Author Archives: Melissa | Growing Green Nutrition

Bikes on board

Stopped for lunch at Wakonda State Park

Carrying the bikes on our trunk rack for long trips makes me very nervous, but I bit the bullet for our trip to Burlington, IA this weekend.  The bikes behaved very well on the trip, not much moving around back there at all, but they did put a dent in our MPG 😦  Not very aerodynamic.

Burlington riverfront

We started with a quick trip to Bickel’s for some rim tape and a back-up tube to (hopefully) solve my rear tire flat woes on BUB.

We arrived at my parents’, and I wasted no time reassembling my rear tire.  It seemed to be holding air, so we headed down to the Riverfront Farmers’ Market for sweet corn, eggplant, bell peppers, garlic, and farm fresh eggs.

Bluff overlooking the Mississippi in Burlington

We made it back to my parents’ just before the rain rolled in on Thursday night.

Given the gas mileage sacrifice, I was determined to ride these bikes A LOT while we were there.  Stay tuned for more of our bike Burlington adventures.

Greening the Festival of Nations

Thanks to our BYO everything (water bottles, utensils, plates) strategy, we produced just one piece of trash on day 1 of the Festival of Nations last weekend.  I spent way too much time debating weather to trash that cardboard serving dish or recycle.  The sign on the recycling said they accepted cardboard, but this was dirty cardboard, despite our best scraping efforts (we don’t lick our plates clean in public), so I reluctantly deposited it in the trashcan.

Props to St. Louis Earth Day’s “Recycling on the Go” program for providing recycling at the event.  And by “providing recycling,” I don’t just mean setting out the bins.  They actually had people (volunteers?) walking around and removing recyclable items from the the trashcans to place in the recycling bins (don’t worry, they were wearing gloves for this activity) — really taking it to the next level!

Although I didn’t attend, the LouFest Music Festival (also last weekend) really pushed the greening theme, and I would love to see Festival of Nations implement a few other key programs, a water station for refilling water bottles being the main one.

Bike parking also makes the wish list, although this item is for Tower Grove Park in general, not specifically the Festival of Nations.  I heard through the grapevine that Tower Grove’s excuse for the lack of bicycle parking is that bike racks “don’t fit the Victorian theme of the park.”  Wha???  Of course, all of their accommodations for motor vehicles are perfectly in keeping with that time period, because there were lots of cars around in the Victorian era. Yeah.

Obligatory oatmeal post

I eat oats for breakfast pretty much every morning.  On the rare occasion that I don’t, it throws my entire day off-kilter.  I don’t need coffee, I just need my oats!

Oatmeal from rolled oats fills my bowl most mornings.  I used to be a quick oats gal, but I switched to rolled oats because they’re available in bulk (sure, you can recycle the cardboard canisters from non-bulk oats, but reducing > recycling).  The bulk oats also happen to be organic, an added bonus.

For speed and convenience, I cook my oatmeal in the microwave.  I worried that rolled oats would take a lot longer to cook, but they really don’t.

I shuffle into the kitchen first thing in the morning and measure out 1/2 cup rolled oats.  Combine the oats with a generous 1 cup of water and let sit and soak for at least 10 minutes (this is the secret to rolled oats cooking as quickly as quick oats).

After it soaks (longer is fine), pop the bowl into the microwave.  I cook mine for about 2 minutes and 15 seconds (this may vary).  Do NOT start the microwave and walk away, or you might return to an oatmeal explosion (not a fun way to start the day, and yes, I know this from experience).  I keep an eye on the oatmeal, pausing and stirring twice, while I assemble the toppings.

Toppings:

  • Something sweet — I use honey or brown sugar, just a touch, I’m going for breakfast, not dessert here.
  • Fruit — since I stopped buying bananas, my oatmeal fruit staples are chopped apples (when they’re in season), raisins, or dried apples.
  • A sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg — these add a lot of flavor
  • A splash (or more) of milk (usually soy milk) — I cook the oats in water, and a touch of milk at the end adds a rich flavor.
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax
  • 1 T. (?) peanut butter and/or some unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds

This is NOT my ordinary oatmeal, but a no-cook, to-go version: 1/3 cup rolled oats soaked in soy milk (perhaps a bit too much milk in the photo above) for a couple of hours.  Topped with sliced local peaches, homemade granola, and almond butter.  I added a touch of maple syrup to the last few bites.

Health Notes

Oats make a very healthy breakfast, especially with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Adding fruit and nuts or nut butter rounds out the meal with extra vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat.

“Oat products have high soluble fiber content, which aids digestion. Oats reduce cholesterol levels, which makes them good for heart health and they are high in protein. To obtain the heart benefits of oats, the product must contain at least three grams of soluble fiber” (1).

“These data indicate that black peppercorn, nutmeg, rosehip, cinnamon and oregano leaf may serve as potential dietary sources of natural antioxidants for improving human nutrition and health” (2), emphasis added.

“. . . antioxidants in cinnamon have been linked to lower inflammation, as well as reductions in blood glucose concentrations in people with diabetes” (3).

—-

1. http://www.extension.org/pages/Oats_are_Economical_and_Good_for_Your_Health

2. Su, L, et al. (2007).  “Total phenolic contents, chelating capacities, and radical-scavenging properties of black peppercorn, nutmeg, rosehip, cinnamon and oregano leaf.”  Food Chemistry, 100 (3).  Abstract here.

3. WebMD.  “Spices and Herbs: Their Health Benefits“

Cycle chic, kind of

So there’s this whole “cycle chic” thing, basically the idea that you should look stylish while riding a bike.  Beautiful people, riding around on bicycles, laid-back and having fun, what’s not to like?

I’ve long been a fan of Girls and Bicycles, a blog that embraces the cycle chic ethos.  I love reading about Sarah’s adventures up in Canada.

The problem?  It’s a lovely idea, in theory, but in practice, it doesn’t really work out for me.

For starters, I do not consider myself particularly stylish, nor is that necessarily an aspiration of mine.  If I don’t wear heels, or other cute, toe-smashing, unsupportive shoes to start with, why would I put them on just to ride my bike?  My footwear is certainly not chic, and the ankles on up aren’t much better.

The cycle chic movement emphasizes “style over speed,” which is another issue for me.  I see my bike as an efficient (and fun) way to get from Point A to Point B.  I like to ride fast.  My cycling shoes help me do that, as does my bicycle style.

The Cycle Chic Manifesto includes the following [ridiculous] guideline:

“I will endeavor to ensure that the total value of my clothes always exceeds that of my bicycle.”

Excuse me?  Perhaps the total value of ALL the clothes in my wardrobe exceeds the value of my bicycle, but a single outfit?  Not close, nor do I ever aspire to wear a $900 ensemble.  (And if I had such a thing, would I really wear it on my bicycle — the thing with dirt and grease on it?  Please.)

But the fact that I’m writing about this indicates that there is at least some tiny part of me that admires these chic cyclists, that wishes I could be one of them.  And so I bring you my attempt at chic cycling from the Festival of Nations this weekend.

Perhaps more Sporty Spice than cycle chic?