Is it possible we’re already on week 10? winter is flying by!Last summer I did lots of pesto with my overabundance of basil in the garden. Thursday I put together a quick pasta meal withLasagnetta fettuccini from Sunrise Creative Gourmet in Hibbing, MN, homemade pesto, local carrots and organic brocolli, and farmers cheese from Wisconsin. Altho we live next to the dairy state there isn’t parmesan that is local so that of course came from far away. Organic pears, USA but I don’t know where, completed the plate.The pesto tasked like late summer even with all the snow on the ground. yum
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It was my pleasure today to attend the Women’s Leadership Challenge Conference at St Catherine’s University in St Paul. My friend and fellow nordic walker Anne Pryor had made the connection and we presented Nordic Walking for Life as one of the break out sessions in the afternoon.It was empowering to spend time with a group of women who are all leaders within the businesses and community. They represented small personal businesses to large corporations, non profits, government and university programs. Vital, strong, wonderful women! The perfect audience for nordic walking.Unfortunately we were forced to walk indoors due to icy sidewalks. The women were game to go out, showing up with their boots and coats, but we decided that learning a new activity and dodging ice just wasn’t the best combination. There was ample room to walk in hallways and coridors and we even found a small ramped hallway leading to the next building.We had 12 women walking with poles and I’m sure we converted them all to the best way to walk! It was the perfect place to network and make those connections for future demo’s and classes. I can’t wait to see what comes from it all.
Snow and cold has kept Gail and I from our morning nordic walking routine. It was just too dangerous to walk outside on icy, dark roads in below zero temps. We were relegated to doing the dreaded Pilates DVD at 5:45am. I do enjoy the change, and Pilates is a great workout, but it’s just not the same as going outside to start the day.This morning we finally were able to hit the road again at the break of dawn. well, actually before the break of dawn but if it wasn’t a cloudy morning I’m sure the dawn would have been close by the time we finished.It felt so good to get outside! There’s still snowpack on all the walking trails and the roads are a bit dicey but by taking the rubber tips off the poles for added stability and with my trusty “get a grips” on my shoes we managed to finish our walk with no falls.Maybe tomorrow we’ll take our XC skis up to the lake and do a ski loop. Gosh, I love winter!
I was up in Grand Marais MN the first part of the week. Coming back I actually had a couple of days off, imagine that. I got so caught up in getting caught up that I almost missed making my local meal. The good news, there was pig in the freezer and still a few brussel sprouts in the frig. I’ve been reading about everyone cooking those little green treats in bacon so had to do it myself. I must admit that it’s a bit over board to do both pork chops and bacon in the same meal but it was delicious.Our local meal: pork chops with fresh garlic on the grill, brussel sprouts with done in the oven with bacon, sliced MN apples and sourdough bread from the local coop. On a side note it’s one of the heaviest sourdough’s in the area, taste’s so much like my mom used to make. She always had starter going on the counter for something. Maybe I’ll have to get one going, I’m getting hungry for sourdough pancakes. Anyone know where to get a good starter?
It’s Wednesday morning in Grand Marais Minnesota. For those not familiar with Minnesota I’m way up on the “arrowhead” just about 60 miles from Canada, right on Lake Superior. Grand Marais is a small town cradled between the big water and the big woods. At times there are more deer on the hiway than cars. It’s an artistic community, inspired by the natural elements around them that set the pace of every day. The Superior Hiking trail, Gunflint lodge, Lutsen ski resort, multiple state parks, and of course the lake itself are only a few feet away.In summer it’s a busy tourist spot, in winter lots of the stores and restaurants are closed so it’s much quieter, the perfect place for a retreat from life in the city. I’m watching the day begin on the lake. Yesterday it was windy and big waves crashed on the beaches and rocks along the shore. Water splashed up over the breaker for the harbor. Clouds broke apart creating islands of sunlight out on the lake
and eventually the day ended with a spectacular sunset of red and gold.We are a mixed group of wise and wonderful women, ten in number and generations in experience. We have skied, snowshoed, explored, ate and drank together during our time here. We have stretched our bodies and our minds, challenging ourselves to take a deep breathe and go a little further.I am refreshed in spirit and mind and almost ready to return to the cities. I love HOW, Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women. It allows me to know women who are outside my normal circle of life. I am enriched by their energy and their willingness to share their lives with me and each other on our trips and events. It is a joy and a blessing.
It all started with the chicken carcass sitting on my sidewalk in below zero weather waiting to be cooked down for stock and final de-boning. I was at the local Great Harvest Bread shop and they had an offer of free dinner rolls with a purchase of the Frontier Soup mixes. Now it’s probably cheating but the company is from Illinois, a little out of my range but still midwest, and the ingredients are all organic and gluten free. I didn’t think I could go wrong with “corn, rice, potato, red pepper, chives, cayenne pepper and dill” in the bag. And I got a pack of 6 sunflower whole grain dinner rolls to enjoy with it for free! what a deal.
So my cheater local meal of the week was the Red Pepper Corn Chowder mix from Frontier Soups, www.frontiersoups.com, with stock and chicken from our own bird, supplemented with sea salt and pepper (not local) sunflower dinner rolls from Great Harvest and a sliced MN apple from the fridge.
Oh, the icy roads and paths are making nordic walking very difficult these days. I have to admit that Gail and I have resorted to doing our Pilates tape early in the morning and I’ve been snowshoeing in the fields when the sun is out. It’s just not the same when I can’t start my day with walking out the door to greet the morning.
On another note there are lots of places to walk with your poles indoors. Rhea Kontos just posted information for the southern suburbs on her blog www.nordicwalkthisway.wordpress.com and I thought I’d add to that for the western and northern areas.
Most of the indoor “Dale’s” will allow indoor nordic walking. Just be sure to go before they open the stores as there’s something inherently dangerous about pole walkers and mom’s with strollers and little ones mixed together. As Rhea said the MOA has a walking club where you can even log in and keep track of how often and how long you walk.
Plymouth Community Center has an indoor walking track in the Field Housethat is open to walkers many hours each day. You can call the recording for updated information 763-509-5292 and yes, your poles are welcome. It’s an inflated dome area so be sure to dress with an extra layer, it’s a little cooler than just indoors.
For safe outdoor walking be sure to check out Centennial Lakes in Edina. The path around park is about 1.5 miles, you can do it each direction to make it 3 and go off on the promenade for extra mileage. It’s always well shoveled and a beautiful place for a winter walk.
If you’re a member of The Marsh you can use your poles when walking on their indoor track. You might check to make sure there isn’t any restriction on hours.
Wherever you’re walking just be careful when mixing with the general public. And of course use the opportunity to spread the good word about all the benefits of Nordic Walking with everyone who stops you to ask if you forgot your skis.
I don’t always have time to do a real breakfast even on the weekend. Sam, my 24 yr old son, and I were going to go tele skiing on Saturday but when the day started at -15 and promised to only make it to zero we bagged the idea of driving to ski and made breakfast instead.
Homemade blueberry pancakes with local flour, milk, butter and home laid eggs. exceptions the salt, baking soda, organic cane sugar. Blueberries from the freezer, local maple syrup warmed of course with our local pig bacon and patti sausage on the side. The orange juice and coffee were organic but not local. gee, hope I don’t have too many exceptions here.
It was delightful to make a full plate and sit to watch the woodpeckers busy on the suet from the same pig feasting in the cold.