Flushing Evening Road Race 5K Run & Walk | Flushing, Michigan 48433 | Wednesday, June 08, 2011 @ 6:15 PM

http://www.active.com/running/flushing-mi/flushing-evening-road-race-5k-run-and-walk-2011?int=29-10

My next race!

House Party Party Christine's Discover You Can House Party™

House Party Party Christine's Discover You Can House Party™

We are going to learn how to can the easy way! Join in the fun!

Healthy eating on the road - a success

Well, blogger decided to crash last week, so it has been a while since my last post. I wanted to let you know that my 8 day trip resulted in a successful journal of healthy eating. It might not have been exciting meals, but I certainly felt great and un-bloated after this trip - which is  not always the case. Luckily for me, there were a couple of Whole foods stores and several Panera Breads in the area. They are called The St. Louis Bread Company in that area, which I found interesting. Both of these locales were prime sources for fresh salads, and I did splurge on the tomatoe/mozzarella panini to which I asked for the artichoke spread to be added. This is about 750 calories for a whole sandwich, but after a long day, it was heavenly to eat. Since I only had a couple of handful of nuts, along with some Better Oats oatmeal that day, I think I was good :). I am happy to report I did not have pizza even once, and I also did not have my other indulgence - Chinese food, which, even though I get vegetarian dishes is often heavy due to noodles or sauces. Nor did I succomb to chips - a true weakness of mine, and it would've been so easy to pick up a couple of bags at Whole Foods since there is a huge snack aisle.
As I said in the previous post, staying in a hotel with a fridge is extremely helpful to maintain healthy eating habits, and to have plenty of cold tea and Sobe water!
The point is that when traveling, especially alone, for work, for an extended period of time, it is so easy to "treat" ourselves to food that is not in keeping with our healthy eating goals. Each day that I chose a healthy salad, or snacked on nuts, or ate my apple, I felt better and stronger, and more able to carry out my work goals. The next big experiment will be a road trip with the kids - avoiding fast food can certainly be a challenge there, but by planning ahead, I think we can do it!

Healthy eating on the road

Does that title seem like a misnomer? I travel a lot for my current job and spent many years believing that I could not, in fact, eat healthily on the road. Hours are long, windshield time is sometimes seemingly unending, and if the trip is a conference, tempting foods abound. Since becoming a vegetarian, it has been easier to be more conscious of what I was eating, but there are still times when cheese pizza calls my name several days during the trip. One of the ways I have avoided this is to carry healthy snacks with me. I purchase snacks at the gas station when I fill up if I run out, or stop at a grocery store. With the prevalence of Wal Marts, it ususally isn't too far to go to get some fresh produce or nuts. Look for un salted, no candy added (you might be surprised) trail mixes. Check the sugar content and all ingredients. I like Planters all natural. You can typically get small packages of nuts for .99 at the gas station. I am also a fan of Sobe water! Sobe 0 has zero calories, all natural ingredients, and added vitamins and minerals, which I swear helps me get through the day.
I have had a lot of success staying in hotels which offer at least a fridge and microwave. I discovered a nice group called Candlewood Suites, which offer a mini apartment and with my AAA discount is as low as $69.99 a night - bonus is a gym, honor system snack shop, and free, yes FREE laundry (bring your own detergent, or pay for it there - use Purex all in one!)
Having a mini kitchen, microwave, full fridge and freezer, and two burner stove, outfitted with dishes etc, makes it easy to stop at the store and pick up healthy fixins for breakfast and dinner.
If I have to eat out, I certainly go for the vegetarian based dishes. Stay away from cream sauces, and ask for veggies to be steamed with no salt or butter added. Pizza is ok if it is personal sized, thin crust, and light on cheese. I like to get veggies such as spinach or artichoke. So far, this trip, I have been successful in staying on the healthy path. More updates to come!

Still Location

Well, I found out yesterday that the building on which I had set my sights, the one that got me in gear to pursue this whole thing has been leased to another. I have mixed feelings about this. I could not have leased it any sooner, so it's not like I just held out and didn't make a decision. The person who owns the building assured me he would let me know if any one else had a serious interest before he moved forward with them, and he did not; he also did not follow up on the two emails and voice mails I left for him. This leads me to seriously doubt the integrity of that person, so I think it may be a good thing I won't be working with him.
The real challenge here is that I can't seem to find another space that has a kitchen, or one in which the owners are interested in putting in a kitchen. Does this mean I abandon the cafe idea? I so love the notion of being able to serve good tasting, non threatening vegetarian food and vegan baked goods, but maybe it just isn't going to work. I am starting to think I need to move forward with just the products and add the food later. I could always still do packaged snacks and drinks, and that would allow the gas station to still work, plus there is another couple of spaces downtown - one is really small, but might work. I could still do classes and then just work up to the cafe. It is disheartening and I felt a little sad yesterday, but today is a new day and I am moving forward. I still need a good chunk of change to get this going, so keep pressing www.indiegogo.com/the-green-butterfly forward!
Thanks!

Cauliflower Soup

What's for linner? (That would be lunch and dinner) This has been a busy day and I suddenly realized that it was 1:30 and I hadn't eaten all day - well had lots of coffe and some of my favorite dried mango from Peeled Snacks but not a meal. It has been an off and on day for weather, rain this morning, then some lovely sunshine and at the moment it is cloudy and rather breezy and cool so I decided  to make some soup. I had some cauliflower in the fridge which I had not gotten around to using so in a very short time I had a lovely soup simmering on the stove.
Here is what I used -
 1 small head of cauliflower de-leafed and cut into small pieces
1 small onion chopped - I used a vidalia as they just came out and I love them!
about 1 1/2 cups of veggie broth - you can used canned, but please make sure it is low sodium
about 1 - 1 1/2 c of organic, unsweetened apple juice
these should all be added to the pot and allowed to come to a boil, then cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.

You can add spices as you wish, and these can change the flavor. Some examples are, coriander, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, or as in this case, lemongrass. I also added a little paprika.
Once the cauliflower is tender, you will need to put the soup in a blender to smooth, or use one of those super handy hand-held blender wands. I just got one and it is really fun, plus there is a lot less clean-up!
You can also add pepper to taste - I prefer to use freshly ground as it is so much more flavorful.

Updates to the store opening progress - I attended another pitch meeting last night and it went very well. I am now working with Lisa at the SBTDC and she has all ready been super helpful. PLEASE visit the crowdfunding site - scroll all the way down for the link or click www.indiegogo.com/the-green-butterfly - and donate! I am asking you to donate $10 and then send the information to all your friends and as them to donate $10 and then send on to their friends. We can get this business open $10 at a time AND all donations of $10 received a coupon for a free food items, so just think of it as pre-paying for lunch! My goal is still to use the building on Main in Flushing, but I need this funding to do it. Time is running out as the campaign ends the last day of May and we really do need to open in June to get the full effect of the summer traffic and start off on a positive note. So Please help all you can!
Happy cooking and recycling!

Pops Peterson: Impressions of a Life Well Spent | Our State Magazine

Pops Peterson: Impressions of a Life Well Spent Our State Magazine

This article is about my paternal grandfather, whom I have never met, or at least not at an age which I can remember. It brings to mind some interesting thoughts about family.
 I am related by blood to lots of people, but I am only close to two - my own children. Mostly it's due to actual distance. I haven't lived near any of my blood relatives for decades. I also did not grow up with my brothers or my parents after the age of 10 (I was raised by my maternal grandparents). I often wonder how that has influenced the person that I am. I think I am still trying to figure out what makes a lasting relationship between people. I know it isn't simply relation. It requires concentrated effort, engagement, and genuine interest in others. It is tough to do from a distance, and I think that's why long-distance relationships of any kind are super-tough to maintain. Out of sight, out of mind, seems pretty true in my experience.
I hope that there are people in your life that are close to you in all ways and whom you love whether blood related or not. Ultimately, the relationships we forge and foster are all we have to sustain us through life.

Pasta - big bowls and sauce overload

Pasta is favorite in our house. We have pasta based dishes at least twice a week. Now that whole wheat pastas are readily available at a very affordable price, it is both economical and healthy. The problem with pasta is that it's easy to eat too much of it. A serving is much smaller than most people realize and when we see it on the plate, it is easy to believe that tiny portion would never be enough!  We have a tendency to cook a big pot, pour it into a huge bowl, and sop up the excess sauce with lots of bread.
Since pasta is so family friendly, as well as vegetarian (and vegan if dried) friendly it is worth noting some easy ways to serve and make sure we aren't on carb or sauce overload.
If you are simply serving pasta and sauce, measure out the portion of sauce first and then add and toss the pasta a little at a time to coat. You will find you are only using the amount of pasta necessary to compliment the sauce.
If you are doing a vegetable and pasta mix, add the pasta to the vegetables and mix. Your vegetables should be  at least 2 to 1 in regard to pasta. If there will be a sauce in addition to the vegetables, either cook the veggies in the sauce or add the sauce after the pasta and veggies are mixed.
The best vegetables to add to a tomato sauce are ones that are hearty and hold their shape, like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.
My favorites to add to pesto are spinach, artichoke, watercress, and asparagus.
Spinach is a great veggie for any kind of sauce.
Here are several easy, healthy sauce basics for pasta -
veggie broth and lemon juice - great for vegetable and pasta dishes -  you can cook the veggies in this broth and then add a little more of the liquids when adding the pasta to coat, season with a little grated parmesan or romano, black ground pepper, or lemon pepper - easy and light!
pesto - basically all you need are some basil leaves, olive oil and garlic. I also like to add a little lemon juice and zest. whip this up in your food processor, no cooking needed! (you can saute the garlic first if you like)
tomato - everyone has their favorite tomato sauce recipe - keep a light hand when adding sugar and salt. Look for other ways to sweeten, such as cinnamon, or spice it up a little  with red pepper flakes so you need less sugar for flavor. The heavier handed you are with the garlic and onion, the less sweetener you will need as well.
Use pasta the same way you do bread  for a sandwich - as the conduit for the other ingredients rather than the main feature, and you will find your family healthier and satisfied at dinner time!