How many days do you wake up and consume only a cup of coffee before heading out to work? We all know that eating breakfast is the right choice – but how often do we just live our lives skipping that oh-so-important meal? If you aren’t in the habit of eating breakfast – start now! Here are eight of my favorite breakfasts – ranging from traditional, to not so traditional.

1. Oatmeal: Cook a pot of steel cut oats at the beginning of the week. Serve yourself 1/2 a cup of cooked oats, with an optional 1/2 cup of milk (or almond milk), a tablespoon of nut butter. When you get into the habit of eating oatmeal, you can have a lot of fun with it. Sometimes I add coconut butter, or dried fruit, or maple syrup, or fresh berries. I’ll stir in a spoonful of nutella for a sweet kick, or go savory and add spinach, garlic and soy sauce.

2. Open faced sandwich – A slice of whole grain toast, topped with a tablespoon of nut butter (peanut, or go peanut free – I like Barney Butter) and a large orange. Or, instead of nut butter, I might top it with hummus, and serve it with carrot sticks or red bell pepper.

3. Whole Grain Pancakes – Make your own pancake mix, or use a healthy (just add water) mix such as Bob’s Red Mill, or Kodiak Cakes flapjack mix. I like these because I can make myself a single pancake, and not have to crack open any eggs. Top with 1/2 cup of fresh berries such as raspberries or blueberries, and a tablespoon of real maple syrup.

4. Eggs – 2 egg omelet with 1/2 cup chunky salsa. If I’m hungry, I’ll add a half cup or so of cooked beans as well. Also tastes delicious with a boatload of spinach.

5. Yogurt cup – 1/2 cup of plain, full fat yogurt. Top with 1/4 cup granola or rolled oats, a tablespoon of jam, and if desired some sweetener such as a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. Add fresh berries if you have any.

6. Cereal -  If you adore cereal, look for cereals with HIGH FIBER (5 grams per serving or more), and LOW SUGAR. A favorite of mine is Trader Joe’s High Fiber Oh’s. Stick to the serving size, and actually portion out the cereal rather than pouring directly into the bowl.

7. Overnight Oats – The night before, add half a cup of rolled oats (raw), 1/4 cup of yogurt, and 1/4 cup of milk or almond milk. Top with a few dashes of cinnamon, and stir. In the morning, take it out, give it a stir, and eat! Sometimes I pour some real maple syrup or honey on in the morning as well, and top with fruit if I have some.

8. Turkish Breakfast - a small slice (1 ounce or so) of Turkish white cheese (brands such as Valbreso or use feta), a few slices each of cucumber and tomato, a few olives. And a hard boiled egg if desired. Serve with a slice of toast or pita, and honey or jam to drizzle.

Technorati Tags: Breakfast, healthy breakfast, morning

One of the goals that my study group is holding me accountable to is doing one fun exercise activity each week. This can be something new – a spin class, rock climbing, walking to some crazy new destination, etc. For this week, I chose a local bay area hike – the Dipsea – 679 steps + a 6 or so mile hike out from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. I recruited my friend Sondy, a Bay Area native, and friend from college to lead the way.

The trail is outrageously beautiful, and includes sections through woods, out in the open, around big hills, and up and down them. Not for the totally out of shape hiker, but not particularly challenging for someone in shape.

I wore my Vibram Five Fingers, odd looking shoes certainly, but supremely fun to wear. And to meet people with – I must have been asked about them five times by hikers on the trail. Sondy, the amazing woman she is, did about 6 of the 7 miles *actually barefoot*.

As for food on the trip:

Before the hike: Oats in a jar – steel cut oatmeal, in the bottom of an (almost empty) Barney Butter jar with a tablespoon of Nutella. Portable and easy for my commute to Mill Valley. (MUNI and Golden Gate Transit).
During the hike: Dried dates – you know, the little date pieces that look like worms. (About 1/2 a cup, total). Water. A piece of dried mango, offered up by another hiker.
Post hike: Meal at the Sand Dollar – a (small) hamburger with cheese and no bun, fries, a pickle, and lettuce.

After lunch, we wandered around Stinson Beach until the Stagecoach came and picked us up to head back to Mill Valley. When we arrived, we walked the mile and a half back to our car. Yeehaw!

Technorati Tags: Exercise, Healthy Living, Hiking, Oatmeal

After a few weeks of a lack of moderation, I’ve come back to a healthy focus. That’s what healthy living is about – finding moderation, and course correcting when you’ve been a little bit too loose with yourself. For me this means:

1) 1 hour of exercise at least 5x a week (if not all seven days). Ideally, it would be 350 minutes of exercise per week, and a combination of low, moderate, and high intensity.

2) Planned dinners (and leftovers for lunch) I eat most of my meals at home, but planning my meals ahead of time ensures that I have food on hand for making dinners, and that I make balanced choices ahead of time instead of getting hungry, cranky, tired, and making less than healthy choices.

3) Happiness boosters! I find that when I’m living the healthiest, I’m not just focusing on food and fitness, but about making a point to spend time with friends, doing fun things, and doing new things. It helps fill an emotional hunger and keeps me satiated with my food choices.

Here are some of my dinners over the past few days:

1. Spicy Moroccan Fish Stew from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Mine had cod, shrimp, and rather than couscous, I served it over some bulgur pilaf. I also added in a handful of edamame and frozen corn. This only got better the next day for leftovers – I ate all the fish during dinner, but the shrimp kept quite well the next day, and the flavors really had a chance to mellow. I’ve been having really good success with this cookbook.

2. Carrot Salad with lemon dressing and parsley, Israeli Cous Cous (Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend), and a ground beef saute. For this dinner, I sauteed some onion and frozen bell pepper mix until soft and slightly browned, and then added in the ground beef with some oregano, salt and pepper. This is one of those mish mash meals that didn’t quite go as planned (I was going to make turkish meatballs) but tasted good just the same. The carrots were from my Farm Fresh to You box.

3. Grilled Pork Loin, with Roasted Baby Potatoes, and Spinach Salad with Tomatoes, Grilled Asparagus and Lemon Dressing. After going on a long walk this afternoon, I stopped by Bi-rite market to look at all the BEAUTIFUL produce. I ended up grabbing some spinach, asparagus, and (I-know-they-are-out-of-season-but-I-wanted-them-anyways-tomatoes). This meal was so simple to put together. As soon as I got home I put the potatoes in the oven to roast at 450. I then grilled the asparagus and set them aside. I put together the salad, made the dressing. Then I grilled the pork for about 10 minutes – getting a good sear on both sides, and deglazing the pan with a little white wine. At the end I broiled the potatoes for about 5 minutes while I let the pork rest. Then tossed the asparagus into the salad, dressed it, and served everything up!

A little note on accountability: After struggling for the past few weeks to get things under control, I met with my health coach study group. At the end of our meeting, we each set goals for ourselves for the week, and shared what we wanted to be held accountable for. My goals for the week are – daily exercise, avoiding eating until stuffed, and doing one new and exciting fitness activity.

Today’s Exercise: 10k steps (walking to work + 1.25 hour walk through the castro/mission)

Technorati Tags: carrot, cous cous, Exercise, grilled potatoes, ground beef, jamie oliver, moroccan fish stew, planned meals, pork chop

This morning I woke up for the second week in a row where I just didn’t feel like going to yoga- at first I chalked it up to daylight savings, but I think I need to just suck it up and go.  I’ve been having a rough time exercising these past few weeks, and for me, lethargy breeds more lethargy.

On my walk to work, I stopped by Holey Bagel to pick up some breakfast. Oatmeal wasn’t going to cut it – I needed Jewish comfort food, and by that I mean a toasted poppyseed bagel with lox spread. There’s not much more Jewish than that – and Holey Bagel does a pretty good job fulfilling my East Coast bagel snobbery requirements.

Because of my morning funk, I was in a similarly odd mood when I headed to the grocery store (I couldn’t make up my mind at home of what to bring, so I thought that shopping would be a better idea – just to get myself out of the house in the morning.) I opted for a cup of black bean soup, and an organic pink lady apple. The apple was on sale, and I always forget how much I like apples until I bite into the thing around 5 o’clock and it gives me a nice little afternoon boost.

This black bean soup was good, but not great. And I can make a pretty great black bean soup, so it only reaffirms the fact that I should be making a bigger effort to cook my own lunches rather than go for convenience!

The day was mostly a relaxing one – I kept the door wide open at the store, and people came in in jovial moods, ready to discuss the new Pastry in Europe 2010, my opinions on Lucinda Scala Quinn’s ‘Mad Hungry, Feeding Men and Boys’ (favorable!!), and the highlight – a woman who came in looking for a second copy of Nigella’s ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess’ after I had just been assuring our neighbor Donna that it would be a nice gift, and she was holding the only copy in her hands. What is it about these coincidences that always happen?

And I finished up reading Tara Austen Weaver’s ‘The Butcher and the Vegetarian’ about her foray into meat eating, and the ethical, gastronomical, and practical questions it raised. (She grew up a vegetarian in West Marin, and didn’t start eating meat until her late twenties under doctor’s recommendation).

One of the underlining take home messages from the book: If I’m going to eat it, I’d like to know how it is raised, what it ate, and where it comes from. I’ll make an informed decision, and not make it lightly. I’d also like to know my farmers, and my butchers, thank you very much.

And with that in mind, I started planning my dinner.

I stopped at home first after work, and after a brief mental struggle, opted to put my butternut squash in the oven to roast. This butternut squash has been sitting on my counter for over a month, the last standing of a farm box that I’ve long since eaten the rest of. Somehow, the squash sat there, lonely, calling out to me, but it wasn’t until the weather turned almost too nice to eat a squash that I decided I might as well do something about it.

And then, in honor of Tara’s book, I decided to head to Drewes’ and see what small piece of meat might call out to me. Being spring time, I opted for a lamb chop. It’s been quite some time since I’ve eaten lamb, and thought that it was fitting, as Nigel Slater happened to eat a mustard lamb chop right around this season in his book ‘The Kitchen Diaries’, his journal of a years worth of dinners. (It’s currently on remainder and out of stock most places, but if you can snag a copy somewhere, I highly recommend it.)

I decided that Nigel’s method of preparation seemed exactly what I wanted to do – mash a few cloves of garlic with some sea salt in a mortar and pestle (I had to take some dried dates and mysterious leaves out of mine… it’s been some time since we’ve been together) and then stir in a tablespoon or so of good grainy mustard, for which I used Maille, the juice of a lemon, and a few glugs of olive oil.

Usually you would rub the chops with the marinade, and let it go for as long as you can wait, or at least an hour, but I was feeling impatient, and opted to stick it into the oven at 425 F, for about 25 minutes.

Right as it was finishing, I ripped up the last of some swiss chard that I had from the last farm box, and put it on a baking pan with a little bit of mystery cheese (manchego perhaps?) to make some chard “chips”. I took the lamb out, and popped the leaves in – letting the lamb rest for about five minutes as the chard got crisp.

Dinner, it turns out, was quite good. Except maybe the squash. I think I’ve gotten used to the sweeter kabocha, and this wasn’t quite as flavorful.

I almost finished on a healthy note, but at the last minute tonight opted for a late night snack – the most recently ubiquitous pita pizza that seems to have invaded our diets this week. Devon made himself one, and I too, couldn’t resist. Mine was pita, slathered with a thin coating of barbecue sauce, and a layer of cheddar, baked for about 10 minutes until everything was crispy.

And now, perhaps some sleep.

I have to wake up tomorrow for my farm box, and to work on my next literary adventure – Gordon Edgar’s ‘Cheesemonger: Life on the Wedge’. He’s the cheese buyer at San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery, and a man I admire greatly, as he has brought so much pleasure to my life through his cheese selections. The book, which I’m about a quarter of the way through already (I read quickly!) is hysterical.

It’s been a rough few days.

Early in the week I was feeling a tinge of anxiety. Sometimes it just pops up and I’m not quite sure what causes it. Usually the littlest things add to it, and by the end of the week it was a staggering feeling. What can I do to reduce it? Exercise, eat healthily, and give myself a little break.

So here I am, this morning. Not quite 100% but getting there.

I got a new coffee grinder! Huzzah! The last of my Ritual Roasters coffee whirred up into a nice grind for my drip cup.

And some soup for breakfast: cabbage, corn, pasta, and these really big beans from Phipps country store. Warm, comforting, and hydrating.

I’m taking it slow today.

Still haven’t made it out of the house – I’ve been really drained these past few days, and for some reason can’t shake it. I know that a nice walk will probably help, so I’m working up to it.

I did make myself a nice colorful lunch though:

A tuna melt on a pita, some chopped carrots, and a fresh herb salad. The tuna salad had celery, a chopped soft boiled egg, some tomatillo salsa, a chopped chile, tapatio, and some chile powder, caraway, and cumin. Oh, and some lime juice!

For the salad, I just chopped up some parsley, celery leaves, and dill, and topped them with some lemon juice, good olive oil and a dash of salt. No lettuce! It’s a nice, springy, herby salad that goes great with almost anything, but I love having with any sort of fish.

Technorati Tags: Lunch

I’m writing up this post quickly so I can get outside and enjoy the sunshine! (That and to walk, walk, walk off the 3 or so pounds I’ve gained in the past week from eating everything in sight). In addition to my added food intake, the day-light savings threw me off so much that I didn’t go to yoga on Monday. I need to get back into the swing of things!

On Sunday things started out with a whole day food photography workshop – I was eating for the cause! We started off at Contigo, and had a variety of little plates to shoot (and eat.) I’m not posting the photos, because I’m still editing and arranging that set (I’ll post them soon!) but it included grilled sardines, poached egg with asparagus, flatbread, fried baby fish, various salumi, cheeses, and some excellent cake.

Sunday Lunch:

After walking around shooting food all day long, I scored this Carnitas taco from the Mission that another of my fellow photographers took back with her to the critique session!

And after the workshop, I headed out with friends for some salted caramel ice cream from Bi-rite. I was actually really hungry, and this succeeded mostly in giving me a sugar high.

When I came home, I made some lamb hash with the leftover Ad Hoc lamb. I served it with eggs and an english muffin. Where are my vegetables??!!!

Evening snack (I’m not sure what I was thinking): 1/2 of an english muffin with some pizza sauce and cheese. Although, in fairness, when one has eaten healthily all day long, this snack wouldn’t be terrible. (I hadn’t though.)

The next day, I tried to redeem myself.

Monday Breakfast:

Oats in a jar! I finally was getting down to the bottom of the Barney Butter jar, and decided to put my warm steel cut oats in it. And a cup of coffee from Martha brothers, as my grinder is still broken and I haven’t replaced it.

Monday Lunch:

Barney butter sandwich, carrots, and a pear. I was still pretty hungry after this.

Monday Dinner:

After work, we decided to make a pilgrimage to IKEA to do some research. I was hungry when we headed over, but didn’t eat anything (in this case even the dollar cone would have made the difference to keep me from overeating at dinner.)

We drove home, and this, alas, is when things went to pieces – focaccia, caesar salad, fettuccine alfredo with chicken at Pomodoro in our neighborhood.

Their caesar salad is great – light, tangy, with crispy croutons that they make from their focaccia.

Usually I order a more modest dish, and end up being jealous of Devon’s fettuccine, so this time I just decided that I would choose pleasure and make up for it later. I did however restrain myself from getting the mini-tiramisu after dinner.

Tuesday Morning:

The day-light-savings lag has really been affecting me, so I accepted a ride to the coffee shop instead of walking. There were people doing tai-chi on the baseball diamond right by our house:

We got to Starbucks, and I ordered my most current “usual” – a refresh tea with a splash of steamed soy.

They were also giving samples – delicious, delicious samples. I had a piece of a chocolate cup cake.

Then I had a breakfast burrito from Whole Foods – it tasted a little bit like pot pie… in a burrito. Perplexing.

My early snack was a siggi’s yogurt.

Into which I crumbled some oatmeal espresso chocolate chip cookies (vegan!) that my coworker Beth made. These cookies were really good.

Lunch was a spinach salad with quinoa, red peppers, and marinated gigante beans. I added in some Braggs liquid aminos and raw apple cider vinegar.

Dinner: a pita pizza, with a bunch of roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

I was still hungry after dinner, and snuck in a little bowl of oatmeal with some chestnut paste and cocoa powder. It evaded the camera.

I’m hoping that I can get back on track quickly. After losing weight, a lot of effort can go into maintaining – I know what I’m supposed to do, but it doesn’t always happen. Being able to course correct is a crucial skill that I’m still working on

Today I had two separate experiences across the bay! The first stop was to put some of our extra things in our storage in Hayward. Afterwards, we opted for lunch in Rockridge – including a quick stop at Market Hall – the place where I first got Rancho Gordo beans, so it holds a fond place in my heart.

It was a blissfully nice day out, so I opted for an iced coffee.

We then stopped at Cactus for some burritos – I had a fish burrito, with no rice, and plenty of cabbage salsa. (Yum.) I really liked my fish burrito, but Devon was not as much of a fan of his chile verde. The salsa is worth it though – cabbage and lots of lime!

We were pressed for time, and so I ate my burrito in the car. Which was good, because not only did we get slightly lost trying to get on the highway, we also had to brave the extra traffics.

I had reason to hurry, because Tara Austen Weaver was coming to speak at Omnivore today about her new book ‘The Butcher and the Vegetarian‘. Her story about growing up vegetarian, and then facing decisions about joining our cult of carnivores…

This is her about to explain to us her first experiences with barbecued bacon. Actually, reminiscing about the moment of disbelief that she was actually going to eat this stuff – actually going through with it.

But before she started, Celia had a treat for me:

This chocolate covered, caramel-y, toffee crunchy goodness.

After the talk, filled with cute children:

Supportive friends in red shoes (it’s a tea and cookies thing…)

I went home jazzed – mostly because I get to see more of the lovely Tara tomorrow at a fabulous photography workshop. But also, because I started thinking to myself… hmm.. I could go for some meat. (Which is not a usual thing…)

And when I came home, my desires were seconded….

So I got whisked away on a romantic date….. to AD HOC.

We had:

Salad of Escarole Hearts, and romaine lettuce with shaved radish, candied walnuts, kalamata olives, asian pears, garlic croutons, and white anchovy dressing. (The dressing was so good that I was offered a little dish of it after the waiter noticed me desperately wiping the plate clean with bread… I politely declined because asking for more dressing after you’ve finished your salad is the sign of a glutton.)

Herb Crusted Colorado Lamb Sirloin, with broccoli rabe from the French Laundry garden, roasted cauliflower, the creamiest polenta topped with a golden raisin and caper relish. [The broccoli rabe was crisped like kale chips, and the lamb was painfully delicious.]

The cheese course was one of my favorites: Tumalo Farm’s Pondhopper, from Bend, Oregon, with roasted peppers, arugula and a sweet onion soffrito.

And for dessert:

Some blissful Tiramisu with homemade lady fingers, and this lovely and light mascarpone cream. It was mighty tasty, although I must admit not nearly as boozy as if I were to make it myself…. Then again, I don’t have very much restraint, so this is a more refined version.

I finished with a cup of french press coffee, and a permanent smile on my face that might not go away for two weeks.

A perfect evening.

Evening everyone!

I’m writing this as I watch some particularly mind-numbing television including a couple of ANTM episodes, and currently the reality series “High Society” on the CW. My brain is about to explode.

After I got over my morning rain blues, I ate some breakfast:

Jook – Korean rice porridge. I’m a sucker for trying new things from Kukje market (in Daly City), and a savory rice porridge is right up my alley. Granted, I couldn’t actually read the directions as only the label with nutrition info and ingredients was in English, but things ended up pretty nicely.

I opened the rice bowl, dumped in the packed of green tea powder, furikake (seaweed topping), and what I can only assume were little crunchy dried fish balls?

It was savory, warming, and delicious, and exactly what I was wanting.

After breakfast I continued to work on errands, until I was hungry enough for lunch. I opted for a sandwich with guacamole, dill, and sardines. I’m not eating nearly as much fish as I used to (ie: in New England where fish was plentiful, less expensive, and of higher quality), so I’ve been trying to eat sardines more often.

After lunch, I headed to Omnivore Books to cover for Celia as she took her blab (beagle + black lab) Jolene to the vet Poor Jolene has been feeling sickly, possibly because she tried to eat Max Watman’s book on Moonshine.

After a couple of hours at the bookstore I ate a snack: a soft gingerbread cookie filled with nuts and fruit. They were good, I think, not great.

(Photo: Sarah Gilbert, Slashfood)

After Celia came back, I ended up staying at the bookstore to listen to Andy Smith talk about the historical moments in food in America. I’ll soon be reading his new book Eating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine. (It’s going on my always grown stack). I was particularly fascinated about some of the historical health and diet movements, including Sylvester Graham’s diet (creator of the Graham cracker) and the health movements propagated by religious communities including the Seventh Day Adventists. These are definitely things I look forward to reading more about.

Doesn’t he look a bit like Stephen Colbert?

After the talk I came home and made dinner:

Refried beans, guacamole, a fried egg, with a quesadilla on the side made with Cabot Tika Masala cheddar that Cabot Creamery sent me to try. I have to admit I was totally skeptical of this when I got it, and it’s truly a delicious product. It’s a simple block of cheddar that has been dusted in some general south asian spices which give it this great flavoring with a hint of sweetness. (I’m not sure if this is on the market yet, but if it is, it’s worth a try).

After dinner, I wanted something sweet, so I made myself a single serve oatmeal chocolate chip “cookie” in a bowl. Oatmeal, a little brown sugar, a tiny bit of flour, some Barney butter, chocolate pieces, and some half and half. A little too sweet perhaps, but exactly what I was looking for.

The news is on, I better turn this thing off before I really lose my mind.

‘Night everyone.

Technorati Tags: Dinner

Things I have done today:

1. One load in the dishwasher.

2. Dr. Oz, Andrew Zimmern.

3. Coffee.

4. Pouting at the weather.

But enough of that, let’s take note of last nights absolutely awesome dinner!

Homemade Black Bean Soup, a few pieces of Cochinita Pibil, a fried egg, and a nice crusty piece of bread.

I was in Glen Park yesterday and headed into Canyon Market before heading home. Canyon market is another one of these incredible independent markets we have in the Bay Area. They have a really carefully chosen selection of groceries, and they also have some of the most beautiful looking (and mouth-watering) prepared foods.

[They also happen to be one of the only places you can get a Zingerman's Zzang! Candy Bar around here, so I often just go in to stare at the candy bar and convince myself that I don't really need the thing. (Think your favorite candy bars made with all natural ingredients and on a very small scale.)]

I knew that I wanted to make some black bean soup for dinner, but decided to pick up a small portion of the Cochinita Pibil that they had prepared to supplement my meal. Cochinita Pibil is a slow roasted pork that melts in your mouth when you bite into it. It’s marinated in citrus and has a hint of acidity, but at the same time has a hint of sweetness.

When I got home, I made my black bean soup by sautéing a red onion, a few cloves garlic, and about two cups of tri-colored peppers in a pot with some olive oil, for about 15 minutes. I added a can of black beans and a little bit of water (normally I’d use dried, but this is the quick version, for when I decide at the last minute). I stir it well, add a teaspoon of good chile powder, and a teaspoon of cumin, and salt liberally with good salt such as a sea salt or Maldon. Cover with a lid, and simmer on low until you are starving and can’t wait anymore – a minimum of ten minutes, but thirty minutes is ideal to let the flavors meld.

If you have no spices in the house (you should get some), you could also make this by adding a can of goya black bean soup (in the red can), but note that this would have more sodium than if you are making your own. It does taste pretty delicious though.

I top mine with a fried egg, and have enough crusty bread to sop things. You could easily serve this on some rice.