Ventoux, woohoo

VentouxNew coffee place up the street. The espresso is good. The treats are nice, too. The place is a couple doors down from crossfit, which is nice, if I ever thought to bring my wallet with me at 5:30 in the morning, and if I had time to enjoy an americano in the morning before heading to work. I do not.

But, I did test it out with the kiddo. They offer Mighty-O donuts, which the kiddo approved. Sure, they’re vegan. But they’re good.

The second time I was there it was mid-morning, with an okay crowd (most of the tables occupied), and I did recognize a few crossfitters, so I’m glad someone is making use of the post-workout espresso option.

That little corner of our neighborhood becomes more and more inviting. Hooray!

Ventoux Roasters. 3404 NE 55th St.

Pumpkin season

So the third week of September happened and without any warning fall arrived. Just like that. A week of waiting for the bus in the rain at least ended in a weekend of sunny, but cooler weather. On the up side, pumpkin season! I’m no longer a pumpkin spice latte lover that I once was, but I couldn’t resist buying my first can of purée to whip up these treats.
First up, pumpkin spice smoothies, based on this recipe.

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Instead of apple juice I used about a tbsp of honey, and garnished with walnuts, which I had on hand. This made 2 small servings, which were the perfect size for the kiddo and I. Two thumbs up.

Today it was pumpkin bread and mini-muffins. Based it on an Allrecipes recipe, but altered it so much I’m just going to rewrite it here:
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup pumpkin
1/2 c brown sugar / 1/4 c white sugar / 1/4 coconut sugar
1/2 c applesauce
2 eggs

1/4 – 1/2 c lite coconut milk

Optional: walnuts, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds

Preheat 375. Grease your tins. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then the wet in a large bowl (not the coconut milk). When adding the dry with the wet, use the coconut milk if the batter gets dry.

I used my small loaf pan, where I added walnuts and pumpkin seeds on top. Then with the rest of the batter I added a handful or more of semisweet chocolate chips.

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The mini muffins took 15 minutes. The small loaf (no pic) took about 45 min.

Both got good ratings from the family. Really, you can’t go wrong with pumpkin spice.

Morning Shake

Morning coffee shake

Not the shakes. A shake, like a refreshing beverage. We had about a cup of brewed coffee left in the pot. I had about a cup of leftover coconut milk (light) in the fridge. Add them together with a little bit if sweetener (I used a tbsp of agave nectar) and 3 tbsp of chia seeds to create a shake.

I was lazy. I vaguely recalled a recipe from PaleOMG with similar ingredients, but didn’t want to access the Web at that moment. I didn’t even want to take the blender out. So I combined everything into a tupperware and shook it. Thus, the Coffee Shake.

I kept it in the fridge for at least a day, with a few intermittent shakes of the container. Had a few slurps in between then and today. The remainder came in this morning, when we had no eggs in the house and I was in search of a pick-me-up while doing a little worky-work on this rare middle-of-the-week vacation day.

It was a decent change of pace, but next time I will not be so lazy, and add a few more ingredients, like cocoa powder or vanilla.

Kiss me, though, I’m not Irish

I’m not Irish, but I married into the Irish, and suddenly I’m all into making this St. Patrick’s day meal. Last year was my first attempt as corned beef and cabbage, so I did pretty much a repeat of last year’s dinner. The downside for me is that it’s in the middle of my nutrition challenge (really?!). That just means, a low-point day for me. I couldn’t NOT add Guinness into the crock pot. Just had to use a little brown sugar for the corned beef. I couldn’t not make Irish Soda Bread. I mean, I could have, but this is a once-a-year meal, so I indulged.

St Patrick's Day meal

Corned Beef & Cabbage, with root vegetables and Irish soda bread

The corned beef was a pacakged deal from Met Market, Wagyu Beef that included seasonings. The recipe from NYMSCC was quite similar to the other ones I found online. I placed red potatoes, quartered, a couple of small carrots and a parsnip on the bottom of the slow cooker then added the beef on top with additional spices. Poured in a can of Guinness then added additional water, so that the beef was just covered (per the recipe), though it seemed to me like a lot of liquid, I went with it.

Turned the SC on low for 9 hours, I took out the beef and vegetables and put them on a platter. Then added the cabbage, cut into wedges and held together by some kitchen twine. On high for 15-20 more minutes while the meat rested. Soup’s On.

The entire family enjoyed the meat and potatoes and not so much the bread. I will have to find a different version that doesn’t have raisins next time (I like the raisins, no one else does. I brought it to work for the crew to finish up and it disappeared from the kitchen pretty quickly, i suspect).

This was last night’s work. Tonight, the actual day, we had leftovers (which means no cooking for the husband three days in a row. That must be a record). As the finale the kid and I made a Green Smoothie. Recipe below:

green smoothie

Green Smoothie

Blend together a cup of chopped kale with a cup of coconut water. Based on what was in my kitchen 1/2 large banana, 1 small apple (peeled and chopped), a handful of frozen grapes. Blend until mixed. This made enough for two 8-oz glasses or so (see above).

This recipe idea courtesy of Pinterest! Woot.

Erin Go Bragh, as the Irish say.

Water

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Do you drink 64 ounces of water daily? That’s the recommended daily level. Here’s what that means for me:
8 oz before I leave for work
2 of the water bottles on the left, while I’m at work = 32 oz
1 of the pink bottles, after work = 24 oz

This means I’m peeing all the time. But whatever. If I don’t meticulously track my intake in this way, I don’t make quota. Makes weekends really hard since I’m not sitting at a desk with bottles in front of me. But I’m trying. All of this water leaves no room to drink anything else. Maybe that’s the point.

Why all this talk about water? Another nutrition challenge at the gym must be in my future … To be continued.

The Juice Fast Experiment, part 3

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This experiment officially went haywire at 11:00 AM PT. I had a successful morning, even went to Crossfit in the morning and completed an ‘enhanced’ version of Diane. Almond-Orange-Coconut was chugged before catching the bus. It was bottle #2, Kale-Cucumber-Apple-Lime, that did me in. I see now I accident opened #3 first, but I don’t think it would have made a difference. A few swigs in and it just wasn’t happening. Coincidentally my work spouse IM’d me to see if I wanted to go to SBUX. YES, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY, YES!
Tall Americano, a little bit of nonfat milk. So. Good. I went back to my desk and ate my carrots. Ate my chicken. Had an energy bar. And so on and so forth. Another latte may have been imbibed. Along with a cookie. Fast? What fast?
Boss/fellow juice faster came by and I raved about the espresso. She was not as happy. Earlier in the day, as she reflected on her successful juice cleanse, she said, out loud, “the next time I do this …” And all I could say was, you’re doing this AGAIN? Inconceivable.
Dinner was halibut with salad and steamed veggies. For dessert I spread some PB on graham crackers. I tried to get into bottle #3, which was actually #4, and just couldn’t hack it. Carrot-Apple-Beet-Ginger might have tasted great on any other day. Today, while eating real food, it just wasn’t doing it for me.

Lessons learned:

  • I can drink a lot of water, and probably help myself flush out toxins effectively. I just need to be consistent.
  • I can go 2 days without caffeine. Pretty much my limit.
  • Of all the things I could have desired, I really just craved protein. Chicken, steak, hamburger. At some point I would have eaten a block of plain firm tofu. Okay maybe not.
  • If you haven’t eaten all day, Kale-Cucumber-Apple-Lime actually sounds good. If you have eaten, it does not sound good at all.
  • The Harry & David catalog begins to look a bit like porn when you are fasting. Moose munch. Omg.

There is no next time for me, however I do see this weekend as a successful precursor to South Beach Diet phase 1. Kicking out processed foods for a couple of days (longer, if you can manage) is a great refreshing change. Juice only, maybe not so much.

The Juice Fast Experiment, part 2

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You should always start with good intentions, and so I attempted just that this morning. I woke up groggy, and started in with a cup of ginger green tea (hmm, I thought, this would taste great with a little honey, which I’ll skip today, ho hum), and bottle #1, Carrot-Almond-Orange-Cinnamon. I don’t know if I was supposed to have the tea with the juice, but I really need something hot in the morning. Husband and kiddo had a doughnut. Chocolate Rainbow. Boo.

The morning included a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle with the kiddo, church and a trip to the fabric store. In between tasks 2 and 3 I cracked open bottle #2 Kale-Cucumber-Apple-Lime. I think I made it until the noon hour before breaking, where I had carrot sticks and about an ounce of leftover grilled chicken, plus a slice of turkey from PCC. So, I’m not really doing great with this juice fast thing. The best I can do is limit the food, and focus on non-processed food.

Took another nap today. 2 naps, 2 days in a row…. It could be the juice to blame, I can’t be sure. I do know that this juice thing has me sleeping more than I have in weeks.

Had some shrimp-mango salad while starting my third bottle, Carrot-Pineapple-Lime. I also had more chicken breast for dinner (future slow cooker post to come), then took my last bottle, Celery-Cucumber-Kale-Spinach-Parlsey-Apple-Lemon-Ginger, upstairs to watch the Emmys. Y’know, for work. So, a weekend of nothing but juice? Fail. Two days with just enough to get by, and zero processed bad stuff? Win.

I was hungry today. Many times I felt the hunger pangs, the grumbling, that weird warm feeling in my belly, like the organs want to churn on something, but nothing’s there. I am not missing the irony that I paid a chunk of cash to do this to myself, to feel this way. There are million of people who don’t have that choice. I am so lucky. If you are reading this, you are probably lucky to. Count your blessings.

The Juice Fast Experiment, part 1

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On a whim, I asked my friend C if she had ever tried a juice cleanse.
-No, but I’ve been meaning to, wanna do it?
-Sure.

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We probably had this conversation weeks ago, and finally on Wednesday we did the deed and put in our order. Strawberry Moon Juice, a local Seattle business provides home delivery the day/evening before you start. So when I came home from work on Fri I had (12)16-oz bottles of juice waiting for me. They were organized and marked so I knew which bottle to drink, and when. This reduces the thinking on my part and spreads out the sugar.

This morning I got out of bed around 6:30/7, started my first juice, “Carrot-Pineapple-Lime,” around 7. My strategy was to drink slowly. I finished the bottle around 7:45, and set off for the day. Trip to Target (including a green tea from SBUX); shuffle home then back out with the kiddo for Family Swim, the back home again. By 11, we were home and I was famished. So I took out bottle #2 to sip. It was the greens juice, Celery-Cucumber-Kale-Spinach-Parsley-Lemon-Apple-Ginger. But I was tired. Husband was a little concerned, suggested I eat something. Went to the store to get some stuff for the kiddo, and also bought a half of a grilled chicken breast and organic baby carrots, just in case.

I broke my juice fast at 1 p.m. with some of those baby carrots. I had a few, while kid ate lunch then we headed to the park (could be the last sunny day in Seattle! Take advantage!). We got back and at 2ish I broke it again with that chicken breast. It was cold, with no dressing, and it was like the best tasting chicken ever. Chicken!

Soon after that I fell asleep on the couch. I had been sleepy all day. I couldn’t decide if the tiredness was due to my all-in effort to cram in 2 seasons of “Scandal” before the fall premiere next week, the stress of work, or the juice. I was up 2 hours later (yes, I took a 2-hour nap! Jealous?) and felt great.

Opened up bottle #3. Almond-Pear. I knew a ‘nut milk’ juice would be in the mix, and this was … interesting. The fam was ordering takeout Chinese for dinner. Since I had already broke the fast, I got some hot and sour soup, then also did a salad from the fridge(not dressed), and a shrimp-mango salad thing (from the store).

I’m still working on bottle #3. The taste grew on me a bit, like the vanilla-almond smoothie from Odwalla.

I didn’t expect to make it three days on juice alone. I did think I might make it past 1 in the afternoon… Well, there’s always tomorrow.

Juice Cleanse, I will beat you (perhaps)

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Beginning tomorrow, I am going to attempt a 3-day juice cleanse with my friend and boss (not to be confused with a bossy friend, which she is not). When the boss’s boss heard about our plans, his advice: “Don’t come to work on Monday!”
On our walk to SBUX this AM, we lamented, “This will be our LAST cup of coffee until Tuesday!”. We both splurged and went a size up. For lunch I twisted my work spouse’s arm to eat at Moksha with me. I had the Lamb Saag Thali with several cups of Chai Tea. My last bit of meat, a pork chop by “the best cooker in the world,” according to the kiddo. And my final solid food until Tuesday may be a small bowl of Tillamook ice cream (Oregon Blackberry)
I say “may” because I’m not sure I’m going to last the 3 days without solid food. And I’m not going to beat myself up if I break down and eat a carrot. Or a steak. Or a piece of cake. Chocolate cake. Mmmm. Chocolate Cake.

Anyhow, I will spend the weekend trying this, and will blog about the experience during or after. Wish me luck.

Blue Ribbon Cooking School

So as you know I’m back at work, it’s been a full week now. Just in time to attend my (new) team’s morale event, at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School. We basically gathered together to cook a really great meal and eat together. We had a terrific time and I discovered that cooking and baking is soooo much more fun when there are people hired to clean up after you; when the kitchen you are using is larger than the studio apartment I lived in as a grad student; and when bowls, spoons, pans and other tools are stacked up to the ceiling, available for you to use.

I, along with two wonderful bakers, volunteered to bake the dessert, Caramel Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was simple and delicious. Here are some pics of our creations. We didn’t create the first two apps … the chefs at the school had them waiting for us when we arrived (along with the exciting beverages)

Italian Bread filled with Warm Herbed Mushrooms and Gorgonzola

Italian bread filled with herbed mushrooms and gorgonzola

Mini Salami and Roasted Red Pepper Puff Sandwiches with Cognac Mustard

Salami and roasted red pepper mini puff sandwiches with cognac mustard

Of the two, the mushroom/gorgonzola app was much more appealing to my palate.

Lavendar Lemonade, Strawberry Ice Tea, Cranberry Ginger Ice Tea

Lavendar lemonade, strawberry peppermint iced tea, cranberry ginger iced tea

Lovely beverages, for ChattyCha, who prefers non-alcoholic drinks during work functions.

Grilled Marinated Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomatoe Salad with Basil

Grilled marinated eggplant, fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad with basil

Our first creation, by Matt and Reed. Wonderful. Some people do not like the texture of eggplant. I am not one of those people.

Artichoke-stuffed Chicken Breast with Proscuitto and Basil

Artichoke-stuffed chicken breast with proscuitto and basil

Main entree, plus Lemon Pasta Salad with tomatoes and feta; skillet-glazed baby carrots and sugar snap peas. Main entree credit goes to: MattH, Phil, Stewart, Keith, Jen. Pasta salad goes to Rob and Laura, who I think also did the veggies. Everything was cooked quite well. No disasters with our group.

Caramel and Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Caramel and walnut upside-down banana cake with vanilla bean ice cream

Finally, the dessert I mentioned earlier, which I helped bake next to the boss and Jessica. Incredibly sweet caramel sauce combined with a subtle cake made for a sublime dessert. A modest portion (we baked in individual cups) meant no overindulging.

Lovely meal! I didn’t stuff myself and really enjoyed having a nice meal that wasn’t rushed or wolfed down, for once. Eating with a baby at your side, you don’t always get that opportunity.