clevermanka: default (bonecruncher)
clevermanka ([personal profile] clevermanka) wrote2014-07-16 09:47 am

Walk it off

Perhaps you've heard the phrase "Do something that scares you every day." To that, I say fuck no because stress is not good for me. But I do like to try new experiences when they come along, which is why I'm going to Comic-Con next week. It's also why, this morning when I passed a group of men doing surveying outside my office building, I asked if I could look through the survey camera-thing. Fun! I'd never looked through one before. It was pretty much like looking through a telescope, only with a grid pattern. And all I could see was a tree. But hey! I've now looked through a piece of surveying equipment (which a Google search tells me is called a theodolite).

I also walked around the high school track (about a block from my house) this morning. I've been meaning to do that for ages. It was nice! I got a late start, so only managed to get around four times, but that's a mile, right? And I was walking around the outside lane, so a bit more. I'm still keeping up (mostly) with my get-away-from-your-desk-every-hour walkabout, too. The path I take for that is about a quarter to a third of a mile, too.

I'm doing my damnedest to avoid falling under the classification "sedentary." If you're interested in research that shows how even those of us who exercise daily are still at risk for sedentary lifestyle diseases, check out that article. It's the first in a four-part series. "No matter your body weight or how much you exercise, sitting too much still results in increased health risk."

In other words, your job really could be the death of you.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my friends Paul and Amy, with whom I'll be staying for part of my Comic-Con trip, the logistics aren't looking quite so dismal. I still have a rather serious To Do list, though. One of the biggest/hardest (heh) is learning to use my GoPro. I would link to the GoPro website for those of you who might not be familiar with the product, but it has auto-loading sound and that shit is against my religion.

It's been a while since I talked about cooking. Last night I made a pretty damn tasty meal, so Imma share it with you. I started with Melissa Joulwan's fabulous Mackerel Cakes (tasty, nutritious and so much cheaper than salmon cakes). For the vegetable, I made yellow squash noodles with a creamy sauce, which provided a good texture compliment to the fish cakes and enough moisture to keep the meal from being too dry.

Yellow Squash Noodles

3 medium yellow squash
1/2 t dried dill
1 t dried parsley
1/4 c mayo (I make my own mayo--it's simple and delicious)
salt
oil for sauteing (I used duck fat because I had some on hand)

Wash squash and peel into noodles using a julienne peeler (I use this thing all the goddamn time, y'all--one of my best kitchen tool investments EVAR). Put noodles into colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for twenty minutes or so to let the excess moisture leak out. Squeeze noodles to remove excess water (some people rinse their noodles and pat dry with a towel, but I don't like to dirty an extra towel, and not rinsing them means I don't have to salt the food later, so win/win IMO).

Heat oil in skillet and add noodles. Cook for about five minutes. I like my noodles with a bit of tooth, so cook longer if you want them soft. Add dill, parsley, and mayo. Stir well to incorporate. Cook two to three minutes longer to allow seasonings to blend.

This served two people, barely. Next time I'll use four squash or buy larger ones. We eat a lot of vegetables in this house. As always, all measurements are estimates--I rarely cook with actual measuring utensils.

Something to consider when you're buying squash for noodles--once you reach the seedy middle of the squash it won't peel into noodles anymore. So for the best results, buy squash on the large side (more mass) or small (fewer seeds). I usually go for large (heh) when I'm making noodles because even if you find a squash that has minimal seeds, you can only peel so deep with the julienne slicer. After a while, the squash just shreds apart.

Happy cooking! Happy eating!

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2014-07-17 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Here's another article/graphic (http://dailyinfographic.com/sitting-down-is-killing-you-infographic) that'll help encourage you to get off your ass frequently. SCARY STUFF MAN.

One way or the other, Comic-Con is gonna be quite the experience! =D