Couch to 5K: Random Run

So I can't really count today's run as part of the official Couch to 5K program. But it was fun, and it was running, and I'm sure it will count towards the eventual goal! Ben happened to be home when I was ready to leave for my jog, so he came along. We have never gone running together before, so I was excited to get some quality time together--and also to show him up, big time. After all, I've been building up my endurance for months, and he doesn't jog at all. He's always the one that's good at athletic stuff, and I'm always the one that is huffing and puffing and complaining. I can remember one bike ride, in particular, when he had to wait for me at the top of a hill, while I panted next to my bike, a funny shade of green. This time I knew it would be different, and I was looking forward to it!

First, we headed to the track by our house. As it happened, school had just let out for all the neighborhood kids, and they had all gathered around the track to run races and cheer. Now when I see kids in the neighborhood loafing around in front of their buildings, playing their music too loud, or selling drugs, I always think "look at those good for nothing kids. Why don't they get their butts over to Riverbank Park to play basketball, or soccer, or run around or something?" But today, every kid in the neighborhood WAS in Riverbank Park, engaging in some wholesome fun. Immediately, I rued my earlier wishing that must have brought them all here to clog up my track during jog time.

So off we trotted to the greenway. We jog/walked from where we live, in Hamilton Heights, all the way down to 96th street and back. Now I have missed about a week of jogging, because of a bad cold that's finally lifting. This jog was hard for me! And even worse--Ben, who hasn't been doing any couch to 5K program and hasn't gone jogging at any time during recent memory--kept up fine. He went faster than me! It was hard to keep up sometimes, in fact!

Anyway, it was fun to have a partner again--even if I didn't get to show him who's boss on the greenway. And it was a good ease-in back to the program. I can't believe missing a week seems to have made such a difference. But I'm back!

-Kristin

Recipe in Progress: Creamy Broccoli Soup

I got this recipe from Padma Laksmi's cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet. Creamy broccoli soup--it sounded good! I put it on my to-make list for the week. But as I got out the ingredients to make it, I realized that it didn't have cheese in it. This was kind of upsetting. I guess it was really cheesy broccoli soup that I had my heart set on. So maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset to give this soup a fair chance.

I thought the soup turned out OK. It took longer than I thought it would, about an hour, and it tasted just like what you would expect--a creamy broccoli soup. Very simple! Ben liked it, but I don't think I would make it again. So I guess it is not exactly a "recipe in progress." More a recipe I have thrown overboard. It did get me thinking that I'd like to try a cheesy broccoli soup recipe though. And I got the chance to put my immersion blender to use, which is always fun.

Megan thinks this picture of the soup looks really gross. In reality, she said it just looked like a creamy broccoli soup and not like dog vomit. I don't know, I thought this picture looked enticing!

-Kristin

Read More: Bonk

I just finished Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. Ms. Roach did not disappoint. The first book I read by her was Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I loved. It's a book that someone fascinated with skeletons and decaying bodies cannot resist! And what made it even better was that I could hear my dad gagging in the kitchen as he tried to eat and read this book at the same time. (He gets grossed out pretty easy). Then I read Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, which was a little bit of a let down. It was still very interesting, but a little drier. In Bonk Mary Roach's excellent wit was back and had me laughing out loud.

This book was an informative look back through the ages of sex research, with a number of shouts out to Masters and Johnson - the sex gurus from St. Louis. (Tidbit! They've even got their own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame!) Do polyester pants lead to less sex? Ever wonder what types of masturbatory items have gotten lost up a man's uretha? Toothbrush bristle end first, rat's tail, three sets of forceps... nothing too outlandish. You can find it all and much, much more in this book of sexual wonder.

I unwisely decided to choose this as my public transportation book. Knowing full well what this book was about, I didn't realize how embarrassing it would be to read beside a nine year old girl. If she decided to glance at what I was reading (which I do to everyone, so it's a definite possibility) she would see 'clitoris' every other word. I found myself worrying that people were staring at the book cover, which unlike the one on this post, clearly states the book's full title and has a picture of two ladybugs doing it. And worse yet, I had the challenge of trying to hide a picture of a man romancing a sow, without looking like I'm trying too hard to hide something.

- Megan Leigh

Recipe in Progress: Mary's Saturday Soup

Mmmm, this is a great recipe from Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef Takes Off cookbook. It's a hearty and satisfying stew of beef, yams, squash, carrots, okra and coconut milk, topped with little, heavenly cornmeal dumplings. So good!

The downside is that it takes a LONG time to make. Lots of chopping, and then the cooktime is fairly long. So it really is for a Saturday, or some other day when you have time to spare.

So if this recipe is so darn good, why is it a recipe in progress? Well, it calls for two tablespoons of coriander seeds. It didn't say to crush them or anything, so I put them in whole. So it was full of hard little coriander seeds, lots of them. Ben voiced a concern about possible coriander poisoning. I think next time I would definitely crush the seeds first! And maybe try putting a little less in.

The other thing I would change is the dumplings. They are great, but the recipe only made five of them, while the recipe is supposed to serve six to eight. Who wants a soup with no dumpling? It's the best part of the whole thing! I would double the recipe, so everyone gets two dumplings per bowl!

Unfortunately, my photographer was sleeping when dinner was ready. So I had to take my own picture, and it doesn't really do the soup justice. But believe me, this soup is good! As you can see, I only had one sad dumpling. For shame, Mr. Oliver. For shame.

-Kristin

This soup was really good (I had leftovers, not fresh) and I didn't even put a dumpling in mine!  I second the coriander seed thing. I had to pick around them because I didn't like their taste. I think crushed up they would be fine though. 

- Megan Leigh

One New Thing: Animal Rescue?

Today I took Elliot to Nancy's, and he immediately rushed to the bathroom. When he came out he yelled "A MOUSE!" I peeked around the corner and sure enough there was the cutest little mouse! We debated on what to do. He wasn't moving so I thought he was sick. My first assumption was that he had been poisoned, so I wanted to get him outside. But then it was getting so cold out! I was hoping he'd just run into a hole and solve this dilemma for me. But the poor little guy just sat there. In the end Elliot pulled out some toilet paper and paper towel tubes from his backpack and trapped him in there.

This happened while Nancy was in session with another kid. When she came to get Elliot, he told her about the mouse in the tube. She let him take it back into the room, thinking he was playing a joke. He quickly came out of the room with the tube when she realized there was really a mouse in there! 

After Nancy's, we took the little mouse to let him go at the park. Elliot was NOT happy about this. He wanted to take him home, so there were many tears. I wanted to take him home too, but the fact that he was sick was not good. And I kept thinking about how all the awful hemorrhagic fevers and other mystery diseases are always traced back to mice. And we are in Rabies City, USA. So I couldn't take the chance, especially with little Poppers. I found a wild looking, fenced off section of the park and poured him out. I hope he recovers out in the wild and that a nice little mouse family takes him in.

Couch to 5k: Day 20

Today I took it to the streets! Well, I took it to the Greenway. It was a glorious autumn morning, sunny and breezy, a wonderful day to run along the side of the Hudson.

Well, just as I suspected, it is MUCH more difficult to run on pavement than to run on the track. I could really feel the difference in my legs afterwards. And what made things even harder is that the greenway is at an angle, so water can drain off of it, so you end up running on a slight slant the entire time. Not easy either!

It was great to have the wonderful scenery to look at, though, and since I wasn't running around a track I wasn't keeping track of distance. So I just ran, and didn't think about how fast I was going, or how much distance I covered... pretty relaxing! I think I will try to alternate some track and greenway runs. There was also a tiny dirt path next to the Greenway. Maybe I will try that, to see if it is a little easier on my legs.

-Kristin

One New Thing: African Food Festival

Today we trekked over to East Harlem to go to the African Experience Food Festival at the Museum for African Art (which doesn't actually open for another year). We have been watching for a couple years as the big colorful building that houses it has gone up, since it's on the bus route to Elliot's school. We weren't sure what to expect, but I knew they were serving different types of African food for $5 a meal, so I thought it was worth a go!

It was a little fair with food from three different restaurants, so we got a plate from each one, and we got to listen to African music while we sampled the dishes. I got a plate of Nigerian food, which I liked a lot. There was some kind of chicken in sauce that was very good, spicy rice, and a delicious side of greens. The only thing I didn't like was the melon seed side dish. I wasn't sure what to expect when they said it was melon seed. I guess I was expecting something sweet. But it wasn't at all sweet--it was kind of musky and savory. I couldn't get used to the taste. Elliot tried a plate from a Senegalese-French fusion restaurant. Poppy decided that Elliot should have to share. She grabbed his fork and raked it against the steps we were sitting on, while he protested loudly. Then she shoved it in his couscous and swirled the food around with it. After that, he refused to eat anymore and he said he thought he should get to have an ice cream because he was very hungry. But he also said that the chicken he tried before all this happened was tasty. And I got to try his couscous before the dirty fork incident, and it was really, really good and I don't even like couscous! Megan got a plate from another Senegalese restaurant. I will let her post about that.


Poppy LOVED the music. She nodded her head with a huge smile on her face, and tapped her feet to the music.

Fun day!

-Kristin

The dish on the right was mine. It was from a Senegalese booth. There was a cucumber couscous dish that was gross. I hate couscous, no exceptions to date. There was a piece of salmon that just tasted like salmon. No surprises. Some sort of beef dish that was good. She warned me it was spicy, but it wasn't! And then there was an interesting dish that consisted of black eyed peas and mashed up yams. At first I didn't like it, but then it began to grow on me. Would I make it? No. But I'm glad I got to try it!

I'm excited for next year. I'm sure it will be bigger and better! There were no crafts or art this time, which was very disappointing and also good because I would have probably spent money I don't have.

- Megan Leigh