About Becka

Becka McKnight is a barefoot runner and natural lifestyle enthusiast. She is active in the DC area and has competed in a sprint distance triathlon, three half marathons, a handful of 10 milers, and enjoys swimming and exploring new places. She's lived abroad in Scotland and Cuba and enjoys traveling to the Caribbean.

Virtually Veggie – New Series

September 8, 2011 By Becka

Welcome to Virtually Veggie, this new series on IShouldLogOff will feature easy vegetarian recipes that are both yummy and filling! Each recipe featured will be one of my favorites from a variety of sources, cookbooks, friends, family, farmers from my market, etc. You should know that I in no way am a chef or even have ever worked in a restaurant, I just love veggies and easy yummy recipes. My motto is if it takes more than 45 minutes to prepare, start to finish, I am probably not ever going to make it, so the majority of what will be featured fit that description. I hope you enjoy! And of course feel free to request a specific veggie to be featured in future weeks.

Featured Veggie: Eggplant

This week we start with a seasonal favorite of mine, the eggplant. The eggplant is used almost worldwide in the variety of dishes and can be very easy to prepare. A note: the best time to use an eggplant is fresh from the farm, they don’t keep well in refrigerators or on countertops.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato with Almonds in a Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette

What you will needed:

¼ cup slivered almonds (or pine nuts depending on your mood)
1 pound of eggplant (about one medium eggplant)
2 small or one large tomato (diced)
½ cup apple juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime)
2 cloves of garlic (minced or pressed)
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup olive oil
a skillet
a baking sheet
a bowl
a whisk (or fork)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F). In a dry skillet toast the almonds over high heat until they are brown and smell fragrant (give or take 45 seconds to a minute depending on heat). Remove the almonds from the skillet and set aside.

On a large baking sheet use a little olive oil to coat the sheet so the eggplant and tomatoes don’t stick. Slice the eggplant into lengthwise slices (about ½ inch think). Arrange the eggplant on the baking sheet.

Remove the stem and seeds from the tomatoes and dice. Arrange around (not on top of) the eggplant on
the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and allow it to roast until the eggplant is soft (about
30 minutes or so).

In a bowl whisk together the apple and lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, parsley, mustard, garlic, and salt.

Slowly pour in the olive oil while continually whisking. Keep whisking until the dressing no longer separates.

Once the eggplant is soft, remove the baking sheet and flip over the eggplant slices. Spoon about 2/3 of the dressing over the eggplant and set aside for to cool. Once the eggplant is room temperature its ready to serve! Place slices on a plate and spoon over some of the roasted tomatoes and the remaining dressing, and finish it off with a sprinkling of the toasted almonds. I like to complete the dish with fresh ground black pepper and salt.

This recipe makes about 4 servings. A special note: It doesn’t keep well, so make sure you will finish the whole dish in one sitting.

Enjoy!

Eating Vegetarian Abroad

August 25, 2011 By Becka

“No Problem, I’m Cooking Chicken”

While I am at home in States, I don’t struggle to find delicious vegetarian food. Restaurants that cater only to vegetarians are opening across the county, and there are a plethora of veggie friendly cuisines like Thai or Indian, but traveling can be a bit more difficult.

My first adventure outside the U.S. as a vegetarian was to Costa Rica. I hadn’t been a vegetarian for very long, so I was still learning to get creative with vegetarian cuisine, I scraped by on Luna bars I brought from home, mangoes, pineapple, and rice and beans. After a few days of that, lets just say my stomach was not in the best shape, if you catch my drift….it was there and then that I realized that my dream for lifelong travel would be a bit more complicated with my new eating habits.

Over the next few years I experienced a few different reactions when I arrived at a new restaurant or someone’s home and artfully announced in a non-offensive way that I was vegetarian. They ranged from a good hearted, “no problem!”, to utter disgust, to a few people even asking what that means with a face of confusion on why one would not eat meat. My favorite reaction was while visiting a rural home in the Andes. I was greeted with a rather rotund women who responded with a smile and ‘no hay problema, estoy concinando pollo’ (or not a problem, I am making chicken). Clearly vegetarian meant something different to this women, and I had to further explain that chicken too was off the menu. After some reassurance from me that I in fact am healthy and was perfectly okay eating the side items, she warmed up to the idea and we had a good time.

Visiting people’s homes is probably the hardest aspects of traveling as a vegetarian or someone with a special diet. The last thing you want to do is offend someone, and as you explain your restrictions, you need to respect the hosts culture and values. I find that being upfront with people, is usually the best way to conquer the issue. If you are bringing something as a gift, make it something you can eat! You should always stash something in your bag for later, just in case. In some cases you can skip out on trying a potentially revolting main dish, like I did in Laos, by simply being vegetarian. Extra bonus!

I like to think a few years on that I have mastered being vegetarian while traveling, that there is no place I can’t go and find food. While that is true, I’ve learned that the challenges are endless and in some cases that you just need to open your mind, and take a bite — there are new food adventures around every corner.

Read why I became a Vegetarian!

Open your mind and take a bite: Vegetarianism

August 2, 2011 By Becka

A few years ago I got to thinking ‘Just where does all the food I eat come from’. The easy answer was a farm. But then I started to read more about the food industry in the US and in the developed world in general. That’s when I realized that not only is my food grown globally, but it might not be done in the most sustainable way, and actually be in some cases detrimental to the development of some communities.

In fact most meat and produce in the US is either raised on corporate farms or shipped in from farms in developing countries. These farms are not always regulated in terms of environmental sustainability but also in terms of their social impact. Rarely is there fair wage enforcement, even in the US or much thought given to the impact on fragile ecosystems. The more I read the more upset I became with myself and my blind support of this industry. So I decided that I would become vegetarian as meat production has the highest negative environmental impact of the foods I ate (mostly through deforestation and methane production), and for the produce I do buy, try to at least buy from local farms in my area whenever possible.

I decided to go cold turkey and just start being full on veggie, not an easy task for a girl who grew up eating chicken every night for dinner and bacon for Sunday brunch. But after some experimentation and a lot of talking to farmers at the farmers market, I learned which ‘new’ vegetables and fruits would become part of my diet. Four and a half years later I am still vegetarian and still discovering new flavors and yummy recipes to try.

Havana: The beat of life

April 18, 2011 By Becka

The Cuban rhythm of life, an internal beat fed by the musical beats of son and the continuous swaying of hips, gets into your soul. Havana thrives off this distinctly Cuban beat.

It’s a sound, a movement and a feeling without which you can’t understand the country or it’s people.

Cuba may be considered off the beaten path, especially for most Americans, but Havana has over two million inhabitants making it worth a visit, especially if you can get beyond the tourist area and into the heart of Havana.

Most tourists arrive to a beautiful tourist terminal and are whisked away to glossy boutique hotels and restaurants in the old section of town, Habana Vieja.

Along the way, visitors may not notice the rundown once glamorous homes that line each avenue or the ragged children playing baseball with small sticks and bottle caps. If they do, this image of Havana is quickly replaced with perfectly painted colorful homes, stores full of “authentic” Cuban souvenirs, streets lined with iconic American cars and fantastic food. On their stay these tourists may visit one of the many museums, take in the ballet, enjoy a street performance, or wander around the perfectly landscaped streets of Habana Vieja, only leaving this haven to visit other historic sites while traveling in the comfort of a private cab or a coco taxi, all while spending the government designated tourist currency.

This is not the beat of Cuba. This is not the heart of Havana.

What these tourists are experiencing is a fabricated Cuba, artfully designed for their enjoyment and pleasure. What they are missing is the authentic raw in your face Cuba, the spirit of a people who have prevailed through imperialism, the harshest economic blockade for over 50 years, not to mention numerous hurricanes and near starvation after the fall of the Soviet Union. It’s this spirit that makes Cuba a fascinating place, not the landscaped avenues of Habana Vieja.

The real Havana is not glamorous by any standards. The city is littered with once stunning mansions now turned to into tenement houses with their crumbled balconies held up by discarded lumber and once beautifully painted facades chipping away in the sunlight. Neighborhoods are dotted with old movie theaters hiding tattered seats and curtains, and streets with cars that when you look closely, have been haphazardly rebuilt with whatever parts or makeshift parts are available.

Living in Cuba for five months gave me the inside view of Cuban life and culture. With a residency card I lived among the residents of Havana, shopped in their same stores, and wandered along the same streets. Despite its outward appearance, Havana is thriving.

If you were to walk down the street with you eyes closed you would be bombarded with sounds of radio, drums, trumpets, voices singing and talking, the smell of the salty ocean breeze, simmering black beans and fresh fruit. Take it in for a moment and you would quickly find yourself walking to a different beat. With your eyes closed, you could easily mistake the city for paradise, not a dilapidated rundown place.

It’s this sense of Havana that most tourists miss, they only see the outward beauty of the rehabilitated homes and buildings and the carefully rehearsed tourism dance that Cuba plays, they miss the authentic Havana beat.

Having lived there I fell in love with the daily beat, the never ending music and laughter, and the inner strength of Cuban people. My favorite experiences were the unexpected invite into a house, the taste of fresh ice cream in a crowded sweltering room full of boisterous families, the impromptu salsa dance with a stranger in the middle of the street as an old radio played from a nearby living room, the continual excitement of not knowing what you would find in a shop, and the pleasure of taking a cool dip in the ocean.

This is the Havana tourists don’t see, the one that is only a few blocks off the beaten path, that will really make you fall in love with city.

Looking to visit Cuba? What about island hopping on a Caribbean cruise? Check out CruiseLineFans, a cruise community with the latest news, updates and user written reviews.

Review: Vibram Five Fingers

April 14, 2011 By Becka

If you missed our first post on barefoot running, you might want to check it out before you read this product review!

I actually have two different models of the Five Fingers, the Sprint and the Bikila. Both of which I love, but for slightly different reasons.

My first pair of Five Fingers was the sprint. I originally purchased them as part of my leap into the barefoot running world and was a bit skeptical of the individual toe design. Right out of the box they were easy to get on, just slip in your feet and bam you are ready to go, no laces, no fighting with the fabric, just one quick Velcro strap. The first thing I noticed was the lack of cushion or any sort of arch support. They really felt like a slightly heavier pair of socks than shoes. It did take a bit of getting used to for the toe spaces and having fabric and a seam between each toe, but after a few minutes I was comfortable.[Ed note: Wearing toe socks, like the injinji seems to make a difference!]

Some of the great features of the Sprint are that the inside has few seams which means, less rubbing since I go without socks. The only rubbing I noticed was on the seam near my instep. I did get a bit of a rub on the first few outings but once the shoes were more molded to my feet I was fine. Since the shoe is essentially fabric and rubber, over time they take on the shape of your feet, and fit much more like a second skin than a device.

What about smell? Fortunately, the Sprints hold up great in the washer! You just pop them in and hang dry, the fabric wears great, and dirt lifts almost fully out making them look brand new again. The only lingering sign of use is the smell. These puppies really keep that sweaty foot smell. While this is of course not a pleasant thing, while on or even not near your nose the odor is not apparent.

I put about 800 miles on them before they really started to wear and needed replacement; there is actually a small hole in the bottom sole! The sad thing is the fabric still looks great.

Now for the Bikilas. I was super excited when I first heard about the Bikila since it is designed for running. Basically the changes from the Sprint, are the addition of a top layer of fabric (so the shoe covers the whole foot), treads were added to the sole for better grip while running, reflective tape was added, and the sole also had a more rigid rubber piece added under the arch (not traditional arch support but something).

While in general the feeling is similar between the shoes, I found the Bikilas are not as flexible and second skin feeling as the Sprints, especially fresh from the box. The fabric was quite stiff which made it actually difficult to get the shoes on initially which was a big deterrent for me. Over time the fabric stretched and this became less of a hassle, but they had a much longer break in period in comparison (about 10-15 wears Vs. 2-3 wears). In addition I actually felt slightly less ‘barefoot’ in the Bikilas, they are heavier than the Sprints and more shoe like with the light arch support than ‘barefoot’ like. Don’t get me wrong they are far from a traditional shoe!

Where the Bikilas really have the Sprints beat is in the general warmth of the shoe and the grip. The extra fabric over the foot and the additional thickness makes a huge difference; no snow even crept in this year (not true with the open design of the Sprints). I also find myself slipping less and feeling more stable wet pavement in the Bikilas which turned out to be a bigger deal than I thought.

The Bikilas also appear to be lasting longer in term of sole wear (I am going on close to 1000 miles in them, and they aren’t quite at replacement time) ; this is likely simply because the sole is thicker with the treads vs. new materials.

So which to choose? Well, it depends. Overall both Five Fingers are fantastic and allow for flexible use for a variety of activities. For just running, I think I will stick to the Bikilas for the most part, but for other activities, I find the flexibility and fit of the Sprints are better, so if you are looking for a more all around travel, yoga, running, climbing shoe, I would go with the Sprints or their fraternal twin the KSOs and stay away from in specific use designs.

Happy Running!

We received no compensation for this review. It is based on solely on the author’s experience. Feel free to check out our other travel, adventure and outdoor gear reviews.

About Becka

Virtually Veggie – New Series

Eating Vegetarian Abroad

Open your mind and take a bite: Vegetarianism

Havana: The beat of life

Review: Vibram Five Fingers

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