Getting what you ask for…

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

So. A friend approached me with a project. She wants to make some changes to her diet, and asked if she could hire me to plan and shop and make all her food — for three weeks. It’s sort of what I’ve been wanting to do, but now that it’s here?  It’s daunting, definitely. I’m no expert, to be clear — I just like to cook, I’ve learned a fair bit about nutrition on my own over the years, and I’m interested in learning more.

I have a lot of recipes in my Pinterest/Evernote queue, but now I need to make plans, figure out what can be made ahead of time, how far ahead of time, and how long it’ll last. Many of the grain and legume salad recipes I have aren’t really intended for single servings, so I’ll either have to cut them down or split them up and adjust the cost.

I’ll be blogging along the way, since I think it’s an interesting small-scale project. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to do this full-time, and very sure that I couldn’t maintain my standard of living with this as a full-time job, but it’s fun to give it a try for a short time! And I have a selfish reason for doing it, too:  it’ll get me back in the habit of making more food for Melli and I, so that we eat out less.  We wax and wane on that one, despite intentions, and lack of planning is what almost always trips us up.

So, for the next three weeks, I’ll be blogging menus and our reactions to the meals.  We’ve worked out a deal: she can’t micromanage the menu, send anything back or otherwise “cheat” by buying anything other than what I make.  She can make requests for more of something in particular, and obviously I’d rather that she enjoy what she gets!  And I’ll want to adjust throughout to make sure she feels like she’s getting enough nutrients, so we’ll probably check in daily at first. She doesn’t want to count calories or carbs or protein or anything, so I’ll have to keep track of a certain amount of that both to document what she’s getting during this three weeks, and also for her to compare against her energy levels. She’s planning on kicking up her current exercise routine at the same time, so it’ll be an extra challenge to make sure she’s getting enough.

The parameters for the three weeks are hers: no gluten, refined sugar, animal products, alcohol or caffeine.  Other than that, she says it’s all up to me — GULP.

The American Dietetic Association has a consumer-facing page that I’ll draw on heavily. Their recommendations for women include:

  • At least 3 servings (1 oz) per day of whole grains
  • 3 servings of low-fat / fat-free dairy
  • 5-6 oz. protein
  • 2 c. fruit
  • 2 1/2 c. vegetables
It’s also important that women eat iron-rich foods, get enough folic acid if they expect to have children, plenty (1000 mg) of calcium (and vitamin D to help absorb it),  and limit excess calories from sugars, fat, and alcohol. The ADA also makes suggestions for vegetarians, to get sufficient amounts of these essential nutrients.

I have ZERO experience with gluten-free cooking, so that’ll take some additional research. Her plan doesn’t call for a 100% ban on gluten, but she wants to avoid it where possible — no wheat flour, for starters.  Again, the ADA has some suggestions here, geared towards people with gluten intolerances.

I think we’re a yes on small amounts of unrefined sugar like honey (which we can actually get from neighbors), but only when necessary. Adding lots of fruit, and lots of different kinds should help make up for the lack of sugary things.

It’s been a while since I cooked or ate vegan, so that part will take some extra attention, too. I plan on making some non-alcoholic cocktails for those “I could kill a beer” moments, and I’m hoping that delicious breakfast smoothies will help distract from the lack of morning caffeine.

Time to put all those recipes and packed-lunch experiments to work!

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Training time 2012!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

I haven’t set any goals for 2012 yet, but I’ve been thinking about them a lot over the last few weeks. I’ve made some plans, but nothing is nailed down beyond a couple of race registrations.

Here’s the thing: I can make lists and plans until the cows come home and go back out again, but that’s not the hard part. In fact, it’s the fun part, which makes it sort of a distraction.

I find lofty goals and lists both motivating and inspiring (in part because they remind me of past lofty goals achieved), but it’s the day to day work that remains most challenging, and goals/lists haven’t helped with that.

For me, the thing that gets in the way between goal-setting and execution is proper planning. I trip over something, finding myself in a situation I didn’t plan for, and I get off-track, sometimes for quite a while.  I had a great streak of about 7 months going last year, until the fall semester struck. I’d managed to work through or around illness, travel and even injury, but work threw a different wrench in the works this year.  My workout schedule was intense, and I loved it, but I was also miserable at times. I was in the gym 6 days a week working with a trainer and running on my own, on the track 3 days a week for derby, with an offskates derby-focused workout as well. I loved keeping that level of activity up; it felt natural, and sustainable, and I was getting a great energy boost throughout the day… mostly (more on that below).  But I set high expectations for my own performance (weight loss and speed, mostly), and I was disappointed in myself.  It took about 3 months to register any changes, and another couple before I could really appreciate the added speed and conditioning on the track. By the time I skated in tournament (2 bouts) in the fall, I felt great, physically. But the disappointment had built over the months, I felt awful about myself, and my sleep schedule was all screwed up.

Then starting in fall, I had some new responsibilities at work that required keeping a tighter schedule in the office, more meetings, and I knew it would be problematic within my existing exercise routine. Namely, I worried that I might be in the middle of a mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy crash when I had to be in meetings, and that wouldn’t do. So I decided to take 6 weeks off my early mornings, and just focus on work, getting workouts in after work and/or on the weekends, including some group cycling rides.  Only I ended up dropping the workouts when I started carpooling and going in earlier.  I was barely seeing my partner as it was, and I had already entered that “I’m too exhausted to work out” state of mind, and other than derby and some rides, it was a black hole of no exercise.

So I said I’d get back to it as soon as X finished, or as soon as Y finished, as soon as whatever new craziness had presented itself.  And no big surprise — there was always some fresh new hell to put things off even further.

So, about those goals for the New Year. What I want to work on this year is a more complete set of plans for contingencies, namely: to re-plan if things change!

Goals, though, should be written, challenging, believable, specific, measureable and have a specific deadline. So here goes:

1. I will register for and complete my first triathlon in 2012  (looking at the SheROX in Naperville)

2. I will register for and complete 2 half-marathons in 2012 (registered for the Illinois (Christie) in spring, and looking at the Monumental in Indianpolis in the fall)

3. I will put 500 miles on the road bike outdoors in 2012.  I didn’t add up my fall rides (just got the road bike in September), but I estimate I put on about 150M, plus 60+ on the hybrid on vacation. So starting in spring should make this one achievable.

4. I will put 400 miles on the running shoes in 2012 — indoor and outdoor combined.

Now, how to plan for those trip-up times?  A subject for another post.

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2011 Challenges: Check-in

Posted on December 28, 2011 by

I suppose it’s now or never, w/ respect to checking in on progress from my 2011 recipe challenges.

Refining existing recipes:

  1. Ciabatta – I’ve given up on this one for now. I’m not a great bread baker right now; probably a combination of lack of patience and not quite the right yeast and flour for the task. Regardless, I’m still just not happy with the flat results here, and we’re enjoying other homemade breads a lot.
  2. Chai syrup – no matter how I make it, it’s satisfying. Simple syrup or honey, plus strong tea, plus spices (cinnamon, clove, cardamom, black pepper, sometimes nutmeg). You can “brew” the tea in a saucepan w/ whole spices in a bag, then add sugar and boil it a while; you can make a sugar syrup and add dry spices and a concentrated tea after; or you can brew the tea w/ spices and just add honey. Keeps in a jar in the fridge, if your friends/family don’t drink it all at once. There are recipes out there for making a condensed spiced cream mixture that you add to brewed tea; I might try that this winter.
  3. Chili – Again, this is sort of no-fail, surprisingly. Melli started eating pork this year, thanks in large part to an amazing local bbq place, so I’m looking forward to adding bacon or some kind of sausage on occasion. But usually we still make it with Gimme Lean, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and lots of onions and hot chili powder from Penzeys.
  4. Granola/Muesli – I really like this NYT recipe w/ olive oil the best–it doesn’t last long in my house, though. Apricots and pistachios, or walnuts & dried pears, or fig & pecans — all have been amazing. There’s just something about the olive oil and a touch of salt, along with the light sweetness of the maple syrup.
  5. Jam tart w/ cornmeal crust – I made so many of these in 2011, I’m surprised people haven’t cried uncle. It’s the Smitten Kitchen recipe, without the top crust. I think it needs a bit more jam than the recipe calls for, but otherwise it’s a perennial favorite — and they freeze beautifully. For bake sales this summer, I made them the night beforehand and put them in the freezer still in the pan (pizza boxes are great for this, and Hobby Lobby is now stocking them in a variety of sizes). In the morning, gently peel the flat part of the pan away from the crust and place on a cardboard round or foam core board.
  6. Mac n Cheese – didn’t work on this at all, unfortunately
  7. Malt loaf – nor this :(
  8. Sandwich loaf – we really love the Bread Bible’s everyday loaf. I’ll see if I can work out a straightforward re-telling of it, and post it here.
  9. Scones – didn’t work on this at all, though I have my eye on the

New recipes:

I tackled very few of these… we have beer plans for this winter, starting with a couple books and catalogs we’re reading, and perhaps some supplies coming from part 2 of Christmas w/ the family. Spelt crackers from the NYT were always a success, and easy. Gougeres were so much easier than I’d thought, and eminently customizable. But that’s about it — maybe I can make some progress on the list in 2012!

Successes:

Thanks in part to a lovely new notebook from Melli for xmas last year, I’ve been gathering dozens of recipes from my mom and grandmothers, friends, favorite websites and cookbooks over the last year. It’s been exciting to see a book of just our favorites come together, one recipe at a time. I made a LOT of soup. GALLONS, mostly from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. Froze ‘em all in quart FoodSaver bags, and just a couple weekends of kitchen work have produced enough to last us a few months. I also finally got some measure of control over baguettes, thanks to this recipe. The first time they dried out a bit too much while rising, but other than that they were gorgeous. Crusty, chewy, with amazing flavor. I’ll be making them in the shape of rolls for our Christmas part 2, and plan to make them weekly throughout the winter.

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next in the knitting queue…

Posted on November 9, 2011 by

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It’s that time again…

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

It’s no secret I can be a a little obsessive about activities/hobbies/interests/whatever. It’s ok, I’m chuckling, too. In the space that derby and gardening and canning now occupy have passed a laundry list of things studied and practiced, halfway to crazytown. Among these include:

  • knitting
  • (yarn) dyeing
  • (photographing and identifying) mushrooms
  • (bread) baking
  • playing the cello
  • ice dancing
  • playing the piano
  • vet med (it’s a longish story)
  • tech theatre
  • golf

There’s more, I’m sure, but those stand out as lasting at least a few years and bringing with them a significant amount of new stuff.

Most of the time, for me, getting involved in new activities means new reading material and worlds to understand; new gear and gadgets to learn about and acquire and catalog; and something new to schedule around. People sometimes ask me where I find the time (or they’ll sigh and say things like, “I wish I had time to knit.”) I usually don’t say anything. But I’ll solve the mystery for you:  There are no sacred cows in my non-work time.  I’m willing to drop tv for derby; drop knitting for gardening; drop gardening for dyeing. Right now. I don’t look at a new activity as something that has to have permanent space.  It’s a visitor, and I accommodate it. Ice dancing uprooted my evening tv-watching a few days a week for about 5 years.  Derby put a damper on both gardening and canning this summer. New activities don’t always push something else out, but usually something has to give, and its always another activity that once took center stage.

Gardening evicted knitting for the summer months, starting about 4 years ago.  The first year I called it an oversight, the second a failure, and in the third I embraced it as a part of the changing seasons. Summers are full of fresh produce, cooking and spending time outdoors with friends and family and beer and the grill.  I’m not sure our television was turned on from July 1 to September 1.  I love television — this isn’t a judgment thing — I just forgot about it. And about knitting.

And now the garden is mostly tucked in for the winter, that’s not much left around to can, and the weather prompts me to bring out the tubs of knitted things. I’m reminded of the first thing I knit for Melli — a soft green sideways garter stitch scarf, delivered just before the only winter holidays we’ve spent apart. And the ribbed scarf in chocolates and pinks that she made for me two years ago on an unexpected trip to the UK, with yarn I acquired in a ravelry dyers’ swap. Mittens, hats, more scarves, more memories. And it’s knitting season again, in an instant.

I made a mess of my knitting/media room over the last year or so (I blame the tenure process), so I have major work to do there. But in my head, I’m already planning to knit all the things, every one. Mittens and cowls and sleeves and blankets and socks and more.  I’m committed (again) to a massive destash, and (again) to completion of works in progress, and to finishing some gifts I’d started last winter. And long chilly afternoons in front of a fake fire and something deliciously cheesy on the tv.

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Travel and food

Posted on November 6, 2011 by

I’m definitely a foodie, and trying new restaurants is one of the things I enjoy most about traveling. But the downsides to a trip full of restaurant meals are many:  it’s costly, the food is often rich and served in large portions, it’s easy to overeat, and I consume far more alcohol than I would at home.

And this is the part where I realize my perspective from the other side of 40 is showing, because I would’ve laughed all those things off just a few years ago. But now, it’s something that I observe and want to work on.

So here are a few things I’ve started doing, particularly for 3+ day trips like conferences:

  1. Ask the hotel for a room with a mini-fridge. I’m headed to Denver next weekend to watch the WFTDA National Championships (I still can’t believe it… it’s a huge advance xmas present, and I’m very very lucky to be able to take off work/home and immerse in derby for 4 days… and I’m sure I’m going to annoy everyone I know for at least the next week as I blather on about it).  But I’m staying in a place that charges $10/day for a fridge; it’s an added cost, but it’s going to be worth it to be able to keep some things on hand, especially since I know I’m going to be spending $$ on merch!
  2. Check out the area beforehand for nearby grocery stores. If I’m driving somewhere, I’ll pack a cooler and stop at a grocery along the way. If I’m flying, I use the ice bucket to chill small things like cheese sticks or hummus.
  3. Aim to pack or shop to cover as much as I can, other than scheduled meals (including meals with friends), avoiding meal replacements or food that’s shelf-stable because it’s full of preservatives.

If I can have a fridge in the room, it’s almost like being at home: yogurt, mozzarella sticks, oatmeal, cream for coffee (which saves $$$ on twice-a-day Starbucks runs), hummus, carrots, bread and turkey for sandwiches, fruit, maybe a bean or grain salad or two if there’s a Whole Foods or something similar. Maybe even a six-pack to save on bar bills :-) Coconut water and sport beans if I’m going to be doing long workouts.

If there’s no fridge, I’ll pack oatmeal packets, Starbucks VIA (which tastes better to me than most of the hotel coffee packs), walnuts and cocoa almonds, dried mango and apricots and apple slices, peanut or almond butter and whole grain crackers. Clif bars, in a pinch. And if there’s a grocery nearby, I might pick up some fresh fruit and cheese to put in the ice bucket. None of this is a substitute for dinner, but it keeps me down to one meal out per day.

I’m sure there’s more that I could do, that I just haven’t thought of. My only criteria for foods is that they be unprocessed (or as little as possible). I try to avoid anything too salty, since I get more than enough salt already. Suggestions welcome!!

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Soup weekend!

Posted on November 6, 2011 by

Every so often, I crave a weekend of total kitchen immersion.  Something good on the stereo or a movie on the iPad, windows open, and the smell of fresh-cut vegetables and spices. With fall finally here, I was excited to get some soups made and put away in the freezer for quick dinners later this winter.

I enjoy trying new soup recipes, but I have a couple stand-bys from last year that I wanted to start with, all from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian (one of my favorite cookbooks): – Mulligatawny and Spicy Red Pepper for the faves, and Pumpkin and Kale to try.

First up: Spicy Red Pepper. It’s incredibly easy, and I hadn’t even had it on my list, but Meijer’s had red peppers on sale, so I grabbed a handful.  The recipe is basically red peppers, onion, ginger, cumin, and cayenne in veg broth, and I add a big spoonful of homemade harissa.  She also includes a potato for thickening, and turmeric for color.  It’s easy and hearty, and freezes really well.

Next: Vegetarian Mulligatawny. Not quite so easy, but worth the work. The dominant flavors are amazing: the sharp bite of turnip layered with cumin and black pepper. It’s a clean, spicy soup that’s hearty despite being relatively thin.

First step is to toast and grind the spices (coriander, black peppercorns, cumin and fennel), before blending with the powdered spices (turmeric and cayenne).  It’s a step I don’t recommend skipping. The flavors are stronger, more pungent and fresh. I use a cast iron pan — don’t make my occasional mistake of walking away from it. Once they’ve cooled, grind in an old coffee-style grinder. The veg prep is more time consuming: chopping turnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and ginger. But since it’s a blended soup, no need to be precise with the knife work. Her recipe calls for curry leaves, but I don’t think they’re available around here, so I use basil. The soup is thickened with chickpea flour, and coconut milk cuts the dry bite just enough. Again, it freezes really well, and it’s always a treat on a cold day.

I didn’t take any pictures of the kale soup, and my goofy Hipstamatic filter on the iPhone didn’t work well with the squash, but both soups turned out ok.  The great thing about freezing soups is that you can always doctor them up when you take them out of the freezer… maybe on a second tasting, I’ll figure out what they need.

I’m on the lookout for more great soup recipes that will freeze well, so please send me any recommendations! We mostly eat vegetarian in the house, but I’ll make exceptions for good local meat and great recipes.

p.s. I use the FoodSaver to freeze soups in quart bags. We’ve all but eliminated plastic storage containers from our pantry, and I wasn’t anxious to buy more. Plus, the bags handle expansion well, and can be set in a pot of water to thaw if you don’t have a lot of time. Protip: if you put the FoodSaver up on a stack of (cook)books or large overturned mixing bowl, it makes it a LOT easier to get the bags sealed without spilling soup all over the place.

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Cilantro Pesto w/ Garlic Scapes

Posted on June 9, 2011 by

Just going to the kitchen to make a drinky drink, that’s all I was doing. No cooking.  Well, and maybe I’ll look around and see what I can make for melli when she gets home late from work.

10 minutes later, yummy cilantro pesto, whee!

4-5 garlic scapes (use everything up to the blossom)
1 big handful of cilantro (maybe a cup?)
1 handful of unsalted cashews
1 generous glug of olive oil
salt to taste

No measurements.  The scapes have a nice light flavor, none of the sharpness that fresh garlic bulbs can have.  Put the cilantro and scapes in the food processor, add enough olive oil to make a paste, basically.  Add the cashews and process some more.  Add salt to taste.

Super-tasty!!  I’ll add some kind of cheese when I put it on pasta later; probably some awesome local chevre!

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Jam #1: Strawberry Fig Balsamic Jam

Posted on June 5, 2011 by

First jam-making day of the season!  The market haul was a little pitiful, unfortunately; I wasn’t careful and ended up bringing home almost a quart of bad berries along with the good.  LESSON LEARNED.  Always look at what you’re buying, especially if it’s in plastic containers.  A nearby stand was selling them for $4/pint, and I bought mine at $4/quart (though they weren’t really full).  But the $4/pint berries were GORGEOUS and in baskets, so that you could assemble your own pint.  Next time!

Once I realized how little fruit I actually had, I decided not to do anything complicated.  I love strawberry balsamic (and made far too little of it last year), and remembered the fig balsamic I still had from a trip to the evoo store in Denver last July.  So that’s it — strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar.  SUPER SIMPLE.

The recipe is from Eugenia Bone’s Well-Preserved. She recommends making this with small local berries; the larger ones with white flesh don’t have enough flavor.  And because strawberries are acidic and you’re making the jam more acidic with the vinegar, it’s a nice safe beginner’s jam.

8 c. washed, hulled strawberries (cut in half or quarters)
5 c. sugar
1/2 t. unsalted butter (optional — it’s to keep the foam down)
5 T. balsamic vinegar

The recipe instructs you to put the strawberries in a pot and boil them before adding the sugar.  I worry about burning them, so I add the sugar before turning on the heat, and smash them with a potato masher while they’re heating up.  Stir often with a wooden spoon to keep the sugar from burning until it’s dissolved.  Add the butter once it’s boiling, if you choose.

The recipe calls for a 40-minute boil, but I find it takes longer than that to get the consistency I like.  Watch the way the jam runs off the wooden spoon; you’ll notice it slow down after about an hour.  Once it’s done, add the balsamic vinegar.  You can boil it a bit longer to concentrate the flavor of the balsamic and tone down the acidity if you like.  TASTE IT.  When it’s done, it’s time to can!

It should make about 6 half-pints; boil the jars and bands, and simmer the lids or wash them in hot water.  Dry everything, but fill while they’re hot. Leave 1/2-3/4″ headspace (necessary for the proper vacuum to form). Wipe the rims carefully with a dry paper towel, place the lids carefully, and screw on the bands firmly but gently.  Set in a deep pot (cover with at least 3″ of water) and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 10 minutes.  Let cool in the pot or pull them out after about 5 minutes.  Rest, check the seals, refrigerate after opening.

My measly quart of berries made 5-4oz jars — 5 little gems that I can’t wait to hand out to friends!!

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Canning Season Approacheth!!

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

One of the things I promised myself I’d do in 2011 was to blog creative projects more consistently!  The kitchen hasn’t been terribly busy yet (with the exception of some herb pestos), but with jam season coming quickly, I’m re-reading my canning journal from last year to get me thinking about summer preserving.

June 5, 2010

1. Lemon Ginger Rhubarb – basic rhubarb jam, w/ lemon zest and grated ginger
2. Ginger Mint Rhubarb – basic rhubarb jam, w/ more grated ginger and a touch of mint syrup
3. Shiso-Lime Strawberry – basic strawberry jam, w/ lime juice and zest and shiso
4. Strawberry Balsamic – this recipe, with fig balsamic

Though I remember loving them at the time I was canning, the rhubarb jams never made it out of the pantry this winter… they might have to make an appearance as ice cream sauce very soon.

If you’re thinking about getting started with jamming, I suggest getting the Ball Blue Book now. Anyplace that carries canning supplies will have it — even Lowe’s has a canning display!  You could preserve just about anything you find at the farmer’s market with that book, and no other recipes. But if you’re feeling more adventurous, check out Tigress in a Jam. She does a monthly jamming challenge throughout the summer/fall harvest season, and you’ll find a lot of creative and delicious recipes.

If food safety or the initial supply purchase $ has you concerned about getting started with jam or other canning, consider fridge/freezer jam. Besides, if you do small batches, your jam will disappear long before you have to start worrying about how long that jar’s been in the fridge…

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