50 New Recipes -- Update

I love to cook...and yet I tend to fall back on my favorites.  My intention this year is to expand my repertoire -- to make at least 50 New Recipes.  For one thing, it’s an opportunity to flex my creativity in the kitchen.  For another, it’s healthier to eat a more diverse range of foods. 

So far, I’m really enjoying this initiative.  I’m finding new uses for my microwave -- like making homemade ricotta.  So much easier and faster than the stovetop method.  Easier cleanup too. And yet just as delicious.

I’m trying new recipes I’ve meant to try for a while but haven’t got around to it -- like kale chips. So delicious and quick and easy.  A new staple.  Now every time we have a reason to heat the oven, I make another batch.

I’m also honouring one of my favourite cookbook authors.  Mollie Katzen has written many seminal cookbooks including the original MoosewoodCookbook (a.k.a. 'The Vegetarian Bible'), The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Sunlight Cafe and Vegetable Heaven.  Think of her as the vegetarian’s Julia Child.  What I love most is that she cooks my favourite way -- she draws her inspiration from many different ethnicities to creates tasty dishes that don’t happen to contain meat. 

Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks are crammed with many great ideas.  I’m tickled to use my 50 New Recipes initiative as the impetus to try more and more of them.  

True, the ‘giant mushroom popover’ I made for my birthday breakfast wasn’t a winner, but everything else from Vegetable Heaven so far has been:  a savory cassoulet, sweet potato koftas and an onion-wilted spinach salad featuring avocado plus an apple from our farm.

Now I must confess that I adapt and edit the recipes a bit -- turns out I’m physically incapable of following a recipe to the letter. 

I’d write more but it’s time to make a brand new recipe:  Spicy Mustard Green Chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Take half a bunch of mustard greens, rip them into chip-sized pieces.  Soak them in water to remove any grit.  Dry them in a salad spinner.  Take a cookie sheet and cover it with a piece of parchment paper.  Give it a spritz of oil.  Spread the mustard greens across the pan.  Give them a wee spritz of oil.

When the oven is at temperature, add some salt and pepper to the mustard greens, then pop them in the over for 10 minutes.  Check them.  If they’re crispy, take ‘em out.  If not yet crispy, pop them back in the oven for five minutes.  When they’re done, you can sprinkle them with optional seasonings (any or all of -- chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder) -- or not, if you prefer not.  Then slide them in a bowl.  

They will be gone fast.

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What about you?  What new recipes have you tried lately that you’d recommend?  I’m looking for new ideas, so message me or leave your ideas in the comments below.

Anticipating Obstacles

My 50 Frolics are off to a great start.  As of this week, I’ve already enjoyed eight frolics.  As I talk to more friends, more ideas and plans for more frolics are emerging.  I’m truly pleased -- my fiftieth year is going to be more fun and frolic-filled than I’ve experienced in the last decade.

However, I’m aware that many project start like this...off to a great start and then sidelined by unforeseen obstacles. 

I don’t want that to happen to my Fifty Frolics project. 

To that end, I need to identify what might get in the way, and prepare myself accordingly.  KInda like an obstacle inoculation.

Possible Obstacles:

1.  Slipping back into old habits.

It’s funny how you can be full of mad resolve, embarking on a new initiative...and then, a few weeks later, notice that you’re back to doing the same ol’ same ol’.  Let’s take my 50 Treats initiative for example.  I started out great on my birthday, purchasing fresh cut flowers and special ingredients for my birthday dinner...and since then I’ve faltered. 

I’m keeping track of my commitments using Ye Olde Excel Spreadsheet.  I couldn’t help but notice yesterday that I’ve only enjoyed two treats in the past four weeks.  So I made a point of picking out some glorious special cheeses for our next trip to the farm.

My gameplan is that my spreadsheet will help keep me on track.

2.  Negative people

As excited as I am about my Fifty Frolics project, it’s horrifying to see how others’ reactions can squash my enthusiasm.  Even something as innocuous as a lukewarm reception can cause me to doubt the merits of my efforts.  I need to remind myself to stay on track, regardless of what anyone else thinks.   

The point is, it’s going to be a better year for me if I focus on my 50 Frolics (and my other 50th year initiatives) than if I don’t, so why wouldn’t I do them.

3. Getting overly busy

It’s fine to commit to 50 Frolics -- basically an average of one a week.  But what happens when work and domestic responsibilities and random other things swell to fill my schedule? 

Again, I’m counting on my spreadsheet as a way to stay on track.

4.  Life intervenes

Case in point:  when my mother passed away unexpectedly a few months ago, my professional life got derailed.  Everything else got put on hold while I dealt with all that needed attention. 

It’s been unsettling to see how off kilter I got thrown.  Only now am I getting back to work...and I’m still not quite back up to full speed.

It’s an extreme example, but smaller things -- an illness, a move, an unprecedented event -- can also affect commitment and progress on any project. 

So what can I do to stay on track with my project, no matter what?  Somehow, no matter what unfolds this year, I need to remind myself that this is the year of my 50 Frolics.  I’m counting that the public nature of this commitment through this blog will see me through.

5.  Fatigue 

Well, I *am* older now.  Fifty years old, unbelievably.  I find myself moving slower, thinking slower and needing more sleep than I did during earlier decades. 

My hope is that the 50 Frolics will give me energy, rather than deplete it.  So far that’s been the case. 

* * *

What about you?  What obstacles derail your projects and how do you overcome them?  I’d love to hear from you -- message me or leave a comment.

Bikram Yoga

My first planned frolic with my friend Micky didn’t unfold as expected.  First, Micky bailed.  Never mind that she was the one who suggested we try bikram yoga, the truth was it was folly for her to try.  She’d been on a juice fast for a month.  It would be irresponsible and unhealthy for her to put herself into a 90 minute 105 degree heated fitness class.

I debated whether or not to go solo.  I was tired.  I had a million things to do.  Were it not for my commitment to experience (at least) 50 Frolics this year, I’m sure I would’ve passed.

I unearthed my yoga mat and jumped in the car before I could change my mind.

Half way to class, I realized I had no water with me, nor did I have cash for the lesson.  Like a beacon, the Trader Joe’s sign signalled the answer to both problems.  I nipped inside, bought some water and took out money with my debit card.

Arriving at the birkam yoga studio, I was surprised that even the reception area was hot.  I filled out the waiver and handed the form and the cash to the person at the desk.

            “I’ve never done this before,” I said.  “What do I need to know?”

            “What kind of shape are you in,” she asked.

            “The worse shape of my life,” I admitted.

 The twenty-two year old behind the counter looked at my fifty year old visage and my doughy carcass.  She sighed and spoke as if to a child.

            “Okay, go slow.  Don’t try to do everything the first time. When you need to take a break, sit down on your mat.  We don’t want you to drink any water for the first three poses, but after that, you can drink whenever you wish.”         

            “Understood.”

I entered the yoga room.  The first thing that struck me was the smell.  Like a boy’s locker room infested with foot fungus.  The stench emanated from the room’s wall to wall carpet -- which apparently had sopped up all manner of bacteria and bodily fluids. I didn’t so much want to be standing on it with my bare feet, as was required.

The second thing that struck me was how full the room was.  Dozens of scantily clad bodies of all sizes and shapes performed a yoga mat version of a rubiks cube so all could fit inside.

The class itself was not at all what I expected.  For one thing, the instructor turned out to be the twenty-two year old  who checked me in at reception.  For another, she talked non-stop for the ninety minutes. She didn’t demonstrate or do the actions -- she just talked.  It sounds irritating but her patter was actually quite helpful in executing the different moves.  She called participants by their first name as she offered suggestions for improvement or words of encouragement.

The poses were less physically demanding than I expected.  There were a lot of balance poses, at which I sucked, but nothing i couldn’t do, despite my current, diminshed level of fitness.

There were lots more resting time between poses than expected.

The heat wasn’t unbearable as expected.

The time went by much faster than expected.

Although it didn’t seem we’d done much during the session, when it concluded, it felt like I had worked out. The real effects were felt throughout the day -- my skin felt great.  My body felt good -- as if i’d been in the steam room or a sauna.

Of course I headed straight home and scrubbed thoroughly, especially my feet.

However, I took advantage of the ‘new student introductory special’ and returned the next day.  This time, i shoved some perfume up my nose to counteract the stench.  It helped tremendously.

When I returned for my third class on day three day, I encountered the other down side of bikram yoga -- the attitudes of the fellow students.  Despite the crowded room, the waiflike woman in front of me refused to move her mat one inch in any direction to let more of us participate.

The folks in my fourth class (on day four) were nicer, thankfully.

I thought about adding birkram yoga to my weekly schedule -- going once or twice a week would be good for my balance and strength training -- two things that old fogies like me need to address. 

On the down side, the studio is twenty minutes away so any class I attend ends up taking 2 1/2 hours out of my day.   More concerning is that by the fourth class, I could feel my hip issue resurfacing.  My hip ached when i walked the dogs. When i sat too long.  Even sleeping in bed.

I’m going to wait and see how long the pain lasts. I do need to find strength training and balance that will work for me, but I’m not so sure this is the way I’ll do so.

On a brighter note, i did make it through the week without contracting any foot infections, so that was a plus.

How about you?  Have you tried Birkam Yoga?  What fitness activities do you enjoy?  Message me or leave a comment below.

Good For You

It’s relatively easy to assess one’s life for important themes or touchstones.  It’s a different process to look for the gaps -- to see the things you might want in your life that are absent.

As part of my gameplan for my fiftieth year, I’m giving some thought to precisely this:  what isn’t presently a part of my life that I’d like to be. 

Here are a couple of examples:

1.  ‘Treats’

Truthfully, self-care has not been a priority in my life so far.  I tend to get wrapped up in other things...until one day I catch a glimpse in a mirror and realize it’s been too many months since my last haircut.  Or I’ll glance down and see my fingernails look like they’ve gone through the woodchipper, which is a liability of living part time on a farm. 

The irony is that I like to get my hair cut.  It feels good.  It’s actually a treat for me.  As is a pedicure or a massage.  Or buying a bouquet of fresh flowers.  Or a wedge of some sinful, stinky cheese that has to be triple wrapped in plastic, lest it permeate the entire contents of the fridge (and jeopardize my marriage).

I do do these things...but on a random, spotty schedule. Certainly not on a regular basis.

This year, I’d like to develop the habit of treating myself well and often.  So I’m committing to indulge in (at least) 50 Treats during my fiftieth.

2.  Fitness

As I child I was not athletic.  Other than dance classes, I shied away from most physical pursuits. 

Ironically, I spent a good chunk of my forties as a part time fitness instructor teaching step, body sculpting, yoga, and more.  Unfortunately, I injured my hip and poof! my days as a gym rat were over. 

In general, I’m in good health.  Especially given my (cough) age.  Sure I walk the dogs every day -- and there is a fair amount of physical labour involved, caring for the 150 fruit trees on our farm. But, frankly, I rarely exercise.  Much as I know *how* to do proper strength training or stretching, I seldom do it.

Lately I’ve noticed that my strength is diminishing.  It’s harder to open jars or carry heavy loads of firewood.  I’m concerned.  I know how important it is for fifty year old women to keep in shape -- to protect our bone density and improve our balance and develop habits to foster wellness throughout our advancing years.

I’ve tried.  I’ve tried setting a timer to ensure a minimum amount of time per day spent stretching or doing basic stretch exercises.  I keep it up for a few days, then find it very difficult to motivate myself to continue.  I adore Wii Fit but don’t seem to be able to make it a part of my regular day.  I love attending fitness classes -- but am concerned about my re-injuring my hip.

During my fiftieth year, I resolve to find a way to work fitness into my life, regularly.

My friend Katherine set the goal of being able to do 50 PushUps by her 50th birthday.  It was a wonderful goal -- she was already quite athletic and healthy -- and the pushups helped her grow fitter and stronger.

I need a similar goal.  But I’ve never been much of a pushup person.   I do like fitness classes, though.  So the simplest solution is to commit to get my saggy ass to (at least) 50 Fitness Classes this year. 

What about you?  What’s presently missing from your life that you’d like to make a point of including in the next year?  Message me or leave a comment below.