It feels weird to say "Happy" Memorial Day, as today is a set aside to honor the memories of those who lost their lives in war. That fact can be lost in the barbecues, the parties, the lakes and beaches, the beer and the hot dogs, and the permission to finally wear white pants. The least I can do is take this moment to remember not only the American men and women who gave their lives for their country, their people, and their families, but also all of those people whose lives have been torn asunder by the horrors of war. At the end of the day, there is no "us" and "them" - there are only people, trying to live life the best way they know how, and far too many who will never get that chance.
Did you hear something? Whispers in the bamboo, footsteps crunching in the sand? Wait - what's that, through those very Island-like palm trees?
Is it the pieces of a plane on the beach? Is it an abandoned village? A hatch? Are there lots of highly attractive, shirtless men and beautiful women with perfectly tousled beach hair milling about?
Yes, yes, and yes! In one world, it is all of these things. But in an alternate, sideways world, it is a LOST cake, in my kitchen, waiting to be eaten and enjoyed as we finally watch the season finale of my favorite show. (Specifically, we have a basic yellow cake recipe, dark chocolate frosting, and the word "LOST" written in unsweetened coconut flakes, because coconuts come from islands, obviously.)
So what did you think of the finale? Even though some questions didn't get answered and some mysteries will never be solved, I thought it was a perfect ending to six seasons of WTF. Feel free to debate and theorize in the comments. In the meantime, you can bet I'll be reading various recaps and critiques throughout the weekend, eating leftover cake, and otherwise milking this last episode for all it's worth.
It's been a great ride, LOST! I will miss you and your crazy times dearly.
Lately, I've been examining the prepacked foods that I buy and seeing if I can't make them myself, from scratch. It's usually way cheaper and ups my probability of surviving the zombie apocalypse. (Seriously - who wants to live in a world without delicious foods? Not I!) So far, I've had success with polenta, black bean burgers, and pesto, but one thing I have never made from scratch has been hummus.
Until this week, that is. Any vegan worth her salt should have an easy and delicious hummus recipe on hand, and I can finally join the ranks of those who know how to puree their way to garlicky bliss. I especially like this recipe because it doesn't require tahini. I have nothing against tahini, expect for the fact that I use it so rarely I can't justify the cost, and I don't think this recipe suffers for leaving it out. Also, I urge you to think of this as a base, ready and willing to take on anything you might add to the mix - artichokes, roasted red peppers, dill, spinach... the possibilities are endless!
A word of caution - if you make this as is, stick a breath mint in your pocket. I love garlic, which is good because after I ate this for lunch, I tasted it all day!
Garlicky Hummus
1.5 - 2 cups chickpeas
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Store in an air tight container for up to three days in the fridge.
I'm training for an Olympic length triathlon on July 18th. You can read more about my training plan here.
When I first posted my training plan, I talked about being "flexible and forgiving." A week and a half into said plan, and I'm already putting both those concepts into practice!
Turns out, triathlon training takes up a lot of time - specifically, a lot of time biking! Swimming is easy to fit in - twice a week at the pool, and in 40 minutes and I can get my mile done. (I know, because today I swam a full mile for the first time! Progress! Also, boo-yah!) Running is just as easy - again, I run in the morning (before it reaches 97 degrees) and I'm done in less than an hour (though I do miss longer runs). But biking? Biking must be done after work, because it's safer to ride with a group and when there's ample daylight. Because I ride with a group, and because the group always rides at least 20 miles, we're talking an hour and a half of my evening - on top of the hour I spent training in the morning! I wanted to get in three rides a week, and I'm discovering that I may have been overly ambitious. Even though I can handle it physically, that much time is both emotionally and mentally draining, not to mention exhausting! I don't know how Iron(wo)men do it.
Last year at the Pineywoods Purgatory, when I rode 72 miles with little to no training. Oops!
So, while I will not rule out three rides a week, I think that most weeks I'll only ride twice. And that's okay. It's enough training to get me through the 24 mile bike leg of my triathlon while still leaving me the time and energy to enjoy my weekends and evenings. Because, while I love racing and training, I am not a full time athlete. I have a job, and a family, and a social life, all of which are just as important as my race schedule. (Excuse me, I mean MORE important. Ahem.) I feel like I'm becoming more balanced with all these things, and that's one of the best results my training plan has offered.
Are you an athlete, aspiring and otherwise, with a full time job? How do you fit it all in?
For my first entry in the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games' category Social Cycling, I went on a group ride. Specifically, I rode a 30 mile out-and-back route with the local Bike Shop on Saturday morning. This was my longest ride of the season to date, and it was challenging but pleasant. I really like the Bike Shop rides - they go a different route every Saturday, and they're a little more recreational than the group we ride with on Tuesday and Thursday nights (IE, I can almost keep up!).
One of my favorite things about these rides, which I've mentioned before, is how different everything looks from the back of a bicycle. Nacogdoches is a fairly rural area. The city center, where the college and our apartment are located, is nothing special, but when you get just five miles outside of the city limits everything changes. There are sprawling ranches, cattle and chicken coops, long and quiet country roads, and the smells of tall pines, flowering plants, and fertilizer (yum!). In a word, it's beautiful.
Also beautiful? The following sight, which greets us at the end of each Saturday morning ride. The Bike Shop sets out mimosas, fruit and other breakfast items to reward us for our hard work and (I suspect) to keep us coming back. I'm not complaining. Saturdays are my favorite ride of the week, and I would look forward to them with or without the mimosas!
Stay tuned for my second entry in the Social Cycling challenge. The remaining challenges are as follows:
Leave a friendly note on a bike, or say hi to a cyclist at a red light
Schedule a bike date with a friend or partner — dress up!
Recruit a non-biking friend for a ride
Take a ride with your family
I'm leaning towards getting dressed up and going on a bike date, but haven't completely decided. What do you think I should do? I'm open to suggestions!
Is there anything the chickpea can't do? I have used them in countless recipes and purchased so many cans, that I finally got hip to the jive and started buying bags of dried beans instead. If you are afraid of dried beans, I am here to say: fear not. I make every bean (chickpeas, black, kidney) the same way. Empty the bag into the crockpot and cover with a generous amount of water. Soak for 8-12 hours. Drain water, put beans back into crockpot, cover with another, equally generous amount of water, and cook on low for another 8 hours. Let beans cool in the water, then place them into containers and freeze until you're ready to use. (I use smaller containers, just big enough for two cups of beans each). Easy as pie. Or beans. Anyway, you get the point.
That was quite the tangent, because this recipe doesn't even call for whole chickpeas. No, it calls for chickpea flour, which I had never cooked with. (I actually had to use Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Fava Flour, because that was the best Nacogdoches could do. Worked just fine!) This recipe was a pleasant surprise - savory, with a definite egg-like feeling, gluten free, and endlessly adaptable to any number of fillings (I'm already brainstorming what to add to it next). It's also a really quick, easy weeknight meal, so long as you remember to mix the ingredients and stick them in the fridge to chill before you go to work in the morning. We'll definitely be making this meal again - thanks to the No Meat Athlete for passing it along!
(Sorry about the super yellowness of these fritters - my oven light is not the brightest bulb in the box.)
2 cups chickpea flour (or garbanzo and fava bean flour!)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/4 red onion, minced
1 carrot, grated
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (I used one tsp of dried)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Grapeseed or extra virgin olive oil for frying (I fried in my cast iron pan, which only required a spray of cooking oil)
In a large pot over no heat, combine chickpea flour, water, salt, onion, carrot, rosemary and olive oil. Whisking continuously, turn heat to medium and continue to whisk until mixture becomes quite thick (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and either whisk by hand or with a handheld blender to smooth out any lumps.
Oil 9 x 12-inch glass casserole and spread mixture evenly across the bottom. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Remove from refrigerator, cut into thin strips and gently remove strips from casserole.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat large saute pan (cast-iron gives a nice crispy outer crust), cover the bottom in oil and fry fritters 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Keep fritters warm in the oven while you fry up the remaining strips. Serve immediately.
Despite laying out my weekend plans last Friday, I failed to fully accomplish even one goal. That's okay. Our weekend was filled with so many friends, adventures, and fun times that I have absolutely no regrets. How about I show you a million photos so you can see for yourself? Yes? Great!
We kicked things off Saturday morning by biking 30 miles with the Bike Shop. (Nathan took the above photo, as I am not talented enough to photograph and stay on my bike at the same time.) It was a great day for a ride, we had a big group of nice people, and the hills were challenging without totally killing my thighs. In true Bike Shop fashion, we ended the ride with mimosas and fruit from the back of a pickup truck, and I decided to skip the Brick portion of my workout. Yes, I vowed to start doing bike/runs this week, but the mimosas looked so delicious, and the temperatures were already in the 90's. After Memorial Day, the Saturday rides will start at 7am instead of 8, which will make Bricks much more do-able. Two mimosas later, I knew I had made the right decision.
But woman cannot refuel on mimosas alone! We rode home, got the dog, and made our way to the Farmers' Market, where we dined on delights from Merci's World Cuisine and relaxed with some of our friends at a half shaded picnic table.
Saturday was also Chay's birthday, and the Crafty Renegades celebrated by signing up for a class on Green Cleaning at Wildflower, a cute downtown shop specializing in crafts, kitchen goodies, and other sweet odds and ends. At the class, we learned to make a few different cleaners, and were able to make and take two new products home. I'll let y'all know how they work and post the "recipes" later this week.
As if Saturday had not been exciting enough, we kicked things up at notch in the evening by attending the soft opening of Pat Casey's new tattoo shop. It is a seriously classy joint with perfect decor and awesome atmosphere. I felt my old longing for some ink rising up in me, and Casey's Tattoo might be just the thing to send me over the edge. Only time will tell!
Sunday was a little more relaxed, but no less fun. Nathan and I started the day with our Sunday Morning Routine, which involves catching up on 30 Rock and The Office while drinking coffee in bed, then getting up and making pancakes (this week: chocolate chip). I do love Sunday mornings. In the afternoon, we drove out to Tracy and Merci's, where we floated in their lake and had a beer while catching up with dear friends. Seamus came and spent two hours in his float coat, swimming from group to group and pulling people across the lake. He also jumped off the dock, which always pleases me.
Adventure dog strikes again!
As much as I would have liked to float in that lake all day, we had to get back to town by 5pm. Nathan had organized an impromptu kickball game, and kick we did! We played two games, and guess what? I am not a natural at kickball. No one seemed to mind. We had a lot of fun with a lot of people, and even took a break for beer and veggie dogs on the grill. I think we're going to make this a regular Sunday occurrence, so if you want to play and live in East Texas, you will get a second chance!
(Yes, in the above photo I have indeed missed the ball. I am including it not to show off my lack of kicking prowess, but to point out my SLAMMING CALF MUSCLES! I had no idea they were getting so defined, and am quite proud. Go triathlon training, go!)
A great weekend indeed, and I have Nacogdoches (and my awesome friends) to thank for it. I hope you had an equally fine weekend, and that the coming week follows suit.
The finale of LOST is tonight, but I will not be watching it until Thursday. Which means I will have to be very careful not to stumble across any spoilers over the next four days, and you will have to be careful not to talk about WHAT IT ALL MEANS when I am within earshot, or else I will have to go smoke monster on your ass. To celebrate this momentous occasion (which, as far as I'm concerned, will not take place until Thursday) here's last year's attempt at a LOST cake. I have plans for this year's - ahem - masterpiece, which I'm hoping will be a bit more successful.
I know that the Friday +/- is usually my last post for the week, so I hope you'll forgive me for sneaking in one more - don't worry, it's a good one! You see, through the lovely ladies at Academichic, I recently discovered another great blog - Let's Go Ride a Bike. Written by two cycle-happy women, the goal of LGRAB is "to encourage more people, especially women, to rediscover the joy of riding a bike by showing that life on two wheels can be simple, stylish and fun." I can get on board with that!
One way they're achieving this goal is by hosting the LGRAB Summer Games.The idea is simple - there are three main categories, and six events in each category. Participants complete two events in each category any time during the specified three week period, and report their activities back to LGRAB via blog post, email, or Flickr. Not only is this a fun challenge and a great way to add a little twist to your regular rides, but there are prizes! Good ones, too!
Needless to say, I plan on taking part in the Summer Games. The first category - Social Cycling - is currently underway, and lasts until June 6th. Plenty of time to take part and get your ride on! I'm not yet sure which events I'll complete, but you can be that sure I'll write about them here. Until then, and have a great weekend! (For real this time!)
Guys! We made it through another week! Three cheers for us! Here's my list for the last five day's worth of good and bad. As usual, good comes out on top.
(Photo from Nathan's graduation party, compliments of David Kimling. Isn't Seamus the cutest? Definitely a +!)
- Not being able to blog about work. Oh, the stories I could tell you! But I'm a professional, so I won't.
- Because it was supposed to storm last night, we went to yoga instead of bike riding. The storm ended up missing us completely. Weather in Texas is impossible to predict.
- It is only the 21st of the month and we're already broke. We have enough money to feed ourselves (probably) and the bills have been paid (mostly), but still. The next ten days will be lean.
+ We finally swam at the Boys and Girls club, and I really like it! It seems like a bigger pool, which is impossible as they're all a standard size, and the hours are much better. Triathlons, beware!
+ In case you hadn't noticed, I'm excited about blogging again. Having more of a focus, even if it's only in my head, has helped. I hope y'all like the direction the blog is moving in, because I definitely do. :)
+ Nathan has been diligently applying for jobs and has even had some hopeful leads. Until he gets hired, though, he is working part time and doing all the projects around the house that have languished during thesis season. Every day I come home to some new lovely improvement. It's very exciting.
+ Having no money until June is both a blessing and a curse. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend in town, visiting with my ladies (it's Chay's birthday!), completing my first Brick workout, and maybe going on a picnic. Good, cheap fun!
And speaking of a weekend in town...
Paint and hang the new shelf, which Nathan is routing today, above the bed.
Spend two hours at Java Jacks, working on my writing. (I'll probably do this on Sunday.)
Those goals, along with all the usual weekend shenanigans, should keep us pretty busy. What are you doing this weekend? And how did your week's pluses and minuses balance out? Let me know in the comments! (Seriously. It'll make 5pm get here faster.) Happy Friday!
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
~ Mary Oliver
(An old favorite poem, especially when the weather begins to warm. Also, the photo at the top of this post was taken by my good friend Amy while we were on a camping trip last year.)
I'm not very flexible. I mean that both literally (which is why I'm so dedicated to yoga - I need all the help I can get!) and figuratively (you want to change plans at the last minute? UNACCEPTABLE!). I work on the flexibility thing every day, and every day I get a little bit better. For example, I can now touch my toes without bending my knees at a 90 degree angle, AND I have calmly altered my triathlon training plan without freaking out or gritting my teeth.
You see, I am now eight weeks out from my very first, Olympic length triathlon. While I made a training plan a few weeks ago, I haven't exactly stuck with it. The last two weeks have been busy, which has made putting off workouts and skipping bicycle rides all too easy, plus the indoor pool I like most closed at the end of the semester, leaving me on dry land. These are reasons I've been slacking, yes, but they aren't excuses. Therefore, starting this week, I'm taking my training up a notch and revising my original plan.
A few notes on this plan. I made it up, so while it works for me it might not work for someone with different needs, strengths, weakness, or schedules. I have come to realize I'm actually not a terrible swimmer. Slow, but not terrible. Biking, on the other hand - I need some work, mostly on the hills. I'm a pretty strong runner, and mostly just need to practice Bricks - biking, followed immediately by a run. Keeping that in mind, the new plan is below - you can click to enlarge it. I have scheduled three running days in a row but Fridays will be optional, depending on how my body feels. Also, while all the bicycle rides say "20 miles," some of these will be a little longer. I ride with two local groups, and 20 miles tends to be the minimum. I'm hoping for a few longer rides on Saturdays, especially since I have the Century ride in August in the back of my mind! But first - one thing at a time.
Chrissy's Triathlon Training Plan
I feel pretty good about this plan, and will do my best to stick with it. However, I will remember that life happens, things come up, trips must be taken, and sometimes a nap is more important than yoga class. Above all else, I will listen to my body and be honest with myself.
Has anyone out there ever done a triathlon? Do you have any advice or suggestions you'd like to share? I'd love to hear what you have to say, and any insight you can give!
Ever since Nathan's thesis defense, I have been on a muffin making tear. They're so easy to throw together and, unlike cupcakes (which are just as cute) they require no frosting (which I have no patience for). I meant to make lemon cranberry muffins, but when I pulled out my bag of cranberries I realized - too late - that they were actually dried cherries. Alas, what's a girl to do? In went the cherries, and they were actually pretty good.
I'm proud of this recipe for two reasons. The first is that I veganized a non-vegan recipe, which is usually hit or miss for me. This one was a hit! The second is that DAMN! LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS! It's amazing what the right light can do for a muffin. Maybe there's hope for my picture taking skillz after all?
PS - The secret to these muffins is liberal amounts of lemon zest. If you don't have a zester, invest in one immediately. It is my second most-used kitchen tool, after the garlic press.
1 flax egg (that would be: 2 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water. Let sit for about two minutes.)
2/3 cup almond milk
2 Tablespoons melted Earth Balance
1/3 cup dried fruit (cherries or cranberries, whatever you got)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Juice of one lemon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray your muffin tin with oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flax and water. Let sit for a few minutes.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.
Return to the bowl with the flax mixture. Add the almond milk, agave, lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and add the dried fruit and lemon zest. Fold everything together until just combined.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out dry. Cool slightly and move to a wire rack.
Indian food at the Multicultural Festival in downtown Nacogdoches. This particular festival is the one time of the year when delicious Indian food is a bicycle ride away from my house. So good.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm showing you the meal that cured my slight hangover on Sunday, without telling you about the awesome graduation party I threw for Nathan on Saturday! While the party itself started at 6pm, we began preparations in the morning, which included major cleaning and organizing of our apartment, as well as prepping and making a ton of vegan food (my friends, while mostly non-vegan, are very kind about eating and preparing vegan foods on my behalf! Just another reasons why my friends rule.) I made three vegan pizzas, guacamole, oatmeal raisin cookies, and Strawberry Summer Cake - all of which was devoured by the end of the night! Nathan and I were on track to get everything done, but then he decided at the last moment to do two big projects we'd been putting off - fixing a hole in our bathroom ceiling, and putting a new roof on our makeshift bike shed. I am not sure why he decides to take on these projects less than two hours before 20+ people are scheduled to arrive at our house, or why he needs my help even though I'm in the middle of cooking food for 20+ people, but alas. He does. Somehow we got everything done, and even managed to shower and change before the first guest arrived. Whew!
The party was lots of fun, our friends were gracious and generous, and I enjoyed many fine conversations, lots of silly jokes, a David Byrne dance party, and too many beers from the pony keg of Fat Tire. All in all, a very successful shindig!
I woke up Sunday with the aforementioned slight hangover, which sort of put a damper on my training plans for the day (a bike ride + a run). Instead, I cleaned (again), went grocery shopping, baked a batch of muffins, and took a nap, which I never, ever do. I'm not a napper - I always feel guilty, like I should be doing something more productive. It was surprisingly refreshing!
After our nap, I sat on the porch for about two hours, reading a book and drinking half a beer (we didn't quite float the keg. We're getting old.) Reading in the afternoon is another thing I never do, but should definitely do more often.
Definitely an A+ weekend, and I was very sorry to see it end. Hopefully the coming week will be just as lovely - for me, and for you!
The May/June 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times is a winner! I've made three recipes from it so far, and all of them have challenged my culinary comfort zones (ooh, good post topic... I'll come back to that!). This recipe uses ingredients that are commonly found in my kitchen - sweet potatoes, lentils, ginger, garlic, curry - but it's the cooking method that makes it stand out. Baked in bowls made from aluminum foil, and crimped shut? How different! How fun! How delicious!
Three notes on this recipe: I didn't have a red pepper ($$$) so I used a green one instead ($). The broth collects at the bottom of the bowl while baking, and tastes especially good poured over Basmati rice. And finally, I am sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I have a hard time getting good natural light because we eat pretty late during the week, but I really wanted to share this recipe with y'all. I'm going to try and take better photos in the future, and maybe even read the manual that came with my fake-fancy camera! Until then, enjoy this dish and have a great weekend!
Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets (from Vegetarian Times)
2 cups finely diced sweet potato
1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup fresh green beans, thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tbs. hot sesame oil
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils or 1 15-oz can lentils, rinsed and drained
4 tbs. prepared mango chutney, optional
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular “bowl” with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray.
Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, green beans, and raisins in medium bowl. Add oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Whisk together broth, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in small bowl.
Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth mixture over lentils, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.
Transfer to plates. Let each person open packet carefully — escaping air will be hot. Top with chutney, if using.
If you've read the wildly popular book Born to Run, a recent issue of Runner's World, or just about any forum that deals with running and/or veganism, you know who Scott Jurek is. A vegan ultramarathoner who holds a slew of ridiculous records, such as winning the Western States Endurance Run (a 100 mile trail race!) seven consecutive times, and holding the course's record time (15:36:27). Also, he's really cute.
Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about Jurek (written by Mark Bittman) because today, Jurek is competing in the 24-Hour Run World Championship (you can follow along in real time on Twitter, which is much easier than following along on foot). According to Bittman, "[i]t is a grueling race to determine how many miles runners can complete on a 1.4-kilometer road loop (about nine-tenths of a mile) in a 24-hour period." Sounds terribly boring to me (I hate running the same thing twice, let alone over 100 times) but I hope Jurek wins. (The record he's trying to beat is 162 miles. Insane!)
Besides being a great runner and great looking (I have mentioned how cute he is, haven't I?) I love the fact that Jurek is also a vegan. You can read the whole article for yourself, but I'm going to excerpt my favorite part. This section speaks to me, because it echoes my own culinary upbringing and I appreciate those who come around to veganism the long way. Also, I need to take up ultrarunning ASAP. When you're biggest dietary challenge is consuming enough calories, you're doing something right!
“The whole issue,” [Jurek] said, “is exactly that: getting enough calories. The first thing to worry about isn’t so much what you eat, but how much you eat. You have to take the time to sit at the table and make sure your calorie count is high enough. And when you’re a vegan, to increase your calories as you increase training you need more food. This isn’t an elimination diet but an inclusion diet.”
Jurek grew up in Proctor, Minn., eating cookie dough, canned vegetables and his share of fast food. When his mother, Lynn, developed multiple sclerosis (she died this spring), he and his siblings began cooking, but the food was, he said, “very Midwest — meat and potatoes.” In college, his diet began to improve, and as he “saw how much disease is lifestyle related,” he began eating “real food, eating the way people have been eating for thousands of years.”
He made the transition to less meat and more fish, then eventually knocked out dairy and other animal products entirely.
“It’s really a mental barrier,” he said, and he obviously has experience overcoming those. He said he needed 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day, “and I get that all from plant sources. It’s not hard, either. I like to eat, and I don’t have to worry about weight management. All I need is a high-carbohydrate diet with enough protein and fat.”
He said he spent a great deal of time shopping, preparing and cooking food — and chewing. He is among the slowest and most deliberate eaters I know, and there is something about his determination at the table that is reminiscent of his determination on the road: he just doesn’t stop.
Three cheers for vegan athletes, and best of luck to Scott Jurek as he races the day away!
This post is about birth control. If this topic makes you queasy for any reason, I recommend you Google kittens and come back tomorrow, when I hope to have posted a recipe for vegan banana pecan muffins. ;)
So. Birth control! Today I had my yearly exam with the lady doctor, and inquired about switching my birth control method. I've been on the pill for about ten years now and while it has been effective, I wondered whether it was the best option for me. I was considering an IUD, but my doctor told me that unless you already have one child, the IUD is not recommended as there is a small chance you can get an infection, resulting in infertility. I am not planning on having children, ever, but I don't want to be infertile, so that kind of dampened my enthusiasm. Then my doctor told me about Implanon. Basically, Implanon is a small tube the size of a matchstick, inserted in your arm, which is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. It's estrogen free (so good for people with migraines) and - best of all - you have to get it replaced every THREE YEARS. No pill to take, no ring to insert, no regular shots, and the rod is barely noticeable under your skin. Sounds great, right?
There is, of course, the usual list of possible side effects, most of which are also applicable to the pill and don't appear to be too terribly common. I did a little researching this afternoon, and most of what I saw were complaints from users who did not have a good experience with Implanon. Now, I know that people tend to vocalize their bad experiences much more than their good ones, so I don't know how slanted these posts and comments are. This is where you, fellow uterus possessors, come in.
Do you or have you used Implanon? Do you know anyone who has? Have you considered it? Have you ever even heard about it? Is there a particular form of birth control I'm overlooking, which you're totally in love with? And last, but certainly not least, do you have any horror stories the Internet should know about? I want some honest feedback from reliable sources before I go implanting something into my arm, so thank you in advance!
The spring semester ends on Friday, and as I still measure my life by the university's rhythms, that means one thing: SUMMER! The library is open year round so I don't get a summer vacation, but that's not going to stop me from making the most of my very favorite season. Here's how:
Fruit filled desserts! I'm talking blueberry pies, peach cobblers, strawberry shortcakes and blackberry jam. I'm also going to enter the pie contest at the Blueberry Festival, even though last year's experience left much to be desired.
Festivals and fairs! The Oldest Town in Texas knows how to have a good time, and I am looking forward to the Multicultural Festival (Indian food!), the Texas Blueberry Festival (pancake breakfast!) and Freedom Fest (fireworks!).
Swimming holes and picnics! Here in East Texas, we have many swimming holes to choose from, and I plan on dipping my toes in all of them. Oversized tubes, cold beers, sticky sunblock and peanut butter sandwiches are a given.
Baby showers and birthdays! With two new babies on the way and a million summer birthdays (including mine!) summer is always full of parties and celebrations. As it should be.
Not to mention: my first triathlon, a visit to New York for my grandparents' 80th birthday, skirts and sandals, and paperback novels in the grass at the park. Have I missed anything? Let me know!
