Great timing too, gearing up for a hike at Sugarloaf this weekend & Montana del Oro next weekend!
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Hike #3
Cull Canyon in Castro Valley was our hiking location for Dec 11, but with all the rain this week, it was too washed out. We changed hike locations to Muir Beach/Dias Ridge.
Beautiful fog. Soft mud. Lovely people.
Uphill at first, for a while, and me without my poles! I ordered a set from American Hiking Society for $60, hopefully they'll make it to me before the next hike! But so proud of myself for making it up to the top of the ridge!
This hike I mainly stuck with Joy!
Such a joyful and humorous lady, who might be my new carpool! Talking led to all sorts of topics: wicking undies, acupuncture, sesame snacks. It was a nice loop trail, in which we crossed Highway 1 twice. Full of other hikers and runners with doggies. One couple (wearing Cal sweaters!) had a Rhodesian Ridgeback! Totally reminded me of a friend of the family who had two Ridgebacks, who were the awesomest dogs!
Coming down from the nearly 1,000 feet of elevation was fun, especially since the fog was breaking up just enough to see the beach. Back where we started! The end in sight!
Lots of banana slugs along the trail, as you can see in the attached video. And lots of running water, puddles, mud. But not the mud that sticks to your boots, thank goodness!
Cherry cordial M&M's once we were back at the parking lot. I'm ready for next week! Rock on!
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/Hike #3
Cull Canyon in Castro Valley was our hiking location for Dec 11, but with all the rain this week, it was too washed out. We changed hike locations to Muir Beach/Dias Ridge.
Beautiful fog. Soft mud. Lovely people.
Uphill at first, for a while, and me without my poles! I ordered a set from American Hiking Society for $60, hopefully they'll make it to me before the next hike! But so proud of myself for making it up to the top of the ridge!
This hike I mainly stuck with Joy!
Such a joyful and humorous lady, who might be my new carpool! Talking led to all sorts of topics: wicking undies, acupuncture, sesame snacks. It was a nice loop trail, in which we crossed Highway 1 twice. Full of other hikers and runners with doggies. One couple (wearing Cal sweaters!) had a Rhodesian Ridgeback! Totally reminded me of a friend of the family who had two Ridgebacks, who were the awesomest dogs!
Coming down from the nearly 1,000 feet of elevation was fun, especially since the fog was breaking up just enough to see the beach. Back where we started! The end in sight!
Lots of banana slugs along the trail, as you can see in the attached video. And lots of running water, puddles, mud. But not the mud that sticks to your boots, thank goodness!
Cherry cordial M&M's once we were back at the parking lot. I'm ready for next week! Rock on!
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/Thursday, December 9, 2010
Hike #2
This was the view from the top...
Hiking from Fort Baker, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge on the Marin side, all the way to this zenith, was really not what I wanted to be doing on 9am Saturday. But I did it.
It started at 8am with the TNT group gathering to go over milestones (our team is nearly at $50,000 of fundraising!) and hear from an honoree. This hike Kurt Zimmerman talked. He didn't talk about how cancer has changed him personally. He talked about how cancer has changed his family. As soon as his daughter found out about his cancer, she signed up for a Team In Training marathon. And the whole family got behind her, and Kurt, in an effort to find a cure. In some ways, Kurt says "My cancer has really strengthened and helped my family grow." And he also says that when we're up there, struggling to reach the peak, with knees that hurt and thighs that burn, we're struggling beside him. We're in the fight just as much as he is.
Couldn't have said it better.
Uphill sucks. No doubt about it. But once you're up there (with some help from trekking poles!), your body goes into autopilot. Suddenly, you're not thinking about how your legs feel, you're simply putting one foot in front of the other. You're commenting on how beautiful the trees sound when the leaves get hit with raindrops.
Amelia was a joy to hike with - new friend FTW! - and she let me use her poles almost the entire hike. Then she told me about the American HIking Society and how they have poles for just $60! That's my next purchase. Boots, check. Fleece, check. Poles - time to go shopping!
Doesn't she look cute in her blue rainjacket!
Hike #3 is Saturday the 11th, in Cull Canyon (Castro Valley) - and then on the 12th I'm hosting a Bake Sale! So, hopefully some great fundraising news will come from that!
Time to get baking...
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Fr-fr-fridge Changes!
Re-evaluated fridge space = important & perishable stuff on top shelf. If it's visible, I'll eat it first. #food 
I Tweeted this today. I've gradually seen that I react more positively to beautiful things. This is not rocket science, all humans like to look at beautiful things. So, why wasn't my fridge a beautiful thing? Why wasn't I happy cooking in my kitchen?
It wasn't pretty. The food itself doesn't have anything to do with it - I like cooking and eating it. I just wasn't doing a lot of it in my tiny kitchen.
I love buying food. Because the food is displayed really nicely. You can see the food really well, it's well-lit, it smells good, it's a variety of colors. It's stimulating! My fridge and cabinets? Not so much. The dark brown color of my cabinets makes me feel like I'm reaching into the darkest abyss when I'm reaching for the honey. And the shelves of my fridge started looking barer and barer. But they weren't, and I would forget the boutinful veggies I had bought earlier that week, letting them perish.
Now, I'm not only not eating the beautifully nutritious food, but I'm throwing away money! That made me take more notice - I live in a consumer society based on capitalism and as an American, I hate throwing away money!
So if you see the link to my photo above, you'll see my fridge looks a little different than previous (not that you might have seen my fridge previously). I'm not even using my drawer! Why would my drawer come in handy keeping veggies more fresh, if I forget about them after a few days and then I end up in Berkeley at my boyfriend's place for a couple of nights, only to come back to a fridge full of perished goods?
It's a small and inevitable change that just stepped me that much closer to a more healthy lifestyle and a veggie-filled, home-cooked diet. And I'm happy about it.
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/Thursday, September 9, 2010
Bacon Pretzels?! FTW!
Find the recipe here: http://mooflyfood.com/bacon-pretzels/
I must make this recipe and eat it with abandon... Photos and insights to come post-East Coast vacation!
On another note, here are some fun things on bacon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday's Dinner
Two fried eggs. Carrot + green beans + red onion. Spiced up with some salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, cilantro. Yum.
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/
Farro Salad w Peas, Asparagus & Feta
1.5 cups semi-pearled farro -- 12 oz. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1.5-inch lengths -- 1 8-oz. package sugar snap peas -- 12 oz. grape tomatoes, halved -- .5 cup chopped red onion -- 6 tbsp. chopped fresh dill -- .5 cup olive oil -- .25 cup Sherry wine vinegar -- 1 7-oz. package feta cheese, crumbled
Cook farro in large pan, boiling salted water. Until tender = 10 mins. Transfer to large bowl.
Cook asparagus ans sugar snap peas in another pan, boiling salted water. Until crispy tender = 3 mins. Add to farro with tomatoes, onions, dill.
Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Add dressing and feta to salad. Toss and serve.
http://lizishungry.blogspot.com/
Umami, San Francisco
via sfgate.com
Umami means "deliciousness" in Japanese, doesn't it? And this word is being exported via Kikkoman's, and now the SF Marina district... And my favorite Pho in the city is at a place called 'Yummy Yummy'. There's that salad place called 'beautifull' in Laurel Heights and the Inner Sunset. What's next for naming a restaurant after an adjective? A burger joint called 'Bovine'?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Carrots and Honey and More
I just have to gush about how delicious the Wildflower Honey is that I got through this CSA!
And my rainbow carrots are almost gone - they make perfect workday snacks!
Also, I ordered this week's produce:
And my rainbow carrots are almost gone - they make perfect workday snacks!
Also, I ordered this week's produce:
- 4 tangerines
- 3 avocados
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 bunch red beets
- 3-4 yellow onions
- 3-4 jumbo italian garlic
- Sage ($3.50 extra)
- Heirloom Kokuho Rose Brown Rice ($4.50 extra for 1.5 lb. bag)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Week One Submission
A very friendly email from Laura about this week's produce. And I've officially submitted my first week's order for pick-up on Thursday!
I will receive:
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of rainbow carrots
1.5 lbs. of Yukon potatoes
1 delicata squash
4 Braeburn apples
4 honey tangerines
And I threw in some wildflower honey for an additional $9.50 because honey lasts forever.
Laura sent out this email at 11am this morning and some items were already sold out: Baby Bok Choy, Heirloom Rose White Rice, Olive Oil, and one of the granola mixes. Yikes!
They also had celery root and I read this great love letter to celery root in Bon Appetit magazine last week. But I thought I'd spend my first week getting some staples, so that I could build on that through the month. Hence, the potatoes.
I plan on getting at least 1 fruit item per week. That should up my fiber and vitamin intake! I'm so excited! Patience is sucky though, I have to wait until Thursday to see/smell/eat the food!
I will receive:
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of rainbow carrots
1.5 lbs. of Yukon potatoes
1 delicata squash
4 Braeburn apples
4 honey tangerines
And I threw in some wildflower honey for an additional $9.50 because honey lasts forever.
Laura sent out this email at 11am this morning and some items were already sold out: Baby Bok Choy, Heirloom Rose White Rice, Olive Oil, and one of the granola mixes. Yikes!
They also had celery root and I read this great love letter to celery root in Bon Appetit magazine last week. But I thought I'd spend my first week getting some staples, so that I could build on that through the month. Hence, the potatoes.
I plan on getting at least 1 fruit item per week. That should up my fiber and vitamin intake! I'm so excited! Patience is sucky though, I have to wait until Thursday to see/smell/eat the food!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Patience is hard
So, the emails back and forth between myself and Eat With The Seasons folks have been pretty cool. They are on a break and things don't technically start up again until next week, so I'm pestering them with questions.
When can I order my box? Which sign up form do I need to fill out? When will it be available? When is the first actual drop-off date in February?
Well, even though I've been emailing with multiple staff, the answers are always really nice and thought out. It's an actual person emailing me back, ya know? Well, I'm still a little argh-ed by the lack of stuff I can do yet. Maybe it'll all work out, but I get worried when I can't utilize the technology at hand (online sign-up form) to order my box of food!
My drop-off location is for Thursdays. On Mondays, I get a list of available foods on their website. I go to a specific Members Area and fill out the Thursday form. I can only do this online from Monday at noon until Tuesday at 5. Magically, my box of food appears at the drop-off location on Thursday and I have until some point on Thursday to pick it up. Generally, I should pick it up before 6 or 7pm. I'm sure they're OK with folks picking them up after work hours, since it is a Thursday!
So, I'm anxious. I have to wait until Monday. I hate waiting. I have no clue what foods will be available, but I imagine February will have some of the following foods available:
Fuji Apples -- Green Apples -- Red Beets -- Golden Beets -- Broccoli -- Cabbage -- Carrots -- Cilantro -- Collards -- Grapefruit -- Kale -- Kiwi -- Kohlrabi -- Leeks -- Lemons -- Lettuce -- Onions -- Oranges -- Parsley -- Parsnips -- Potatoes -- Radishes -- Rutabagas -- Shallots -- Winter Squash -- Tangerines -- Turnips
I know they might have some of these available because this is based on the harvest schedule they've put up on their website. I also know they have other products:
Eggs, Coffee, Tea, Nuts, Olive Oil, Pear and Apple Juices, Conserves, Dried Herbs, Local Honey, Grass Fed Beef, Granola and Granola Bars
All these things are extra, so I won't be buying them just yet. Although, getting new tea every now and then might be a nice bonus! I don't eat eggs, I don't drink coffee, I buy nuts and granola in bulk at either Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's. I don't eat much conserves or honey, and my beef intake is pretty low. Dried herbs might be nice, but I need a place to put the herbs in my kitchen first. I need a spice rack or basket to put that stuff in. (To-do list!)
In the meantime, the virtue of patience will have to just happen to me.
When can I order my box? Which sign up form do I need to fill out? When will it be available? When is the first actual drop-off date in February?
Well, even though I've been emailing with multiple staff, the answers are always really nice and thought out. It's an actual person emailing me back, ya know? Well, I'm still a little argh-ed by the lack of stuff I can do yet. Maybe it'll all work out, but I get worried when I can't utilize the technology at hand (online sign-up form) to order my box of food!
My drop-off location is for Thursdays. On Mondays, I get a list of available foods on their website. I go to a specific Members Area and fill out the Thursday form. I can only do this online from Monday at noon until Tuesday at 5. Magically, my box of food appears at the drop-off location on Thursday and I have until some point on Thursday to pick it up. Generally, I should pick it up before 6 or 7pm. I'm sure they're OK with folks picking them up after work hours, since it is a Thursday!
So, I'm anxious. I have to wait until Monday. I hate waiting. I have no clue what foods will be available, but I imagine February will have some of the following foods available:
Fuji Apples -- Green Apples -- Red Beets -- Golden Beets -- Broccoli -- Cabbage -- Carrots -- Cilantro -- Collards -- Grapefruit -- Kale -- Kiwi -- Kohlrabi -- Leeks -- Lemons -- Lettuce -- Onions -- Oranges -- Parsley -- Parsnips -- Potatoes -- Radishes -- Rutabagas -- Shallots -- Winter Squash -- Tangerines -- Turnips
I know they might have some of these available because this is based on the harvest schedule they've put up on their website. I also know they have other products:
Eggs, Coffee, Tea, Nuts, Olive Oil, Pear and Apple Juices, Conserves, Dried Herbs, Local Honey, Grass Fed Beef, Granola and Granola Bars
All these things are extra, so I won't be buying them just yet. Although, getting new tea every now and then might be a nice bonus! I don't eat eggs, I don't drink coffee, I buy nuts and granola in bulk at either Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's. I don't eat much conserves or honey, and my beef intake is pretty low. Dried herbs might be nice, but I need a place to put the herbs in my kitchen first. I need a spice rack or basket to put that stuff in. (To-do list!)
In the meantime, the virtue of patience will have to just happen to me.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Eating with the Seasons
Current Resident
So, here I am, living in my own little one-bedroom in the middle of San Francisco. I have no car, although my boyfriend does. I have a kitchen and I like making food. But I often wonder why I eat out more than I cook at home. I should be able to set aside time to cook meals, right?
Yes, I'm a busy person. I'm on the board of a non-profit, a member of a worker-owned co-op, trying to start my own non-profit, working full-time during the days for a non-profit. Oh, yeah, and did I mention I have a boyfriend?
OK. So I can see why my time is limited. Or why when I have down time, I sometimes prefer to snack on yummy take-out Thai while thumbing through my BITCH magazine, rather than prepare my own meal. Except that my health isn't what it used to be.
Getting Old at 28...
My genetic history predisposes me to a plethora of not-nice digestional dilemmas, including colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's. Generally, I'm a prime example of someone who will be receiving a colonoscopy before she's 32, which is in 3 years. Ick.
Add to that the increasing groundswell for local, organic, and/or slow food movements (especially in San Francisco!), and it's just a bombardment of information that I can't avoid. It's a movement. And I'm part of it. I like eating delicious food. And I prefer organic sometimes. But man, it's kicking my butt to try to find time to go shopping for food, think about what I want to cook, actually cook it, etc.
The Decision to Join
So, I made an executive decision. I'm going to become the non-dairy side of a vegan. I will not eat any dairy products, due to my system's general lack of excitement towards dairy products. No milk, no cheese (I'll miss you!), no sour cream, etc. I will however be keeping yogurt in my diet, because the bacteria are good, so I hear. But I'm not a vegan at heart, I'm not even a vegetarian. I like chicken. I like bacon. These things will remain in my diet. In moderation.
Anyway, I'm also going to have fresh fruits and veg forced upon me via membership to a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A CSA is a way for me to give money into the hands of local farmers. So, that's my contribution to the local food movement. It's also a forced way for me to eat and use fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet. I mean, if I paid for a box full of fresh produce, I have to eat it quickly before it rots. This will hopefully lead my mind to think of fresh foods first, and preserved foods second.
The CSA I went with is called Eat With The Seasons. They are based in San Juan Bautista, which is a hop, skip and a really short jump south of San Jose. Close to Gilroy (garlic capital of the world) and Watsonville (strawberry fields forever!).
Here's how the CSA works
I signed up for a 4-week trial membership for the month of February. It's costing me $72 for the month and I get a box full of fresh produce every week. Their website allows me to select which items I want in my box, or if I forget, they fill it up for me. I then have to pick my box up at a site close to where I live and I bring the goodness home to my kitchen. Then, the real magic starts!
Their produce is seasonal, of course, since it's all locally grown. So, right now, I could have beets, broccoli, apples, carrots, cabbage, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, parsnips, spinach, squash, and turnips. I get to pick 6 items to put in the weekly box. Although, an item isn't always what you think. For apples, 1 item equals 4 apples. And sometimes, it's exactly what you think. One item of kale is one bunch of the stuff. Just as I would buy in the grocery store.
They also have other products, like conserves, tea, coffee, jerky, and eggs that are farmed locally, but you have to pay for each item on top of your monthly fee. And stuff sells out quickly! Must mean that it's good...
So, follow along as I journey through the CSA process!
So, here I am, living in my own little one-bedroom in the middle of San Francisco. I have no car, although my boyfriend does. I have a kitchen and I like making food. But I often wonder why I eat out more than I cook at home. I should be able to set aside time to cook meals, right?
Yes, I'm a busy person. I'm on the board of a non-profit, a member of a worker-owned co-op, trying to start my own non-profit, working full-time during the days for a non-profit. Oh, yeah, and did I mention I have a boyfriend?
OK. So I can see why my time is limited. Or why when I have down time, I sometimes prefer to snack on yummy take-out Thai while thumbing through my BITCH magazine, rather than prepare my own meal. Except that my health isn't what it used to be.
Getting Old at 28...
My genetic history predisposes me to a plethora of not-nice digestional dilemmas, including colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's. Generally, I'm a prime example of someone who will be receiving a colonoscopy before she's 32, which is in 3 years. Ick.
Add to that the increasing groundswell for local, organic, and/or slow food movements (especially in San Francisco!), and it's just a bombardment of information that I can't avoid. It's a movement. And I'm part of it. I like eating delicious food. And I prefer organic sometimes. But man, it's kicking my butt to try to find time to go shopping for food, think about what I want to cook, actually cook it, etc.
The Decision to Join
So, I made an executive decision. I'm going to become the non-dairy side of a vegan. I will not eat any dairy products, due to my system's general lack of excitement towards dairy products. No milk, no cheese (I'll miss you!), no sour cream, etc. I will however be keeping yogurt in my diet, because the bacteria are good, so I hear. But I'm not a vegan at heart, I'm not even a vegetarian. I like chicken. I like bacon. These things will remain in my diet. In moderation.
Anyway, I'm also going to have fresh fruits and veg forced upon me via membership to a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A CSA is a way for me to give money into the hands of local farmers. So, that's my contribution to the local food movement. It's also a forced way for me to eat and use fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet. I mean, if I paid for a box full of fresh produce, I have to eat it quickly before it rots. This will hopefully lead my mind to think of fresh foods first, and preserved foods second.
The CSA I went with is called Eat With The Seasons. They are based in San Juan Bautista, which is a hop, skip and a really short jump south of San Jose. Close to Gilroy (garlic capital of the world) and Watsonville (strawberry fields forever!).
Here's how the CSA works
I signed up for a 4-week trial membership for the month of February. It's costing me $72 for the month and I get a box full of fresh produce every week. Their website allows me to select which items I want in my box, or if I forget, they fill it up for me. I then have to pick my box up at a site close to where I live and I bring the goodness home to my kitchen. Then, the real magic starts!
Their produce is seasonal, of course, since it's all locally grown. So, right now, I could have beets, broccoli, apples, carrots, cabbage, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, parsnips, spinach, squash, and turnips. I get to pick 6 items to put in the weekly box. Although, an item isn't always what you think. For apples, 1 item equals 4 apples. And sometimes, it's exactly what you think. One item of kale is one bunch of the stuff. Just as I would buy in the grocery store.
They also have other products, like conserves, tea, coffee, jerky, and eggs that are farmed locally, but you have to pay for each item on top of your monthly fee. And stuff sells out quickly! Must mean that it's good...
So, follow along as I journey through the CSA process!
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