Sunday, June 1, 2008

Local

Wow! There's so much I'm learning lately about food, that it's going to take me a while to break it all down, but for today I did something different, I took the definition of "local" literally. Buying locally grown foods is important for a number of reasons, like freshness, seasonality, support of local farming, and the farmers that work so hard to provide us food. And the best places to buy locally grown foods, (not just "grown" foods, but locally prepared foods, like breads, cheeses, oils/spreads, etc.) is at our neighborhood Certified Organic Farmers Markets.

Well, Mark and I live in an area of San Jose known as Japantown. Japantown is located on the northside of our downtown area, and has a main street with a strip of small businesses ( a fresh tofu company, Japanese market, Sushi resturants, etc.) in fact we live on the same street, just one block away, from the Buddhist Temple. Every Sunday Japantown has a small farmers market....one which I almost never shop at! Why? Well, if you asked me that question before today, I would of said, "Because it sucks!". Why? It's too small, and it doesn't have near the selection that the "trendier" Campbell Farmers Market has on the same day.
Well, too bad for me! If I want it to get any better, then I better start supporting it! Besides, what do I need? I'm lucky in the fact, that I have at least one farmers market to choose from Wednesday thru Sunday, most days I can chose between 2 within driving distance. So why not shop in my own neighborhood, 2 blocks away on Sunday? Done!
I'm doing a great job not overshopping, but it's going to take me a while to really get it down. My CSA box gave me, it seemed, like all green things! (besides the strawberries) So I needed some color. I ended up only buying baby yellow squashes, watermelon radish, (pictured below), carrots (only 5!), red and green onions, strawberries, cherries, and yes....a head of romaine lettuce, lol! I made a warm salad that I shared with Mark using the chard and baby lettuces from CSA, green garlic and watermelon radish from the FM....I put bleu cheese on mine, dressed with oil and lemon. The pictures show sliced chard stems, spring garlic, watermelon radish (in skillet) and chard leaves.



Two things I was hoping to get, but I didn't find were asparagus and leeks, for soup. I made an overabundance of chicken stock last week! More on that next time!


Sunday
8:00am Bikram yoga
2:00pm KB

Menu
coffee/cream
small oatmeal w/milk
strawberries/cherries
warm salad w/radish, chard, baby lettuces, bleu cheese, oil and lemon
small mango/papaya fruit smoothie w/fiber

Saturday
demo swings w/clients
12noon 1 hour walk

Menu
coffee w/cream
apple/strawberries/apricots (farmers market in Palo Alto)
roamaine, celery salad w/egg, mustard dressing and chicken
sprouted rye bread w/almond butter and raisins (5 slices!)
large pasta w/arugula roasted peppers and cheese
vanilla yogurt w/jam


Saturday was a high calorie day, but not high sugar! I only used about 1 teaspoon of almond butter, and about 10-12 raisins scattered on top, per slice of sprouted rye bread...but I did have 5 slices! Lots of sweeness in the fruit, and I finished the day with sweetened yogurt.


I'm still in the habit of not eating after 6pm, a habit that I haven't been taking seriously enough, but I've changed back to making that a priority. I'm currently weighing myself once a week, maybe twice, I haven't decided. Possibly Mondays and Thursdays.


Life is great, and the fruit season has started in full force! Woo hoo!

11 comments:

Happiness Within said...

Tracy,

We are lucky to live here in the bay area. I went to our local FM in Fremont and got some great cherries. My mom got bok choy and oranges. My employer is now offering a FM at least once a month to encourage the employees to eat local and eat fresh.

I just watched www.11thhourfilm.com. That was a great movie on creating a sustainable living situation in our world, especially here in the U.S.

On a side note, I have been working out at least 5 days a week and have lost a pant size since I saw you in April. It feels great to do what I love to do: Work my body!!

Enjoy!
Tamikka

Kori Bliffert, NASM-CPT said...

Tracy,
BJ and I are going to start looking for farmer's markets and local stuff here too. But we cannot believe how fresh all the produce is down here! It is amazing! By the way, what does a watermelon radish taste like?

Tracy Reifkind said...

Tamikka,

Bok choy came in my CSA, not a favorite, but I'm eating it!

I'm learning alot more about what "local" really means, as well as "organic" and "sustainable". I'll be sharing more about these subjects soon.

What do your workouts look like these days? Obviously they're working!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Kori,

Well, your location is no doubt better, but it is the beginning of spring also! Geez...it's almost the end of spring...it's been so freakin' cold still, lol!

Watermelon radishes are much more mild than other radishes, without the sharp, spicy bite. I love cooking radishes, and Mark commented last night that the watermelon radish, when cooked, had a "meaty" quality, and I agree. Of course it doesn't taste like meat, it carrys the flavors of the dressing (oil/lemon/salt), but the texture is quite substantial.

Happiness Within said...

I love bok choy! I make a simple soup with mine.

My workouts consists of circuit training working the front/back of my body on alternate days. The workouts are 45-60 minutes of non-stop action, just the way I like it.

Have you seen the 11th hour yet?! Please do if you haven't!!!

Tamikka

Jen said...

Tracy,

You're so cute! I love those pictures of you at the Farmer's Market!!

Just wanted to say that! :)

Muah!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Tamikka,

I'm in the middle of Omnivoire's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan....Wow! It's not anything that I wasn't suspect to already but, it really breaks it down, how the food business and industrial agriculture do not take health as a priority. Health of our bodies, and health of our planet!

I always tell people that if they think the food industry in this country is about nutrition, then they're wrong....it's about profit!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Jen,

I still have 1/2 of a cherimoya in the freezer!

How's the new pressure cooker?

Jen said...

Tracy,

LOVE my new pressure cooker... it's just like yours with the little pop-up indicator and everything :) I made chicken stock last night.. I feel some kind of a bean dish made in it soon!

No Cherimoyas at the Farmer's Market this week.. I did find them for $7.99 a pound at the market... I decided to pass. Had some yummy strawberries though!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Jen,

I swear I was just thinking...,"I wonder if Jen makes chicken stock the way I showed her in the PC?', lol!

I made a super spicy multi bean/grain soup yesterday using up leftover jalapenos...a little too spicey! I packed it up for the freezer and when I add some ground meat to it it'll be fine....I love my PC!

Jen said...

Tracy,

I've made chicken stock 4 times since you showed me how! We used a bunch when Greg had a cold, I made him Matzo Ball soup and he was a happy boy :)

I don't have a specific bean soup recipe, but I'm going to try black beans today... wooo hooo! Wish me luck :)