More Tea Party!

Nice ascot, Jim.

Properly tucked pinkie finger.

Perfect Pimms Cup.

Can a dog get a sip?

Drinks

Where's your ascot, E?

Manda attended via skype.

Smoked salmon tea sandwich will be fine, thank you.

Olympic Viewing Party

Last week found me in the kitchen cooking like mad. My leetlest seester and I had planned an Olympic Viewing Tea Party for Tuesday afternoon, so I made a Guinness (Beer) Gingerbread bunt cake, and three loaves of gluten free french bread and cheesy beer sauce for Welsh Rarebit. This was all totally new to me.

Also at the party were currant scones with real English butter and olallieberry Jam, smoked salmon + cream cheese sandwiches and butter + cucumber sandwiches, both on gluten free bread, raspberry shortbread cookies, real Yorkshire tea, and perfect Pimms cups with fresh ginger, cucumbers and lemon. What a day!

Me in my Great-Grandmother's flapper hat, and M in her butterfly fascinator

Week of Vacations!

This past week I've had the opportunity to indulge in two different mini-vacations, which is why I haven't posted in a while. The first was a two-night camping extravaganza in Boonville for the Boontfling Disc Golf tournament at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. I wish I had practiced up a bit and entered the women's division - first prize was a growler with FREE REFILLS FOR LIFE. Um, hello. My seester drove up the coast from Santa Cruz and we spent the day looking at farm sites, perusing the farmer's market, checking out the Not-So-Simple-Living fair, hiking in Hendy Woods and enjoying an ESB in the biergaarten. And it was WARM (the weather, not the beer).

Early this week I traveled again - this time down to SF for shopping, eating, enjoying our awesome hotel, and GIANTS. It was a great win for the orange and black, and the only one in a long stretch of losses that hopefully ends today. Hmmm.

And I'm not one for gyms, but every now and then I love a good machine-centered workout. I coerced my youngest sister into spending an hour with me at the hotel gym, where we elliptical-ed, treadmill-ed and stationary bik-ed to our hearts content, all the while watching the Olympics on our own personal TVs. We then lounged by the pool, splashed around and sauna-ed until it was time to check out.

We ate a delicious brunch at The Grove, which I highly recommend. Eggs Florentine with arugula, avocado, and Parmesan hollandaise sauce with hashed potatoes and a huge mug of coffee. Not exactly on the "clean eating plan". Come to think of it, neither were the gluten free crepes I just made myself for breakfast. Maybe I should sign up for the accountability roll call?

Carrot Cake and Champagne

 I had a great workout yesterday that included the 45-minute P90X video, Chest and Back. I probably did 100 pushups from my knees, and at least 150 "pullups" with the bands. It was a beautiful day, so I did the whole workout outside, working on my tan, reveling in the finally-sunny-and-warm weather, and listening to the Giants beat the Phillies on the radio (sick!)...

No, I do not strive to look like Tony Horton, but I have always had a fairly easy time building muscle on my upper back.

Guns

... but a Not-so-easy time losing fat around my middle and building muscle around my core - I've never seen much definition in my abs.
I'm a little sick of the P90X 15-minute Ab Ripper video, so I turned to Fitnessblender.com for their 25 Minute Abs and Obliques video. I mixed up a few of the exercises, like the pushup hold, because my arms were shot.

Mendocino Music Festival: Photo from Visit Mendocino County

 And as planned, I made a ridiculously simple and delicious 5 Minute Carrot Cake from Chocolate Covered Katie, a new healthy dessert blog that I'm loving! We slathered it in cream cheese frosting, popped open a bottle of local sparkling wine, and claimed a picnic table down on the headlands and listened to the last night of music from the Mendocino Music Festival tent. We were fortunate enough to hear songs such as "Ballet of Chicks in Their Shells". Ummm..... yeah.

My Moment of Zen - The Perfect Green Smoothie

In the past month I have suffered from severely intense migraines - not the kind of migraines where I'm vomiting and unable to speak English, but bad enough where I don't want to get out of bed, can't have the lights on, have no appetite, definitely can't exercise, and don't want to think very hard. Pretty bad. I spent a lot of time doing research on nutrition, exercise and migraines and I hope to do a longer post on it later. One thing I did learn in my quest to eliminate "trigger" foods from my diet was how to finally make a decent green smoothie.

The info came from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen: their focus on gluten intolerance makes them a very attractive resource for me. To weed out nutritional intolerance, whatever they may be, they recommend an "elimination diet" based on green smoothies. I admit, I didn't really follow any particular recipe on their site because a lot of the recommended fruits contain Tyramine, a known migraine trigger. This afternoon following my yoga practice I drank a concoction of blueberries, cherries, some mango chunks, a big handful of spinach, a spoonful of unsweetened applesauce, some chilled ginger water I made last night, chia seeds, a chunk of broccoli, and a strawberry. Bananas are out, plums and raspberries are out, all citrus is out, and avocados are definitely out.

The green smoothies I make are rarely green. They are more often a sick-looking brown color, so getting the taste right is KEY. If it looks sick and tastes okay, I'm not going to drink it. If it looks okay and tastes GREAT, I'll demolish it and lick the blender clean.

Wouldn't we all rather be eating donuts?

Here is what I learned about green smoothies:

•  Don't hold back on the blender - blend for a long, long time to eliminate chunks of leafy greens floating in your drink
• Add cherries. Definitely add cherries.
• Green apples add a lot of flavor - tart flavor!
• Adding ginger water is tastier than adding plain old water. Steep some ginger in boiling water for 30 minutes then strain out the chunks.
• Blueberries and strawberries are delicious, good for you, and help with the color, but your smoothie is still going to be a shade of reddish brown. Probably not green.
• Kale does not break down very well in my blender. Spinach works out much better.
• You don't need bananas.

The green smoothie mentioned above is pretty much the best part of my day now. I sit on the couch with my eyes closed and drink it very, very slowly, allowing the flavor to permeate my being. It's a relaxing but invigorating experience that makes my day.

More and More Gluten Free Bread

Somewhere along the line, people started thinking I liked cookbooks. They thought I liked them so much that I would want to own them. Lots of them. Hence, I now have a cookbook "collection" through no power, nor desire, of my own.

We even built special shelves in the island to house "the collection". Shelves are full. Don't buy me any more cookbooks.

When all this started, I didn't even like to cook. Now I'm beginning to think it was a clever plot hatched by E to help me on my way to finding a fun way to spend time. That's really what cooking is for me. Fun. And this blog is all about doing things I love, and having fun!

I've really enjoyed experimenting with gluten free bread, as I've mentioned before.  I've even mentioned my favorite recipe from this cookbook, a recipe that produces the best gluten free bread I've ever had. On a side note, this book also has like 100s of amazing seriously fail-proof recipes for soups and salads.  It is the one cookbook I've been given that I would actually go out and purchase without blinking an eye. It is that awesome. I've never gone wrong with ANY recipe in the book, which, obviously has led me to try out a lot of them.  But you have to love soup and salad....


So back to the bread recipe... Of course I had to mess around with the already-perfect recipe on page 333, but I think it's worth it. I like a little more brownish flour in my bread, and I love me some seeds! My latest incarnation to arise from the oven is approximately thus:

1 5/8 cups rice flour (Who the hell uses eighths for baking?? I do! Too much buckwheat is a baaaad thing, and I wanted the overall flour proportions to stay true...)
1/4 cup sorghum flour (I bought this for pizza crust, which turned out horribly. May as well see how it does in bread! verdict=it does good)
1/8 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 Tbsp Xanthum Gum
1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup millet seeds
1/4 ground sunflower seeds

I proof my yeast with the honey and all the water in the bowl of my stand mixer - about 10 minutes. Then I add all the dry ingredients on top of the yeast, and then the wet. I mix for a minute on low to blend, then add all the seeds and set the mixer to high for about 3-4 minutes, or until the 'batter' starts looking fluffy. It's not really a dough, but more like a really thick batter.  I butter a loaf pan, spread the batter into the pan with a wet spatula, cover and let it rise for 1.5 hours somewhere really warm. Then bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Y ya esta.

So this is my own adaptation of an already-awesome recipe, and I take no responsibility for how this one turns out, but I'll bet it's good!

Birthday Breakfast in Bed Week

For my 30th Birthday, E made me breakfast in bed for a week!

Le Menu

 

*Didn't get a photo of Tuesday... *

I didn't take the best photos, but it was all delicious.  And all of it - gluten-free!  This was wonderful, and you better believe I took advantage of the "bottomless" coffee!

Gluten Free Bread

I love bread.  I also love cheese.  Even better, I love cheese and bread (aka a cheese sandwich?).  But this post is really about my recent quest to bake our own bread - gluten free for me, and gluten-full for him.

After two years of living in a yurt with no kitchen (see my other blog Building Mom's Yurt for gobs of entertainment and beautiful yurt photos) I was super stoked to move into our new place and fire up the slightly-used gas oven we found on craigslist.

   

Actually, I'll admit to an interim period where I "fired up" my mom's old Hitachi bread machine.  I got a good 6 or 7 loaves out of it before the motor unceremoniously crapped out and refused to move faster than one revolution per hour.  So I called upon my Apple Green KitchenAid Stand Mixer and Frigidaire oven and have had some great success.  

I first used a delicious rye bread recipe from Smitten Kitten.  OMG.  Delicious and fail proof (re only one fallen loaf in 5 attempts!).  I usually alter all recipes to fit what I have on hand, which is the novice baker's equivalent to walking on a tightrope over a pit full of alligators.  But E eats it all.  

New York Deli Style Rye

Ignore my psuedo-bangs and frog-smile.  Just focus on the huge loaf.  I also have been making gluten-free bread using the recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook for years and have never made a bad loaf.  But it was time to try something new, and yesterday I found this recipe from Gluten Free Gobsmacked.  True to form, I modified it slightly because I'm temporarily obsessed with millet.  I also may or may not have used a loaf pan that was too small.

Gluten-Free Sunflower and Millet Bread

So, all in all this has been an excellent way to spend my rainy day off.  Bread tastes good and smells good and I can hardly do without when training for a marathon.  Oh yeah, I'm going to train for another marathon!  More info to come....

Run Through the Colors!

This race report is two months tardy.  That's pretty tardy.  But onward....

E and I traveled to the beautiful town of Nevada City in the sierra foothills at the end of October with plans for me to join my sister in the Sierra Club's Run Through the Colors 10k and 5k.

photo credit onthenarrowroad.com

The colors weren't quite as spectacular as in the photo above, but you get the sense that the race is well named nonetheless.  The course was beautiful and hilly.  The air was crisp and chilly.  The breakfast afterwards at Ike's Quarter Cafe was to die for.

We didn't get a lot of awesome photos from the race, but the pre-race photos are out of this world (?).  Apparently, I think I am way too cool for school.  And my sister.

The line-up

I placed third in my Age Group - first placing ever!  No medals, but the wonderful mountain scenery, challenging hilly course, and delicious "Plain Jane" breakfast special and multiple cups of coffee afterwards were all worth it!

How I Got My Mojo Back

Last week was rough. I had a 7 mile weekday run that I described as "hardest run of my life". Then my Friday 14 miler was possibly even worse. I chose a hectic and nonsensical route around the Headlands and then down and out on the Haul Road, where my garmin absolutely does not work. I was stressed about the mileage adding up, stressed about my exhaustion and pain, and stressed about the disgusting Razz flavored Gel I brought with me. Yuck.

This week, I decided to switch my approach. Firstly, I wrote down a paragraph of power. A mantra statement, if-you-will. Behold:

I am a runner - I run because I love it - I can run farther every day every week every month every year - My legs are powerful, my endurance is limitless - I run outside, I run in nature - I feel strong beautiful and fulfilled after every run - I am a runner - I run because I love it

Second, I did my first run of the week based on time, not miles; 40 minutes. I added a small, short hill half way through. Third, I decided it was high time I picked up my sorry-ass-pace and got back to my 9:30(-) roots. This revelation came to me within the first mile of my 7 miler as a strange guy in full track suit regalia passed me. And he seriously passed me. I felt so slow. As my GPS beeped 1 mile (10:07) I thought, pick up your damn legs and RUN. It worked. I clocked 9:24 on mile 2 and decided to keep things around 9:30 for the rest of the run.

Obviously once I started I couldn't stop. Mile 3 was 9:15, mile 4 was 9:02. Holy crap I felt great! NO PAIN - the most noticeable thing about this run once I picked up the pace. I knew there was no way I could break 9 so I decided to just feel good. 8:53. Who is this running? What did you do with the slow girl who's always in so much pain? I knew this couldn't be beat. 8:44. I finished mile 6 like I had just crossed the finish line for 26.2. I was SO excited and happy. I "cooled down" with 9:something.

After this rocking run I ordered 8 tacos and picked up a 6 pack, and E and I sat outside of the music festival tent listening to bluegrass, looking at the ocean, and stuffing our faces until someone graciously offered us their tickets at intermission. What a great night!

More about my 15 mile run later this weekend.

Nobody Said It Was Easy

...no one ever said it would be this hard...

11 miles was tough. My hardest run ever, I think. I've been working really hard at positive thinking, and creating my own reality when it comes to long running. My runner's book says that a 'mind over matter' approach is best, and that if I spend all day telling myself I'll have a great run, I will. I can't say that I thought only positive thoughts on Friday, nor can I say that I was looking forward to my long run. I was tired, physically and mentally. I didn't want to run, but I did it because I had to. Not really Because I Love It. I also faced the reality of running that long distance alone, up the Haul Road. Not a great idea.

I ended up running 2 miles around the Headlands, 1 mile down to the Haul Road, and then 2.5 up the Haul Road, and then back the whole was. Breaking up the run into 3 parts was the best thing I could have done, I believe, because it helped the mental exhaustion. The physical exhaustion, though, was probably not helped by the running in sand, running up stairs, running up pathways and hopping over logs. Good overall training and conditioning though!
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I'm faced with actually having to register for a marathon now before fall races start selling out. Since I decided not to run Portland, I spent two weeks savagely browsing race listings until I found the right marathon. I've given myself another week to fall in love with it, and I'm smitten. I want to run the Half Moon Bay International marathon. It's so expensive, though, and I know I'll also need new shoes before September 25. It's a lot of money that I just do not have. I need a running scholarship. Plus my $95 entry to the Giants Race in August is no longer being funded by my family. Damn. I might not need much gear, but this is an expensive sport.
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I have a wonderful plan tonight of E's delicious nachos (avocados are on sale! yay guacamole!), a running movie, homemade margaritas, and at least an hour of yoga -- not necessarily in that order. And P.S. My plan to get back to hot yoga this month has failed miserably. Partly due to excessive construction work, running late in the day when classes are held, sunny windy weather that does not make this body crave a hot sweaty yoga room, and the $13.65/class price tag. Got to get back into it.

Week One

Yesterday I threw in another 90% PAIN-FREE run before the World Series game 3 first pitch. Truthfully, I missed the first pitch but it was worth it to get 2 miles in. E made game three guac and had a beer waiting for me when I finished work, but I knew the game food would be that much more delicious with a Run and AbRipper. The headlands run is a little too much up-and-down for my knee, as the pain was definitely there on the last uphill.

So here's how week one panned out. Completed exercises are in bold.

WEEK ONE - October 23 - 29

Saturday - Chest&Back, AbRipper

Sunday - Plyometrics

Monday - Run 2 mi., AbRipper

Tuesday - (YogaX) 30 minutes yoga

Wednesday - (Legs & Back, AbRipper) Rest

Thursday - (Run 2 mi.) Legs & Back, AbRipper

Friday - CHILL :-)

So we stuck to our guns fairly well. We were short a 2 mi. run, but I got that in yesterday, as I said above. So now I'm just short a "shoulders and arms" workout. The biggest problem is obsessively watching the Giants in the world series, and game times are wack! Once that's over I hope more time will free up in the evenings.