Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sierra House

Yesterday, I ran 6 miles (bringing my grand total this week to 26 miles) with the group at Johnson Park and joined them for breakfast afterward at the Somerset Diner. I ordered the Farmer's Omelet (a 3-egg omelet with mushroom, onion and zucchini, and lots of hash browns), which was delicious, but HUGE! It was too much for me, even in my famished post-run state.

I also drove up to Sierra House in East Orange, a nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth. They have programs that provide accommodation, life skills training and a safe environment for girls on the verge of womanhood. I have volunteered to help out with their newsletter, write articles as well as motivate the residents to get involved, discover and develop their writing abilities. I am really excited to get started. In the meantime, Keely, the Exectuive Director had promised to show me around the house whenever I could stop by. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong day. On Saturdays, residents usually visit friends and family. The house was deserted, except for the "house-mother", a friendly and warm lady, who gave me a whirlwind tour (she was leaving shortly), and Vanessa, one of the residents who was on the phone most of the time I was there (but got off it long enough to tell me that she enjoyed writing and to give me her email i.d). Everything was neat, spotless, homely and welcoming. Apart from a huge living room, kitchen, dining room, nursery (most of the residents had babies), 9 bedrooms (5 are currently occupied), and 5 bathrooms, there was a fitness room where yoga classes were conducted, a recreation room and an office.

This quote by Margaret Meade hung in the living room: "Don't ever think that a small group cannot change the world, they are the only ones that do."

We are expecting to be buried under tons of snow tonight and tomorrow. Ah running, I will miss thee! We are otherwise well-prepared, the refrigerator filled with everything edible we will need in the next week.

I cooked scrambled tofu (I added egg beaters to the tofu..sorry, it looks like mud!)

and Beijing noodles (the final product is nowhere near the Beijing noodles I set out to make, so I'll have to name it something else. Cook angel hair pasta and drain. Saute onions, mushroom, carrot, broccoli, green peppers, salt and pepper; add to pasta)

DH whipped up his masterpiece, Chicken liver fry (saute onion, add chicken liver, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt; cook till water evaporates. Chicken liver has a ton of protein, iron, Vitamin A, B &C...but is also chock-full of cholesterol, so it is a rare delicacy)

and Bhendi & potato fry (Cook potatoes in the microwave, peel and cut into pieces. Saute onion for a few minutes; add bhendi, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and tamarind paste; cook till stickiness disappears; add potatoes to bhendi mix)

Finally, lots of exciting stuff in March.

Chandra's March Booty Buster Challenge will hopefully give me the much-needed motivation to get rid of that last bit of stubborn belly fat. I want to be able to put my feet up on the couch without having to suck my tummy in and eye that bit of flab that creeps out when I am at my most relaxed.

Check out the GREAT GIVEAWAY on Krista's Kravings. What's better than working your butt off, then gorging on mouth-watering treats?

Have a wonderful month!

16 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

hope the weather people are wrong! :D

Erica said...

Good for you on the mileage! Sounds like a great cause to volunteer for too- you rock!

Pearl said...

thank you for visiting my blog! yaaay on running, and your food looks delish! may i add you to my blogroll? :)

I Run for Fun said...

Sure, Pearl. Really liked your blog...hope you don't mind me adding your blog on mine.

Anonymous said...

I think it is so nice of you to volunteer and help out with theh Sierra house. I am sure they are going to have a great newsletter.

Aileen said...

That food looks AMAZING! Definitely shouldn't have looked at it at work...now I'm starving!

Felice Devine said...

Sierra House sounds like a good org. I love that quote, by the way.

Great job on the miles!

Tammy said...

Yum! The food looks great!

Great job on the mileage. And, kudos to you for volunteering. It looks like a great cause!

lauren said...

love the sound of the Sierra house - great thing to do! nice run and the tofu scramble sounds awesome.

Ali said...

Sierra House sounds like a great cause.

That food has made me very hungry!

Anonymous said...

hey. thanks for stopping by!

i made sure my tofu scramble
was colorful since it was
my first day of eats on the
blog. dont expect it to last. ;]

Heather said...

Great job getting the miles in, and cooking up a storm!

Laurel said...

That food looks amazing! Yum! The Sierra House sounds like a wonderful cause.

Cindy said...

yum, the potatoes sound great! it reminds me of a recipe my college friend used to make for me as a late night study snack. the tamarind paste is cool--does that make it a little tangy?

I Run for Fun said...

Yes, tamarind makes it tangy...lemon gives it a similar taste.

Christie said...

You commented on my blog way back when, and I've been meaning to return the favor.

It's great that you're volunteering at Sierra House. The world could use more people like you.