Headed to Vegas

We are currently on a plane headed to Vegas and I’m bored to death. I managed to score two exit row seats as karma payback for not being able to check in online. I misplaced my shuffle again. However, I am able to tap into the iTunes on my iPhone so I’m slightly more iEntertained. It was my idea to come to Vegas way back in July. Probably would have been more fun to have come last weekend when Interbike was going on. I’m also coming off a 10 day cleanse and similar to how I hate to eat anything after my teeth are cleaned I’m a bit reluctant to mess up my ‘cleaned’ insides with regular food.

I’ve never eaten so many vegetables in my life. In less than two weeks I polished off a whole head of purple cabbage, two bundles of Kale, a daicon raddish, 6 crowns of broccoli, and lots of Brussel sprouts and carrots. I also consumed an acorn and butternut squash. Eating veggies 2x per day takes a lot of preparation and planning. The house had a near constant smell of broccoli and cabbage. I did learn how to cook adzuki beans and they’re mighty tasty as a vegetable protein. I also cooked a boatload of steel cut oats and found great ways to eat them. Crystalized Ginger is a favorite addition and chili powder is an accidental one that could have ended worse than it did.

My Kingdom for a cup of coffee

You know those people who always say “oh, I’m not addicted, I can stop any time”; well, I’ve discovered that I am one of those people. I have been a casual coffee drinker for many years now and have gone from tolerating it to stay awake for studying for exams to a full blown coffee snob to the point that I now have a burr grinder and whole coffee from various places around the world and usually buy myself whole bean coffee when we go on trips. I like to sample local roasters like some people like to sample local beer (I do that too, its just a little tough to transport back on the plane). I have a ritual where my home brewing is concerned.

Wake up, get dressed to walk the dog, bathroom, downstairs, coffee grinding, set up the coffee maker, brew coffee, take coffee with me on the walk with the dog. Its all in the process of gradually waking up to face the day.

Well, that whole ritual came to a screeching halt on Monday morning when I was cutting up vegetables to steam and figuring out how to make millet instead of brewing coffee. I started a 10 day cleanse on Monday and its about to make my head explode. I know this is temporary but at the moment when all I can smell is broccoli and red cabbage, I really want a few good swigs of coffee. Is that so wrong? I don’t drink heavily (coffee or alcohol) but no matter how I try to justify it, weening myself from the 1 cup a day is necessary to get the full effects of a cleanse (or so I hear).

Here’s the ironic part though; just after I complete the 10 days, we’re going to Vegas for the weekend. I considered doing the cleanse after Vegas but then that’s later in October and I wanted to do this closer to the change over to Fall. So here I am, grumpy, caffeine deprived and eating a whole lot of veggies. But its all for the greater good, right? I’ll feel better in the long run, that’s for sure and maybe I’ll savor an occasional coffee instead of having one every day. Maybe break up the experience with periods of “no coffee”. My biggest fear is having a cup of coffee post cleanse and not enjoying it as much as I have before.

And more about food

Maybe I should change the title of this blog from “Chicks on Bikes” to “My Food Obsession” but I won’t for the moment. As you may have read in previous posts, I’m currently on a food cycle kick. Buy local, eat fresh, know where your food comes from, and the like. Yes, if you haven’t see Food, Inc. yet, I highly recommend it and as I sat with a like-minded friend in the theater, most of what I saw wasn’t as much of a shock to the system as it might be for some who are totally unaware or uninformed as to their food choices and the implications they have but what did strike me was the stranglehold that the food industry has on farmers and workers alike. Not only are the animals in their care woefully mistreated but the employees and the suppliers. Its criminal. My friend has many family members in the agriculture industry so most of this wasn’t news to her either but its a bleak story. I hope to order and screen Fresh the movie that also addresses the mega-food industry but does so (or so it seems from the trailers) in a positive way, highlighting people who are exacting change, educating consumers, making choices, and impacting their corner of the world. I watch the trailer and want to be part of this inspirational movement, I am seduced by these people who are influencing their neighbors, and pushing forward a positive message about how we can eat to be healthier and happier people. I value Food, Inc. for its information but I left with a sense of fear of food rather than a sense of purpose to do something about how things are.

As a child of hippy-wanna-bes, I grew up with a corn field across our gravel road and a soy bean field next to us. Our nearest neighbor was more than 2 miles away and the people who surrounded us were for the most part farmers and not the industrial kind. 30 years later, here we are again with more people opting to have chickens in their back yard (I have a friend in Hawaii who’s got 4 chicks and has built a coop for them…I’m jealous), there are more people I know who are subscribers to CSAs and Washington, DC alone has more than 10 easily accessible growers markets where people can buy locally produced food items. Yes, its more expensive but you can shake the hand of the person who cared for the cow that provided the NY Strip Steak you’re going to eat tonight. J had a project manager who worked for him who has several laying hens on his property. He affectionately refers to them as “the girls” and they are pets over product. They also produce some kick ass eggs. Since he’s moved on to other endeavors, I’ll miss my occasional supply of farm fresh eggs (gratis, of course).

We’re traveling to Penticton, BC this week and part of next for Ironman Canada and I’ve already hunted down a Farmers Market in downtown Penticton that happens on Saturday and my hope is that the IM chaos won’t disrupt or overshadow the market. I hope its a good source of local fresh produce so we’ll be eating well during our visit.

Transitions aren’t always about speed

Spring is usually the time for change and renewal and summer is for more leisurely activities and being outside and active. Everything has a time for transition and I’m certain this isn’t unique to me but I feel like I’m ultra sensitive to times of transition. This spring, the big transition was from single to married. In January it was from 30-something to 40 (I’ve stopped telling people my age sine they never believe me or it just seems awkward). Currently I’m in a hair and health transition.

I’m at this moment in a new to me salon (Salon XYZ) with new color waiting for a new cut. I’ve been going to the same stylist for years and wanted a change. Patrick is my friend Laurie’s hair guy and he also recently gave my sister a fabulous cut and style that suits her. I figured they were reliable endorsements so here I sit.

Market Monday

We spent the weekend in Luray Va supporting the 4th annual Luray Triathlon and all that entails. I can’t say that we stuck to our eating regime but we made a best effort. I’m sure I didn’t drink enough water either day so I’ll work on that today. The challenge for me has been being creative with good inputs and before we left for the weekend I bought a variety of frozen fruits and proteins just to have stuff in the house. However last night we had breakfast for dinner. Not complaining mind you but illustrating just how taxing it is to come up with new and interresting things to eat. I am taking two cooking classes in September that might help–one is Morrocan cooking and the other is fresh seasonal cooking. Both should serve as inspiration. I also decided we should have a small grill for variety. I love grilled veggies and some meat and fish. It would just be nice to change up the routine.
I think making Monday our market and planning day would help avoid the “what’s for dinner” conversation we seem to have alot. I also get tired of being the only one who cares.

A Mid-Day trip to the Penn Quarter market

I do realize that the last few posts have been more about food than bikes but that’s what’s currently occupying brain space.

A co-worker and I took a mid-day field trip to the Penn Quarter farmers market and it was quite the adventure. I purchased quite a few things, and for me, farmers markets have now replaced book stores for browsing and buying random things on impulse. I just don’t often venture into a book store anymore…I’ve lost my work-place shopping partner in crime (she took a new job and now has a small child to take care of) so now I spend less money on random stuff but also have less opportunity to browse book stores.

However, browsing for fresh food seems more satisfying somehow. My first purchase was buffalo burgers from Cibola Farms, which had a number of tasty options, including Free-Range pork, sausages and the farm is in Culpeper, VA. My next purchase was from The Bread Ovens at Quail Creek Farm where I couldn’t resist the Maize and the Sun dried Cranberry and Walnut loaves. I admit my last two purchases were from vendors who’s names I can’t remember but they’re situated at the end of the market closest to E Street. At one, I purchased a gorgeous set of peaches (I’m a sucker for a great looking peach) and at the other, I bought three smallish onions. It bothers me that the only onions you can get in a grocery store are much larger than I really need. They were $2 for a pound and my onions were $1.10 total. The peaches were $6. I spent about $22 in cash and some charge and lugged my purchases back to the office.

We also sampled some of the Artisan gelato from Dolcezza. I tried their Yellow Peach Bourbon and it was quite tasty. They have additional locations in Georgetown, Bethesda Row, and several local farmers markets. I’ll be sure to go back with spoon in hand next time.

I will be back, next time, fully equipped with proper grocery bags and maybe next time, I’ll go on my way home rather than 3:30 in the afternoon and go back to the office. They’re open ’till 7 p.m. but obviously if I do that, I risk missing out on some of the best stuff early on.

Getting the newest member of the bike gang up to speed

Since the purchase of the sweetest bike in town (the Kuota Kalibur, red and white, SRAM Force components), I’ve been tweaking the setup by switching out the saddle, making minor adjustments, preparing to add a Cateye computer so I know on my own what my speed is (I think J is tired of me constantly asking how fast we’re going when we ride around HP). I also think I need to go back for a readjustment to shorten the shifters (I have to lift my elbow to shift gears) and maybe adjust the seat height since I’ve developed some worrisome left knee pain. It feels like a tendon issue vs muscle or other type of issue. I felt it this morning when I was doing side to side deep lunges. Not fun.

Otherwise, I feel that I should ride the Roubaix to work now and then to just get out on it so its not sitting in the back all neglected. The fixie gets occasional use to and from work or to and from dinner if we’re on the Hill.

More about food

I remembered that I meant to give props to the White House and the First Lady for the Kitchen Garden and the new Beekeeper for raising public awareness about the issues surrounding locally produced food, the necessity of bees in our agriculture, and the benefits of locally produced honey (anyone know how I can get my hands on some of that White House honey? I’d love to benefit from the anti-allergen properties without having to make my own). I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point we’ll see a small clutch of laying hens on the White House grounds. Urban chickens are all the rage now and I heard a rumor that DC had changed its laws to allow chickens in the city as long as there weren’t any roosters (noise violation and all). This, of course, does nothing to dissuade my dream of owning a mini-animal farm complete with mini cows, horses, donkeys, and a variety of other pint-sized barnyard animals. I love the idea of chickens although I haven’t spent much time around them recently. I still think I would like them as cohabitants of our back yard.  And I just stumbled across this fantastic blog named The Occasional Chicken, where the author has named his girls Noodle Soup, Salad Sandwich, and Pot Pie. That’s my kind of humor. They’re essentially pets who produce fresh eggs (or will at some point). I’m envious of his chicken coop.

Additionally, according to a poll by the American Farmland Trust, the DC area has 3 of the top 10 farmers markets (in the Small category). This is based on votes rather than some independent review, however, DC does have a number of urban farmers markets, including one at the USDA on Fridays, and Penn Quarter on Thursdays.

I purchased some grass fed beef on Saturday from the Amish farmers at the H Street market and we had them last night with some fresh corn from the Washington’s Green Grocer and some fresh greens. It was mighty tasty so I think we’ll be buying more…

More greens and whole grains please

We’ve made a few changes recently to our grocery items so that we are getting more whole grains, I’m reducing how much wheat/gluten I’m eating (not diagnosed as gluten intolerant, I just feel better when I don’t have it), making more trips to the H Street Fresh Market, buying new and interesting whole grains like quinoa and millet, and adding raw honey and kiefer to the overall mix.

I recently signed up for a cooperative that purchases grass fed beef and raw dairy directly from a farmer in PA, Grassfed on the Hill, but I’ve yet to order from them. There’s time. Its been nice having glorious brown eggs from Amish farmers in PA, fresh baked goods (wheat free), and loads of fruits and veggies. Its also been a challenge to use them all before they go bad. I feel like I need to keep a list of what’s around so I can be sure to plan meals to use them most efficiently and quickly.

We receive a mixed box of produce from the Washington’s Green Grocer which is like a CSA but Zeke sends out a list of what’s in each box and then you have the option to remove or add to your delivery. Its about $35 per delivery and we’re getting stuff every other week. Its like a present to come home to a box of fruit and veggies most locally grown (except for the bananas) and figuring out how to make use of them. This week we received two portabello mushroom tops an adorable round eggplant, and a large red cabbage.

I’m also reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and have his In Defense of Food in the wings. I’ve had a recent fascination for food production and feeling a connection to where it comes from. There are two new movies out, one is Food, Inc. and the other is Fresh, both of which aim to educate consumers on where our food originates, the corn dilemma, and how we can make incremental changes by choosing to buy local and support non-industrial farmers. I am by no means a hard core slow food movement member but I certainly enjoy seeing all the passion that surrounds food, nutrition and education surrounding the connection between what we eat and the health issues we face. Movies like Supersize Me and books like Fast Food Nation (which I couldn’t finish since it just made me rather sick to my stomach) certainly raised awareness about what we eat and hopefully made people really consider their choices and options more closely.

I enjoy cooking and would much prefer a well cooked, well balanced meal at home over a fancy expensive dinner out. I have always been this way so its tough for me to consider that everyone isn’t like me (this boggles my mind frequently). Its work to cook seasonally, step out of your comfort zone and try something new, and still enjoy eating it. We got beets a few weeks ago and I’m not a huge beet fan. J brought home a recipe for raw beet salad, I made it, its sort of tasty but certainly not something I’d make in large quantities or frequently. The quinoa recipes, however, are things I’d use over rice or other side starches and its whole grain, easy to cook, and high in protein. Tasty stuff to be sure. We watch a lot of cooking shows on the Food Network and Bravo so its pervaded our whole existence.

Things i like

Just a few things that I like:

Seeing the Jolly Roger flying outside our house
The imprint on my finger from my wedding ring
Seeing old photos of great friends
Fresh eggs on a Saturday am
Riding my bike on sunny summer days
Taking adventurers with my husband