There are also some foods in particular that have been found to help with recovery, one of which includes cocoa.  I received some samples of a product called ReGen and I wanted to give it a try and share with you.

From their website:

reGen™ has been clinically proven to increase endurance by an average of 9.7%, which can have a significant impact on an athlete’s performance.1

Natural cocoa is one of our key ingredients, but it is important to note that not all cocoa is created equal. Most cocoa beverages contain alkalized cocoa that has been stripped of most of its antioxidant power during processing.2 The cocoa in the reGen™ beverage is all natural and contains more antioxidant power than many superfruits.

Another thing that I like about this product is the fact that they have quite a few documented research studies showing cocoa’s benefit in blood flow and recovery.  While I didn’t get the chance to read all of them, it says a lot to me when a product actually has research.

Chocolate milk is also a great recovery beverage choice that I use frequently, but ReGen claims that their product is even better.

• The reGen™ beverage is convenient to carry—no refrigeration necessary (It does taste better cold though)
• The reGen™ beverage is 99.9% lactose free. Chocolate milk contains lactose, the sugar naturally found in milk.
• The reGen™ beverage contains 30 times more flavanol antioxidants compared to typical chocolate milk. The key difference: reGen™ beverage contains 12 grams of natural cocoa (more than 2 tablespoons), much more than the amount contained in typical chocolate milk beverages. Also, most chocolate milk brands contain alkalized cocoa that has been stripped of most of its antioxidant power during processing.
• The reGen™ beverage also contains a 3:1 carb to protein ratio. Well-documented research shows that this ratio helps refuel muscles after intense exercise, aiding muscle recovery.5

ReGen contains 200 kcals, 35 g of CHO, 320mg of sodium, and 11 g of protein per 11oz container.  This alone would not be adequate for complete recovery nutrition, but would be a great snack before the next meal, or in conjunction with additional fluids and a little bit more protein and carbohydrates.  It would be adequate with a smaller, less intense workout.

Now I don’t think I’ll be riding around like Lance Armstrong after drinking this, but I do see how it could be beneficial for recovery.  And let me tell you about the taste. . . .Oh boy, this stuff is good!  It’s like a thick, not too sweet, delicious milkshake.  You can really taste the cocoa in there and I really enjoyed it.  Chris gave it a try as well and has been riding pretty frequently in the mornings and has been feeling strong.  He actually said ‘man, I want to ride just so that I can drink those again!’

Do you want to give ‘em a try too?

Because they were kind enough to send me a few to sample, I want to give away 4 bottles for one lucky reader to try!

Here’s what you can do to enter and I’ll announce a winner next Friday, July 30th.  Please leave a comment for each task completed.

• Vote for LIVESTRONG in the Almond Breeze Taste and Make a Difference Program (in the widget on the right) If you’ve already voted, just let me know in a separate comment
• Tweet ‘Vote for @LIVESTRONG & @eatingRD is giving away @regen2recover Recovery Drink –>http://eatingrd.com/?p=4168′
• Announce this giveaway on your own blog

What’s your best recovery strategy?

I’m sorry I’ve been absent lately, there has been a lot going on and I’m trying to balance it all.  I’m hoping I get my camera lens back today all fixed and ready to go *fingers crossed*  I’ll also be hosting a Buitoni Pasta Party this Saturday and can’t wait to re-cap, woot!

Thanks for reading guys!  I sure hope you all have a nice weekend

I wanted to dedicate this short post to highlight the Almond Breeze Taste and Make a Difference Program! As a Foodbuzz tastemaker I was chosen to feature a widget (on the right hand side) where you, my readers, have the option to make a difference by telling Almond Breeze how to divide $25K between five charitable organizations!  Yes, that’s $25,000 DOLLARS!

As many of you know I recently completed my first century bike ride to benefit to LIVESTRONG which was an absolutely amazing experience.  Because I have a strong passion for this great organization, I wanted to represent this charity in the challenge.  I know Lance isn’t doing too hot in the Tour de France at the moment, and probably won’t win the Tour this year, but let’s send him off with a great donation for a great cause to help in the fight against cancer.  Who’s with me???

All you have to do to help support LIVESTRONG is just one click on the right!

Read more for details of the challenge & how you can grab a coupon . . .  

LIVESTRONG is changing the lives of many by creating a relevant, vibrant cancer movement based on evidence and by investing in strategic solutions.  This organization finds new ways to raise awareness, increase outreach and facilitate collaboration in an effort to improve the lives of those with cancer.  While rates of cancer have been decreasing over the years, it is still so important to help those diagnosed and still battling this disease.  Although overall death rates are on the decline, deaths from some cancers, such as  liver and pancreatic cancers (and until recently esophageal cancer), are increasing.

According to http://cancer.gov, in 2006, the death rate for all cancers was 180.82 cancer deaths per 100,000 people per year.  In 2006, cancers of the female breast, prostate, lung, and colon/rectum accounted for more than half of all cancer deaths in the United States. Lung cancer alone claimed one-fourth of the lives lost to cancer. According to American Cancer Society projections, in 2009 there were 562,340 cancer deaths overall.

Cancer is the No. 2 killer of Americans and people in most industrialized countries, after heart disease.

Let’s keep that trend going with the help of Almond Breeze!

Now I also received 2 samples of Almond Breeze from Foodbuzz as the ‘taste’ component of the challenge to compare the taste of Almond Breeze to soymilk (Note: I will not be receiving any compensation if LIVESTRONG does win the challenge).  I have sampled Almond Breeze before with my own money and I have to say that it is one of my favorites, even without getting the free samples. When I want almond milk I always grab Almond Breeze and for soy milk I always like Soy Dream.  But, could I really make a preferred flavor choice between the two?

I usually get the unsweetened varieties as well, so I was excited to see them at my doorstep!  I love using chocolate for an after dinner ‘sweet treat’ as lower calorie option.  It has a rich chocolate taste with only 45kcals per cup.  Very nice.

Beyond the taste, why Almond Breeze?

* It’s low in calories (half the calories of milk!).
* It doesn’t contain soy, lactose, dairy, gluten, casein, cholesterol, saturated fat, MSG, eggs, or peanuts .
* It’s an excellent source of calcium (containing as much calcium as milk).
* It’s rich in antioxidants and contains vitamins D & E.
* It’s vegan.
* It can be used in recipes like milk.
* The Unsweetened Vanilla flavor does not contain any added sweeteners and has a low glycemic index.

What’s my verdict?

I like the rich, smooth and slightly nutty taste of Almond Breeze.  I find it doesn’t have the weird clumps when you get to the bottom of the carton like some soy milks.  The only thing that almond milk doesn’t have against soy is the addition of protein.  That’s the one thing that I don’t like.  There’s just not enough protein (2g/serving) to keep me full, especially if I use it at breakfast.  But, I believe it’s a great lower-calorie option that’s still very nutrient dense when fortified.  I haven’t tried it in recipes yet, have you?

You also have an opportunity to join the taste test by downloading a coupon at www.almondbreeze.com. With the Almond Breeze Money Back Guarantee, if you don’t agree that Almond Breeze is more delicious, you’ll receive a full refund!

Why not try it out?

Don’t forget to vote for LIVESTRONG with just one click! (Don’t forget you can add a click with each new internet session too) Thanks so much guys  Happy Thursday!

It has been a scorcher here lately as I will probably repeat and repeat this entire summer!  I’m already looking forward to fall.  The heat just zaps the energy right out of me. I’m fine in the shade, but direct sunlight is no bueno.  It really stinks for any kind of activity outdoors.  We did make it on a bike ride Saturday morning, which was the 4th early wake-up call ride in a row for me!  I could tell my legs were not quite as fresh and the heat just threw in another lovely variable towards my demise.  

At the beginning of the ride, I felt pretty good.  It was 6am and the sun was out, but it wasn’t extremely hot.  Oh I’d say about 88 F?  It’s really sad when our lows are only 85 F.  Towards the middle of the ride, the sun’s lovely rays began to beat down on me something fierce.  Paired with a nice 8% grade for one good jont that I tried to power up, and I was just about toasted from then on.

Gorgeous views around Lake Mead though.

Here’s me thinking ‘Oh my God, it is so freakin’ hot, kill me now!’

For most of the way back there is a nice grade and Chris thankfully stayed back with me.  We made it for a stop at the gas station where we grabbed more Gatorade, water, and wheat thins.  I also got a nice bag of ice to cool down my head!  ahhhh

Thank You,  have a HOT day. . .

I made it up the last good hill and finished strong, or as strong as I could!

• 41 miles in 2:36 riding time
• Avg 15.6 mph

On the ride I had about 60 oz of Gatorade, 16 oz of water, 1/2 small box of wheat thins, and 5 small dates.

Man, Chris and I were just exhausted after that hot ride, and while we wanted to just veg on the couch, we had our cycling club BBQ and swimming lessons to go to!  I quickly grabbed a chocolate milk and made some lemony farro salad to take before we headed out. Green Valley Cyclists organized a nice BBQ for us at a local park. They had hamburgers, hot dogs and various side dishes. It was fun to see the group out of their cycling gear!

I had 1/2 a burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado, a slice of watermelon, about 3/4 cup of the farro salad and a rice krispie treat.  mmm

Next up was swim lessons!  For the third lesson, I’m feeling a lot better about freestyle.  I can make it a length fairly comfortably.  This week we tried to master the flip for continuous swimming. . . ummm I’ll keep working on it.  I manage to get water up my nose and disorient myself so that I can’t get back on track lol oh boy. funny stuff.

This cracks me up.  I don’t think the pool really enforces the ‘fuel efficient vehicles only’ parking spots.  And no that was not a hybrid truck.

After swim I whipped up a yummy smoothie in the Bullet and managed to get some house chores done, but had to lie down for a 20 min power nap.  It felt great!

Dinner was leftover grilled fish tacos!! This is another one of my favorite summer recipes and it really hit the spot.

I love the cool, cilantro and lime dressing.

I had a serving of blue corn chips with this salsa that I recently found at TJ’s and we love it!

For dessert I had a glass of milk with an Iced Oatmeal Dunker from TJ’s and a side of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.  I just adore that show!

Totals for this day ~ 2800 kcals and 170 oz of fluids, woop!

Sunday I planned to sleep in for once while Chris decided to go for a ride up Mt. Charleston with some of the group.  I slept in until 6:30 am and it was absolutely glorious!!!  I was planning on having a rest day, but Kristen was going to body pump and of course I wanted to join!  Afterwards we hit up Starbucks to catch up with some good conversation and I enjoyed a chocolate milk.  Sorry I’ve been bad about foodie pictures today

Not much else for me on the agenda, but catching up with e-mails, studying, and getting organized for the week. Tonight I believe we’ll be having chicken sausage and roasted pepper melts

Hope you had a nice weekend!

What are the summer’s like where you live?  Can you ‘take the heat’?

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/06/cant-stand-the-heat/feed/ 19 http://eatingrd.com/2010/06/athletic-identity-in-children-simple-dinners/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/06/athletic-identity-in-children-simple-dinners/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:33:32 +0000 Kristen :) http://eatingrd.com/?p=3888

I receive the Nutrition and Your Child Newsletter which is a research-based newsletter produced by the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine.  I was really intrigued by this recent snippet which linked the creation of a positive athletic self-image in children to being active throughout life.  I attached part of the newsletter below and hope you enjoy it too.  It’s amazing how truly influential we can be in children’s lives and their future health.  

Encourage a positive self-image to keep kids active

Children and adolescents who have a positive sense of their athletic identity are more likely to be physically active – information that parents can use as an effective tool in the fight against obesity.

“Self-identity, which includes athletic identity and self-image, starts when a child is born so it’s important for parents to see that they can encourage the development of these positive views. In fact, parents are a strong influence on how children see themselves,” said Cheryl Braselton Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a researcher at the ARS/USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center at BCM.

Anderson has conducted studies that established the relationship between athletic identity and physical activity – or the sense of one’s self as being athletic – and participation in team sports. Her most recent study “Contribution of Athletic Identity to Child and Adolescent Physical Activity,” appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This study examined the contribution of athletic identity to children’s physical activity and team sports participation among 1,339 students in grades four, five, seven and eight. Since a child’s gender, race and weight status (Body Mass Index, or BMI) may affect their athletic identity and sports participation, the study also investigated the association of these variables on children’s physical activity.

Study participants completed an Athletic Identity Questionnaire, which measured their self-perceptions of athletic appearance; competence; importance of physical activity and sports; and encouragement received from parents, teachers and friends.

“We found that over and above gender, race and BMI, positive athletic identity is still highly predictive of activity and team participation,” Anderson said. “That’s important because it shows that we can cultivate a positive self-view no matter whether you have boys or girls or what ethnic background kids are or even how heavy they are.”

Anderson encouraged parents to think outside the box when trying to find physical activities for their children. Not all kids and teens are interested or skilled in traditional sports like baseball and basketball. But there are other opportunities, like biking or fun runs.

It is important for children to see themselves as athletic, Anderson said, because it will help them to remain physically active over time, even into adulthood. It is routine physical activity, such as exercise, that produces long-term health benefits.

“People who see themselves as physically active continue to be active over their lifetime,” she said. “There may be some interruptions because of certain life circumstances, but they don’t let their activity level slide long-term.”

Childhood obesity is a serious health issue that has been linked with cardiovascular and respiratory disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. About 34 percent of children and adolescents age 6 to 19 are considered overweight or obese. Current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call for one hour or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day for school-aged children and adolescents.

“Parents are crucial agents in exciting and motivating children, building their confidence and making physical activity a positive part of their life,” said Anderson. “They, for better or worse, are the initial architects of a child’s athletic identity.”

~~~~

Wow, pretty empowering isn’t it?  It does make sense though and it’s pretty darn neat

I would say that I was empowered to be active when I was a youngin’, mostly when my parents enrolled me in a local dance school because I was curious driving by one day.  I believe that has kept me confident in being active and has inspired me to remain active now and in the future.  It gives me a sense of identity, comfort and enjoyment.  I’m sure this could also go the other way too where an individual wasn’t as active when they were younger and became inspired for themselves later.  Really I believe that kids just need to be involved in something that increases their positive sense of self.

ah, good memories . . . I was also pretty shy as a kid and dance gave me a great form of expression and I loved being on stage!  I need to get my mom to scan some of my dance photos when I was little, they are a hoot!

Nevada Ballet Theatre girls (I’m on the left)

Lots of make-up and lashes!  We used to always make fun of the bright red lipstick we had to wear lol

Go Wolfpack!  (I’m on the right)

What do you think?  Were you pretty active as a child or just recently as an adult?

~~~~

Chris has been getting home pretty late lately, so I’ve been trying to whip up things that are fairly easy.  For dinner yesterday I whipped up a usual favorite of teriyaki chicken.  Using TJs Soyaki, I simply marinated some chicken breasts and then, because we are out of propane at the moment, I wrapped them in foil and baked ‘em at 375-400 F for about 20 minutes.  They don’t come out with nice grill marks but are still tasty.

On the side I sautéed up some frozen veggies and instead of rice I made some farro which only takes about 18 minutes to cook.  I think hands down, farro is my favorite grain next to quinoa.

Oh and I can’t forget TJ’s potstickers mmm

I also made some pizza using Fresh & Easy’s pizza dough.  Usually I make my own pizza dough because it’s pretty darn easy and cheap, but this time around time was of the essence.  It just takes a bit of time for the yeasties to do their thing.  This pizza dough is actually really good, a bit thicker than I like, but tasty!

I used the WW pizza dough and Rosemary focaccia dough.

I like to make mini ones because they cook faster and are easier to handle, but I still managed to get cornmeal everywhere  I roasted up a mix of veggies including mushrooms, zucchini and sweet potatoes at 425 F for about 40 minutes and then topped them with a few pieces of chopped prosciutto and fontina cheese. This time around I got some pretty weird shapes. This one below looks like batman wings?

And the best part of making your own pizza?  Lots of leftovers!!!  These held us over quite well for lunch the next few days

I tried Tres Leches cake for the first time when we celebrated my colleagues birthday recently.  OMG, why have I not tried this before?  It was glorious and moist, very filling, but not overly sweet.  I’m going to have to make this on my own. I’m sure it’s calorie-free and low-fat too, right? ha! Has anyone ever made it?

I brought Chris home a big slice and had to steal two bites hehe

For my dessert I brought back the kid in me and had a nice, refreshing . . . BIG STICK!!!   Oh how I loved these as a kid and I would eat them in about 20 seconds flat.  I could eat cold things really fast.  I know they are pretty much all sugar, but they don’t have any weird colorings and are only 70 kcals & 17g of CHO per stick.  Plus with this hot weather, it’s sure refreshing!

Other things I loved as a kid:

• Anything gummy, you name it – fruit roll-ups, gushers, gummy bears
• Velveeta Mac n’ Cheese – oh yes, the cheesy salty goodness that my nana would always make for me
• TCTs – Tortilla, Cheese, Tortilla – inventive eh?
• Peanut butter milkshakes from Sonic – My parents and I would sometimes take a Sunday drive and stop at Sonic beforehand.  I would order the XL shake and suck that puppy down.
• Little Debbie Nutty Bars – oh how I loved these!  I think I’ve been in love with peanut butter since birth.
• I’m sure there’s more, but I can’t think of anymore at the moment!

Were you active as a kid?  Any kiddie food favorites?

Happy Weekend to you!

–> Check out Endurance Isn’t Only Physical and win some cool Ryders sunglasses!

I’ve been a bad, bad blogger lately, but some things have come up recently that must be a priority for my future  Most of the past week Chris and I have been coming up with random lunch and dinner selections since I didn’t get a chance to get to the grocery store.  I won’t spare you the details and frankly I forgot to take pictures eek!  I feel like pretty soon, my head with sure spin off and fly away somewhere never to be seen again!  Has anyone seen my brain?  

Ah well, hopefully it will turn up here soon.  I’ve been trying to keep up with a summer statistics II course, which thank goodness will be online for one more week, working, getting ready for in-laws, a possible new side job, and a possible new business venture that I’m more than excited about.  Can’t really say, but I sure do love sports nutrition & cycling

I did make a batch of lemon pesto (minus the tofu in the recipe) which looked something like this . . . well, I just threw it together so it wasn’t this pretty.  I just love homemade pesto.

And also some incredible apricot jam with some local apricots!  Instead of using pectin or tons of sugar, I tried to use chia seeds.  They worked out wonderfully!!!  I will always use these in jams from now on  There was also a recent article in JADA which concluded that up to 25% of eggs/oil in cakes can be replaced by chia gel, while maintaining sensory characteristics and improving the nutritional quality.  Pretty neat!

Here’s all that went into the jam:

• 2.5 lbs apricots, pits removed & chopped (smallish ones)
• 1.5 cups sugar (the regular stuff)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

My bread machine has a jam setting, so I just threw everything in there and voila!  instant jam!  I don’t have a canning doo-hikkie thing, so I put it in tupperware and store it in the freezer or fridge.  I don’t like my jams/jellies too sweet, so this was great.  Most recipes called for at least 3 cups of sugar with 2.5-3lb of fruit and I was like heck no that won’t do.

Friday for lunch I had the pleasure of joining Chris at his work where the Slidin’ Thru Truck was serving up gourmet sliders.  This concept is so neat!  They have this giant truck with a kitchen in the back that travels around the LV Valley serving up great sliders. They also can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

It took quite some time since they are made to order, but it was sure worth it, yum!

I ordered a Caprese, Yaya and Captain’s Orders.  I ate about 2 and gave the rest to Chris.  I think the Yaya was my fav with lettuce, tomato, feta, ziki and white wine vinaigrette.  They have all kinds of great creations to choose from.

Oh and the sweet tater fries were out of this world!  They sprinkle theirs with a little bit of cinnamon and suga’

aaaaand to top it off Chris’ work was giving out some tasty cupcakes from Cupcake Lane.  Holy moly sugar rush.  I had a bite of this smores one, then gave the rest to Chris.  I really had my eye on the peanut butter banana one!  I must have scarfed that bad boy down quick to get back to my work and didn’t take a picture!

~~~~

Did you see the Consumer Reports on Protein Drinks?  This infuriates me to no end and I continue to ask the question as to why oh why there is not more regulation in place to assure that products and supplements are safe for the public and athletes?  I guess I took my chances when I bought the BSN Dessert Whey Chocolate Fudge Pudding, but I don’t think I will be featuring that in my smoothies again.  I am going to talk with BSN on the phone on Monday and see what they have to say about it.  I also tried to contact consumer reports to see exactly how they did their testing and how reliable it is, but they explained they can’t release that information to the general public.  Interesting.

One supplement certification that is recognized by collegiate sports is NSF.  Muscle Milk was actually tested by NSF in an ISO 17025 lab which is accredited and qualified for heavy metal testing.  NSF’s statement regarding this recent report even shows that they are not sure how Consumer Reports did their testing, which is pretty lame to me.  If you are going to make a report like this for many different well-known protein supplements, wouldn’t you at least want to have a strong backing as to how you came up with these results?

~~~~

Well, anyway . . . Happy Weekend!  Chris and I got a nice bike ride in this morning and the weather gave us a little cooling break!  Yesss!  Well, cool as in 87 F for a high.  It wasn’t too long since we wanted to grab breakfast with Chris’ dad and step mom, but it was nice to get back at it.  I can already tell that I need to get back in cycling shape!

• 27.3 miles in 1:40
• 16.6 mph average

After breakfast and taking a little break at home, we were off for our first swim lessons!!! I was a little nervous but excited, and while I have A LOT  to learn, hopefully I will get the hang of it within the next 6 weeks  We just did simple stuff like treading water and trying to breath under water.  I managed to swim about 1/2 the length of the pool a few times, but I’m sure it didn’t look so smooth and pretty at all ha!  Next week we will start some drills.

Oh yes, those goggles are HOT!  The water was actually pretty chilly and most of the class I was trying to control my shivers.

Can you say someone needs a tan?! yikes.  Granted it was after getting out of that chilly pool brrrr

It was fun and I’m excited to get it down to where I can actually swim for longer than 1/2 of a 1/2 of a lap!  Swimming always makes me ravenous for some reason.  Even though I probably only burned about 20 kcals from shivering, I came home and tried out my new Magic Bullet from CSN Stores!  Don’t ask me why I decided to make a smoothie when I was already chilly from swimming.

I really wanted to review the Magic Bullet because most of the time I like to make individual smoothies and my larger, dinky blender was 1. pretty big, 2. a pain to clean, and 3. making a burning smell, so I wanted something that would be fairly easy and powerful with frozen fruit.  And the verdict?  Actually, not too shabby and I’m impressed!  I had to take it off the base a few times and shake it around, but it blended the frozen fruit really well.

Do you have a favorite recipe you like to make in the bullet?

This time I just threw in:

• 1/2 cup NF milk
• 1/3 cup Vanilla Wallaby Yogurt
• 1/2 frozen naner
• 1/3 cup frozen sliced strawberries
• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 tbsp hemp seed and blueberry flax

It was refreshing and easy to clean up!  Now, it’s time for a shower and chillin’ before body pump in the am!

Anyone surprised from the Consumer Report?  What are your plans for the weekend?

Man it is tough coming back after having such a nice vacay!  CSN Stores contacted me recently and asked if I would like to do a review of one of their products, which may just make the transition to reality a little easier  I’m not sure what it will be yet, maybe it will be a sectional sofa?!  Well, not sure about that, but we sure need a new sofa.  Ours is ancient and we have to reinforce it underneath with a broken down cardboard box.  No joke.  It’s like once you sit in it, you can’t get up because you sink so far into it. literally.  Look out for a review soon, hopefully it will be something fun!  

In other news, we made the loooong ride home on Sunday and thankfully had the extra Memorial Day to get situated and tackle the mounds of wash and cleaning that needed to be done.  My muscles are in a definite need for some stretching and my waistline is in some need of more cardio.  My plan of attack is to ease into the swing of things again and get back on track.  Even though I burned about 4,000 kcals on the century ride, I only had about 2,000 kcals to make up.  With a week of indulgent eats and a small amount of exercise, I can feel the extra jiggles around the edges.  I’d say I have more than made up for that kcal deficit

Last night I was able to make it to a great hip hop class that I haven’t been to in a long time since starting training, and it was awesome!!!!  It was a bit of a change from cycling, but I will always always always enjoy getting my grooove on

Tonight I’m going to try to make it to body pump (weights) and I want to continue with the weight training at least twice a week.  Ever since starting weights I really enjoy it more and more.  It is a great feeling, gives me strength for cycling and tones those extra jiggles.

Some other new things I’d like to try . . .

Bikram yoga.  Has anyone ever done this before?  I have a couple friends who really enjoy it and I thought it would be a great challenge.  I’ve done yoga before on occasion, but never bikram.  I’ve heard it’s quite the challenge and hopefully I won’t like it too much because it would be another expense.  I may be trying it tomorrow or next week, depending on how sore I am from body pump, so wish me luck!

Swimming. This one I’ve been talking about for awhile now, but I’d really like to give it a go if I can ever get a dang swim suit, cap and goggles.  Does anyone else like swimming?  I think I am going to check out a pool near our house and see if they have beginner classes.  Hopefully I won’t drown myself.

As far as the nutrition part goes . . .

It’s time to cut back on portions and calories for a little while now that intense cycling training is over. This will just require a bit of re-training since I’ve been used to eating for larger calorie outputs.  I don’t plan on this for too long because I’m itching to sign up for Viva Bike Vegas!!! woot!

um, thank you sir may I have another?  It’s going to be 110 miles and circle the entire Las Vegas Valley. I must be crazy, but I’ve come to love the feeling of being a part of events like this.  It’s awesome and empowering!

I’ve really been craving nothing but fresh salads, fruits, veggies, and smoothies, especially with this hot weather creeping up here.  I think it’s supposed to hit over 100 F by this Saturday. ick.  This will definitely throw a wrench in cycling during the day and we’ll have to get up by at least 4 or 5am to avoid the frying factor.  I’ve never really paid this much attention to the weather since cycling!

Here are a few things I’ve been eating up so far to get back on track . . .

Panko crusted chicken with a lemony barley salad is really refreshing. I don’t know if I like barley as much as farro though anymore.  Farro has definitely become my favorite for it’s chewy bite and super nutty flavor.

Salmon salad is my all-time fav salad addition.  It’s pretty darn nutritious and easy to make too which is nice!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. I enjoy these for a nice vegetarian dinner.  I really don’t want to eat all that much meat for awhile to be honest.  Of course kale chips are a must too

New Vega Shake and Go Smoothie. This vega mix was sent to me to try for free and I actually really like it!  I’ve tried the choc-a-lot flavor so far which tastes nice and chocolate-y even with just water.  They have a slight amount of sweetness and taste much better than their protein powder, which I thought didn’t taste very good on its own.  You just can’t really mix them and save it for later because I found it turns to a weird sludge.  It really must be mixed and consumed right away for best results.  Each 2 tbsp scoop of the chocolate flavor contains 120 kcals, 11 g of vegan protein, 2,500 mg of omega 3-6-9 and probiotics.  These held over my hunger nicely for about 2 hours.

The other day I mixed it with about 1/2 cup chocolate almond milk, 1/2 cup H2O, 1/2 frozen naner and about 1/3 cup frozen bluberries.  Yum!

Attune Probiotic Chocolate Bars are also great for keeping those calories in check while still enjoying an indulgent treat.  I couldn’t believe they only have about 90kcals per bar, 68% cacao, 4g of fiber, 20% calcium and probiotics to get the digestion on the right path again.  And who doesn’t enjoy chocolate?  Well, I know some don’t, but I sure enjoy it!  I could see myself getting these on my own again to try more flavors.

Well there you have it.  A little plan to get back on track and I’m looking forward to it

What do you like to eat and do to ‘get back on track’?

The only thing that was really disappointing, and what usually happens with every century I’ve been to, is that there was no food left for us and everyone was packing up!!! WTH?  Why oh why is there never any real food left for the century riders?!  Chris and I were pretty hungry and really needed some high quality protein with the carbs for recovery.  They did have some aid station stuff leftover and I grabbed 1/2 naner, a handful of chips and a flax muffin thing + some H2O.

I estimated that I consumed a total of about 2,000 kcals on the ride and burned about 4,000 kcals.  Usually you want to replenish at least 1/2 of kcals burned because it can be hard to match output completely and can cause stomach issues.

We did have to get a picture with borat, omg this guy was crazy!!!!  Careful NSFW! lol

After saying our goodbyes Chris and I rode another 3 miles back to our hotel, changed and went to find something to EAT!!  We ended up going to Mary’s Pizza Shack and started with some garlic focaccia.  I had 3 slices.

We ordered a veggie pizza with grilled chicken and thick crust.  It was pretty good, nothing stellar, but food!!  I had 2 slices.

Afterwards we headed to TJ’s to pick up some more water and then I had to pick up some chocolate chunk cookies hehe  I had 2 with a glass of milk.

Man, we were pooped and headed back to the hotel to chill out and ice.  It was such a wonderful experience and I’m so glad I got to meet everyone and just be a part of a great event which raised an amazing amount of money for cancer research.  It was a really special feeling!  There is another century in Vegas coming up the beginning of October and I think I’m going to sign up, woot!

And thank YOU for all your encouraging words and positive energy!  I really couldn’t haven’t done it without you.  It makes such a difference and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart

Chris and I are extending our vacation for some good times in Napa for a few days, and then we are going to head to Sacramento to visit family.

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In recent news, yesterday we decided to spend some recovery time with no wine, lots of hydration, and I surprised Chris with our first sports massage, it was glorious.  We also spent the day walking around Muir Woods National Monument and the evening with friends in San Fran.  Today we are going to spend the day with a little wine-tasting!  I can’t wait to re-cap and I’m so happy to be on vacation!!!

The countdown that is!!!  aaaaah! In about 6 days I’ll be riding my first century bike ride in Napa, CA and supporting the great cause of the LiveStrong Foundation.  I really can’t believe it.  honestly.  When Chris and I first started getting somewhat serious into cycling, and he started doing century rides, I thought . .  nah, I can’t imagine riding 100 miles?! Now, about 4 months of training later, I feel pretty darn strong and 65 miles isn’t all that bad, so there’s no turning back now.  This is it!  

I honestly believe that I could have trained harder, done more hilly rides, had a little bit more time, but I’m just going to go with positive thoughts, lots of adrenaline, do my best, AND most importantly . . . HAVE FUN!  I’m also very excited to meet my new team members of Team Awesome! which include Caitlin and her dad, Jill, Sean, and his wife Kelly.  Of course my other half Chris will also be there, which I am suuuper happy about  Donations will be excepted for teams until May 20th and you can donate here.  Anything helps!

We’ve been trying to eat a lot of random leftovers since we are heading out of town soon, so there hasn’t been anything too exciting on the menu.  I did make my favorite quinoa chicken and broccoli casserole that we’ve been munching on for awhile.

I am loving my birthday Shun.

super thin mushrooms!

It’s great with kale chips.

The next time, I plopped it on a micro’ed sweet tater which was awesome!

This weekend I wasn’t feeling too up to snuff for some reason, so on Saturday I spent most of the day getting my car a major tune up and doing errands and house chores.  Today I decided to do a ride with the Green Valley Cyclist group and it was fairly flat and fast.  We had a pretty good head wind coming back that was a doozy.  It’s a good thing this one nice guy let me grab onto his wheel and helped to battle the winds!

• 64 miles
• Time: 3:35
• Avg:  17.8 mph  Max: 32 mph

Afterwards I whipped up a quick recovery smoothie and iced my knees and hot muscles.  It sure is getting harder and harder to ride here after the sun comes out.  It was hot by 7:30am this morning!  Pretty soon it will be near 100 F still in the wee hours of the morning.

This one contained:

• ~ 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup plain Wallaby yogurt (now it’s all gone!)
• 1/2 frozen naner
• scant tsp of peanut butter (we’re tragically all out of this too!)
• 1 tbsp blueberry flax
• 1 scoop Strawberry Recoverite
• 1/2 scoop BSN Chocolate Fudge Whey
• 1 cup frozen strawberries

It was refreshing!

Pretty soon after than I was hungry again and made a little munchie plate of salmon salad with grapes, walnuts and bell peppers (love this for recovery), pita chips, carrots, hummus and some dates.  Yum!

Then I got to working on this . . .

I had to take a little power nap this afternoon and have a few more chores to get done before tomorrow.  Unfortunately Chris’ grandmother passed away recently, and I am going to meet him and his family for the service next week.  I didn’t want to talk too much about it here, but she is in a much better place now.  I am very sad though because I never got to meet her since Chris and I have been together

I spent a little bit of the afternoon making homemade pumpkin spice energy bars for work in hopes of raising a little bit more funds for LiveStrong.  I also put some stickers with inspirational phrases on them.  A diagnosis of cancer can be such a devastating time for everyone, but I am so inspired by many who face this challenge and I’m so blessed that my grandpa is still here.  I am inspired by their strength, undoubting faith, and incredible courage.  I sure believe in the efforts of LiveStrong and am honored to be raising money to help in this fight and make a difference in the lives of many.  Life is good, yes it is, and I try to remind myself to never forget that and to be thankful for what I have, believe and have faith that things will turn out and be okay

Sure hope you guys have a nice week.  I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance to post again before the century, soooo here goes nothin’!

Well, the weekend has come and gone and I can’t believe I’m sitting here and it’s already 9:00 pm PST on Monday, geezsh! I guess this amazement in time mostly stems from the fact that I spent pretty much all the afternoon on a exhausting and glorious 56 mile bike ride, yay!  I was hoping to get in 60, but when I started riding around my neighborhood to get in some extra miles, eyeing my Garmin like a hawk for each precious mile, I figured, eh I better head on home.  Plus my legs were a ready for some rest!

Just a quick, itsy bitsy weekend re-cap . . .  

Friday morning I went to 6am spin, which I think was a mistake because my body was tired, and although I took it fairly easy, Saturday my body was not feeling good.  I started to get a scratchy throat and achy muscles.  I just felt blah and ick for some reason, and a ride was not happenin’ even though the weather was fairly decent.  I figured I would be able to go on a ride Sunday, but of course there were gale force winds from you know where so that wasn’t happening either.

Friday night Chris went out to dinner with a friend and co-worker so I decided to make some pumpkin protein oats . . .

Along with an egg on ww naan.  Hit the spot!

Let’s see, what else have I been making you ask?

Chicken Shawarma which is bursting with lemony, spicy goodness . . .

Nachos using TJ’s taco mix, but it is waaaay too spicy!!  Wowza TJ’s you could have at least said so on the package!

I also tried these blue corn chips, but they are pretty darn salty.

mmm cheesy, crusty goodness

Sloppy Lentil Flatbreads (recipe from CookingLight).  This recipe is really yummy!  I didn’t realize I bought the roasted tomatoes with green chilis, so this was another pretty spicy dish.  There’s also some ground lamb in there, which I’m sure can be optional.  Not so photogenic, but sure tasty!

I’m also loving these bars . . . The Luna raspberry chocolate tastes so decadent!

I also like the PowerBar Fruit and Nut because it’s not too sweet, fairly bland (in a good way) and very satisfying with 10g of protein.

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While I didn’t get much in the way of biking this past weekend, I did get a pretty good ride in today!!  I didn’t have class after work, and while I should have been studying for my final on Wednesday, I couldn’t resist!!  The weather was pretty much perfect, with a slight breeze that picked up later in the afternoon.  It was pretty darn hot, though.

I was a bad blogger and didn’t take pictures of my morning breakfast (cinnamon raisin bagel, pb, cottage cheese + fruit and egg whites) or my pre-ride snack (flatbread with tofu and mozzarella + tortilla chips and 1 cup Gatorade), but they were pretty carb heavy

I planned on taking a lot of snacks on the ride just in case.  Always want to be prepared!!  I ended up eating the PowerBar, which I am loving lately, the stingers (the pom flavor doesn’t taste good fyi), another 1/2 pack of sharkies (very sticky), and two dates.

I also experimented with a new formula called Infinit that Jen (the extreme cyclist friend) let me try.  You can actually formulate your own mixture on their site depending on your individual needs, which is really sweet.  I think I really like it and I’m going to order some for the century since I got a new Speedfil and there is a deal of 1/2 off with its purchase.

I really like this new Speedfil contraption because I always seem to have a hard time fumbling with water bottles and I never really liked wearing a Camelbak because it’s heavy on the back and kind of taboo in the cycling world.  It’s a pain in the butt to clean and set up each time, but I really like the convenience on longer rides of just dropping down slightly to get a drink without having to take my hands of the handles.  I found that today I was able to drink much more than I usually do, which is good for me to stay hydrated

It can fit about 40 ounces, but then you only have one bottle which can be inconvenient for some people that like to have two different mixtures to drink.

For about the first 2 hours I had the Infinit mixture and then when I stopped at a gas station for a pit stop I put in 1/2 Gatorade and 1/2 water.  I finished about 3/4 of the second mixture.

It turned out to be a great, challenging ride with some pretty good climbs which is what I need to work on:

• 56 miles
• 3:40 hours (riding time)
• Avg:  15.5 mph  Max:  30 mph

The ride I decided to go on goes near Lake Mead with some pretty amazing views.  I even saw about 9 lizards and 1 snake on the trail.  Thank goodness I didn’t run any over lol

After I got home (finally!) I had to take a quick COLD shower and then I whipped up some leftover lentil mixture with an egg atop some ww toast.  I just love eggs.

I also made a refreshing smoothie in a bowl.  It sure looks a little murky from the spinach, but boy it tasted good!

• 3/4 cup NF milk
• 1/2 cup Wallaby Vanilla Yogurt
• 2 giant handfuls of spinach
• 1 scoop BSN chocolate fudge pudding protein powder
• 1/2 scoop Strawberry Recoverite
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 large frozen banana
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

There also may have been a bowl of TJ’s lite kettle corn + 5 nilla wafers consumed after this when I was feeling munchy again

Whew, I’m pooped!  At the moment I can’t imagine doing another 44 miles on top of what I did for the century coming up, but Chris assures me it won’t be too hilly, except for one major killer hill around mile 60, and then it’s all downhill from there  I have to keep positive and keep training, as much as I can fit in anyway!  I’m hoping for another long ride this weekend *fingers crossed* if the wind will cooperate.

Goodnight all!  Thank you for all your quick dinner selections, you seriously rock!