Cycling Foodie

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Recipe for a Great Pre-Ride Dinner

Grilled Rocky Chicken Breast
Sticky Brown Rice
Fresh Steamed Vegetables
Good Company 

 

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… not that I’m counting down, or anything …

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I will be lining up to start my fourth Napa Valley Tour de Cure.

I sure hope it’s not as windy in the Napa Valley tomorrow as it is in Davis this morning. Yikes!

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On the UC Davis Arboretum, near the Geology Buidling

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I will be on my way to my fourth Napa Valley Tour de Cure!

An easy ride today, rest up and organize tomorrow … sounds like a plan!

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I will be on my way to Yountville to ride in my fourth Napa Valley Tour de Cure!

The weather forecast for Sunday for Yountville …
Low 50
High 81
Chance of Rain = 0%
Winds NNW at 10mph

The weather forecast for Sunday for Healdsburg…
Low 53
High 84
Chance of Rain = 0%
Winds ENE at 9mph

The ride starts in Yountville, rolls up Highway 29 in the beautiful Napa Valley to Calistoga. Then for the 80 or 100 mile routes,  we continue past Calistoga on Highway 128 to Healdsburg through the scenic Alexander Valley. The 80 mile loop turns around at Fieldstone Winery; the 100 mile loop continues on to Healdsburg and along Dry Creek Road and loops around Lytton Springs Road and back to Fieldstone. Then we return to Calistoga on Highway 128. There are a few hills heading up towards Healdsburg from Calistoga and back, but these should be pretty manageable for me since I’ve been doing a little bit of climbing with Cantelow and Cardiac. On the way back to Yountville, between Calistoga and St. Helena, we cross over from Highway 29 to the Silverado Trail, then back towards Yountville. We cross over again in Yountville and return to the Veteran’s Home.

Along the way there are 5 well stocked rest stops, plenty of SAG vehicles, and volunteers to keep you encouraged, hydrated, and nourished. And this year, there will be a record number of riders in Napa Valley Tour de Cure!

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I will be on my way to Yountville for my FOURTH Napa Valley Tour de Cure!

General Information:  http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/SanFranciscoArea?pg=entry&fr_id=8064

Check out the different routes – there’s a ride for everyone:  http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/SanFranciscoArea?pg=informational&fr_id=8064&type=fr_informational&sid=8510

Looking forward to another great Tour de Cure in the beautiful Napa Valley!

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May is Bike Month!
http://www.mayisbikemonth.com/

Just a jaunt on my vintage Klein ... I love this bike!

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Today’s ride was steady, just over 40 miles. No photos. Just riding. No big hills. Not too long. Not too fast. Not too slow. This was a Goldilocks ride; it was just right.

It warmed up early and was pretty breezy out there today. I think that’s how Sunday is going to be in Napa.

The rest of the week, I’ll ride before work each morning, or in the evening after work, and then Saturday will be a rest day. Great excuse to go to the Farmers’ Market Saturday morning and have breakfast and coffee downtown.

May, 2009 - after my first Tour de Cure - 50 mile route

May, 2010 Napa Valley Tour de Cure - 80 mile route

May 2011, Napa Valley Tour de Cure - 100 mile route

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I tried some “hard” polenta at a restaurant last week. It was OK, but it had been sauteed or fried in too much oil, and that made it a bit heavy and unappealing. A few days later, I was shopping at Trader Joe’s and saw their Stone Ground White Grits. I got to wondering … what is the difference between grits and polenta? The only ingredient listed on this package was “corn,” just like unprepared polenta. Aside from yellow (polenta) versus white (grits) corn, they look pretty much the same to me. OK, maybe the grits are a little more coarse, but could I use these grits to make a polenta-like dish? Hmm …

Tonight, I was cooking dinner for my training partner. I forgot to start the brown rice on time for dinner, so I decided to experiment the grits. I found a very simple polenta recipe (http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/3996/Simple_Polenta) and made a small batch based on this recipe.

1 cup water
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup Trader Joe’s Stone Ground White Grits
1 -2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or your choice of fresh herbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring the salted water to a boil. On medium heat, whisk in the grits and continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Whisk in the herbs and olive oil, and continue to cook until desired thickness. The grits can be served immediately for “soft” texture or poured into a ramekin or other container to cool and firm to a “hard” stage.

For a first try, I liked it. I thought it needed a little more salt, and will definitely play a bit more with this. It’s a hot evening, so I wanted something on the lighter side, therefore no cheese. Perhaps on a cold, rainy wintery night I’ll try this with cheese.

These were a side dish to grilled chicken breasts, steamed veggies (asparagus, brussel sprouts, organic broccolette, and organic sugar plum grape tomatoes), and brown rice (the timing worked out just fine, and I wanted to serve the rice just in case the grits were awful). I think tomorrow I’ll try grilling the leftover piece of “hard” polenta-grits on my George Foreman grill. I have to come up with a name for this. Grilenta? Polrits? Oh, no, no, no … those won’t do.

The chicken tonight was Rocky free range chicken. When I went to the store to buy it, I noticed that whole Rocky Junior chickens (http://www.petalumapoultry.com/rocky_jr) were on special, so I got this brilliant idea … why not buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces and make my own boneless skinless chicken breasts and save $2+ per pound? I know how to do this! A little out of practice, maybe, but … I know how to do this. It’s much more cost effective this way.

Let’s just say … I’m really out of practice and I’m going to be eating chicken all week.

I marinated the breasts in a little olive oil, fresh squeezed organic lemon juice & zest, and fresh organic thyme. They marinated for about 2 hours, then I cooked them on my George Foreman grill. This little machine was a terrific investment.

Low Fat Lemon Curd with Fresh Berries

For dessert … I made low fat lemon curd (recipe posted previously) and served this with fresh organic strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.  This is the only item from the entire dinner that I photographed!

This curd is a little different from the original recipe because I used organic blue agave sweetener, which is a low glycemic sweetener. From what I understand, lower glycemic level (or index) foods are better at maintaining even blood sugar levels. I’m just learning about this, and it seems that there are a lot of factors involved, but it seems to me, the less processed (whole wheat vs. white, brown rice vs. white, juices vs. whole fruit, al dente vs. soft-cooked) the lower the glycemic index (“GI”).

The end result was a yummy lemon curd!

Here are some links to more information about glycemic index:

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glycemic-index-diet/MY00770
• http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/glycemic-index-and-diabetes.html#What_is_the_glycemic_index

I still think, for me, that balance is the most important eating habit. I am fortunate to have, for the most part, pretty healthy food preferences. I don’t like “diets” because I find them to be too restrictive and I like to have a lot of variety in my diet when it comes to food. I guess that’s my inner foodie.