Serial Snoozer

Oh, that extra 9 minutes. There is very little that can get me out of bed without hitting the snooze. Except for waking up late when I’m supposed to be at the airport or waking up at 2:00 AM to a fire alarm going off in our building, I always hit the snooze button. And I don’t mean I hit it once or twice. Three – four times per week, I am consistently guilty of hitting the snooze for at least an hour. Grant does the same – I’m confident our neighbor want to punch us both (fortunately he plays the guitar LOUDLY until 2:00 AM [until the fire alarm goes off] so we consider it even).

It is difficult to find reliable research about the ol’ snooze button (but there are a lot of blogs out there with strong opinions). I did find a NY Times article by Martica Heaner about snoozing which shares that, “Although scientists have not specifically tackled the question, sleep researchers agree that short bouts of sleep are far from ideal. The restorative value of rest is diminished, especially when the increments are short, said Dr. Edward Stepanski, who has studied sleep fragmentation at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. And a teeter-totter effect of dozing and waking causes shifts in the brain-wave patterns.” Additionally, “sleep-deprived snooze-button addicts are likely to cut short their quota of REM sleep, impairing their mental functioning during the day.” Yowza. I’d like to keep my mental functioning at a high, please.

So, I’m adding this to my list. When I go to bed, I have the BEST of intentions – “At 5:30 AM I’m going to leap out of bed, go to the gym, and really take advantage of the morning hours!” Reality - “BEEP! BEEP! Snooze Snooze Snooze BEEP! BEEP! Snooze Snooze Snooze BEEP! BEEP! Snooze Snooze Snooze. You get the idea. My goal is to be snooze-button-free, by the end of 2011. If I’m going to sleep in, set my alarm according to that time (or not set it at all!). If I’m going to get up early, I’ll set the alarm and GET UP. This is an epic challenge for me. Let the games begin…

Eggcellent!

This month I set out to take on the incredible, edible, egg. I am an undeniable fan of all things brunch - fluffy waffles, crisp mimosas, scrumptious coffee cakes - I love it all. However, few things can trump a well-prepared eggs benedict - particularly if there is a crabcake snuggled between the english muffin and the egg. Because of my love of brunch and my longing to be able to make this delicious dish at home, I added the poached egg to my list.

Over the course of the past several months I've gotten lots of advice; use a ladle, use vinegar, stir the water, use some newfangled thing they sell at Sur La Table - the list could go on. I watched several videos and finally decided to take the plunge. Here's the real revelation - it's just not that hard! Even the first try went spectacularly well. Here is my unsolicited advice...

1. Fill a medium to large size pot with warm water. Put on the burner and turn to medium. It shouldn't boil, but should just perhaps release little tiny bubbles along the bottom.

2. Add some white vinegar to the pot. No specifi

c measurement here. Just eyeball it and pour a little in.

3. Take a slotted spoon and start sternly stirring the water in one direction. You want to make a mini cyclone.

4. Once the water is moving, crack your egg and drop it right in the center of the cyclone. It should grab the egg and hold it together, perhaps spinning it a few times.

5. Let that bad boy cook for a few minutes before pulling it out with your slotted spoon. You can jiggle it a little which should give you an idea of how runny/hard your yolk is.

6. Make sure you drain it well with your slotted spoon and then drop it onto your prepared english muffin with whatever other yummy accompaniments you choose.

7. Voila! Dig in. :)

Learn how to make a poached egg - CHECK!

Roughing It!

Sooooo, turns out I'm still here. April 30?! Eek! For the record, I did have a bagel with cream cheese on May 1...and it was so delicious that I've simply had to have several since. :)

I've been trekking along on the rest of my list. Here are a few updates...

We went camping! Sadly, we're missing Yacob, Matt and Justin (not to mention our four-legged friend/foe Dylan) in this photo but this was part of the bridgade. We went camping at Camp Merryelande in Maryland where we slept on the sand and listened to the waves roll in on a gorgeous Sunday morning. We plugged our cell phone chargers into the trees, packed up camp, and hit up Wendy's for our annual post-camping grease-fest. What? Plugged in our cell phones? Of course! Camp Merryelande is not just any camp. They bring around bags of ice, will deliver a freshly chopped pile of wood and kindling for a fire and yes, have even built electrical outlets into the trees. Some might argue that this is not real camping. I would argue that I - 1) slept in a tent, 2) used the great outdoors when nature called and 3) snacked on s'mores at 3:00am by the campfire. I call that camping. On a more sour note, I did however prove that I cannot actually start a fire and would rely on Maura heavily if we were ever actually in a real "roughing it" situation. Until next year, Camp M...

Final hours

Saturday, April 30. Just 14 hours from now I'll be waking up and immediately heading to Einstein's for a delightful bagel with...CREAM CHEESE! No, not "sheese" or "chrese" or "cheezze" or some other odd substitute. Real, creamy, milky cream cheese. This last week has hands down been the hardest. Once I had just seven days remaining I began to think of all the things I'd want to eat and would be able to - soon! Chips and queso. Eggs benedict. Bagels with cream cheese. Sushi with shrimp and tuna and salmon.

As excited as I am to "'tox" (as opposed to "detox"), one of my most recent vegan meals was divine. One rainy Friday, Maura, Jen and I headed over to Sticky Rice, a local hotspot on H Street. Sticky Rice marks the vegan options on their menu and there are many. Vegan noodle dishes, sushi, and of course, a bucket of tater tots. We enjoyed a vegan spread of tater tots, Mock Chicken Schezwan, a sushi roll with tempura fried sweet potato, agave jalapeno and sesame seeds and a delightful little roll of vegan tofutti cream cheese, cucumbers, avocado, vegan spicy sauce, drizzled with ponzu and scallions. You can see the agave nectar dripped all across the plate. This little touch of sweetness was a lively final note. If only I could have eaten every meal this month at Sticky Rice!

In non-vegan news, I watched my movie for the month (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest), gave a second blood donation, and watched Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job. I'm nearly through my latest book, Watermelon, and my May 21 camping trip is planned. Marathon training begins this week. Can't wait for track workout number one. Something about 800 x 4 x 30 or some such nonsense (Grant is in charge of this part). Somehow I think three months from now when I'm 8 miles into a 14 mile run I'm going to wish begin vegan was the most challenging thing currently on the list...

French people hate vegans?

Ok, so maybe that isn’t a totally fair characterization. My experience at dinner last night may have left me slightly jilted. Let me explain…

I’ve actually enjoyed veganism far more than I thought I would. My prediction was that it was going to be a mere test of will and that I would just need to drag myself through 30 days without some of my favorite delights – goat cheese, a piping hot breakfast burrito with delicately cooked eggs and stringy, melty cheese, mashed potatoes made creamy with fresh milk or cream and of course a generous helping of butter, to name a few. Turns out, I’ve actually had little trouble. The first week was pretty brutal – mostly because of detox. I just didn’t feel good. Since then, things have been looking up! I have far more energy than usual and I surprisingly haven’t been craving any non-vegan goodies. I know what to cook and I know what to eat. Typically that has been satisfying and quite enjoyable. Until last night.

Grant and I had dinner with some friends at Bistro du Coin, a Dupont Circle restaurant that once appeared on the Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list. I wasn’t involved with selecting our dinner spot but happily agreed as the reservation was made. Yesterday afternoon I hopped on the web to check out my dinner options and plan ahead. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I did. Nearly everything, and I literally mean everything, featured some delicious combination of mussels, cream, ham, prosciutto, goat cheese (dear Lord help me), or other pork product. There were, no kidding, two things on a menu of over 60 menu items that didn’t include dairy or meat.

Several thoughts crossed my mind initially – 1) Ugh. I wish they had more vegan options. 2) Hmm, that mussels dish with cream and bacon sounds delicious…oh gosh, so does that ravioli! By the end of the meal I had one very clear thought – I WANT SOMETHING WITH MILK AND CHEESE!!!!! Our table got appetizers that included warm goat cheese salad, endive with ham and gruyere, ravioli with seafood, mushrooms and a lobster sauce, and some yummy fresh bread with – gasp! – fresh butter. Pardon me for a moment while I wipe the drool…

To say it tested my will is an understatement. I never thought of giving in though, which I find sort of surprising. At no point did I think, maybe I’ll just have ONE bite of that. Partially because I texted Maura with despair and she responded with, “Halfway through?” True, my dear friend. Halfway through.

Salty x 12

Over a week into veganism, camping trip is scheduled for May, and I'm scheduled for blood donation number two next week. I'll be curious to see whether or not I have enough iron in my blood to donate. I've never had that issue before but with the vegan diet - known to be low in iron - I may be in trouble. I'm taking a number of supplements, eating as much vitamin-rich food as possible all while trying to ward off as much processed food as possible. But let's be honest - sometimes you just really want to eat a whole thing of Pringles. :) Just me? Fair enough. We'll see what happens when I show up at the Red Cross.

One addition to my diet has been the small, lovely looking but heinously salty umeboshi plum. These little bad boys are praised for their intensely healthful qualities - good for digestion, alkalizing for the body and said to help with fatigue and aging. The pickled ume fruits are incredibly salty and sour and enjoy popularity in Japan. Maura, my vegan "sponsor," told me about the small, wrinkly fruit and they frequently appear in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. Upon purchasing them from Whole Foods for nearly $16 (yowza!) I ripped open the package, eager to try the fruit I'd been hearing so much about! I optimistically popped one in my mouth and can only imagine the contortion that immediately over took my face. To say they are "salty," is like saying that Congress is having a minor scuffle over our federal budget - massive understatement. I had been biting my lip all morning (bad habit) and the minute the plum hit my lip, I was certain it had burned a hole. With teary eyes, I quickly munched on the fruit, threw out the pit, and chugged approximately two liters of water. Intense. My stomach did feel great afterwards (and has each time I've repeated this crazy ritual) but it was not without struggle. Rumor has it they are great for a hangover. Haven't needed to attempt that quite yet but I'll report back if I do.

I have eaten several of these little devils since - and felt great! - but I'm not sure what I will do when the package runs out. Buy more? Call it a day? We'll have to see. Have you had these delightful treats? Don't be frightened - give them a go! If nothing else, they're worth the experience (and the healthful benefits that come along!).

3 days down, 27 to go...

Three days into veganism and so far so good. I'm enjoying the food and finding some delicious new recipes to try. Tonight's menu featured Mushroom, Leek, and Green Pea Risotto, a Kind Diet recipe. It was delicious! Super creamy and features some of my favorite veggies.

I'm also keeping my sweet tooth satisfied. Last night after a yummy potluck with delicious chick pea curry, Grant and I vistited Sticky Fingers Bakery, the only all-vegan bakery in Washington, DC. Sticky Fingers recently won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network though in addition to cupcakes they feature a full menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Their front case showcases scrumptious looking cinnamon buns, brownies, cupcake varieties and more.

I helped myself to the "George Carmelin" cupcake, one of the winning flavors on the recently aired show. Just imagine - chocolate cinnamon cake with a vanilla bean bourbon buttercream, bourbon caramel sauce, and candied pecans. It was moist, dense, and well worth the indulgence. The other winning varieties sound and look delightful as well - I'll leave those for another visit.

Enjoying my new diet for now. Post coming soon about my adventures with the umboshi plum...