Author: the Dragon

Cloud 5 Shoes

I recently bought a pair of OC Cloud 5 Waterproof lifestyle shoes in Cocoa/Frost. OC is a company based in Zurich that employs Swiss engineering to design their shoes. They have a company philosophy of sustainability and limiting their corporate footprint on the planet.

Cute, right? The shoes too. (That’s my dog, Stella, unimpressed as ever.)

They came to my attention when I was doing research for a walking shoe for an upcoming trip. They made the cut on several lists for best walking shoes. I am a true US size 8M in shoes. Whenever a size 8M shoe doesn’t fit, there’s usually no fix because the next size up will be too big.

The day I received my shoes I tried them on. They were tight all around, length and width. I sent them back the same day, but decided to try the 8 1/2 because they were really cute and recommended by so many different respected groups. (I don’t mean review sites, I mean “best of” lists by walking and hiking publications and groups.) Thus began my ordeal.

Somehow the shipping label got mixed up when they sent me my exchange pair in the new size, and instead of delivering the shoes to me, they went to OC’s office or warehouse, or who knows what location. Fine, mistakes get made. But it wasn’t easy to straighten out the issue or get ahold of customer service and have someone actually figure out what happened and where my shoes were because they’re so automated, I kept getting emails saying my shoes were on the way or delivered already.

Over 4 weeks passed and I didn’t have my shoes or a refund. They’re not cheap shoes. I was angry and frustrated. I disputed the charge with my credit card company and coincidentally (not!) the very next day someone reached out from the company and explained what happened.

They offered me a discount for the hassle and I agreed. I finally had my size 8.5M a couple of days later. Then the real pain started, literally.

I’m going on my trip in August and I was researching shoes early so I could get the “breaking in” over with before then. I wanted them for urban walking. The first day I tried them out on a walk around my neighborhood. They felt a little snug, but I thought they might give a little after some use. They caused horrible blisters on my Achilles tendon.

I persisted because at this point they couldn’t be returned since they were used. I wore them daily on walks for over three weeks before they finally ceded enough to be comfortable without causing any blisters, but they’re still not great.

Now, in all fairness, the company calls this model a “lifestyle” shoe, not specifically a walking shoe, but unless your lifestyle consists of only walking from your destination to your car and back, these shoes won’t cut it. I’ll use them if I’m hanging out at a bar or a friend’s house or something, but they’re not suitable for a day of running errands or hitting the mall. I honestly think there’s some design flaw or dimension mistake in their manufacturing. Maybe it’s just this model or something happened with this color because I noticed they’re no longer offered in the cocoa/frost on their website. Who knows?

Lesson learned for me. No more mail order shoes or accepting any size but my tried and true. Several people have recommended the Hoka line of walking shoes, including my primary physician, so we’ll see how that goes. I’ll be off to the sporting goods store soon.

Turkey Meatloaf

I served mine with roasted asparagus & baked potato. Delicious!

I’d been on the hunt for a turkey meatloaf recipe for years. We eat a lot of organic ground turkey since it’s lower in saturated fat than beef and has less calories to boot! But the problem with turkey is it dries out easily and can be bland unless seasoned properly (and by that I don’t mean add loads of salt). In my own experiments I found chili powder to be an excellent complement for turkey, but still I was looking for something more interesting. I finally found it in a recipe by Aysegul Sanford from Foolproof Living.

The recipe is easy to follow, but it does take a bit of time. If, like me, you use a loaf pan, it will take closer to an hour to bake in the oven as opposed to the 30-35 minutes the recipe indicates.

turkey-meatloaf-recipe-foolproof-living-1Download

Mango Smoothie

I’ve always loved smoothies and recently rediscovered them as a lunch or breakfast alternative. This is one of my snack combos and the key is definitely ripe fruit.

  • 1/2 ripe mango
  • 1/2 ripe banana
  • 1 cup OJ
  • Optional: Anti-Inflammatory Blender Bomb or 1 tsp minced fresh ginger

Throw ingredients in blender and blend!

Anti-Inflamatory Blender bomb

Hobie Island Beach Park

Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL

It was a bit overcast on Sunday June 11th, but it was still a very relaxing few hours at Hobie. The beaches in South Florida tend to be unbearably overrun with people in the summer, so sometimes it’s nice to be able to get to the shore without too much hassle.

Hobie doesn’t have the sand, but you can pluck yourself down right by the water with your chair and umbrella and just chill. It’s just a narrow strip of land on the southside of the Rickenbacker Causeway leading to Key Biscayne on Biscayne Bay. It’s popular with windsurfers but if you don’t mind the seaweed carpet on the ocean floor, you can swim and snorkel right off the shore.

There’s also a concession stand and hot dog vendor and well maintained public bathrooms.

Mango Salsa

Mangos are in season in South Florida and everyone I know with a tree in their yard has sent me some!

This is a simple recipe and works best with ripe mangos of mostly any type. Just chop or dice ingredients and combine. Delicious!

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 red onion
  • fresh jalapeno to taste
  • 2 tsp fresh cilantro
  • lime juice from small fresh lime to taste
  • Dash of salt

*A note about jalapenos: their spice level varies greatly so it’s hard to say with specificity how much you should use and, of course, it depends on your tolerance for heat in your food. I’ve found the larger the size of the jalapeno, the milder it tends to be. If it’s spicy I’d use 1/4 of the jalapeno, when it’s mild I use an entire one.

If you want to make a bigger batch, use 3 mangos, 1 red onion, 1 red pepper, 1 jalapeno, 1 tbsp cilantro, juice of one lime, and 3/4 tsp salt.

Potato Salad

I love potatoes in all their infinite variety, but it’s been hard to perfect a potato salad recipe, although I think I finally hit the jackpot.

My issue with potato salad is it’s often WAY too “mayonnaisey” or the potatoes are overcooked and the salad actually turns into more of a mash. So the two keys to this recipe are less mayonnaise and precise cooking of the potatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold but Idaho or even regular yellow will work)
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sweet relish (or hot if you’re more daring)
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard (Dijon works too)
  • 1 tsp onion powder (or granulated)
  • 6 hardboiled eggs (peeled & diced small)
  • 2 celery stocks (minced)
  • Sweet paprika for garnish (or hot if you’re still daring)

Preparation:

  • Peel and cut your potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Set them in a large pot and cover with cold water by an inch. Add a 1/2 tablespoon salt. Cook over high-heat until just fork-tender @ 15-20 minutes. The potatoes should be easily forked but NOT break open upon piercing. Drain potatoes and set aside to cool.
  • Mix mayonnaise, relish, mustard, celery and onion powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Add potatoes and eggs and stir gently. (Wait until they’re completely cool to the touch to avoid degradation.) Season with salt and pepper to taste and then add paprika for garnish.
  • Chill for at least two hours. Serve cold. Store in airtight container in the fridge if you have leftovers. They’ll keep for 3-4 days.

Chicken Tagine

Chicken Tagine from the Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen.

Anyone who knows me knows I love my Instant Pot and my new favorite cookbook is the Mediterranean Instant Pot from America’s Test Kitchen. This recipe was straightforward and easy to follow (and delicious!), but I still found it benefitted from some adapting.

I would cook the thighs for 30 minutes, not 10 as the recipe directs and boneless, skinless thighs would work just as well. The beauty of the instant pot, at least when you’re cooking with any type of broth, is that your meat always retains its moisture. Also, don’t worry about needing a potato masher to mash the chick peas, a fork will do just as well.

For my adapted recipe, download the file below.

chicken-tagineDownload

Jasmine White Rice

Everyone always raves about my rice. I make it on the stove and maybe that’s the difference.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 cups Jasmine rice, a tsp of extra-virgin olive oil, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and let sit for 5 minutes (covered) before serving. Variation: sometimes I throw in 1/2 an onion (peeled but not chopped) during the cooking time, then discard it before serving.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

I love being able to just grab my meals and go, especially breakfast. It makes it easier to eat healthier and avoids me having to think before my coffee!

I first tried breakfast egg muffins years ago, but rediscovered them recently and one of the things I love about them the most is you can alter the ingredients depending on what you have in your fridge.

My Recipe (serves 6):

  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or butter)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 oz half & half
  • 1/4 cup diced ham
  • 1 oz shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 onion, diced
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions: Sauté onion and pepper for 3-5 minutes in 1/2 tbsp EVOO or butter. Once onions are translucent and pepper has released it’s moisture, add spinach and sauté a couple of more minutes until wilted. Wisk eggs in mixing bowl with half & half, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into 6 silicone muffin liners nestled in a non stick muffin pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350o degrees for 25 minutes.

With the ingredients listed above each muffin has @ 75 calories & 5 grams of fat, but that will depend on the specific ingredients used.

The possible variations are endless. I’ve made them with leeks, scallions or shallots instead of onion. I’ve used pancetta and mozzarella and I’ve also eliminated the meat and gone vegetarian. Any shredded cheese works as does kale instead of spinach. You can also double the recipe. Just remember to refrigerate and they’ll keep for about a week. My preferred method of reheating is 5 minutes at 325 degrees in my toaster oven, but you can nuke it as well.

Cuban Inspired Turkey Picadillo

I grew up eating Cuban food but as my palate evolved I wanted the food I loved but healthier. So over time I experimented and adjusted and this is one of my tried and true staples.

Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries with endless variations but its base is always some type of ground meat and tomato. The Cuban version often includes raisins and olives and is made with ground beef or sometimes a combination of beef and pork.

My Recipe (serves 4):

  • 1-1.5lbs 93% fat free ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 chopped (or minced) onion
  • 1 chopped (or minced) red bell pepper
  • 3-5 minced garlic cloves (depending on size & your love of garlic)
  • 4 oz tomato sauce (preferably no salt added)
  • 3/4 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp wine (I use Cavit Pino Grigio but any dry white or cooking wine will do)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • liberal sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper

Variations: If you like raisins and/or olives you can add chopped 1/4 cup of either or both along with the rest of the ingredients.

Directions: Brown turkey over medium heat in 1 tbsp EVOO, then add onions and red peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 20 minutes, stirring one or twice.

My version has approximately 230 calories, 390 mgs sodium, and 11 grams of fat per serving. This will all depend on the brands you use in your recipe and whether you use any additional ingredients.

If you want the full Cuban meal experience, serve it with white rice, baked plantains (I use the frozen ones), and an avocado salad.

You can also use picadillo as the filling in Mexican style burritos or tacos, or American sloppy joes, or in a myriad of baked or fried turnover dishes (empanadas) common in Spanish, Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian influenced cultures around the world.

turkey-picadilloDownload