Foodalyst

Potato Bread

2012-02-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

I cook more than I bake because cooking is generally healthier, more required in my life and smaller in batch size (or it's hard to bake for two people). However, we have a group of friends that come over every other week for a gaming event. They play Pathfinder with Tony (for those of you who might be interested). I sometimes play too, but due to time constraints and personal interest it's pretty rare. But having a group of 6-8 hungry people at my house seems like the perfect opportunity to bake. It should be noted here too that a couple of the guests are vegan, so I try to accommodate them.

I'm pretty much in love with bread, which is wrong is so many ways, and had the hankering to make scratch Potato bread. I used this recipe, which was the only one I could find that actually used potato instead of potato flakes.

Vegan Butter - looks a lot like regular butter

I'm not really sure how vegan butter exists but it does. I also learned that Vegetable Shortening would have also been an okay substitute for butter.

The batch was two big for one pan, but as you can see a little small for two.

The bread was a little lumpy and had a thick texture.. but good none the less. I think I'm still learning how to use yeast properly, which may account for the texture.

And of course -it's delicious with Jam.

Beyond Chocolate

2012-02-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's true... I've been known to be a bit of a hater when it comes to impressive displays of flowers and chocolate. I don't ever want to feel bought, or like I need to be bought. What makes people exciting to me is the ideas we can share and express - no expensive and showy display can ever really correct for a lack intellectual connection in my book. It's just how I am, and I can't really "fix" it. (Nor I have I thought it needed fixing)

However, this disposition, has some unintended affects. One of which being, I can be unappreciative of romantic gestures. (Even though I like romance, I'm just not about to fall for something I've deemed "silly" or canned). A wild display of chocolate and flowers by a hopeful soul last year was not met with my interest (and the longer version of this makes for a very good tale indeed).

So I tell you all this, so you know that when I say "I was swept away by my Valentine" this year... it really means something.

Tony took me to a phenomenal restaurant downtown called Oceanaire, which is special for at least two reasons 1)because Tony really dislikes driving downtown Minneapolis (and he did) and 2) it specializes in seafood, which is my favorite.

And now, let me allow the photos to do the talking.

Jumbo Shrimp Crab Cake

Capresse Salad

Scallops and Lamb (Love!)

Mashed Potato Heaven

Asparagus with Hollandaise (that was beyond all reason good)

Crab

Banana Cream Pie

Feeling Special

To top off the evening Tony took me to a live comedy show - and we laughed until we thought we wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. I used to see stand-up comics more often, and have been wishing to do that again; I guess someone was listening ;)

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Have you ever had a date night worth raving about?

If you have been, do you like live stand-up comedy? If not, do you think you would?

V-day 5K

2012-02-13T19:33:00.001-06:00

This Saturday Tony and I participated in the Valentine's Day 5K put on by Twin Cities in Motion. It was Tony's first 5K and what an thrilling and chilling day it was.

Waiting in the car to stay warm before the race starts

It was a frigid 1 degree when we woke up the morning of the race. COLD. It did warm up to a balmy 3 degrees before we ran.

Tony's look here expresses how I was feeling

I have to say it was one of those races where I thought twice about going, but I didn't want Tony to catch wind of it so I tried to project lots of outward enthusiasm.

Ready to run

There is a tradition at this race of wearing sign that display your relationship status. I made my own unaware that they have them there, but kept them because ours are pretty cute and fun.

Add caption

Truth is we walked more in this race than I normally do, but that's okay - it's still good to get out there. Our time was still relatively solid: about 46:30, and we weren't last (for some reason Tony was worried). We also did another thing I don't normally do in races which is skip - between the "taken" signs and skipping I think we made a pretty goofy looking pair.

Run Friends: Sara and Ann

At the end of the race, I caught up with a couple of running buddies - it's a little cliche but I think it's true what they say Women (and men I suppose) from Minnesota are tough - who else would run in 3 degrees?

Have you ever ran in the "extreme" cold?

11 Things

2012-02-09T19:04:00.001-06:00

I've been TAGGED! by Kat at Tenaciously Yours Woot. I'm excited because it's fun, and also because I need to refuel the blog a little here.

Okay so the deal is I share ... 11 things about me. ... answer 11 questions posed at me and then pose 11 questions at others.

11 things about me

1. I'm the proud owner of this bright pink coat and I have to say that I get positive comments on it all the time. The interesting thing is that I literally found it hanging outside in the street (by the trash) in my neighborhood.

oh bonus: bf pic!

2. I'm kind-of sort-of addicted to Taco Bell. Umm... Cheesaritos? and by kind-of sort-of I mean very.

3. I've done a lot things and partaken in a lot of activities that are commonly dominated by men. (Engineering degree, I teach math, downhill ski, video games... to name a few). I'm not particularly tomboyish, so I guess this kind of baffles me.

4. If I didn't have to do the thing where I pay bills and grow up... I would seriously consider being an eternal student. For now, I'm settling on being an eternal learner (oh, and I'm fortunate enough to work at a school).

5. The Handmaids Tale is perhaps the best book I've ever read, and hence Margaret Atwood one of my favorite authors

6. I can be annoyingly technical, and I have a bad habit of correcting people on details. You say it cost $8, I'll be sure to let you know it was actually $7.95. I'm also good for the exact time, the exact temperature, and the right pronunciation. (However, I'm not good enough at grammar myself to correct people on that)

7. I love my cats way too much for me to ever be normal.

Sugar interacting with the TV

8. I'm a huge geek and watch way too much geeky stuff (LOTR, StarTrek: TNG....) . Bonus points for being able to name the show above.

9. When I'm not vegging out on geek-dom, I like the Food Network (and Top Chef, which is on Bravo)

10. Despite 8 and 9 I actually think of myself as outdoorsy, even did a stint in winter camping once.

11. While I'm an unfortunately picky eater, there are some simple foods (made right) that I fold for every time. buttered bread, Coffee and cream, mac and cheese, yellow corn, Mexican rice... others too.

Now, questions for me!

Are you a shoe person or a purse person? Shoes, for sure. I have too many to count, plus if you add running shoes, ski boots, rock climbing shoes and other specialty foot wear - the expense and the amount really add up. Purses - on the other hand. I have one that I use and it's a clearance item from Target that I've had for over a year or more.
What’s your favorite scent? Coffee and Chocolate combined
Cloth napkins or paper towels? Probably cloth, but admit ably use paper towel for convenience purposes.
Your house is burning down. What three non-living things do you grab and why? Of the top of my head - SmartPhone (access to so much), The Complete FarSide (would be super difficult to replace), and my cooking knives. Everything else feels pretty replacable, or impossible to grab like china.
Would you ever admit to having road rage? Ok, I wouldn't, but I seriously don't have road rage. No, seriously!
Have you ever purchased something off of Etsy? If so, what? And was it fabulous? Or was it a Regretsy? Oddly enough, I have not, but spent a lot of time browsing there.
If you could take one news station off of the air, what would it be? FoxNews
How would you rate yourself on a scale of one to crafty? We assume that rickrack is somewhere in the middle. I'll give myself a 6, I really really like crafts, and have managed to make some interesting knick-knacks, but I seem to lack just enough time and skill to get any better.
What’s your standard drink order at a restaurant? Chardonnay
Share your definition of the perfect home-cooked meal. Bonus points if you share recipes too. I think anything with rice probably ranks pretty high. However, I would add - Potato Sausage from a specific place in the UP (upper michigan) is probably number one. Add in a freshly made buttered dinner role and I'm in heaven.
Plaid: Do you wear it ironically, because it’s comfortable or never? I own some, but those skirts are too small right now(and may be that way forever), but I guess I must like plaid enough to keep those items around.

Now, questions for you!

Do you think those personality tests have validity, or is it racket?
Are you an audio-book reader? Why or Why not?
Do you have a favorite protein?
Half-Priced-Books? Yes or No
Are you a numbers person?
Pick One. Arranged Marriage or Permanent state of singlehood
If you could do any job - what would it be? (money or market don't matter)
How long can you hold your breath?
Do you speak (or sort of speak) any foreign languages ?
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life - what would it be? (assume nutrition is irrelevant here)
Do you hate the dentist?

The following should consider themselves tagged!

Cats-with-Cats

Healthy in the Making

Dream Strive Succeed

Toccando Il Cielo

Up and Running

And if you are not tagged, feel free to answer the questions in the comments or on your blog (which you should link to in the comments)

Mexican Lasagna

2012-01-26T19:48:00.000-06:00

The inspiration for this recipe comes from the Healthy Tipping Point blog, but it's fair to say it's mostly my own.

Brown ground meat, I choose turkey. I seasoned it with garlic salt, cumin, paprika and cilantro. Mix in 8oz can of tomato paste thoroughly. Then add fresh diced tomato (1 - 2), or just use one (15oz) can of diced.

Spread the meat layer in the bottom of a casserole dish, then layer with tortilla shells.

Next Layer is 2 cans of re-fried beans. I chose a combination of re-fried black and pinto.

Another layer of tortillas.

Next layer is Mexican rice, which you can create however you chose. I've made Mexican rice a few different ways, but in this case I just deglazed the same pan I cooked the meat in with about 1/2 cup water and sauteed in a red pepper. Later added 2 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked). A pretty basic version. I then topped everything with a sprinkle of cheese. Then bake at 350 to 375 degrees until cheese is melted, about 20 mins.

This dish got a gold star from the boyfriend and was super delicious. This version made a huge volume, so perfect for leftovers during the week.

Good Day

2012-01-22T12:31:00.000-06:00

Good Coffee

I knew when I signed up for the One Breath, One Step event I was it was going to be well worth the money spent (Especially since I got a great deal!). It was a full morning filled with powerful speakers and they really got me to think.

They also got me to cry, to laugh, and reflect.

Good Agenda

I was thinking a lot about strength. I was reminded that I've been strong through a lot. Needless to say, going through a divorce and changing careers over a short period of time can be really rough. I was thankful that a lot that was behind and that I have had so many chances to grow. Running and becoming more active have been a big part of that.

Someone there (a guest) said that for period of their life they were just surviving. Now they are reviving and in the future they hope to thrive. I can see that cycle in my own life, and I honestly see myself thriving in the future. I think in all these cycles it takes strength. Strength to survive, strength to revive and even strength to thrive.

Good Speakers

As I go through this process, I feel that I'm rising up out of a dark place. I feel good about my direction, and that I'm beginning to get my life. One speaker, Phil had this to say "when you are rising up, don't forget to reach down" meaning that we aren't just here in this life for our own self-absorption. Once we find our strength, we need to pass the good stuff around.

Good Friends

I'm not quite sure what it will mean in my life to "reach out"... but I have some ideas. Some ideas are grand and complex and need to be processed and mulled over. However, some ideas are simpler, perhaps reaching out means making sure to ask a friend how they are doing, or sharing a good meal, or inviting old and new friends over to enjoy company and conversation or even just giving off some positive energy (a smile or a friendly hello!).

Good-ies

Going Vegan for a Night

2012-01-17T23:45:00.001-06:00

In an effort to be more environmentally conscious and humane we have been trying to eat a little less meat around her even though it's not our natural bent. Some vegetarian meals have actually become standard fare: - like a favorite of ours: breakfast burritos, a flexible recipe which I should share soon. That being said our diet is not often vegan-esque.

A couple good friends of our however, choose to be Vegans or eat vegan 100% of the time (or whatever the most proper way to say this is). As someone who enjoys having people over and cooking a nice meal - I saw it as my duty to learn to cook this way. I also thought it would be a lot of fun. In the past for parties I've been sure to include a few sides, but this was my first time cooking a "full meal." I also feel it necessary to add that my vegan friends never asked me to do this, and are incredibly accommodating about their diet preferences. Not that they need to be so much, but this is certainly their disposition and I think they would appreciate me saying so.

To prepare, I had spotted the some books books at Half-Price-Books (a truly wonderful place) and thought they might be of assistance. I don't buy recipe books too often, what with the internet and all, but Everything Vegan was full of nice colorful pictures as well as tips and tricks. I'm fairly unfamiliar with vegan proteins such as Tempeh, Tofu and Seitan, so I wanted some tips!

Tempeh

Together we choose to cook the Thai Golden Curry (Chappell 152), because who doesn't love curry? (seriously? who?) and we have worked with Tempeh once before. (early in our dating days we made a meal for a similar group of friends). Legally, I don't feel comfortable sharing the exact of the recipes with you, but I can describe it as a creamy (coconut milt) fruity (mango) mix. It was certainly a curry, but in a future version I would amp up the savory elements of this dish and probably add a little more salt.

Thai Golden Curry

I also grabbed Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking, because the boyfriend loves him some Indian food. Also, there we lots of pictures and the recipes seemed to be simple enough to follow, but still relatively authentic (or at least not much dumping sauces from jars). Indians recipes tend to be vegetarian and often vegan as well.

We choose Potatoes with Cauliflower (Iyer 148). It was a flavorful blend of classic Indian spices such as Coriander, cumin and turmeric. Also, a little ginger and watercress... ingredients I don't often come by. Tomatoes too, and what would a meal be without tomatoes.

One aspect I really like about this dish was much less heavy tasting than "similar dishes" I've had at restaurants. I'm not sure what would account for that exactly, but I think it's worth noting.

Potatoes with Cauliflower

I also made a batch of Naan - using soy creamer instead of soy milk as the link suggests.

Naan

My Plate

The best part about Indian food is the mixing it all together on your plate.

Thoughts:
-A "real meal" can be a vegan meal food can be hearty and filling... I often think kale and pine nuts when I think "vegan", but this was flavorful, hearty and satisfying.
-Buying cookbooks isn't completely outdated, I enjoyed having these useful guides to help me venture out of my typical and familiar culinary playground

2012 Race Plans

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Last year I made some resolutions on this blog, but this year I decided I'm not into that as much and will stick to my 27 for 27 goals/plans. I did update my original Seven for 2011 post with my progress though for those who are interested.

However, I plan to continue running and now I plan to incorporate triathlon training as well. So here's my presumed race schedule. Not quite sure how having three races in August will go, but I'm currently optimistic.

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February

Valentines Day 5K
-This will be the BF's first 5K. Yay - Go Him! and isn't it cute to celebrate fitness on V-day?

March

Get Lucky 7K
- Nice shortish race. I'll get cool stuff and will work well with my training for the Get in Gear Half Marathon

April

Get in Gear Half Marathon
- This year I will not forfeit due to injury like last year. Or at least I hope!

May

Twin Cities 1 Mile
-Only "1 mile" race that I know of, and I've been meaning to try it.

June

Heartbeat 5000
- Chance to run a less than 30 min 5K. It's a great course, a cheap run and chip timed!

August

Women's Tri
- My first Tri

Ragnar Relay
- 200 miles between 12 people - sounds like fun to me!

Maple Grove Triathalon
- My first Olympic Tri

Others
- This year I would like to log 1000 miles total (running, swimming and biking) on DailyMile - there is a widget is on my blog here so you can follow along - or friend me on DailyMile!
- Perhaps a longer race in the fall?

Recapping #RWRunStreak

2012-01-03T19:51:00.002-06:00

I got tuned into doing #RWRunStreak by Ann from Twelve-in-Twelve. I thought it seemed like a good way to get going with running post marathon... and it was... even if I didn't really do it perfectly.

As for the imperfections ... I have my reasons: Crunch time at the end of the semester, "The Holidays", and fear of injury. Some might say those reasons are weak, and others would say they are perfectly valid.

But those opinions are not what is important here.

Because in 2011 I ran 386 miles which is more than mile/day. (and I'll add here there was a couple month break due to injury)

29 of those were in December, which is 29 more than I ran in December of 2010.

40 during #RWRunStreak

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In other news at the blog - I've updated some of my links to blogs I follow in the side bar - so come check that out.

Collecting 75 Years

2012-01-02T13:32:00.000-06:00

My Papa got me into coin collecting about 16 years ago and started me off with his personal collections of Lincoln Pennies and Jefferson Nickels. Every year I add to the collection and from 1999 to 2008 I started collecting the State Quarters as well.

There are some interesting coins in the mix:

1943 Steel Cent - produced during world war II to save copper

My Oldest Nickel (Jefferson Nickels started in 1938)

My Oldest Penny (Lincoln Pennies started in 1909)

Pennies are nearly worthless coins now days - I mean they are worth a cent, but really whens the last time you bought something that was just one. Some people think we shouldn't have them anymore, because they cost more to mint then they are worth right now - and there is some sound logic to that. If this happens, which who knows if it will - then I'm not too worried because my collections value would probably just go up. However, the potential cash value of these though isn't the only reason I do it.

Papa and me - a number of years ago

What I find interesting is that every year, I add another years set and slowly but surely my collection grows, and at this point I have every consecutive mint of Lincoln Penny from 1970 to 1910, to some people this would be worth $0.80 (there are two mints every year), but I guess they are worth more to me. Collecting coins is something my Papa got me into - and spending time doing this makes me cherish this person more than I already do. There is also something about putting this collection together characterizes the passage of time and it's unending march forth - which we often think about at this time of year.

We also use birthdays to mark the passage of time and Today is my Papa's 75th birthday!

I attribute much more to Papa than a coin collection, but sometimes the tangible is nice.

Papa and Grandma

75 years and counting ...

At some point, maybe I'll have the chance to pass this on to a grandchild of my own and continue the tradition of marking time in coins - I wonder if pennies will still be around then?

Soup Project

2011-12-30T12:51:00.001-06:00

Over Christmas I spent time with my family in Upper Michigan ... due to road conditions that's about 8 hours from my home here. Anyway, there were 16 of together in one house resulting in lots of food. So when things came to a close there was also lots of leftovers, which I was fortunate to get plenty of. Jackpot! These were the good kind of leftovers too (not just pasta salad and jello). Leftover Turkey, Broccoli Sprouts, Tortillas, and Ham Bone, with plenty of meat still attached. I latched onto that last one, but I honestly haven't cooked it before. I think I just saw it on a cooking show and new it would be a good idea to grab. It was.

Also, at some point in history I also receive the Firehouse #10 Hot Chili Bean Soup Mix, I am honestly not sure how, but fairly confident I did not purchase it outright. If you are wondering how that's possible - well you can blame my ADD and the fact that sometimes my roommates leave stuff behind. Also, a small plug, the Women's Bean Project seems like a great organization to support.

Anyway, this meals was entirely free for me (Thank you Grandparents and Random Ex-Roommate).

Soak Beans overnight

Combine Ingredients in Crock Pot - Ham bone, Beans, Green Bell Pepper Diced, Can of Tomatoes, Spice Packet, 2 Tbsp Garlic (or in my case more)

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the meat will basically fall off the bone. It's not a bad idea to help it along though.

Serve

The verdict: the soup is delicious. Also, I'm generally not a huge fan of Ham, but in this soup it tasted like

Y-U-M.

The sticker price of $5.75 for the soup mix seems really pricey to me (Beans and Spices aren't that much), but it goes to a good cause, so in the name of charity I could see purchasing this once and a while. Also, meat would be an unnecessary addition as beans have plenty of protein.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-20T11:12:00.001-06:00

When it comes to Christmas Cookies, I can be a little bit perfection orientated. I like to make those additional calories count. But don't worry - I'll share a couple tried and true recipes I've found over the years.

First recipe is so simple, but tastes like you worked all day.

Oreo Cookie Truffles.

Crush 1 standard package of Oreos - whichever method you choose is fine, but I like to use my food processor because it really grinds the cookies into teeny tiny bits. Then blend cookie bits with one 8oz package of softened cream cheese. Roll the cookie material into balls. Place them on parchment paper and chill.

Once chilled coat in milk chocolate (or any kind of chocolate you like)

Chill to harden the chocolate coating and then serve.

The other cookies on this tray are called Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - also delicious and I've linked the recipe.

Things to behold

2011-12-11T13:34:00.001-06:00

I've been going through some major purging around here and managed to get rid of several unwanted, unused or unusable things around the house. It's been a positive process and I would recommend the procedure for anyone. Most interestingly, I offloaded 2 garbage size bags of clothes from my closets. It's positively crazy that I had that much in there to begin with. I honestly don't think that I shop that much.

Anyway, I attempted to write this nice post about how all of us Americans have too much stuff and we don't need it. It was going to be very intellectual and introspective, but somewhere along the line I feel like it lost any energy and I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with it even if I support the initial sentiments.

So the other, perhaps the more cretin idea I've had in this process is that some things are nice to have. Some things I will hold onto for quite some time. The either make my life easier or simpler or just appeal to my sensibilities.

So here are my "Things"

This printer is really awesome, it's color, it's laser, it sync via the wifi network... Oh and yes the Cat owns it (but usually let me use it).

Matryoshka Doll - have been fascinated by these for quite sometime and found this set at a thrift store. (SCORE!) This one also happens to have blond hair and blue eyes just like me. Good ol' ethnocentric-ism.

This years Christmas gift was "The Complete Far Side" by Gary Larson. My bf got it for me, because he said I deserved something non-practical. I thought that was sweet and I loved the gift.


I found this hutch on Craigslist, and it's totally cool and art deco-ey! The middle shelf has an antique China set I got from my Grandma - it's also a favorite thing. For those of you who might ask "yes, that is a roomba hiding under the hutch and yes, I paid $35 for it on Craigslist"

My last hair dryer was of the uber-cheap variety. It died. This one was is an "ionic wave", and it was originally $40, but I paid $14. It's a dream in comparison to the old one and I didn't even pay that much more.

Well as is probably obvious, this is not the complete list of things I will keep. For good or for bad, I could probably have a whole list devoted to Kitchen items. While I love the idea of simplicity, I think I will be okay to accept the idea of only relative simplicity where I have things like ionic wave hair dryers.

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Also note, my contribution to the blog Divorced before 30 is now up for your reading pleasure.

Weekend Highlights

2011-12-11T13:11:00.001-06:00

Friday night I celebrated the end of the Lego League season with my teams. Yes, there were two. Lego League is an organization that teaches kids to program and build robots using the Lego Mindstorms platform. I've been coaching Lego League for the last three years and it's been a pretty rewarding experience.

Here's the team competing

After that, I had a nice date with the boyfriend, and we went to see The Muppets movie. It was terrific. Really great feel good flick with just enough social commentary to not feel flimsy.

Saturday morning I got together with some friends and we shared brunch - I brought Mimosas, there was a great egg bake, monkey bread, and fruit. It was also really good conversation and fun.

This (sunday) morning, I met up with some friends to run. As I was leaving for the run, I had a headache and wasn't really "feeling" it, so I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gone if I didn't have people weren't waiting for me (so... good thing they were). I was worried about being cold, but it was super nice (20 degrees is super nice in MN) out and I totally didn't need to dress as warm as I did. So far - winter running hasn't been too heinous, and I've been a bit confused as to why I was such a wimp last year.

Also, I've been keeping up with #RWRunStreak for the most part. I consciously missed one day due to concerns about shin pain and a difficult schedule. So, even if I haven't been doing it "100% perfect" I found it to be a really good challenge and a way to give me something to do without a "race" to train for. I even put in a total of 14 miles this week.

Run Life Updates

2011-11-26T08:31:00.001-06:00

Post-Marathon Lapse

After running in the marathon I STRUGGLED to do any sort of intentional physical activity. I made it to the gym literally two times for teeny tiny runs, before getting sick. Then I felt too sick even function on a general level. It ended up being 29 days of a no-running streak. Muh.

Winter Running?

I've been skeptical of the winter running bit for sometime now. FYI - it doesn't get brisk in mn IT GETS COLD. Slipping and falling on ice while you are a mile and a half from home sounds really un fun. However, I met Sara, who is also a blogger in mn and we are going to commit to running outside together once-every-two-weeks. Which sounds like enough to me.

Thanksgiving 5K

I got "happily" conned into running into the Charities Challenge Thanksgiving Day 5K, with some other people. I've run these races before and they are really fun and casual. They don't chip time, so the pressure to PR was off (not that I would've anyway). Officially I crossed the finish line at almost exactly 38 mins. Unofficially, I probably was a bit faster as I didn't cross the start at the gun. I also spent a while talking to walker who had gotten a hip-replacement recently - it was a good story. Totally worth whatever I lost in time.

#RWRunStreak

Ann at Twelve - in Twelve is encouraging people to join the Runner's World Run Streak. You run at least 1 mile/day. I don't usually run "just a mile" and I don't usually run everyday... so I think it should be interesting. Very Interesting. (ok - jk)

Dippy

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

One way to burn through your food budget rather quickly is spending a lot of time in the dips and spreads deli area of your grocery store. I was recently at the nearby chain grocer and found that a 6oz tub of sun-dried tomato spread/dip was $3.99 - ouch! The thing about these is that they are relatively easy to make at home for less. Also, you have the luxury of knowing what's actually being putting in to them.

I recently made a spread by blending Cottage Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, a dab of mayo, a splash of milk, and a sprinkle of shredded colby. I made a ton it for way less than 4 bucks. If were to make it again, I would probably trade out the mayo and milk and use more cottage cheese. I would also add some Italian seasonings. In my brief skim of several dip recipes online many suggested using cream cheese, but cottage cheese is healthier and I had it on hand. I took the risk flavor wise, but it seemed to work fine.

I put this spread on wrap with Spinach and Black Olives

It would be fine to eat this as is, but I prefer most things warm if possible. So I grilled it on my George Foreman.

I grilled it, because things taste better grilled

This method works well for Quesadillas too.

All over the place.

2011-11-21T21:02:00.001-06:00

When I created this blog I tried to a pick a theme that I could maintain and keep to somewhat successfully, knowing full well that I'm completely all over the place. I figured since food was something I was pretty much planning on eating for a long time - a food theme would be a good choice. That being said this post is even more random than I normally am.


My cat is awesome (and a Prima-donna) She climbed in the bowl herself

And she even wrote a book about being Awesome. (ok, I just spotted this at Barnes and Noble, but don't you agree that the resemblance is striking)

I like Spinach, Eggs, Grapes and lots of dairy - including Coffee Creamer, if you could even call that dairy.

I also like this: it's basically my secret shame.

I have a boyfriend, and he's pretty darn awesome.


We like Capresse Salad.

So, there it is: I have cats, I eat weird, and I'm braggy about my bf.

Food Stamp Challenge

2011-11-07T21:09:00.000-06:00

The "Food Stamp Challenge" is a congressional effort where various non-typical food stamp users are encouraged to challenge themselves to eat on a budget similar to that of someone who only can use food stamps to buy food. Basically, people who accept this challenge eat on less than $21/week/person (or something around this) - which is similar to the allotment given by food stamps. Encouraging politicians and others to connect with reality of poverty is always something I would encourage, my problem is that this challenge probably doesn't do that.

For one, poverty when part of your daily life bears far more challenges than finding adequate food. Proper shelter, adequate healthcare, basic transportation, and a way out are all things that come to mind. You simply can not get an understanding for this in one week - no matter what you were doing.

Additionally, the Food Stamp Challenge is more of a commentary on how ill equipped people are to eat on a budget in the first place than how difficult it might be. Currently, Morty and I budget for $40/week (just shy of $42/week - which would be approximately our allotment). We eat meat, we drink coffee, we have indulgences, and fresh produce is not out of sight. We are laughably far away from running out of food and furthermore, my shopping trips do not resemble an episode of Extreme Couponing. Granted, we are not always perfect, but for the most part we stay on track. While we do budget for our eating out separately (as I see that as entertainment too), I'm not convinced that altering for this would throw my calculations off too wildly.

In the articles I have been reading related to this challenge; I've been trying to figure out what makes this so difficult for people. They are often purchasing things like generic mac and cheese and tuna fish. First off, yuck and yuck. Second, kind of unimpressive health wise. I've also seen hotdogs on some lists, which seems questionable too. I would love to seem some good examples of people following this challenge, but from the articles I've read it appears people are favoring bland and unhealthy options that require little to no cooking.

Rarely do they take advantage of filling, yet healthy resources such as lentils, rice, barley and beans. All of these can be purchased economically and provide nutrition as well. Also, limited effort seems to be made to stretch meals. Often times things are being made per serving. A large vat of chili or soup would be easy to create, affordable and stretch to several meals.

As far as vegetables are concerned, a common complaint is the lack of budget for them. However, a head of cabbage is usually less than a $1, same with a bag of carrots. Frozen vegetables are often on sale for $1 per bag as well. In contrast a bargain brand bag of chips is $2.50, a dollar more for the name brand.

On one persons list, an included item was chicken breasts, which were said to be on sale, but it is still a much more expensive way to purchase chicken than buying a whole chicken, which would make for several meals. Also included was a frozen meal, I guess I would need to know more, but that sounds like an expensive item to me as well.

My point here (in this rambling post) is not to malign the actual SNAP program or anyone attempting to work within it's limits. I, for one, am glad that assistance programs like this exist. I just raise an eyebrow when people tell me that it's impossible to eat healthy on a lower budget.

Halloween Party

2011-10-31T20:05:00.003-05:00

Morty (bf pseudonym) and I threw together a really fun Halloween party that included great games and great food... if I do say so myself.

I got some fun ideas off the internet to make some whimsical treats.

Spider Deviled Eggs

Apple Bites

Witch finger carrots

We also had a costume contest, with many worthwhile contenders

1st place: Zombie Steve Jobs

2nd place: Charlie Chaplin

and Spice the Cat even got a few votes... she maybe wore this for a full 5 minutes

If you would like to see what I wore: click here!

Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

2011-10-27T21:38:00.001-05:00

It's a bit of a running joke in my family, and perhaps extending to my friends that I can be counted on to bring the deviled eggs. I like them because they are fun, suitable to a lot of occasions and cheap to make. I estimate a batch of a dozen deviled eggs doesn't quite exceed $2.00 in ingredient costs. Although each batch is it's own, I usually make some version of the classic recipe. Mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika. Sometimes adding a unique flavor to mix it up.

I decided to mix it up a bit and try something completely different. Given that we actually had bacon in the house, and given that apparently "everyone loves bacon" I used that as my inspiration.

Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 eggs - hard boiled
1/4 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing (enough to make a smooth consistency)
2 to 3 tsp - Frank's hot sauce
1 strip bacon

After peeling, slice hard-boiled eggs in half and separate yolk from white. Try your best to keep egg white in tact. Add ranch dressing and hot sauce to yolk material and mix together. I usually use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment to make sure it gets extra creamy. I've experimented with food processors and blenders and it's too much extra effort for no real added value. To put the mixture back inside the eggs, you can use a cake decorator bag or a simple Ziploc with a slit cut out at the bottom. I use the Pamper Chef Food Press which works great, but isn't a necessary purchase. Garnish with bacon.

I brought this tray to a party I recently attended and they were a big hit.

Operation "How do I look?"

2011-10-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

My blog, Foodalyst, is about many things really, but I like to think that one of those things is frugality. While the advice varies, an oft cited method for saving money is disconnecting yourself from any concern about "keeping up with the Jones." This applies to many aspects of life, but a natural inclusion is the cost of maintaining a closet of fashionable articles of clothing.

Frugality or not - Keeping up with fashion trends and putting together an outfit, have never been items on my list of strengths. People generally describe me with words like low maintainence, T-shirt and Jeans kind of girl, or has a natural look...true as this may be, I think I still manage to have "pretty good" style, even if I'm a little hazy on what that might mean. When it comes to dressing myself I tend to wear comfortable favorites. And sometimes a little make-up and a little jewelry. I repeat outfits frequently and have a tendency to stick to "what works", as opposed to try new things.

In other news I have a closet chuck full of clothes, most of which I never wear. I really need to trim down because it's getting to the point of flat out unmanageable.

So here's my "plan" in order to maximize my fashion sense and minimize my closet consumption- For the next 30 days, I'm going to post myself wearing a different outfit everyday and subject it to the harsh criticism of the internet. And let me assure you I easily have 30 different outfits in my closet. If I get a lot of nays the outfit goes, if yays the outfit stays, if it's a bit of tie - then I make the final call.

For those of you who might be concerned, No!, I don't give a bleep about keeping up with fleeting fashion trends I'll never understand anyway, but I do want to look my best (and I wouldn't mind freeing up some closet space).

The mechanics - I'll post these to twitter with the simple phrase "How do I look?", and if you like it: reply, if you don't like it reply. If you are not on twitter and you want to "vote" they will also be at my other largely stupid, largely dormant blog.

So thoughts?

Is this project inherently narcissistic?

Probably, but isn't that just the nature of a blog? I'll assure you I am less vain in real life. (I think)

What if the world ends tomorrow?

Whelp, we will all have bigger things to worry about then.

Goal #1 Complete - Marathon Race Recap

2011-10-04T14:08:00.001-05:00

If your confused about my title here, I'm referring to my 27 for 27 goals.

RACE RECAP

The morning of the race my stomach was doing flip-flops, and I was wondering if I had trained enough or correctly, but for the most part I felt steady. Basically, I realized that there wasn't much worry was going to do a this point anyway. While I was shivering in the corral, I randomly ran into a couple of my coworkers, and we gave each other mini-pep talks.

The whole marathon training thing has felt incredibly surreal, and somewhat crazy to the point that I haven't fully realized what I've been doing. 10 miles is the farthest race I've done previously, so more than doubly that distance is pretty significant. For some reason, it wasn't until I reached the 5K mark of this race, that I realized - I'm really doing this. I've really trained, I'm really going along on this marathon course. And the first tears were shed.

I started the race out feeling strong, and for the first 10 miles I felt hardly any fatigue and very little discernible pain. Between mile 10 and 15 I started to slow down some, but only lost a little off my overall pace. It really helped that I saw a lot of friendly faces at that interval so to keep strong. Here's a picture of me captured by the boyfriend at mile 11:

Smiling!

Shortly before mile twelve - I saw my friend Lauren, and not too much longer down the line I saw an old friend from high-school who had shown up to see someone else run but recognized me on the course. One of the best things about this course is the amount of crowd support. This is my first marathon, but others have reiterated that Twin Cities really does have good crowd support. There was loud music, live bands, great cheers and signs everywhere. I was almost always within ear-shot of music, or a rousing round of "Go Runners!"

Must be something about my personality I really enjoyed the signs that incorporated a little bit of humor such as "Worst Parade Ever", "Running 26.2 miles, because 26.3 would just be crazy", "Great Job! Totally Random Stranger!" and "If this were easy, we'd do it!". I saw that last one around mile 22ish, and it still got me to chuckle.

At mile 15 I had maintained a 12:15 pace (approx), which is better than I've ever done for that distance. After that I slowed down considerably, but I kept moving. It helped that at mile 19 or so, I made a running friend, we'll call her Lena (not real name). Here's a picture of me and Lena running:

Lena and me both had significant ankle pain at this point and time, so we used each other to keep pace, keep running when we could and finish with a medal. Lena and I kept each other positive and strong and we stayed running much more than I might of alone.

Less than 1 mile to the finish, my sister and brother-in-law showed up and started running with me! which was the second big tear-jerker moment of the race. Not too much later I saw my Dad and he started running with me too for a bit, but I could not hold his pace at almost 26 miles in. I tried and was starting to get out of breath. My dad is an annoyingly fast 50 yr old.

What it means to finish

Not all, but almost all marathons have some sort of course time limit. Twin Cities limit is 6 hours, technically the finish line stays open until 2:15pm, which 6 hours and 15 minutes after the gun time, but not everyone crosses the start line right away. I was in the 3rd corral and crossed the finish line at about 11 minutes post gun time. If you don't cross the finish line by the designated time, you do not get to be declared an "official" finisher, and you don't get a medal or a T-shirt.

Now, while going a distance of 26.2 miles is phenomenal in and of itself, and something that anyone should be proud of no matter the pace, but believe you me - I wanted that medal and T-shirt!

So - I did it 5:42:22, it wasn't exactly fast, and it wasn't necessarily pretty, but I became a marathon finisher!

And I got a medal

Water never tasted so good...

Can you tell these meals a part?

2011-09-28T23:28:00.002-05:00

In our new effort to become less fervent carnivores, Tony (the bf) and I set off to the Saint Paul Farmer's Market. The first thing we spotted was some beautiful looking eggplants, then Tony mentioned something about parmesan and pretty soon we were plopping a ginormous and beautiful eggplant into our reusable grocery bag. We set off with high hopes of vegetarian delights.

We basically conjured up Eggplant Parmesan the same way you might approach chicken Parmesan. Battered, Fried and then cooked.

For some reason, it wasn't until we tried putting it into our mouths that we realized... umm... we don't really like eggplant that much. Or at least we knew it wasn't the cheese, sauce or noddlely part we had a problem with. True truth, we reverted to our omnivore roots and we made the same thing with chicken a couple weeks later and saw it to be a (huge) improvement. Can you tell which one is which in the pictures above?

To my knowledge, I've had eggplant three times total in life. The first, I thought it was revolting, and the second I thought it was so-so, and the third in this parmesean was probably the best, but still not really that great. (Apparently those first two times escaped my memory when I saw the pretty eggplants at the Farmer's market.)

So, my one thought is: I still don't know if I'm just not an eggplant person, or if I just am consistently eating it wrong. So here's the recipe (if you dare)... and let me know if you have any tips for improving my eggplant consumption

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
-Whole Eggplant
-2 eggs
-bread crumbs
-spagetti noodles
-Any brand Pasta Sauce, or make your own.
-mozarella cheese

Directions:
Slice eggplant about 1/2 inch thick width wise. Batter with eggs, then bread crumbs. Fry in pan with olive oil.

Prepare noodles and sauce. Combine in baking dish. Place Fried eggplants on top, and cover with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 mins or until cheese is golden brown.

Small Changes... are enough

2011-09-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

"Less is Enough" is a blog that I read and even though it's received national fame, probably still isn't getting enough credit. I recently read this article: "Cause and Effect". It addresses a very important topic, that of finances and health.

In it, she states:

"The cause of the problem is not that food is too expensive, it’s that people don’t know how to shop for and cook healthy food."

So true.

The original title of this blog was "Five Dollar Day Blog" The goal was to feed my then husband and I for less than $5 per day (and I mostly succeeded). I wanted to do it by still eating largely healthy foods, and without extreme couponing (not that coupons are always a bad thing). For the most part I succeeded, these days I keep a keep a grocery budget of around $160 per month for two people. That's about $5.33 per day. This however does not include eating out, but amazingly (and honestly) I've kept that somewhat minimal too.

There was a point when I spent $20/day (or more) so it's taken me a while to figure out how to do this, and quite frankly I could still find room to improve. The process has involved teaching myself to cook more things from scratch, learning how to shop, and most recently successful meal planning. Also worth mentioning, I have someone who enjoys doing this with me. As time goes on, I hope to incorporate other tactics: gardening perhaps?

Before I became budget conscious, I would regularly purchase coffee while out . This usually rang around $2, but can be as much as $5 for a fancy latte. When I began Five-Dollar-Days I invested in a to-go mug ($0.50 at a garage sale) and I started making coffee at home. Because I use whole beans and flavored cream (as opposed to Folgers black) it's a little high, but I would comfortably estimate a mug (or 3 cups by volume) at home costing about $0.28. Not only is this an economical decision, I've come to enjoy it more. I'm often times even upset when I forget my at-home coffee and have to resort to other options (I'm an addict by the way), and not simply because of the expense, but because I truly miss the taste. Also, because I re-use my at home mug, I am reducing my carbon footprint as well.

I think changing our habits about food (or anything for that matter) is really about small changes. The media gravitates to the shocking tales of 180 degree changes that make for good headlines, but rarely do the 5 degree changes along the way get discussed. The "coffee story" illustrates a small change well, but I also like it because it was also not just a change of economical value but of taste and environmental value too.

27 for 27

2011-09-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

So I decided to completely steal this idea from a fellow blogger, Liz at Random thoughts of a Lutheran Geek. Anyway, I turned 27 yesterday and figure this would be a good way to take stock in who I am now and what I want going forward. I originally meant to turn this out on my b-day, but I guess I got carried away with birthday fun. So here's 27 mini-goals to try to complete while 27. Or simply stated 27 for 27.

Run a Marathon (yes, this was already a goal, but I think I can still include it)
Run a 5K in less than 30 minutes (same here)
Be so bold as to wear that little sports bra top when running (yes - the mid-drift baring one), this might require stronger adherence to the #plankaday plan.
Do #plankaday plan
Do at least one quality recipe post per month
Post 4 times per month
Increase blog subscribers to 100; I'm currently at (about) 54.
If Goal 7 is complete, create facebook fan page
Not become a complete narcissist in doing 7 and 8.
Finally be able to play Canon in D on Piano straight through with minimal mistakes. I'm great for about half-way, but I never put the time in to complete the piece.
Re-Learn to listenable quality two flute pieces from the "classics" book
Make use of my china tea set from my grandma with friends over for real tea
Make use of my other china set with friends over for "real" dinner party
Fix whatever is going wrong with my disqus comment system thing
Be able to solve a Rubik's Cube
Finish Online math course to refresh math knowledge I "should" have learned
Find at least one sustainable farmer in which to purchase meat from
Research and try out a CSA
Make something with Quinoa
Eat Kale (as I feel it's getting to be lame that I haven't yet tried this stuff to my knowledge)
Bake a Pie with real crust
Host some sort of food competition (via the blog or a perhaps a casual cooking competition)
Get this garage sale (round two) take care of.
De-clutter my life (i.e. I have to much crap!)
Knit a gift
Read Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love, and Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations.
Obtain a more stable job/school situation

So, that last one will be the killer, if I don't die during the marathon. I made a pretty drastic career move almost two years ago, and it's come with some instability. I would like to find myself in a position, in the not so distance future, where I am happy with my job, but feel comfortable with my finances too... don't we all?! Well, at least I'm trying.

On turning 27, it feels about right. This past year has been one of dramatic change, and renewed sanity. I am hoping the next one is one of strength and stability.