A Worthy Endeavor

Saturday we snowshoed up to High Hut in the Mount Tahoma Trails System near Mount Rainier. I've been on 2 other trips up to the hut. One was an overnight and the other  - like Saturday - was up and down.

The first time was Easter weekend a couple months into my journey back to health. I was carrying 45 lbs or so and less than 3 months from my lung surgery. I suffered up the hill but made it eventually. Luckily, we didn't have to come back the same day.

Last year we were on the trail early - before the Snocat - and broke trail through 12-18 inches of snow the whole way up. We made it up and down that day. On both early occasions we were greeted by low clouds which robbed us of any views.

Saturday 10 of us hit the groomed trail and cruised up with no issues. There was a cloud layer but we had great views of the foothills. I still need to be there on a clear day so I can see Mt Rainier from there. It is supposed to be outstanding. Here is what we saw.

Pam and I are lucky to have so many great friends who are avid outdoor folks. We had the pleasure of going with 2 new members of our group this trip when Aran's son Colin and Spencer's wife Shannel joined us. Here is our group picture from just outside High Hut cabin.

Thanks again everyone for another great adventure!

More soon.....

How To Cross The Finish Line

I was asked for my ID at the auto licensing office today. The guy says something like "That's a big change."

I said "I know. I should get a new license, but this one if good until 2014."

He replied "So you did that pretty fast."

I said "It's pretty easy if you really decide to do it."

He then recounted his latest diet failure which ended in some frappamochakillyawithsugar coffee drink that he had this morning.

I got nothing for that. I think I gave him the quick and dirty version of my food needs to be fuel when you are dieting until you reach your goal weight - or some other such thing because, honestly, I had nothing for him.

If you want to finish the race you have to know you can. If you pay your entry fee for the Rock and Roll Marathon thinking "I may make it." you already have a built in out to the failure door. You might NOT make it. Losing weight or being regularly active or cutting out sugar or bad fats all have the same first step. TELL YOURSELF YOU WILL DO IT.

Nike says Just DO IT. Yoda says Do Not Try. Do or Do Not. I say decide you are worth it and decide that you will finish what you start. I know this sounds overly simplistic but it IS how you do it.

That being said, if you continue to get in your own way and fall down more than you stay standing get some psychological help. There is no shame in getting necessary help if that is what it takes.

Once you decide you will do it open a garbage bag and throw out all of the white stuff in the kitchen and pantry - rice, flour, and sugar. Toss all of the frozen pizza and pot pies and Lean Cuisine and TV dinners in the same bag. Toss all of the candy unless it is chocolate over 70% - I prefer over 85%. Ditch all of the canned soup as well.All of the vegetable and corn oil and any corn syrup is out. All of the Jello and cake mixes gotta go too. Take the bag to the Salvation Army shelter or some other shelter.

Hit the nearest store that has a good supply of organics and get some mixed greens , apples, oranges, pears, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. Buy a big bowl to eat salad from and make a Big Salad. At the beginning you will want more rich flavors so make sure you have a couple types of olive, some artichoke hearts, etc. around so you will be happy with the flavors.

Add 1/3 cup vinegar or citrus juice, 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp good mustard, and 2 tbsp of your favorite dry herbs and spices (basil, parsley, onion and garlic powder, salt pepper, thyme, oregano) and 1-2 tbsp Honey, Agave Nectar or Pure Maple Syrup. At first you will use more sweetener than you will later, but try 1 first and then add if you want more. If you have a jar with a lid it is easy to just shake this dressing up or you can use a whip or a fork as well.

Measure NO MORE THAN 2 Tbsp of the dressing on your big salad.

Try quinoa and brown rice. Check Goodwill for a rice steamer if you don't have one already. It does it's thing without you needing to do much. The steamer that I bought is the Cuisinart on Amazon for $47.

That's enough for now.

More soon.....

Great Stuff If It's Split Between 3 Or More People

I must watch too much TV or something, but when I see an ad for a new food item at one of the chains I have to look it up for nutritional facts. I saw the ad for Olive Gardens' Baked Pasta dish yesterday and here are the facts.

Baked Pasta Romana with Chicken has 1040 calories with 61 grams of fat - 29 grams saturated fat - and 3130 milligrams of sodium! You could split it in half and still be taking in more fat and sodium than you should eat in a day. The same dish with slow cooked beef instead of chicken has 1290 calories with 81 grams of fat - 40 saturated - and 2230 milligrams of sodium. So if you ask for three plates...

While finding those numbers I found some more stuff to expose.

TGI Fridays' Fusion Skewers with the Black Angus Sirloin has 1440 calories with 77 grams of fat - 19 saturated - and 3220 milligrams of sodium.

Applebee's Riblets Platters are from 1590 - 1820 calories with 86 - 87 grams of fat - 29 saturated - and between 4170 and 5630 milligrams of sodium.

These extremely high fat and sodium levels are a symptom of meat that is raised too fast and fed way too much corn that is then frozen and sent to a restaurant where no actual cooking happens - rather an assembly occurs. The stuff has no flavor except for the sweetness the corn feed creates so they need to inject and cover the stuff with sodium and fry it in specially developed oils to impart what flavor it has.

Strangely, that isn't how I cook in my kitchen. I source the best available, local, organic ingredients and cook them as little as possible to preserve the most nutrients. I have rarely had a guest ask for extra salt. Strange huh? I must be doing something wrong if I am totally the reverse of what all those food scientists spent long hours in the lab developing.

Enough about me. Here is an easy and tasty pasta dish that is done in the time it takes to get the water boiling and boil the pasta al dente.

1 large can Organic tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic
1 red onion
2 Tbsp Red Wine vinegar
1 cup sliced Crimini Mushrooms
15 Kalamata Olives
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 tsp - a pinch - Red Chili Flakes
3 Tbsp Pesto or 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Put water in pot for pasta, cover and heat on high. Dice the onion and cook in olive oil on high heat for the time it takes to mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the onions. Saute for 2 minutes and then add the vinegar for a minute then add the tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook down a couple of minutes. Your water should be boiling by now so add the pasta to the water. Cook the pasta just until al dente - if the package says 9 minutes check it at 6 minutes.
Add the olives and chili flakes to the sauce. When the pasta is done add it to the tomato sauce and stir it around for 2 more minutes. Done!

A little freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano and voila!

More soon....

A Pleasant Shopping Mistake

So I was picking up a couple things at Costco on Tuesday and it was cold outside. I picked up what I needed to get and was checking to make sure they really don't have the Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter anymore - they replaced it with "Natural" which means nothing. Sadly, that is the case.

As I was aisle cruising I saw the Pacific Organic Tomato soup. Like I said, it was cold out so I bought it. I know it has dairy in it, but I WAS COLD.

The error in it struck me at home when I was putting stuff away. I mean 6 quarts of Creamy Tomato Soup. I'd be looking at this stuff for a year! I guess I should add "Don't shop cold" with "Don't shop hungry."

I decided that we better have some for lunch so I only had to stare at 5 quarts forever. As you know by now I am incapable of heating the soup up and eating it as is so here is what I did. I chopped and steamed for 3 minutes about 1 1/2 cups of Brocolette from Costco and added it to the soup along with 1 cup of fresh Baby spinach and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil and a good amount of cracked black pepper. I let it cook together for 5 - 10 minutes. It was good.

Wednesday we were fully engulfed in Snowzilla so I decided to make quart 2. I added more Brocolette than before 2 cups and more spinach and basil as well. It was even better than the day before.

Thursday we were iced over, but I had to do something different. We are running low on options so I decided to do this. I went to 2 1/2 cups of the Brocolette, 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of basil, 2 cups of organic corn and 1 can of Organic garbanzo beans and let that cook for 15 or 20 minutes. We served it over 1 cup of steamed brown rice and that was like a stew that made lunch and dinner.

Today if we are still stuck I plan to skip the Brocolette, spinach, and basil and instead add some of the Sprouted Bean Trio - also from Costco - and some chopped crimini mushrooms and parsley along with a decent amount of my homemade chili powder and come cumin and make a chili of sorts and serve it over the leftover steamed brown rice. That would only leave 2 quarts to go and much less embarrassment for Moi.

I refuse to quote Sheryl Crow, but she wrote a song about her relationship with Eric Clapton that has the line I won't quote.

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How About Food As Food?

I was watching some dietitian talking about how a good diet doesn't "deprive" you of what you want. This is someone who gets paid to help you make proper dietary decisions. It's a good thing she wasn't a drug counsellor!

If white flour and white sugar are causing you health problems and you finally elect to eliminate them from your diet you are NOT depriving yourself of anything. You are properly making a necessary dietary adjustment so that you can get your body the nutrients it NEEDS.

If that woman was a drug counsellor she'd have you keeping just a little heroin, crack or meth in your daily routine so as not to "deprive" yourself of what you want. That's crap!

If you don't know by now here it is. French fries, bacon and potato chips are BAD FOR YOU. I don't care what your metabolism is like or how much you work out - those things are poison in your body. They provide NO nutrition. They instead throw off your digestive system so it can't properly do what it should do.

If you can get your head around the idea that food has one purpose - to provide you with nutrition - you will have all you need to make good food decisions. If you can tell yourself that what isn't food that provides nutrition should be treated as a drug that has great potential to cause you harm and be addictive you will never crave the stuff that makes you sick.

Virtually all chronic disease can be avoided or arrested by making good food choices. Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue and others are DIRECTLY related to diet. You should never have heart disease unless you were unlucky enough to be born with an issue and even then you can limit your problem with good food choices.

So the next time you get disgusted with where you are health wise and decide to make changes, make this change first - Decide that Food is For Nourishment. That doesn't mean it can't taste good. I had to relearn how I cook, but the results are better than ever without the bad ingredients.

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She Almost Had Me In Tears Today

In honor of Pam's first day of working from home Athena and I headed out in the frigid fog for a walk. We took our normal 6.7 mile route and she took it easy on me. We averaged 4.8 miles per hour - finishing in 1:23. But that's not what I need to tell you about.

Our route includes about a mile where she gets to be off lead along the train tracks between 74th St and Steilacoom Blvd. Today there was an electrician working on something about 2/3s of the way along the tracks. As we got within about 100 yds of the guy Athena stopped and looked back waiting for me to hook her back up to the leash. I'm telling you the pride welled up in me and I literally almost cried.

Just over 2 years ago her favorite game was to run away from me at every opportunity and now she is anticipating when the right time to get hooked back up is - Wow! She doesn't speak any foreign languages - or English for that matter - and she has yet to split any atoms, but she is clearly the smartest dog we have had as part of our family.

Right now she is making it hard for me to get this post together - trying to lay her head on the laptop.

Anyone looking for a great harness try Tyler DT dog harnesses. We bought our on Amazon.com. It fits her large chest and doesn't bind on her legs. It also looks like it is built for the long haul.

We are off for a 3 day weekend at Pam's Aunt's house in Oregon first thing tomorrow. Maybe we'll get some pictures to share if it's nice there.

More soon.....

Easy and Tasty Food Swaps

The hardest part of fighting back against salt, fat and sugar is missing your "trigger" food. For some it's sweets and others it's salty stuff. You normally don't crave a mouthful of fat, but it tends to hitchhike with one of the others.

What works for a lot of folks is to use a swap for your favorites. You like cake? Try some good dark chocolate. Carry some with you in a tin if you have to, but a taste of that healthier sweet can carry you past the craving. Don't like dark chocolate yet? Try a couple ounces of raisins or a date.

Is salt your thing?  Lightly salted nuts provide some salt and an extra freebie of healthy fats instead of potato chips or french fries - both of which have nothing for you nutritionally. If you have a nut allergy try Trader Joe's Baked Lentil Chips with salt and pepper.

Are you dying for a greasy burger? Marinate a portobello mushroom in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil and grill it up like a burger. They are juicier than a beef patty and the juice isn't saturated fat.

Need some fried chicken. Marinate your bird parts with the skin off in some olive oil, fresh citrus, herbs, salt and pepper and grill or bake it instead of frying it and don't overcook it! When it is almost to temperature - within 5 degrees- take it off and cover it with foil for at least 5 minutes so it can rest. It will be nice and juicy and way better for you than fried.

Gotta have you some fries? Get some yams or sweet potatoes and slice into the shape you like. Lightly toss them with olive oil and then salt and pepper them. Bake at 450 for 15- 20 minutes. They are tasty and actually have nutrition that your body needs.

Need a pop? Really? This one kills me. If it is the caffeine you need try coffee or green tea - and not some frapaccino or some other fat and sugar laden mess from the corner coffee stop. If you have to sweeten your coffee add maple syrup or honey. If it is sweet that you crave in your beverage drink water and have a square of that dark chocolate you have in that tin.

Remember to keep hydrated. Your body only requires water for hydration. Water will also help you feel full along the way as well.

More soon......

Cheats So Far and a Recipe

Ten days into our yearly experiment we have altered the original plan or "cheated" in the following ways.

First, we only juice fasted for 2 days and we both broke that fast in the evening of the second day.

Second, we backed off of the no wine at all and only drink wine Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Third, on this last weekend we ate some really great bread that we think likely had animal product in it.

Fourth, we have been drinking coffee on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Lastly, I was in a dumb trance  when I made some air popped corn for a movie and used 1 tbsp of butter mixed with organic canola oil instead of coconut oil.

As you see we have wrecked any scientific importance of the program, but we will continue on anyway.

Here's an easy recipe for marinara sauce.

Marinara Sauce - ala Paully

1 small or 1/2 large onion diced finely
3 cloves garlic - minced
Olive oil
1 large or 2 small cans of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes
Fresh Basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Saute The onion in olive oil over high heat for a couple of minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute and then the tomatoes. Once the tomatoes begin to boil reduce heat to medium and simmer - stirring from time to time for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce gets too thick add some water.

While the sauce is simmering boil some water for pasta. I like the Garafolos Organic Whole Wheat spaghetti from Costco. I boil it for 7 minutes so it still had a bite to it. Drain and add right away to the sauce along with 8-10 of the basil leaves minced. Keep the pasta moving through the sauce for a minute or two and serve.

I like a fresh grating of Parmesano Reggiano on mine - just not this month.

Tip 1. Roll the basil leaves together like a cigar and first slice it thinly (called a chiffonade) and then cut the other way to mince.

Tip 2. Cheese imported from Europe is made from Organic milk as they do not allow the use of antibiotics or bovine growth hormones there.

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Copper Creek Cabin and 12 Great People - Perfect

Pam and I were able to spend Friday and Saturday with some of our favorite people away from the distractions of the real world. At the Mount Tahoma Trails Assn. gala this year Pam had to wait a long time to get her name called and had to settle for a Friday instead of a weekend, but it turned out great! We stayed at Copper Creek Cabin.

Even with a Friday night stay we were able to arrange for 11 of the 14 of us to go up together in the early afternoon. The original plan was noon, but we met at the Sidetrack Lounge in Elbe and a couple of drinks or beers later we headed to the trailhead.

We weren't treated with a snowshoe up as the snow was about 2-4 inches and hiking worked just fine, but we did get some snow falling about 2/3s of the 4 1/3 miles up to the cabin. The early arrival allowed us to get some nice pictures of the area and get set up for dinner.

Our late 3 friends hit the trail at 6:30 and arrived around 8:30. Pam, Doug and Sherrie hiked down about 1 1/2 miles to meet them while the rest of us continued playing games, talking, drinking and laughing.

We had already eaten when they arrived, but there was plenty of leftovers for them - Pasta with Marinara, roasted veggies, Caesar salad, great bread with dipping sauce and tons of munchies.

In the morning we ate breakfast together and 11 of us set out for a snowshoe up the trails around the cabin. We got in another 4 + miles and some more great shots.

A quick lunch, cleaning and packing and we were on the trail for the return hike to the trailhead.

We toasted our good friend and good times with a little sparkling wine and headed home.

What a fantastic trip! We so appreciate the great company and the great trail and cabin system built and maintained by MTTA and their volunteers!

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Trip Prep and The 10 Essentials

We're off for an overnight snowshoe to Copper Creek Cabin in the MTTA system tomorrow. The "hut" as they call it sleeps 14 and we have a full crew. The basic snowshoe is only about 3.5 miles each way if the upper Sno Park is still open for parking. It can go to 4.5 miles in real weather.

I find myself actually hoping for some weather so we can get a little more work in. I haven't weighed my pack yet, but I'm guessing with camera equipment and food it will be between 35 and 50 pounds. Some of my other weighty items are marinara and pasta for 14 and the camera stuff - including my wide angle lens so we can get a good group picture.

The weather report for the area we are going into between Elbe and Ashford is calling for cold weather with mostly cloudy skies both days. Tomorrows high is expected to be 30 and Saturday's 36. That will make for some crunchy - and LOUD - snowshoeing. In a large group it sounds like a swordfight war scene from a movie.

I could lighten my pack by ditching all of the stuff I carry in case things go bad. That would lighten my pack by maybe 10 pounds. We often see people on trails who either don't know about the items you should always have with you or they have decided that they won't need them. I have never needed any of them myself, but I refuse to be on an episode of I Survived or I Shouldn't Be Alive.

In the outdoor world there is a list called the "10 Essentials." They are as follows:

1. Map of the area - preferably a topographical map. GPS with maps and extra batteries is OK as well.
2. Compass - GPS with batteries is OK again, but a compass is cheap and light and a nice backup.
3. Fire starter - Fire ribbon/jell hand cleaner with alcohol/army fuel sticks.
4. Matches or lighter, Something to ignite the fire starter.
5. Knife, about 3", folding with cover - SHARP.
6. Flashlight, LED's are best, extra batteries.
7. Extra clothes IN A DRY BAG.
8. Extra food that is READY TO EAT - no cooking required.  Shoot for 3000 calories.
9. First aid kit. You will maybe have to use this on yourself so make it good stuff.
10. Sunglasses with side shields for snow travel.

As often as I can I print out 2 or 3 Topo maps for distribution. My GPS has detailed maps of the Western and Central US. I always carry extra batteries for it, but batteries only work if the GPS does. If it breaks you don't want to be without a backup plan.

All of this goes back to the question of being afraid. When you have what you need to survive you don't need to be afraid. You should be careful and prepared so you can have as much fun as possible while you are outdoors.

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An Easy Solution

First, let me start by saying that when "I" have these ideas it usually stems from a conversation with Pam where we hash things out. Then I go to work to test it out.

To have a solution you need to have a problem so here's ours.

We are eating a plant based organic diet this month. We like to take PB&J sandwiches to have for quick protein and energy when we hike or snowshoe. Most bread has either dairy or eggs or both and my favorite recipes for bread are great for toast, but a little fragile for PB&J in you backpack for a couple of hours or more.

We have used the thin rounds from Orowheat, but they are neither organic or animal product free. When we have used them in conjunction with our vacuum sealer the insides actually penetrate the bread and it's like those honey saturated Italian waffle cookies - Yum! That was pretty much the conversation that led to the idea of using homemade waffles as the bread for our hiking sandwiches. Tada!

They are in the freezer as we speak and they look great. Here is the waffle recipe.

1 cup Organic Unbleached White flour
1 cup Organic Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Organic Buckwheat flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 Pure maple syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 cups Water
1 cup Coconut Milk

Mix the dry ingredients together and separately mix the wet. Combine the two and make waffles. I brush my nonstick waffle iron with olive oil every 2 or 3 waffles. This makes 12 waffles or enough for 6 hiking sandwiches.

Make some and go take a hike!

More soon....

Fast Break Fast Break

Like the confusing title says we broke the juice fast a little earlier than planned. I came home from our 5 mile plus hike Sunday with a hunger that required more than juice to satisfy. Pam was much better and lasted until later at night when she had some raisins and nuts.

Like last years' fast we both lost weight. I lost 2.5 pounds and Pam lost 3.5 pounds. Today began with some Bob's Red Mill 6 Organic whole grain hot cereal with some organic peaches I froze from the summer. Aaaah.

We are debating what kind of soup we plan to make for later today. Lazy day planned around here otherwise.

More soon....