At the base of Cardiac Hill ...
Rode out to Markley Cove and back from home.
57.5 miles
It wasn’t supposed to be so breezy today; that’s all I could do!
There were lots of big pickup trucks hauling big campers or boats out there today, and it just didn’t seem wise (or safe) for me to try to take on Cardiac Hill today. So I wimped out and came home.
More pics later.
I’m off for a ride on this GORGEOUS Spring Friday morning of a three day weekend!
I don’t normally post article links, but I liked this one … I have a feeling I’ll be having some of these foods this weekend!
7 Foods that
Burn Fat
With rising temps come rising hemlines, bare shoulders… and eventually, bikini season. Add these metabolism-boosting foods and drinks to your shopping list, and you’ll score a leaner and sexier bod.
By Carolyn Kylstra
For full article: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-foods-burn-fat-214600519.html
Today was overcast, but sometimes that makes for great lighting …
Why was I craving fried eggs?
I'll take mine basted ...
She was trying to hide, but I saw her anyway.
I’m hoping she’ll be around for me tomorrow night when the Mega Million winning numbers are drawn. Please pick my numbers! It’s my turn!!
Yes, indeed, it was a lovely day on the Arboretum …
Pretty in Pink
Closer ...
Spring is here!
Poppies ...
Closer ...
OMG, is this a baby honey bee?
Sweet! I hit my fundraising goal! Thank you everyone!!
But don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to donate yet – there’s still time!!!
This will be my 4th Tour de Cure. I can’t believe it is almost here – Sunday, May 6, 2012
It’s the best organized ride I have participated in and raises money for a great cause – raising money to help fight diabetes.
For full details, see: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/SanFranciscoArea?pg=entry&fr_id=8064
Why do I ride?
That's me in May 2011 Napa Valley Tour de Cure, about 95 miles into my first century!
Poppies on the Arboretum ... ooops, wrong camera setting!
Not much to say tonight …
Lovely views on the Arboretum today …
Poppies on the Arboretum
Poppies on the Arboretum
Across from Stevenson Bridge Road & Putah Creek Road intersection
So, that’s how I de-stress during the day …
needed a bit of that today.
After work, I was lucky enough to get home in time for a quick ride.
We have been having some really incredible skies lately!
Stevenson Bridge Road near Russell Road
Stevenson Bridge Road near Russell Road
Russell Bike Path
Russell Bike Path
I enjoyed some good company today.
Had a nice walk in the morning …
Along one of the Davis Greenbelts
There she is again!
a nice ride in the afternoon.
Then got to see a spectacular sunset in Davis …
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Yes, a nice weekend indeed!
Tangelo Chicken with Asparagus and Broccoli
It was really quite simple. We started out with some Rocky the Range* chicken breasts. I sliced one tangelo and placed half of the slices in the bottom of a glass bowl, placed the chicken on top, then squeezed some juice on the chicken, laid the rest of the slices over the chicken, drizzled a little extra virgin olive oil over top, then seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Pierce the chicken with a fork, turn over, and season the other side lightly with salt and pepper. Be careful to not over salt at this stage. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Unintentional Soup
While the chicken was marinating, I prepared what turned out to be more of a soup than I had intended, but it worked. It was very healthy, but perhaps a little boring. However, with a plash or two of hot sauce, now we’re talking.
For the soup, I simply heated some chicken stock, put in brown rice leftover from Friday’s dinner, and heated this through, then turned off the heat. At the last minute, I added some stir fry greens that I got at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market, covered it and let it heat through. I didn’t want to cook the greens too much, because they can get bitter. This was a mix of different kales, cabbage, radicchio, and maybe a few other sturdy greens. I liked all of it except for the cabbage. Next time, I’ll probably create my own mix of greens.
Stir Fry Greens
While the greens heated through, I grilled the chicken breasts on my George Foreman grill. Remember to cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165-degrees Fahrenheit. How much time on the grill really depends on the thickness of the breasts and what temperature. I cooked these on high for the first few minutes, then turned it down to medium because the oranges were getting too dark.
(Yes, that was really fun to clean off the GF grill…)
In Progress ...
The Finished Chicken
Enjoy!
* This really is incredible chicken – from Petaluma Poultry (http://www.petalumapoultry.com/)
Last night was one of those, “what’s in the refrigerator?” dinners.
Thursday on my way home from work, I stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up a few staples. I saw some of the most beautiful eggplant I have seen in a while, and for only $1.29 each, I had to get it.
To pick an eggplant, I always look for one that is plump and shiny. Eggplants bruise very easily, so be polite to your fellow shoppers and grocer and do not squeeze them, but handle them very gently.
To prepare eggplant for cooking, I peel it, slice it 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, lay the slices out on a towel, and then grind some sea salt over it, turn the slice over and salt the other side.
I just use a little salt, but if you accidentally use too much, you can rinse it later; just be sure to pat it dry if you rinse it. The purpose of the salt is to draw some water out of the eggplant. Some eggplant, especially if they’re a little more mature, can be bitter. (Kind of like some people we all know!) The salt will help to draw that out, too. Then cover the salted eggplant with another towel and let them sit a while.
How long you let the eggplant sit depends on the eggplant. This was just about the most perfect eggplant I have seen in a long time and it didn’t need to sit for long, maybe 10 minutes? You can see from this eggplant that the seed were very small and hardly noticeable. That’s what you want. When the seeds get a little bigger, and dark, that’s a sign that your eggplant needs to salt a little longer. It may take some trial and error.
I cooked these on my George Foreman grill. 
To grill, brush or drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and place it on a pre-heated grill. One thing to keep in mind is that the eggplant will absorb a lot of oil, so be careful how much you use! It might look like there’s not enough, but you really don’t need much. I used medium heat. If you’re using a GFgrill, then put the top down. After about 1-2 minutes, I rotated the slices to get that pretty criss-cross grill mark. Put the top back down and cook until desired doneness. These cook quickly, so keep an eye on them.
These keep in the refrigerator for a day or so, so don’t worry if there are leftovers. It’s good cold in salads, can be used on pizza, as a quick and light eggplant parmigiana (just pour a little marinara over top, a little cheese, and heat it through – tastes so much better and is far healthier than deep fried!), or just reheated.
I made dinner, so it pretty much goes without saying that there will be salad. This was a very simple salad – artisan greens, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, fresh thyme, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a couple of grinds of sea salt. I buy these greens at Costco: http://www.artisanlettuce.com/. They’re a whole head, a pack of 6, and it’s a great deal. I have always been happy with the quality and they keep for the whole week.
Shrimp Cocktail
I also had some shrimp, so I made a quick shrimp cocktail. I just steamed the shrimp. Normally I would roast or grill them, but tonight it needed to be quick. Just thaw them (at least most of the way) and toss them in a steamer, and steam a few minutes. You really have to just go by color on these. For the cocktail sauce, I used a prepared cocktail sauce (Trader Joe’s seafood cocktail sauce) and added some extra horseradish. I’ll often add a little lemon, too.
There were also a few veggies left from last week’s Farmers’ Market – asparagus, brussel sprouts, and spinach. I steamed them lightly, just to warm them up.
Mmm ... steamed veggies!
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