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