Cycling Foodie

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I’ll have to do this later today, but here’s Day 8 Dinner …

Remember that piece of beef I was marinating? Here it is!

Coffee-Marinated Steak with Heirloom Red Spinach and Crimini Mushrooms

I marinated a small piece of beef in a little coffee, balsamic vinegar, and Herbs de Provence. It had very nice flavor.

The Red Heirloom Spinach was interesting. I’m trying it in a salad today for lunch, with a little of the leftover beef, some fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and a light espresso-balsamic vinaigrette.

Totals for the day:

* 3 1/2 cups vegetables
* 1 cup fruit
* 3 cups protein
* 1 cups carbs
* 2 T healthy cheese (“light”)
* 1 T dressing (homemade marinade)
* 2 tablespoons nuts

Must run! Work, work, work!

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Today was pretty good, but I was craving carbs, as you can easily see below. It was the sweet potato I had with salmon and vegetables for dinner tonight that put me over, but it was well worth it.

Totals for the day:

* 1 cup vegetables
* 1/2 cup fruit
* 1 cup protein
* 3 1/4 cups carbs
* 2 T healthy cheese (“light”)
* 3 tablespoons healthy oil
* 3 tablespoons nuts

I had about 1 1/2 cups of a ginger miso broth, but I’m not sure where to include this. It was only about 45 calories, so not a big deal in terms of calories.

After dinner, I do like to have a bit of sweet, and I had a few apples that were just a little past eating prime, but perfect for cooking. On this rainy evening, this warm comforting dessert was just right.

Apples Sauteed with Honey and Pure Maple Syrup, served with Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

Apples with Honey & Pure Maple Syrup

2 large green apples, such as Pippins
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel, core, and slice apples into about 1/4-inch thick pieces.

Heat honey and maple syrup over medium high in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan. Watch carefully as it could scorch easily.

When the honey and syrup are bubbling, add the apples and stir to coat. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook about 15 to 20 minutes until the apples soften. Uncover, increase heat to medium high and cook to thicken the pan juices to make a nice, caramely sauce.

Serve warm, garnished with plain non-fat Greek yogurt for a warm and satisfying, yet healthy, dessert.

Makes 2 servings – this will be a lovely and heart-healthy Valentines’ Day dessert for your sweetheart.

I think next time I make this I will add some lemon zest, and maybe a little lemon juice along with the apples.

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Challenge: Day 5 started out well with oatmeal, green tea, and loads of errands to keep me busy. Out and about, I really wanted myself to a latte, which has become a very rare treat for me since I gifted my fully automatic espresso maker. The dilemma, in terms of this Challenge … how do I categorize a latte? I decided to consider it a serving of protein. It’s milk-based, after all, right? That seemed reasonable.

Breakfast, lunch, and a snacks were all strictly within my pre-designated portions. I had a great lunch, using the last of the leftover balsamic chicken and steamed vegetables.

Dinner, however, was a different story. I went to a foodie dinner party, so there were lots of delicious options that perhaps didn’t quite fit the spirit of my Challenge. However, how this Challenge helped me last night was that I was very mindful of my “cheats.” I paid special attention to the fact that they were treats, and I fully enjoyed responsible portions.

Success!

We are having a lovely and much needed rain storm today in Northern California, so I am taking advantage of this time to do a little cooking and prep for the week. I’ve got vegetables washed and ready to cook. I made a Fresh Tomato Fennel Sauce that I’ll use later in the week with some chicken for a Chicken Cacciatore-like dish. I will count this sauce as a vegetable.

Fresh Fennel and Roma Tomatoes ... recipe to be posted soon

I’ve also got a lovely piece of salmon ready that I’ll cook for dinner tonight, and a small piece of beef that I’m going to marinate with something (balsamic? coffee? mustard? rosemary?) and cook tomorrow night.

Now it’s time for a gym workout. I’ll post the Fresh Tomato and Fennel Sauce recipe later.

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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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Today’s Challenge was, shall we say, a bit more challenging?

I was hungry today. I was super hungry when I got home from work. My hope was to get to the gym in time for the spin class, but thanks to commute traffic and leaving work late, I missed the class by about 10 minutes. Instead, I tried 4 different aerobic machines at the gym tonight, did one easy set on the lateral pull down, and some stretching.

Today’s Menu

Breakfast (8am): 1 package TJ’s Steel Cut Oats & Quinoa
Snack (10:30am) : 1 cup carrots
Lunch (about noon): 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Snack (about 3pm): 1/2 cup chicken salad (made with non-fat Greek yogurt) & 1 cup cherry tomatoes (counting as fruit today)
Post-work out while cooking snack (about 8pm): 1 Baby Bel light cheese
Dinner (about 8:30pm): 1 cup skinless chicken breast (marinated in a white balsamic vinaigrette) and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, 2 cups steamed veggies (asparagus & green beans)
Daily cheat (with dinner): 1 glass red wine

So I figure this is about
* 3 cups vegetables
* 1 1/2 cups fruit
* 2 1/2 cups protein
* 1 cup carbs
* 1/8 cup healthy cheese (“light”)
* 2 tablespoons dressing
* 2 tablespoons nuts

I’m now enjoying a cup of mint tea with just a touch of honey after dinner. This satisfies my post-dinner sweet tooth.

I now feel completely satisfied food-wise – even after a 90-minute workout. I admit it was a light workout, I didn’t push too much, but I worked out.

Steamed Asparagus & Green Beans (2 cups)

Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Marinated in a White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Early this morning I marinated 2 large chicken breasts in about 2 tablespoons of a prepared White Balsamic Vinaigrette. I cut each breast onto 2-3 smaller pieces (for quicker cooking). These two cooked breasts worked out to be about 3 cups of chicken chunks. This is perfect, because leftovers will be critical in my being able to keep up with food prep for this Challenge. I don’t like processed foods, so I’ll want to cook pretty much everything from scratch. That will be one of my CyclingFoodie twists on this Challenge.

To prepare the chicken – I simply cooked the pieces of chicken breast in the marinade in a non-stick pan for about 25 minutes. First on high heat, brown both side of the chicken. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook about 20 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. If you find there is a lot of liquid in the pan, you can reduce it a bit to make a little sauce. If you want to get fancy, you could deglaze the pan with a splash or two of white wine and make a very light sauce by reducing that. That would be a nice touch … maybe I’ll try that next time. I added a touch of balsamic glaze while I was reducing the residual liquid in the pan. That added a nice depth of flavor.

You can eat light and healthy, and still have lots of great flavor. I am lucky – I never really liked rich, heavy, creamy sauces. However, I do like flavorful and well-seasoned food.

While the chicken was cooking, I cleaned, trimmed, and lightly steamed my vegetables.

To serve, place the hot vegetables in a nice bowl, top with 1 cup of the chopped chicken, and drizzle with a bit of balsamic glaze. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, if desired.

 Enjoy!

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My 21 Day Challenge

I was flipping around on TV channels the other night and I came across an infomercial on the “21 Day Fix“. It said you could lose 21 pounds in 21 days. Now, I don’t have 21 pounds to lose, but I was intrigued. This plan looked like a pretty healthy balance of basic food groups. The deal is, the eating plan has portioning containers so you can measure out your foods in the designated containers. Hmm … seems healthy and easy … might be worth a try.

So, I did a little online research. I came across a website (Unlock Weight Loss) that had a review of the system. I found some basic details about the program. According to this website, based on your current weight, you determine how many servings of each food group you can have daily. There are also disks included in the program that have a variety of 30-minute workouts.

Important to note – the containers measure by fluid ounces, not by weight.

The food groups include (serving size):

• Vegetables (8 ounces)
• Fruits (8 ounces)
• Proteins (6 ounces)
• Carbohydrates (5.3 ounces)
• Healthy fats & cheeses (2.7 ounces)
• Seeds & dressings (2 ounces)
• Oils, nut butters, seed butters (teaspoons)

Based on my weight, the plan for me is to have this number of servings of each item in one day:

• 3 Vegetables
• 2 Fruits
• 4 Proteins (translates to 3 cups)
• 2 Carbohydrates (translates to about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 Healthy fats & cheeses
• 1 Seeds & dressings
• 2 Oils, nut butters, seed butters

So, I thought I’d give it a try, but with my own cyclingfoodie twist.

Day 1:  02/03/2015

Breakfast
1 package organic instant oatmeal (1 carb)

Lunch
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, plain (1 protein)
1/4 cup frozen organic blueberries (1/4 fruit)
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (1 nuts)
1 teaspoon real maple syrup (1/6 dressing)

Afternoon Snack
1/2 cup Chicken Salad made with non-fat Greek Yogurt (1/2 protein)

Dinner
1 piece Mahi Mahi tuna (about 6 ounces) (1 protein)
1 cup Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes (1 vegetable*)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, slightly crushed (1/4 seeds)
1 1/2 cups fresh vegetables (Asparagus, Green Beans, Crimini Mushrooms) (1 1/2 vegetable)
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (1 fruit)

* Although, technically, tomatoes are a fruit!

My “cheat” for the day was one glass of red wine with dinner.

The fish was super easy to prepare. Simply season the fish with a little of your favorite lemon pepper seasoning. Heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Add the fish and brown lightly on one side, then turn and lightly brown the other side. Let the fish cook a minute or so.  While the fish is cooking, cut your cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Sprinkle with the crushed fennel seeds. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until the fish is tender and flaky.

Mahi Mahi Tuna with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes & Fennel Seeds

The tomatoes will cook down a bit and soften. Place the fish in a serving bowl and ladle the tomatoes and their juices over top of the fish.

Mahi Mahi Tuna with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes & Fennel Seeds, cooked & ready to serve.

This would be great with some fresh thyme, or other fresh herbs, but (gasp!) I was out of fresh herbs. Enjoy with a side of your favorite veggies …

Fresh Asparagus, Green Beans, & Crimini Mushrooms

So my total in terms of servings for the day:

• 2 1/2 Vegetables
•  1 1/4 Fruits
• 2 1/2 Proteins
• 1 Carbohydrates
• 0 Healthy fats & cheeses
• about 1/2 serving Seeds & dressings
• 2 T Oils, nut butters, seed butters

As you can see, I didn’t eat everything I was “allowed.” It was a low activity day for me, so this felt just about right.

So it looks like if I follow this plan, I should lose about about 5 pounds in 3 weeks. That’s just from calorie deficit, not factoring in exercise.I’m having to take it easy for a few days (doctor’s orders), but will be back to exercising in a few days. I’m sure on days I am exercising that I’ll have no problem eating the full servings! But for today, I was quite satisfied.

I won’t bore you with a complete diary of every day’s intake, but I’ll post a few recipes and follow-up now and then.

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Last night I had some friends over for dinner. After the holidays, we’re all feeling a bit, dare I say, overindulged? However, last night was the final “holiday” party for 2014. It just had to wait until 2015 due to everyone’s schedules. So a light and healthy meal with just a touch of decadence was in order.

We had a few appetizers, the usual fresh vegetable platter, some cheese and crackers, and one experimental recipe – Roasted Crimini Mushrooms with Herbed Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Vinegar Glaze.

Roasted Crimini Mushrooms

Fresh Veggies

For the entree, I made Cioppino, mostly based on this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. I made just a few modifications, but tried to follow her recipe as closely as possible because I’ve never made Cioppino before.

Cioppino

3 tablespoons avocado oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
28 ounces of chopped fresh Roma tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dry white white
2 cups oyster broth
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
1 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 pounds mixed seafood: mussels, shrimp, scallops, calamari
1 1/2 pounds wild caught fresh swordfish, cut into chunks

Mis en place: assemble and prepare all of your ingredients.

In a large pot (at least 5.5 quarts), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, and shallots; saute about 8-10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, wine, broths, water, and bay leaf. Stir to combine well. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer for about 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to blend.

Add the mixed seafood, cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the fish, stir gently, and cook another 5-10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle into bowls and serve with a good, crusty bread. This recipe makes six generous portions.

Cioppino - light, yet rich and satisfying, this Cioppino will make you want to head back for seconds.

We served a 2011 Luna Canto, which paired nicely and stood up to the spicy kick of this Cioppino.

For dessert, I made a “Paleo” Apple Crisp that I know you’ll want to try.

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I wanted a dessert that would be comforting and delicious, but also on the lighter side. What could I make? There on the kitchen counter sat a bag of Granny Smith apples, staring at me, calling out, “Pick me! Pick meeeeeeeee!” Hmm … I fondly remembered my mother’s apple crisp … warm, sweet, comforting. How could I take this idea and make it a little lighter, a little healthier? I found an intriguing recipe for a Paleo Baked Apple Crisp. I followed this recipe almost exactly, except that I added the zest and juice of one lemon, a sprinkle of ginger, used butter in place of the coconut oil, and sprinkled a little extra pecans on top for extra crunch. I also covered it during part of the baking.

"Paleo" Apple Crisp

 “Paleo” Apple Crisp

6-7 Granny Smith apples
juice and zest of one lemon
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons raw honey, heated a little to melt, if necessary
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
a sprinkle of ground ginger

For the crumble topping:
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons finely ground pecans
2 tablespoons raw honey, heated a little to melt, if necessary
2 tablespoons butter, cut into about 1/4-inch chunks
optional: one additional tablespoon of finely ground pecans to sprinkle on top of the crumble

While the apple mixture is baking, prepare your topping. Combine all of the topping ingredients well and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel, core, and slice apples into about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices. Combine apples, lemon zest and juice, orange juice, honey, maple syrup, and spices in a large bowl and gently toss to combine well. Pour into a baking dish. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, then cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with crumble topping, and if desired, sprinkle with another tablespoon of finely chopped pecans. Bake another 20 minutes until the juices are nice and bubbly. Allow to cool a bit. Serve warm.

You don’t really need to serve this with whipped cream or ice cream, and that kind of undoes the healthy aspect, but it was still a celebration and everything else was pretty healthy, so we whipped up a little heavy cream with some vanilla sugar and homemade Southern Comfort vanilla extract (“vintage” 2010).

"Paleo" Apple Crisp with Southern Comfort Vanilla Scented Whipped Cream

Enjoy!

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Roasted Crimini Mushrooms with Herbed Goat Cheese & Balsamic Glaze

These are quite simple to make. Rinse and pat dry your mushrooms. Remove the stems and set aside for another use. Drizzle the mushroom caps with a little olive oil and salt, and place stem side down in a roasting dish. Roast in a preheated oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool. You can prepare these a day ahead and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

To make the herbed goat cheese, you’ll want to use a good quality plain goat cheese, such as Laura Chenel Chevre. Blend the cheese with a splash or two of good olive oil and your choice of freshly chopped herbs. I used fresh thyme and rosemary, a classic combination, in my opinion. Use just enough olive oil to get a smooth, creamy consistency that you’ll be able to pipe into the mushroom caps.

To assemble, gently pat the mushrooms dry to remove excess moisture. Using a pastry bag*, pipe the cheese into the mushroom caps. Arrange the mushrooms on a platter and drizzle with a balsamic glaze. I like this one from Trader Joe’s.

If you have leftover herbed goat cheese, this is also lovely on bread or crackers.

* If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a zip-top plastic bag with a corner snipped off.

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Yesterday we went for a walk at Folsom Lake. We started out at Beal’s Point and walked along the trail for about 3 miles before heading down to the beach at one of the boat launch areas. It was a beautiful day, but felt quite chilly for our standards here. There were a few mountain bikers on the trail and I wondered if I’ll ever mountain bike again. I do have my awesome Klein Pinnacle I used to ride a lot in Annadel State Park, but now I just road bike.

Looking towards the boat ramp.

We meandered back along the beach, enjoying the scenery, stopping to visit with an occasional friendly dog out walking his humans.

Near the Beal's Point parking lot. You can see how low the water level is.

While I appreciate these beautiful, sunny days, we really do need some more rain. We’ve had dry, very breezy weather lately, which lead to lots of junk in the air, which you can see hanging over the hills in these photos.

It’s time to brave the cold this morning and head out for a quick ride. I’ve got lots to do today to get ready for a dinner party tomorrow night. I’ll be making Ciopinno, mostly following this Giada De Laurentiis recipe. A friend is bringing one of her amazing salads, with a super healthy orange vinaigrette. We’ll have some good cheeses, loads of veggies, some good crusty bread to go with the Ciopinno, and I haven’t quite figured out dessert yet. It will be just a little decadent, but not too much. I’ve got a lot of Granny Smith apples, so I’m leaning towards perhaps a comforting, warm apple crisp. Perhaps with just a tiny scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.