Cycling Foodie

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Well, what started out as a recovery ride turned into 50 miles in the wind. I’m in serious need of a refreshing recovery snack.

Strawberry Banana Buttermilk Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Buttermilk Smoothie

1 large banana
1 cup sliced strawberries, frozen
1 cup buttermilk
1 scoop whey protein
6 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Makes enough to share with your cycling partner.

Vegan? Use almond milk and a vegan protein powder.

Enjoy!

My goal this week is to ride most mornings before work and evenings after work. Tomorrow morning will be my recovery ride.

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Oooh, that is a chilly little rain out there right now. I’m pretty glad I wore that extra layer this morning!

Yes, please, I’ll take some coffee!

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Good Morning and Happy Friday!

I’m heading out right now for a quick ride. The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just a month away – I’ve still got lots of training to do to feel ready for that century ride! It’s a bit chilly out this morning, so I’m already looking forward to that post-ride cup of coffee (Davis’ own locally roasted and delivered by bike Pepper Peddler, of course!).

Here’s hoping you get a nice ride in today before the rains start. I’ll take rain today over rain tomorrow – I’ll be outside for UC Davis Freshman Decision Day all day tomorrow, so please let it be nice tomorrow!

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True Food Kitchen, Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego

The culinary highlight of my recent trip to San Diego was an exciting restaurant discovery: True Food Kitchen. It was without a doubt the best lunch out I have had in a very, very long time.

I was feeling a little disappointed because some plans had fallen through, so I needed a little retail and culinary therapy. My retail therapy resulted in a very cool pair of shiny black skinny jeans (found on clearance at Macy’s!), so I needed to keep these in mind when choosing my culinary therapy. I wanted a treat, but a reasonably light and healthy one.

Beverages

Cool and refreshing Green Arnie

As I enjoyed my Green Arnie, I relaxed and enjoyed a nice cool breeze on the patio. The setting was lovely and I was quite pleased with the cleanliness and overall atmosphere.

Table centerpiece

Patio seating

Cozy fire pit seating

Fresh herb gardens

There were so many choices on the menu that sounded like exactly what I wanted, but since it was cool outside, a little soup sounded perfect.

Starters ...

Miso Soup

The soup was rich with flavor, but also seemed fairly light. It was so good that I am right now trying to duplicate it at home. Close, but not quite. This will require further experimentation!

When I’m in a new restaurant that serves pizza, one of my tests is to try the most basic pie on the menu. This is the foundation of pizza – if their plain cheese or Pizza Margherita is not good, then it doesn’t matter what toppings you try. Their pizza will not be good. You absolutely have to have the right foundation – the basics: crust, sauce, cheese, fresh herbs.

I am a self-proclaimed pizza snob, but I think for good reason. I started working in pizza restaurants when I was just out of high school. My first was a family-owned restaurant and it was rare for a girl to be allowed to “man” the pizza oven. We girls could do all the prep work, make the subs, and for those of us who so aspired, one day we could run the grill and make the cheese steaks. The pizza men might even let us make the dough. I had mastered the subs. Mastered the grill. I had even mastered the dough. Come on! Let me spin the pies!

One day the “pizza man” called in sick and it was an all-girl crew. I enthusiastically jumped in to take over the oven and proved that a girl can make pizza. The “pizza man” took me under his wing and on occasion invited me to work side-by-side with him so he could teach me his tips and tricks. That’s when my love affair with making pizza really started.

Pizza ...

Pizza Margherita

My Pizza Margherita arrived. The crust was crisp and light. The sauce was rich with fresh tomato flavor. There was just enough cheese and the fresh basil was divine. I had about half of the pizza and saved the rest for later.

My server inquired about dessert. I was not going to have anything, but I love to look at dessert menus. I perused the menu, and politely declined, telling her about my new jeans and how I really should be good. She suggested the Chia Seed Pudding, saying it really wasn’t that bad. Hmm … chia seeds are loaded with all kinds of healthy things like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Hmm … this is a foodie adventure, so I suppose in the spirit of adventure I really should try it.

Chia Seed Pudding with Banana & Coconut

Oh. My. Goodness!

The Chia Seed Pudding was rich and creamy, not too sweet, and the toasted coconut gave it a nice crunch. The creaminess came from coconut milk, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as “light” fat and calorie-wise as I wanted to believe, but it was worth it.

I looked up a few chia seed pudding recipes today and have an experimental batch in my refrigerator right now. It will be ready tomorrow. I made it with unsweetened almond milk, low fat lemon yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and chia seeds. It thickens overnight in the refrigerator, so we’ll see tomorrow how well it sets up, but an initial taste was quite good!

My server told me that True Food Kitchen will be opening a restaurant in Walnut Creek, California later this year. It will be worth the hour-plus drive to dine there. I am looking forward to dining here again!

The service was awesome – friendly and attentive. The food was fantastic. I look forward to returning.

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Today’s ride was just a quick 21-mile easy ride. It’s been a while since I’ve done a longer ride, so I really felt yesterday’s ride this morning. That’s OK. I’ve got lots of chores to do at home, so that will keep me busy enough. However … it is a beautiful and unseasonably warm day out there in Davis today, so I will certainly have to find some excuse to get out and about again soon. But first … a snack.

This smoothie is luscious and refreshing. It’s a perfect post-ride or workout recovery snack – rich with flavor, but low in calories and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  The whey protein is great for muscle recovery. For more information on the benefits of whey protein, click here.

Getting Ready To Blend ...

Emerald Paradise Smoothie

1 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 to 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
2-3 big handfuls of Tuscan kale
1 to 2 cups of filtered water

Place frozen fruit, protein powder, kale, and water in a large capacity blender and blend until smooth. For a thicker smoothie, add ice.

Makes about 7-8 cups.

Getting Ready to Enjoy!

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We had a lovely cloud cover in Davis this morning. It was a little chilly, but well worth bundling up to ride in some cleaner air.

I grabbed just a quick 21 mile ride and now am ready to start on some home stuff … but first …

Organic Tuscan Kale, Mango, Cherries, Green Grapes, and Whey Protein.

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Start your holidays with a super healthy green smoothie!

Baby Kale, Kiwi, Banana, Mango, Oats, Whey Protein

This year’s menu is going to be a little different – a little heart-healthier and lighter – but it will still be festive and delicious!

Pork Tenderloin with a Port-Cherry Sauce
Roasted Yams
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Baby Greens Salad with Organic Apples, Spicy Candied Pecans,  & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Dessert may be a low-sugar & low-fat orange curd with blackberries. That is, IF my curd sets. I used half sugar & half Monk Fruit. I used one whole egg and replaced the other with egg whites (the ready-to-use kind you get in a carton). The juice of 1 1/2 Cara Cara oranges and one lemon, plus the zest … it tastes OK, we’ll see how it sets when it cools. I’m not 100% sure about the taste of the Monk Fruit yet. I need to play with this a bit more. I tried using 100% Monk Fruit in the last batch of curd I made and it was dreadful. We’ll see how it is with 1/2 sugar & 1/2 Monk Fruit.

If the curd does not set, I’ll have to figure out a way to use it as a sauce for something.

Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’ll have limited Internet access, but will do my best to get a few posts in here and there.

Please be SAFE – remember – NO drinking and driving!

P.S. Santa brought me a very cool new helmet! A Rudy Project Technically Cool and super comfy green/blue helmet – it’s like the one that one of the cycling teams wears that every time I see it I say, “I have to find one of those!” And, it will go great with the Ireland jersey Santa brought me last year!

Thanks, Santa! You’re the BEST! I’m looking forward to riding with you again soon!!

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Creamy, Smooth, and Delicious!

One of my colleagues at work mentioned that she puts oats in her morning smoothie. I’ve tried it a few times and it is wonderful! It lends a creamy mild sweetness that’s hard to beat. I like to use steel cut oats, but you could also use old fashioned (rolled) or quick oats, too. Just remember to use plain oats, and not pre-mixed sweetened oatmeal packages. If you have a Vitamix, you can simply add the raw oats with the rest of the ingredients. If you have a standard blender, you may want to soak the oats in the water, a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator – use about 1 cup water to 1/4 cup steel cut oats. You could also make oat flour in a food processor by pulsing the oats until they’re very fine. The oat flour will blend more easily in a standard blender.

Green Smoothie Shooters

This morning I added 1/4 cup of steel cut oats (about 170 calories total) to this recipe, which makes 2 large smoothies (plus these two cute little shooters). In addition to the oats, this smoothie has 2 big handfuls of baby greens (kale, spinach, chard), 1 1/2 cups water, and 12 ice cubes. It’s got one peach, about a cup of pineapple, and 2 scoops of whey protein.

Yes, the oats add a few calories, but I think they’re worth it. Oats provide heart-healthy soluble fiber, which has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Oats are also a good source of minerals and protein, and numerous studies have shown that oats have many health benefits.

Oats can be a good breakfast choice for diabetics, too.

For more information on how to incorporate green smoothies into a healthy diabetic diet, be sure to check out this article on the American Diabetes Association website.

For information on how you can register for the American Diabetes Napa Valley Tour de Cure 2014, please see here! Join me in Napa, California on Sunday, May 4, 2014 – take the ride of your life! If you want to help support my ride, please click here and make a donation. Every bit helps.

Click here for some more great nutritional and health information information about oats.

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Power Greens Smoothie

This smoothie is refreshing and light. The greens are very subtle, and the fruit adds a lightly tart-sweetness. It is very lovely and bright green – this photo really does not do it justice.

Power Greens Smoothie

1 1/2 cups filtered water
1 kiwi, peeled and halved
1 peach, sliced & frozen
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, frozen
2 scoops whey protein powder
2 big handfuls of mixed baby greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc…)
8-12 ice cubes

Place ingredients except ice in the order listed in a large capacity blender, such as a Vitamix. Blend until smooth, add ice to reach your desired thickness.

This recipe makes enough for 2 large smoothies.

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Life can be so cruel sometimes … like when you’re sick on a perfect-weather weekend. I rode nary a mile this weekend, and barely made it to the gym at all this entire week. And if ever a Fall weekend was perfect for cycling, this was it. I even had to take a very, very rare sick day this week, and had to back out of volunteering to help with morning snacks for the Davis Bike Club’s Foxy’s Fall Century. A group of friends were having a special foodie event – I had to miss that, too! I did make my work event on Saturday, though – UC Davis Preview Day!

Matcha Smoothie

So, it turned out to be a pretty low key weekend, with some much needed rest at home watching reruns on the Food and Cooking channels, and hanging out with a warm cat on the couch.

This morning’s smoothie was very light and interesting with a matcha green tea whey protein powder. I whirled this in my Vitamix with about a half cup of water, 1/4 cup steel cut oats, a big handful of baby kale greens, a handful of frozen red grapes, about a half cup of frozen pineapple, and six ice cubes. This made a lovely green smoothie, and was delicate and lightly sweet.

I’ve finally got an appetite again, and tonight am preparing a Maple Mustard Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin, with Roasted Herbed Potatoes, and Maple & Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple.

Brussels Sprouts & Apple - ready to roast!

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple*

2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
1 large Gala Apple
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and trim the Brussels Sprouts. Peel, core, and cut the apple into 8 wedges. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast about 20 minutes, to your desired tenderness. You’ll want to check them after about 10 minutes and give them a stir. This will help them to cook evenly. You can also cook these in a cast iron skillet.

While the sprouts are cooking, combine the maple syrup and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook gently until reduced to a thick syrup. Watch carefully – it can go from perfect to too sticky in a moment.

Be careful to not overcook the sprouts. You can get a nice char, but don’t cook them until they’re soft. They’ll be bitter and nasty.

* inspired by this Weight Watchers recipe.

Purple, Gold, & Red Potatoes with Thyme & Rosemary

Herb Roasted Potatoes

1 pound waxy potatoes
Olive oil
Fresh herbs of your choice
Salt & pepper to taste

Half the potatoes, toss with the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan. Roast until perfect.

If you’re pressed for time, you can par-cook the potatoes for about 7-10 minutes in the microwave. Cook them about halfway, then prepare and roast as above.

Maple-Mustard-Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin, about 1-1/2 pounds
about 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs of your choice (I used thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley)
1 heaping tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Maple Mustard Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Place tenderloin in a zip-top bag. Whisk herbs, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, and salt together, then pour into the bag with the pork. Seal bag and give it a little shake to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for at at least 4 hours or overnight.

Roast or grill the tenderloin to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

I liked each dish individually, but all together on one plate the meal needed color. Hmm …