Diary of a Slogger, issue 4

...Or why you should run with friends, at least some of the time.

I had the joy this past weekend to run with two of my fellow blogger friends, Heya Sparky AKA Lauren and Primus Libellus Digitus AKA Jen. All of us are at different levels, and have different goals, but I had a good time running with company. Why?

No iPod

This is kind of a lie because Lauren did have one on. But in general, it gives you a time to unplug. Though I believe playlists can help get you pumped and motivated to run better, you also miss what's going on around you. Sometimes it is nice just to hear the sounds of the world.

Push You

When you run with others, you often go farther than if you were by yourself. On this particular run we had the purpose of helping Lauren train for the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay. Lauren said okay "let's go to this street" and then as we got closer Jen said "let's push it out to that street". Friends also help you pace, you begin to run all the same speed or speed up when you start falling behind.

Talking

It gives you a time to talk to friends, sort of. It usually leads to very breathless conversations that have too many awkward pauses, but it's conversation nonetheless. Also, if you are able to hold a conversation, you are said to be running at a good pace.

Fun

Period. I do laugh to myself when I am running alone, but when you are running with people laughing together, you look more legit. (Or more like a fitness commercial) You joke around more, get excited about Redhead Ducks

Or something, Jen will correct me

or silly running

Overall it just makes running more pleasurable. It isn't an all the time thing, but a sometimes slog.

Do you enjoy exercising (slogging, weightlifting, biking) with others? Who do you go with?

Chuck Close

For process and scale

I started to get into pointillism in High School and found this amazing artist Chuck Close, who is what I would call a modern pointillist, though most call him a photorealist. I personally was amazed and stunned by his work. Close achieves his work through a grid. He takes a photo, almost entirely large portraits, then puts a grid on that photo. He also draws a grid on his canvas and copies it cell by cell. In 1988 he suffered a spinal artery collapse which left him paralyzed from the neck down. He spent months in physical therapy, but still relies on a wheelchair. He has continued to paint by strapping a brush to his wrist and through the help of an assistant to create the grid.

I hope you enjoy him as much as I do.

Phil, Fingerprint 1978

Pastel and watercolor on washed paper mounted on paper 1978 

John, 100 color silkscreen 1997

Lucas, Oil and graphite on canvas 1986-87

Emma, woodcut 2002

Bill Clinton, Oil on canvas 2006

Almond Milk Cop Out

Things have been slightly hectic here and I haven't had a chance to do a bigger and better recipe for this week. Also, there have been many requests for this almond milk recipe and I so love sharing it with people.

Almond milk is one of the best alternative milks because of its increased protein and great healthy fats. It is also naturally more creamy than other options like rice and soy milk. Though soy milk gets a unfair bad wrap, if you are looking to avoid it, almond milk is the best choice. I found this recipe on Vegan Reader. We have tried many almond milk and rice milk recipes and this is definitely our favorite.

She has awesome, easy to follow instructions. And there is even an added dessert recipe to help use the "waste". Please enjoy and thank you for accepting my laid back Recipe of the Week.

Almond Milk Recipe from Vegan Reader

Note: If you would like your milk a little bit sweeter, as some store bought almond milks are, add about 2 Tablespoons of PURE maple syrup to the blender.

CSA

...And why you should have one this season!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. What does that mean? Well, the way a CSA works is through investment. A consumer buys a share with a farm. The consumer pays upfront a certain amount and ensures the farmer that a specific amount of their crop is going to be purchased. The farmer can then rely on the intended consumption. They can use the money to buy seeds and pay for other upfront costs, rather than having to wait until they can sell their crops after harvest. This also gives them cash flow throughout the year, rather than receiving most of their income during just one season. The consumer then picks up their share, usually on a weekly basis, of the crop from the farm. This lasts for the entire season, usually 20-25 weeks.

Shares

Farms usually have different types of shares. Most common are half, full and advanced. The share is the amount of food you will be receiving. It can also indicate which type of food you are receiving as some farms will have a dairy share, which would include milk or cheese every week.

Cost

Though the cost upfront seems like a significant amount of money, it actually works out to be cheaper than buying produce from the grocery store. Most CSAs are between $23-26 per week, much less than if you were to buy the same products individually.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up

If you live by, or are willing to drive to the farm, you can always pick up your share from the farm. However, for those who can't, there are various city drop-offs depending on the CSA. You should factor this into which CSA you choose, you don't want one that drops off on the same night you have Chess Boxing practice.

Farm Tour Day

Almost all farms have what they call Farm Tour Days. This is a time when the CSA members are invited to the farm they have been supporting. It is a great way to get to know the farmers and see the farm. Sometimes you even learn something, on the farm tour last summer I learned that asparagus was grown one stalk at a time. It helps you see the producers of your food as real people. It helps you see the world of food production with your own eyes.

Local

This one is obvious, but you are supporting a local company. CSAs are just as good as going to your local farmer's markets to get food, most of the CSA farms even sell at farmer's markets.

Family Farms/Co-ops

All of the farms are either small family farms or farm co-ops. Pennsylvania in particular has a significant number of small family farms that are dying every year from competition. When harvests go well, things can be easy, however for a small family farm or co-op a bad crop can mean big problems. By participating in a CSA, if the harvest goes badly or doesn't have maximum production, you are ensuring that the farm doesn't go out of business and can continue. You are helping to give them "Rainy Day"(bad analogy since rain is good in the farming world) money to bring them through the bad harvests or unforeseen problems.

Decisions

When I pick up my CSA for the week, all of my decisions are made for me. I don't have to go through the produce aisle and think of what to make. Instead, I am given the fruits and vegetables that I will be using that week. This is a huge plus for me, as decision-making usually leads to frustration in my household.

This past season we had a full share from Harvest Valley Farms. Every Thursday we would go to pick up our share. A sample weeks share would be: 1/2 dozen ears of corn, pint of pickling cucumbers, head of cauliflower, three zucchinis, a bag of green beans, 4 apples and a head of lettuce. Harvest Valley sends out a weekly e-mail letting you know what is in the share and includes a recipe using one or more of the items. I absolutely loved it and we plan to continue getting CSAs every season.

If you have a CSA or decided to get one, which farm are you using and why?

If you are interested in getting a CSA this season, which you should be, Local Harvest is a great website to find one near you. Local Harvest also has information on farmer's markets and other food related things.

Natasha Wescoat

Natasha Wescoat is a Michigan-based artist that I fell in love with a few years ago. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon her website, but I instantly enjoyed her landscaped trees and floating birds. Since then her art has moved onto other characters, but I think I still enjoy her early stuff the most. Her art is clearly whimsical with its ability, at least for me, to move you to a lighter and more carefree mood. I like how this contrasts her usual use of dark colors. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.

You can visit her blog. Or just browse through more of the artwork on her website.

Mac & Cheez

I really have started disliking the "clever" ways people play on words for vegetarian and vegan things. This recipe is more like Mac and Veg Sauce, but that just isn't appetizing. So I used the Cheez alternative, which really just makes me think of Cheez Whiz...Eww.

This is one of our favorite vegan dishes. It's nice and heavy, like normal Mac & Cheese, but is full of vegetable deliciousness.

This isn't a recipe that would fool someone, you can definitely tell there is something up with the sauce. (If you are interested in a good homemade vegan "cheese" sauce, this is one of my favorites. Just make sure you add extra lemon juice as it will add some nice cheesy tanginess.) The recipe below is a modification of this original recipe for 'No-Nooch, No-Tofu, Excellent Mac 'n' Cheese'. Nooch is another name for Nutritional Yeast Flakes. In my opinion of the biggest arguments against veganism is the issue of Vitamin B12. B12 is a vitamin that is important to the nervous system, and a severe deficiency can result in some pretty serious health problems including anemia and nervous system damage. Vitamin B12 is not available in any "natural" plant food form. The only way for vegans to get it is through supplements or fortified foods. Nutritional Yeast Flakes are one such fortified food. Nutritional Yeast is not like baking or brewer's yeast, but is often used to make cheese-like substitutes because of its nutty flavor. One of the changes I make to the original recipe is including "Nooch" as I like its flavor and texture.

Mac & Cheez

Prep Time 10 Min : Cook Time 15 mins : Servings 6

Special Equipment Needed
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients
8 oz Macaroni¹
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes²
4-5 Medium Carrots
1 Medium Onion
1 Tablespoon minced Garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Vegan Margarine³
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Red Hot Pepper Flakes, optional

Prepping the Veggies

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak whilst you are doing other things.
2. Chop the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.
3. Put the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat.
4. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat and allow to boil on medium heat until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Carefully drain the veggies, saving the liquid in a bowl.
6. Reserve 1/2 cup of the broth and place the rest back in the pot and bring to a boil. This is the liquid you will boil the pasta in, add additional water if necessary. When the broth water is boiling, cook the pasta accordingly.

my new food processor (see notes)

Food Processor: The Mother of All Small Appliances

7. As the pasta is cooking, drain the cashews and place them in the food processor.
8. Add the 1/2 cup reserved broth, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and margarine to the cashews. Process until smooth.
9. Add the veggies to the mix and process until smooth. The consistency should be like a thick sauce.
10. Taste the sauce and adjust the spices as needed, this is when you should add some salt and pepper.

Make It Spicy

Once your sauce is where you want it, assemble. Place some pasta in the bowl, followed by a healthy portion of sauce. Unlike other Mac & Cheese recipes where it's a 3/4 noodles to 1/4 sauce proportion, this dish is best when it is at least half and half. So be generous with the sauce. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes, or even your favorite hot sauce on top, and enjoy the veg!



Notes:
1 The East End Food Co-op has a great macaroni in their bulk section that is made from quinoa flour. It's awesome and has a bunch of added protein. If you don't know what quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wAH) is, it's a grain that is the only non-animal complete protein and super tasty.
2 There is always a debate over the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but as I don't feel like getting into that here. I mean the root vegetable with the dark red/maroon-ish skin and the orange flesh.
3 I use Earth Balance when I want a vegan margarine. It is the tastiest to us, but anything would work.
4 Food processors are awesome. My old one broke a bit ago and I did a ton of research about this new one. It is agreed upon by almost all of the reviewers, consumer and professional, that this is basically the best food processor out there right now. It is the Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus DLC-2011. This was its inaugural ceremony and it preformed beautifully!

Diary of A Slogger, issue 3

...Or why you should shop at Elite Walkers and Runners.

This past Thursday was just one of those runs. I don't know if I had eaten poorly on Wednesday, or if the warm weather threw me for a loop (though I would never complain of the blessed sunshine of wonderfulness), but I wasn't having fun. I kept repeating the Jillian Michael's mantras, "Pain is fear leaving the body" and "When it starts getting uncomfortable, those are the ones that really count", and "We don't get to the finish line and stop, that's when we push even harder".

I focused all of the pain I was feeling on the fact that I needed new shoes. I am a very conscious shopper. I often do a lot of research on the products I buy, especially big purchases. I also hate consumerism in general and get very anxious when buying anything. I will have arguments with myself in the store: "Do I really need this?", "Is this going to help my life?", "Is this clubbing baby seals to make my life easier?", etc. Needless to say, I don't like buying new stuff, especially when they are things just for me. So I wasn't too excited about the idea of buying new running shoes. I mean they looked fine. There weren't any hole; the soles didn't seem terribly worn. But my knees, and even lower back, were beginning to hurt. After being horribly frustrated by a painful run, I decided it was time to finally get new shoes.

My Spiffy New Shoes

It is a rule of thumb to replace your running shoes between 350-550 miles of use. For me that is about 4-6 months, at my current running pace. That seems like an awful lot of shoes. However, I keep telling myself that it is an investment into my future. By using running shoes I am making a happier, healthier me, as corn-tastic as it is. I am preventing diseases such as diabetes, which would cost myself and my insurance significantly more than $150 a year. Also, when it comes to exercising activities, running is one of the cheapest. The only equipment you really need is shoes.

Now that you are convinced you need new running shoes, you should go to Elite Walkers and Runners. Elite is a great local shop. The staff are incredibly friendly and there to help you with whatever you need. Though they are all skilled in delivering you the perfect pair of shoes, they don't flaunt their abilities to make you feel bad. I know nothing about running and probably asked some pretty stupid questions, but Erin, the lady helping me, didn't make me feel as dumb as I sounded. She answered my questions kindly and made me feel comfortable. They are able to look at your old shoes and suggest what new ones might work. They also watch you run to see if the shoes are working properly. One of the pairs I tried on was making me push-off my big toe, which apparently is bad.

They also have an interest in the community. From their mission statement:

Our mission is to be the central hub for the Pittsburgh running community and to spread the passion that the staff has to get people out and moving. We have moved forward with this mission through our involvement in the development and sponsorship of races around the Pittsburgh Region; educating the community through wellness clinics, health fairs, good form running classes, and corporate nights. We have also encouraged our youth to get involved in Track and Cross Country through education about running, injury prevention, and through team nights held at the store.

This is exactly what I want in every business I use. This inspires me to want to support them. They even have a Soles 4 Souls donation box for your old shoes.


And that is why I have been shopping rather exclusively at Elite Walkers and Runners for all of my slogging needs.

It was somewhat serendipitous that the right shoes for me happen to be New Balance. I apparently really like their shoes as I have bought about 3 pairs in various styles from Goodwill over the years. Also, they are a pretty cool company, not amazing, but cool. Here is what they call 'Responsible Leadership'