April 2011

April 29, 2011

Blast from Past: Fuel Efficient

Today, my non-work task lists includes the following items: 1) find wetsuit somewhere in “organized” sports closet; 2) pick up mountain bike from shop downtown; 3) pack up cooler with an extravaganza of low sodium carbohydrates; 4) buy sunscreen; and 5) get on the road by noon thirty. Pretty standard for a Friday, really. Or at least a Friday before race day. Tomorrow, I’m swimming, biking, and running at the wonderful Wildflower triathlon – my sixth tri event in the past three years – and I can’t wait to be surrounded by beautiful bushels of mustard buds and amazingly chiseled athletic […]

April 27, 2011

Low Sodium Macaroni N’ Peas

Ah, the wonders of Stouffer’s Microwavable Macaroni and Cheese. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this cheddary, oozy, black box of noodles was my comfort food. It is right up there with Bagel Bites and Choco Taco’s in my little black book of favorite foods. Did I mention I was a junk food junkie? In my younger days of watching Saved by the Bell after school and wearing boxer shorts as shorts (nice trend, America), a fluorescent orange bowl of Stouffer’s sunshine was the cure all for anything gloomy. Got the sniffles? Stouffer’s. Stressful day in […]

April 25, 2011

Low Sow-Your Own

I think my heart just exploded. In a happy, non-messy kind of way. Just looking at this picture fills me, no, overwhelms me, with tingles of warmth and excitement. Because this picture is just the beginning of what is to come. Of what is to sow. Of what is to grow! Three friends, toiling away in the gentle sunshine, on a small plot of earth, overlooking a small piece of heaven. I mean, do you see that view? That view shouldn’t be legal. But forget about the view for a moment and think about the dirt. I get to play […]

April 22, 2011

Pomegranate Molasses Granola Bars, Sort Of

I’ve always been pretty good at making up my own rules. When my grandparents babysat me, I convinced them that we always ate cookies before dinner. It helped prep the stomach for the nutrients to come. When it rained, I never wore shoes. What’s the point? My feet were going to get wet anyways. And in college, I pretty much majored in the art of rule making. They called it Creative Writing. From early on, I gave myself license to do what I wanted. Which, turns out, is a very important life skill. Because the truth is, most of the time, things […]

April 20, 2011

Salt-Free Umami Broth

Umami. The elusive fifth taste. The other four – sweet, sour, bitter, and salty – can be found in canned products and even more surprisingly, in natural ingredients. Sweet is easy. Just grab a fresh strawberry or even a red pepper and taste the natural sugars that seep out with each bite. Sour is even simpler. Just bite into a lemon. Or a spoonful of greek yogurt. Or a dash of vinegar. And bam, you’ve got sour. Bitter can be found in a plate full of chicories, like endive, or slices of freshly peeled horseradish. And salty, well you don’t […]

April 18, 2011

Passover Pie

Apologies for the whisper. I’ve lost my voice to a nasty head and chest cold. I’ll do my very best to annunciate and hopefully you can still hear me. But definitely do not worry about me, because I’m going to be fine in no time. Because tonight is Passover dinner with the family. And Passover dinner means matzo ball soup. Which is Yiddish for magic whisper-voice potion. And here’s another wonderful thing about Passover – it is filled with a lot of flavorful and useful sodium-free ingredients. Like horesradish, parsley, and of course, matzo. For a few years now, I’ve […]

April 15, 2011

Friendly Emails and Falafels

Some people aren’t afraid to ask for things. You know who I’m talking about. That person who sends you their holiday wish list in May. That roommate who always seems to be too busy to pick up their own dry cleaning. And that friend who always orders the BLT sandwich but then requests that the lettuce be switched out for spinach, the tomato be served on the side, and the bacon be replaced by a freshly butchered and fried chicken. No bread, of course. You know those people. I know those people. And I definitely don’t judge them. I just […]

April 13, 2011

Low Sodium Questions and Answers

Today we are going to take a slight departure from our normal Wednesdays and I’m going to tell you about all the things I love. I love the rain. I like the sound of it. I like the way the air smells after it. I particularly like it when I am not wearing shoes. I don’t necessarily love the rain – achem – when it comes in April. April is supposed to be about flowers, spring cleaning, and candy. Which I love to eat after dinner and for breakfast. But I like the rain – ok, I’ll say I love […]

April 11, 2011

Fraiche Start

Today is a new week. My dishwasher cleaned all the dishes and I will put them away. I’m going to start wearing my retainers too, at least at night, which I bought over a year ago to straighten my teeth – yes, I’m 28 years old. And I will actually go to that dance class I always say I want to go to. Maybe I’ll even start taking yoga again. The list of things that might happen are endless. Because it is a brand new week. The slate has been wiped clean. Anything is possible. Like salt-free, cheese-less quiche. Fluffy quiche […]

April 8, 2011