friday's breakfast

1 egg, 1 chive, 1/2 grapefruit w/ ground flax meal

No more vitamins or supplements.

That's right.

I haven't taken my vitamins in quite a while. I never noticed a difference when I added them to my routine, and I still don't notice a difference now that i've eliminated them.

What I am doing however is getting a good variety of fruits and veggies... trying lots of different things - items I rarely ever ate. And if you scroll down to my posts from this past weekend, you'll see the variety of colors represented.

Orange fleshed squash, sweet potatoes & persimmons
rainbows of tomatoes (most of september)
Leafy green arugula & watercress
other greens in the form of rapini & chinese brocolli
white fleshed (red, green & golden skinned) apples & asian pears
deep red pomegranates
wild fish, grass-fed bison, locally/humanely raised sprout-fed bug-eating chickens & their eggs

I've strayed on occasion... I still can't resist cookies. I did have rice last week. I'm craving pasta but I haven't had it in over a month... i had some pretzels today.

But for the most part, my diet at home has been quite healthy. And you know what? I haven't been sick for ages. I usually get a cold at least once a season, but I haven't had a cold since february or march - I don't even know for sure. I feel guilty that I'm taking prescription Phentermine (sp?) - and occasionally advil or codeine even... but otherwise I'm taking myself off a section of the grid by not buying manufactured vitamins & supplements.

Food is Political

I've been blogging for about 7 months now!

I'm still an idealist, and I still talk about politics here and there but it's changed over time, and i contemplated re-naming it - or starting a new blog.

The majority of my topics deal with food. Even before i read Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma", I was talking about farmer's markets & buying locally. But I just read the Cliff's Notes version (by Michael Ruhlman) of Michael Pollan's 8,000+ word essay in the New York Times Magazine. I've also started reading said 8,000+ word essay "Farmer in Chief" and right there from the start Pollan states that food is political.

I'm glad to see that we're on the same page since I respect what he says. I'm still on the waiting list with the L.A. Public Library for his follow up to "The Omnivore's Dilemma" called "In Defense of Food". I was around 100th on the list. I wonder how long it'll take. I got the book this time rather than the audio book. I hope it doesn't completely depress me like The O.D. did.

On a side note: I ordered my Thanksgiving Turkey from a local farm (healthy family farms in Ventura county). It's $4/pound ($80 for a 20 pound bird - yikes!) It's being raised humanely and not being fed any corn or soy... I may take a ride up to the farm one of these weekends to see the living conditions. So I'm cooking the Turkey, but it seems that we might have too many people and not enough bird... so my cousin's going to grill a tri-tip, and someone might bring a ham... well, at least we're heading in the right direction... er, make that "i'm trying to coax them into the right direction".

Ecomii

Have you clicked on any of the ads on my page?

I was intrigued by one - talking about apple recipes... unfortunately the link didn't take me to the apple recipe page, but the website that hosted it was www.ecomii.com.

Even though i didn't get the apple recipes, I really do like this site! great articles and great information about ingredients to watch out for, good alternatives, and it's quite interesting.

so please click on the ads brought to you by ecomii.com - check out the site, and help me earn some cents here and there.

thanks!

Adventures in Food

Apples:
Gold Rush - **1/2 nice crunch - good texture. flavor was ok.
Winesap - ***1/2 interesting undertones - couldn't quite distinguish it - but the flavor is distinct and fragrant. the texture was odd - might have been under-ripe. I'll try another in a few days. Juicy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Poblano Chiles & Keffir Lime: ****
Recipe from Santa Monica Farmer's Market cookbook... Note to self - either cut the sweet potato slices smaller - or roast longer... and if roasting longer, add the poblano chiles later. But WOW! the flavor combo of Keffir Lime & Poblano Chile!!! Both of which I'd never used before - ever. I don't know if i'd ever tasted Keffir Lime (be it juice, zest or leaf) - but now that I know this flavor - oh it's amazing. Love it! Lisa liked the flavors too - but the sweet potatoes were just a bit too crunchy (under-roasted, my fault). Good thing I was experimenting with a friend rather than trying to impress someone.

All about Apples

At the Santa Monica Farmer's Market - Saturday October 18, 2008

And this was just half the stand! This was the last week for Spitzenbergs... They were rather tiny too. Such a short season. All the apples were priced at $2.60/lb so i could mix & match. I took notes as to what I bought.


Yeah - that's my shadow. The light was so bright i couldn't see the image in the viewfinder. Oh well. (my pinky was raised... how dainty - haha)


L-R top row - Spitzenberg, Gold Rush, Fuji
center - Muutsu
bottom - Enterprise & Winesap

I tried an Enterprise today. The texture was nice - it had a good crunch. Not very juicy. Flavor was mild - and I was really trying to taste it to distinguish the flavors. It was alright. It's a pretty apple - great colors. But I'd chose others over this variety. I'll try cooking some of the others - maybe the flavors come out in baking.

My personal apple rankings (of the recently sampled varieties):
Spitzenberg - *****
Fuji - *****
Enterprise - ***
Gala - **1/2
Jonagold - **
Old Fashioned Red Delicious - *
regular Red Delicous - no star

Autumn!

Santa Monica (Saturday) & Hollywood (Sunday)
Poblano Chiles - 75cents for the 2
Keffir Limes & leaves - $1.50
Pomegranites - $1.25 each
Sweet Potatoes - $2/lb.
Pears - Asian & Bartlett $2.50/lb.
Persimmons - $2.50/lb.
Pumpkins - mini 50 cents each
Apples - $2.60/lb. (various)
Apples - $3/lb. (large fuji)

Today is October 19th... Technically it's Autumn... but so far this month, the average temperature has been in the 80's! Well - at least I'm seeing the changes at the produce stands.
I looked at the weather forcast for the week... It's gonna be in the 90's again this wednesday. WTF?

While perusing the Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook, I saw an "autumn" recipe using Keffir Limes & leaves. I've never looked for them before - but I never thought I'd find them... but I found them at Santa Monica on Saturday. So I bought them - but i couldn't remember what else went in that recipe! So I returned to the market Sunday in Hollywood to get the Sweet Potatoes to roast with the Poblano Chiles - and use the juice of the Keffir limes... there's more too it, but those are the main ingredients.

The more i'm trying them, the more I'm loving Persimmons - these are the Fuyu variety. I finally saw the Hachiya variety on Sunday - but I already over-bought. Next week perhaps. I got more pomegranites to make another one of those salads... and some baby arugula & more watercress (not pictured).

Prop 8 and the "Protection of Marriage"

Passing Proposition 8 protects our children and places into the Constitution the simple definition that a marriage is between a man and a woman.

So if you're divorced - you've already tossed the whole sanctity of marriage out the window... and spat in the faces of your kids too (if you had any)...

If you're divorced and still support Proposition 8 - then you're a bleeding hypocrite and really have no leg to stand on.

If you live in California, please vote NO on 8!!!

10!

A new personal best!

Destination: Santa Monica 4th street stairs
ipod shuffle: selection courtesy of Carlos & Carrington's itunes catalog
Goal: 10 sets
Partner: solo - just the ipod.

Start time: 9:15 am - kinda late & rather crowded.

1st set
warmup
ipod - billie holiday
easing my way in.

2nd set
down immediately
pause before going up
ipod - led zeppelin - hey hey what can i do

3rd set
down immediately
pause before going up
this is usually a tough one but it wasn't so bad

4th set
down immediately
pause - getting winded - watch girl with red shoes do push-ups... i should be doing those too... but then she'd think i'm copying her... why do i think she'd care? why do i care... almost halfway done...climb up again
ipod - rod stewart - don't remember the song - something fun & upbeat though.

5th set
down immediately
halfway there! but i want to stop... no! musn't quit. go up sideways leading with the right foot. activate a different set of muscles.
ipod - rod stewart - i wish that i knew what i know now

6th set
wander around a bit - then down.
ipod - led zeppelin - ten years gone. good jogging tempo for me.
decide to jog to the concrete steps. it looked so odd going west. (lisa & i usually went from the concrete to the wooden set on entrada).
up - Archies - Sugar Sugar... it was peppy... there was a smile on my face, but boy was this tough.
jog back to the wood steps - stop at car to get a tissue (darned allergies).

view looking down from the middle of the concrete steps

7th set
down immediately after the break at the car.
up - sideways leading with the left foot.
ipod - Ozomatli - yes! just what i needed - a little funk.

8th set
down immediately - the Ozomatli song is giving me that groove i needed.
jog over to the concrete steps.
ipod - Madonna - Holiday. good song to workout to.
jog back to the wood steps.

9th set
down immediately
ipod - elvis costello - watching the detectives (or something like that)... i can't go up to this! unacceptable!
fine - jog to the concrete steps. up - this matches my last workout...
jog back to the wooden steps.

10th set
ipod - led zeppelin - not the lemon song but something else like it.
down - legs are shaky... but i keep going.
take a break at the bottom
up - steady pace...

can i go for one more? make it 11?
ipod - rolling stones - beast of burden

forget it - there's no energy in that song... go to the car to stretch - & enjoy the view. (this picture was taken a while back - but today's scene was quite similar).
End time - 10:35 - that was a long workout.

go to the farmer's market (no cart).
proceed to buy 5 pounds of apples (pictures and taste test results to follow), and a jar of blackberry preserves... and other heavy fruits... and i parked on the 5th floor... dummy! i take the stairs anyways.

Autumn in all Its Glory

Dinner at Lisa's.
I made the salad.
Pomegranite
Persimmons
Pecans (toasted)
Feta (goat - crumbled)
Watercress
Dandelion greens
Celery.

yum!
(thanks Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook)

Delicata & Chinese Broccoli - experimenting

No real meals here - just experimenting.

I roasted my winter squash - the Delicata. Since I don't have anything strong enough to chop it raw, I pierced it several times with a knife, popped it into a 375 degree oven, and roasted it until it was soft enough to slice up (about an hour).

Perhaps I could have let it roast a little longer - it was getting soft, but was still pretty, er - crisp? not that it was crispy - but it was firm rather than soft. After scooping out all the seeds & stringy insides, I scooped out the flesh (or pulp as it was referred to in one cook book) and put it in a corning ware dish to store in the fridge. I tasted it plain. It's sweet and flavorful. I sprinkled some cinnamon - made a nice accent... but I didn't prepare any real recipe with it... I don't really know what to do with it now. At least I now know what to expect when I roast it whole in the oven, and how to handle it.

I guess i can portion it out into 2 cup servings, wrap it up and freeze it to use in the next couple of weeks. Winter Squashes are high-sugar vegetables, so I can't just eat it in large amounts if i'm trying to lose weight...

Chinese Broccoli - I prepared it the same way I prepared the Rapini (or Broccoli Rabe). I didn't find it any more bitter than the Rapini (as the lady at the stand cautioned me). It was good! Lisa suggested I stir-fry it with some soy sauce and oyster sauce & some other stuff... I'll get her recipe next time & try it.

Winter Squash - Delicata - *** It's good. It's something from the season. It's different, so I get different nutrients... I'll have to try it in some recipe rather than just eating it plain or sprinkled with cinnamon (though that was a very low fat way of eating it).

Chinese Broccoli - *** Again, it's good. But nothing I would eat raw - It has to be cooked. Nice for a change. Since i'm still new to the whole rapini thing anyways, I'm sure my rating will go up once I'm more familiar with it.

Persimmon Tomato - **** Never heard of it until the SM Farmer's Market. It is very fleshy, and orange in color like a Persimmon - but it's a Tomato. Nice texture - and since it doesn't have as much of the slimy seed stuff, I did enjoy it more than a standard tomato. I had it with the olive oil, balsamic, avocado & basil.

The Future of Our Nation?

Kids Then Children Now (by Robbie Conal In collaboration with Debbie Ross)

Infrastructure doesn't only encompass roads & bridges & waterworks & sewage systems...

It also includes schools, education, access to affordable healthcare & basic nutrition... If we don't invest in our future, who is going to run the country when it's their turn to come of age?

How did so many politicians become so stingy with education - and the public education system? How many were the product of public education? how many send their children to public schools? i wonder. has the percentage gone up (doubtful)? stayed the same? gone down (most likely)?

Can Anyone Explain This To Me?

The Lincoln Savings & Loan meltdown...

I get it in vague terms.

I get McCain's role, and why his actions to stop regulators from intervening was criminal.

I remember the scandal - and the bailout...

Charles Keating was convicted and went to jail. The other senators were disgraced and didn't seek re-election... But somehow McCain got a slap on the wrist - and continued pushing for less regulation.

But how exactly was the $$$ being toyed with? I know that it had to do with some failed real estate investments (sounding too familiar already), but how does the bottom just fall out? how did it fall out then?

I know why it's falling out now... I saw it first-hand when I worked at a Mortgage company. Wanna know why I quit? among other reasons, I just couldn't stand the greed and the lies.

I couldn't bear to watch so many people who had no business buying houses (waaaay beyond their means) were enjoying this life of luxe - while I was just paying rent, and driving a 1989 Toyota Camry. I was the paper pusher... i saw how numbers were fabricated on the NI/NA (no income/no assets) loans... The borrowers were going "Stated/Stated" or "Made-up/Made-up". I could have made up my own numbers and gotten a condo.

I was a bit jealous... but i was also full of contempt for those liars (namely the borrowers, the loan officers, and the bank account executives). The Loan Officers and Bankers got their commissions... they were living large for a while... and no - it never trickled down to the general office staff - not even me, the "Executive Assistant" - it was a fight to get any raise let alone health insurance. Now the lying borrowers are being foreclosed upon... the lying loan officers are looking for new work since the mortgage business is in the shitter, and well, many of the banks we used to work with are now going under. Surprise, Surprise!

The writing was on the wall, and I wanted no further part of it... I didn't want to see it, I didn't want to help pass through the papers that assisted lying cheaters.

That's why I'm so opposed to the bailouts! So many were riding so high while I was just sraping by, under the radar, in my rent-control apartment, still driving my '89 Camry.

What ever happened to having good work ethic? Responsibility? Accountability? Why do the profits get privatized (to the select few) and the losses turn into bailouts?

And are the companies/banks that are getting benefits from the bailouts going to share any of their profits (if any)? Who owns them? Offshore multi-national corporations headquartered in Dubai?

I'm not liking this one bit... I don't get what's going on... but I can smell something's rotten!

In Case of Emergency

I've been reminded - and would like to pass this on...

Have a stash of emergency cash available.

I used to deal strictly with credit cards, and sometimes would go weeks with hardly a $5 bill in my purse and scraps of change in jars at home...

Imagine if suddenly we had NO access to any of our money. What if there's an earthquake and the power goes out. for a week!

or imagine that some fraudulent activity went on and your bank closes your account while things get repaired - on a friday... and won't let you have anything until monday or tuesday... This just recently happened to a friend of mine - Washington Mutual froze her account on a friday when they saw her account's security was comprimised - but even when she went into the branch to try and talk to a manager - she still couldn't get any of her own cash!!!

So if you don't already have an emergency stash somewhere... start one. now.

and with all this crazy talk going on about the economy and banks being bought up or bailed out... it's a good idea to have some cash on hand.

just sayin.

9!

That's my new personal best... 9 sets at the Santa Monica Stairs.  

Last time I did the stairs was several months ago - so this wasn't a level I was working to... I just kept going until my thighs wouldn't lift me up any more steps.

Lisa went on to do a 10th set - but those last few steps up on my 9th round were like trudging though mud - I seriously couldn't lift my legs up anymore... and they were shaking!

So what did we do next? Santa Monica Farmer's Market, of course!

There is this one stand that had 12 different varieties of Apples!  Included were: Winesap, Braeburn, Empire, and Spitzenberg (among others).

I'd read (in the Farmer's market cookbook) that the Spitzenberg was Thomas Jefferson's favorite, and that eaten raw, it is "flavorful, complex crisp, sweet-tart" and cooked it's "warm caramel flesh, best sugar-acid balance, moist, soft texture, deep apple flavor"... So I had to give it a try.  I bought 4.  They are kinda small - and I wanted to cook some to see what they'd be like, but I've already eaten 2 of them.  They're very good!  nice crunch and texture. the flavor is delicious.  If you ever see them at the market, don't pass them up - give them a try!

I didn't find my favorite "pink stripe" tomato - that was one i found at the Hollywood market... But there was this one stand that had about 2 dozen varieties of heirlooms & other tomatoes.  I got a few (again). They just look so good!

Spitzenberg Apples- ***** 

now I just need some advil and/or muscle relaxers... i think i'll be in even more pain tomorrow - it's always the 2nd day after a workout that's the killer... of course Lisa & I didn't stop - we went on to do abs & arms when we got to her place... so my triceps are hurting too.

Adventures in food - a new series!

Since I'm experimenting so much with new ingredients at the various Farmer's Markets as the seasons keep changing... I might as well start a series...

So tonight's new items:

Broccoli Rabe & Jonagold apples. Not together, though.

I did a simple blanch and saute of the Broccoli Rabe.

I brought a pot of salted water to a boil, added the chopped Broccoli Rabe & cooked it for about 2 minutes. I let it drain over the sink and sit in the strainer while i heated some Adam's Ranch Olive oil & sliced 4 cloves of garlic. When the oil was hot, I added the garlic until the perfumes were released - then added a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes I bought last week when I went to Penzey's (they have the best spices!). Then I added the well-drained Broccoli Rabe... tossed to coat & heat through... & voila!

Originally I was going to cook this with Hot Italian Sausage (from trader joe's - not organic, i know) & pasta - but as I'm trying to lose weight - I opted for just the veggies.

Easy & delicious.

I also bought Chinese Broccoli, which the lady at the market said was more bitter than the BR. It has a coarser leaf, with a little ruffle, and a darker color. I'll try cooking that the same way to see how it compares. That will be tomorrow's side dish.

Broccoli Rabe ***
not really my fave, but it was good. I'll have to try it with other things. I had this alone, so the meal was - well, it was comprised of Broccoli Rabe, Garlic, Oil & Red Pepper Flakes. (note to self: go easy on the red pepper flakes when they are new & fresh - they are so much more potent than the stale old ones...)

Jonagold Apple **1/2
I prefered its flavor over the Old-Fashioned Red Delicious's - but it still reminded me of that apple flavor I knew growing up when I didn't like apples. The texture was not all that mealy but there was something to it that made me not like it.

When I was a kid - the fruits we had in the house mostly comprised of apples, bananas, grapes & oranges (in the summer we'd get melons, strawberries & stone fruits - and other seasonal items occasionally). Boring! Needless to say - i wasn't much of a fruit eater.

My dad loves apples. but he eats mindlessly. he just eats an apple while reading a magazine or the newspaper. he doesn't seem to pay attention to the flavor or texture. he just eats them. he'd always get Red Delicious. Back then, we used to shop at Alpha Beta on Pico & Beverwil... and all I knew about apples were the 3 colors - Red, Golden Delicious & Granny Smith (green). I'd go with my mom to the market, and that was the routine - getting a bag of Red apples.

I never really questioned it. It was just what we'd get. Eventually I noticed there were Jonagolds & Jonathans - and sometimes we'd get those too. I never enjoyed them. I never wanted to eat an apple. I never craved apples. In fact - I hated them!

Alpha Beta was eventually bought out by Ralph's - and our regular store (which was really going downhill and had a pathetic selection near the end) closed down.

We started going to Vons in Cheviot Hills. Maybe that's when I noticed the Galas and the Fujis. They were more expensive than the cheapo Reds (by what - a nickel or two?) but we eventually tried the Galas. I liked them a little better.

For some reason, we never got the green ones. My dad always reached for the Red.

Eventually, when I hit my teens, i did start questioning this - and would start getting green apples instead. Hey - I was finally eating apples - that's a good thing, right?

But I didn't try the Fujis until i was in my 20's and moved out of my parents' house. I love Fuji apples.

I was actually craving apples during the early summer months - when they were out of season locally. The only ones they had at the farmer's markets were the ones kept in cold storage from the previous season. Not good. And buying Washington Apples (let alone New Zealand) goes against my buy local philosophies.

Now that they're back - I'm taking this opportunity to try as many varieties as I see to really find out which ones I like best, & which ones I like least.

Most of those fruits I grew up with - the Red apples, green grapes, oranges & bananas - are now my least favorite fruits. At one point, during High School, I ate a banana almost daily with my lunch. But one day, my tastes just changed - and I was disgusted by them. I still don't like them much. I'll have a banana bread muffin once in a while - or I'd occasionally have a smoothie back in the day (when I could still tolerate milk) with a banana... but most of the time, the thought of the flavor simply repulses me.

I like these experiments... keeps things fresh and exciting. I'll get in a routine for a while, then switch it up. I enjoyed the figs, berries, peaches, apricots, cherries et. al. during the summer - but now i'm enjoying apples, pears & grapefruits again.

The 3rd apple I bought last sunday was the Mutsu (also known as the Crispin locally), I have yet to try it - it's still in the fridge.

Why did my Hiccups come back?

I used to be notorious for my hiccups.

And then suddenly they just went away.

When I worked at a desk job, years ago - it was almost like clockwork: 5pm would roll around...

hic.... hic.... hic....

that would of course be followed by snickers from my co-workers who would all be staring at me and smiling. they found it funny. to me it was just normal.

but i've always hiccuped on a daily basis since infancy even - according to my mother. she would dread it when someone would make me laugh while i'd have the hiccups because it would be a minimum 10 minutes of hiccups.

hic... hic... hic...

But shortly after I quit my job at the mortgage company - the hiccups just faded away. what was a daily occurrence lasting several minutes - sometimes multiple times a day simply became a single random HIC every once in a while.

I started working again, and this job has me sitting at a desk for several hours a day sometimes. And once again:

hic... hic... hic...

So i'm wondering - what is it that makes me get these hiccups?

It's not just when i'm sitting down at the desk in front of the computer. I'll get them while standing at the stove cooking. Or driving around. Or sitting back having a coffee with a friend.

Perhaps it's the act of sitting up at attention for several hours a day? When I was a student, I'd be sitting at a desk for several hours - and I always had hiccups.

Could it be that holding that posture or staying in a seated position for long periods of time daily makes me somehow get these random spasms in my diaphragm that hit me at different times throughout the day?

Hmmm... it's a theory.