Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Road trip snack!
When we go on vacation, chocolate is what I like to eat for some meals. I just hope it doesn't melt in the car.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Greek Marinated Cucumbers - or Cuke and Onions
Oh.....my......gosh......
So Keifer's is one of my most favorite places in Jackson (maybe of ever) to eat. Jonas and I probably go about 3 times a month. I almost always get the gyro with melted feta on whole wheat. And I almost always get the cottage fry to go with it to share, plus it's only like $3. But sometimes I like to mix it up and get the Cuke and Onion.......actually, I believe they re-did the menus and it is just called Cucumbers and Onions now.
Anyways, they are marinated cucumbers that come with feta dressing to dip them in, and it is one of the best things I think I have ever eaten. But they are like $5 or $6, and not much food, so I don't always get them.
Well, I figured out a marinate that makes my cucumbers taste almost exactly like theirs! I was so excited about this that I had to put this out there for you all to try. It may not be the most healthiest of way to eat cucumbers, but you are still getting your vegetables! And this is delicious! I don't even use any feta dressing with mine and it is still good! And so easy!
2 very large cucumbers or 3 medium/large cucumbers. Washed, skinned, and cut up however you prefer. I just sliced mine.
One small onion, sliced. (if you don't like onions, add them anyway for the flavor, and pick them out. However, I do not like the taste of white onions, but they are good after soaking in the marinade)
For the marinade:
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 (or less) of Italian dressing
1/4 (or more) of white vinager
1 1/2 tablepsoons of sugar (more or less)
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt (more or less)
Pepper to taste
and I added some onion/garlic seasoning as well
Mix up all ingredients for marinade, then add cucumber and onion slices. Be sure to stir very well, and stir every hour or so.
Allow to sit in fridge for 3 - 5 hours (or longer) before devouring these delicious cuke and onions!
I just eat them right out of the bowl as a side dish, but they would be soooooo good on a salad as well.
Hope you enjoy!!
So Keifer's is one of my most favorite places in Jackson (maybe of ever) to eat. Jonas and I probably go about 3 times a month. I almost always get the gyro with melted feta on whole wheat. And I almost always get the cottage fry to go with it to share, plus it's only like $3. But sometimes I like to mix it up and get the Cuke and Onion.......actually, I believe they re-did the menus and it is just called Cucumbers and Onions now.
Anyways, they are marinated cucumbers that come with feta dressing to dip them in, and it is one of the best things I think I have ever eaten. But they are like $5 or $6, and not much food, so I don't always get them.
Well, I figured out a marinate that makes my cucumbers taste almost exactly like theirs! I was so excited about this that I had to put this out there for you all to try. It may not be the most healthiest of way to eat cucumbers, but you are still getting your vegetables! And this is delicious! I don't even use any feta dressing with mine and it is still good! And so easy!
One small onion, sliced. (if you don't like onions, add them anyway for the flavor, and pick them out. However, I do not like the taste of white onions, but they are good after soaking in the marinade)
For the marinade:
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 (or less) of Italian dressing
1/4 (or more) of white vinager
1 1/2 tablepsoons of sugar (more or less)
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt (more or less)
Pepper to taste
and I added some onion/garlic seasoning as well
Mix up all ingredients for marinade, then add cucumber and onion slices. Be sure to stir very well, and stir every hour or so.
Allow to sit in fridge for 3 - 5 hours (or longer) before devouring these delicious cuke and onions!
I just eat them right out of the bowl as a side dish, but they would be soooooo good on a salad as well.
Hope you enjoy!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Chocolate Milk for Recovery Drink?? This is HUGE!
As a pseudo-certified, self-proclaimed gym rat, I hate to admit that I rarely ever drink recovery drinks after intense workouts. I think I am getting plenty of protein in my diet during the day, but I am thinking I need a little something extra to add to my routine to really kick it up a notch. Here lately, I don't feel like I am bouncing back as fast as I should be able to at this point. So I have decided to invest in a Recovery drink to try. I say "invest" because these things aren't cheap. Here are the two that I have been reading about:
BeachBody's P90X Recovery Drink:
This is actually the more affordable alternative, at $43.95 + $6.95 for s&h, totaling at $50.90, with 25 servings per tub, which comes to $2.04 per serving. Which is not terrible considering I probably exercise about 20 - 25 days a month. So to start adding this supplement would mean about $50 extra a month. Notice the almost 4:1 Carbs to Protein ratio, and only 2 grams of fat.
My second option, which is almost the more expensive but also more in line with what I think I need is the EAS Pro-Science FINISH Powder:
This stuff comes in at $42.87 + $6.95 (must be the magic shipping and handling rate), totaling at $49.82, with 20 packets, comes to a total of $2.50 per serving. The reason I think this would be the better recovery-drink option is because it states "A post-training recovery powder that delivers essential amino acids to help build muscles and increase lean body mass. It contains high-quality protein and a structured lipid system that help muscles refuel, while beta-alanine boosts carnosine levels in the body, helping to reduce muscle fatigue." It is not only in EAS's Recovery Drink category, but also their muscle endurance category. The carb/protein ratio is completely different than the p90x, at 25 grams of carbs to 35 grams of protein. But what got me was 3 facts they stated:
......until I found this article: Chocolate Milk's 'Natural' Muscle Recovery Benefits Match Or May Even Surpass A Specially Designed Carbohydrate Sports Drink, dated June 2, 2009.
Well, this was right up my alley! I have heard of this before, and even briefly mentioned it in a previous blog, but never took it seriously. Never looked into it. Just used it as an excuse to get to drink chocolate milk.
A quote from this study states:
"This new study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting milk may be just as effective as some commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover and rehydrate. Chocolate milk has the advantage of additional nutrients not found in most traditional sports drinks. Studies suggest that when consumed after exercise, milk's mix of high-quality protein and carbohydrates can help refuel exhausted muscles. The protein in milk helps build lean muscle and recent research suggests it may reduce exercise-induced muscle damage. Milk also provides fluids for rehydration and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium that recreational exercisers and elite athletes alike need to replace after strenuous activity."
So I kept reading, and found another article : Chocolate Milk May Help Repair Muscles, Restore Glycogen After Exercise, dated June 3, 2010. This study was done by the American College of Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the WORLD. They conducted 2 studies which you can read about in the article. A couple facts:
My conclusion - Chocolate milk is delicious. And cheaper, at around $2.50 for a gallon (or less on sale). And will at least give me something to drink in between those more expensive recovery drinks, if I decide to try one or both. But for right now, just sticking with the fat-free chocolate milk.
BeachBody's P90X Recovery Drink:
My second option, which is almost the more expensive but also more in line with what I think I need is the EAS Pro-Science FINISH Powder:
- Refuel and build lean muscle
- Beta-alanine delays muscle fatigue
- Structured lipids support fat-soluble nutrient absorption
......until I found this article: Chocolate Milk's 'Natural' Muscle Recovery Benefits Match Or May Even Surpass A Specially Designed Carbohydrate Sports Drink, dated June 2, 2009.
Well, this was right up my alley! I have heard of this before, and even briefly mentioned it in a previous blog, but never took it seriously. Never looked into it. Just used it as an excuse to get to drink chocolate milk.
A quote from this study states:
"This new study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting milk may be just as effective as some commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover and rehydrate. Chocolate milk has the advantage of additional nutrients not found in most traditional sports drinks. Studies suggest that when consumed after exercise, milk's mix of high-quality protein and carbohydrates can help refuel exhausted muscles. The protein in milk helps build lean muscle and recent research suggests it may reduce exercise-induced muscle damage. Milk also provides fluids for rehydration and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium that recreational exercisers and elite athletes alike need to replace after strenuous activity."
So I kept reading, and found another article : Chocolate Milk May Help Repair Muscles, Restore Glycogen After Exercise, dated June 3, 2010. This study was done by the American College of Sports Medicine, the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the WORLD. They conducted 2 studies which you can read about in the article. A couple facts:
- those who drank fat-free chocolate mild during recovery had heightened markers of muscle protein repair (compared to the carbohydrate drink)
- choc milk contributes to replenishing glycogen stores in muscles, showing a higher content of glycogen compared to those who drank the carbohydrate drink
My conclusion - Chocolate milk is delicious. And cheaper, at around $2.50 for a gallon (or less on sale). And will at least give me something to drink in between those more expensive recovery drinks, if I decide to try one or both. But for right now, just sticking with the fat-free chocolate milk.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Wednesday Morning Funny
I usually get up in the mornings around 6:00 am, then hit the snooze button for 20 minutes for Jonas to wake up around 6:20. When I get up, I usually feed Stella, fix my cereal, and sit down to watch the news for about 20 minutes before I start getting ready for work. While I was watching tv, I notice the time is 6:25 and Jonas hadn't gotten up yet. So I tell Stella to go get him, and she runs to the back, but the door was shut so she didn't go in the bedroom. At 6:30 when he is still not up, I go back to the bedroom to wake him up - and he is still snoozing while the radio-alarm is playing. I tell him hurry up! It's 6:30, you are already 10 minutes late......
So he rolls out of bed and throws on some clothes to take Stella for their morning walk. He tells me he'll be back soon and I hear him walk out of the door. So I head to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and he walks back in the door holding the kitchen scissors.
So I ask him, "what were those doing outside?" because I assumed he found them outside and was bringing them back in.
He responds, "I grabbed the scissors instead of the leash to take Stella on a walk...." and sets them on the counter next to the leash, grabs the leash, and walks out the door.
Ok, so maybe it's not that funny, but I could not stop laughing this morning. It usually does not take much at all to amuse me. At least it started my day off with a laugh. :)
So he rolls out of bed and throws on some clothes to take Stella for their morning walk. He tells me he'll be back soon and I hear him walk out of the door. So I head to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and he walks back in the door holding the kitchen scissors.
So I ask him, "what were those doing outside?" because I assumed he found them outside and was bringing them back in.
He responds, "I grabbed the scissors instead of the leash to take Stella on a walk...." and sets them on the counter next to the leash, grabs the leash, and walks out the door.
Ok, so maybe it's not that funny, but I could not stop laughing this morning. It usually does not take much at all to amuse me. At least it started my day off with a laugh. :)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Happy Tuesday!
So, a long weekend is now behind us all. We had a big cookout in Mashulaville at the camphouse, as usual. Ate too much, as usual. Some fantastic red velvet cake that was delicious made by Kristie. We finally made it back home on Monday in time for me to do a round of P90X then run to the gym to teach my 5:30 Spin class where we did Stage 8 - high hills.
Tuesday: Same old thing at work. Ate the same stuff as usual. Left to teach spin at 4:30 - Stage 9, high hills. Great class, even if I do say so myself. Stayed for Bootcamp, and burned 1433 calories. yay.
Well, I also decided today that I am tired of logging my calorie count every day. So, I will do today, then I am done. For now anyways. Whenever anything else exciting happens, I'll report. Until then, here goes my last calorie count!
CALORIE COUNT:
Cereal - 337
Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Grilled Basil Chicken - 270 (not good at all) but supposedly has 20 grams of protein, though I don't see how since there were barely 5 small pieces of chicken. I'm not happy that there are 3 more of these in the freezer at home. Should have stuck with my bbq chicken pizza.
*Pictures can be deceiving!*
Fuji Apple - 116
Pure Protein bar - 200
Chocolate Skim Milk - 200
Pasta - appox 590
peanut butter - 100
Total Calories Consumed - 1813
Calories burned - 1433
Calories remaining for the day..............380
Tuesday: Same old thing at work. Ate the same stuff as usual. Left to teach spin at 4:30 - Stage 9, high hills. Great class, even if I do say so myself. Stayed for Bootcamp, and burned 1433 calories. yay.
Well, I also decided today that I am tired of logging my calorie count every day. So, I will do today, then I am done. For now anyways. Whenever anything else exciting happens, I'll report. Until then, here goes my last calorie count!
CALORIE COUNT:
Cereal - 337
Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Grilled Basil Chicken - 270 (not good at all) but supposedly has 20 grams of protein, though I don't see how since there were barely 5 small pieces of chicken. I'm not happy that there are 3 more of these in the freezer at home. Should have stuck with my bbq chicken pizza.
Fuji Apple - 116
Pure Protein bar - 200
Chocolate Skim Milk - 200
Pasta - appox 590
peanut butter - 100
Total Calories Consumed - 1813
Calories burned - 1433
Calories remaining for the day..............380
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Turbo + Eclipse
I had a super busy, productive day today. First, work all day (as usual) then head to the gym where I taught the second part of Turbo because Shelly had to leave. I did OK. For some reason I was feeling super sluggish and had a hard time finishing. Maybe I needed to eat something closer to time rather than at 3:00 when I work out at 5:45. Luckily, the numbers were low for bootcamp, so I skipped team teaching and was able to shower and change before heading to Malco to go see Eclipse!
On my way, I had to stop by Wendy's for something to eat - 2 grilled chicken go-wraps. Then made an important phone call which may bring big changes to my life (more on that if/when those changes develop), then made it to the movie just in time.
Eclipse was definitely the best of the three Twilight movies. When Bella and Edward kiss, it is not as weird and awkward as it is in the first two. The action is good, and the werewolves are adorable! :) I obviously knew how the story was going to go so there were no surprises there, but I still found myself completely absorbed throughout the entire movie.....except when people would cheer or clap. That broke my concentration, but it was expected.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
On my way, I had to stop by Wendy's for something to eat - 2 grilled chicken go-wraps. Then made an important phone call which may bring big changes to my life (more on that if/when those changes develop), then made it to the movie just in time.
Eclipse was definitely the best of the three Twilight movies. When Bella and Edward kiss, it is not as weird and awkward as it is in the first two. The action is good, and the werewolves are adorable! :) I obviously knew how the story was going to go so there were no surprises there, but I still found myself completely absorbed throughout the entire movie.....except when people would cheer or clap. That broke my concentration, but it was expected.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
7/1/10 Calorie Count
Breakfast - 337
Pasta for lunch - 575
Protein Bar - 200
Banana - 100
2 Chicken go wraps for Dinner - 520
handful of Reese's Pieces at movie (maybe less than a quarter cup) - 210
Total Calories Consumed - 1942
Calories Burned - 944
Remaining Calories for the Day......................998
Spinning - Stage 7: Tournus > Station Des Rousses
Here is the profile for the Stage 7 ride that I did last night in class for anyone who may be interested. I used both the profile and the route to design the ride:
1. Clash (Junkie XL) – (5:06) warm up and describe class: Max HR = 85%
2. Hello Again (Dave Matthews Band) - (3:56) flat > alt flat and run or slow jumps to increase heart rate to 75%
3. Not Myself (Christina Aguilera) - (3:25) moderate climb for 3 minutes, @ 3:00, 1 passing jump (**a passing jump is when you move to third position to pick up speed (not quite a sprint) for a brief period, then sit back in saddle keeping climbing pace up - I queue "get ready to pass somebody!")
4. Stockholm Syndrome (Muse) - (4:05) flat recovery for 1 min 30 sec >@1:30 moderate hill, @ 2:30 gear down low hill
5. Fight For Your Mind (Ben Harper) - (3:41) flat road recovery if needed, maintain high cadence @ 1:00 add every 30 seconds to standing climb
6. Mr. Brightside (The Killers) - (3:41) gear down to low hill for 30 seconds
@ :30 jumps on flat for 1 min (to mimic going around the turns)
7. 999 (Lords of Flatbush) (< Free download!) - (4:21) seated flat 1 min, run 1 min, saddle 1 min
@3:00 find hill in saddle
8. Mercy (Duffy) - (3:40) jumps on hill through sharp turns to top - sets of 4, 8-count jumps
add a little gear last 30 seconds - Ask if anybody is crying for Mercy yet!
9. American Woman (Lenny Kravitz) - (4:21) flat road 1 min,
@1:00 run 1 min, @ 2:00 back to saddle for a fast flat
@3:30 low hill
10. Invaders Must Die (Prodigy) - (4:55) gear up for last 2 passing jumps, finish with strong climb to the end!
COOL DOWN! Take at least 5 - 10 minutes here if they will stay in the saddle that long....And my people really like it when I take a map of the ride I am doing, so they can visualize what is going on or where we are going. It seems to give them a goal. Sometimes I tell them that there is a pool bar waiting ahead they can all relax in once we get there.
The Route:
And the profile:
We start off with a long flat road with a very gradual increase, followed by 6 increasingly harder hills. I used the route to determine when we would need to get out of the saddle for jumps or runs, used the brief downhills for short recoveries, and used the super steep hills as markers for using a 3rd position climb.
Playlist and Notes:
1. Clash (Junkie XL) – (5:06) warm up and describe class: Max HR = 85%
2. Hello Again (Dave Matthews Band) - (3:56) flat > alt flat and run or slow jumps to increase heart rate to 75%
3. Not Myself (Christina Aguilera) - (3:25) moderate climb for 3 minutes, @ 3:00, 1 passing jump (**a passing jump is when you move to third position to pick up speed (not quite a sprint) for a brief period, then sit back in saddle keeping climbing pace up - I queue "get ready to pass somebody!")
4. Stockholm Syndrome (Muse) - (4:05) flat recovery for 1 min 30 sec >@1:30 moderate hill, @ 2:30 gear down low hill
5. Fight For Your Mind (Ben Harper) - (3:41) flat road recovery if needed, maintain high cadence @ 1:00 add every 30 seconds to standing climb
6. Mr. Brightside (The Killers) - (3:41) gear down to low hill for 30 seconds
@ :30 jumps on flat for 1 min (to mimic going around the turns)
7. 999 (Lords of Flatbush) (< Free download!) - (4:21) seated flat 1 min, run 1 min, saddle 1 min
@3:00 find hill in saddle
8. Mercy (Duffy) - (3:40) jumps on hill through sharp turns to top - sets of 4, 8-count jumps
add a little gear last 30 seconds - Ask if anybody is crying for Mercy yet!
9. American Woman (Lenny Kravitz) - (4:21) flat road 1 min,
@1:00 run 1 min, @ 2:00 back to saddle for a fast flat
@3:30 low hill
10. Invaders Must Die (Prodigy) - (4:55) gear up for last 2 passing jumps, finish with strong climb to the end!
COOL DOWN! Take at least 5 - 10 minutes here if they will stay in the saddle that long....And my people really like it when I take a map of the ride I am doing, so they can visualize what is going on or where we are going. It seems to give them a goal. Sometimes I tell them that there is a pool bar waiting ahead they can all relax in once we get there.
Calorie Count for Wednesday, 6/30/10:
Breakfast - 337
Leftover hamburger and potatoes - 420
Banana - 100
Handful of Zapp's Voodoo Gumbo chips - 120
Pasta for Dinner - 550
Sierra Nevada - 190
Total Calories Consumed - 1717
Total Calories Burned - 911 (which includes spinning + weight lifting afterward)
Total Calories Remaining for the day...........................806
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