Who are you?

Carolyn is a good friend of mine that I met at work. She's a teacher of English and of young people.We haven't worked together in several years, but we both still work in education, helping to transform the lives of young people every day, and serving as a role model in many ways.  We've run marathons and half marathons together. She's faster than me and pretty much kicks ass. This past week, we had a very pleasant discussion about culture and how people understand it in their lives.  These controversial topics are so common with us, we have similar perceptions about some things and very different perspectives on others. I appreciated this particular conversation because it has been something on my mind for the last couple of weeks.

I spent a good majority of my life trying to figure out who I am, understanding how I fit into this huge concoction of cultures in this amazing city in California. I grew up in a homogeneous community with most people of the same values and content with the lives they lead in the small town. It was a great place to grow up, but I grew out of it pretty quickly.  I understood and spoke a bit of Spanish because it was (and still is) the only way I could communicate with my grandparents and my grandmothers siblings. I learned how to cook most things Mexican, with a few American dishes sprinkled in moderately. My grandmother enjoys listening to cumbia but my grandfather was all about the big bands. He loved them.  We have a traditional and yet eclectic upbringing.

After three decades of living on this planet, it still sometimes bothers me when someone insinuates that I'm not quite as "cultured" as I could be. It's like a low blow. Not really a blow to me, but a blow to my parents and my grandparents. That pisses me off.  And I won't get over it in the same way some people won't get over the fact that culture means different things to different people (even within the same culture), that is what makes us different and awesome. 

Culture in my life was about family and food. That's how we understood our Mexican roots in this previously Mexican (now "American") land. There are few basic foods that my grandmother did not teach me (only because I'm not a big fan of chile relleno so I didn't bother learning how to cook them) but most of my dishes are seasoned a la mexicana. I even put cinnamon in my morning coffee. 

I grew up in southern California.  I learned how to speak both Spanish and English, how to make tortillas as a kid and taught myself how to make crepes as an adult. If there is anything that I can identify with, it's the ability to fit in with a plethora of cultures, living on the border of two cultures (one of them already a melting pot) and creating a nice home between the two.  I am defined by everything around me and maintain my roots with what is important to my life, not what someone else thinks it should be because of my last name. Plus, my novice home cooked meals are pretty bad ass. Ask my friends.  I have to thank my friend for reminding me that food is one important artery to culture.

I don't have a real recipe for the dish below-I tried to measure the portions when I made it yesterday. I've made it many times for my friends and have gotten pretty good reviews. My tia inspired this way of making the dish. I have a short cut that most people would shun (canned sauce) but whatever. Try it....then let me know if I should change it.

Chilaquiles makes 2 servings
2 eggs

2 servings of corn tortilla chips*

4 oz of "El Pato" brand Tomato Sauce (Mexican Hot Style) in the yellow can

Can be found this near the tomato sauce at most grocery stores-at least in southern Cali

1 tbspn Parmesan cheese

1/2 tbspn canola oil

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/4 cup of onion, diced

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded (queso fresco could be a substitution)

salt and pepper to taste

*one can use any kind of tortilla chips, but this meal will come out best with restaurant style, thick tortilla chips that were friend from a thick tortilla-almost pita-like in thickness. The traditional brands usually found in the chips section of grocery stores will get soggy and although they work-won't be the best looking plate. If you can't find any, it would be ideal to fry your own tortillas into chips. 

Using medium heat, warm the canola oil in a medium sized frying pan. Toss in the diced onions and let them sizzle.  While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs into a bowl, add in the Parmesan cheese and mix add a dash of salt and pepper. 

Once the onions are slightly browned, add in the tortilla chips then pour in the egg scramble. Mix the eggs through the chips. Once the eggs are mostly cooked (a bit runny) add in the tomato sauce. Save the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator. Lower the heat of the stove and mix the eggs, sauce and chips together so most chips have egg and sauce on them. Mix in the oregano. Once the eggs are fully cooked. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top of the pile. Serve hot.

Some people like to add a dollop of cream or some guacamole over the top. Feel free to add that. 

I ate both servings. That morning, I ran 4.5 miles and walked two so I allowed myself to eat both. :) 

Enjoy!

international eating

Anthony Bourdain is a bad ass.

Yea, I think I'm on the late freight with this discovery, considering he wrote his books many years ago, has (had?) a television show and is considered a celebrity chef. It's amazing where life can take a person.

I just finished Medium Raw after spending a day reading his pissed off angry Kitchen Confidential biography/food writing book. I toyed with the idea of pursuing a chef's profession, but after reading what he has to say about the business, I was convinced-otherwise.

I will not go back to working in the food industry. Back? Yeah. I spent a couple of years working with food services while in college, I made hundreds of smoothies, pretzels, hot dogs, and popping popcorn for basketball games. After a year, I was promoted to cash manager and quit because of the stress of that responsibility. And I was nineteen years old! Things do not change when making food for others. People always complain. Food is not ALWAYS perfectly made, but made well enough to be eaten.

Medium Raw gave me such a better appreciation of describing food for people reading or listening to me describe. I read, and read...addicted to indulging on the words describing Bourdains' indulgent experiences in the various countries. I could almost taste the tacos he savored or the description of the fish that melted in his mouth.

Bourdain does seem to have a soap box of his own, attempting to educate people not only about the goodness of food all over the world, but also in food etiquette. When Anthony got on his soap box about the importance of manners and accepting meals no matter what they serve in whatever country we travel to.

This part of the text immediately took me back to Asilah, Morocco. My friends and I took a weekend trip to Morocco while I was living in Spain for a semester. We decided to go into town, knowing that most people would be at home-it being Ramadan and all.

The bell boy at the hotel invited us to his home with his family. His mother made us a delicious meal of I have no idea what. It was super exciting to taste everything on the table, in the different textures and flavors. I remember that I kept asking "what is that?" and eating it anyway because I was so excited to be in the coolest place with some of the most hospitable people I have ever met.

I think back at the four months I spent in Spain, indulging on paella, churros y chocolate, tortilla, fresh bread, and sangria. I also think of my "food allergy" of swine and how much that completely affected my trip. I feel so horrible to lose that experience. I wonder what it would have been like to taste jamon serrano along with my manchego cheese.

I probably offended the family I lived with when I explained to them that I didn't eat the best thing on the menu (according to them). At 22, I didn't think much of it. At 31 (and after reading Bourdain's justification), I understand that I could have sucked up the pain of eating "different" foods than my body is used to eating.

It is my intention to travel back to the motherland. I want to change my way of viewing particular foods (and maybe taste them) next time.

30 days

Today marks 30 days since my first day at LAXCrossfit thanks to an AmazonLocal deal. Membership over. Yesterday was my last hard workout at the box. I start training for the LA Marathon with my adolescent team of runners this Sunday.

One of the reasons I started Crossfit (besides the sweet deal) was because I wanted to learn more exercises and training activities to incorporate into my workouts and believe me I did.

I also learned that I tend to err on the side of caution and with a little support and encouragement, can surprise myself with my abilities. Yesterday I did a back squat with 80lbs on the bar. Holy crap, I thought to myself. I can do this! It was almost twice the amount of weight as one month ago. James, the evening coach said that I made it look easy. Ha! That was the compliment of the year.

If there was one important theoretical concept I learned while at the box three times a week (twice last week because of the car accident/start of work/too much drama taking up my time. I know I said I'd go four times, but that was just too difficult) was to remember what I am capable of and to expand my abilities from my starting point-not someone else's.

This revelation surprised me yesterday as I was dragging my exhausted body upstairs to my bedroom after the workout. Seeing as this program is so intense and has such an incredible reputation for bad-ass-100%-in-your-face-intense workouts and the misperception that crossfitters are lifting hundreds of pounds (some of them are, but not everyone in the box does), I expected to be pushed much harder than I was. There was a strong emphasis on proper form and getting it right rather than going big.

I learned how to lift weights properly and have since learned to get better at proper form (my arms have taken much self-criticism because they can't stay straight for thrusters or jerks).

I learned that I don't have to put a hundred pounds on a bar to look cool if the work out calls for multiple reps for many minutes of the same weight. I want to be able to last during the workout until the last second-that's the endurance athlete in me. Despite the group workouts or the fact that I had to memorize my box-mates names for each workout, it was training for me. I improved for me. That was exciting.

I truly appreciate the team mentality and the support I got from the other box mates during our one hour of sweat and muscle confusion. It was cool to hear the words of encouragement and it was nice that others appreciated mine. I loved hearing how great I did during a workout and that Kasuza (the morning coach) believed I could move up another level of KettleBell weight or that I was getting better at my kipping pull up. I know I push my runners to believe in themselves, but I think I can do a better job at showing them how to do that, thanks to what I saw from Kazusa.

There are some things that I probably won't incorporate into the marathon training-the paleo diet being one of them. I can hardly get teenagers to eat more than hot cheetos and soda, much less get them to eat and enjoy spinach instead of a granola bar. Baby steps. Plus, I love bread. Freshly baked bread and manchego cheese takes me back to Spain every time I have the opportunity to savor them together. I won't give that up-and I don't expect others to give it up either. It is my hope that the youngsters also incorporate "better" foods into their system too.

I am contemplating going back to the box after SRLA marathon training season. I had a great time. My knees are just now getting used to the extra weight and my body is barely getting used to the perpetual soreness.

On another note, my whole body yearns a long run. I think I'll do that this weekend.

Fear of the tuber

I think potatoes get a bad rap.

Maybe it's because people love fried potatoes, or maybe because they are so scrumptious and people can't control themselves from eating many many many servings of those oh so delicious, starch infused tubers.

Ever since I could walk, potatoes were my best friend. My grandparents always had a house full of potatoes, rarely would they buy them. My grandfather, a local mechanic, would often be paid or thanked in rations of fruits and vegetables from local farms from the Coachella Valley. The potato sacks would sit behind the kitchen door, waiting to be cooked for breakfast, steamed for lunch or chopped for dinner.

I would sit on the sack of potatoes, with my teddy bear and watch my grandmother cook. As a toddler, I would sit there for hours until discovered by my uncle Felipito (the eldest) who would yell for me to get out of the kitchen. I would go back to my sacred secret spot once he went outside to help my grandpa work on cars.

As the years passed, I no longer sit on the sack of potatoes but still buy them by the sack....when they are on sale for $1/10 lb bag.

I thought about this story as I prepared to make a cauliflower and potato baked soup (oh the things I find on Pinterest).

It's a challenge to find health food articles that don't shun potatoes. I find plenty of recipes and articles on Runners World and other endurance nutrition sites but potatoes and their starch and carb components don't seem to bode well for those just trying to shed pounds (why doesn't anyone talk about how much Vitamin C a potato holds?). Although there are plenty of places that will try to tell me that potatoes are the devil...I have to remind myself that I am a runner and they indeed work for me. We're going to stay friends.

As for the potato/cauliflower baked puree/soup-well it's just fabulous and didn't need any butter! I got the recipe from SkinnyTaste.com and only substituted out a few ingredients. You know the trick to not overeating this amazing dish? To buy serving size dishes. The bowl I posted is 1 cup (yes I measured it). Eating slow also makes for a more satiated appetite.

Apparently it is a weight watchers recipe:

2 russet potatoes, washed and dried

1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets

1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth

1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup light sour cream (I used coconut milk instead)

10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I mixed the cheeses-sharp cheddar, pepper jack and queso fresco)

6 tbsp chopped chives, divided

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)-I didn't use any bacon

Find out more at http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/baked-potato-soup.html. Happy healthy eating!

Fran 4:33

Fundies graduation was:

Fran

21, 15, 9

Thruster

Pull-ups

Okay, but I only had 25lbs on for the Thruster and I completed Jumping Pull-ups. Still a workout beyond insane. I finished, graduated and am on to the "real" classes. Oh joy.

Today, we learned how to execute a split jerk. I remember watching the Olympic competition on the clean and jerk earlier in the week so it was pretty inspiring to learn how to properly do this. Well, I haven't quite perfected this, I just did it. With 45 lbs on my bar.

Wow.

We did 7x2 on the "most" weight we could do. Yikes! Sometimes I get frustrated with my inability to withstand more weight, but I remind myself of the baby steps necessary to achieve.

Today's workout From the LAX Crossfit site:

Strength.
Split Jerk 7×2

Met-Con.
AMRAP 12:
15 KB Swings (2 pd/1.5 pd-I used 3/4 pd)
50′ Overhead Weighted Walking Lunge (45#/25#)
15 Wall Ball (20#/16#-I used 10#)
50′ Overhead Weighted Walking Lunge

I am quickly learning that my muscles can withstand much more than I give them credit for. Today I did overhead lunges with a 25lb weight and used the 10lb wall ball-way more than I thought I would be able to use this close to starting the program. I guess strength training for the last two weeks has really helped me. I need to have more confidence in my abilities. Kazusa has really encouraged me to push myself to go farther. It's nice to have a female coach in the program.

Learning all these new strategies on training will really help me out with my runners this marathon season. I am really excited to try some of this new stuff out with the youngsters. I am also thinking about ways to have them work as teams for training. Oh the possibilities.

For my snack yesterday, I made myself some spinach parmesan dip. It was incredibly delicious! I had to put it away to prevent myself from eating it all.

Here is the recipe (I found it on Pinterest and modified it for what I like-more cheese and more garlic):

10 oz fresh spinach chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cloves fresh garlic minced

1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 stalk green onion, sliced

salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 370 degrees

Stir all ingredients together, pour in oven safe bowl, bake for 25-30 minutes or until there is a nice golden brown brown crust around the edges.

This serves as many people as can eat it. Not a very good paleo option, but delicious nonetheless.

Habits

The fundamentals course is 5 workouts (5 days) long. It used to be 2 weeks long. I think I would have preferred the 2 weeks, it is after about 2-3 weeks that we start developing habits. I am going to make it a habit to attend a minimum of 4 days a week after fundies (for the month)-the 5th day will be for my long runs. I do have a marathon to train for, after all.

There was an awesome Aristotle quote today on the white board in the box “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” I really want to remember this when living my life.

Everything that we say and do defines us-it builds our character. I want to be remembered as someone who stayed true to their word and gave everything she had, no matter what the situation. I held myself up (sort of) on the rings today. Very proud of myself. One step closer to (and a little bit stronger for) that pull up. I can't be judged by what others do, but what *I* can do, with my abilities. ;)

Who's ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?

I woke up this morning and everything hurt. It hurt to sit and pee, hurt to move around in the bed, hurt to walk down my stairs, hurt to move. I woke up to the earthquake at 3:18 this morning and my body hurt so much to move. My only thought was, "please don't shake anymore, I don't want to get out of my bed."

Reluctantly, I got up a couple of hours later and got ready to take my dogs out for a walk. Did I mention I still do my ritual morning walk (it's only a walk right now) before the workout? Two miles today. That hurt too. But it helps with the lactic acid buildup and with soreness.

I popped a couple of ibuprofin and got on my way to day 3 of Crossfit Fundies. The warm up was really cool, burpees, lunges, caterpillar crawls, broad jumps (burpees and broad jumps), and of course our dumpster run.

I learned how to do a power clean (weak sauce 35lb) but I got an "atta girl!" out of my form-I think it was because I almost cried out of fear, knowing that I had to pick up that weight to my collar bone. Yikes!

The wall ball was super fun, I wanna get one of those for my house. I need to practice. Our workout was running, lots of reps of hang power cleans and wall balls, and more running. It was mostly using legs, so the workout wasn't too bad.

Adan also gave us a quick lecture on "What is Crossfit?" (quickly defined as "constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity") and it certainly inspired me to continue this training. I have to check myself and remember, I am a marathoner and I need to get in long runs, too. Although it would nice to be physically fit *in case* there really is a zombie apocalypse sometime in the near future.

I'm eating oatmeal with 1 tbsp of Nutella, banana and 1 tbsp of peanut butter-all mixed together. Takes five minutes to make. No need for additional sugar, add a pinch of cinnamon and mix.

I have a left over half chicken wrap from the California Chicken Cafe that I will be eating for lunch...in about 2 hours. That's how fast my metabolism is working this week. Insane.