2 Hour Commute Bad. Sunny Skies Good.

I started back at school this week, which is why I haven't blogged since last Friday. Trying to get back into the whole balancing work-school-commute thing.

But I now work from home on Wednesdays as well as Fridays (YAAAAY!), and it couldn't have come at a better time. My two hour drive home last night due to the tanker trailer gas spill in Redwood City was awesome. It rained the entire time and my bum hurt by the time I got home.

But I'm in a much better mood today, mainly due to this much prettier view from my home office window:

Hooray for blue skies and green hills! Purdy!

The View From My Window.

In the spirit of Andrew Sullivan, I give you the view from my window:

Gloomy, rainy, windy South San Jose. But the hills are starting to turn green!

Unsafe Physical Gyrations? NEVER!

So fours months into my commute, I got a ticket. I'm actually really surprised it wasn't for speeding, and even more surprised that it was for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. What a lame reason to get a ticket, huh. I mean, who doesn't do the California stop?

Well not me - not anymore. Because it resulted in a $190 ticket - and having to go to traffic school. Learn from my mistakes, folks!

So here I am, on winter break from school, and well, going to school. But it's online - which is way convenient - and I'm actually learning quite a lot. Like this GEM:

Radio - Finding a station and looking down at the radio takes the driver's eyes away from the road. Leaning over to change the station often causes the vehicle to veer off course and increases the potential for getting into a collision. The use of preset buttons to locate stations is important, since locating a station should never adversely affect your driving. Additionally, some people combine driving with dancing. Music is often stimulating, yet physical gyrations while driving can interfere and prove to be unsafe.

I don't know whats worse, that fact that people are idiotic enough for this to be included in the Driver Distractions section of the course, or that fact that they think dancing in the car is a bad idea. Now, besides the not-coming-to-a-complete-stop thing, I am a law abiding citizen. But this I cannot conform to. I will let the man take away my drunken 100 MPH joy-rides, but I refuse, REFUSE to stop physical gyrations. I am appalled.

Cooking (and Eating) Makes the Blues Go Away.

I have an admission to make. We didn't go see BODYWORLDS 2 on Monday. In fact, we barely left the house. I guess it was due to Blue Monday. Whatever the reason, I just didn't feel like going downtown and dealing with parking and rain and.... people.

So what did I do? I stayed home and cooked all day! It was awesome!

It all started with an episode of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger on the Food Network (my favorite cooking show), where one of the dishes she made was breakfast cookies. Now I don't know about you, but I'm pretty much all over any excuse to eat cookies for breakfast. Let the baking begin!

But since I needed to run to Whole Foods to grab a few ingredients, I figured I would look through my cookbooks to see what else I could make. I'm usually home so late I never have time to make dishes that require, well, time. So my day's agenda turned into "what I can I make?", and I was super stoked.

I went through my fridge to see what we had, and more importantly, what needed to be eaten. Trip had bought some wonderful Japanese eggplant a few days before, and I have been craving Dish Dash, so thought I could try to recreate one of my favorite dishes there - musaka'a. So I Googled it and found a recipe. Hooray! I was then delighted to find that I already had all of the ingredients I needed to make another dish have been dying to make but have never had the time - Greek Bulgur and Lentil Salad.

So here they are, my Rainy Day Recipes to Keep the Blues Away:

Breakfast Cookies
Copyright 2007 Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough.
4. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies.
5. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick.
   
6. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Okay, doesn't really seem like a great alternative to Total, but it actually has a good amount of fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fats. Plus they're hecka good and make your house smell delightful. Oh, and I don't have a stand mixer (damn it), but my hand mixer worked just fine.

Musaka'a

Ingredients
3 Tb. Olive oil
1 lrg Eggplant cut into 1/2" rounds
Salt & pepper to season

1/4 cup Olive oil
1 Onion - chopped
3 Tomatoes - peeled, seeded, chopped
2 cups Chickpeas - cooked, rinsed (I didn't precook mine and they turned out fine - nice and soft)
1 cup Water or tomato juice (I used water)
Salt & pepper to season

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Sautéed the eggplant in 3 tablespoons of hot oil, until lightly browned and softened.
3. While the eggplant is cooking, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté till translucent. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, water or tomato juice and seasonings. Bring to a boil and stir to heat through. Adjust seasoning.
4. Place the eggplant in a casserole dish and pour the tomato-onion mixture over all. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbling through. (The last three minutes I put the naan in the oven as well).
5. Remove and serve hot or at room temperature.

I served this with garlic naan, although pita would probably have been more geographically correct. But the naan was off the hook.

Bulgur and Lentil Greek Salad

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup bulgur
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup dry lentils
2 cups water
1 med tomato, chopped
1 small cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 2 1/4 oz. can sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Greek-Style Vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
1 Tb. Sugar
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 Tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1. In a medium saucepan bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil; remove from heat. Stir in bulgar and salt. Cover; let stand for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly, pressing bulgur to remove excess water.
2. Meanwhile, rinse lentils. In another medium saucepan combine 2 cups water and the lentils. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Rinse with cold waster; drain again.
3. For Greek-Style Vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Shake well before using. (Can be stored for up to 2 weeks).
4. In a large mixing bowl combine cooked bulgur, cooked lentils, tomato, cucumber, onion and olives. Toss mixture with Greek-Style Vinaigrette (recipe to follow). Cover and chill at least 4 hours or over night. Before serving stir in feta.

Those close to me will be oh-so very impressed that even though both of these dishes had tomatoes in them, I was able to eat them! Actually, I even liked them! I think the trick is cutting them up really small. :-)

Actor Heath Ledger Is Found Dead.

Sad.

Some Tuesday (but more like Monday since yesterday was a holiday) Filler

I'm working on a post, but work is a bit hectic after having yesterday off, so thought I would at least pass on Ideal Bite's Daily Tip from yesterday so that you can read someone else's blog.

What's green and bytes and read all over?

The Bite
Eco-blogs. If you like your news fast, free, and green, check out one of our favorite online sites that proves green news is good news.

The Benefits

• You read it here first. Green blogs get you the info before papers or TV.
• No subscription fee. Our picks are totally free.

Personally Speaking
We've got a total writer-crush on David Roberts at Grist.

Wanna Try?

• Gristmill - enviro-news blog with a sense of humor; home to David Roberts's columns.
• Ecorazzi - eco-celeb gossip; think US Weekly for greenies.
• Treehugger - we love the peeps at TH, even if they got to be on Oprah before we did.

I too love the peeps at TH, and have long been a fan. Gristmill and Ecorazzi are new to me, and I'm always stoked to find cool new blogs, so I've just added them to my bookmarks!

BODYWORLDS 2 Ends 1/26!

Note to self: Eating sundried tomatoes and mozzarella balls is not a good idea when looking at pictures like this:

Whoa.

So the BODYWORLDS 2 & The Three Pound Gem exhibit at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation started September 27, and we still haven't gone to see it. And now I find out that it ends next weekend! Yikes!!! The goods news is both Trip and I have Monday off (I think this is the first time since high school that I've had Martin Luther King Jr Day off! Yay BlogHer!), so we're going to make a conscious effort to see it!

If you're not familiar with this exhibit, well, let me let them explain:

BODYWORLDS 2 & The Three Pound Gem presents the complexity and beauty of the human body, preserved through Plastination, the groundbreaking method of specimen preservation invented by anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens. More than 200 authentic human specimens offer visitors profound insights into the form and function of the human body, wellness and disease, and the mysterious world of the brain.

From infancy to adolescence, and adulthood to old age, the brain chisels, refines, matures, and transforms itself. BODYWORLDS 2 & The Three Pound Gem includes a special debut feature on the brain inspired by the latest findings in neuroscience.

I've had many friends go, and from what they say, it is a must see. I admit I am a bit apprehensive, as I'm not a fan of anything gory or gross, let alone the insides of a REAL human being. But the health buff in me (if trying to not eat processed food and maybe running three days a week constitutes being a "buff") is dying to see this. No pun intended.

When Design-Junkies Blog.

During my weekly visit to the $2000 ambient fireplace that is begging to live in my bedroom (I NEED it), I came across a new obsession - Chiasso has started a blog! It showcases beautiful, interesting, innovative designs - and its informative at that!

The first post I came across is way awesome. I admit I am one of those cold-hearted "organizers" she mentions (Although my other half may beg to differ. Lord knows I can't compete with his OCD), but this post gave me a new outlook on organizing. Like:

"Ever packed for a trip, then realized, hopefully before the taxi to the airport arrived, that you’ve waaaaaaaaay overpacked? Well, your home is that suitcase, and someday soon that zipper’s gonna break and it won’t be pretty."

It's like she's talking to me!

Maybe keeping those receipts from 2001 isn't really that great of an idea.

Colbert in the Smithsonian. The Coolest Thing Ever.

I was so used to not watching The Daily Show (or A Daily Show as it's known during the writers' strike) and The Colbert Report for so long that I've had a hard time keeping up with them the last few weeks. And it doesn't help that Project Runway and American Idol are also on right now. But I did catch part one of a multi-part segment on The Colbert Report where Stephen is attempting to get his portrait submitted to the Smithsonian (you know, the one where it's him standing in front of a portrait of him standing in front of a portrait of him standing in front of a portrait of him).

So I was delighted when I saw this link on Yahoo ! News:

Smithsonian finds a special place for Stephen Colbert's portrait

Seriously, this is freakin' awesome.

Here's an excerpt from the caption that's next to the portrait:

While this triple portrait is not one that would typically be accessioned into the portrait gallery's permanent collection, NPG agreed to go along with the joke and hang the portrait for a limited time. In episodes of The Colbert Report that aired on January 10, 14, and 15, 2008, Colbert tries to convince the Smithsonian that he should be considered a national treasure. He attempts to donate his portrait to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, but the museum's director suggests that perhaps Colbert should speak to the National Portrait Gallery. Finally, after much "discussion," the director of the National Portrait Gallery finds an appropriate place to hang Colbert's portrait, in between the bathrooms and above the water fountain.




Hil-a-ri-ous. Now I can't wait to see the rest of the segments!

Resolutions Update.

It's been couple weeks since I posted my resolutions, so I thought I should give a quick update, since usually these things fall apart after about six hours (okay, maybe that's just me).

Eat More Fresh, Organic, and Raw
I've actually been doing really well with this! I've had a piece of fruit with breakfast every morning, and we've been eating fresh vegetables with every dinner. Either a salad or some quickly steamed veggies on the side. My next goal is to get to the farmers market every week!

Use Organic Beauty Products
My sister took me to a lovely spa day for my birthday, and one of my treatments was a facial. The aesthetician asked me what I am currently using. I told her it's funny she should ask that, as I recently resolved to use only organic products. Her reply - "Hmmmm, so only organic. Interesting." When I asked her if she thought that was a bad thing she just said, "No not necessarily." I was going to say, "Did you know they test EVERY batch of Botax on animals?", but decided to not get into it with her and just shut up. So, doing well so far, with a bit of static from the people trying to make money off me. Oh, and I totally broke out after that facial.

Go to the Gym at Least Three Days a Week
Well it hasn't been that long, but so far I'm sticking to it. It's a lot harder than I thought, especially with an hour commute each way, but I am really making the effort! Step One is the hard part - getting out of bed early enough so I have time to go before work. I like morning nuggles. Is that so wrong?

Streeeeeeeetch More
So stretching after the gym has been going well, but stretching every night not so well. Honestly, I just forget. Maybe I need a sticky note on my TV, because that I do not forget.

Meditate for at Least 5 Minutes Everyday
This is the one I have been slacking on. Five minutes - really, Joy. Is that so hard? Ugh. I am lame.

Have More Fun!
This past Saturday I had a little get together for my 32nd birthday, a Game Night Potluck. I know, doesn't sound that hip and happenin' - I find that in my 30s the birthdays are a bit less wild and glamorous than they used to be. But I have to say, it was one of the most fun birthdays I've had in a long time (my 30th might have been the most fun, but I don't remember any of it). I realized this weekend that I am blessed with some really great friends, and I should not take that for granted. So I reworked this resolution to include having more fun with friends as well. <SMILE>

Foodies Rejoice!

San Francisco’s ever-popular Dine About Town starts next week. From Jan. 15-31, over 100 of San Francisco's top restaurants will offer 3-course prix-fixe menus at $21.95 for lunch and $31.95 for dinner. Many of these meals can go for more than $50 a person.

This is your chance to savor some of the nation’s most talked-about cuisine at San Francisco’s hottest restaurants without breaking the bank. Even better, you can make your restaurant reservations now online. Act fast, as time slots during these 3 weeks will fill up fast!

Click here for all the delectable details including a list of participating restaurants provided by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Of course Millennium nor Greens are not included, but there are plenty of good restaurants participating.

"You're likable enough." Ew.

I've kind of been on the fence in regard to who I will be supporting in the Democratic primaries. I've gone from Edwards to Clinton to Obama, and back again. Really my main concern has just been getting a Democrat into the White House.

But after watching the New Hampshire debates, I've made up my mind. And I'm pretty excited to actually be excited!

Despite the Obama-Edwards "gang up on Hillary fest" (what was that about?), Hillary proved that she is tough and compassionate - qualities I believe to be essential in a good leader. I also thought she had great, intelligent, believable answers.

But what really sealed the deal for me? Check out this clip:



Could Obama be anymore condescending? She was actually complimenting him, and then he had to make that snide, calculated comment. I was really disappointed in him.

Hillary's response was perfect, though:

"You know, I think this is one of the most serious decisions that the voters of New Hampshire have ever had to make. And I really believe that the most important question is, who is ready to be president on day one?

In 2000 we, unfortunately, ended up with a president who people said they wanted to have a beer with; who said he wanted to be a uniter, not a divider; who said that he had his intuition and he was going to really come into the White House and transform the country. And you know, at least I think there are the majority of Americans who think that was not the right choice."

The best part, Obama's next answer when asked to respond to the focus on him during the Republican debate earlier that night, he said, "Well, you know, I have to admit that I was going back and forth between the Republicans and football."

Oh, so now we can vote for the president we want to watch a football game with. Aw shucks! He's so likable!

GO HILLARY!

And check out this post from a colleague at BlogHer, Morra Aarons, on Why Thirtysomething Women need Hillary Clinton, and Why She Needs Us.

You can find the entire transcript of the debate here.

Happy Birthday to Me. :(

So it was my birthday on Sunday. It was pretty low-key. Just dinner plans with my brother and sister-in-law. But Trip and I were so looking forward, as we were going to Merit Vegetarian (which you would know from previous posts is my new favorite restaurant).

The day was all planned around this meal - we got up and had smoothies for breakfast, went and worked out, and then had a really light lunch - preparing our bellies for the massive feast.

So we get there, and as we're pulling up I notice that all the lights were out. My brother and sister-in-law had arrived before us, but both had left their cells at home, so were sitting waiting to tell us the bad news. Taped to the door was a hand-written sign, "We will be closed on Sunday, January 6th."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Of course we're STARVING at this point, so I try to think of something yummy in the area. And since we were in Sunnyvale, I thought Dish Dash would be a nice alternative. I used to go there all the time when I worked in Sunnyvale, and haven't been in over 4 months, so was actually looking forward to it as we were driving over there.

But as we pull up, I realized my birthday is doomed.

All the light were out. Closed on Sundays.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

By this time we're STARVING STARVING, and we see that Thai Basil is open, so we go there. Which actually turned out quite nice, but definitely no Dish Dash. And nowhere close to Merit.

Is this a sign of what's to come this year???

Healthy Joy for 2008.

I know, I know. You're sick of all the resolution whohaw of the new year. But it really is a good time to reevaluate one's life and set some goals for yourself. My coworker blogged about the BlogHer 2008 Good Health-a-thon (awesome read!), and it got me thinking. So here are mine:

Eat More Fresh, Organic, and Raw
You probably think this should be easy for a vegetarian, but surprisingly enough, its not. Because there are so many yummy processed veggie meals nowadays, its easy to fall into that rut. Like Gardenburger's Riblets. YUM.

So my goal is to eat fresh fruit or vegetables with each meal, either raw or steamed. Also, my mother-in-law bought us a juicer for Christmas, and carrot and apple juice is my new favorite post-workout snack, so I'm hoping this helps me stay on track even more.

Use Organic Beauty Products
So here I am being super cautious as to what I put in my body (no meat, no caffeine, no soda, only organic). But what about what I put on the outside? According to Pharmacopia.net, over 5,000 chemicals are used in personal care products alone. Scary.

The skin, the body's largest organ, is the most typical absorption point of everyday toxins. Up to 60 percent of certain ingredients in body products, such as lotion, cream and bubble bath, will absorb through the skin and into the bloodstream. Then the chemicals will accumulate in target organs, or are metabolized through the system, in some instances over a period of years, according to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Unlike the term "natural," products labeled as "organic" are carefully certified and regulated by the USDA. In organic products, synthetic fertilizers and poisonous pesticides are strictly prohibited.

We were at Whole Foods this weekend (of course), and decided to try some organic shampoo (Mainly because Trip said I need to stop spending hundreds of dollars on bumble and kerastase. Sad.). You could get lost in the beauty section there. I'm sure I will be spending lots of time there in the future.

Go to the Gym at Least Three Days a Week
In my 20s, I was a workout fanatic. But then I got a burnt out, and stopped going to the gym altogether. That was about a year ago. On December 1st, my husband and I rejoined the gym, and so far I have kept up my goal of going at least three times a week (more like barely three times a week). Since my commute is hell, I have been going to the gym before work, which breaks up my commute quite nicely. I run for 30 minutes (3 miles), then I do 30 minutes of weights - one set of each machine, for a total of 17 machines. My husband thinks I should break up my muscles groups and do three sets of each, so I may start doing that. I just have to keep getting up early. That's the tricky part.

Streeeeeeeetch More
I am so bad about stretching. And Lord knows I'm wound up tighter than <something clever goes here>. So one of my resolutions is to stretch after every workout, and every night before I go to bed. I started last night, while I sat in front of the TV watching The Biggest Loser (anyone else totally motivated and inspired by the people that go on that show??). I know I should be doing it in a quiet room, using it is time for reflection, but who has the time for that?

Meditate for at Least 5 Minutes Everyday
So, um ya. Obviously I need to make more time for the quiet time. Lately I have been turning off the radio during my commute home, but that probably isn't the best time to let the mind wander off into a meditative state. So I will spend 5 minutes every night, before I get into bed, to just sit and not do anything or think about anything. This is harder than it sounds. Especially with a TV in the bedroom.

Have More Fun!
Trip and I used to be really good at planning little weekend activities. We would plan little day trips to Monterey, MOMA, or even just a day-long bike ride all the time. But then school and work and this crazy commute of mine kind of took over our lives. So my resolution is to plan at least one "Fun" event a month - just the two of us.

So that's about it, I think. Pretty good list of attainable, healthy, life improving resolutions :) What about you? Are you ready to join the 2008 Good Health-a-thon?