sarah 1, morning darkness 0
i stepped out into dimness yesterday and ended up having a great run. it was such a relief not to run in the heat and humidity, and jess, i did indeed see a lovely sunrise. afterwards, i felt energized all morning. i’m planning on another AM session today!
reader question: on lunch
anonymous asks: “Just wondering what lunch bag you might recommend for taking lunch to work? (this is a male reader, and although I am sure there are some male fans of orla. . . ) any ideas would be appreciated, trying to make a concerted effort to take a health(ier) lunch to work.”
interesting that you ask this! i love bringing my lunch to work, but my lunch bag is very well-used and nearing a year old and despite attempts to clean it, it is getting to be a little bit disgusting. i’ve actually been contemplating a new one myself, so i’m glad you gave me the excuse to (virtually) shop around!
unfortunately, orla kiely does not yet make a lunch bag, so that isn’t an option for either of us. instead, here is what i found:
this REI lunch pack looks like a solid choice. roomy, insulated, and definitely not frou-frou.
by kelty, also available at REI. i sort of like this one’s cubic shape.
ecolunchbox shown in its compact form . . .
ecolunchbox shown open. i like the stainless steel idea, but i need something larger and with more insulation. aesthetically pleasing, however, and good for those averse to plastic.
i have always loved these laptop bento-style lunchboxes. they are expensive ($37 on the link!) but look so functional, modular, and cute. they come in all kinds of colors.
hope that helps! one tip i have for packing lunches is to do the bulk of your packing either first thing in the morning (while making breakfast) or the night before (ie, while cleaning up from dinner). i just threw mine together now because i know i won’t have much time after my run!
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6.22.09
workout: i’m so glad i headed out for the sunrise run yesterday! the cooler temps (and perhaps last week’s laziness?) contributed to some faster times on my normal route as i aimed for tempo pace. the splits:
mile 1: (warmup, and slightly uphill overall) 9:01
mile 2: (tempo, and somewhat downhill) 8:02
mile 3: (tempo, relatively flat) 8:23
mile 4: (tempo, somewhat uphill) 8:23 again
mile 5: (tempo, slightly downhill) 8:12
cooldown x 0.25 mi
overall – 5.25 mi @ 8:28/mi average. and i carried a mild endorphin rush with me to work that lasted for hours. i love running!
doin’ time: this is the second time i tried to make martha’s cobb salad, and the second time i screwed it up! specifically, i can’t seem to properly hard boil eggs to save my life. the instructions in her book — bring eggs to a simmer, then turn off heat and let sit x 12 minutes — well, i have decided they do not really work, because my eggs always end up way underdone. this particular batch didn’t even qualify as soft-boiled, and i’ll admit i was infuriated about it and not very zen at all.
josh saved the day and fried up 2 eggs to accompany the salad, and they tasted good even though the yolks broke and made them fairly unattractive. the whole mess was an excellent combination of flavors (avocado + bleu cheese . . . mmmmm) but not all that pretty. oh well!
reading: an article about one of my favorite pediatric endocrine topics:
fascinating!
and, it all makes sense. this is why i love endocrinology:
from contemporary peds, april 09 issue
7 Comments
i never have any prob w/ eggs… put about an inch over the eggs (cold water), bring to boil (not just simmer), then turn off/move off the heat, cover (did you do this?) and then i usually wait more like 14 minutes before rinsing them under cold water. or longer, because i usually forget… and they still end up fine!
I second rebecca, however mine are usually done in 9 minutes– maybe my definition of boil is slightly different? They come out with a ever so slightly translucent center. Dump them in ice water for 5 minutes to stop them cooking. My problem with hard boiled eggs is the peeling part– I always manage to mangle at least one of them. I guess that's how egg salad was invented.
I definitely need a decent lunch bag for next year. I love all the pathways in endocrinology and how it all comes together…one of the reason it fascinates me so much!
Glad your run went so well. I love the energized feeling that I bring to work in the morning. Too bad it always fades into afternoon sleepiness.
love the stacked metal one, remind me of Eat drink man woman
rebecca & aimee: thanks for the egg tips. i guess i won't give up yet . . .
jess: you are one of my inspirations!
runsarah: maybe you will consider endo (or peds endo!) when you're done!
anonymous: any time — i love questions that are great post ideas!
ledewoman: yes i have seen those bags — they look very good and easy to clean.
meredith and atilla: i love that there are so many options! i'm trying to resist the urge to order a laptop lunchbox right now . . .
Rebecca and Aimee are right. That method should work fine as long as the pot has about an inch of water above the eggs, and you start in cold water. It usually takes about 12 minutes when I do it this way. There is another option. Cooks Illustrated recommends using an egg cooker which works wonderfully made by West Bend. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/product.asp?docid=18838&parentdocid=18836
You do need to use caution while using it, because one time I gave myself a really bad steam burn.
Perhaps this will be a holiday present for you this winter!!
– Mom