Cycling Foodie

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I started my day with 30-minutes on the cycling trainer. My schedule today at work was packed and I had errands to run after work, so no gym visit tonight. By the time I got home, I was super hungry, even after a nice sample of some Naked juice at Costco. It was a mango-carrot blend and it was goooood.

Today was about snacking, really. I had frequent small snacks, just due to my schedule. My totals for the day:

* 2 1/4 cups vegetables
* 2 cups fruit
* 2 1/2 cups protein
* 1 1/4 cup carbs
* almost 1/4 cup healthy cheese and fats
* 1 tablespoons dressing (honey)
* 3 tablespoons nuts

I am just right on some categories, a little low on others, and over only on nuts. That’s OK as far as I am concerned, because it’s all going to pretty much balance out in the end. Once I feel like I have no flexibility to have a little +/- room, then it’s over. I’ll be eating just to meet the rules and not for enjoyment. I like food. I like good, healthy food. If I feel too restricted, it takes that pleasure away and then I feel deprived. That does not work for me.

For dinner tonight, I had some beautiful wild cod with fresh fennel, tomatoes, herbs de Provence, and toasted whole wheat bread cubes.

Wild Cod with Tomatoes and Fresh Fennel

5 ounces (by weight) of fresh wild cod, cubed (about 1 cup of cubes)
1/2 cup of diced fresh fennel (about 1/4 of a medium sized bulb)
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
pinch or two of herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
slice of whole wheat bread, cubed (about 3/4 cup of bread cubes)
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare all of your ingredients. Heat a good non-stick pan to medium-high and add diced fennel. Saute a few minutes just to get a little color on it. Add the fish cubes and cook the fish a bit on all sides. You don’t really have to cube the fish, you could leave it whole. I just cubed it to see how much it would take to make it a cup, because that’s how things are measured on this Challenge.

Cook the fennel and cod a few minutes until the fennel softens a bit and the fish begins to cook through.

Add the tomatoes and herbs, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for about 20 minutes.

The fish will be very flaky. The fennel and tomatoes will have softened and produced a nice broth.

While the fish is cooking, prepare your bread cubes. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan until it just starts to shimmer. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the oil. They’re probably not going to coat very evenly because there’s not much oil, but that’s fine. You’ll want them to be very light oiled and toasted.

To assemble, first place the toasted bread cubes in the bottom of your bowl.

Ladle the fish and vegetables over the bread cubes, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Admittedly not the most attractive meal I have made, but it was quite good!

Planning ahead is going to be critical for me to be successful in this Challenge, so I also started cooking tomorrow’s lunch tonight. I’ll have these cooked with hearty greens with some of the leftover chicken from last night.

Fresh crimini mushrooms to be cooked with chard, spinach, and kale greens for tomorrow's lunch.

Another busy day is ahead for tomorrow, so now it’s time for some nice warm peppermint tea with honey to help me sleep.

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So, my friend and I loaded up a truck with our bikes and gear and drove all the way to Davis. It was a bit breezy in Sacramento when we left, but … by the time we got to Davis the wind was really blowing.

I unloaded by bike, changed shoes, started gearing up to take on this wind … my friend, on the other hand, didn’t even want to take her bike out of the truck. So, we packed everything back up and headed back to Sacramento for a ride on the American River Trail.

Classic!

We got about 40 miles in on the ART.

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So excited to ride in Davis today! I miss it so much!

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I got some stuff done this morning and then went to the gym. My New Year’s present to myself was a membership to a new gym. I’m looking forward to some spin classes soon, and enjoyed a gentle yoga class one night last week. I’m trying out new machines, some old favorites, and this is a good thing because cross training will help to make me a stronger cyclist.

But I’ll never stop loving riding my bike, so when the day went from cloudy and cold to sunny, what else was I to do? Even though I had a good workout at the gym this morning, I had to ride.

Tower Bridge, Sacramento

Enjoying some unexpected sunshine this afternoon.

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This is so easy to put together and makes for great leftovers.

Healthy Meat Sauce

2 pounds of lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds, slightly crushed
optional – red chili flakes for a little heat
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (more, if you desire!)
1 small red onion, finely diced
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (either white or crimini mushrooms will be great)
2 pounds of fresh roma tomatoes, cut into about a 1/4-inch dice (keep the juice!) or 1 can of crushed tomatoes (about 28 ounces)
2 tablespoons pesto, or about 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 4-ounce can of tomato paste
1 large jar of your favorite prepared marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Your favorite pasta (I’m partial to either whole grain or spinach pasta)

For garnish, freshly grated or shaved cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago, & freshly chopped basil and/or parsley

Line a colander with 2 layers of paper towels and set aside. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, fennel seeds, and chili flakes; cook thoroughly. Some people like to chop it up really finely, but I like some chunks in there, so break the meat up as much or as little as you like. When it’s cooked through, scoop the meat into the colander, cover to keep warm, and allow any excess fat to drain. If you’re using lean turkey, there shouldn’t be much. Set the meat aside for now.

Wipe out the skillet, add the second tablespoon of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook a little, being careful to not brown it. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute a few minutes, just until softened. Add the diced onions and cook a few more minutes, just until the onions are translucent.

If you are using fresh tomatoes, add them now. Stir well and allow to cook over medium heat until they’ve softened a bit. Then add the meat, pesto or chopped basil, tomato paste and stir to blend well. Finally, add the prepared marinara sauce and stir to combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If you are using canned tomatoes, then add them with the marinara sauce.

Cook over low heat, gently simmering, while you prepare your pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

To serve …

Ladle your pasta into a bowl, top the hot pasta with some freshly grated cheese.

Top with the hot sauce. This is wonderful with a garnish of mushrooms cooked in a bit of red wine.

For the garnish of mushrooms cooked in red wine … credit must go to Tia Stella … and I’m typing this from memory, so hopefully I’m not missing anything. What you’ll need:

1 tablespoon each butter & olive oil
6 ounces of white mushrooms, cleaned and cut into about 1/4-inch thick slices
a generous splash (well, maybe 2) of dry red wine
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy bottomed skillet, until the butter melts and just starts to bubble a bit. Add the mushrooms, saute a few minutes to soften. Add the red wine and stir, cooking until the wine is reduced and you’ve got a nice slightly thickened sauce. If you want, you can add a little bit more cold butter* to help thicken the sauce and make them kinda’ decadent. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*If you add a bit more butter, start with about a teaspoon of cold butter cut into small cubes, and whisk it in to the pan. You’ll want to be careful at this point to not let it get too hot or the sauce will “break” and the butter will separate out make the sauce oily (for lack of better word at the moment!)

If you don’t like to cook with wine, you could use a good balsamic vinegar in place of the wine.

This would be a great meal after a big bike ride like the Napa Valley Tour de Cure. Come ride with me! There is still plenty of time to sign up. If you don’t or can’t ride, please consider donating to my ride. Please help me reach my goal to be a Champion again this year! I am a long way from reaching my goal this year, so any help will be much appreciated.

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Spinach Linguine with Meat Sauce - made with super lean ground turkey

This would be a wonderful meal the night before, or the night after, a big bike ride!

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A wonderful post-ride recovery meal - easy, low carb, high protein, and delicious!

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp with Stir Fried Vegetables

3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
8 ounces shrimp (medium to large size), cleaned, shelled, & deveined
1 – 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or red onion
1 – 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 – 2 tablespoon Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, finely diced
1/4 cup dry white or sparkling wine
salt, pepper, red chile flakes to taste

about 4 cups of assorted vegetables* of your choice, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons orange juice
a dash of low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped

Prepare all of your ingredients. Rinse the shrimp, shell, and devein them. You can leave the tails on or pull them off – it’s a matter of personal choice.  Lay them on paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Over medium-high, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wok. Add the shrimp and cook until they just start to turn pink. Remove from heat and set in a colander to drain. Wipe the wok clean.

Add the second tablespoon of oil to the wok and reheat, on medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot or onion and cook until they just begin to caramelize. Add the Chipotle peppers and heat through. Return the shrimp to the wok and toss to combine well. Add the wine and cook on medium heat to reduce the wine and thicken the sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chile flakes. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

In another wok, heat the last tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add your vegetables in batches and stir fry a few minutes. Add the orange juice and soy sauce, and cook just until the excess liquid is mostly evaporated. It’s important to not overcook the vegetables for this dish, so watch them carefully.

To serve, divide the vegetables between two large dinner bowls, top with the shrimp, and garnish with the cashews.

This makes two large servings.

We used asparagus, carrots, celery, French green beans, mushrooms, and snap peas.

If you want to add some healthy carbs, this would be great with some brown or black rice.

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This is an awesome dinner to serve the night before a big ride. To make it a great recovery meal, serve it as a side dish with some good lean protein such as fish, chicken, turkey, or pork tenderloin.

Pasta Primavera

1 tablespoon good olive oil
Assorted vegetables*, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into about 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 can tomato paste
1 jar of marinara sauce
your favorite pasta

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Saute the vegetables for a few minutes, just to start them cooking. Add the tomato paste and marinara sauce. Stir to combine well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer for about 15 to 30 minutes. How long you cook the sauce will depend on how crisp you like your vegetables. I tend to like mine on the crisp side, so when I prepare a Primavera this way, I only cook the sauce 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook your pasta according to the directions its packaging. Drain the pasta, and if desired, toss with a little olive oil.

To serve …

Portion your pasta into a bowl.

Ladle your Primavera Sauce over the pasta.

If desired, sprinkle with a little freshly grated cheese, such as Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano. A good, crusty bread will be a nice accompaniment, also. If you feel like something a bit richer, then feel free to add a bit of Italian Sausage, sweet or spicy would be good. To keep it on the light side, be sure to use a lower fat sausage, such as chicken or turkey.

* Tonight I used asparagus, carrots, fresh fennel, French green beans, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and snap peas. You can use any combination you like! That’s the beauty of a recipe like this – it is so very flexible. It’s easy, nutritious, low in fat, and delicious, too.

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The day looks deceptively beautiful, but the air this morning was thick and cold. Not a good combination for breathing. My guess is that lots of fireplaces are going, lots of people are driving, and recent winds all coupled with the lack of rain are contributing to poor air quality. So, it was an indoor ride for me today. Thank goodness for the trainer!

After 90 minutes, I was thirsty, hungry, and craving something super healthy.  What I really wanted was a Magenta Mystery Smoothie, but I had no purple cabbage. So, here’s what I made.

Purple Smoothie

1 1/2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup dark cherries
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 raspberries
1/2 cup red grapes
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 cup apricot chunks
1/2 cup papaya chunks

Measure water into a large capacity blender, such as a Vitamix. Add the fruit. Start on low speed, then increase to high and blend until smooth. For a thicker smoothie either use frozen fruit or add ice cubes and blend until smooth.

Makes enough for one large or two medium smoothies packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Enjoy in good health!

Now it’s time to get ready for tonight’s dinner party! The last of the holiday splurges, but with healthy enough treats to meet at least most New Year’s Resolutions.