It was a tight race. With the help of some old school Oregon-style green sustainable strategy, 100% renewable solar energy on my shoulders, and the inspiration of a recent television bender in the form of an historic Olympiad, I did it – I pulled off the victory of the century for team Almost Fit.
I placed FIRST in the World’s most revered foot race.
You read right. A self-described dorky-looking white guy (alternately described by some as “portly and stout” – to whom I simply say, “racists” -), running with a camera bag, a cell phone, and a trusty moleskin notebook, took the Blue Ribbon in America’s fiercest competition of the season, bar none: The Iowa Avenue Virtual 5K - Portland edition.
To quote that eloquent icon of my youth, Sir D. Duck: MINE. ALL. MINE. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Supper, Tuesday evening
- Lamb masala: Braised lamb (locally raised), zucchini, eggplant, organic garbanzo beans (canned), potatoes (CSA), chopped cipollini onions, celery, and carrots (CSA and our garden), fresh garlic (CSA), 2 cups of premade masala, 1 cup premade curry, golden raisins, garam masala spices, dania powder, whole Thai coconut milk (canned)
- Raita: Whole milk yogurt (Nancy’s), salted cucumber, cilantro (from our kitchen garden), fresh lime juice, pepper
- Salad: Greens from the garden and CSA, olives, basic balsamic vinaigrette
- Naan (store bought)
- Rice: Brown jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock and water
The highlight of this meal had to be the lamb. We’ve found that braising the lamb at high heat is the key to keeping it tender in masala or curry. This dish cooked for about an hour. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Monday evening, supper
- Chipotle sausage and seasonal vegetable soup: Organic chicken stock with water, Niman Ranch Chipotle sausage (chopped), swiss chard, celery tops, and beet tops (all from our garden), mirepoix of onions, celery, and garlic (from our garden and our CSA), potatoes (CSA), salt and pepper, topped with grated parmesan
- Homemade artisan bread
The goal of Monday evening’s dinner was simplicity. We had just come home from our trip to Seattle, and didn’t have much to work with in the refrigerator. Thankfully we had an abundance of produce from our garden and from our CSA. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Supper, Saturday evening, 5 Spot in Seattle
Saturday evening in Seattle we ate with friends and family at 5 Spot on Queene Anne. 5 Spot is one of our old hangouts, and was a frequent late night dinner stop for us when we were out on the town. 5 Spot’s atmosphere is what I would call “hip quirky” – lots of odd, seemingly random elements on the walls that make it fun just to look around and investigate what’s new, and a really broad range of patrons. This time, they had “spooky” radio drama piped into the bathroom sound system, which is par for the course for 5 Spot. Read the rest of this entry »
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I am amazed at this, but apparently I have not posted a link roundup in nearly a month. Without further adieu, here are some links to articles that I’ve personally found interesting this week.
[And in case you're wondering, that big fella in the picture in this post is me, running in the Santa Barbara Half Marathon a few years ago. 
]
I recently came across this article on MSNBC: French lessons: Eat petite, take your time, which describes some of Paul Rozin’s work on identifying the differences in habits (particularly portion sizes) between the typical American diet and the French, and the correlation to obesity rates. The article is a decent, if lightweight, treatment of Rozin’s incredibly practical findings (as opposed to many University-driven studies that are often reflections of scientifically interesting results, but have little practical value on a daily basis for most of us). Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Supper, Friday night at my sister’s home in Seattle
On Friday night of our Seattle trip, we ordered take-out from an Indian restaurant near my sister’s home on Queen Anne. I have a weakness for Indian food, so moderation is definitely a challenge. However, this evening I succeeded in keeping it to one plate, which was my aim. Although I certainly cannot vouch for whether even a single ingredient was local, I think that as with all things, balance is the key. We default to eating local whenever possible, but we also have the occasional indulgence.
The second photo was taken from the window sill of my sister’s home. It was a beautiful summer evening in Seattle – one of those evenings that remind you of why you live in the Pacific Northwest – and a good photo to keep around for the winter doldrums.
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit is about losing weight and improving your health by eating real food in moderation. If you enjoy this entry, please consider sharing it with StumbleUpon. Thanks. [Photo courtesy of blog.modernmechanix.com.]
I’m about to break a deal. And I hate breaking deals.
In preparation for the coming months of gloom in the Pacific Northwest, I have been seriously considering whether or not to start looking for some kind of home exercise equipment. My problem is I have made a deal with myself that basically goes like this:
I won’t buy exercise equipment until I can demonstrate that I can exercise regularly without it. If I can’t get myself to work out without equipment, buying equipment is just throwing money at a problem.
But, I’ve recently considered this deal from another angle: What if it is easier to exercise because the equipment makes it more enjoyable? I think it is a valid possibility, particularly in a place like the Pacific Northwest, where inclement weather can be a convenient excuse to skip a workout.
Believe me, it is convenient. Easy, even. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit is my personal record of losing weight by doing one thing: Eating real food in moderation. If you enjoy this entry, please consider sharing it with StumbleUpon. Thanks.
Last night was the first night in a couple of months that I actually got a good night’s sleep, and WOW, what a difference it makes in my perspective.
The last couple of months of transition have been tough for me in many respects. Although I’ve made a lot of really positive changes this year, I’ve struggled lately with unusually pronounced mood swings throughout the day, going from feelings of contentment and happiness to strong feelings of self-doubt and worry. On one day I am ready to conquer the world, and the next I’m feeling as though I’ve been run over by it.
I know for me that this has a lot to do with my sleep patterns. As I’ve been losing weight, one benefit is my snoring is much less pronounced, which usually improves the quality of my sleep. However, lately my mind has been overly full, which means that even when I’m somewhat asleep the wheels are still turning. My sleep is generally of the restless kind, where I’ll spend much of the night tossing and turning until I find an hour here and there where I fall off into a dream state. That is generally just about the time when the kids wake up. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Lunch, Friday afternoon, Cafe Besalu in Seattle (Ballard)
Cafe Besalu is one of our favorite places to eat in Seattle, and is on the mandatory list of stops whenever we are back home. Today we shared one of each of the quiches they had left at lunch time; unfortunately, I didn’t write the ingredients down before we left – I was in a culinary haze after eating bites of each of these, and then finishing it off with an Americano and a lemon cookie.
When you eat here, Life, is Good.
Cafe Besalu is the closest we have found to a Parisian cafe outside of Paris. The croissants and pastries are the real thing, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is simple, intimate, and comfortable whether you are out trying to impress a date or looking for a lunch spot with your wife, toddler, and 4-year-old.
Welcome to Almost Fit. Almost Fit focuses on improving your health by eating real food in moderation. This post is a continuation of the series of photographs of What We Eat. If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing. Thanks.
Supper, Thursday night at my Brother-in-Law’s home
- Homemade Tekka maki (tuna roll), Salmon maki, Kappa maki (cucumber roll) with avocado, and “sushi explosion” (my Brother-in-Law’s name for the “everything” roll)
- Shrimp soup with various vegetables
- Nigiri sushi: Sashimi (raw fish), which included tuna, yellowtail, and salmon (as I recall), on white rice.
- Pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce
On our recent visit to Seattle, My Brother-in-Law made sushi for dinner, which is his specialty. He does a great job, and we enjoyed this meal thoroughly. In general, Sashimi takes a little getting used to for the Western tongue, but it is one of my favorite corners of Asian cuisine.
I am also a huge wasabi fan, particularly mixed with soy sauce. I love the effect that it has of making the back of my head and my sinuses feel like something has gone horribly, horribly wrong – and then just as quickly it goes away.
The shrimp soup was not bad, but not the best we’ve had – but it was just the luck of the draw today. It was a ready-to-cook fresh mix that came from a local Asian market. It was mostly vegetables and fresh shrimp, which were good, but the fish broth didn’t have much flavor.
