T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

I competed in the Amica Mid Summer Olympic Tri today. I went in with a goal of finishing under 3 hours. The weather was perfect. Upper 60's and overcast. The water this time around in Blue Lake was a bit warmer than last, but still murky. I haven't been training all that hard since my last triathlon becuase I've just been putting it off. I also could not sleet last night. I ended up waking at 4am. Giving me 4 hours of sleep. Not Good.

The Swim:
Started out good except my left rotator cuff was killing me. Last Wednesday I did a workout involving the butterfly stroke which must have aggravated my shoulder. I tried to ignore it during the race and I was able to most of the time but every once in awhile, it hurt. :(
I finished the swim and came out of the water covered in marine plant life. Seriously. There was some epic plants wrapped around my arm. gross.

T1:

Didn't bother to dry off, except my feet. Decided to wear my socks and DB's sun glasses.

Bike:


The flat course was fantastic compared to last month's Hagg Lake. My legs did feel fatigued and I could tell that I had slacked on my bike workouts over the past couple of weeks.



T2:
I was able to transition quickly, again, sitting while I changed into my running shoes. No hat this time, just sunglasses.

Run:

I was the slowest in my age group! First half was super slow. Second half after I ate a electrolyte gel was a little faster. My pace was at 9m 21s. I think more towards 9:40 first half and just under 9 second half. Legs felt good. A little pain in my right knee but nothing to write home about. I have been having trouble with my left knee so the fact that it was only my right knee today, was great. Also, Hood to Coast will feel like a piece of cake since I won't be swimming and biking before my runs.

I wasn't sure my exact time overall because I didn't get a change to look at the results. I did however get an award for 3rd place in my age group. M.Y.'s dental school friend kicked my butt and got 2nd place. 1st place was from Tacoma, WA and killed it on the bike. I had the 2nd fastest bike time, 3rd fastest swim and slowest run...heh.

Once DB and i got home, I had to drive over to Ocean Park to pickup my mom (long story). I didn't get home until just after 7pm. I checked the results online and.....









My final time was 2 hours 51 minutes!!!!


I'm so happy.




DB also got 2nd in his age group for the duathalon. Way to go boyfriend! I'm excited to see how we compare at the MAC Dash Sprint tri in September. I'm going to have to get quite the head start on the swim to be any threat to DB. (his running splits are crazy fast).

DB with his Silver medal, Me with my Bronze.

The next athletic endeavor will be Hood to Coast. I got lucky number 9. aka the most difficultly ranked and longest legs. Thanks team. Did I mention that I got the SLOWEST run time in my division today?


Last night for dinner I made a pasta bake with gluten free shells:
DB told me to call it his favorite, so here it is;

T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz gluten free pasta shells
1 1/2 cup chopped up fresh mozzarella
3 links of Aidells Artichoke and Garlic Smoked Chicken Sausage, sliced
5 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 large zucchini sliced
3/4 cup shredded parmigiana cheese

Cooke pasta according to package. Once cooked, drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Itallian seasoning.

Place in a 375 oven covered, for 30 minutes. Stick under the broiler with the lid removed for 10 minutes.

Gluten Free and precooked. Great for quick meals.

Okay, I have no idea why this photo is sideways. I couldn't figure out how to make it right side up either.

Do you see that stringy, cheesy, goodness?

Oh. I also discovered Nutella. You know those Ferrero Roche candies? Well I can't eat them becuase they have that shell in the middle that is made with flour. I bought Nutella and found that it was processed by the same company. Holy cow I'm going to be fat.

My waist-line will be cursing you later.

I will post pics from the tri later. They are on DB's iPhone.

Quiche

Aw I love that our nation celebrates its independence by blowing stuff up and eating. There's probably nothing more American than food and explosives. See part of our video here:

Before we headed over to the coast I made a quick dinner to clean out the fridge. We had eggs, onions, bacon, cheese, and other veggies. I didn't write down exactly what I put in and I didn't measure the ingredients but here's a guess.

Quiche

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup GF flour blend
5 tablespoons butter
sprinkle of salt
1 egg white
4 tablespoons of cold water

Combine the ingredients until crumbly and press into a small baking dish. Parbake in an oven set to 400 for about 15 minutes.

Filling:
2 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
diced onions
5 slices of bacon (cut into small pieces)
shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup mushrooms
3 big handfuls of spinach
2 teaspoons of Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Beat eggs and cream together. Cook bacon, onions and mushrooms in a skillet. Drain off excess grease and let cool. Once cooled add everything except the cheese into the eggs and pour into the crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes or until the center is set. Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and eating.



DB and my mom approved. Neither is picky so well, good luck.

Olympic Distance...check! (Spinach-Walnut Pesto)

When I completed the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon, I was so happy that the Blue Lake Tri would be held in June. The Beaver Freezer was cloudy and cold and the roads were wet. Apparently in Oregon, monsoons still happen in June.

The pre race dinner:

Spinach-Walnut Pesto Pasta, Curried Butternut Squash Soup, and BBQed Pork Chops.

Spinach-Walnut Pesto Pasta:

Ingredients:
4 Large handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup walnuts
1 cup skim ricotta cheese
4 cloves of garlic
salt to taste

Stick everything in a food processor and blend away into smooth. Toss with cooked pasta.


I made the Curried Butternut Squash Soup from below sans the honey. It was easy and delicious. I highly recommend it. DB grilled the pork. My mom just seasoned them with my favorite Kirkland Organic No-Salt seasoning and some salt (ha).


The Swim:(1.5K)
I would consider swimming my strongest portion of triathlons. I have the strongest background in it and I'm a pretty slow biker and running isn't my biggest favorite thing to do. The problem with today is that I have never really swam in a lake before. Many people say that before your first lake swim, it's important to practice in a lake beforehand. Many people say the reasoning behind this is that in a triathlon lake swim, there is a lot of splashing, kicking, and it's hard to see. Well this is a lot of what water polo is. I have a background in water polo. I have no problem will people trying to drown me in water and splashing or getting kicked in the face. (no, that was not an invite to kick me in the face). The one part of lake swimming I did not take into consideration was the temperature of the water. The water was under 65 degrees today. This is COLD! Not to mention that it was pouring down rain the entire time. After the first minute of the swim I couldn't stick my head under the water because I couldn't breathe. I typically do a 5 stroke breath pattern in the pool. I couldn't even breathe every stroke. I began to breast stroke with my head out of the water. I thought about head up freestyle, but seeing that I had a mile to go, that wasn't going to work. DB and I expected that I would be in about the middle of my swim heat. I was nearly dead last at this point with one girl right next to me. After what seemed forever and after I began to panic because I realized it would take me a damn hour to finish the swim a guy from the wave behind me passed me. I decided that that was it. I forced my head in the water and started to swim head down for 2 strokes then head up for 2 strokes. After I passed the turnaround buoy, I realized that I could do this! I began picking up my speed and continued to swim head down and lifting my head every 5 strokes to make sure I was going the right way. And guess what?! I starting passing other women in my wave. Finally I could see the get out point and picked up my speed again until I got there. I was soooooooooo happy to get out of that water.

The Bike: (40K)
The bike portion was really good. My legs felt good and I made sure to monitor my fluid intake. The only down side was that the entire ride was soaking! It was pouring down rain the entire time and the road was flooded half the time. I literally thought I'd have to dismount at one point because the water looked really deep. There were a lot of people with flats and even one guy just laying in a ditch. It looked like he fell but his feet were still stuck in his pedals so he was stuck laying down. Thankfully there were a lot of support vans and motorcycles to help those folks out. The first 12 miles flew by. My goal was to keep my pace up and I was reassured that I would do it since I felt better than I did at the 12 mi point of the Beaver Freezer. At the point that the bikes entered the park, the course narrowed from a 2 lane road into a 5 foot wide steep hill with a super muddy mat on top of it for "traction". I thought this was the dismount area so I clipped out of one of my pedals. Unfortunately it was not and I couldn't clip back in fast enough. My speed to too slow and I ended up having to half walk/pedal my way up the little hill. Well I nearly tipped over. I was on the far left of the mat for this reason. Some uber-hardcore-looking guy tried to sneak by me on the left (WTF!?) at the same time I nearly tipped to the left. So I ran into him. I felt really bad so I yelled that I was sorry but he just acted all pissed. Honestly buddy, you could see that I was about to fall and you could have gone to the other side. Hate the game, not the player. The actual dismount went well and I couldn't decide if I wanted to change my shorts or not (from bike to run) so my T2 time was extra long. I ended up sticking running shorts on since my bike shorts were soaked.

The Run (10K)
The run started slow. Unlike the Beaver Freezer I could feel my legs after getting off the bike. I had about 6- 50 y/o women and men pass me on the. I swear they take drugs. They are amazing! The first water station I drank to much water too fast and well... the water just decided to come right back up. ew. My goal for this race was to finish and try to run the entire run. I only ran at the aid stations so that I could drink water and those were only for 10 feet at a time. I am going to count that as running the entire time. Finally after what seemed like FOREVER I could see the finish. I started to tear up. I ran through the muddy muck and finished! As I waited for DB to meet up with me I thought I was going to burst into tears. I didn't becuase I had already embarrassed myself enough for the day.

I surprisingly felt amazing after I finished. Far better than I did after the Beaver Freezer which was less than half the distance. I didn't bother changing or toweling off becuase everything was drenched and muddy. I could hardly pickup my bag because it was so heavy with wet clothes and gear.

Before the bike and run portion of the tri I ate a pouch of glucose gel. One from Powerade and one from Hammer. They were both orange flavored. The Powerade went down a lot easier but they both have comparable tastes. I didn't notice a perk in my energy but I didn't was not fatigued during the legs and I didn't cramp anytime either. I felt strong. I also wasn't famished after I finished. I don't know how I placed because results haven't posted yet. I'd just like to finish not last in my division after that swim. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

It was around 5am. I look beautiful!

This is before the swim. I was already soaking from the rain.

Aw, the wonderful bulges wearing your bike shorts under a wetsuit can create.
Me: ready to panic.

Getting ready to start the bike leg.

After I successfully dismounted from the bike.
Notice the standing water. It was like that everywhere.
The start of a very muddy run.
Yay, I'm holding back tears. Again, notice all the water/mud.

First Day and a Guest Post from my Carribean Friend

Aw... first day was an adult. Not bad since it was all orientation. AK and I felt rather important in our lawyery suits and all. The day flew by and though we didn't do any actual "work", All this briefing made me more excited for the following weeks. In 6 days we will be likely doing our own trials. (!!!!). I have a good friend who is currently attending Vet School down in the Caribbean. What a smart choice! I chose the not so fabulous route of studying for law school in dreary, rainy Oregon. She is tan, in shape, and loving it! Since I have been super busy this past few days, I asled her to make a guest post about her Curried Butternut Squash Soup that she raved about. I will make it some day. (Hum...Perhaps I will have a cooking marathon this Saturday) Laura does not have a food blog and does not cook specifically with any allergens in mind, she has been able to use ingredients available on her tiny island of Saint Kitts to made mouthwatering meals, which I think sounds even more challenging at times then GF/SF cooking. She of course does this all while studying up a storm learning about animals and their parts.

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Curried Butternut Squash
Guest Post by Miss Laura K.

Ok, so the best part of this recipe, is that you can make what you want of it. I took a plain recipe I found online and added my own twist, but basically this is how it is done:

2 medium-ish butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into 1in chunks or so
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small-med potato, peeled, cubed (helps thicken the soup a bit, I used a red potato)

6 cups chicken or vegetable both
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. curry powder (or less to taste, this is pretty strong)
1 tbs. honey (optional, if you have it around, it adds a nice sweetness to the spicy curry)
salt and pepper
olive oil

There are 2 ways to start this, but it all ends up the same, so it is just your preference.

1. Roast the veggies before boiling in the broth. I heard this helps bring out their flavor, not sure if it is true, but I did. Put all veggies on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 20 min or so. Then continue to #2, skipping the saute part.

2. In a large pot, saute the onion in some olive oil. Add veggies, broth, spices (everything EXCEPT honey), bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 min or until veggies are all soft. Take off heat.

3. Stir in honey. Now, puree it all in a blender until you reach your desired texture. I like really smooth soup, I know some like it chunkier. Depending on your blender size/strength, you may need to blend it in batches.

and, you're done!

Really, it is quite simple. And delicious, and healthy! Have fun making it your own, there are a lot of things you could do to change it up a bit. Enjoy! :)

Pork Enchiladas

Sorry for the lack of posting. I am officially moved out of my cottage in Eugene and back home with Mommy. Pretty awesome huh? Nearly Law School Grad moving back home. People are asking me what I'm getting my degree in. They are shocked when they find out I'm a professional/grad student. swell.

I finally received my new cycling shoes via Steapandcheap.com. Along with them I had to get clip-less pedals. After spending an entire day unpacking junk and moving it from Mommy's garage to my bedroom in Mommy's house, I thought it would be great to take a ride on my trainer with said shoes and pedals. Well, I go to remove my old pedals, pedal wrench and all, and I got the left pedal off not problem. Right pedal, Problem. I stripped the nut completely. Pissed and frustrated (sorry DB) I threw my bike in my car in hopes of making it to REI the next morning. At REI the next morning, the tech spent an hour trying different tricks to remove the stubborn pedal. No luck he finally told me that I would have to replace the crank set and even if I could get the pedal off, the crank got so torqued that it would be stripped anyways. Not what I wanted to hear. Especailly since I was not the one who origionally installed said pedal. That was courtesy of Tom from Eugene REI, who btw, lacks motivation and perhaps inhaled one too many herbal products in his day. My bike is under warranty and figuring that it is a relatively new bike and technically came with this problem I told REI tech man that I didn't want to pay for a new crankset and I didn't have time to wait a week since I have a triathlon in a week. I'm not typically a very demanding person, but I'm not going to fork out more money for something that has nothing to do with my error. Being the kind and patient gentleman that he apparently was, REI tech man swapped out my crankset with pedal with another one from the same bike they had in the store. He then brought to by knowledge that the pedal I had on there wasn't even the right pedal for my bike. (Thanks, Tom!)

After much thanks and the problem solved, I proceeded to venture to the local aquatic center to register for a pass and swim. It was wonderful (mostly). The pool here does not use chlorine, they use some sort of salt system. It's much gentler on skin, hair and swimsuit. Unlike the UO Rec Center, the pool had a completely empty lane and I had to share with one other person once things heated up, but the lanes are nice and wide so I didn't end up smacking my arm, finger, toes into the lane line. On top of the pool, the aquatic center also has a nice rec room and a bunch of drop in fitness classes. I probably won't take too much adwantage of this now but once winter rolls around and triathlon season rolls out, I will be very glad to have these amenities available to me and a very reasonable price.

Once I showered from the pool I thought it would be a great idea to try out my new pedals since I hadn't rode my bike outside for about a week. I did a few spins on my trainer to figure out what I needed to do to release by feet from the pedals. Off I went. First stop sign, I kind of forgot about the whole pedal thing and slowly proceeded to tip completely over landing on my elbow and hip. RIGHT in front of 2 cars with drivers half concerned half chuckling. I've never fell off a bike in my life except one time in the back yard when I was 6. Yes, I clearly remember this as I have always been a child of caution. With my ego bruised... better yet... destroyed, I got right back up and pedaled the hell out of that intersection. I origionally planned on doing 20 miles but I have yet to bike around Hillsboro much and since a lot of the area around I live is rural/agriculture, the roads are narrow and do not have shoulders. They also frequent large farm vehicles. Not wanting to rick anymore stop sign acrobatics or becoming a farm truck pancake, I did a 16 mile loop and called it good. Can I just pause for a moment, and have a minor FREAK OUT about how unprepared I am for next Sunday?!

I feel that I have had a productive week and I hope that if the weather cooperates, I might take the bike on another route, more suburia-esk with bike lanes. However, this might mean more stops and more tippage.

On to the recipe. While dropping off some furniture at DB's home, I decided to make Pork Enchiladas. From scratch people.... no canned sauce.

Pork Enchiladas *adapted from the Joy of Cooking*

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 tbls finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup red pepper flakes
2 tsps ground cumin
Two 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
Roughly 2 lbs of port terderloin
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese ( I mixed cheddar and Monterrey jack)


In a preheated oven, bake pork for roughly 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large skillet cook onions and jalapenos until tender (~ 7 min). Add in garlic, pepper flakes, and cumin.
Continue stiring for another minute and add in tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are combined and heated through, remove skillet from heat and cool. Meanwhile, shred up pork in a large bowl. Puree cooled sauce in a food processor. Combine about a 1/2 cup of the sauce with the pork. Place about another 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the pork mixture, roll and stick seam side down in dish. Once done, cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 -15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Sorry folks, pictures are on DB's camera. You will have to wait. I suggest not using 1/4 of red pepper flakes because your mouth will feel like they are melting off. DB didn't think it was that spicy but I sure did. Maybe a tablespoon will suffice instead. I guess that is what happens then the Chinese girl from Oregon attempts Tex-Mex.

The dogs seem to be settling in just fine

(yup, that a dog in the upper left corner, not a pillow)

Sauteed Spinach over Zucchini "Spaghetti"

Here it is:

Sauteed Spinach over Zucchini "Spaghetti" Ingredients

1 Zucchini sliced with a julienne peeler
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 shallot "clove", minced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, roughly chopped
Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese (or another soft cheese)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat up sun dried tomatoes and the oil that comes with it. Add minced garlic and shallots and cook for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook until it wilts. Place zucchini noodles in a bowl with dollops of the cheese. Spoon the cooked spinach over the noodle and cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and eat once the cheese is all melty.

You have to admit it, even looks like noodles

One of my favorite things in the world

Delicious!

This has been linked to Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

Sprouted Quinoa with Shrimp, Edamame, and Corn

Seeing that I have enough food in my freezer to feed a small gluten free army, I am going to try to eat up everything in there before I go grocery shopping. (minus fresh produce).

Here's what I threw together:

Sprouted Quinoa with Shrimp, Edamame, and Corn

Ingredients

1 cup sprouted quinoa *see note
1/2 cup frozen edamame
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 2 cups thawed, unshelled shrimp, tails off
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (GF of course)
few leaves of fresh basil

In a skillet, heat sun-dried tomatoes with their oil until hot. Throw in garlic and sautee for a few minutes. Toss in shrimp and cook until done, about 3 minutes each side. While the shrimp is cooking, defrost the corn and edamame and toss with the quinoa in a large bowl. When the shrimp is cooked, remove from the skillet and cut into bite sized pieces. Toss shrimp pieces with tomatoes and garlic stuff and into the quinoa mixture and toss together with vinegar and soy sauce. Finish off by mixing in some chopped basil.

This recipe is part of Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays Series over at SimplySugar&GlutenFree. Check it out.


In training News:
I biked this morning. I decided not to swim on Mondays because I cover more than enough distance on my Tues and Thurs swims. I figure as long as I get the same mileage in, it's Kosher.

* To sprout quinoa:
Take regular quinoa and rinse well. Stick in a large container and cover with water. Soak for about 30 min. Drain and rinse the quinoa and let sit on the counter overnight. In the morning, rinse the quinoa again and leave uncovered in the original container at room temperature for about another8 hours. You can continue to rinse and "sprout" for another day.

One Down, Many more to Go

YAY! I finished my first triathlon today! The weather was horrible (though, could have been worse... read: it could have been snowing), but it was super fun! I was faster in my swim than I thought I would be and same for the run. My bike however... was slow. Nothing like a huge ego killer than getting passed by every 55 year old woman in sight.... the ones you left far behind in the swim...lol. However, my good ol' Walmart bike held up and I am still pleased with my time. My feet were numb for about a mile and a half through the run, but one I could feel my legs again, I made up for some time. The results of the entire race can be found here then click "view all". Mybike photo can be seen here and my finish photo can be found here

After our race, I prepared a yummy leg of lamb Pre-Easter dinner for DB and his parents. I read a few recipes prior to get a good idea of what to do but winged the rest of it. REsults: good. Sorry, no pictures, we were too hungry to wait (or remember to take pictures.) The amounts of ingredients are an estimate, as I don't typically measure things.


Roast Leg of Lamb with Basil Fig Sauce

Ingredients

One Leg of Lamb (we bought a boneless one from Costco)

Marinade
2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1/4 cup yogurt

Basil Fig Sauce
1 lemon and its zest
a handful of fresh basil leaves
olive oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup dried figs

The night before, rub the lamb with rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and yogurt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Once the lamb has been marinated, remove from the fridge. Squeeze about 3/4 of the juice from the lemon all over the lamb. Place on an ovenproof pan and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes per pound. (FYI, lamb is fatty so this needs to be a deeper dish because the meat will render out a lot of fat and juice)

In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the sauce, using the remaining lemon juice and zest. Puree until smooth (a few fig seeds will remain).

Once Lamb is finished, cover with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Serve with basil fig sauce and watch the dogs drool.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

DB and I celebrated St. Patricks Day with this delicious easy meal. It uses a slow cooker and thank G*D since I had a slight flea problem to deal with that day.... (more on this later)


Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients

1 corned beef package (I bought mine at Safeway. It was labeled as GF so YAY!)
1 head of cabbage, quartered
3 carrots, chopped
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced into large pieces
Fresh parsley to garnish

Carrots and potatoes in the bottom of a slow cooker. Rinse corned beef of excess brine and pat dry. Trim away the fat layer. Place on top of the vegetables and empty the contents of the included spice package on top of the meat. Fill the slow cooker with enough water to cover the meat and cook on high for 6 hours. About 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, Stick in cabbage and continue cooking. REmove from slowcooker and sprinkle with chopped parsley.


That's it.

This meal is hearty, quick (in the sense that you "set it and forget it"), cheap (the beef is less that $2/lb) and delicious and I saved the broth for future use. Num Num

Rainbow Chard with Sausage and Portabella Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 links of sausage, cooked and sliced (I used DB family's)
1 bunch of rainbow chard, ribs removed and torn into pieces
1 cup portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon seasoning (I use Kirkland Signature Organic Salt-Free Seasoning)

Saute mushrooms on medium high for about 10 minutes. Add sliced sausage and continue sauteing for another 5 minutes. Add garlic, chopped chard ribs, and seasoning. Once the ribs begin to soften, add in chard leaves and cover with a lid. after a minute or two, mix leaves with the other ingredients and replace the lid. Turn off the heat, but leave the covered pan on the burner for 10 minutes.

Sausage and mushrooms cooking away

A buttery slice of a portabella.

I need more productive days like this

What a wonderful productive day in law school land. I med my friend AG at the gym at 7am this morning to lift weights. I than proceeded to go for a short run when I got home. I would have loved to go on a 4-5 miler, but due to the recent issues my knees I did a short 5K. This morning was cold but by the time I got out for the run, the sun came out and it felt like one of those cool crisp mornings where I could go forever.

I didn't split by CSA share with DB this week because I didn't see him at all. I however I have been a big girl and I am determined to finish everything on my own. I seemed to have backlogged a lot of this consumption today. It's apparently prime greens season on the farm, and I have been getting about 2 or 3 varies of greens plus a bunch of various lettuces. Well, let's just say I had mustard greens for breakfast this morning. They were good though and good for me. Full of Vitamins K, A, and C, the greens also have a wide range of other nutrients such as foliate, calcium, manganese, and other good stuff. I sauteed the entire bunch in garlic and olive oil. YUMMY.

When you really put it together, the mustard greens were a wonderful post workout fuel. After my shower I decided to try out a plain version of the English muffins I made yesterday. I included buckwheat into the mix. They were good and before I went to class at 1pm I had accomplished a full workout, a wonderful breakfast, English muffins and even a nap.

On my return from class I remembered the turnip and carrots I had left to eat. When I think of root vegetables I either think of drenching them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roasting them or curry. I have never made curry from scratch, but it was cold today and I craved something wholesome. I also am in love with my slow cooker. Combine root vegetables and my slow cooker and you get slow cooker root vegetable curry, recipe below.

After my final class (taxity tax tax), I came home and finished my reading for tomorrow and outlined the weeks' tax classes. I'm on a roll. An now it's barely 7pm and I got more done that I usually do in 2 days and have nothing left to do but relax, watch the telly, and get to bed early to be refreshed for my glorious swim workout with SB tomorrow morning. I hope to also get another run in tomorrow before I head to Corvallis. I am anxious for the 8K this weekend, but I just hope my knees hold up.

Root Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas.

Ingredients

1 medium turnip
5 medium carrots
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup diced onion
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (15 oz)
1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons of curry powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup soy milk (you could use coconut milk for more delicious flavor.)

Peel and chop turnip and carrot into bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic. Add all ingredients into a slow-cooker and stir to distribute spices. Cook on high for 6 hours or until turnips and carrots are tender. Serve over rice.

Easy peasy

Next time I plan on trying to toss in some raisins for a bit of sweetness to the curry. You can also use quinoa instead of rice for a complete protein meal.



So far my plans to wake up the same time every day has increased my productivity and healthful food choices. I hope the weather cooperates with my new found motivation.

Ethics, smecthics

Hello World,

I'm back. Over the past few days, I've been studying away for the MPRE. I took it this morning and all there is to do is to wait 5 weeks for the results. Let's hope for that score of 85 so I can actually practice in Oregon.

The weather has been fabulous the past couple of days. Yesterday, I was bogged down with doing practice exams when my mommy called me just to see how I was doing. She asked if I went on a run with The Beagle yet and I had not. Well, she guilted me into it. The Beagle and I set out and because I was getting tired of my usual routes, I decided to combine two of them. It was a good route, but unfortunately, my knees really hurts now. :( There should be a link to the route at the end of this post... I hope.

Okay so on to why anyone reads this thing.

I have had a few mishaps in the kitchen this week. SF Brownies made with cocoa powder: mishap. But never fear, I made something delicious and healthy.

Rainbow Chard with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

1/2 of a large white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 bunch of rainbow chard

Heat a splash of olive oil in a saute pan and turn on medium high. Dump in onions and stir for about a minute. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking with the occasional stir. While the onions are caramelizing, wash and dry chard. Remove the stems but do not toss them. Tear the chard leaves into medium pieces (about 4 pieces per leaf). Dice the stems separately. After about 8-10 minutes, the onions will have caramelized and hopefully, not burned. If the onions are starting to look crispy, turn the heat down. Once the onions are looking good, toss in the chard stems and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in garlic and chard leaves and cook until they have shrunk in size and are tender. Season with a dash of salt and pepper, but that's all they need.

I also squirted a bit of lemon juice on the finished product because I had a CSA lemon going bad.








Aw.... and now for you meateaters:

Mushroom and Onion Burgers

Ingredients

2lbs ground hamburger
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can mushrooms
1 egg
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used GF)


Chop up mushrooms, onion, and garlic in a food processor until minced. In a bowl combine hamburger, minced mushrooms, onion, garlic, and egg. Once thoroughly combined and your hands are thoroughly frozen, mix in soy sauce. Divide the mix into 8 balls and than flatten each ball into a patty. Cook or grill as you would any other burger.







Sorry, I wrapped and froze all the patties before I could get any pictures. But believe me, these are delicious and probably healthier than your average homemade burger.

I'm a Machine.

Swimming went pretty well this morning. I was able to get up in time, but clearly someone else wasn't as peppy:

SB and I swan our longest workout and have been getting faster seeing that we're not taking any longer. We shared the lane with an older guy. He was likely mid to late-40's, heavy set and stopped every length to take a rest. I was finishing up the kick part of our workout when he looked at me and said, "You're a machine. You just keep going." I just laughed and told him that I'm happy someone thought that. I proceeded to finish up my workout, flip turns in tow. (I've been really working on these.) I was waiting for SB to finish up when the man preceded to enter into a conversion with me.

**note: Jayme-ego-feeding below***

He said that I totally must have been on swim team or something because I was "really good." I'm not making the world aware of this conversation because I agree with him, in fact I don't and not just in the "I just say I'm bad at something when I know I really am not" kind of way. I was the slowest swimmer on my water polo team back in high school and I really am NOT fast. I expect to finish in the bottom 10% as far as swim times go for the upcoming triathlon. But this really got me thinking since his view of me if how I view pretty much everyone else in the pool. You know the type: The too slim for their own good, flip turning, competitive team logo stamped swim cap, I do this for a living, type of swimmers. Anyways, I notice them swimming and think "Holy Crap!" I mean perfect example: SB and I finish our workouts with 50m sprints. A girl jumped in our lane and was swimming her warm-up laps (without a swim cap, might I add) faster than our sprints! Anyways, what I'm getting at is that the man's comment was very motivating for me. I remember when I was at the same level that he was and for me to look like a "machine" to him means that maybe someday, maybe I'll get up to another level.

Moving on...

I got my CSA share today! DB and I split the shares and here's what we got this week:

Peek into the inside of the bag

Yay! We got eggs this week. These are THE BEST eggs I've ever eaten. Never going back to conventional.

I see soup in the making.

some of the more exciting things in the package were parsnips, kale, and kiwis. I've never bought parsnips before and I'm so excited about using them. This is one of the reasons why I love the CSA. I am forced (gently) into trying and preparing new foods. Granted this is probably more expensive than going to Safeway, but it's all organic, local when available, and fresh. This is some of the best fruit I've ever eaten! And it prevents me from eating the same bagged salad and potatoes week after week.

Speaking of new trying new things, I happen to love polenta. However, the thought of standing oven the stove while continuously stirring a pot of something that looks like vomit is not so appealing. I'm half-Chinese, meaning that I try to save money whenever possible and get a good deal. I hate spending money of the little tubes of shelf -stable polenta at the store. I have a hard time justifying it seeing that cornmeal is so cheap. I looked up some slow-cooker recipes and I found one that I would use as a guideline for my first try. It turned out fabulous and I will never go back to the vacuum sealed tubes from the store.

Garlicky Sun dried -tomato Polenta with Rosemary and Sausage

Ingredients

1 cup corn meal

3 cups water

Dash of salt

3 cloves of crushed garlic

1/4 cup of sun dried-tomatoes (packed in oil)

Rosemary, finely chopped

Sliced sausage, pre cooked (I used the kind that DB's family makes... it's SOOOOOO good)

Combine corn meal, water, and salt in a slow cooker.

Cook covered on high for 3 hours, stirring every hour.

Stir in remaining ingredients and finishing cooking on low for about 30 minutes, or until you get the consistency you like.

The results:

Believe me, tastes far more appetizing then it looks.


The verdict: good, very good

I am definitely going to use this recipe for a good, end of the week "crap, I have all these random veggies and leftover" meal. It's easy. I go to class, come back and it's done! I stored the left overs in a covered glass dish and it firmed up just like the tube kind from the store making leftovers perfect for slicing and frying up, or using as a substitute for lasagna noodles.