February PDX Restaurant: The Maple Parlor

Website

I've been meaning to go to Eb & Bean, a frozen yogurt spot with vegan options, for quite a while, since seeing it pop up on Instagram now and then. We were going to go there while on the east side meeting up with friends for lunch (at Next Level Burger!), but one of them pointed out there was a similar option just down the street from where we were on Hawthorne - The Maple Parlor. So we all headed there instead for dessert, satisfying a couple of vegetarians and our omnivore friends. 

The Maple Parlor tries to cater towards as many dietary needs as possible, with everything clearly labeled as vegan, gluten-free, paleo, or whatever. 

Genre: Frozen yogurt

Price: I don't recall specifically and it's not on the website, but they're priced by dish size, rather than weight like conventional fro yo places. I think they were priced something like $2.50, $3.50, and $4.50, with the medium being a quite reasonable size. 

Setting: Self-serving frozen yogurt and toppings.

What we tried: I tried two of the vegan flavors - almond cherry and cashew maple, with waffle cone pieces, chocolate chips, and a chocolate sauce. Abe liked the mango carrot, and our friends enjoyed the non-vegan yogurt flavors. 

Overall impression: All very good! While I could definitely tell the yogurt I had wasn't dairy based, it was pretty good. Having a mix of bases - all clearly labeled - makes this a place with something for everyone. 

Would I take my parents?*: Definitely! 

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely. 

That 30 Before 30 Thing

Since I turned, uh, 31 yesterday, I figured it was probably about time to address that "30 Before 30" goal list that I had. 

I started this when I turned 27 on January 27, 2012, and the point was to finish the list by my 30th birthday on January 27, 2015. That obviously didn't quite happen. Some of it was logistics, some of it was lack of prioritizing, some of it was goals changing over the years.

Final tally: 
Completed by age 30: 9
Completed after age 30: 1
Plan to complete soon-ish: 5
Plan to complete eventually: 9
Probably not going to happen: 6

1. Ride Amtrak across the country.

Still something I'd like to do. At this point, perhaps something to hold off on until we have kids and they're old enough to enjoy it. (Could make for a fairly cost efficient family trip!) 

We did do a train ride through Alaska, though, on our honeymoon. I really enjoy trains (of any kind - subways, light rail (MAX in Portland), travel). Especially when built into a city's infrastructure, they just seem like such an efficient mode of transportation. I just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. 

2. Build a computer.

The idea here was to volunteer in one of Free Geek's programs. Still something I'd like to do eventually, but I'm not sure when/how to make it a priority to make it happen. 

3. Drive a stick shift.

Nope, and I haven't had a need to, either. Are there any cars other than big trucks, SUVs, or sports cars that even are stick shift? 

4. Take a flying lesson.

This is something I still really really want to do. Someday. 

5. Shoot a gun.

I still do want to do this, though it's less of a strong desire than it used to be. 

6. Build a ship in a bottle.

I bought a kit for this, and it's been in progress for a couple years. I'll prioritize this after busy season!

7. Run a marathon. 

Done - twice! 10/6/2013 and 10/4/2015

8. Go to an opera. 

5/17/2012 And many more since then, since my husband does a lot of music stuff as a hobby, and my sister-in-law, her boyfriend, and a close family friend of theirs are professional musicians.

9. Perform in a play or concert.

Have not done yet, but will do very soon! Earlier this month I joined a community choir, and I'll have concerts coming up in March and May.

10. Do 50 consecutive push-ups.

Well, I haven't tried lately, but based on what I've done during NROLFW workouts recently, I think I could get to 15, maybe 20 before maxing out. I only have three weeks of NROLFW left, though, so I could prioritize this as my next strength, focus on it for the subsequent month or so. 

11. Make pad see ew that’s as good as Thai Basil’s.

I've, in large part, given up cooking since moving in with Abe. Why do my own mediocre cooking when he does it so well, huh? He makes a pretty good pad see ew. I don't know if it's quite to the standard of Thai Basil, though. (Thai Basil = a restaurant near my work 

12. Change the oil in my car myself.

No, but I did (with the help of my dad) change a flat tire recently, does that count?

13. Visit a country outside of North America.

No, things like getting married and supporting a student-spouse took up a large chunk of my disposal income. Like the Amtrak, perhaps something to do later on with kids.

14. Do NaBloPoMo. 

November 2013 and November 2014. In 2013 I think I was using the "official" NaBloPoMo prompts; in November 2014 mostly just using my own post ideas and trying to get something up every day.

15. Eat raw for a week.

Eh, not something that terribly appeals to me at this point.

16. Spend 24 hours in silence.

Though I think this would be an interesting experience, not something at the top of my list right now.

17. Take a fencing class. 

11/2/2013

18. Donate hair. 

11/23/2013

19. Swim 1,000 yards.

Sort of - I think I meant 1,000 yards straight without stopping, which I'm fairly sure I haven't actually done. I've definitely done more than that total in a workout (I've hit 2,000 yards at least once, and more than 1,500 most of the time now), but I think I've only done 600, or maybe 800, without stopping. Something to work on doing this year.

20. Go rock climbing.

I'm not sure if I meant for real, outdoors, or just on an indoor wall. I have done this on a wall! I'm going to go ahead and count that. It was even before I turned 30! (August 2014) On our honeymoon we did an Alaskan cruise, and one of the on-ship activities was a climbing wall. 

21. Run a 5k in under 30 minutes.

Not before I turned 30, but I have done this, in September 2015! (Race recap)

22. Bowl a game over 200.

Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen.

23. Watch all of the Best Picture winners.

I've watched 43 out of 87. Uh, I got almost halfway, so yay? I'd like to keep this list going and eventually complete it.

24. Read all of the Booker prize winners.

I've read 6 out of 47. Let's not bother figuring out what percentage that is. I also would like to keep this list going, but it'll take a while to complete at the rate I've been reading. 

25. Ride in a hot air balloon.

Not done, even though I did a 5k race at a balloon festival. 

26. Go whale watching.

Sadly no. Not sure where the best place to do this would be that reasonably accessible - maybe a trip to the San Juan Islands is in order?

27. Go spelunking.

Also no, and not sure where/how this would happen exactly. 

28. Get a non-earlobe piercing. 

2/12/2012

29. Donate blood. 

5/24/2013 After the fact, I found out that that first blood donation couldn't be used, due to recent travel in Mexico, but I donated a few times after that one-year travel ban lifted. I then, unfortunately got out of the habit; was going to re-start and then found some mixed information about whether it's prudent to do so while trying to conceive. It's definitely a no no while pregnant, so that might put it off longer, but if not pregnant we'll be taking a break for a few months, so I will be sure to prioritize it again. 

30. Get a manicure and pedicure. 

7/26/14 Kinda worth doing the one time, definitely not something I'm interested in doing again. I have no patience for spending time doing routine beauty maintenance for something like that to keep it looking nice, same reason I never dye my hair. 

January PDX Restaurant: Vtopia

Website

In the midst of the 22-day veg challenge, and trying and wanting to make more vegan choices (hmmm, I like that phrasing - to go all or nothing and "be vegan" can be daunting; to make vegan choices, moment by moment, choice by choice, is perhaps more doable), it seemed like the perfect time to explore a vegan alternative to something I love dearly, cheese. 

Cheese. It's a big reason I haven't gone vegan before. Not only is it delicious and part of many comfort foods, but it's almost always a big part of the vegetarian options at mainstream restaurants. Finding a vegan alternative to cheese is a must. And processed vegan cheeses (like daiya) just really don't do it for me.

The shop is located on the edge of downtown Portland, just a couple blocks from the Goose Hollow MAX station (which we did take in - street parking looked like it's available, but not plentiful). I'd heard about it shortly after they opened this summer, and I can't believe I put it off and missed out on it for so long!

Genre: Artisan cheese, deli dishes including their cheeses

Price: Cheese plates: each for $5, 5 for $23, 6 for $27, or 7 for $31 (and they're quite generous servings of each!). $5.50 to $13.50 for other small dishes, entrees, and sandwiches. Wine, beer, and other drinks also available.

Setting: Home-y deli

What we tried: 

Obviously we had to get a cheese platter and try a variety. I honesty can't completely recall which ones we got (other than than the feta which Abe really wanted to try, we just asked asked the waitress to include her favorites. This was in partbe cause they were out of a several - due to their recent move to a bigger manufacturing facility - but also just because why not.) 

I think, from left to right: 

Mediterranean feta, macadamia and cashew camembert, spicy white cheddar, roasted red pepper surrise, peppercorn brie.

My favorites, by far, were the camembert, followed by the one on the far right (which I think is brie, but is the one I'm least sure I'm remembering correctly). They were really amazing. Just like any fairly mild spreadable or cream cheese (the camembert seemed like Laughing Cow - yes, I have very low brow tastes in my cheese, I didn't even recognize half the names of the cheeses here). Really, really delicious! The only one I didn't like was the feta, but I'm not a fan of regular feta either.

The cheese plate came with some bread and crackers - surprisingly the cheese portions were very generous, but the carbs seemed a little stingy to go along with it! Fortunately they gave us a refill on that. We also got the beer cheese with sourdough bread - taste and texture were right on! 

Abe had ordered one of the specials (to be joining the regular menu, I believe), a club sandwich. Sadly, we eventually got news that they were out of the cheese to make it (again, supply issues were due to the relocation of the manufacturing spot, but that's done now so shouldn't be an issue going forward). But, to make up for it, they gave us a couple bon bons. I'd say the cheese was better vegan cheese than the bon bons were vegan chocolates/candies, but that's not to say I'd turn them down!

Overall impression: Amazing! Abe has instructions to stop by sometime soon (it's reasonably on his way home from school) to pick up cheese to bring home.

Would I take my parents?*: Yes. While the concept "vegan cheese" is a bit outside of their comfort zone, I think they'd be willing to give it a shot for my sake, and I'd bet they'd find something to enjoy.

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely. 

2015 Year-End Summary & Thoughts

2015 felt transformative in some ways, After spending a long time being around 150 pounds (or more), I dropped back into a "normal" weight range, and below where I was when I graduated college (the weight gain was mostly gradual ever since the end of high school). I feel more like myself. Physically, that weight loss plus strong training (and lots of racing) got a ton of PRs. 

Abe and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and started trying to get pregnant. Plus I turned 30, and I think with all of that I ought to feel like I'm a real adult now... (anyone know when that will actually kick in?).

I've taken more strides than usual to actually follow-through and do the things that I wished I could do; I've gotten involved in organizations rather than merely signing up for things online. I've done some group runs with No Meat Athlete, participated in the Citizens' Climate Lobby, and joined a non-profit board as treasurer. 

See also mid year updates: January - April. May - August. September - December.

Try 12 new vegetarian restaurants.

There were only a few restaurants we tried that I didn't really like, but I think my favorites are Petunia's, La Vida Veggie, and Next Level Burger. La Vida Veggie is the one I've returned to the most (with Abe, my parents, and friends - probably at least a half dozen times since the initial visit?), but in addition to being good food that's mostly because of proximity.

[x] Papa G's - December (for November)
[x] Sweet Hereafter - October
[x] Van Hanh - March
[x] The Sudra - July
[x] The Whole Bowl - August
[x] A.N.D. Cafe - May
[x] Curry Leaf - February
[x] Petunia's - January
[x] La Vida Veggie - April
[x] Next Level Burger - June
[x] Paradox Cafe - September
[x] Departure - December

2015 Goals: September - December

See recaps for January to April here and May to August here. 

Try 12 new vegetarian restaurants.

I liked all of the new restaurants, which were all in wildly varying genres - Paradox Cafe in September (breakfast cafe), Sweet Hereafter in October (bar), Papa G's for November (deli/comfort food), and Departure in December (swanky Asian small plates).

I think Departure is probably the one we're most likely to return to (despite being the most expensive). It's the closest to our part of town (it's in downtown Portland - so many veg restaurants are way out on the east side!), and is good for satisfying a variety of tastes (veg, omni, GF), as well as being upscale enough to meet my MIL's preferences, so will probably return with a larger group of in-laws.

Try 12 new recipes, each from a different currently-owned cookbook.

October's recipe (phyllo triangles) and November's recipe (black-eyed peas and potatoes), both from the Vegan Lunch Box series books, were ok, though not my favorite thing ever. September's recipe (orange tofu from Vegan Junk Food) was also not fantastic, but I did take on the deep-frying method it used, and have used that method multiple times since. 

December's recipe (chocolate pie from Vegan Pie in the Sky) was good, for a pie, but as I said I'm not a huge pie person. But anything chocolate is definitely ok, at least!

Visit/do 12 "Portland bucket list" type things.

Despite the fall season, we spent a lot of time outdoors! In September, we hiked Multnomah Falls. In December, we visited the World Forestry Center (ok, that's inside, but about the outdoors!), took the MAX across the Tilikum Crossing then ran back over it, and did the Peacock Lane run. 

Read 2 books each month.

(Let's be friends on goodreads!)

September: 2

MaddAddam. Third and final in the Madd Addam trilogy. I liked this one better than the second one, as all the stories converged and you finally figured out when you were and what was going on. I never loved it, but was invested enough to continue reading to the end and didn't hate it. Might hate the friend who recommend the trilogy, though.

Bossypants. Highly entertaining! Pretty quick and light read without being pure fluff.

October: 4

Expecting Better. Totally absolutely recommend if you're pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant. I know the author isn't a doctor, but she's basing the book on looking at the actual data and conclusions, and it's really helpful information to make your own educated decisions. I understand why "they" want to come up with broad recommendations to give to every pregnant woman, and that requires going to the lowest common denominator instead of leaving too much open to interpretation. But if you're willing to do the legwork and take responsibility for your own decisions, this is a highly valuable resource. It's also a surprisingly entertaining read!

Born to Run. Really interesting if you're a runner! While definitely way out of the specific part of running I ever see myself being involved in, it was interesting. I even made and tried iskiate!

Origins. Similar, in a sense, to Expecting Better, this book delves into some research about how our actions and experiences while pregnant will impact the fetus. However, while Expecting Better is basically going on a journey from worried (everyone says I can't do this or that or the other thing!) to taking a calm, educated look at the real data; Origins is starting from a viewpoint of the fetus as the "perfect parasite" (doesn't matter if I get perfect nutrition, it'll pull what it needs first) to exploring all of the negative things during prenatal development that can have a long-term impact on people's health. I found the general journey, going from little worry to huge worries, a bit disturbing and reactionary, and also disliked some gendered and otherwise bothersome beliefs that seemed to be scattered throughout the narrative. Though intriguing, I'm not sure it's a book I'd recommend per se.

Love in the Time of Algorithms. As someone who met my spouse on an internet dating site, it was really fascinating to get this sort of behind the scenes look at how that industry has developed over time.

November: 0

December: 2

Do Unto Animals. This is a new book by Tracey Stewart, which I heard about on The Daily Show (uh, was that awkward enough wording? Trying not to identify a woman by reference to her husband, but her husband is how I know about her (and her book)!). It's a pretty quick read, with fairly short chapters with different focuses and ideas. I think it's intended to be read by families - some of the stuff would go over the heads of younger kids, but a lot of it is projects that would be fun to do with them, and it's a lot of information that's more beneficial to kids than adults (e.g., how to appropriate pet a cat), but also provides information that might be new to plenty of adults (e.g., how tail signals from a cat or dog indicate their mood).

I Am Malala. Obviously an important and relevant topic and issue to learn about, and also a fascinating specific story to read. 

Lose 22 pounds.

Same shirt! Sept 2014 (148) - Dec 2015 (124)

I hit 124 by the end of September, and have maintained it since!

Total: -22 pounds

I'm fluctuating slightly between 122 - 125 (I weigh myself once, sometimes twice, per week), but always come back to just under 125, so I'm calling it 124. I'd like to get under 120 and have that range be more like 118 - 120, but I'm fairly content if this is where it sticks, too. It's only been a few months, so I know there's still deliberateness that I need to continue to not gain it back (much less lose a couple more pounds),  but it has been a bit more effortless than I would have expected. 

Bike 1,500 500 miles.

After August I set a modified goal to reach towards for the rest of the year, and just barely hit it! (So, uh, that's half my yearly mileage in the last two months...)

September: 24.4 (5.69/week)
October: 30.45 (6.87/week)
November: 102.50 (23.9/week)
December: 150.60 (33.8/week)

Total: 500.05

Run 1,000 1,100 miles.

I hit the original goal of 1,000 early enough (in November) that I decided to make a new stretch goal for the remainder of the year - 1,100 miles reached!

September: 135.80 (31.68/week)
October: 70.40 (15.89/week)
November: 55.90 (13.04/week)
December: 70.75 (15.9/week)

Total: 1,100.4

Swim 165,000 57,750 yards.

Ha ha ha! Like biking, modified the goal at the end of August to make it feasible, still totally didn't meet it, at all. Swimming is the one sport that, though, rely on other entities (pool schedules coordinating with my work schedules), but I didn't try all that hard. Setting basically the same goal (50,000 yards) for 2016 - hopefully that's a slam dunk!

September: 4,900
October: 5,500
November: 6,500
December: 0

Total: 42,210

Participate in a race each month.

September: Best in the West sprint tri (PR), Forest Grove Lions Club Run for Sight 5k (PR), Best Dam Run 10k (PR)
October: Portland Marathon (PR)
November: Tacoma City Turkey Trot
December: Ho Ho 5k

December PDX Restaurant: Departure

Website

Departure isn't a wholly vegan restaurant, but it is extremely veg-friendly. In addition to the regular menu, there is an entirely separate vegan menu (as well as a separate gluten-free menu). It's not quite as long as the regular menu, but it is quite extensive!

Set on a high floor downtown, in the summer I'm told a table on the deck gives you a wonderful view of the city. We didn't really have that view indoors, but it's still an interesting vibe and good food. 

Genre: Asian small plates

Price: $12 cocktails, $6 to $14 per plate on vegan menu (up to $33 on regular menu) - you'll probably want two plates per person as a full dinner

Setting: Boat-like architecture, music, upscale/sleek atmosphere

What we tried: 

For drinks, Abe and I ordered the two mocktails, to see which we liked better - I loved the strawberry cooler, and he the Thai basil sipper (both were really good, though). My MIL got the indochine - which contains creme de cassis, which I've never heard of before but is a fruity (berry) liquor and the cocktail was delicious.

Food - from left to right, top to bottom:

• Shaved collards salad, Minzuna & apple salad, Edamame
• Green beans, Sweet potato tempura roll, Salt & pepper tempeh
• Hand cut rice noodles, Kimchee fried rice, Brussells sprouts  

Our favorites:
Mine: Tempura rolls
Abe's: Shaved collards salad
MIL's: Brussell sprouts

I think we all like those top three a lot. Nothing was particularly bad, although the tempeh was may just so-so. To me, everything was more spicy than I'd like - unlike much spicy food, there actually was still flavor, the spicy didn't just cover up everything, but nonetheless my mouth was burning by the end of the meal! We definitely ordered too much, each dish is more than an appetizer, but definitely less than an entree. I'd recommend going with a group so you can try as many options as possible!
Overall impression: A fun place, I'd like to go back in the summer to see the view from the deck. I was surprised by how much I actually did like the food considering how far outside my norm it is, and so spicy. It's a good place to take a variety of tastes - with a full vegan menu, gluten-free menu, and normal menu, we suggested my MIL bring us back with my SIL and her boyfriend sometime to accommodate all of our needs.

Would I take my parents?*: Probably not. I actually think they might like the food (it's outside of their comfort zone a smidge, but not that much), but they would not be thrilled with the atmosphere. It's definitely a noisy, more "club" type of vibe. 

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely. 

December Recipe: Vegan Pie in the Sky

The final cook book for the year, December's recipe was from Vegan Pie in the Sky. This is by the same authors as August's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, so I knew it was likely to contain some good treats! 

I have to admit, though, I'm not much of a pie person, in general, which is why as best I recall I hadn't previously made anything from this book. (I believe I acquired the book in a swag bag from one of the VegNews yoga retreats. P.S., I don't think it's official yet, but rumor has it they might be reviving their yoga retreat! I don't know if life would allow me to attend again in the near future, but I'd definitely highly recommend it!)

Anyway, I'm not much of a pie person. Fruit ones mean the fruit is soft and soggy (ew), and other kinds are usually some kind of mushy pudding grossness (eww). But chocolate can overcome all odds, so I'm usually content with a chocolate creme pie of some sort, thus I figured the old-fashioned chocolate pudding pie was worth a shot. I also made the crust from scratch with the book's graham cracker crust recipe (after all, if I must consume pie, at least it's a good vehicle for graham cracker crust and whipped cream).

Graham Cracker Crust

Difficulty: 2.5 out of 5. Difficulty was perhaps due to assumptions on my part, not the recipe. It gave an ounces of graham crackers that should yield the given amount once crushed, and so I just used what should of been that, given the total ounces of the box, and failed to actually measure once crushed. It seemed to be too much in total, and I had to add more oil and milk, and actually ended up making two 8-inch crusts instead of the one 9- or 10-inch crust specified.

Enjoyment: 5 out of 5. It's hard to screw up a graham cracker crust so much as it to make it unenjoyable! It crumbled a bit instead of holding up perfectly once the pie was made, but it still tasted good!

Likelihood to make again: 3 out of 5. I'm not terribly likely to need a pie crust again, but if I did, I'd make this one.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie

Difficulty: 4 out of 5. It sounds simple, but somehow things weren't mixed together well enough once I started the heating (to thicken) process, and some stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan and started burning. It didn't hinder the remaining mixture, but added a slight burnt taste to the whole thing. I thought I was following the instructions, so I'm not sure how I could have avoided this.

Enjoyment: 4 out of 5. The slight burnt taste dampened the experience a bit, but it wasn't bad at all, even so. 

Likelihood to make again: 2 out of 5. Still not a huge pie person. It's not something I'd make to have around for my own daily dessert. But if I needed to make a pie for something, this would be on the short list.

World Forestry Center & Tilikum Crossing

The weekend after Christmas, I convinced Abe to accompany me on a couple outings to get in the last Portland bucket list activities for the year. 

On Saturday, we went to the World Forestry Center, which is in Washington Park by the zoo (so we were able to take the MAX in). To celebrate their 50th anniversary, there were reduced admissions prices ($5 for everyone), and they're staying at lower prices in the new year ($7 for adults). 

We spent about 90 minutes exploring; while it's set up for kids and families, it was still interesting to two adults. Even some of the activities presumably intended for kids could be still be enjoyed by us, and it was all very informative.

I think if you had kids with you doing more of the hands-on exhibits, you'd want to allow a bit more time (at least two hours), despite, what appeared to me, at least, to be a relatively small museum (and there wasn't even a temporary exhibit set up in the second half of the second floor while we were there). Definitely worth checking out for kids and adults.

Then the next morning, we went on a trip across Tilikum Crossing, a new non-car bridge that opened in Portland this past fall. It's part of the new orange MAX (light-rail) line (essentially an extension of the yellow) into SE Portland east of the river. It also has dedicated bicycle and pedestrian lines on both sides, and the orange line has had sidewalks and paths added along side or near it to make the whole area more walkable. 

We took the MAX (blue/red line) into downtown, then transferred to the orange line to make our initial voyage across the bridge! Then got off on the first stop after it, and used the ped path to run back across it and back into downtown to take the MAX home. It was easy to do! There was path across the bridge and into the Harbor Dr area, where we could have gotten onto the riverfront path, or taken a staircase up to Naito as we did to zigzag through the streets.