Monthly Archives: May 2010

The Daily Grind

The bike trumped the quinoa! I took off for a nice half hour ride to get to know my new friend – I definitely need to think up a name for her. After the ridiculous struggle up the hill back home, I had a big bowl of make-your-nose-drip-it’s-so-freakin’-spicy vegan chili waiting for me, and just had to make some garlic toast to dip in it.
Garlic Toast:
Take 1 slice of seedy, nutty whole grain bread and drop it in the toaster.
Slice off the end of 1 garlic clove and rub it over both sides of the toast.
Devour.
This is a really simple and delicious way to get the amazing taste of garlic bread without getting the calories from the butter and parmesan cheese that many recipes include. Plus, chili just can’t be eaten without garlic bread. It’s comfort food at its best!
On Friday morning we went for a very short 40 minute hike. We were hoping for a longer one, but real life got in the way, as did a late waking. I headed off to rehearsal for the upcoming film in Burbank and met some costars, got the wardrobe fitting and spent about 2 and a half hours going over the script and figuring out blocking. I came back with the plans of exchanging my bike shorts (the Pearl Izumi Speed ones I got were just a little too short for me to be comfortable wearing them in public), and found a great pair I wanted (the Pearl Izumi Attack shorts are just a tad longer, and a bit more expensive, but the extra panels make them fit much better) but they didn’t have my size. Instead I returned them and ordered the Attack shorts so I can try them on when the cycle shop gets them in next week.
I meant to jump right on my bike when I got home, but I had had a really long day of driving and socializing and driving again, so I crashed on the couch with a Fat Tire (whoops!) and read my latest issue of Backpacker magazine – a favorite of mine 🙂 Then, the roommates came back after a Ventura jaunt with a huge bag of chocolates that they were more than happy to share (thanks a lot, guys :-/). So to sum it up, my day didn’t end up the way I was hoping, but who can be perfect when they’re surrounded by generous people who have free chocolate?
This morning meant an early start at my day job. I had an AMAZING breakfast scramble with a piece of whole grain toast and olive oil – gotta have the healthy fats!
I have been craving massively spicy foods lately, so this one was doused in Trader Joe’s jalapeno hot sauce. Have I mentioned a million times how amazing that stuff is? For a long day at work, I really need to stuff myself in the morning. I’m one who needs to eat every 2 hours, otherwise I get nauseated (weird, right?).
At work I staved off all the sugary coffee drinks I love to get, but accidentally found Paciugo, the gelato place I used to frequent on a daily (!) basis. The thing is, I’d heard that they recently came out with a new flavor called, get this, ORGANIC MAPLE CARAMELIZED BACON! I’ve been dying to try it since I read that it was upcoming on their menu, and MAN was that sample worth it! It’s an amazing creamy, sugary maple gelato with bacon that has been sprinkled with sugar, then baked until caramelized and crumbled on top. It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Needless to say, I went back for another sample…
Lunch was a mini spicy tuna roll with brown rice and spicy Sriracha sauce. Almost any sushi place has brown rice available for a minimal fee, which I find strange… why does it cost MORE to get rice that still has the hull on? Wouldn’t it take MORE time and money to process the rice to get the white rice? Can anyone tell me why that is? I’m totally lost…
As the work day wound to a close, I found myself thinking about those gelato samples more and more and decided, why not? It’s only 100 calories for a child’s size cup, and if I completely deprive myself then I’ll end up gorging later. Plus, I had an awesome bike ride planned for after work. It was so worth it!
I arrived home completely exhausted, and threw myself onto my bike seat before I could even think about what I was doing. I headed down and spent about 50 minutes on a higher gear speeding around a local park. As I headed onto a side trail, my chain dropped (oh, joy…) and I spent 5 minutes covering my hands with grease trying to hook it back on, and even managed to get a big metal chunk of chain lodged in my thumb. I struggled back up my hill without stopping, and got all the way up in record time! Yay!
For dinner I sauteed some frozen butternut squash I chopped up last month and stirred it into the leftover chili with a little brown rice. A little Franziskaner (a really good German hefeweizen) topped me off, and now I’ll be all carb-ed up for another long day at work tomorrow. The next workout will have to wait until Monday :-/

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Filed under beer, bike, chain, chili, garlic bread, pain, Pearl Izumi, trail, vegan

Rainy Days

Kitchen Sink Salad – possibly one of the best inventions my mother has ever come up with (along with the Breakfast Scramble). For dinner last night, KSS was on the menu. The recipe is excessively simple and you get a massive amount of veggies to fill up your daily quota.

Kitchen Sink Salad:
1 bag of lettuce (any kind is good, but I recommend a spring mix or baby greens)
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, chopped and sauteed in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence (available at any grocery store) until soft
1/2 cup of warm, cooked lentils
1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad
Dressing:
1 tsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp whole grain mustard
Simply throw everything into a gigantic bowl, mix and gorge!
The main calories come from the lentils (120 calories for the 1/2 cup), but you also get a nice 9 grams of protein and no fat! The egg white salad also throws in 7 grams of protein so you finish this meal feeling plenty satisfied, plus you’ve just knocked out 4 servings of veggies for the day!
I went on a 45 minute bike ride last night, of which the last 300 feet nearly KILLED me. I need to mention that I live on top of a mountain. And by mountain, I mean a really really steep hill. I got a good workout prior to heading back home, but the last slope to reach the driveway is painful! Luckily I had the KSS waiting for me as well as some wild caught Alaskan Cod. Perfect way to end the day. It was only missing the Fat Tire that I’ve sworn off of until I’m done filming mid-June.
This morning I woke up to a misty morning. Had my usual breakfast scramble (the fridge is re-stocked! Yay!) that starts me off with another crazy amount of veggies.
Breakfast Scramble:
1/2 zucchini, chopped and sauteed until soft
1/2 bell pepper, chopped and sauteed until soft
3-4 asparagus, chopped and sauteed until soft
2 cups of spinach, chopped and sauteed until wilted
After all the veggies are sauteed, push them to the side of the pan, then scramble 1-2 eggs on the other half. Once the eggs are set, mix it all together, then top with either 1/2 cup of fresh salsa or a few dashes of jalapeno sauce.
After an amazing meal and a lot of cleanup, we headed out to the trails for another easy 52 minute hike in the light rain. I think the bike ride yesterday pretty much drained all of my body’s resources, so this one was pure torture, but it always feels amazing to be done and be pumped full of those endorphins.
I was going to get home and go on another bike ride, but considering I haven’t been on a bike consistently in over 2 years, I decided to not risk the wet roads and crazy Cali drivers. Instead, I made my version of rice pudding.
Rice Pudding:
1/2 cup warm, cooked brown rice
1/8 cup unsweetened soy milk
Drizzle of pure maple syrup
Dash of cinnamon
Stir in a mug and eat while watching the rain. It’s a nice way to get your whole grains in and cure a sweet tooth while getting some protein as well.
Since I couldn’t bike, after I finished off some leftover Alaskan Cod and half a banana, I decided to go get some much-needed workout clothes. I hit up Sports Chalet with a hot mug of unsweetened Jasmine Green tea and got 2 dry-fit shirts, then went to a bike shop and got some even MORE needed padded bike shorts. After a few days on that bike, sitting down anywhere is enough to bring tears to your eyes!
Of course, now the sun is out and the roads seem to be calling me. The question is, give my body a rest, eat some bell peppers and spicy hummus and start a dinner of quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa), roasted zucchini and butternut squash, or go outside and receive the pain I’m bound to get…

Decisions, decisions…

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Filed under hike, lentils, olive oil, padding, Quinoa, rain, salad

New Beginnings

First post! After a few weeks of contemplation, I came up with a name that I hope suits my blog… What I’m aiming for is a fitness/nutrition blog as I go from soft around the edges to totally ripped – having to show my stomach in an upcoming film I’m shooting might be a big motivator, but in general I just love sweating like a pig and being completely exhausted from exertion.
Finally back after a long 8 days in Colorado for my brother’s wedding. Fort Collins, Colorado: an amazing place for biking outdoors, hiking through the mountains, jogging through the parks and drinking good beer from the New Belgium Brewery. Unfortunately, I only succeeded at the final task – the drinking of GOOD beer. My hopes of biking along the bike paths that are set next to roaring rivers were overtaken by drives up to Estes Park to check out the wedding location, picking up a freshly-pressed wedding dress, and meeting up with new members of the family. Oh, that and the three free mugs of Fat Tire that were provided each night by our amazing hotel. Whoops…
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. A nice brisk morning in an open field in the mountains with the sun shining and a gorgeous bride emerging from the limo to walk down the aisle and meet my beaming brother. I’ve never seen him look so happy in my entire life. Vows were said, tears were shed (a lot by me :-/) and they sped off in their little convertible. I can honestly say it was the PERFECT wedding, and seeing how in love they both are just made for a joyfully blessed day.
Overall, an amazing trip. I’m a little bummed I didn’t get (or didn’t make time) to go biking around Old Town Fort Collins or hike in the mountains, HENCE this blog! I’m finally back on track!
We got back last night, finished our week with sushi and more Fat Tire, and watched our Glee episodes that we missed. This morning I woke up headache-free and raring to go. Had my typical Emergen-C, mug of coffee with some Silk creamer and honey (it’s antibacterial and healthy! At least that’s what I’m telling myself) and a big-ass salad with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and whole grain mustard. Normally I wouldn’t have salad for breakfast, but I was kind of craving it, plus our refrigerator was completely empty after being cleaned out for the trip. Lettuce is all that survived.
Next came the hike in the national park that we live next to – just a quick 44 minute climb since we haven’t been moving in over a week. The temperature was absolutely perfect and the views are incredible! I’m enraptured every time we go there.
Lunch was a grilled salmon filet with a homemade honey-mustard crust and some pre-cooked frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s. Up next is a bike ride on my new Specialized Hardrock mountain bike that looks totally kick-ass, PLUS has this awesome Fat Tire sticker I got for free at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins.

I’m still waiting to hear about a job that starts tomorrow, so that’ll determine my workouts for the upcoming week. My goal for this week is to get on my bike as often as possible after early morning hikes, and focus on lots of push-ups and crunches. I’m the kind of person who, if she doesn’t see results after two days, throws her hands in the air and says, “why bother?” Hopefully writing all this down will be a memory-jogger for me.
Aaaaand first post done! Signing off for a bike ride, and I’ll meet you all back here later! 🙂

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Filed under beer, bike, brewery, eat, fitness, hike, New Belgium, nutrition, salmon