Sweat in a Public Restroom and an Avocado Salad
You know you're a runner when...
There's a difference between "people who run" and "runners", and today I encapsulated the difference. The old me, given the situation of a 7:15 AM appointment for a state inspection/oil change/tire rotation would have just brought something to occupy my time, maybe even conceded defeat and actually watched the morning shows that are always on the TV- I was figuring about 1- 1 1/2 hour.
The new me, well, the new me dropped off my car, went to the bathroom in the service area and changed into running clothes. The runner just left his stuff in a gym bag on the coat rack and left the service station, heading out in one direction about 30 or so minutes, then turned around and ran back... roughly 6.5-7 miles. It was humid and hot (about 85 degrees) so I was, of course, drenched in sweat upon my return.
Then, this sweaty, "runner", grabbed his gym bag and went back into the bathroom to clean up. Have you ever tried to change out of sweat-saturated clothes, rinse off, dry off and then change into cleaner clothes (well, dry gym clothes)? Easy to do at home... but very challenging in a public restroom. This separates the "runner" from "someone who runs".
The runner, when faced with the torment of The Today Show in a car service center decides that this would be the perfect time to get in that run. The runner doesn't care that he is a disgusting mess of humanity whose stench permeates at least 100 square feet around him, he just runs, cleans up the best he can, picks up his car and leaves. That's what I did today, and I liked it.
To reward you for reading this far, let me give you a recipe for an Avocado Salad I came up with today for lunch!
2 Ripe Avocados- diced
1 large tomato- seeded and diced
1 cucumber- diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 sweet onion finely diced
1/2 cup almonds- more if desired
Juice from 2 limes
Gently combine all the above ingredients together in a large bowl- squeeze the juice from the limes on top and mix in- add salt, pepper, ground hemp seeds, and cilantro to desired taste
1 cup plain yogurt (Greek style is what I used, but it's up to you)
Add the following seasonings- salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and dill weed- mix together- start small until the flavor is to your desired taste.
Serve by putting the salad in a bowl and topping it with the yogurt dressing.
Enjoy!
 |
| With Dressing |
 |
| Without the Dressing |
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Chicks Aren't All About Breasts
"Because healthy cooking is boring"
This was my response to my wife this evening when she commented on the fact that the "healthy point of view" chefs on The Next Food Network Star seem to be dismissed early. She was a bit taken aback and replied with, "But your food is always good and it's healthy".
The fact is that my cooking may be healthy, but it's not because I go straight for the "healthy" options when I'm shopping and cooking. My cooking is healthy for the simple fact that I cook most of our food from scratch... not from a box, not in the microwave, and not from a store. I simply take raw ingredients and make a meal out of them.
I try to make food with the following simple principles in mind... a source of protein, fruits and/or vegetables, and some sort of whole grain. Some nights and days, I haven't a clue about what I'm going to make for any of the meals, but somehow something gets done.
This evening, July 4, I decided to ride the grill train and grill some meat... when I grill, however, everything gets done on the grill. If I was cooking "healthy", I would have only gotten the boneless, skinless chicken breast, you know, to cut down on the "fat" content. When I was looking for the meat, I chose the whole bird, because, if you only focus on the breast, you'll miss out on all the other good stuff that you can get from a chicken.
This same principle applies to eggs vs. egg whites but that's another post for another time.
I wound up taking apart the chicken, which took some time, but was less difficult that I anticipated. The basic idea about taking a raw chicken apart is to realize that a chicken essentially has 2 legs, 2 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 wings- identify where these are and breaking down and cooking a chicken isn't all that hard.
Next was the marinade. I stay as far away from the pre-packaged junk as much as I can. A marinade is simple to make. You basically need a fat, an acid, and whatever combinations of flavors you're looking to taste. This evening, I used Olive oil as my fat, juice from 2 limes as my acid; then salt, pepper, powdered coriander, powdered onion, powdered garlic, and cilantro as my seasonings. I mixed them until it tasted good and then spooned and brushed a portion onto the chicken reserving a portion for the grill later on (never use the juices that marinaded the raw meat beyond the marinading... unless you really want to get sick- you can always use a portion that didn't touch the meat later so long as the utensils used to spread the marinade have not touched the raw meat).
I grilled on low heat until the chicken was done... everyone liked it :-)
For my starch (potatoes are a rarity), I cubed some red-skinned potatoes and combined them with chopped onions, basil, chopped garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I put these onto the grill as well in a glass casserole dish (soak to clean and I also used a brillo pad to be certain), "yummy" was the response.
For my vegetable/fruit, I simply took some fresh green beans that I bought from a road-side stand and put them in a glass bowl with a tiny bit of water, salt and pepper... I also put these on the grill.
Finally, I cut up a cantaloupe, which I also bought at the roadside stand, for good measure.
The fact is, I think that Americans have lost the art of cooking using fresh ingredients. There is no reason for this except that we have forgotten how. Cooking with fresh ingredients is healthier and cheaper than canned or processed food, yet Americans seem to be all about easy, lazy food.
While on vacation, I noticed an article in a newspaper that stated that 38% of Americans are obese... 38%! That means that in a group of 3 people, most likely, one will be obese. This is a serious problem. One which I believe would be solved simply by eating more plant- based foods and making our own food at home.
Notice- this marathon runner didn't say anything about exercise!
Exercise is only part of the equation, eating right is the biggest, and most important thing to conquer before any exercise practice will be of any good.
This is prime time to stock up on fruits and vegetables... shop at as many roadside stands as possible and eat what you buy liberally... it rots a lot quicker than the processed stuff. As the growing season gets closer to the end, start rinsing and freezing what you can. Eat various forms of protein, legumes, beans, meat, fish, etc. Buy whole chickens and learn how to break them down- don't worry about the "fat" content of the dark meat, just enjoy!
Whole food is tasty and good for you, "healthy" food is boring... chicks aren't all about breasts, there's a lot more to the whole bird and a lot more nutrients and yumminess... enjoy yourself and have fun! Get out there and get active!
Thanks for reading, and it's good to be back!
This was my response to my wife this evening when she commented on the fact that the "healthy point of view" chefs on The Next Food Network Star seem to be dismissed early. She was a bit taken aback and replied with, "But your food is always good and it's healthy".
The fact is that my cooking may be healthy, but it's not because I go straight for the "healthy" options when I'm shopping and cooking. My cooking is healthy for the simple fact that I cook most of our food from scratch... not from a box, not in the microwave, and not from a store. I simply take raw ingredients and make a meal out of them.
I try to make food with the following simple principles in mind... a source of protein, fruits and/or vegetables, and some sort of whole grain. Some nights and days, I haven't a clue about what I'm going to make for any of the meals, but somehow something gets done.
This evening, July 4, I decided to ride the grill train and grill some meat... when I grill, however, everything gets done on the grill. If I was cooking "healthy", I would have only gotten the boneless, skinless chicken breast, you know, to cut down on the "fat" content. When I was looking for the meat, I chose the whole bird, because, if you only focus on the breast, you'll miss out on all the other good stuff that you can get from a chicken.
This same principle applies to eggs vs. egg whites but that's another post for another time.
I wound up taking apart the chicken, which took some time, but was less difficult that I anticipated. The basic idea about taking a raw chicken apart is to realize that a chicken essentially has 2 legs, 2 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 wings- identify where these are and breaking down and cooking a chicken isn't all that hard.
Next was the marinade. I stay as far away from the pre-packaged junk as much as I can. A marinade is simple to make. You basically need a fat, an acid, and whatever combinations of flavors you're looking to taste. This evening, I used Olive oil as my fat, juice from 2 limes as my acid; then salt, pepper, powdered coriander, powdered onion, powdered garlic, and cilantro as my seasonings. I mixed them until it tasted good and then spooned and brushed a portion onto the chicken reserving a portion for the grill later on (never use the juices that marinaded the raw meat beyond the marinading... unless you really want to get sick- you can always use a portion that didn't touch the meat later so long as the utensils used to spread the marinade have not touched the raw meat).
I grilled on low heat until the chicken was done... everyone liked it :-)
For my starch (potatoes are a rarity), I cubed some red-skinned potatoes and combined them with chopped onions, basil, chopped garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I put these onto the grill as well in a glass casserole dish (soak to clean and I also used a brillo pad to be certain), "yummy" was the response.
For my vegetable/fruit, I simply took some fresh green beans that I bought from a road-side stand and put them in a glass bowl with a tiny bit of water, salt and pepper... I also put these on the grill.
Finally, I cut up a cantaloupe, which I also bought at the roadside stand, for good measure.
The fact is, I think that Americans have lost the art of cooking using fresh ingredients. There is no reason for this except that we have forgotten how. Cooking with fresh ingredients is healthier and cheaper than canned or processed food, yet Americans seem to be all about easy, lazy food.
While on vacation, I noticed an article in a newspaper that stated that 38% of Americans are obese... 38%! That means that in a group of 3 people, most likely, one will be obese. This is a serious problem. One which I believe would be solved simply by eating more plant- based foods and making our own food at home.
Notice- this marathon runner didn't say anything about exercise!
Exercise is only part of the equation, eating right is the biggest, and most important thing to conquer before any exercise practice will be of any good.
This is prime time to stock up on fruits and vegetables... shop at as many roadside stands as possible and eat what you buy liberally... it rots a lot quicker than the processed stuff. As the growing season gets closer to the end, start rinsing and freezing what you can. Eat various forms of protein, legumes, beans, meat, fish, etc. Buy whole chickens and learn how to break them down- don't worry about the "fat" content of the dark meat, just enjoy!
Whole food is tasty and good for you, "healthy" food is boring... chicks aren't all about breasts, there's a lot more to the whole bird and a lot more nutrients and yumminess... enjoy yourself and have fun! Get out there and get active!
Thanks for reading, and it's good to be back!
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