Living the dream

Real Food Minnesota Gathering
I bucked up and drove my ass to St. Paul last weekend to attend the Real Food Minnesota gathering.  I was only able to go to a morning session, a farmer's market tour and cooking demo by Molly Herrmann of Tastebud.  I'm sad I couldn't stick around for the panel discussion and social hour, but I'm glad I went.  I learned that the St. Paul Farmer's Market only allows vendors who grow/make their own food.  This is in contrast to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, which has vendors trucking in produce from all over the world.  Which is not exactly what I'm looking for at a farmer's market to begin with.  That's why I try to stick to the vendors who are actual local farmers, like Untiedt's.  It's awfully tempting to drive across the river though....

Anyway, Molly made a fantastic pasta dish using ingredients she grabbed while we were walking around the market talking to vendors.  It was spinach pasta with beet greens, chorizo, and cilantro pesto.  On the side was a raw beet and corn salad.  These will definitely be replicated at home soon.

Something that was brought up on the market tour that doesn't get mentioned nearly enough is the fact that getting your product certified as organic costs a lot of money and involves a lot of red tape.  Much of the stuff that is sold at farmer's markets is, for all intents and purposes, organic.  One more reason to get to know your farmers.

C25K
I'm officially on Week 7 now.  Holy crap.  I can run over two miles now.  Week 7 is the week where Shit Gets Real.  Aside from the warmup and cooldown, it's straight running all the way through.  Husband and I are planning on running an actual 5K in September.  He just completed Week 1 yesterday.  I've been running with him so there are some days where I run twice in a day and there are some days where I don't get a rest day between runs.  It's nice having some variety between the treadmill and a lake path. 

Roller Derby, Again
I'm giving it up.  I've been thinking about it a lot (and I mean A LOT) the last few months.  I decided that if I'm ever going to go back I'm going to do it because I want to do it and not because everyone around me wants me to do it.  And right now I don't want to do it.

Kieran's
If you're in the downtown Minneapolis area, try the ahi tuna burger at Kieran's.

Runzas
Husband's family is from Omaha.  I had never heard of a runza before a couple of years ago when I had my first one at a Huskers game.  It's a soft pillow of dough stuffed with ground beef and cabbage (and cheese!).  It is so simple and so good.  I made them using the plain boule dough from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  That dough comes out a bit more sturdy than the egg dough that you'd normally use, but the chewiness really added another level of awesome.

Bread, Bread, Bread
I've been baking bread almost every night thanks to Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  And I am so very happy.

Party
We went to a small barbeque last weekend to see Husband's bandmate's new baby boy.  This was sprung upon me at the very last minute so I had no time to obsess about the impending social anxiety crush.  And thus I had a good time and wasn't awkward.  It helped having to chase Lily around because I wasn't distracted by all the pesky adult conversation.

Hookah
It was enjoyable and I would do it again.  But not too often, because tobacco smoke makes my lungs feel like they've been smashed with a sledgehammer.

Real Food Boot Camp: Links of Interest

I've got to get better about posting relevant links when I come across them.  Here are a few I've had in the hopper:

• Conner defines Organic vs Real food.
• The Marketing Mama Blog talks about HFCS.
• The Coborns Delivers blog talks about your spice cabinet and gives info on shelf life.

Real Food Boot Camp: New, improving, and relocated

http://realfoodbootcamp.blogspot.com/

Foodblogging: Perfect Coconut Curry!

Finally I think I've perfected my fast veggie coconut curry!  I've covered this before but this time I think I really nailed it.

I used the red version of the same brand of curry paste as before.  I've been a little intimidated by it because I'm not hugely into overly spicy stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the red stuff is slightly milder and a little less "bright" than the green.

All I had was light coconut milk.  At first I was like, ehhh about that, but I think that was the way to go.  It wasn't over-the-top creamy and tasted good on a hot summer day.

Warning: you end up with a buttload of veggies after you chop them all.  I think I had about 7 cups of veggies total.  You only need 2 cups of the veggie mixture and the rest can go in the freezer.  It's possible to cut down the recipe by 1/3 and I'll put that option [in brackets].  The veggie ratios don't matter that much and you can use whatever veggies you have lying around.  Broccoli in particular would have been nice in this.

Red Coconut Curry

1 red bell pepper [1/3 red bell pepper], cut into 3" long matchsticks.
2 [1 carrot] large carrots, cut into 3" matchsticks
1 [1/2] yellow summer squash, cut into 3" matchsticks
1 [1/3 sweet potato] sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3" matchsticks
2 [1 ear] ears sweetcorn, kernels sliced off
1/2 [1/4 cup] cup peas

1/2 block firm tofu, 1/2" cubes
1 can light coconut milk
1-4 tsp red Thai curry paste (I used around 1 1/2 tsp)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt, 1/4 tsp or to taste
soy sauce, to taste
lime wedges
hot cooked rice

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat.  Add curry paste and saute for 1 minute.  Add coconut milk and tofu.  Simmer 5 minutes.

Add veggies, then salt to taste (I used around 1/4 tsp of kosher salt).  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve over rice and pass the soy sauce and lime.

o hai

The whiny emo girl that was here last week?  She, um, she may or may not be stuffed in a trunk in the basement bedroom closet.

SO POSITIVE IT HURTS.  OW.

I've got things to blog about.  Clearly.  But besides those demons in my braaaains I've got other more interesting things that have been happening lately.

• I went to the Real Food MN un-conference thingy this weekend.
• I'm making major headway in the C25K program.
• I've got decisions to make on roller derby once again.
• I ate good food at Kieran's last week.
• I made runzas this weekend, and lots and lots and lots of bread.
• I went to a small party last night and wasn't awkward.  For real.
• I had my first hookah (tobacco) experience last night.  My lungs are angry but my brain is happy.  Must...not...buy....hookah.........

America, fuck yeah.

Pity Party

Move along, there's nothing to see here.

Mama Thursday: Month 15, Week 3 - The Mayor of Frown Town

The past week and a half have been what people with early childhood education degrees like to call "challenging."  Challenging, as in my child has been replaced by a back-arching, face-contorting, screeching demon.  All last week she was cutting a new pair of teeth (her fangs are coming in!  She has teeny fang nubbins!) so she got the requisite fever and runny nose.  And she decided that she needs to eat cheese popcorn morning, noon, and night.  And all of her toys are boring.  And she wants to read books instead of go to bed.  Point, grunt.  Point, grunt.

Her tantrums have become refined to a razor's edge.  If we tell her no or don't pay attention to her RIGHT NOW she'll drop to the floor, screech, and start banging her head.  She's slowly learning that Mama doesn't pay attention to these displays, and that banging her head on the tile kitchen floor, or the sidewalk, or the brick patio doesn't feel very good.  She compensates by giving the floor surface a tentative test whack, and if it's too hard she'll put her hand down as a soft strike zone.  She's a wily one, this child.

On the upside, she has finally decided that since her cousins know how to sign "please" and thus get what they want, she can too.  It's so great to see her embrace actual communication.  She'll make the sign, then beam at us because she now knows that "please" is truly a magic word.  "Please" gets her cheese popcorn.  But not for breakfast.

Operation Affirmation Day 1

I love this!

Here's my first: I'm feeling strong because today I'm going to move past week 5 of the Couch to 5K program!

Thank you.

A Different Kind of Christian Demonstration at Gay Pride

Real Food Boot Camp: Week 8 - Wrapping Things Up

I'm wrapping up the RFBC this week and there are just a couple of things I'd like to touch on.

Incorporating Exercise
Eating real, fresh food will give you more energy.  That's just how it is.  So as long as you're making major lifestyle changes you might as well get in some exercise to burn some energy off.  There are a million and one websites, articles, and magazines with ideas on how to incorporate exercise into your busy day.  Some of the ideas are impractical (join a gym!  Sure, I'll get right on that after I work my full time job, then pick up the kid and make dinner and clean the house and take the kid to soccer practice and put the kid to bed and maybe say a couple of words to my spouse before passing out and go back to work in the morning so I can continue to live paycheck-to-paycheck) or just plain stupid (jumping jacks in your cubicle!).  If we're being completely honest with ourselves here there are many good excuses not to exercise.  But here's the thing: most of your excuses are crap.  Take the stairs.  Park farther away.  Get up 20 minutes earlier.  Play with your kids.  Go for a walk.

Feeding the entire family
It's possible to feed your kids something other than french fries, Happy Meals, and frozen chicken nuggets.  If your kid has never tasted jicama or kohlrabi, why not?  If they've tried them once and decided they hated them, did you try to prepare them a different way?  Have a few years passed since you last tried?  Kids are pliable.  I encourage you to get kids excited about trying new things.  I know that some kids are steadfastly stubborn little bastards, but I don't think you should ever stop trying. 

Do you have a baby?  Have you ever considered making homemade baby food?  It's easier and faster than you think.

Do you have school-age kids?  Do they eat school lunch?  Do you know what they're eating?  Please find out and consider sending healthy, fresh food with them.  With a little pre-planning mixed with freezer and food storage skills it's easier and faster than you think.  Better yet, start a conversation with your child's school about the quality of the food they're serving.

The Big Box Of Crap
Remember that box of crap food you've been adding to this whole time?  It's time to go and look at it.  How have your feelings toward this stuff changed?  

Your Homework:
Donate your box of crap to a food shelf.  I'm sure there's a box at your local supermarket.  There are a lot of hungry people out there and even if this food isn't the best, it's better than nothing.

Week 8 Links: 8.1 8.2

Oh by the way

Still sober but awake

I broke down and took a Sominex last night.  I have had such a hard time getting to sleep naturally and on top of that I have a lower respiratory thing going on.  So I took at Mucinex and a half dose of Sominex and slept like a baby until 4:30 AM when the cat woke me up by repeatedly sitting on one of Lily's toys that sounds like a doorbell when you push the button.  The cat almost went out the window this morning.

We were in beautiful, exciting Omaha all weekend for the 4th and Husband's grandmother's 90th birthday party.  We experienced something called a Cheese Frenchee, which was talked up to no end by Husband's parents.  It must have been a nostalgia thing, because it really wasn't that great.  It's a grilled cheese sandwich with a thick smear of mayo inside that has been battered, dipped in cracker meal, and deep fried.  Somehow I don't think this nutrition profile is accurate because I'm pretty sure I hit my grease ceiling for the next month. 

Speaking of Omaha food, I got myself a Cheese Runza and enjoyed every morsel of it.  Why don't we have Runzas in Minnesota?  Huh?  HUH?  Runzas are like meat-and-bread crack.


I'm not even from Omaha, but I'm sad that they're tearing down Rosenblatt stadium.  I've never even been there.  But it's always been there sitting right next to the zoo.

Omaha is SERIOUS about its fireworks.  We were driving around on Sunday night and the air was so thick with smoke we could hardly see the road.  There were fireworks going up on each side of the road as far as the eye could see.  At one point our car was almost hit by a bottle rocket. 

Lily got to wear her pretty party dress and make a friend out of a distant cousin.

Real Food Boot Camp: Shout Outs and Links

This is overdue.  Here are some awfully nice people who all have fabulous teeth, great hair, and above-average children.

Counting Girl - Your latest weight loss is inspirational, even if you think it's water/sodium related.  ;D  And I'm totally jealous of your hiking trip.

Julie Lost and Found - *sober 4th of July weekend high five*  We did it!

Wishful Shrinking - Cracking me up with a daily picture of the adorable Molly.  P.S.: You CAN do it and you ARE worth it!

A SAHM's Musings - Good golly, you've got a beautiful family.  Hope you make it back home safely after your trip.

The Snyder 5 - Your organizational skills are awesome.  And honestly, Aqua has some pretty good songs in their catalog and they can lead you into a YouTube video spiral.  ^_^

The Marketing Mama - Even though I loathe and despise your chosen field of work, you are one of the nicest people I've ever met online.  ;)  Also, you're one of the strongest women I've ever met for actually resisting the siren call of Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits.

There are more!  Oh, there are so many more in my RSS reader, but they will have to wait for another post.

Real Food Boot Camp: Week 8 - Real vs. fake foods (the truth about butter)

The butter vs. margarine debate has been raging since margarine's debut in 1869.  The dairy lobby has had a heavy hand in the villainization of oleo (as my grandma calls it) and there's a lot of truth mixed with a lot of fiction floating around.  It isn't one molecule away from being plastic and it wasn't originally developed to fatten turkeys.  It was developed as a low cost butter substitute to feed the French military and the lower class.  You can read all about it here.  And here.  Also here.  Speaking of lobbying, margarine manufacturers couldn't add coloring to their products to make it look more palatable until the end of the Second World War.  Imagine spreading your morning toast with something that looked like shortening.  Does that make you change your mind about margarine?

Margarine is lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than butter.  Stick margarine usually contains trans fats, which we all know to be evil and wrong.  If you're going to use margarine, get the kind in the tub.

However, you need to decide if you really want to eat something that involves bleaching, deodorizing, fortification, colorization, and (sometimes) hydrogenation. 

Assuming you're not vegan, consider giving butter a second chance.  Butter contains one, maybe two ingredients: cream and (sometimes) salt.  It contains the same amount of calories as margarine.  Personally I think it tastes better.

But the key here is moderation.  Moderation in all things in good.  Moderation in fats is better.

The butter vs. margarine debate is a good example of real vs. fake foods and how politics and lobbying have shaped our perception about acceptable foods.  Somehow along the way we decided that fluorescent powder in a packet (or fluorescent ooze) is an acceptable substitute for real cheese.  That vitamins sprayed onto empty calories and chemically manufactured sugar substitutes were more acceptable to feed our children in the morning than buttered toast and fruit.  Colorful advertisements, cartoon mascots, and special interest lobbying have led us down a terrible path.

I don't mean to sound preachy here, but this is the bread and butter (ha!) of the Real Food Boot Camp: to get you to think critically about the things you put into your body.

Your homework: If you have any stick margarine, throw it away.  There really is no excuse to subject yourself to trans fats.

Week 8 Links: 8.1 8.2

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/3060838705