January Runs

I have always been like this. Documenting everything. Every mile run. Every yoga class taken. Now I even wear the Nike Fuel band (thanks Shark!) to record my calories burnt, steps taken, mileage accomplished. But I was a bit surprised when The Shark wanted me to record his workouts too. He joined a gym in his office building and sneaks away most days for quick runs. And we have been running together early weekend mornings (while Toto is properly cared for, of course). We need something to train for, but after the marathon I have been too lazy to find and register for a race. Maybe soon.

Week 1
Moi: 13.1 miles (+yoga)
The Shark: 18.07 miles

Week 2
Moi: 20.1 miles (+yoga)
The Shark: 19 miles (+ tennis)

Week 3
Moi: 22 miles (+yoga)
The Shark: 20 miles

Week 4
Moi: 25.1 miles (+yoga)
The Shark: 22.46 miles

Week 5 (How many f-ing weeks are there in January?!?)
Moi: 11.1 miles
The Shark: 13.5 miles (+tennis)

January Total
Moi: 91.4 miles
The Shark: 93.03 miles

I Knew That Nutritional Yeast Would Come in Handy

Back in July, to make up for "The Worst Birthday Dinner That Never Happened" (long story for another time), The Shark booked us a weekend at The Farm. Vegan food, yoga classes, fresh air. It was love at first sight.

Sight of a slight altercation between a goose and the child. No one was harmed.

One of Toto's favorite spots.

In fact, we loved the food so much we bought the cookbook. Lots of recipes call for cashew cheese, and while I was ready to pay an exorbitant price for it at Healthy Options, they didn't carry it. So, we made it ourselves. Surprisingly easy and delicious. Even The Shark, who grew up on a dairy farm, couldn't stop dipping. Granted, he said it tasted more like hummus than cheese, but the nutritional yeast and apple cider vinergar definitely gave it a cheezy tang. I used this recipe because it didn't call for probiotics (need to google that) or long hours fermenting, but maybe in the future we'll try making a more complicated recipe. For now, I was happy to soak cashews, then plop them in the food processor with apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and some water. (I normally use nutritional yeast as a yogurt mix-in and in smoothies - lots of folic acid and B vitamins!). And voila, a yummy vegan snack that we can use for tomorrow's vegan stuffed peppers.

Raw cashews from the Salcedo Market - P250 ($6)

Happy vegan snacking.

Keeping Up With the Playgroup Moms

For Toto's most recent nanny/toddler playgroup that we hosted at our place, we served the kids mangoes, bananas and goldfish crackers. Pretty standard toddler fare, right? Well, one day after work, when Yaya was giving me the rundown on Toto's day: what she did (played at the park, went to playgroup); how long she slept (2 hours, which she rarely does on the weekends); and what she ate (everything), she told me that Toto LOVED the quinoa blueberry muffins she had at her fiend J's playgroup. Uh, what?! Homemade organic muffins, packed full of protein and antioxidants? While I was filling up those innocent kids with salty leftovers from Toto's first birthday party (they weren't stale, I tried them). Clearly that needed to be remedied. I found this great recipe and Healthy Options carried Bob's Red Mill quinoa flour. They were awesome. Toto ate 3 (mini-muffins) and I had to put them away before The Shark devoured the whole plate. I tweaked this recipe from Lemons and Anchovies by halving the brown sugar, using canola oil, and only baking 10 minutes for mini-muffins. Happy baking.

Toto's seal of approval.

Manila's Best Crepe

OK, so Cafe Breton's crepe was only my third crepe in Manila. My first was at the Salcedo market and was too greasy. The second at the Sofitel was filled with sweet mango and was tasty. But this crepe folks, this crepe was fantastic. As it was MLK Day in the US, we had the day off and after running 5 miles through Forbes Park while Toto and Yaya played on the playground, we needed some nourishment. We almost went to Apartment 1B...again...but I remembered a friend had recommended Cafe Breton. We had excellent service, delicious coffee, and no one was smoking--a MLK Day miracle. 

I had the "Dracula" on a gallette (cheese, tomato, and garlic in a wheat wrap) and The Shark had something with lots of meat and runny eggs, but he seemed to enjoy it. 

When at a crepe restaurant, dessert is the norm, even with breakfast, right? I can't even remember what was in this, but it was so, so good.

 And The Shark insisted on bringing The Girlfriend along. She's so annoying.

More Organic Produce

I bypassed my go-to stall, DGM Organics, at the Saturday Market this morning, and instead bought my weekend produce from Herbana Farms. The stall is less crowded, cleaner, and more organized. Probably because it is not on the main market path. The food also appears to be better quality. Their website indicates they hold demonstrations for those interested in organic farming, and even have an annual festival. This morning I picked up kamote (sweet potato) for a casserole, lettuce for a salad, and carrots, celery, and thyme for accompaniments to the whole chicken I am roasting up this afternoon for a casual dinner with friends. All the produce was less than $10. Take that Whole Foods. (But I still miss you. And Trader Joe's. And Target, but not for produce, for everything else.) 

That will be 40 cents.

Sunday Cooking

Good yogurt is hard to come by in Manila, but please correct me if I am wrong because I would love to send Toto to college, but can't because she loves yogurt and eats it everyday. We end up buying the 1kg Total Fage greek yogurt from S&R that costs $25. Yes, you read that right. I looked online and found it for about $7. As we try and budget in order to save for a down payment on a house in DC (more on that later), we are looking for ways to save money. And no, weekend Starbucks lattes are not on the table. 

On Friday, a colleague received a yogurt maker she had ordered and when she saw me staring longingly at it, let me borrow it during her 2-week vacation. All you need is a liter of boxed UHT milk (in Manila, but in America I would use fresh) and some yogurt or yogurt starter. After boiling and then cooling the milk, I mixed in some yogurt, then poured it in the 7 jars. The machine is currently plugged in and after 8 hours we should have delicious yogurt - for about $10.

Cheap-er yogurt.

New Year, new recipes. I am getting sick of all the old recipes we used last year, so The Shark suggested this one - warm quinoa salad with tarragon and edamame. Had to make some substitutions because you can never find everything you need for a recipe in Manila, even if you go to 10 different stores. So, in stead of roasted red peppers, I used sweet pickled bell peppers. And there was no edamame to be found (I thought we were in Asia?!), so I used green garbanzos. That I didn't even know existed. In the end it was delicious.

My sister whipped up a quick and easy veggie lasagna in San Diego, so we threw together our own version. Layer one was brocoli, garlic and Japanese spinach (there are so many green leafy vegetables at the market that I had no idea which one to pick. A friendly Japanese woman told me the Japanese spinach was the best. She's probably biased, but I went with it anyway), and layer 2 was yellow zucchini and roasted tomatoes. Instead of pricey ricotta and parmesan, I went with less pricey mozzarella and cottage cheese. Perfect for a Sunday night.

Guess I gave away that the sauce wasn't homemade.

A day's worth of veggies in one meal.

Starting Fresh

In March 2012 when Toto was only 6 months old, I still felt foggy and out of it--I still didn't feel "like myself." I was in that new mom phase, trying to find a balance between working, being with Toto, being a good wife to The Shark, and finding time for myself. Of course, I am still working on that everyday, but now that Toto is 16 months, I feel a little more balanced and a little more like my old type-A self. 

However, having a baby has forced me to take it down a notch or two on the old intensity scale--I did say only a notch or two, I still love planning, checking things off my list, getting more things done than I should. But if Toto dumps her toys everywhere, smears my clothes with avocado, or interrupts my list making, I can let it go. Moments with her are just too precious. And with amazing Yaya, I can find time to take care of myself and spend quality time with The Shark. 

Last year I decided to make a list of ongoing goals instead of one resolution. Tried to choose things that would help myself, my family, and others. I think I did pretty good.

1. Bake cupcakes and frosting from scratch each month. I managed to make cupcakes several times, but not every month. My two biggest undertakings were for  a friend's 2-year old's party and Toto's 1-year bash. My favorite and easiest cupcake to make is the vegan chocolate cupcake.

2. Run a marathon. While I had originally considered The Cam Sur or Singapore Marathon, I ended up running the Bangkok Marathon in November. Our trip to Bangkok turned out to be one of our best mini-vacations ever, and it didn't hurt that I checked off a major life goal while there. My time was 5hr 18 mins, not what I had hoped for, but not bad considering the training conditions in Manila, working full time, and having a 14-month old. You can read the details here.

3. Throw Toto a blow-out first birthday.  I initially intended to pay someone to orchestrate Toto's entire birthday, but I realized I wanted it to be personal and special, so I took care of most of the details myself. The child loves water, so I went with a beach theme.

4. Make some baby food from scratch.  Now that Toto is eating mainly solid food, it is becoming a little more challenging to keep up a varied and fresh diet for her. I mainly cook her turkey burgers (organic from Healthy Options), veggie noodles, squash, carrots, tofu, brocoli, fish, rice, quinoa, pancakes, and chicken. She also loves mango, avocado, cheese, and bananas, which are so easy. 

5. Read 1 book a month.  Crap! I only managed to read seven books. Steve Jobs, Bringing up Bebe, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Wild, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Born to Run, and White Lilies in Autumn. Any recommendations for my reading list in 2013?

6. Spend quality time with The Shark and Toto - together and separate.  The Shark and I make it a point to go out to eat at least once a week. We keep a list of restaurants to try (recent winners: The Wine Depot, Pipino Vegetarian, and Caruso) so we don't go to Apartment 1B every time. The weekends are mainly Toto time, except for a couple hours each day to get a massage, go to yoga, or go for a run. On occasion we leave Toto for the day to try something new and exciting, but the guilt is almost too much. Because - that face!

7. Do/Say Something Nice Everyday. This continues to be a challenge for me. My job is tedious and by the end of the day my patience is worn thin (until I see Toto of course, then I can't even remember what I do for a living). In December we helped a women's group purchase several sewing machines - I am kinda hoping that made up for missing this goal on many occasions?

8. Practice Yoga at Least Once a Week.  I started doing yoga in 2002 when I moved home after college.  My dad and I did Bikram's every week and I got into awesome shape before my wedding.  Since then I have done yoga in every city I have lived--Albuquerque, Denver, DC, Kigali, and now Manila.  In March 2012 I got back into yoga after a 6 month hiatus.  I actually kept up my practice all throughout my pregnancy, but had trouble finding a studio (and time) once I arrived in Manila. Someone recommended Bliss Yoga - and it is awesome. I take a Jivamukti class every Sunday - helps calm me after a long week and get me ready for the one ahead.

Up next: 2013 goals.

Hiking San Diego

My sister's copy of Afoot and Afield in San Diego County was an awesome resource for hiking. We managed to do four hikes while on vacation. Toto's performance on the first hike meant she stayed home for the last three. She refuses to be carried in a carrier (or ride in a stroller), preferring to squat on the ground and play with rocks or hunt for flowers. Adorable, yes. Practical, no. And the only way to keep her quiet was to run while carrying her. At least it was a great workout.

The East Rim Trail of Black Mountain was about a 1.5 hour round trip hike. A lot of the trail was steep, and like the other hikes we did in SD the trail was pretty rocky with no tree cover.

Toto the Explorer

Mt. Woodson was a challenging hike of about 6 miles, with huge boulders along the way and the "potato chip rock" near the summit. While pretty to look at, the thin rock should actually be called the "dangerous rock shard." Of course The Shark and my sister's husband insisted on terrifying us by dangling their legs off the edge.

Viejas Mountain was a beautiful 3-mile hike, with great views enjoyed even more so with some Rubicon sandwiches.

Pack your sunscreen.

Unfortunately we did not get any pictures on Iron Mountain because we ran/hiked it. It took my sister and I about 1 hr 24 mins to finish 6 miles, and The Shark did it in about 1 hr.

We also took Toto to Torrey Pines State Reserve and did a short walk hoping to see some whales. No whales, but still beautiful.

San Diego reminded us of New Mexico - moutains, desert, dry climate, but it was surprising that there were so few trees on the trails. On most NM hikes, parts of the mountains were covered in gorgeous pines. But San Diego wins with the ocean.

Back in the olden days. In 2005.