Bourbon BBQ Meatloaf

Here's a new riff on classic meatloaf with bourbon BBQ glaze! The secret to tender meatloaf? Mince your veggies and give them a quick sauté before mixing them into the meatloaf. You'll love it!

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3 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Don’t let hypertension defeat you. Manage this condition by consistently following these important tips:

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Regular exercise
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to lower high blood pressure.

Regular exercise helps make your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood, which lowers the pressure in your arteries.

In fact, 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, per week can help lower blood pressure and improve your heart health.

What’s more, doing even more exercise reduces your blood pressure even further, according to the National Walkers’ Health Study.

Bottom Line: Walking just 30 minutes a day can help lower your blood pressure. More exercise helps reduce it even further. Source: MedicalNewsToday

Reduce salt intake
We need sodium to live, but too much salt leads the body to hold on to more fluids and that causes volume changes inside blood vessels. Over time, blood pressure rises.

“The problem is, salt is everywhere,” Haythe noted.

“It’s not just the salt that you add with the shaker,” Blankstein added. “Most of the sodium we get in our diet is found in various processed foods — things like canned soups, chips, cold cuts, pickles and even bread.”

He recommended consuming less than 2 grams (2,000 mg) of salt — or less than one teaspoon — a day for people who are trying to lower their blood pressure. That can be very effective, he said. Source: Today

Relax in a sauna
Studying more than 1,600 middle-aged men in Finland, researchers found that those who took sauna baths four to seven times a week cut their risk of high blood pressure by nearly half, compared to once-a-week sauna bathers.

“Sauna bathing may decrease systemic blood pressure through different biological mechanisms,” said study researcher Jari Laukkanen, a professor at the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues.

In the sauna, your body temperature rises, widening the blood vessels. Over time, this appears to improve the function of the inside layer of blood vessels, the researchers explained. Sauna baths also remove fluid from the body through sweating, and relax the body and mind, the researchers added. Source: WebMD

You have many options to choose from when it comes to lowering your blood pressure. But out of all your options, nothing beats the ease of relaxing in a sauna. If you don’t have a sauna yet, today is the best time to get one. Give us a call!

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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PBOT will form 18-member ‘working group’ for Central City in Motion plan

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is forming an official advisory body to oversee implementation of the Central City in Motion plan. That plan includes 18 “transformative” projects aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of key central city corridors. Among the changes will be transit lanes, protected bike lanes, updated crossings, and more. Taken together, the projects represent the most ambitious re-thinking of roadway space in decades.

Suffice it to say, there’s a lot riding on this effort. Perhaps that’s why PBOT has taken this step of convening a formal Working Group. According to the announcement released today by the Office of Community & Civic Life, the group will be an official city advisory body and will, “offer strategic advice to help the project team successfully implement projects.

Specifically, members of the group will:

Provide input on priorities for project design and construction
Connect the project team with key stakeholders and community representatives and identify opportunities for public engagement on project design
Identify opportunities for the private sector to leverage public investments
Monitor project delivery
Evaluate project performance

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PBOT will be especially interested in your application if:

You have an interest in Portland’s transportation system in the Central City
You have an expertise or interest with the design of transportation projects, particularly transit-priority, bikeway, and pedestrian safety improvements
You believe in the value of public participation in government process
You are an advocate for racial equity
You are available to attend all meetings and participate in the discussions
You are a problem-solver and big-picture thinker, willing to help PBOT evaluate project designs, weigh trade-offs, resolve conflicts, and move forward with implementing projects in a timely manner
You bring unique perspectives and can offer input on specific issues while considering the good of the Central City as a whole

The group will meet quarterly for two years. Applications are due March 21st. You can view the official application and all eligibility requirements here.

Phase One projects (1-5 years) in red. Phase Two projects (6-10 years) in blue. So far, PBOT only has about $25 million of the $35 million they need to build the first phase of projects.

This working group is an interesting development. I don’t recall us having a similar working group for other implementation plans. This plan already had a lengthy public outreach process that included a “Sounding Board” advisory committee to vet the projects. The implementation plan passed council with a 3-0 vote. Typically we’d move forward with construction and each project would go through its standard design/outreach phase prior to construction.

Speaking of construction, PBOT Capital Projects, Assets and Maintenance Communications Coordinator Hannah Schafer shared with me today that three projects will begin construction this summer. Details are still being worked out but Schafer says the projects will be a partnership with TriMet and Multnomah County and will focus on improving capacity on the Hawthorne, Burnside and Steel bridges. Stay tuned for more information in April.

It’s not clear to what extent this new Working Group will influence the final projects.

What is clear is that is there will be strong representation from groups like the Central Eastside Industrial Council and the Portland Business Alliance on this Working Group — both of whom will be eager to join and do whatever they can to weaken the projects and make sure PBOT does not constrain automobile parking or driving convenience. (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the CEIC and PBA who encouraged PBOT to create this committee in the first place.)

That should be all the encouragement you need to apply. Here’s that link to the application one more time\.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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Job: Bike Mechanic – Bike Clark County

Job Title

Bike Mechanic

Company / Organization

Bike Clark County

Job Description

Bike Clark County is a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for empowerment, education, and social change through bicycles and bicycle repair. As a nonprofit, we repair bicycles donated from the community, and redistribute them through our charitable programs and affordable bike sales. As a cooperative, we teach the community how to repair their own bicycles in our shared use shop space. Our charitable programs seek to make bicycles, and bicycle repair/safety education available to the entire community regardless of income.
BCC many charitable bike safety education programs are made possible by its community oriented shop operations. BCC’s technicians work on a variety of bikes from the early 1930’s to modern full carbon race bikes.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Maintain a clean work environment for customers as well as other mechanics
Refurbish used bikes in a timely manner so that they can then be purchased
Educate customers on how to properly maintain their bikes
Examine parts donated to ensure quality products that will be on the floor for sale
Organize parts room
Help customers pick out the right bike for what they intend to use the bike for

Qualifications needed to do the job successfully:
Excellent mechanical skills (preferable two years hands-on, professional shop experience working with a variety of bicycles)
The ability to problem solve with bikes and find solutions
The ability to work with a wide variety of clientele
Excellent people skills that will enable you to work with a wide variety of clientele
Outstanding communication skills
The ability to think creatively and keen problem-solving skills
Good organizational skills & Multitasking in an extremely fast-paced, fun environment

Part time position starts at $12/hour DOE with opportunity to grow during spring/summer months (hours and wages).

How to Apply

Email resume and cover letter to: info@bikeclarkcounty.org

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Carfree travel with kids: Taking the family around L.A. by transit

Taking light rail to the beach was a blast.
(Photos: Madi Carlson)

It’s easy to survive winter in the Pacific Northwest. Just escape to somewhere warm and sunny for one week in November and one week in February — or so I was instructed by a wise friend upon moving here.

It sounds like a lovely method, but until this winter I was never able to put it off.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

My father and brother both live in Los Angeles. I’ve long wanted to visit them in the the City of Autos (not an official nickname) without renting a car ever since I read this New York Times piece seven years ago. Prior to reading that I didn’t think a carfree visit to Los Angeles was within the realm of possibility. I love getting all around Portland without a car, and realize this is one of the best American cities in which to do so. Yet I find it easy to fall into the trap of thinking cars are essential in other cities — especially if we’re there for just a short visit sans bikes and sans family biking friends to lead us around.

But, as you can read all about below, it turns out it was much easier than I’d expected to get around L.A. without a car!

Let me first acknowledge it took us a while to get here: Three visits ago we rented a car, but stayed walking distance from one of our main planned destinations (La Brea Tar Pits). Two visits ago we rented a car and stayed in walkable Venice Beach, but still drove our rental car every day for various outside-of-Venice activities and family visits. And last winter we had a true transit-based carfree Los Angeles visit and it was magical!

This year the kids’ legs are that much longer and I was that much more prepared to get around by transit. While I hardly feel like an expert, I hope our experience will help inspire others to try travel to LA and other cities with transit systems sans car, too. And note: I’ve visited Los Angeles several times, but I’ve never lived there so I don’t have a huge advantage over any other visitor. Here are my tips and takeaways…

➤ Stay close to transit
Staying in the same neighborhood as relatives is convenient, but staying in a walkable neighborhood along the same transit line can be even better. I chose Old Pasadena because it’s along the LA Metro light rail Gold Line, four stops away from my brother in Highland Park. I prefer rail to bus since trains tend to run more frequently, always stop at all the clearly-marked stops, and are immune to car traffic. But finding walkable neighborhoods a simple bus ride away from a frequent destination is also a winner for a transit-based vacation.

The TAP machines give change in coins (fun!), but paying online is very easy.

➤ Easy transit payments
Being able to easily pay for train and bus trips makes things a lot smoother than needing to pay for tickets each trip, like I did last visit. I still had our Transit Access Pass (TAP) cards from last year (though I could have ordered fresh with 10-15 business days to wait) and used the website to add stored values to our three cards. Nearly all transit agencies in Los Angeles County — plus Metro Bike Share — use TAP so it was just as easy as using transit at home (we take the bus or MAX about once a month in Portland and I purchase tickets ahead of time on my smartphone with the TriMet Tickets app).

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➤ Apps for riding
I use Google maps transit directions for trip planning, even when I’m using my phone while out and about as it’s what I’m most comfortable with, but for this trip it didn’t warn me of rail closures and bus stops closed for construction. I downloaded the Go Metro app halfway through the trip, but didn’t use it enough to get used to it and find it easier than my familiar, if fallible, Google maps system. I also have the Transit app on my smart phone per the suggestion of car-free-traveler-extraordinaire Jessica Roberts, but again, practice makes perfect and I never use it so I didn’t find it helpful for advance notice of transit changes. I’d love to hear any of your transit app tips and recommendations in the comments below.

Looking at a screen and looking at the view: two ways to pass the time on the train.

Our five-day trip was punctuated by missteps each day, but it was still awesome. Here’s a day-by-day recap:

➤ Day 1: The day our flight was canceled (Friday, December 14)
Leaving Portland our bus-to-Green-Line-to-Red-Line voyage to PDX was smooth, but upon check-in we learned our flight had just canceled. The next LAX flight with available seats wasn’t for seven hours, but as luck would have it there was a flight to Burbank at our original flight time with room for three more passengers. It was just a lucky break that I asked at the ticket counter about Burbank — my brother texted me earlier in the day curious if we were flying to LAX or Burbank which tipped me off that Burbank must also be close to Highland Park/Old Pasadena. It turns out it’s even closer, but flights cost more than to LAX so we’ve never flown there. However, this meant I needed to figure out transit from Burbank on the fly. I’m used to having lots of times to poke around online at home and I like to make detailed lists before going anywhere. However, I was extremely glad not to add seven hours to our travel day so I embraced the adventure. Since we had arrived to the airport two hours early, I had time to find and read the Hollywood Burbank Airport Buses & Trains page and learn about the free shuttle to a Metrolink station. Using the shuttle and the Metrolink regional train to Union Station was quicker, cheaper, and more comfortable than our original plan of taking the FlyAway Bus from LAX to Union Station. From there we grabbed the Gold Line to my brother’s house for dinner, sticking to our original plan and timing.

➤ Day 2: Gold Line track closure (Saturday, December 15)
Taking light rail trains everywhere is great…until there are disruptions. The Gold Line tracks were closed for three stops’ worth and the incredibly long courtesy bus bypass helped me appreciate just how effective rail is. There wasn’t much car traffic and taking surface streets provided a pleasant change of scenery, but it took forever to get downtown.

Angel’s Flight for when transit is the destination, not only the mode of transportation.

We met my family (dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew who all also took transit over) to explore very walkable Little Tokyo. After we tired out the young relatives we walked a short distance to meet up with car-free friends from San Francisco conveniently visiting LA at the same time. They were staying downtown and were able to get most places with short bus rides. Naturally, we had to ride a cable car together for a dose of SF in LA — the Angel’s Flight Railway funicular can be paid for (and is half the price) with TAP cards.

That, the Last Bookstore, and ice cream in black cones (rock on!) kept us out late enough that the Gold Line tracks were back open by the time we TAPped our way back to Old Pasadena, thank goodness.

I saw several people with their own e-scooters.

➤ Day 3: The last-mile problem (Sunday, December 16)
Walking a few blocks to the light rail station, playgrounds, and lunch spots is a breeze, but when the destination is a mile away things get tricky. My kids can walk a mile, but we’re not big walkers since we usually have our bikes for going that distance. My niece’s Nutcracker performance was held in Pasadena, a bit more than a mile from our hotel, so we took a Pasadena Transit bus (which takes TAP, of course) to attend. For those 16 and older bike- and e-scooter share are perfect solutions for these sorts of trips, but Pasadena booted bike share after one year and e-scooter share isn’t there, either. I saw a lot of people biking around Pasadena, mostly on the sidewalk. I also saw several people all around LA with their own electric scooters.

Lots of Angelenos get around by transit plus bikes.

➤ Day 3: Getting around with a pulled back muscle (Monday, December 17)
Carrying all our daytime stuff (snacks, water bottles, emergency Madlibs) in my messenger bag and sleeping on a hotel sofa bed left my back aching by the morning of day three. I recruited the kids to do all the carrying between their two backpacks so I fared well for our day of travel. Going forward I’ll stop being the only packhorse in the family as a preventative measure. Also, the kids (9 and 11) are able to carry more, walk more, and go longer between eating than I had given them credit for.

7th Street/Metro Center.

This day’s main excursion was a big one, to La Brea Tar Pits to meet our San Francisco friends. We took the Gold Line to the Purple Line to a bus while they took a bus. Our Purple Line train was stinky and their bus was stinky so we were both happy to be out in the [slightly-asphalt-scented] fresh air.

A few construction spots on Wilshire Blvd had made it difficult to find our bus stop upon exiting the Purple Line on the way over as well as getting back on the bus upon leaving. Another reason for me to familiarize myself with a real-time transit app before our next trip, though missing a bus while orienting ourselves wasn’t the end of the world.

Three different bike shares in Santa Monica!

Lovely walking paths at Union Station.

➤ Day 4: Unable to TAP for bikes (Tuesday, December 18)
Beach day! The Expo Line is pretty new, very fast, and a great way to get to Santa Monica. We took the Gold Line to the Red Line to the Expo Line for a day of beach, boardwalk, and aquarium. To break up the travel a bit, we had lunch at Union Station. It’s a gorgeous station (or stations, plural, as you’ve probably seen it play a number of different train stations on the big and small screen) so it’s nice to break up travel by stopping at the Crepe Cafe in the Grand Waiting Room at the west end, watching the fish in the aquarium in the east lobby, or exploring the paths outside.

Protected bike lanes to the beach.

I’ve been to Santa Monica several times, though it’s been a while — our most recent visit included joining a Kidical Mass ride with Santa Monica Spoke five years ago (to which we traveled by rental car and borrowed a bike). Things have changed! We stepped off the train to see three (three!) different kinds of bike share bikes, several brands of e-scooter shares, and a protected bike lane connecting the train station to the beach. I was so excited I tried my TAP card on a Metro Bike, but it didn’t take (turns out I should have registered for bike share online ahead of time). I had entertained the idea of putting us all on bikes, then downgraded to an idea of two bikes and one e-scooter, then one bike/one e-scooter/one jogger, but in the end we walked the three short blocks to the Santa Monica Pier.

Sweltering at the bus stop.

➤ Day 6: Stuck in traffic (Wednesday, December 19)
On our last day in LA as we met up with my dad and took the Gold Line to Highland Park and then the DASH bus to a park near my brother’s house that was a bit too far (and too up and over a hill) to walk. My father warned me the DASH bus doesn’t stick to much of a schedule and we had quite the wait stuck out in the relentless sun. There’s another thing I prefer about light rail over bus — there’s usually shade at the station. Heading back the other direction provided us some shade (but also a longer-than-expected wait) so that was a bit better.

Waiting for the FlyAway Bus with a gazillion other travelers.

I thought I had learned from our last visit to give extra time (a lot more than the suggestion to arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time) for the FlyAway Bus, but we arrived only 20 minutes early for the 5:00 p.m. bus which would get us to LAX just 10 minutes shy of two hours before our flight. The previous (4:30 p.m.) bus was stuck in traffic and hadn’t even arrived yet, but it was sold out. In the end our bus left 25 minutes late and took 75 minutes (estimated travel time is 35 minutes) to get to the airport. We still had plenty of time, but next time I’ll really know better. Or maybe next time I’ll consider my dad’s helpful back-up-plan suggestion to take the Red Line to the Blue Line to the Green Line to a free shuttle to LAX. He cautioned the Blue Line is extremely slow to begin with, plus you have to travel a third of the way to Long Beach to do this. It’s nice to have access to a local with insider (and opinionated) knowledge of transit. He also coached me about sitting at the fronts or backs of various trains for easy transfers and station exits.

Tired on transit is better than frustrated in a car in my book.

It was a bit of a shame that our trip had no bicycling whatsoever, but walking and transit-taking are the next best thing.

What about you? Have you traveled solo or with kids and taken transit? Are you currently planning winter or spring break travel and will you be able to skip using a car for some or all of it?

Remember, we’re always looking for people to profile. Get in touch if it sounds like fun to you. I’d especially like to feature families of color so please get in touch or ask friends of color who bike with their kids if they’re interested in sharing their stories. And as always, feel free ask questions in the comments below or email me your story ideas and insights at madidotcom [at] gmail [dot] com.

— Madi Carlson, @familyride on Instagram and Twitter

Browse past Family Biking posts here.

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Our Jungalow Travel Collection is here!

I attribute much of my world view, my aesthetic, my ethos, and my success to all the traveling I’ve done throughout my life. My parents and grandparents valued travel and made every effort to make sure that my siblings and I got to see the world. After trips to five continents, the world became simultaneously vast and so close. Things that seemed ‘foreign’ became familiar. I saw things differently, I felt I understood things differently. I learned new languages, met so many incredible people, and pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.

After college I packed up my luggage and moved to Italy and stayed for seven years.

From Italy I was on a plane, train, boat or bus every weekend. My love for travel and exploration only grew and along the way I gleaned so many ideas for this travel collection that I had no idea would come into being fifteen years later.

And now it’s here! Our first travel collection has launched and it’s available exclusively at Target.
Designing this collection was really, really fun because I had so much creative freedom.

Each piece comes directly out of a personal experience of mine. Take this drawstring backpack. This bag was inspired by a bag that I would always get when I was in Bern, Switzerland (where I did a year abroad in high school). There was a boutique that I was obsessed with, and if you spent 100 Swiss Francs in the shop, they would give customers a similar bag. I held on to mine for years (case in point: I still have mine 20+ years later) because it was SO convenient for beach and pool days to hold wet stuff, or as an extra little bag for impromptu flea market or farmers market purchases. For our bag design, we added a front pocket and made it so that the whole back pack squishes into itself, making it the perfect piece to have in your purse at all times in case you need an extra pack.

Since I travel frequently for work these days, one thing that I noticed was that my jewelry often gets tangled up because I was keeping my necklaces and earrings in my makeup bag. I ruined several of my favorite pairs of earrings this way. So for this collection, we included a jewelry organizer to keep all those precious pieces protected.

Speaking of protected…all of the motifs that we used for this collection are all meant to symbolize protection. We included our Hamsa print. The Hamsa is believed to protect and ward off the evil eye.  Our sun symbol, Ayo, is meant to bring joy, the Tigress, also a symbol of fierce protection, and our Aja botanical print which celebrates all that plants do for us. Even the tassels that come with several of the pieces are meant to confuse and ward off any bad vibes that may be coming your way.

Together, it is my hope that all of these elements bring y’all some seriously good vibes while you’re on your next big adventure.

Our raffia hip pack was designed with the beach and pool in mind (although I’d rock it anywhere). I always find myself needing a place to put my phone and a credit card when I’m running around in the summer months, but I also want to be hands free, without schlepping around a purse. Added bonus? It fits me in a nice, slouchy way — which often times hip bags are just a little too tight around my waist and so I have to wear it all high and I’m not super into that look.

The backpack may be my favorite piece in the collection. It has a protective pocket inside for a laptop, which is a life-saver for me because when I’m traveling my shoulders get so sore from carrying my heavy laptop in my purse. The backpack distributes the weight really evenly. I’ve gotten so many compliments on it since I’ve been using it instead of a purse for the past couple of weeks. I’ve also seen on social that a lot of teachers are using it for their ‘teacher’s bag’, and that makes me very, very happy.

The hardcase suitcases are also so much fun. I love the colors. They are so practical and easy to navigate around with. The four wheels are a game changer. Also, the wheels are matte gold. Fancy, hehe. They are lightweight and can really hold a lot of gear. My friends over at Target have let us know that the suitcases are selling out fast, so if you’re thinking of nabbing one, you may not wanna wait too long.

The collection is available in most Target stores as well as at  Target.com!

Honestly, I could go on about every piece because I’m pretty obsessed with the collection, but I think you should just go and see it for yourself.
Happy packing friends!

Lifestyle photos by Dabito
Check out the whole collection here.

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Job: Customer Service and Sales Manager – Breadwinner Cycles

Job Title

Customer Service and Sales Manager

Company / Organization

Breadwinner Cycles

Job Description

Job Type: Sales, customer service, production scheduling

Candidates must be:
-Engaging, positive and personable
-Able to communicate effectively via email
-Curious to learn about new technologies and components
-Sales oriented
-Organized and Detail oriented
-Able to manage time effectively
-Be able to modify and create internal systems
-Excited to work as part of a team
-Reliable and accurate
-Able to handle customer concerns in a timely manner
-Cultivate positive relationships with vendors
-Passionate about bikes!

Our ideal candidate will have worked in bicycle sales and have an above average familiarity with bicycles and bike parts including wheels. Excellence with customers and coworkers in a teamwork environment are a high priority.

Full time, year-round employment, competitive wages available to the right candidate. The ideal candidate will have sales experience, product knowledge, and some mechanic experience and is looking to grow with our company. Training and ongoing support are offered to the right person with the wealth of knowledge we have gained over the last 10+ years. We are an equitable employment shop and we encourage anyone who is qualified to apply.

Desired sales knowledge to be successful:
-Familiar with current bike and wheel technology including Di2
-Experience with Lightspeed POS system

Experience:
Bicycle and bicycle accessory knowledge: 3+ years
Mechanical experience: 1 year (Preferred)

How to Apply

How to Apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to info@Breadwinnercyles.com by March 10, 2019. We will do our best to acknowledge each applicant.

The post Job: Customer Service and Sales Manager – Breadwinner Cycles appeared first on BikePortland.org.

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