Austin 2011

I'm always missing TexMex food in Austin and have since developed a general nostalgia for my grad school years there (even though at the time I felt very bleh about my life because of my lack of discipline for working on my dissertation). I put together a quick weekend trip for myself and happily enveloped myself into the 100 degree Austin heat.

I had a free night voucher for a stay at The Driskill. You know it's fancy when your toilet paper comes with a sticker.


Though it looks like housekeeping needs some training on the art of decorative tissue set ups.


My delicious Pisco Sour drink from Takoba. There's powdered sugar along the glass rim, it was like lemon meringue I suppose.


I loved the salsas from Taco Deli, but the mashed potato & egg breakfast taco is not worth re-visiting. The migas taco was good.


Most disappointing was Gordoughs, an over-the-top doughnut food truck. You know it's bad when your pregnant friend won't even polish it off. The doughnuts pictured below are coconut/chocolate and peach/cinnamon sugar. Good flavors in theory, awful execution (way too much topping) and they looked hideous.



Fiesta supermarket never disappoints, though I actually didn't try these Bavarian Churros.


Ruta Maya coffee for D and to bring to a brunch tomorrow: Central Market raisin brioche thingee that I think I used to like back in the day, and Mexicanized chip flavors.

Pineapple, Cashew, Quinoa Stir Fry

Made this stir fry today for my work lunches following the recipe from Veganomicon cookbook The recipe is also posted online here.

It's really flavorful and it reminded me of sweet & sour Chinese take out (which I like).

My modifications:
- Left out scallion
- Used a can of chunked pineapple in its own juice (drained juice for quinoa)
- Replaced vegetable stock with plain water
- Used coconut oil, not peanut oil
- Did not garnish with lime

Fitbit

Since I'm working on a "quantified self" project at work, I've learned about FitBit, which is a pedometer that also tracks sleep patterns. They have a nice web site where you can also track your food, exercise, and other basic health statistics (weight, measurements, etc.). It's free to log and see all your data, but you can pay $50 a year to access an online fitness coach and compare your stats to people similar to you.

My goal is to see if this will motivate me to eat better and drop the "Int*l 5" I've put on since moving to Oregon and starting the new job.


I get the biggest kick out of seeing my sleep activity data -- mainly because I don't know how it's logging it.

Mangia Mangia

Had dinner with coworkers tonight in the Pearl District at an Italian place called Piazza Italia -- for those who know Italian food categories, it's apparently a place that's really good if you're in Portland, but just kind of average if you were, in say, Italy. I had linguine with some kind of thick prosciutto which supposedly had egg mixed in, but the eggy taste didn't come through for me. The food was fine, but for $13.75, I definitely felt I could have made my own version of this.

It's weird to go out to eat Italian style pasta these days. I feel like ever since the Atkins diet became the rage and carbs were demonized (and along with the fact that most pasta dishes seem replicable at home), I eat pasta at a restaurant maybe once a year, if that. More like once every 2 years. Going for noodles (e.g. ramen) is somehow different. Go figure.

May Workouts

April was pretty much a lost month to working out--way too much travel and work. Trying to set things right again.

May 1 - 4.5 mile walk
2 - 25 minutes bodyweight exercises
3 - 3 mile slight uphill incline run + 3 mile walk
4 - 1.75 mile uphill walk + Jillian Banish Fat workout DVD
5 - 2+ hour walk around Portland (approx. 8 miles)
6 - 3 mile treadmill run
7 - Walked around Portland for 3+ hours

8 - ChaleanExtreme weights DVD 30 min (biceps, triceps, squats)
9 - 3.5 mile flat run
10-14 - Nothing, travel ruined me

15 - Nothing
16 - Chalean weights DVD in morning, 3 mile run in afternoon
17 - 3.75 mile run
18 - Nothing
19 - 5 mile run
20 - Chalean weights DVD in the morning
21 - 2 mile hilly jog + 1 mile hill walk

22 - Chalean weights DVD
23 - 5.25 mile run
24 - 6 circuits of: (10 burpees, 1/8 mile sprint, 10 pushups, 15 upper body, 1/8 mile sprint, 10 lower body)
25 - 4 circuits of: (12 burpees, 24 pushups/arms, 36 squats/legs, 400m)
26 - 4 mile run
27 - Nothing
28 - 1 mile run, 2 circuits of burpees, squats, pushups

29 - 1 mile run, 2 circuits of burpees, squats, pushups
30 - Nothing
31 - 3 mile treadmill run