Editor’s note: This post is a “Real Food” recipe that follows the core philosophy of this site: Eat Real Food in Moderation. The idea is to find delicious, practical, seasonal alternatives to industrial food products. Of course, the recipes do not focus on low fat/low carb dietary ideas, so the key as always is moderation. If you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing to my feed. Thanks.

Green corn tamales are a seasonal favorite in the American southwest, various areas of Mexico including Sonora and Veracruz, and even a few islands in the Caribbean. If you’re unfamiliar with green corn tamales, one of the hallmarks is the texture: where a traditional, well-made tamale is moist and cake-like, a green corn tamale is generally a little “wetter”. Depending on the version, the texture can range from nearly a creamy corn salad to somewhat like a thick custard. They are best made when corn is in season, generally from May to October in northern regions.

After doing some digging, it’s clear that there are a variety of theories on why they’re called green corn tamales. I’ve read ideas ranging from the use of the green husks to wrap them, to the fact that some include a non-traditional whole green chile (I highly doubt the latter as the reason). The theory I find most likely however is the use of fresh corn straight off the cob. Where “traditional” tamales rely on corn flour (masa) as the primary ingredient for the dough, green corn tamales generally use fresh corn as the main ingredient. The physical difference is obviously the moisture content in fresh corn, but I’ve also found that the flavor is (usually) slightly sweeter (particularly if the corn is ripe). The flavor also has an “earthy” quality to it that I don’t seem to get as much of in corn flour tamales. I also tend to think that the use of fresh corn for the tamale probably predates corn flour, but I don’t have any proof – it’s just a hunch.

Are green corn tamales worth the effort?

When I decided to try to make green corn tamales for the first time, I received a variety of responses from folks I knew who had made tamales before. But mostly it seemed that each comment echoed two themes: a) It is a LOT of work, and b) what time should I come over for dinner? Read the rest of this entry »

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…a nasty little virus knocks you down.

No, not swine flu thank goodness, but something toxic that took up residence in the back of my throat for a week. I came down with a virus shortly after my last post (same day), and after fighting it for days finally gave in and went to the doctor. It turns out it was part bacterial (treatable with a mild course of antibiotics), and part virus (not so treatable – my body just has to do it’s thing).

The good news is I’m on the mend, and the worst seems to be behind me – the fever has been gone for days, and my throat is now functioning again. The bad news is the virus moved from my throat into my eyes and lungs, so I now look like I’ve been smoking an illicit substance or two, and have the hacking cough to go along with it. Believe me, when my throat felt like I had an angry, adamantian claw-fisted animal trying to gnaw and scratch his way out of my gullet horizontally, I would have considered just about any solution. Fortunately, my doctor had a fix that did not require me to take up a new vice.

Because let me tell you, I really don’t need any more vices. Bread, refined sugar and Doritos are enough.

At any rate, I just wanted to post a quick note to let readers know I’m still hanging in there, and should be back to normal this week. I’ve got a few posts in the queue including one on my adventures into the land of making fresh green corn tamales from scratch, another round of suggested reading, and hopefully a significant post on healthy food options (and that’s all I’ll vaguely say for now). And if all goes well, a surprise or two.

Thanks for reading.

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Note to Almost Fit readers: This photo is, surprise surprise, ME, from a while back. I rarely post photos of myself, but I think I’m going to try to change that over the coming months to increase my level of accountability. At any rate, this is what I looked like – 4 years ago after having run 13.1 miles .

That’s not physically possible for me to do

When my wife and I trained with a group for a 1/2 marathon a few years ago, part of our motivation was to spend time together. That worked sometimes, but the truth be told when we ran together, my wife was always holding her pace back a little, and I was usually pushing harder than was healthy for my body at the time. Essentially I was trying to “catch up” even though my body really wasn’t ready for it.

When we trained, I was put in a slower pace group. When I expressed my wish to catch my wife’s pace group to our coach through extra training, she looked into my eyes, put her hand on my shoulder, and quietly said, “I hate to break this to you, but…you’re not going to. I know you think that if you just work harder you’re going to get there, but the truth is? Not possible.”

I was rather shocked.

I mean, wasn’t she supposed to say, “Great Goal, Big Guy! You can do anything you want to do! Why, you can be President someday if you just put your mind to it! Go Team Go!”

But realistically? She was right. Part of me thinks that given a longer stretch of time and some really consistent training, I could eventually have caught up with her. But one obvious problem with the aspiration was that our event was only 3 months away, and there simply wasn’t time for me to get there in that short of a training window. But beyond that, I had to remember – my wife was literally less than 1/2 my weight, and in good shape. Secondly, for every hard run with my slower pace group, she was logging a hard run with her faster group. In other words, with every day we trained, we each got faster and stronger.

So what was the lesson? The coach was trying to help me to see that overtraining would not help me accomplish my goals, and with such a limited timeframe, my goal was truly unrealistic. If I wanted to complete the task, I was going to have to forget about the competitive aspect of trying to catch up with someone much faster than I, and just focus on where I’m at, and where I’m going.

Lesson learned.

Catching up – on Reading: Part 1

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Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is about motivation, which is central to accomplishing health, fitness, and life improvement goals. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. It’s free, as always. Thanks.

Last night we had a great evening out. The idea was to get a babysitter for the kids, have dinner with friends, then go to a parenting class, and finally head to a pub for a well-earned drink or two.

Mission accomplished.

However, in the midst of all of that fun, I learned something tremendously useful that I thought Almost Fit readers either a) already do (and I’m clearly in the dark again), or b) might find really useful, as I have.

Get with the program

Our friend K. runs a very successful business, and he has done quite well despite the current economy. That in itself is a feat given that I’ve heard of several of his peers that have gone out of business recently in Oregon, but add to that a full docket of family responsibilities, and I have wondered how he does it all.

As we ate dinner, in passing I described what feels like a slightly new philosophical direction for Leo at ZenHabits.net – one of the few blogs I read every day. Leo has made a few fairly “radical” moves lately, including attempting to eliminate email from his life altogether and bucking the popular productivity trends of heavy long and short-term planning in favor of going with the flow, with a focus on being present. Not exactly common ideas in productivity and motivational circles from my admittedly limited (but interested) experience, but the concept of being present really resonates with me.

In that context, K. described how a seminar he attended has really changed his life toward being present, organized, and effective without a lot of expensive planning tools ruling his every move. His wife also noted that this has made a huge difference for K., so much so that friends have asked what has happened to him lately. [Ed. Note: At this point I'm going to leave out the name of the system until I can get a few more details, but sufficed to say I think the readers that are interested in motivation and productivity may have heard of this. I'll update the post when I can verify the facts.]

I was intensely interested in this, not only because I’m working on a variety of personal projects that have stalled in some ways (including reviving Almost Fit to a level I’m happy with), but I really believe that the concepts of motivation and organization contribute to success in achieving health goals.

The ideas behind the system are not revolutionary; basically it involves using a log to capture thoughts, and then organizing those ideas at an established time each day. The system relies on using a calendar as a repository for thoughts and actions. As I said, these things are not new; however as part of this system they suggest a series of simple techniques that are all designed to free your mind from the clutter of a fast-paced life.

I need that. Read the rest of this entry »

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As most of my friends know, in general I rarely watch sports on TV. I enjoy watching the occasional baseball game or series, college basketball when it gets exciting, and I love but rarely watch F1 racing. Lately I’ve been drawn to watching soccer, but my peak in interest is in large part due to wanting to enroll my son in soccer this fall. When I go to a restaurant or bar that features a television, I typically try to face away from the TV only because it’s such a huge distraction for me to paying attention to those I’m with.

With that said, there is one exception: The Tour de France. For some reason I am completely addicted, and have been for a while now. I don’t know if it is the history of the sport, the speed, or the location, but certainly all of these factors play a role. I enjoy events like the Olympics, but where I’ll casually watch the Olympics for a few nights, I am recording each stage of the Tour, watching it live online in the early morning hours, and rewatching it with my wife in the evening.

(I suppose the only other sport I really watch is Curling, but that is for completely different reasons. How can you ignore a group of people in regular shoes, scooching around on ice, sweeping madly with tiny brooms in front of a big moving rock with a handle? But I digress.)

The Tour is a little confusing at first, with the points system, cut-off times, different colored jerseys, and so forth, but in the end the critical stats are pretty easy to digest. The rider with the overall best time from start to finish is the winner. For a simple primer on the points system, how the colors of the jerseys work, and so forth, here’s a quick quide: A primer on the Tour de France.

A French meal that anyone can prepare

In terms of food, what do you eat when you watch the Tour? After all, French cuisine can be exceptionally technical cooking, and a little intimidating at times. However, the French tradition does not require an elaborate preparation. In fact, keeping it simple is also a hallmark of French dietary practice. Buying the best ingredients you can afford and enjoying them in moderation sums up a simple approach to an afternoon of relaxation – with the Tour de France or otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Dad, this is the best day of my life.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I have two paper airplanes.”

It seems that I have a thing or two to learn from my soon-to-be 5 year-old, especially lately. I love paper airplanes as much as the next geek, but his simple statement resonated with me on a slightly deeper level – and hopefully woke me up a little. Let me explain.

[Warning: I'm about to get a little waxy and slightly philosophical here. You might want to change the channel for a few minutes if this sort of thing makes you squeamish or, well, bored out of your mind.]

Like most people these days, I have a lot going on. You probably do too. To me, the name of the game in an economy like this is one word: Hustle. I don’t mean card tricks, shell games, or a ’70s dance craze; I mean if you want to find some sense of financial stability, you’ve got to keep moving forward no matter what. If you stand still for too long, the world will pass you by. I’m currently very fortunate to have a great contract for which I’m very grateful, but it means I often work long hours in front of multiple computer screens. Along with that, I have several side projects on the Web, not including this one; I write for a community blog here in Portland; I am an amateur musician trying to take music seriously; I do design work on the side occasionally; provide ongoing Web support services to a non-profit arts org.; I have a book in the works (who doesn’t?); and the list goes on.

But clearly, there is nothing of greater importance than the care and energy that I direct toward my home relationships. Specifically, my amazing wife and my beautiful children. And I imagine that I should include myself in that mix. In a sense, it is a task at times to maintain a “relationship” with myself, keeping (or seeking) a vision of who I am now, and who I want to be. Of course, that concept of having a “relationship” with myself is a little flawed I think; it’s better to actually be me than to have conversations with myself over who I want to be. (I’m not crazy. Are you crazy? Nope, me neither.)

Perhaps I’ve said too much.

At any rate, my son’s insightful words reminded me that I’ve got to focus more on being happy with what I accomplish each day, and less on the things I haven’t finished, or the things that I’ve let slip, or the things I wish I would have started already. As many readers of Almost Fit have commented, sometimes I spend a little too much time being hard on myself about what I haven’t done, or how things have regressed from time to time, and I think that’s a fair assessment. How much better it is to look at each day as it’s own set of challenges and rewards, putting less emphasis on the history of successes and failures, and more on this question:

What am I doing TODAY?

Rather than falling into a self-defeating cycle of obsessing over what I haven’t been doing food and exercise-wise, I think the right answer is found in a familiar old song from the ’30s – I think a lot of us say these words internally, but today, I’m saying them to you.

“Nothing is impossible, for I have found, when my chin is on the ground, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.”- from the 1936 classic film, Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

It’s cliché without question, but ya know what? There’s truth in it, and it’s what I’m doing today. Here’s the clip:

What am I doing today? I’m finishing this post, making time to play with my kids, work out, and then going on a quiet date night with the love of my life. Sounds like a pretty good day to me.

What are you doing today?

[UPDATE: Just a quick P.S.: Apologies for the misspelling of "Astaire". I corrected it shortly after the post went out in email...Ah dang. ]

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We’ve returned from our brief vacation at the ocean, and although I am glad to be home, I really wish we could have stayed longer. We are definitely going to visit the beach again very soon – it really was good for my head, good for our family, and we kept the sunburn to a minimum.

Last week I had what I consider a significant fitness accomplishment – I visited a personal trainer to get information on whether one-on-one training is right for me, and whether it’s something I can afford. As I mentioned in the previous article, I feel as though right now I need a little help with the diet and exercise routines, including a primer on whole foods in moderation, ideas on good substitutes for the simple carbs that I crave, and a workout regimen that will really stick.

Unfortunately, this trainer is not going to “work out” for me (sorry for the bad pun – wait – no I’m not. G’head. Savor it.). Long story short? He charges approximately $68 per session, and would like to see me in the gym 4 times a week.

Folks, as much as I loved the facility and jived with the trainer, I cannot swing $272 a week/$1000+ a month on a trainer, especially since I’m looking at 4-5 months of training easily to lose the weight I want to lose. So I’m looking for alternatives.

However, I am giving myself credit for the effort. Going to a gym is not something I’m very inclined to do – sad to say; particularly in a one-on-one situation. But I did it – I made myself go admit to a chiseled, smooth-skinned, tanned and toned stranger that I’m really overweight, totally out of shape right now (can you say easily winded?), have needed to strengthen my upper body since oh, I don’t know, high school (please God kill me now), and generally need some help from the ranks of the toned-to-the-bone. These are not things I like to talk about with anybody, particularly someone who is my height and in Greek Mythological shape.

Oh, and yes, he had all of his hair. The bastard.

But I got over myself and did it, and I count that as a win.

I am sure that some of us can’t help but think that this would have been more of a win if I’d actually signed up – and I can see the point. But for me, it is that first step that was the hardest. I’ve been fighting it for a long time, and I feel confident that I can walk into another gym or two and be much more open to the possibilities.

I’m still going to check out other training alternatives, but I don’t want to wait for the perfect situation to hit me. So in the meantime, I’m going to check out a fitness workout DVD or two and see how that goes while I continue to investigate. I am also looking into local 5k and 10k races, which are great motivators as well.
At any rate, I am on the move again, and it feels good.

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I am writing this note in a few moments of quiet, while my 2-yr-old daughter sleeps. I’m sitting by a picture window, with this view:

My son is with my wife at a swordsmanship demonstration, over which his 4-yr-old imagination has been going bonkers since yesterday.

Last summer I wrote about Ma Petite Maison in Port Orford, Oregon (A Taste of France on the Oregon Coast), and the sense of transcendence that I felt during those warm days. We’ve returned for a brief holiday along with our friends J and G, who are the owners of the duplex, and the place is true to memory. Port Orford is notoriously windy; but it also has much more sun than towns only an hour north. We’ve been enjoying the sun, relaxing in the small town atmosphere, and generally taking a break from the rigors of work and school.

Returning to this place always reminds me of Joie de Vivre, which in turn leads to thoughts of, what else, food. Actually, come to think of it, I can relate just about anything to food, but this place in particular is so reminiscent of France that I can’t help but think about what we’re going to eat next. Yesterday we ate a heavier breakfast – I actually had fresh eggs Benedict, which is not a staple for me by any stretch but was a great vacation treat. With such a bold breakfast under our belts, we more or less skipped lunch in favor of snacking a bit throughout the day on fruit and nuts.

After a walk through Prehistoric Gardens, we finished the day with a great dinner of fresh halibut, a reasonable, shared portion of quality steak, grilled vegetables, and a little fresh bread. We also complimented the meal with a great Tempranillo made by a winery a few hours from here. For dessert, a small touch of vanilla ice cream along with sliced grilled peaches.

There may also have been a craft beer or two consumed as part of the grilling duties carried on by the fathers of the house. But we’re on vacation, so what else can you do?

For tonight’s dinner, slow roasted rosemary chicken and vegetables, a scent that is filling the house as I write.

Over the last few months it’s become clear that one component of healthful living that I’ve been neglecting is deliberate relaxation. I seem to have  a hard time setting projects down, whether it’s my work, music, art, or writing. Although I imagine this isn’t universally true, for me I have great moments of clarity at the beach, whether it’s walking along the shore, sitting quietly, or building something out of found objects. Currently, my health is heavily on my mind – everything from needing life insurance coverage to finding the mental tools I need to really stay on track with a diet and exercise plan. The beach is a great place to contemplate both the important and the trivial.

Today, resting both with my family and alone in my own thoughts for a while on the beach, I realized that exactly what I was doing in that moment – taking time out of the day for solitude – is a key component that I let slip all too often.

Over the coming days I’ll be writing a bit about where I’m at diet and exercise-wise this week, and some interesting developments that have occurred over the last few days. But in the meantime, I have some relaxing and playing with the kids to do.

More to come.

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Writing this entry, I hear myself promising that this won’t be one of those “where have I been?” posts; that said, I realize that some explanation might be in order, so apparently I am ignoring the voices again (it’s a joke Mom, a joke! ).

For writers, and particularly blog writers, there are a million theories on the rights and wrongs of keeping readers engaged. Some insist that you should post very short pieces several times a day; others insist that it’s maybe 3 times a week is plenty, and possibly better, if the quality reflects the time that’s been taken.

Regardless, there is one thing that is nearly universally agreed upon among successful blog writers: Posting regularly is the key to keeping readers engaged. In particular, if you post several times a week on average, you should never, ever, just disappear from your site for a couple of months with little or no explanation.

Guess which cardinal sin I’ve committed.

However, the flip side is the break that I’ve taken from Almost Fit will hopefully stimulate a flurry of new articles, and has led to a few moments of fitness clarity (I hope). Time will tell.

State of the Almost Fit Nation

First and foremost, my weight for the most part has remained stable for the last few months, which is relatively positive, though hardly what I would consider great news. And to the point, my general level of fitness has definitely declined. This is especially true in the cardio department, where I find myself these days having to catch my breath at the top of a long flight of stairs. Not bent over gasping, but winded to be sure.

Since starting my current employment contract back in the fall, overall I gained an average of 2 lbs each month over the first 4 months, but I’ve not really gained much more in the last 3 months. Honestly this doesn’t come as much of a surprise for the following reasons: Read the rest of this entry »

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Ed. note: This entry is about working toward lifelong dietary goals by eating real food in moderation. The list of techniques will change over time, but this is where I’m starting from. This is actually an update from an article I wrote a little over a year ago, including my observations, corrections, and a handful of new ideas. Your constructive feedback is always appreciated. If this is your first time here and you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing via RSS. Thanks.

“Action Feeds Motivation.”

This thought occurred to me as I finished my first run of the year today, in the rain and wind. Yes, you read correctly: my FIRST, as best I can recall. As many readers have noticed, I’ve been a little scarce lately. I’ll write another post soon with my theories (and a few personal facts) on why that has been so, but for now I thought it was more important to simply do something about it. And as it turns out, that phrase, “Action Feeds Motivation” is going to be one of my recurrent themes for Almost Fit in 2009.

A year ago I was fully motivated to pursue these techniques. I didn’t need a whole lot of inspiration; I was ready to go. Over the last few months however, I haven’t been “feeling it” like I was. That tide however, is changing. So in an effort to really rekindle that fire I decided to review some of what I wrote a year ago to try to learn from my successes and mistakes, which is one of the great side-effects of writing your thoughts down in a public format like this one. For this analysis, I came back to one of my all-time favorite posts: 33 tips on how to lose weight without dieting, and one that I now think, after a year of trying out this approach to eating, needs a little revision.

As regular readers know, my focus here on Almost Fit is to do one simple thing: Eat Real Food in Moderation. No low fat this or low carb that; just real, whole foods in moderate amounts. As simple as the statement is, the principle is much harder to apply, particularly if you live in what I think of as a culture of excess. Most of us have come to accept as normal the gigantic, oversized meals that are available at every restaurant you go to, and on every food commercial or ad you encounter. We’ve confused quantity with value, and we’ve also convinced ourselves that the cost of food should be minimal – meaning it’s common to think that we simply can’t afford to eat better. I disagree; however, applying it on a daily basis is a lot like trying to light a candle in a hurricane.

In the 2008 article, I stated:

“I don’t believe that moderation in itself is the answer; eating moderate amounts of garbage still means you’re eating garbage. If I eat real food, in moderation, I am convinced that the weight will come off naturally. Changing my diet to focus on vegetables first, and then moderate amounts of high quality meat, grains, and dairy, makes sense to me. And so far, its working with little or no negative side effects including the emotional struggle that I associate with every diet I’ve ever tried, and I haven’t had to buy a single pre-packaged plan or frozen low fat dinner to do it.”

I still very much stand by these statements, and my diet and current condition is living proof. And that’s because I’m now thin, right?

Read the rest of this entry »

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