Wednesday, July 31

jul 31 grocery challenge / csa week 9


this week's harvest:

marketmore cucumbers - 2
black bell eggplant - 1
white clara eggplant - 1
beets with greens - 1 bunch
walla walla sweet onions - 3
scallions - 1 bunch
biscayne peppers - 2
banana peppers - 2
roma tomatoes - 4
sungold cherry tomatoes - 1 basket
flat leaf parsley - 1 bunch
lemon basil - 1 bunch


menu:

beet, orange & fennel salad (never made it last week, oops)
tabouli and tzatziki
eggplant and peppers in peanut sauce

notes:

*traded the lemon basil for an extra bunch of beets


shopping list:

cilantro
dill
garlic
lemon
grapes
banana
peanut butter
bulgur
hummus
crackers
pretzels
yogurt

grocery bill:

$33

Wednesday, July 24

jul 24 grocery challenge / csa week 8


this week's harvest:

summer squash - 2
boothby blonde and poona kheera cucumbers - 6
marketmore cucumbers - 3
bell eggplant - 1
oriental eggplant - 2
beets with greens - 1 bunch
fennel - 2 bulbs
scallions - 1 bunch
leeks - 1 bunch
cherry tomatoes - 1 basket
amethyst basil - 1 bunch

menu:

slaw
beet, orange & fennel salad
balkan cucumber salad
marinated pasta salad
summer squash & tomatillo gratin
eggplant almond enchiladas

shopping list:

watermelon
carrots
red onions
garlic
parsley
bell peppers
oranges
pumpkin seeds
slivered almonds
sesame seeds
crispy lo mein noodles
sesame vinaigrette
tomatillo salsa
pasta shells
chopped tomatoes
corn tortillas
jack cheese
yogurt
parmesan
butter
english muffins
nacho chips

grocery bill:

$80 (ouch)

Thursday, July 18

jul 17 grocery challenge / csa week 7


this week's harvest:

summer squash - 4
bright lights chard - 1 bunch
boothby blonde and poona kheera cucumbers - 4
marketmore cucumbers - 2
eggplant
caraflex cabbage - 2 heads
scallions - 1 bunch
currants - 1 basket
thai basil - 1 bunch


menu:

slaw
zucchini currant muffins
roasted eggplant & red pepper with spicy peanut sauce

shopping list:

bell pepper
diced tomatoes
pita chips
OJ

grocery bill:

forgot to keep track!

Tuesday, July 9

jul 10 grocery challenge / csa week 6

this week's harvest:

summer squash - 2
summer spinach - 1 bunch
cucumbers (boothby blonde and poona kheera) - 2
orient eggplant
napa cabbage - 1 head
early jersey wakefield cabbage - 1 head
scallions - 1 bunch
escarole - 1 head
dill - 1 bunch



menu:

another salad (still have lettuce from last week and will add some cabbage from this week)
pasta with caramelized onions and escarole (didn't make this yet but just as well since the recipe calls for 2 heads of escarole!)
mediterranean cabbage rolls with tzatziki, babaganoush and pitas
spin pie

notes:

traded the squash for an extra eggplant for the babaganoush


shopping list:

blueberries
onion
lemon
plum tomatoes
bell pepper
olives
white beans
feta
cheddar
yogurt
OJ
pitas

grocery bill:

$45

Wednesday, July 3

jul 3 grocery challenge / csa week 5

this week's harvest:

sugar snap peas - 1 pound
garlic scapes - 8
tropicana lettuce - 1 head
romaine lettuce - 1 head
sorrel - 1 bunch
purslane - 1 bunch
bright lights swiss chard - 1 bunch
escarole - 1 bunch
summer squash - 2 pounds


menu:

more salad! going with a good old garden style this week
indian chard with chick peas (sean has dubbed this "chana chard" instead of chana saag)
pasta with caramelized onions and escarole
zucchini bread
sauteed peas and garlic scapes with faux fried chicken

shopping list:

peaches
banana
cucumber
carrots
ginger
jalapeno
scallions
red onions
lemon
bell pepper
walnuts
golden raisins
chicken
chick peas
diced tomatoes
spaghetti
buttermilk
yogurt
OJ
butter
muffins

grocery bill:

about $56, yipes

Monday, July 1

race report: pride run

this 5-miler is put on by the front runners, a running club/team for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender runners and their allies. it's been run for 32 consecutive years but this year is a team points race so i signed up for it. not sure why, since only the first 5 finishers in a division actually count toward the score for that division and i am not among the top finishers on my team, but i like supporting the team overall. so even though it was a 5 miler in central park in summer (triple ugh), i registered anyway.

race day dawned warm & muggy, same as the previous few days as we've been stuck in a very humid air mass. i hoped at least the clouds might stick around to keep the sun off us, but it was not meant to me. i caught a ride with joann and jill, and we caught up with a few other folks prior to the race, all bemoaning the less-than-ideal conditions.

went for a short warm up jog of about half a mile, then headed for the corrals. sure enough, the clouds started breaking up and the sun intensity increased. i had just about decided to drop my pace down to 9 minute miles but instead decided not to check my watch at all and just run it as comfortably as i could. i also decided not to carry water with me but to use the water stops as needed.

turns out that last part was a mistake. the race was crowded (more than 5500 finishers!) and getting to and away from the water tables was a real drag. but so it goes.

coming down the west side, i saw a couple teammates out cheering which was a great pick-me-up.


i thought about quitting several times during this race, it was just so muggy and disgusting. the course clocks suggested that i wasn't doing too bad timewise but i wasn't really paying attention. around mile 4, my thoughts finally turned from quitting to finishing, and right about then i saw my teammate rick, who had come to the park with his camera in tow to cheer & take photos.






what great pics he got! thanks rick!!

i finally finished and checked my watch to see 41:18 (unofficial). not a PR but not awful, so i was ok with that. we got rainbow popsicles, plums and pretzels at the finish, in addition to water. we all gathered back at baggage claim to compare notes and take silly photos.


then we all headed home. after a shower and a nap, i checked the results online to see my official time of 41:15. not only that, but i realized i was actually the 5th female finisher for my team, so my time counted toward our score! shocking! obviously too many of the fast ladies didn't race this one, so it kind of sucks for the team that they had to use my less-than-stellar time, but nevertheless i was happy that i got to contribute.

celebrated that with some recovery food. yum!


splits show that i struggled mightily during mile 4. had i been able to pick it up a bit, i was on pace for a much better time. at least i brought it back together during the last mile.

Split
Time
Distance
Avg Pace
Summary41:18.45.058:11
18:04.01.008:04
28:03.61.008:04
38:01.71.008:02
48:42.51.008:43
58:02.21.008:02
6:24.50.057:50