Exercise any way possible and Pad Thai

Just keep moving. That’s my motto.  Chew gum. Jiggle a leg when sitting. Walk the dog (or cat?!).  Cleaning the house. Well, that’s not much fun but how about zipping around the kitchen while baking and/or cooking up some delicious eats?  Exercise doesn’t have to be a hard run or hours in the gym spent lifting weights and trudging along on aerobic equipment to offer benefit to the body.  It just has to be 30 minutes of activity.  Those 30 minutes can be broken into three 10 minute segments.  It’s all good. It all works.  Get up and move it. 

This weeks workout plan:

It was one of my favorite mornings for a walk. The temperature was high 20’s, there was very little wind, the snow was gently falling and the plows were doing their job around the schools.  Refreshing! 

Sunday, Valentines Day, I received some gorgeous yellow roses.

The roses came with a card that offered such heart tugging words, it was tough to fight off the tears. 

My honey, so sweet.  

We then set out on a 1 1/2 hour cross country skiing excursion at Hamilton College in Clinton.  Shane had a blast and met 2 doggy friends along the way.  He tried to be the tough guy but one dog, smaller than Shane, was just as tough.  The owner said, “he’s a city dog and holds his own”.   The other dog just wanted to play but when it went for Shane’s toy, Shane said “WOOF” – which translates to “Okay – you’re done!”.  I got stuck on a down hill for a few minutes. One leg was pointing down and the other across. I couldn’t get my skis off so I sat there while the pressure on my knee facing down hill increased.  I moaned, grunted, made crying sounds while Ted yelled from the top of the hill “NEED SOME HELP?”  It was Valentines Day and I kept my response silent but quite loud in my head.  I managed to relax and finally, with what I’m sure was an impressive acrobatic maneuver, untangled myself and got up.  Climbed the hill sideways and put on a happy face.  🙂

Cross country skiing is a terrific way to get exercise. During our excursion on Sunday, the temperature was warmer than last week,  25 degrees and snowy.  We were in the trees which blocked the wind.  

Our Valentine’s Day dinner was going to be something easy.  I decided on Pad Thai. 

I’ve been reading a lot about this dish on various sites and curiosity got the better of me.

“A Thai dish of stir-fried rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, shrimp, peanuts, and seasonings” That definition is from Yahoo EDU

This is the definition from Wise Geek:

“Pad Thai, literally “Thai style frying,” is a Thai noodle dish made from stir fried rice noodles with ingredients including egg, peanuts, shallots, sprouts, tofu, and a choice of meat. It is one of the most well known Thai dishes, and can be found at Thai restaurants all over the world. In Thailand, pad thai is readily available at roadside stands and in casual dining establishments. Pad thai has a lot of ingredients which come together in a symphony of hot, sweet, sour, and salty: the four cornerstones of Thai cuisine.”

Here is the Apple Crumbles version (an amateur’s attempt in other words) of PAD THAI

• 1/2 Box 1/4” Rice Noodles, e.g. A Taste of Thai 

• 16 oz raw shrimp, shell and tails removed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 TBS rice vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 2 TBS Sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts (preferably unsalted)
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 can Bean sprouts

The Sauce:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup Mirin
• 1/4 cup Agave Syrup (or use 1/2 cup Agave instead of mirin)
• 3 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine 1/4 cup soy, 3 TBS rice vinegar, and 1 cup water in a large plastic bag.  Add the shrimp and set aside to marinate while you prepare the following.

Place the rice noodles in very hot water for 15 – 20 minutes.  Drain and remove to keep warm.

Mix all sauce ingredients together in a glass bowl and set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet on medium high.  Add the egg white and scramble for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp (NOT the marinade – discard the marinade) and stir fry until almost cooked, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the rice noodles and stir fry 4-5 minutes. 

Add the sauce, the scallions, garlic, peanuts, bean sprouts and stir fry 2 minutes. 

Squirt with fresh lime and serve.

We enjoyed this dish. It was more vinegary with a hint of sweet than it was salty and spicy.  I actually used 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and cider vinegar but decreased it to 3 TBS for this recipe so when I make it again, the vinegar will be less prominent in the dish.  I will also add a hint more red pepper flakes to ….what would Emeril say “Kick it up a notch….BAM!”

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Joanne