Be prepared for some cute doggie pictures!!!

But first, just a little re-cap of the weekends events  Thanks for all your entries into the giveaway!  I’m lovin’ those barstools.  I think my favorites are the backless ones.  It looks like the Blender Express Plus is pulling in for the lead with the immersion blender coming in a fairly close second.  You have until Thursday, March 11th @ 8pm PST to enter!  

~~~~

Friday was pretty relaxed.  I went to spin early in the morning and forgot to get everything in the crock-pot for chili chicken tacos, so we decided to go out for dinner.  We headed to a local favorite called Metro Pizza and shared a big salad and a small pizza with chicken, maters, artichoke hearts and basil.  It took for-ev-errrrr for our pizza to come, but I guess when they were taking it out the first time, it ripped!  So we got a free chocolate cake for dessert, but I would have rather had a discount on the pizza.  We each took 2 bites when we got home, and threw the rest away to not be tempted again lol  I attempted to watch the Informant, but fell asleep as usual . . . anyone see that one?

Saturday was full of doggie fun!  First I had a simple bowl of oats for breakfast, and was in the mood for kiwi . . .

Kiwis are a great source of fiber, potassium, and packed with Vitamin C.

And then I found I got a package!!!!  A new TRIPOD!  I’ve been searching for a long time now trying to figure out what kind of tripod and head would be fairly good and not too pricey.  I couldn’t believe how many different brands and models there are out there!  I didn’t really want to spend that much, but everyone I’ve talked to and read says not to skimp on a tripod.  I didn’t go too crazy, and realistically couldn’t afford the lightweight carbon ones, but decided to go for the Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with the Giottos MH 1300-657 head.

I am really happy with my selection, and I’m glad I waited as long as I did just to really search, save up, and have time to make a final decision.  Plus I’m very indecisive!

If you want more information about looking into different tripods, be sure to check out Diana’s tripod guide too.

I like the Giottos head because it has a quick-release plate that attaches right to my Rebel and it also has knobs and not the longer handles, so it makes it pretty easy to adjust positioning without having a long handle in the way.

This is where I usually do all my shots when the sun is shining because it has the best light.  Most of our downstairs doesn’t have the best light, and there is nothing like sunlight for taking photos!

This tripod is pretty neat because the center pole comes up and adjusts to a horizontal position.  This will be good for experimenting with macro shots if I can ever get a macro lens.

After playing with my new toy, we decided to head out with Buster to Bark in the Park!  Buster gets soooo excited to go on car rides no matter what the destination.  Most of the time we take him to the vet and get a bath, but this time he got to have some fun!

First I grabbed a new Luna Protein bar to try for a snack.  I wasn’t impressed with the flavor at all.  It was chewy, chalky, and I couldn’t taste really much of anything.  It was nice that it wasn’t too sweet though.  It only has 12g of protein per bar, when the regular bars have 9-10g and taste much better.

And we were off!  Buster was super excited!

There were a ton of other dogs there and booths with other dogs for adoption, product information and giveaways.

He has the cutest waddle and butt!

Our first stop was the Las Vegas Basset Rescue where we adopted Buster from  Everyone loved saying hi and seeing him again.

They had some awesome doggie tricks too.  These guys were amazing!  They had to run down a long path and then quickly grab the tennis ball lodged in that platform.  I caught them mid-catch!

Whoa, crazy color job!

We also said hi to our friend who works with the Pug Rescue . . . awwwh, pugs are too cute!

Buster got to say hi to his friend Louie!  He sure is a ham.

There was lots of sniffing going on . . .

and of course sniffing butts! lol

Buster was sure tired after about an hour and a half of fun.  He usually naps all day, so this was quite the adventure

Next up we had dinner with Chris’ mom and step dad at an authentic Mexican restaurant called Lindo Michoacan. They have really great food, and even beef tongue and head soup for the adventurous palate.

We started with some chips and dip.  I had 5 chips with freshly made guacamole and bean dip.

For my entrée, I got grilled fish tacos.  I love grilled fish tacos!!!  I also like crispy tacos, but these were a bit too oily : / I should have known better to get soft.  I also shared a carne asada taco which was wonderful as well.

There was a ton of food leftover!  I had about 2 fish tacos, a bite of the carne asada, and half of the rice and beans.  We ordered fried ice cream for all of us to share and I had about 1/4 of it.  Fried ice cream is my weakness!  I love the crispy, honey, flaky outside with the creamy vanilla ice cream on the inside.  mmm . . .

Sunday was spent getting some more errands done, prepping for meals during the week, and doing a bit of studying and cleaning.  I know, terribly exciting!  I ended up prepping everything for chicken fajitas, making chili chicken tacos, applesauce spice muffins and protein cookies.  It is nice to get everything somewhat organized before the week starts up again.

I didn’t get a ride in this weekend, although I’m okay with that because I was feeling a bit tired and knew I needed a little taper this weekend.  The weather turned out to be beautiful and not windy on Saturday (go figure), but Sunday it was cloudy and drizzly.  I did get a nice body pump weight session with Kristen early this morning and I’m feeling strong

I hope to ride into work again sometime this coming week, and hopefully the wind and rain will cooperate!  Hope you all had a nice weekend

Do you have pets?  What’s your favorite breed?

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/all-for-the-dogs/feed/ 27 http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/what-is-maca/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/what-is-maca/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:24:21 +0000 Kristen :) http://eatingrd.com/?p=2294

I know we’ve all seen maca circulating in the blog world lately and I wanted to delve a little deeper into the research behind it and check it out for myself.

According to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database maca is a plant that grows in central Peru in the high plateaus of the Andes mountains. It has been cultivated as a vegetable crop in Peru for at least 3000 years. Maca is a relative of the radish and its root is used to make medicine.  

[source]

Maca is used for anemia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and enhancing energy, stamina, athletic performance, and memory.  It is also used for female hormone imbalance and menstrual irregularities, enhancing fertility, menopause symptoms, osteoporosis, depression, stomach cancer, leukemia, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, impotence, as an aphrodisiac, and as an immunostimulant.  Wow, that is quite the list, eh?

In foods, maca is eaten baked or roasted, prepared as a soup, and used for making a fermented drink called maca chicha.  Navitas Naturals has several available forms of maca and a video highlighting maca’s cultivation and production.

The active part of maca is the root.  Dried maca root contains 59% carbohydrates, 10.2% protein, 8.5% fiber, and 2.2% lipids including linolenic, palmitic, and oleic acids.  It contains sterols and significant amounts of minerals including iron, calcium, and copper.  Two polyunsaturated fatty acids, macaene and macamide, are used as marker compounds for maca.  Lipid extracts of macaene and macamide seem to increase sexual activity and correct erectile dysfunction in animals, but the mechanism is unknown.  Maca does not appear to significantly affect serum concentrations of reproductive hormones including testosterone, estradiol, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in healthy men.  Maca also contains glucosinolates, which might have cancer-protecting properties and central nervous system effects.

Many herbal supplements are questionable because there isn’t enough scientific research and I’m really hesitant about most of them.  Let’s look at the limited research on maca . . .

• Maca is likely safe when consumed in food amounts (Ganzera M, et al., 2002).
• Maca is possibly safe when used orally and appropriately, short term. Maca appears to be safe in doses up to 3 grams daily for 12 weeks (Gonzales GF, et al., 2003).
• Pregnancy and Lactation:  there is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of maca in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation; avoid using.
• Possibly effective in increasing sexual desire. Taking maca orally 1.5 to 3 grams per day seems to increase subjective feelings of sexual desire in healthy men (Gonzales GF, et al., 2002).  There is insufficient reliable information available about the effectiveness of maca for its other uses.

• There were no adverse effects or interactions reported with maca.

Well that doesn’t really tell us a whole lot!

How much dosing was used in the research?  Many times dosing used in research can be considerably different than what is recommended on labels.  I’ve seen most labels recommended serving to be about 1 teaspoon (5g) per day to see results.  In one study they found, to enhance sexual desire in men, 1,500 to 3,000 mg daily in 3 divided doses has been used, with the 1500 mg dose appearing to be as effective as the 3000 mg dose.  That means subjects took 1/3 – 2/3 of a teaspoon 3 times per day.  I also read some sites saying to start slow with maca because some side effects can occur and to also not to take it consecutively for too long, but am not sure if this is true.

I did see one study that found an increase in cycling time trial performance and sexual desire in trained cyclists, but didn’t get the chance to completely read through the full study.  I will continue to research more studies and see what I find.

A fellow colleague at work is from Peru and explained that maca isn’t really eaten all that much as a food per se and isn’t really all that popular.  She did explain that maca may be used when seeing a ‘medicine man’ figure to increase one’s sexual desire for a partner.  She didn’t mention its use for increasing energy.  hmmm . . . ???

I’m very curious about this maca and am going to give it a shot myself.  I’m going to start with 1/4 – 1/2 tsp per day. Let’s see if I really have more energy and sex drive (lol) or just wasted 20 bucks on powdered stuff that smells like vanilla malt!  I actually like the smell and taste of it though.

So I decided to start with a refreshing smoothie in a bowl . . .

Of course I couldn’t really taste with maca in particular with all the other flavors going on in the smoothie, but I did taste it plain on my finger and it did kind of taste like malt.  I’ve heard some don’t enjoy the taste of it, but I didn’t find it tasted too weird or anything.

I’m going to have to experiment with it in other things, aside from smoothies and a topping for breakfast creations.

I haven’t noticed any amazing energy results so far, but have only had it on several occasions this week.  Another colleague and friend of mine also decided to give it a shot and hasn’t noticed any miraculous effects either.

Have you tried Maca before?  Any other research on it?

~~~~

In other news, my training is still going pretty well so far.  It’s ‘officially’ been one month since I’ve started to teeter more towards ‘training’ mode, if that’s what you call it.  I didn’t have too many workouts this week, but the ride to work was pretty intense for me, so I needed a few rest days

• Sunday:  40 mi bike ride — fairly easy, but the wind proved to be challenging yet again
• Monday:  Rest
• Tuesday:  32 mi bike ride to and from work — morning ride was great, but coming home I battled the gale force winds again!
• Wednesday:  Rest
• Thursday:  Body Pump full-body weights
• Friday:  Spin class before work — this weekend looks like wind on Saturday and rain on Sunday, so I wanted to at least get something in because I enjoy this class.  Dang wacky weather on the weekends!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!!

I’m excited to announce another giveaway on eatingRD!  I was contacted by CSN stores and asked if I would like to review a product or do a giveaway.  I wanted to spread the love with a little giveaway and took it a step further by also letting you choose!  Yay!

Perusing their ginormous site, which features thousands of cooking gadgets from over 200 stores, and even some pretty neat barstools, I was in sheer delight trying to make my decision.  It was tough, but I decided on 5 items that I think you guys will enjoy!  They even have several VitaMix babies, but that was a little high on the budget  

Let me know which one you like best in the poll below by Thursday, March 11th at 8pm PST, and the winner, which will be announced next Friday, March 12th will get to choose!

Here are your choices:

• Hamilton Beach Immersion Blender — These are great for blending up soups right in the pot and I also use mine for quick smoothies.  This one comes with a whisk attachment which would be great for frothing up egg whites or mixing pancake batter.

• Stainless Steel Julienne Peeler — I don’t have one of these myself, but would love to!  It would be great for adding colorful veggies to salads or making veggie ‘pasta’.

• CucinaPro Pasta Machine — You guys know how I love fresh, homemade pasta!  This would make it easy for you to make at home.  While it takes a bit longer than opening up a bag of dried pasta, it is well worth it.  This machine can make fettuccine and spaghetti.  Other attachments are available as well.

• Rachel Ray’s Bakeware Set – I’m also a huge fan of casseroles and I couldn’t resist this cute bakeware set!  This would be great for baked favorites like Quinoa Chicken & Broccoli Casserole and Cornbread Topped Chicken Pot Pie.  Of course my favorite color is green, but they also come in blue and orange

• Back to Basics Blender Express Plus — I myself have a Smoothie Elite to make big batches of smoothies, but this would be perfect for individual vitamin-packed smoothies on the go or even dressings and sauces!

Well there you have it!  Those are some great choices and I don’t know if I could really choose  And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg available from CSN stores, where they have quite a bit of sales too.

So what will it be???

Here’s how you can enter:

• Vote in the poll and leave a comment telling me you did.
• Visit allbarstools.com and tell me what dream stool you would like to have if you could in a separate comment.
• Tweet the giveaway ‘@eatingRD is giving away a cooking gadget & you get to choose! http://twurl.nl/eh5q0z’ and leave a separate comment.
• Link back to this giveaway on your blog and leave a separate comment.
• For a better chance, head over to my LiveStrong donation page, and each $5 donation increment will get an additional 3 entries.  Each donation also receives a little ‘thank you’

Good luck! Check back next Friday for the winner!

Coming up will be a post on maca’s limited research, as well as safety information.  Have a great day!

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/giveaway-time/feed/ 80 http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/beluga-lentils-quinoa-stuffed-kabocha/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/beluga-lentils-quinoa-stuffed-kabocha/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:27:08 +0000 Kristen :) http://eatingrd.com/?p=2432

I found some pre-cooked black beluga lentils at TJ’s and love their nutritional punch!  Chrysta had posted a killer looking lentil and beet salad a little while ago, and ever since then I’ve been thinking I need to make some lentils!

Lentils are great for a filling, fiber-rich protein source.  These ones were great because they were already cooked too!  I had a local kabocha squash on hand from the farmer’s market, so I wanted to incorporate them somehow.  When I saw that I still had some of TJ’s Harvest blend and some quinoa in the pantry I knew just the thing to do . . . stuff it! oh yeah

Beluga Lentil & Quinoa-Stuffed Kabocha

Serves:  4

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized kabocha, cut in 1/2; seeds removed
• 1 3/4 cups water or low-sodium broth
• 3/4 cup TJ’s Harvest Grain blend + 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup TJ’s soycutash mix (or any frozen veggies mix)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup beluga lentils, cooked
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• spices:  garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, salt, pepper, pinch of cinnamon & cayenne

Directions

Roast kabocha halves, cut side down & covered with foil at 375 F until soft, or about 30 minutes.

I always get munchy while making dinner so I decided to grab a carrot with roasted red pepper hummus

While they are roasting, after a little snack, heat the water or broth in a pot until boiling; add harvest blend, quinoa, raisins, soycutash mix, spices, and olive oil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Once liquid is absorbed, turn off heat and add the walnuts, lentils, and parmesan.

Stuff the grain mix into each kabocha 1/2 and serve!  Easy and very filling!

Beans and lentils always fill me up and I didn’t even crave anything ’sweet’ after dinner

What are some other ways you use lentils???

Today was my rest day from training and I could tell my legs were a little winded going up stairs after the big ride to work yesterday, but I’ll be good to go for body pump weights tomorrow!

Have a great night  A little birdie told me there may be a giveaway tomorrow too . . .

Happy Tuesday!!  Honestly I was thinking ‘It’s only Tuesday?!’, but overall it’s been going good so far.  In my last post about goals and blah, blah, blah I mentioned that I want to start biking to work at least while the weather is so nice here.  Once it hits summer, I’m probably going to have to get up and ride at 4 am, because by 5:30 it’s usually already near 100 F.  But for this week, highs are near 70 F!

Our morning started pretty early when  

the alarm started beeping its annoying tune at 4:45am.  This isn’t really too early for us because most of the time we get up by 5:15 . . . er 5:30   It does make it hard when we can’t get to bed until 10:30pm though.  The key to biking to work is planning ahead.  I have to bring in my work clothes, makeup, etc, along with breakfast, lunch and snacks the day before I plan to ride.  I also plan to get ready at work again tomorrow because I can’t bring my giant gym bag home on the bike.

We got all our gear ready the night before . . .

Those little covers make all the difference in chilly weather since clipless shoes are usually vented.

Chris and I had a quick bowl of cereal and 1/2 naner with NF milk around 5:30am.  I wasn’t hungry at all and the thought of eating wasn’t all that appealing, but I knew I needed the fuel from my overnight fast (a.k.a. sleep).  We made it out the door kind of later than I would have liked, but we ended up making pretty good time.

Chris has been nursing his knee for a few weeks now, and I’m happy that he said it’s feeling good again, but it’s not 100%. Even though he hasn’t gotten a ride in for a little bit, I was still struggling to keep up with him!  There are a few good hills on the way and I admit I caught myself thinking some negative thoughts, asking myself ‘why am I doing this?’, ‘why do I even bother riding with Chris?’, ‘Maybe I should turn around’, etc.  I finally realized that these were definitely not helping and began switching to ‘I like hills!’, ‘You can do this!’, ‘You will get better!’, and soon enough the looming thoughts in my mind began to disappear and we were close to work.  Yay!

• Time: 57: 39
• Distance: 15.9 miles
• Avg: 16.5 mph (woo-hoo!  Thanks to Chris for pushing me faster)

When I got to work I quickly got ready and rinsed off with a wet paper towel.  I got there fairly early enough so there weren’t too many people who saw me rockin’ the tight spandex.  I also don’t really mind not showering for one day, especially since I have plenty of deodorant and spray  I had some simple oats topped with 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1 naner.  It wasn’t the best because I forgot peanut butter, but I needed something.  Sorry no pic!

Don’t mind the bike in the break room

or the cool bike gear in my cube

I was a bottomless pit and peeing like a race horse all day!  One thing I forgot to bring to work was extra water bottles, so I walked over the convenience store near work and picked up 1.5L and also a G2 to maintain hydration through the day.  Bleh!  I know I hate G2 and need to be prepared and bring my own stuff.  I really like Clif Quench because it is natural and not overly sweet, but it’s darn expensive and doesn’t come in bulk bottles or mix

I snacked on an energy bar around 10:15am, and I was starving again by 11:15!  I managed to hold out till lunch with an orange.  For lunch, I finished off the last of the pulled pork in a sammie.  I thought this stuff would never end!  It was just the protein-packed lunch I needed to revv me up for the ride home.  That’s the thing about riding to work . . . you do have to ride back home after a long day.  But if you make sure to have things planned and enough to eat, it’s great to fit in the training and fitness!

Since I get off a bit earlier than Chris today, I had to muster up my navigation skills to hit the road myself.  I just prayed that I payed enough attention on the way in to find my way back.  I’m pretty good with directions in a car, but a bike is just different because I usually don’t pay attention to street signs.  Before hitting the road I munched on a 1/2 peanut butter and nutella sammie and a protein cookie.

I managed to find my way, yippeee!  But the winds picked up and absolutely killed me.  We had gusts up to 20 mph and of course the major hill I was planning to take home was going straight into the wind!  ugh!!  While the weather is nice now, I think March is one of our windier months, well it always seems to be windy here.

I didn’t do all that great on time, but I’d say I’m pretty used to those dang winds.

• Time:  1:07
• Distance: 15.9 miles
• Avg:  14 mph

When I got home I had a bottle of refreshing coconut water and 4 dates.  I then saved Chris from the winds and went and picked him up half way after I got home and in a car  He even said he was having a hard time pedaling with that wind!

After taking a shower we heated up some pasta leftovers.  It’s nice to also plan for leftovers after a ride into work.  I hadn’t had enough greens for the day, so I had a side salad of chopped romaine and spinach topped with marinated veggies, cranberry goat cheese and walnuts.

I was still feeling munchy and had a few pretzels and a biscoff spread with a bit of nutella and a mint green tea on the side.  Love the salty/sweet combo!

Man, I’m pooped!  I think I easily had 2500-2700 kcals today, but probably burned at least 1,000-1,200.  I’ve got a midterm tomorrow and need to study a lot more!!!  Have a great night

Have you ever biked to work?  Any tips?

Overall it’s been a great weekend and once again I’m sad to see it go!  I have a few tasty recipes and a few meet-ups with good friends to share, as well as some reflections on my cycling training so far and my goals for the coming month.

Friday morning I threw a pork loin roast in the crock-pot and we had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.  I also topped it with marinated veggies and used a whole wheat roll from Great Harvest.  Easy!  

I took about a 3 lb pork loin roast (mine was 3.36lbs) and placed it in a large crock-pot with 2 medium chopped onions and 1/2-1 cup water or broth (I used the last of our spiced apple cider).  Cook on low for 6:30 – 7:00 hours and then shred with 2 forks.

Add about 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce and mix.  I had TJ’s version on hand.

And that’s it!  It’s great because it makes a butt-load!  This would be great for a party too.  It seemed like our whole weekend was full of pulled pork leftovers  We put it in sammies and multiple omelets.  I’m sure glad Chris doesn’t mind leftovers because it saves a lot of time and money for us.

I also roasted some sweet tater fries sprinkled with olive oil, kosher salt and cinnamon on the side at 450 F for 30 min, stirring 1/2 way through.  These are soooo good!

Saturday morning Kristen and I went out to breakfast to catch up and chat at a local place called The Griddle.  I got a dish with 3 eggs, along with chicken, mushrooms, spinach and feta over home fries and pita bread.  It was huge!  I had 2 eggs, 3/4 of the hash mix and 2 pita triangles.  Kristen kindly let me borrow her camera to snap some shots.

The food wasn’t too stellar, but I enjoyed the company much more

After that I decided to peruse BCBG for some sales since my friend at work had mentioned that their pants fit really well and are long.  It’s so hard to find long pants for me!  She decided to join me and we first stopped at the regular ‘full-price’ store; they didn’t have even one of my sizes in pants, and I couldn’t really pay full price anyway.  So we decided to make our way to the Las Vegas Outlets where I found BCBG pants galore!  I was in heaven!  I found 2 pants and a suit jacket that fit really well and I’m super happy to have work pants that are loooong enough.  We also stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some goodies to try and had a nice salad bar lunch  Before I knew it the day had flown by and it was time for you guessed it . . . pulled pork leftovers!!!  yaya  I will spare you a double photo

Sunday I knew I had to go on some kind of ride.  I’m feeling a little bit stronger each ride and I want to keep it going I had a bit of a dilemma though because I had to choose between a ‘C’ ride that would probably be a bit too easy for me or a 53 mile ‘B’ ride.  I would say that I am a ‘B’ rider and avg 15-16mph, but usually most listed ‘B’ rides are really ‘A’ rides because of the riders that join.  Then I end up killing myself and burning out after a big hill (i.e. last week).  I had contemplated going on the harder ride, but finally decided that I would go on the ‘C’ ride and just extend it by 12 miles by also riding my bike to the starting point.

Breakfast started with a new find from Bob’s Red Mill.

I liked the little bits of apple in there, along with a bunch of other whole grains including wheat, rye, oats, triticale, barley, brown rice, and oat bran.  Whole grain powerhouse!

I really liked it and also added some more pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, topped it with Kashi Cinnamon cereal & a few shredded wheats, 2 new date varieties (see below), 1/2 naner and a scoop of cottage cheese.  I’m a big texture person, and it was more like porridge, so I think next time I will add some different things to it like barley or whole oats.

I’m still in love with dates and found two new varieties to try at the farmer’s market.  On the left is a zahidi and right is a Halawy.  Zahidi dates are not quite as sweet or soft, with a subtle nutty flavor.  Halawy aren’t overly sweet, but have a nice caramel flavor.  I’m amazed at how many date varieties there are.

On the ride I had 1 L of water, 16 oz Gatorade, 2 dates and 1 energy ball.  I’m not usually a fan of Gatorade because it’s overly sweet for me, but I know that I need to start upping the extra energy and fluids, and I had some on hand.  It makes a huge difference to fuel at least 1 hour after the start of a ride and drink adequate fluids throughout.

To be honest the ride was a bit easy for me, but the winds were absolutely terrible again!!  I’m glad that I went on this ride though because those winds would have killed me on a faster ride.  Overall it wasn’t a bad ride, although slow with the gale force winds . . .

• Distance:  40.2 miles
• Time:  2:49:00
• Avg Speed:  14.5 mph Max:  24.2 mph

~~~~

Looking at my goals and reflections so far . . .

Last month my goal was to focus on strength training and work up to feeling confident (both mentally and physically) about hitting the road.  I’ve been doing strength training 2x per week for 3 weeks straight now and I’ve noticed a huge difference in my strength and definition.  Yes, I’d still say I have chicken arms though  In body pump I’ve been able to work up to squatting 50lbs!  I’m not even sure if I’ve squatted that much, or if that’s really that much, but I’d say that’s pretty good for all the reps we do?

I would say that I’m not absolutely 100% confident about biking, but I have actually gone on several rides so far all by myself, without a group.  It’s kind of stupid to say that doing something by yourself should be something to jump for joy about, but I’ve always been a group exercise person (Dance team, dance and group fitness classes, etc).  Plus with biking it kind of worries me sometimes if something happened I’d be out in the middle of nowhere.  It sure is an empowering feeling though, and I’m becoming more and more confident!

My goals for March are to continue with the strength training 2x per week because I feel like I could be stronger. I think I need to supplement body pump, which is usually lower weights and high reps, with a session of heavy weights/low reps.  I am going to gradually start increasing my mileage, even if the pace isn’t ideal.  Like running I want to get the mileage down before I start trying to increase speed too much.  I want to get more than 40 miles on the weekends at least and also bike to work 1-2 times per week which is about 16 miles each way (depending on if I have to be out in the community for work).  But we’ll see how it goes!

~~~~

After the ride, I was ready to eeeeeeeeeeat!

I whipped up a simple smoothie with the Smoothie Elite for Chris and I.

• 1.5 cup NF organic milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla Wallaby yogurt
• x-large bunch of spinach
• 2 cups frozen fruit (TJ’s mango mix – still trying to finish off this one)
• 3 kiwis
• 1 pkt Sun Warrior Vanilla brown rice protein
• 2 Tbsp hemp seed
• 1/2 tsp Maca powder

I topped mine with a handful of Kashi Crisp.  I am happy to note that even towards the bottom of the box there are big chunks of cereal left!  I hate when you get down to the last of a cereal and all that’s left is nothing but tiny pieces.

I don’t know about the brown rice protein, it has a chalky taste to me on its own?  But it worked really well in the protein cookies I made a little while ago, which I still need to post!  I’m also giving Maca powder a try.  Stay tuned for a post on Maca soon, detailing its limited research and safety information.

I also had a 1/2 piece of WW Naan with a scoop of BBQ pulled pork.  We still have a ton of this stuff leftover!!!  I think I’m going to have to put some in the freezer.

Whew!  Tonight I need to focus on some studying because we have midterms next week already!  Dinner most likely will be simple baked pasta chock full of veggies and some chicken sausage  I can’t believe it’s already March!

How was your weekend?  What are you looking forward to in the coming month?

Happy Friday all!  I’m excited about today’s Fuel Your Fitness post because I’m going to have my first guest post here on eatingRD!  I’d like to introduce you dear readers to Jen who is one amazing gal.  She not only cycles, runs, swims and completes extreme endurance events, she’s also a great person and is a whiz at statistics!

Jen and I met while both going to grad school at UNLV.  At the moment I had recently started cycling and I was so excited that she also was into cycling and fitness.  She’s also soon to be graduating with a Master of Science in Kinesiology!  woo-hoo!  Then she began telling me about all the crazy rides and events she’s done and I pretty much look up to her as my cycling idol!  Ok, now when I can cycle 508 miles in 48 hours it will be the day that pigs fly and I’m just dreamin’.  I’m hoping I can at least make it through the 100 mile century in May!

Well, without further adieu here’s a little hello and introduction from Jen, enjoy!  

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Hello eatingRD readers!  I was super pumped when Kristen asked me to do a guest post.  I couldn’t tell you how I found myself here; what started off as a gradual slope has turned into a double-black diamond. I started (officially) running, cycling, and doing triathlons four years ago.  As I encouraged a fellow gym-buddy who had Ironman goals, I vowed that “I would never do anything like that- I’m not crazy”.  Four months later I found myself about to jump off a 8-ft tall pier into Lake Michigan to start my first half-ironman triathlon (nearly six grueling hours later I finished!).  Although many racers recount a strong emotional experience upon crossing the finish line, I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong; I was ecstatic when I finished!  It just wasn’t the emotional breakdown complete with tears of joy that I read about in numerous triathlon magazines, books, and blogs. Yet, I still somehow keep signing up for events.  There’s just something about it . . .

Within the sporting circles, I don’t know which is talked about more: training or nutrition.  I find food to be much more interesting than swim, bike, run, and repeat. Let me clarify one thing: I made every nutrition mistake possible when I started down this road.  During my first full-distance triathlon I ate s’more poptarts and peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie sandwiches during the bike portion. Needless to say, I didn’t feel so great during the run, eh, shuffle-walk between port-o-potties.  I scarfed down every cookie, pretzel, and sandwich at rest stops on century and double century rides.  I took a gel at every volunteer station during running events (including 5k’s!).  I still make nutrition blunders today, just different ones.

Now, I spend too much on fancy nutrition drinks, powders, gels, and bars.  I shell out my hard-earned dollars for super-infused recovery potions and the latest supplements that do magically reduce fatigue and increase endurance.  Maybe in another four years I’ll fully understand the nutrition part.  Until then, I’ll enjoy the ride (with just a few cookies in my Bento Box). . .

Here are some pictures of my events I’ve completed over the years:

Furnace Creek 508 (Kristen here– yes that’s 508 miles!)

After 1^st half-ironman (Steelhead 70.3)

Independence Pass, CO

Porcupine Rim, Moab, UT

DeSoto Triple-T Triathlon, Portsmouth, OH

Post Race Party

Base of Towne’s Pass, Furnace Creek 508, CA

Top of Independence Pass, CO

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Thanks Jen for taking the time and sharing your story and pictures with us!  I sure hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did.  We’re also working on a few Q & A’s coming up, so stayed tuned if you want to know more!  I still don’t know how she does it and I am amazed every time I hear what she’s up to.  Next up for her is a 50 mile trail run in May!  Holy Moly. She’s also thinking about starting her own blog which I think would be a great idea and very motivating to say the least.

I had a pretty good workout week.  I’m still trying to focus on weight training and building strength, along with positive thoughts thanks to Jen  I like hills, I like hills . . .

• Sunday — not the best ride with the wind and killer hill that toasted my legs, but I managed to get about 33 miles in.  I was slooooow as molasses.
• Monday — day of rest
• Tuesday – body pump weight session & I upped my squat weight!
• Wednesday – 30 min hill training before work
• Thursday – quick 45 min ride after work on the River Mountain Trail (avg 15.1mph)  I actually figured out that it helps with speed when your brakes pads aren’t grinding on your wheel, doh!  Don’t know how that happened, but we transport our bikes in the trunk a lot and have to remove the front wheel which can push around the brakes.

The weather was gorgeous and I couldn’t resist!  I felt a lot stronger on this ride (once I figured out the brake issue)

• Friday — Tonight the SwankyRD and I are going to body pump together for some more weights!
• Sunday – weather pending I’m going to try to get another ride in

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

What’s the most extreme goal you’ve accomplished or are working towards?



After studying for a bit, and having a nice chat with my mom, it was time to get dinner started!  This is really one of our favorites and is pretty easy to make.  I also served it with a mango and black bean salad.

I’m a big fan of summer squash and many vegetables can be the perfect vehicle for stuffing practically any kind of filling you can imagine inside.  I use lean ground beef in this recipe, but there is also quinoa, brown rice, cous cous, oatmeal, barley, lentils, and the list goes on and on.  Grains and such have such a wonderful natural binding ability that using them as stuffing can be the perfect compliment to something as neutral and naturally sweet as summer squash.

Plus summer squash cooks relatively quickly which is always a plus! 

Tex Mex Stuffed Squash

(adapted from Everyday FOOD)

Ingredients

Serves 4-5

• 4 yellow summer squashes (try to look for ones more conducive to stuffing)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• touch of cayenne for a kick
• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef (96% lean)
• 3/4 cup canned corn (no salt/sugar added)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + light Mexican cheese blend for sprinkling

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve each squash lengthwise; leaving a 1/4-inch border, scoop out halves with a small spoon; roughly chop flesh, and reserve. Place squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow 9×13 baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add reserved chopped squash, bell pepper, scallion whites, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spices.  Add tomato paste to the center of the pan; cook for at least 5 minutes to intensify the tomato flavor. Add beef; cook until no longer pink, breaking up meat with a spoon.  Cook everything together for about 15 minutes so the flavors really develop and deepen.  Remove from heat. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

I like to keep tomato paste in little baggies in the freezer since one recipe doesn’t usually call for one of those little cans. I also do this for canned chipotle chilis in adobo

Spoon mixture into squash halves. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan to help steam the squash (about 1/4 cup).  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender, 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake until top is browned, 12-15 minutes more. Garnish with scallion greens, a dollop of non-fat greek yogurt and a side salad.

If you have any of the filling left over, use it for a quesadilla/tostada, in an omelet, as a layered casserole or in a taco salad.  Lots of possibilities with this easy filling!

We also had a black bean and mango salad on the side, although I was disappointed in the mango because it wasn’t that sweet and colorful like they usually are  But overall it was still tasty!

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup canned no-salt/sugar corn
• 1 mango, cubed
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• squeeze of fresh lime (I didn’t have lime but used some rice wine vinegar)
• 1 tsp of honey
• sprinkling of red pepper

All together now!

And then I decided to have a little cinnamon applesauce from TJ’s

And there you have it!  Overall it was a really great day, I sure enjoy days like this one.  I also need to watch some more Olympics.  I’ve watched a few events, but not too many  It’s so inspiring and nail biting to watch!  Now it’s time for more studying, and it’s getting really close to hitting the hay, goodnight all!

Have you been keeping up with the Olympics?  What’s your favorite event?

With the little extra time I have today, I’ve decided to continue with my eats for the day!  Why not, right?  I really enjoy this too.  Before class I munched on a Pumpkin Spice Energy Ball and also took one for after class on the ride back home.  These things are great for a quick and substantial snack that’s not too heavy.  

I really wanted to get a closer shot, but my f3.5 wouldn’t let me!!  I need a super macro

When I got home I re-heated some leftover chicken fajitas from Chevy’s we enjoyed last night with my step dad who is in town from NC with his race team for the NASCAR Las Vegas Race this weekend.  While he’ll be working most of the time when he is here, it was nice to get a chance to see him again!  He also finally got to see our new townhouse we recently bought

I really like Chevy’s because it seems really fresh and not laden with oil, but I guess I could be surprised.  I’m sure their tortillas are full of lard, but oh well!

I just love leftovers!

On the side for a little bit of crunch, I also had a little veggie plate with baby carrots, marinated veggies and TJ’s roasted red pepper hummus.

And for something a little sweet I had a little dark chocolate protein cookie I made over the weekend.  I really enjoy these!  Even though the texture is of course different from your average butter cookie, they have a really great flavor from the added Sun Warrior vanilla brown rice protein and about 5g of protein per cookie.  I also added some of the FlaxMatters.com blueberry flax to it, can you see the little bits of blueberry?  Recipe soon to follow!

I see a handful of grapes or something like that for an afternoon snack and then dinner tonight will be Stuffed Tex Mex Squash mmm  Gosh, I wish I could blog everyday, love it!  I need to really use this little extra time I have today to hunker down and get some good studying and research done though, toodles!

Well, not really but I’m employing the method of positive thinking to eventually get to the point of liking hills  Our minds are very powerful creatures and it’s amazing how our thoughts can really empower us to do the impossible!  I’m trying to train my mind as well as my body to make it up those dang (lovely) hills.  

This morning was glorious because I didn’t have to go into work and I was able to sleep in till 7am!  Hallelujah!  It makes all the difference since I can’t seem to get to bed before 10:30 or 11.  I started out the morning with a simple and quick bowl of cereal before my little hill training.  I had Kashi Warm Cinnamon Cereal, the new Kashi Crisp I’m loving, and TJ’s Shredded Wheat, topped with 1/2 naner, handful of pistachios and frozen blueberries.  Refreshing and sits easy on my tummy

I spent some of the morning reading these two articles regarding hill training and positive thinking, but I’m still trying to figure the training all out.  There are many articles out there that I’m trying to compile and come up with the main message.

7 Tips for Climbing to the Top

Mental Tips for Climbing

After breakfast I did about 30 minutes and 5.4 miles around our house on this pretty good hill.  I think it’s about 3-4% grade, which isn’t that much, but from what I’ve been reading that’s actually better at first?  I also didn’t want to kill my legs since I did weight training yesterday (and upped my squat weight, yay!)

It’s so funny because as I approach the little hill my pace is doing great and then slowly but surely I get slower and slower grrrr  I tried to keep my cadence fast and drop it to an easy gear.  I kept my cadence to the 8 counts of dance; that’s the only way I can concentrate and zone out.

I try to make the hill like my little dance show.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 . . . . 1, 2, 3, 4 . . . and so on

• Avg pace:  14.6mph
• Avg cadence:  90rpm

Not too bad!  I like hills, I like hills, I like hills yes I do! . . .

I kind of had a ‘holy crap’ moment in body pump last night too . . . I have just about 3 months before I will be riding 100 miles for the LiveStrong Race.  It made me super pumped and motivated to step it up.  The ride doesn’t look too hilly, but there is one steep hill that literally looks like it’s straight up with a 17% grade. . . eek!

Now I’m off to shower, have a snack and head to class.  Hope you guys are having a nice day!

Any climbing tips?