Get Healthy: Quit Eating Crap (well, at least so much....)

This week I am going to start my push to eat healthy. I think I've chowed down on most of the not-so-good for me treats in the house, thus clearing out the temptations that stare me down daily. Goodbye Pirates Booty, hello banana! Adios bags and bags of cookies, hello apple and ONE or two or three cookies (but definitely not a whole bag)! I can't cut out the crap entirely. My body is sure to go into shock.

Today I did pretty well. The pizza for breakfast may not have been good. But the banana and salad for lunch was. The potato would have been good, except for the 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter I put in it. Then Ben made us chocolate shakes and that was definitely not so healthy. But all in all, it really was an improvement I think!

- Megan Leigh

Couch to 5K: Dog Day!

Today I went jogging with a new partner, Velo. Velo is our dog, and to be honest, he has been getting a little tubby since we moved to New York. I figured a little exercise would be good for his waistline, but I was also a little worried that he might keel over and have a heart attack if I just made him run for thirty minutes. But I decided to give the jog a try and see how it worked. We could always stop if we needed to.

So is Velo fun to run with? Well, he was definitely an enthusiastic jogger, but he just was not the best running buddy. He kept trying to stop at every tree and post to pee, and I kept trying to reign him in while still jogging, screeching "Heel, heel." I'm sure we disrupted a lot of people's daydreams and peaceful Sunday-paper reading in the park. To be charitable, I think he may have been confused by our pace. To me, we were on a heart-pumping run. To him, we were going for a brisk walk. Why not stop now and then, he thought? Obviously we were in no hurry. He also kept jogging right in front of me, crossing from side to side, so I would almost trip or accidentally kick him every few minutes. Darn dog!

I think I will try to keep taking him out, since he needs the exercise. And he looks like a small wolf, so it is like running with a security detail. Hopefully if we keep trying, he will learn to be a better jogging buddy!

-Kristin

Recipe in Progress: Donut Puffs Take Two

So I tried the donut puffs again (recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian), and this time I cooked them until they were done. I think they turned out the way they are supposed to, but I still am not a fan. The outsides were a little too crispy, and they were just denser than what I wanted. I think I had something more like those airy Krispy Kreme glazed donuts or beignets or zeppole in mind.  These were more cake-donut type puffs. So I'm disappointed, but maybe my expectations were a little unfair! I will abandon this recipe, and maybe try one for beignets next.

-Kristin

Treat Yourself!

Kristin and I just watched the Parks and Rec last night where Donna and Tom celebrate 'Treat Yourself Day'. We've decided to add this special, special day into our happiness project and think that you all should celebrate too! We've deemed January 31st as National Treat Yourself Day. I figure this is about when I'll be at my lowest of the year - dead of winter, spring still so far away... It'll be something to look forward to this winter!

- Megan Leigh

So far our day includes mud baths, a delicious lunch out, shopping for new outfits, and looking at ourselves in a skinny mirror. Any other ideas for us?

-Kristin

Recipe in Progress: Donut Puffs

This recipe came from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. And it turned out AWFUL! I think the fault was entirely mine. You have to deep fry these little donut puffs, then you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or whatever you'd like. I took them out as soon as they turned a little golden (it did not take long at all). They LOOKED perfect on the outside. But they were doughy and awful on the inside! Normally I like a doughy treat, but this was not a good doughy food. It was heavy and blech. We all forced down a few donut puffs because they looked so tasty, but then we felt sick. It was not a great way to start the day.

Tomorrow, I am going to try this again! Smaller donut puffs, longer cooking time. I know this recipe has potential! I used to have a little deep fryer of my own. It was the size of a rice cooker, and I got it in high school. What happened to it? I would love to have it now. So many things I would like to fry!

-Kristin

Couch to 5K: Day 23

Another 28 minute day. And it wasn't easy to fit in this jog! Usually, I try to go in the morning, right after I drop off Poppy. But this morning it was raining. So I went to work, but skipping my jog put me in a bad mood. Luckily, the rain let up in the afternoon and I was able to make time for a jog.

Today, I jogged inside Riverside Park. The bridge going over 12th avenue is kind of gross (I had to avoid many heaps of dog doo and a used condom), but once I got to Grant's Tomb it was very scenic and nice. I got caught in a a huge mud mess too, and I'm not sure how to clean my shoes without ruining them.

A little while after I finished my jog, there was a crazy rainstorm. So I was lucky to get in and out when I did!

-Kristin

One New Thing: Occupying Wall Street

Well we didn't actually occupy Wall Street so much as walk down to Liberty Park and gawk at the protesters. We only had our lunch hour, and we had to eat during that time too. But it was still good fun! I went downtown, met up with Kim, and we got to see what the protest was all about.

It wasn't as big as I expected, but the little park was crammed with protesters who had sent up camp. A lot of people were working hard at tidying the place up, some people were drumming, some people were holding up signs, a lot of people were just lounging around. Everyone seemed to be in pretty good spirits! There were lots of young people, but lots of older people too. I thought it seemed like a fairly diverse crowd. As we were leaving, we noticed people mobbing this guy with a guitar. It turned out to be Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. He was talking to people, and jamming, and everybody loved it!


In the spirit of Occupy Wall Street, I'm posting a great link with charts that show what everyone there is so worked up about. After spending years thinking about Gini coefficients and health disparities, it is great to see that other people care about these things too! I think one of the reasons people in the US seem, for the most part, content to live with such drastic disparities in wealth is that they don't realize that achieving the American Dream (making a lot of money and entering a higher income bracket) is virtually equivalent to winning the Lottery these days. It ain't gonna happen for the vast majority of people, even if they work their butts off. I'm including my favorite chart, one that illustrates that point pretty well. Poor people that work hard are probably not going to be able to make a good life for themselves no matter how many hours they log, while odds are good that lazy wealthy people can continue to enjoy their comfortable lives...there just isn't much mobility in terms of wealth in this country. Since most people seem to love the idea of a meritocracy, I think income and wealth disparities should concern Americans much more than have historically.

So are all of the protesters at Occupy Wall Street super articulate? Do they all have workable policy solutions? No, of course not. But I sympathize with the protesters, and I stood them with them in spirit as I enjoyed my tasty lunch at a nearby restaurant.

-Kristin