Working from home is healthier

When I took this job which allows me to work from home frequently (No Oprah reruns!!), I knew it would be convenient, fun, smart, and I'd save a bundle on work clothes and gas.  But I didn't realize it would give me such a good opportunity to be more healthy.

Instead of grabbing a yogurt and throwing some granola in it (my former healthy breakfast routine), today I took advantage of what I had in the fridge and made a great breakfast.

Egg & Tomatoes on a Spinach Nest

2 handfuls of fresh spinach
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
Saute in harissa-infused olive oil.

When the tomatoes started to soften, I broke an egg on top, turned down the heat and let it cook.  I flipped the whole thing over for an over easy spinach nest and served it up with coffee.

I was the only one in the house feeling this kind of healthy this morning. It really didn't take long, but took much more time than I'd ever give myself if I had to head into an office.

So today, at least, I've proven to myself that working from home can be healthier. And it's a reminder to keep some healthy fresh veggies in the fridge.

Hoorah for work-life balance!!!!!

Searching for age and wisdom in the grocery aisles

Working from home the other day, I took a quick break to zoom to the supermarket. It was a rare rainy day in Phoenix. All I really needed was some Diet Coke. So $122 later I also had juice, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, brownie and blueberry muffin mixes and everything I needed to make a house-warming pot roast.

Sometimes when I'm roaming the aisles trying to make up a menu in my head or remember a recipe, imagining how flavors will blend, I look for an older woman to chat with. They know their stuff for sure and they usually know the answer to the question, "Where the heck does this store keep Maraschino cherries?"

Before I hit on the idea of cooking a pot roast yesterday, I bumped into an older couple standing in front of the raisin-craisin, dried cherries and dates shelves. By older I mean early 80s, by dried fruits I mean 123 choices in very similar packaging.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Dried candied dates," the woman replied. Luckily, I saw them right away.

"This it?" I asked.  The price was right so she picked up two.  As she put them in her basket, I asked, "What are you making with them?"

"Date nut bread," she beamed. "I make it every year."

"You making that again?" he finally spoke up and then turned to me. "I hate it. Don't like it. Won't eat it."  She ignored him, smiling at her dates, and we parted ways.  

A few minutes later, after picking up a pot roast, I returned to the vegetables for potatoes, carrots, onions. And I wondered, "What would a pot roast be like if I put in sweet potatoes rather than white potatoes?"   Hmm...   started looking for an older woman to run this one by.

I spotted a friendly looking woman in the right age range near the celery and approached.  "I'm making a pot roast and am wondering about using sweet potatoes rather than white ones," I started. She looked up, sort of interested, but she made a quick sidestep, putting her cart between us. It was a move I hadn't seen since training for my black belt. I took a half step back but continued, "Perhaps I'll mix some new potatoes with a yam... "

She kept her distance, but cocked her head and said, "I haven't done that. I bet they'd cook faster."

"Hmm.. you're right. I could put them in a little later or not use too many. I'll try it."  

She nodded, "Yes, it might make the roast sweetish."    


And it did.  Sweet potatoes cook much faster than the new potatoes I also used.  And the beef was a little sweet. And the house was warm all night.   ~  Robin, Phoenix

Alster in her happy place

Alster in her happy place, originally uploaded by RobinJP.

OK. Really. Does this photo need any description? Isn't this Perfect Moment enough?

Well, alright. Alexandra, aka Alster, is at Lolo's Chicken and Waffles in Phoenix. Most people there feel like this.

I remember exactly what I said to make her grin like this. "Last time we were here, you had the Stupid Fries," I reminded her. She had actually turned Stupid Fries -- lots of goopy, tasty stuff piled high on French fries -- into what we called Stupider Fries by adding sausage.

PM2: This was a Perfect Moment, as we remembered an earlier Perfect Moment.

Oh, and me? I always study the menu and ALWAYS order Betty Boop.  A juicy chicken breast nestled next to a waffle.

Robin (and Alster), Phoenix

Found the best bread recipes ever

Thank you Food Network.

I baked a carrot, hazelnut bread with cream cheese glaze recently that made my neighbors begin talking about us all going into business.  It was truly awesome, but I give credit to a wonderful new recipe.

I found the mix-and-match recipe in a copy of the May 2011 Food Network magazine and my Perfect Moment this morning was when I finally found it online.
I'm throwing away all other bread recipes.  This is the one.  Because it is mix-and-match, one from column A, two from column B, etc., it's actually a recipe for hundreds of wonderful breads.

  Enjoy.

Mix-and-Match Quick Bread. 

I know this is much more practical and far less sentimental than most Perfect Moments.  But just try it: Bake, taste, share and ... Perfect Moment.

Robin, Tempe 

Treated myself to Joe's real good lunch

April 30, 2011, Joe's real good lunch, originally uploaded by RobinJP.

This was my weekend.

Wrote a blog post for work on the NASA Tweetup. ✓
Wrote a 5-page paper on alternative medicines and the placebo effect. ✓
Did 5 loads of laundry. ✓
Ran 4.5 miles along the desert hills of Phoenix's South Mountain. ✓
Shopped for new bras. (Hah! Ladies, you know what that means.) ✓
Fixed a great big salad for this week's lunches. ✓
Found a blouse in the closet so I don't have to iron. ✓

Wrote this Perfect Moment for Perfect Moment Monday. ✓

Treated myself to Joe's Real BBQ some of the best chicken and ribs in Arizona. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

I love weekends like this. Full and fun and they leave me recharged and ready to hit the week running.

Robin, Tempe

Too pooped to pop

March 31, 2011, Too pooped to pop, originally uploaded by RobinJP.

If it's Jimmy John's sandwich shop, this must be Thursday.

We grocery shop on Sundays and plan out a week full of meals. But sometimes, by Thursday, our little carpool of two takes a detour on the way home for fast food.

We try to stick to higher end fast food.. no McDonald's here. Jimmy John's is a favorite. And they are fast. But last night, not quite fast enough for Sue.

Robin, Tempe

New Year's Schmoo-Year's: Be awesome always

New Year's Resolutions

Or things that might make me feel good this year if I remember to do them.

1. Exercise. Move. My metabolism is slow.. and slowing. I like sweets. Gotta move. Gotta get out.

2. Be more diligent about saving, investing. Remember, I like sweets. And living indoors.

3. Meditate. 2010 was my year to get into guided meditation. I can fly.

4. Read children's books. Even without kids in the house, who can't lighten the mood with a quick round of Dr. Seuss?

5. Call my mother. I am so lucky. 55 and still have both parents. And my mom so loves phone calls.

6. Laugh out loud every day. And if it's going to be at someone, make it at myself.

7. Patience. Count to 10. Take a moment. Let it go. Re-focus. Mini-meditation.

8. Never ever ever go to bed angry. (Do go to bed hungry.)

9. Think more. Share less. Or share in a more focused way. Engage. Don't add to the clutter.

10. Drink more water. This one I can do.


And who needs a day to kick all this off? Let's just try to be awesome ... always.

Robin, Tempe

Post-race meal

Post-race meal, originally uploaded by RobinJP.

I know it really doesn't look the healthiest in the cold light of day, but it was the perfect breakfast this morning after getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go run a 5k race.

Of course, I had to peel off about 4 ounces of cheese and would have loved a second biscuit. But pretty darned close to Perfect.

Robin, Tempe

Pancake taste test: coconut oil vs. butter

Coconut oil vs. butter.

I went to bed last night dreaming of pancakes. That's not so unusual, it's Sunday. We're American. It's what we do.

But Sue and I turned this morning's pancake breakfast into a fun Perfect Moment Taste Test.

A friend from our meditation class (see how woo-woo we're getting) was talking about the benefits of eating coconut oil. "It's good on anything as long as you don't mind the taste of coconut." Mind? I can hardly think of anything better. So we bought a jar of Whole Foods 365 coconut oil.

Heath claims: From Lauren's healthy eating blog:

The lauric acid in coconut oil has been shown in numerous studies to inactivate a variety of viruses including the herpes simplex virus and HIV. There is no need to be afraid of coconut oil’s high saturated fat content. Coconut consumption is not associated with heart disease (it is artificially saturated trans fats that are dangerous). You can use coconut oil in place of butter in baking recipes. It is also great for sauteeing due to its high smoke point. Or try adding full-fat coconut milk to creamy vegetable curry soup instead of milk or cream for a luscious vegan rendition.

Need more? Follow @CoconutHealth on Twitter.

Great. But what about that taste?

Sunday morning taste test. Two pans. Pancake mix. Bananas. Butter. Coconut oil.

The oil comes in a jar. Even in our warm climate in Arizona, it is a solid, white, spoonable mass. It melts fast into a clear liquid. The butter melts a little slower as the butter, water, salt separate. Both need a medium heat to keep from burning.

Batter up. Each pancake bubbles up. They take about the same amount of time. Each holds sliced bananas well. The butter browns better. Each pancake looks shiny with oil. Hmmm... should we just have yogurt?

Taste test. The coconut oil pancake browned smoothly, but did not get crispy like the butter pancake. It had a subtle coconut taste which went really well with bananas. But it was all sweet, especially since I put maple syrup on top.

The butter pancake was crispy and butter gave it a nice salty balance to the syrupy sweet. "There's just something decadent about knowing that you're downing about a stick of butter and then trying to be healthy with the banana," Sue said between mouthfuls. "It was lovely, just lovely."

Bottom line: I like the health claims and plan to use coconut oil in other dishes .. stir fry maybe ... but if I had to pick just one for my Sunday morning pancake, the winner is:

BUTTER.

Robin, Tempe

Save money, eat right, another great salad

Sometimes taking time to make my lunch is a Perfect Moment.


Robin, Tempe

Sometimes you just gotta have a biscuit

"Just a 20-minute wait," we were told. Sure we could wait 20 minutes for brunch. No problem. They've got a bench. The weather's nice.

About an hour later, the four of us started to give the hostess the stink eye. Come on, we're huuuunnngggrrreeeee.

Oh yeah.
It was soooo worth the wait.
Look at that flying biscuit and those creamy grits. I'd wait another hour and fly another 4 to Atlanta for a brunch at The Flying Biscuit with friends. What a Perfect Moment.





oh yeah. sometimes you just need a biscuit.

Robin & Sue, Tempe, Arizona