Cycling Foodie

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The 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just TWO days away! I am now just $181 shy of Champion status! Please help  me to reach this goal by making a donation to support my ride. Simply click here to go to my personal Tour de Cure page.

I was fortunate enough to be able to take today off work and get a good training ride in. According to my brand new Garmin Edge 510, my maximum speed was 124.8 mph, but it also says that my average mph is lower than I think it should be (12.4 mph!). I’m not convinced that these numbers are entirely accurate. I rode about 70 miles on the American River Trail, from Sacramento to Folsom and back. According to my Garmin, I also burned 3,000+ calories.

All that excitement plus the sun and heat left me very hungry, thirsty, and in the mood for a cool, refreshing smoothie.

Cherry Berry Protein Blast

Cherry Berry Protein Blast

1/2 cup non-fat vanilla Kefir
(or Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup cool water
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 small fresh nectarine
1 scoop whey protein
1 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients in a large blender, such as a Vitamix. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

This makes about 2 pints.

OK, not lots and lots to do to get ready for the weekend! I’ll be in Napa all day tomorrow volunteering for early registration check-in, and then volunteering for the Champions Dinner check-in. I’m really hoping to make Champion status again this year, so … you can help, if you want.

Click here to go to my personal Tour de Cure page.

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Years ago I discovered this method of cooking shrimp and I have never boiled it since. Ina Garten, on an episode of Barefoot Contessa, made her Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. To make is spicy, just add some red chili flakes before roasting.

Spicy Roasted Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail & Tartar Sauces

The sauces shown are very simple, rustic versions of tartar and cocktail sauces.

For the tartar sauce, simply combine to taste mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, lime (or lemon) juice, and a dash of Worcerstershire sauce and blend well.

For the cocktail sauce, simply combine to taste some ketchup, horseradish (I like lots), lime (or lemon) juice, and a bit of chili garlic paste.

One week from today, right at this very moment, I will be riding in my 7th Napa Valley Tour de Cure! If you would like to help me reach Champion status, please click here to make a donation. You’ll be supporting the American Diabetes Association and helping meet their mission: To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

I’ll be headed out shortly for a training ride on the American River Trail. It’s a beautiful morning for a ride! Hope you get one in, too.

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I’m looking ahead to the Napa Valley weather forecast for the next 10 days and it’s looking like we are going to have some breezy conditions leading up to our 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure. Fingers crossed that it won’t be too breezy!

So, I guess I’ll just be thankful for recent breezy conditions from Sacramento to Folsom, and Davis to Winters, that will help me to prepare for my Tour de Cure! If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, please help me to reach my goal of being a Champion to Stop Diabetes again this year!

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The 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is now officially less than 2 weeks away!

Today marks my first official Napa Tour de Cure Team Red training ride. What a great group! I loved the camaraderie, support, a little playful competition. I’m looking forward to more Team Red rides!

Go Red Riders!

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2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure!

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I just got back a bit ago from a ride on the American River Trail. LOTS of other people had the same idea this morning – it’s a beautiful day to be out there! I am quite surprised with myself that I did not take a single picture.

Riding was steady, with a few bursts of brilliance and speed. Just what I needed.

There were a few other Tour de Cure jerseys out there, gearing up for the upcoming big day! There are two rides in this area: Napa Valley and Roseville (Gold Country). My Tour de Cure is always the Napa Valley Tour de Cure.

Find your local Tour de Cure here!

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I had a lovely walk this afternoon and ran into a colleague in the Arboretum on campus. We walked and chatted together for a bit. I enjoyed the company and it was a nice break from a rather … the right word escapes me at the moment … morning in the office. It wasn’t a bad morning, it was just … different.

It was a beautiful day in Davis, lots of sunshine, a little bit breezy, and warm. Here are a few photos from just off campus to enjoy.

First Sunflower of the Season!

Roses just off the Arboretum ...

So fragrant ...

... so sweet ...

... makes for a refreshing and reinvigorating mid-day break.

Then to end the day like this …oh, so, so needed.

I keep going to the river to ...

The 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is in just 3 weeks from Sunday! Where did the time go? I am still striving to reach Champion status. Won’t you help me? You can make a donation here.

I am looking forward to joining some fellow Tour de Cure cyclists on Sunday for a training ride in the beautiful Napa Valley!

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This is terrific after a warm day bike ride and with a few short cuts can be very simple to make.

Spicy Asian-Style Chicken Salad

Marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in a 50/50 mixture of teriyaki sauce and chile garlic paste. Add just a splash of white wine or a squeeze of lemon (or lime) juice. Normally I would marinate these just overnight, but these marinated for a couple of days and the result was fabulously flavorful and tender chicken. Cook the chicken in a skillet, or grill it, or bake it in the oven …  your choice.

I picked up a pre-made mix of cabbage, carrots, cashews, etc., on my most recent Costco trip. It was one of those “complete” salad mixes and had an Asian sesame dressing. I used only half of the dressing and I thought it was perfectly dressed. All of it would have been way too much for my taste. I’ll save the second packet of dressing to marinate some chicken or fish another day.

To assemble, put the salad in the bottom of a serving bowl, top with the cooked chicken, and garnish with a few extra cashews.

Could this be any easier? Not much!

I’m not sure what happened to the warm sunshine we had this morning, but it’s suddenly cold, breezy, and overcast. Could it be that rain is on the way?! We sure need it!

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I got my Colnago back and she is all sparkly clean and working great! Now if I could just find a bit more time to ride.

Just got back from a pretty easy not quite 40 miler about Sacramento. Lunch will be an Asian-style Chicken Salad. Crunchy. Salty. Sweet. Tangy. Light. Refreshing. Spicy.

Then try to get caught up … so much to do!

Speaking of getting caught up, I am super far behind on meeting my  2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure goal! Wanna’ help? You can make a donation here.