Korean Food

The Won Buddhism Temple where I attend Saturday group mediation sessions is largely Korean. When I volunteered for a work session this past Saturday, I was treated to an authentic Korean lunch! Evidently Koreans typically serve a lot of side dishes with their meals and ours was no exception; it included cucumbers, pears, radish, onion/garlic relish, boiled egg, rice rolls, and Korean pancakes. The entree was cold noodle soup to which we added a little bit of each of the side dishes (except the pancakes); the pancakes kind of serve the same purpose as bread to us westerners, at least that's the way I interpret it. There were leftovers when finished and the cook was nice enough to give me some of the pancakes and rice rolls - delicious!

Mindful Work

Volunteered for a work session at the Buddhist Meditation Center where I attend Saturday group mediation sessions. After sessions we typically chat over tea; I’ve been bringing bread for tea time and today I brought breakfast cookies - they were a hit:). 

Following tea they served a Korean lunch for me and other volunteers; the food was great (see post on Korean food). Work consisted of helping to clean the temple; we were supposed to practice mindfulness working and blog about our experience on their website. In addition to cleaning, I had the task of filling quart containers with malt syrup from a 5 gallon bucket of syrup; the temple sells this and other food items as part of fund raising. It was a challenge to scoop the malt syrup (has the consistency of honey) into the small (about a quart each) containers without spilling but I found myself drifting back and forth between being present and not when watching this viscous liquid pour out of the dipper into the container. Later, I tried to be mindful while dusting and did for awhile but it was hard to remain present; may have had a lot to do with the newness of the task and location. After our work session was over (about 3 hours), we had watermelon; a perfect treat for this warm Maryland day:)

New FINIS Swimming Snorkel

Previous posts mention lower back pain and my speculation that it is due to turning my head too much and/or too far when turning my head to breathe while swimming freestyle.  The pain seems to happen when my technique is sloppy - typically towards the end of long distance (e.g., a mile for me) swims. So I've cut back my swimming distance (today swam 1200m) and I purchased a snorkel.

Internet research revealed that I'm not alone in suffering lower back pain from swimming; the recommended solution is to use a snorkel to avoid having to turn the head to breathe. Apparently several atheletes (e.g., Michael Phelps) use snorkels for training. This is a center snorkel so it aligns with the center of your face (unlike a scuba snorkel). After swimming 1200m today, I gave the snorkel a try; it worked fine but I suspect will take awhile to get used to. I normally exhale through my nose and mouth under water and take air in the same way. Not sure if I should continue to exhale through both and try inhaling just through the mouth (obviously) with he snorkel on. FINIS literatures says they provide nose plugs for junior swimmers; I guess us adults are supposed to be able to figure out how to cope without plugs:) I also bought a cardio cap that goes on top of the snorkel to make it harder to get air. Supposedly this builds cardio and is used by athletes to simulate high altitude. Who knew:) Glad I bought the cardio cap because it was much easier swimming with the snorkel than without so need something to make it more difficult. The best part is that the snorkel allows one to focus on stroke technique rather than breathing.

Side view

Front view.

One month in MD

Today is one month since moving to Maryland and all is well:) Although a few boxes remain partially unpacked, for the most part, I've settled into the house and my routines. Daily meditation and exercise    keep me centered and healthy. Work responsibilities (in exchange for rent) keep me busy; maintaining both homes (the owner's and the one I live in) includes mowing the lawns, some cleaning, maintaining the in-ground pool, and basic home maintenance (I don't do electrical or major repairs like maintaining the AC/furnace). As any homeowner knows, maintaining a home can be a lot of work, especially older homes; multiply by two:) It is nice to have a home where I can cook/bake and be close to a pool/gym, and Buddhist meditation center. Also, the owners are nice and we seem to get along. Taking it day-by-day:)

Tabouleh (tabouli)

I love tabouleh in the summer (especially with fresh tomatoes); this middle-eastern, vegetarian salad is fairly common in restaurants today, as are the ingredients:

• Bulgur
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Onion
• Parsley
• Mint
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt

Found all ingredients except mint in my pantry. The best part of this recipe is that it doesn't require any cooking so can be made on hot days without heating up the kitchen. Just pour boiling water (I use my electric tea kettle) over the bulgur and let it sit for 20 minutes until it absorbs all the water; let it cool and then mix in the ingredients. Cool in the fridge for several hours; better the next day.

With all the garlic and onion, be sure to share with someone you love:)

Life and Death

Today's online headlines reported a lot of death around the world (e.g., Texas, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, India, etc.) The heat wave in India http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-32880180, where over 1000 people have died to date, caused me to think about my New Year's resolution - to live this year as if it is my last. The deaths in India and elsewhere in the world are of course very sad and my heart goes out to the friends and families; however, these tragic deaths are also a reminder to me to live my life as if it were to soon be over.

When I made this resolution, I didn't think it would be too difficult; however, it has been challenging just to remember to think about it every day. When I do think about it, the question becomes - is there something else I should be doing? When I'm stuck in traffic, the answer is often "yes":) but often, nothing comes to mind that makes me want to drastically change where I'm living or what I'm doing.

Sure, if I really was going to die in a year, I've thought about moving back to Denver to be close to my daughter and while that might make me feel good, I doubt she would feel the same way - she has her own life now. I've also thought about going to some third world country to do good (e.g., "help the poor") but that also seems selfish. So, I go round and round in my mind thinking this through and always come back to the same conclusion - keep meditating to increase my awareness and focus on loving kindness and compassion.

Pope Francis

Saw a brief online article from the Washington Post today that said Pope Francis doesn't watch TV. Evidently he hasn't watched TV since 1990; I gave it up in 2005. Just goes to show - while we may think we are worlds apart (e.g., political or religous views/beliefs) from someone, we may share common interests (or in this case disinterest:)

The media seems to often focus on differences (e.g., skin color, sex, age, sexual orientation, etc.) between people. In reality, I think humans are much more similar than different; after all, we are all animals with, supposedly, advanced brains which allow us to think for ourselves:).

May all living beings be well.

Pear Bran Bread

With an abundance of pears from Trader Joe's, I made an interesting sweet bread today - Pear Bran! First time for this recipe (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pear-bran-bread-recipe); it turned out well. I substituted 3tbs flax meal for 1tbs canola oil and inadvertently used a whole egg instead of just the egg white. Whole wheat flour and bran contribute to a dense bread but chopped pears spread fairly evenly throughout the bread help to keep it moist.

After baking for 65 minutes and cooling on a rack for 45.

Goes well with plain, nonfat, Greek yogurt and fruit:)

Grateful

Feeling grateful today for:

• a relatively healthy body
• relative financial security
• friends and family
• a home to live in
• proximity to pool, gym, meditation center, and other conveniences
• access to high quality food and clean water
• all who contributed to the relatively free and safe country I was fortunate to be born in

Cost of Living

When considering retirement I always wondered how much it would cost to live. There are lots of estimating models and advice in the media and literature but I've found that the cost of living really depends on individual post-work lifestyles and probably varies greatly. One can always plan/guess but who knows what their post-work lifestyle will be until it happens:)

I no longer have the high cost of business clothes or dry cleaning but now I spend 2-3x more on groceries because I eat at home more often and because I'm very particular about food and nutrition. Savings from commuting to/from work are offset by an increase in personal travel. To date, medical costs are about the same but this could change significantly. I spend about the same now on gym membership as I did while working; I've always belonged to a gym. Not being a homeowner eliminates home maintenance and insurance costs but (depending on my situation) I may rent and still pay utilities. I now have storage costs that I didn't have when I owned a home; household costs are about the same. Vehicle insurance and maintenance costs remain the same although I'd like to eliminate or significantly . Costs for books and entertainment are about the same now as when I was working. Costs for material things is way down.

One thing I found very useful was to diligently track my daily expenses for the first year of retirement; probably would have been a good idea to also track expenses while working but who has the time:)  The cost of living largely comes down to choice; some things are necessities while much of what I purchase is discretionary. It would be difficult to live comfortably under $4k/month.

Breakfast Cookies

With chocolate chips in the ingredients I was expecting these cookies to be good, but I was still blown away by the taste; some of the best cookies I've ever had! (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/breakfast-cookies-recipe)
The whole wheat flour, nuts, grains, and healthy ingredients lowers the guilt factor from eating so many:)

The batter and my 1/4c scooper

Watching them cool takes willpower:)

Millet

Prepared millet today using a recipe similar to pilaf I made last night. Sauté scallion, garlic, mushrooms, and dino kale in 2tbs butter then add 2 cups water and bring to boil. While the water is coming to boil, stir 1c millet in 1tbs olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat; stir constantly until millet browns then remove from heat and add the boiling water (careful - this creates lots of steam!). Simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Like yesterday's Pilaf, this millet dish is a bit bland; need to add nuts and more spices next time.

Millet's yellow color mixes well with kale:)

Warm Lemon Water

Several years ago I read about the health benefits of drinking lemon water so whenever lemons are plentiful, I indulge in a cup or 2 before breakfast. Just add hot water to the juice from half a lemon. I don't know about the health effects but this warm drink is very satisfying in the early morning hours.

Essential tools for making lemon water - hand juicer and knife:)

Whole Grain Banana Pumpkin Bread

As fast as bananas ripen its no wonder there are countless recipes for using them:) I keep lots of bananas on hand for smoothies, etc. and typically have 1-2 every day; however, even with my voracious appetite, I can't keep up. So what's a person to do with all those over ripe bananas - bake! Bananas also freeze well for later use; with or without the peel.

Today I made whole grain banana pumpkin bread (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/easy-whole-grain-pumpkin-banana-bread-recipe). Limited modifications to halving the butter amount and substituting unsweetened apple sauce instead. I've made this bread before and can easily use less sugar than the recipe calls for; however, today I used just about the full amount. The orange juice is a great addition; you'd never know it is made with 100% whole wheat flour. The hardest part about this recipe is letting it sit overnight:)

Book Review: Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

One of the better biographies I’ve read. The author tells the story of Winston Churchill’s 80+ years, from birth to death, using public records, letters, and assorted other sources. Beyond facts, the author weaves an unbiased story of the life of this amazing man. Churchill came from a privileged background but appeared to work hard throughout life to “earn his way” and, some would say, was destined to lead Britain during WWII. The insight one gains about the war is fascinating.

Highly recommended.

Kasha

Made Pilaf tonight for the first time using Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Kasha (Roasted Buckwheat Kernels). Slightly modified the label recipe - sauté scallions and mushrooms in butter then add 2c water and bring to a boil. While bringing liquid to a boil, mix 1 egg and 1c Kasha in a bowl then stir fry this egg mixture over high heat for about 2 minutes (until the grain separates). At this point, remove the stir fry pan from the heat, add boiling liquid (be ready for a big reaction!), stir, cover, and return to stove on low heat. I added washed, deveined, and chopped dino kale to the mixture and steamed for 10 minutes until liquid gone.

Easy to prepare and with the egg, a good dose of protein in this meal; however, not as flavorful as I'd anticipated. It didn't say to but I wondered whether to rinse the Kasha before using. Pine nuts and garlic would good additions.

Azaleas in Full Bloom

Having lived in the western US for 25+ years, I'd forgotten how beautiful and lush vegetation can be in the east. The trees are so tall, flowering shrubs are everywhere, and the grass grows without irrigating it:) One shrub that is in full bloom here in Maryland is the Azalea; it comes in all colors and it seems like every house has at least one shrub:)

Swimming and Lower Back Pain

Don't know whether it is true or just confirms my suspicions (and hence I tend to believe it) but an article (http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sports-and-spine-injuries/swimming-and-back-pain) on the Internet says swimming freestyle can cause lower back pain similar to what I'm experiencing. Hyper-extension of the lower back and jerking the head sideways for breadth are the cause; both, but especially the latter, are what I've suspected. Sometimes I don't get a clean breadth which causes me to jerk my head up and back the next time to ensure I take in enough air.

Today I swam a half mile (16 laps of the 25m pool) in 23:50; on lap pace goal of 1:30. Trying to slowly get back to at least a mile swim each time. If my back starts to hurt again I may start using a snorkel to avoid having to move my head to the side for breathing.

No-Bake Energy Bites

This is an interesting recipe for energy bites that does not require baking. The recipe is flexible as to the type of dried fruit, nuts, etc. but the essential ingredients are some type of butter (I used almond butter), honey, dry milk, and oats. I added a two cup mixture including:

• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Chia seed
• Sesame seed
• Pumpkin seed
• Chopped pecans
• Dried blueberries
• Chocolate chips
• Oat bran

I think the larger seeds (pumpkin) and chocolate chips make it more difficult for the balls to stick together so will probably stick with chopped nuts, small seeds, and small dried fruit next time; but no complaints - these are fantastic!

Pearled Barley

Barley is not a common food item with me so I decided to venture into the unknown:) Added 1 cup dry pearled barley to 2.5c boiling water and let simmer for 40 minutes (good time to meditate:). Then stirred in:

• 1tsp fennel seed
• 1tsp black sesame seed
• 1tsp ground cumin
• juice from 2 lemons and zest from 1
• 2tbs olive oil
• 1/3c raisons
• 1/2c chppped walnuts

Barley was great with steamed broccoli but could have improved color contrast by also adding something orange or red like steamed carrots, red bell pepper, or salmon. Thought I needed more protein so added a poached egg and sprinkled with ground flax. Very tasty; ate all:)

Tai Chi 24 Form

Yesterday's group meditation session began with Tai Chi 24 Form. I'd only practiced Tai Chi once before but have been interested for some time in learning more about this ancient practice. Yesterday's instructor was very good and took the time to explain the different forms of Tai Chi. We followed his instruction as well as a YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LsyuDmI8YI); couldn't find the video we watched but this will give you an idea of 24 Form.

Won Buddhist Temple Bazaar

Stopped by the bazaar today to benefit the Won Buddhist Temple where I attend Saturday group meditation; a previous post showed some of the baked goods I donated. I primarily went for the food; they served lunch! I've had Korean food before but never knew whether it was authentic; this definitely was. Members of the congregation prepared it over the past several days, including harvesting vegetables from their garden behind the temple.

It was very interesting. There was lots of food for sale which I understood people took home with them to eat later; they also served hot food for those of us interested in eating lunch at the bazaar. All signs were in Korean; thankfully, people were very friendly and helped me pick out lunch. Several people I knew from Saturday meditation were there and I met others, including a reporter who is in the states for 3 years reporting relevant US news back to South Korea.

I had a sushi roll and fish cake soup; unlike a lot of sushi I've had, ingredients of these rolls were cooked - no raw fish. My entire meal only cost $4; I gave them $5.

Lots of containers filled with food for purchase and consumption at home.

My sushi roll perfectly prepared!

Sushi roll (note 2 ends displayed on top) and fish cake soup.

Preparing fish cake soup.

I really appreciated how the chef presented the two ends of the sushi roll on top of the middle pieces. My sushi rolls never look this good and the ends are something I never something I would be proud of enough to display:) These are beautiful!

So you eat the fish cake off of this stick and drink the soup. 

Oven Temperature and Olive Bread

Some of my breads have not been baking like I'm used to; thinking oven temperature might be the culprit, I bought a new oven thermometer. Sure enough, the oven is running significantly lower than it is set for. This morning I set the oven for 475 degrees to bake olive bread but when the preheat beeper sounded, the thermometer read 400. When I cranked the oven up to 500, 30 minutes later, the thermometer only read 425 degrees. I think this is why some of my no-knead breads are not rising as much as I'm used to. Not much I can do about this other than switch to other recipes that don't require such high temperatures; its getting a bit warm back here in MD anyway so its a good time to cool my cooking:)

This olive bread recipe is from my favorite bread book: My Bread by Jim Lahey; this is one of my favorite breads from this book of no-knead recipes. Since it is no-knead, the rise times are longer; 1st: 18 hours; 2nd: 2 hours.

400g bread flour; 200g kalamata olives; 3g instant yeast; and 350g water. Even with a deficient oven (and maybe deficient baker:), this bread tastes great!

New Cooper-Atkins oven thermometer received high ratings on the Internet.

Olive bread after 2nd rise and just before putting in my hot Emile Henry dutch oven.

Olive bread cooling on the rack; not how it isn't very tall.

About an hour out of the oven. Tastes great - moist, chewy, and nice crust. The olives would be less crowded if the bread had risen more.

Sourdough Crackers!

A first for me, I baked sourdough crackers! Important to roll the dough evenly thin to get all crackers in a batch to be done at the same time but the taste is delicious! The recipe calls for white whole wheat flour.

Once the dough is rolled to about 1/16" thick, I brushed on olive oil, sprinkled with sesame seed and sea salt, and cut into squares.

The finished product (I ate the crackers around the edges:)

What to do with baked goods?

I found another outlet for my baked goods.  The Buddhist center where I meditate on Saturdays is holding a bazaar on Sunday; I'm donating Chia Energy Bars, muffins, and two types of sourdough, including the boule in this photo.

I love looking at this bread as much as eating it (almost:).

Box of baked goods for the bazaar.

Fresh Veggies

I arrived in Maryland a little too late to begin a full scale garden but am still toying with planting a tomato and/or herb; my priorities have been elsewhere. Will get an early start next spring if I stay. In the mean time, I'm buying fresh vegetables at the local grocery stores and waiting for Farmers Markets to open. Bought this fresh spinach at Roots Market (http://rootsmkt.com), a local organic grocer; looks and tastes like it was picked the day I bought it!

Living in the past

Ever think about how much time we spend in the past? Memories, what might have been, if only I'd done this or that. While I didn't recognize it at the time, my egoic behavior often focused on the past or worried about the future; spending little time on the present.

It is so easy to use the past to make oneself feel good at someone else's expense.  For example, think of the recent Amtrak wreck in PA and efforts by some to find someone or some entity to blame for not funding/installing better technology that could have prevented the accident. I'm not disputing their argument that technology may have prevented the accident; however, I wonder if focusing on the present might be better for all involved.

Unfortunately, this type of behavior seems very common in society and while it isn't my intent to preach (I'm as guilty at living in the past as the next person), I'm thankful for my meditation practice which helps me to recognize this behavior and work towards spending more time being present.

Aching Back

Yesterday, I woke with an aching lower back; not any better today. I've had this ache several times in the past couple of months and think it is due to swimming; its quite painful and severely limits my mobility so in addition to skipping weight training yesterday, I'm unfortunately taking today off from swimming. Thinking there must be something wrong with my technique or maybe I need to do a better job warming-up/cooling-down???

Salad, Grain, Nuts, and Egg

To ensure enough protein, I often include nuts, grain, and egg in my salads. This salad is built on a bed of Quinoa.

Before adding egg, I topped the salad with black sesame seeds.

One poached egg topped with flax meal and misted with olive oil.

Harvest Grain Wheat Bread

Made a loaf of whole wheat bread in my Zo machine yesterday. Recipe called for walnuts but I used King Arthur's Harvest Grain Blend instead. This is a great loaf for sandwiches.

Fruit, Veggie, Nut Smoothie

I modified the lemon, blueberry, oatmeal smoothie recipe I made yesterday (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/lemon-blueberry-oatmeal-smoothie-recipe) to include a carrot and substituted strawberries for blueberries. Like yesterday, I substituted a 1/4c of my muesli mix for the oatmeal. The carrot mellowed the strawberry color to a bit pinkish but the taste is good and it has everything - nuts, fruit, and a vegetable:)

Before...

After

Who am I?

A news article describing a Taliban attack in Afghanistan caused me to think about who we identify ourselves.  The article said: ...left five Afghans and nine foreigners dead, including an American woman, four Indians, two Pakistanis and an Italian...

Other recent news items stress the race or ethnicity of people killed by police. While some level of categorization is probably necessary for communication, it seems we sometimes overdo it.

Does a person's nationality, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, or profession really define a person? When I was in college, I referred to myself as a student. While working in my profession, I was a scientist, consultant, manager, etc. Growing up I was a son and later as an adult, I was a husband and Dad. None of these categories really describe my true self; they did tend to explain, and maybe reinforce or encourage, my egoic behavior. 

As a scientist, I was really into classification of plants and animals. While I understand the benefits of taxonomy to botany, biology, and other scientific disciplines, I wonder whether society's tendency to classify people into so many categories causes adverse impacts to the individual and to society in general that we need to think about.

Lemon-Blueberry-Oatmeal Smoothie

This is a wonderful smoothie recipe from King Arthur flour.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/lemon-blueberry-oatmeal-smoothie-recipe
Been wanting to break out my Vitamix to start making smoothies for summer breakfasts and although it is a cool 46 degrees here in Rockville this morning, I couldn't resist trying this recipe. The only modification I made was to substitute my homemade muesli (see earlier post) mix for the oatmeal. The flax meal thickens the smoothie to just the right consistency for my taste.

The purplish color matches my purple spatula:)

Handyman

My living arrangement requires I fix things around the house(s). These past couple of days I've been working on fixing the master bath ceiling exhaust fan which quit last week. Was hoping I could just replace the motor but after multiple trips to hardware stores, Internet searches, and calls to electrical warehouses, I discovered this model is no longer available so today I purchased a new Nutone unit which includes a new motor, fan, light, and vent. Of course the new unit is wired differently and is a larger size than the old unit so I'll need to cut a larger hole in the ceiling. Not comfortable with the old wiring so will need to consult an electrician.

Its been awhile since I've had to fix things and of course don't have all the necessary tools but so far it is working out ok; however, its a good thing I don't get paid by the hour:)

Wild Rice and Salmon

Love wild rice and my Zo rice maker makes it easy; just add 1c rinsed rice and 1.5c water, set to "brown rice", and hit the cooking button. One hour and 25 minutes later - perfect rice! It goes well with so many foods but I especially enjoy it with salmon; in this case, canned salmon and steamed asparagus and tomatoes. And sprayed with olive oil:)

Swimming Time

Swam another mile today but my time was slower (52:20) than previous miles. Not sure why but think there are at least two possibilities. First - I didn't have my banana/almond butter pre-swim meal:) Second - I miscounted laps and swam 33 instead of 32 laps:) Of course a third possibility might be the 6 pounds I've added since moving to Maryland:)

Baking and Oven Temperature

I'm finding out the oven in my new home is not accurate. When the beeper goes off to let me know the oven temperature reached what I set the oven for, I check my thermometer inside the oven and often discover a big gap. For example, today I'm baking bread and set the oven for 475; when the beeper sounded, my thermometer ready 400 degrees. I cranked up the oven setting to 500 but after another hour, the oven thermometer only read 450.

This oven may not be capable of reaching high temperatures and this probably affected some of my early baking in this oven. I installed the thermometer after noticing my breads weren't turning out as I expected. So lesson learned - always use a good oven thermometer and do not rely on the oven's temperature gauge or preheat beeper. Of course, all this assumes my oven thermometer is correct:)

My no-knead walnut bread after 2nd rise.

Right out of the oven which never got above 450.

The resulting loaf doesn't appear to large as it should be. I'll cut into it tomorrow but am guessing the oven temperature affected the bread.

Salad

What can one say about a salad? I eat salad at least once a day so it can get a bit boring. Here a spice up a veggie salad by adding a poached egg! Spinach is the foundation to this salad; layered with radicchio, carrots, basil, tomatoes, and scallions. A bit of salt and pepper on top of the egg and then sprayed with my new olive oil mister.

Chia Energy Bars

In my search for healthy recipes, I came across these chia energy bars. (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chia-energy-bars-recipe)

I made this first batch following the recipe (although I did almost forget to add the egg white:) but plan to modify future batches to reduce sugar and fat; not an easy task since many healthy foods (e.g., nuts and fruit) are high in fat and sugar respectively). The recipe does use only the egg white so that helps reduce the fat somewhat. Quinoa is a surprising addition in these bars and the other ingredients (chia seed, oats, honey, cranberries, flax meal, almond butter) are healthy; portion size is key but that takes a lot of will power when you're the baker:)

The finished product cooling on the rack.

Cut into 9 bars; I quickly froze some so I wouldn't eat all in one sitting:)

Olive Oil Mister

Got a new kitchen tool (toy) today. Baking and other recipes often call for some type of oil (olive, canola, coconut, sunflower, sesame, grape seed, etc.); olive is my standby and, along with balsamic vinegar, what I use for salad dressing. Some recipes call for spraying or misting the oil; in the past I've purchased the store-bought aerosol cans but now there is a another option! Several brands offer a pumping aerosol but reviews I've read indicate many don't work too well. I recently purchased this stainless steel mister from William-Sonoma and so far it is working great! The lid serves double duty as a hand pump which builds up pressure in the canister. When fully compressed, it is supposed to spray for 15 seconds, which is much longer than I typically need.

I typically drizzle olive oil on my salads and many other meals; hoping this mister will help me to use less olive oil on my food.

Canister with lid/pump removed.

Canister with lid/pump installed. Just pump the lid several times until resistance is felt, remove the lid, and spray!