I can't remember the last time that I actually cooked something at the house. Anything I do cook is rarely no more complex than a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, or nuking some Lean Cuisines for lunch. The only home cooked meals I get nowadays are the ones that Christine makes one to two nights a week. My new schedule has me eating dinner out M, T, W, Th. We also usually go out to a nice dinner either F or Sat. Sunday is usually eat at home day.
I've always had an idea that it would be nice to start cooking a little, maybe a meal a month. I'd find a cool recipe that sounded interesting and make the attempt. I'd buy whatever obscure cooking implement that I would need to complete the recipe and thereby build up my kitchen equipment over time. Maybe, I'd make a French dish to go along with a mini French film festival at the apartment and invite some friends over.
A few months ago I subscribed to Eating Well magazine as part of a school fundraiser for my little cousin, Adriana. There were no cycling magazines so I just picked this more or less on a whim. I have been browsing through the magazine looking at recipes over the last couple of weeks and decided to make the attempt tonight.
The two recipes I chose were
Asparagus/Radish Salad
Orange Glaze Chicken
We made a trip to the local grocery store and picked up the ingredients. Luckily, Christine has a pretty well stocked kitchen but we still had to pick up things like ground ginger, raisins, almonds along with the main ingredients.
I thought that these were relatively simple recipes but they ended up being more complex than I thought. One of the challenges, was figuring out when to start each of the parts. I'm sure cooking is more art than science, but I approached it like an engineer. I gathered all the ingredients, made a mental flow chart and tried to logically decide what needed to happen first.
First up with washing and chopping the vegetables as that could be done and set aside with no loss in quality. I thinly slicked the asparagus stalks, retaining the heads. I washed and cubed the radishes, I peeled the oranges, removing the pith, and cut in to wedges. I chopped and diced the almonds, and scallions.
I set that aside and made the flour, salt, pepper mix for the chicken. I then got the large sauce pan going with oil on medium temperature. Hmm, I'm going to need to steam the asparagus for a minute and then put them in ice water to keep them crisp and stop them from continuing to cook. Water boiling, use Christine's fancy bamboo steamer thingy. Oil is hot enough in the pan, dip the chicken in the flour mixture put in the pan, cover. Whoah, asparagus is done. Drain, put in the ice water...flip the chicken. Man, this is getting complicated. Lower the heat on the chicken. Time to start making the salad dressing. Damn, where's the Srirachi sauce...flip the chicken. Should I start boiling the noodles? Not yet. Baby, what does zest the orange mean? Chicken is browned, set it aside, pour the cup of white wine (no more, no less) into the sauce pan bring to a simmer. Where are the raisins? Whoops, forget the cinimmon stick. Ground cinimmon it is, then. We have just enough honey. A bit more salt. Time to put the chicken back in, cover. Time to boil the pasta! Mix in the asparagus, radish into the bowl with dressing. Flip the chicken. Getting close. Christine, set the table. Pasta is done, chicken is done, garnish the chicken with the orange slices, almonds.
Somehow everything is done at the same time, and we sit down to eat. Serve! And...it is delicious! The chicken is tender, there is enough sauce leftover for the pasta, the salad is spicy enough, there is just the right amount of cinimmon in the chicken. We have a nice sit down dinner at home. Success.
Afterwards, Christine gets to repair the disaster I've made of the kitchen. It was actually a lot of fun and is something that I'd like to do a few times a month.
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lighthouse Century
This weekend I did the Lighthouse Century Ride. The route, support and amenities were all top notch.
I had managed to buy another rider's registration but wasn't able to make the Friday night check-in as we hit too much traffic on the drive up. Christine and I decided to make lemonade out of the lemons and stopped in Santa Barbara for dinner and ate at an amazing Danish restaurant/bakery on State street called Andersen's. I had the goulash and Christine ordered the Chesse Celebration that we thought was a simple cheese/fruit plate sampler. When it arrived we found that it was more like a New Year's Eve Party of Cheese. We were stunned when it showed up at the table. Poor Christine couldn't get through even a quarter of it and sadly, I'm lactose intolerant so I was no help.
Cheese Celebration
I couldn't pass up the dessert and have a lovely slice of Danish Layer cake. I also took some Cranberry Scones for a pre-ride breakfast on Saturday. Delish.
The next day, we started the ride in Cuesta College which is a community college a few miles north of downtown San Luis Obispo aka SLOtown. The temperature is cool but not cold and the sky is very overcast but it looks like it will burn off. I made the call to not wear any cold weather gear on the ride although I briefly considered the arm warmers. Christine drops me off and I check-in and then cruise the parking lot looking for my people.
There are at least two dozen TnT alumni at the event. I chat briefly with the my current coach for Tucson, Ricky along with other teammates, Kevin, Lynn and Kim. There were a few other former teammates from my Tahoe ride, including Taj, Mark W, Lisa E, Jenny, Coach Rick, Christine H. Also attending were 12 of the San Diego Sub-5 team, including TnT alumni, DJ, Timmy, Troy and many others.
I meet up with Coach Rick, Christine and Mark W and hit the road, keeping a moderate pace of 13-15 MPH to warm up the legs. In the first 5 miles, we pass no less than 10 riders fixing flats or making other minor mechanical repairs. Weird. Riding along, I'm starting to deeply regret not bringing the arm warmers. We make our way up along Highway 1. The course is well marked and there are volunteers at any location where you might accidently veer off course. About 10 miles into the ride, the fog rolls in and we're swimming in pea soup. Visibility is poor. I have to remove my sunglasses as the condensation is too heavy to see through. Poor Christine is wearing prescption sunglasses and has to occassionally pull over to wipe them down. I look down and there is morning dew on my arm hair. I touch my face and it is soaking wet and I've got water droplets dripping from my facial hair. Luckily, the temperature wasn't too cold and I was starting to warm up. I estimate that 3/4 of our riding time was done in fog so heavy that we couldn't see the ocean, 100 yards away.
We pick up the pace and are doing anywhere from 18 - 22 mph on the flats and higher than that on the drops. We continue on and make our first SAG stop at mile 25. SAG means "support and gear" or "snacks and goodies" depending on who you talk to. Bagels with peanut butter, pretzels, bananas, apples, cookies, water, lemonade...you get the picture. I eat a 1/2 bagel with crunchy peanut butter, a banana, refill the water bottles and we hit the road again.
About 30 miles in, the sun miraculously appears and there is much rejoicing. I dry off, my compatriots pull over to remove their jackets and we proceed on. 5 miles later we're back in the pea soup! At this portion of the ride there were no other riders in sight. We cross over a bridge, I look down and see the mist swirling around the ground below. It was kind of spooky. It looks like one of the mideaval times movies and I kept expecting a fire-breathing dragon to zoom overhead.
Mile 50 is the turnaround point and there is another SAG stop. More of the same, but this time I choose a couple of apples and cookies. We head back and Rick comments on how the course if probably very beautiful and scenic...if you can see it! Mother nature hears his complaint and the sun finally fights back the fog and we are rolling down the coastline looking at the pristine Pacific Ocean. We pass Elephant Seal Rock and see a couple of dozen lazy seals, rolling in the sand. Lot of pelicans too. On the hillside up on the left we spy Hearst Castle in the distance. All of a sudden, after miles of myopic peddaling, the ride is gorgeous.
Happy the sun finally emerged
Riding Buddies Rick, Christine H, Mark W (F to B)
Then it is time to eat again. Let me tell you, the San Luis Obispo Bike Club really know how to party. This time it is deli sandwiches, pasta salad, green salad, loads of fruit and Olallieberry pie. Yes, that is right, PIE. Great lunch on picnic tables, chatting with fellow riders and then it's back on the road.
12 miles later, at mile 75 or so, there is unbelievably another food stop. What is with these people. We take a quick vote and veto the stop. Later we hear that the stop includes pound cake, strawberries, and chocolate syrup. These people are nuts!
Another 25 miles to go and the gang is tiring. Luckily, the weather remained cool and we were now riding in beautiful sunny weather. We triumphantly arrive back at Cuesta College. Ride totals were 97.58 total miles, with 6 hours, 1 minute of riding time. Elapsed time was a bit over 7 hours with all the stops. Average speed was 16.2 MPH. Very good. Not a lot of climbing. The ride was advertised at 3,500 feet of climbing but it was more like 2,200.
We roll back in and guess what...it's time to eat again. Post ride BBQ by the SLOBC. BBQ chicken, chili beans, salad, etc.
Ate, bought the event jersey and Christine took me back to the hotel and I had a nice nap. Good times.
I had managed to buy another rider's registration but wasn't able to make the Friday night check-in as we hit too much traffic on the drive up. Christine and I decided to make lemonade out of the lemons and stopped in Santa Barbara for dinner and ate at an amazing Danish restaurant/bakery on State street called Andersen's. I had the goulash and Christine ordered the Chesse Celebration that we thought was a simple cheese/fruit plate sampler. When it arrived we found that it was more like a New Year's Eve Party of Cheese. We were stunned when it showed up at the table. Poor Christine couldn't get through even a quarter of it and sadly, I'm lactose intolerant so I was no help.
Cheese Celebration
I couldn't pass up the dessert and have a lovely slice of Danish Layer cake. I also took some Cranberry Scones for a pre-ride breakfast on Saturday. Delish.
The next day, we started the ride in Cuesta College which is a community college a few miles north of downtown San Luis Obispo aka SLOtown. The temperature is cool but not cold and the sky is very overcast but it looks like it will burn off. I made the call to not wear any cold weather gear on the ride although I briefly considered the arm warmers. Christine drops me off and I check-in and then cruise the parking lot looking for my people.
There are at least two dozen TnT alumni at the event. I chat briefly with the my current coach for Tucson, Ricky along with other teammates, Kevin, Lynn and Kim. There were a few other former teammates from my Tahoe ride, including Taj, Mark W, Lisa E, Jenny, Coach Rick, Christine H. Also attending were 12 of the San Diego Sub-5 team, including TnT alumni, DJ, Timmy, Troy and many others.
I meet up with Coach Rick, Christine and Mark W and hit the road, keeping a moderate pace of 13-15 MPH to warm up the legs. In the first 5 miles, we pass no less than 10 riders fixing flats or making other minor mechanical repairs. Weird. Riding along, I'm starting to deeply regret not bringing the arm warmers. We make our way up along Highway 1. The course is well marked and there are volunteers at any location where you might accidently veer off course. About 10 miles into the ride, the fog rolls in and we're swimming in pea soup. Visibility is poor. I have to remove my sunglasses as the condensation is too heavy to see through. Poor Christine is wearing prescption sunglasses and has to occassionally pull over to wipe them down. I look down and there is morning dew on my arm hair. I touch my face and it is soaking wet and I've got water droplets dripping from my facial hair. Luckily, the temperature wasn't too cold and I was starting to warm up. I estimate that 3/4 of our riding time was done in fog so heavy that we couldn't see the ocean, 100 yards away.
We pick up the pace and are doing anywhere from 18 - 22 mph on the flats and higher than that on the drops. We continue on and make our first SAG stop at mile 25. SAG means "support and gear" or "snacks and goodies" depending on who you talk to. Bagels with peanut butter, pretzels, bananas, apples, cookies, water, lemonade...you get the picture. I eat a 1/2 bagel with crunchy peanut butter, a banana, refill the water bottles and we hit the road again.
About 30 miles in, the sun miraculously appears and there is much rejoicing. I dry off, my compatriots pull over to remove their jackets and we proceed on. 5 miles later we're back in the pea soup! At this portion of the ride there were no other riders in sight. We cross over a bridge, I look down and see the mist swirling around the ground below. It was kind of spooky. It looks like one of the mideaval times movies and I kept expecting a fire-breathing dragon to zoom overhead.
Mile 50 is the turnaround point and there is another SAG stop. More of the same, but this time I choose a couple of apples and cookies. We head back and Rick comments on how the course if probably very beautiful and scenic...if you can see it! Mother nature hears his complaint and the sun finally fights back the fog and we are rolling down the coastline looking at the pristine Pacific Ocean. We pass Elephant Seal Rock and see a couple of dozen lazy seals, rolling in the sand. Lot of pelicans too. On the hillside up on the left we spy Hearst Castle in the distance. All of a sudden, after miles of myopic peddaling, the ride is gorgeous.
Happy the sun finally emerged
Riding Buddies Rick, Christine H, Mark W (F to B)
Then it is time to eat again. Let me tell you, the San Luis Obispo Bike Club really know how to party. This time it is deli sandwiches, pasta salad, green salad, loads of fruit and Olallieberry pie. Yes, that is right, PIE. Great lunch on picnic tables, chatting with fellow riders and then it's back on the road.
12 miles later, at mile 75 or so, there is unbelievably another food stop. What is with these people. We take a quick vote and veto the stop. Later we hear that the stop includes pound cake, strawberries, and chocolate syrup. These people are nuts!
Another 25 miles to go and the gang is tiring. Luckily, the weather remained cool and we were now riding in beautiful sunny weather. We triumphantly arrive back at Cuesta College. Ride totals were 97.58 total miles, with 6 hours, 1 minute of riding time. Elapsed time was a bit over 7 hours with all the stops. Average speed was 16.2 MPH. Very good. Not a lot of climbing. The ride was advertised at 3,500 feet of climbing but it was more like 2,200.
We roll back in and guess what...it's time to eat again. Post ride BBQ by the SLOBC. BBQ chicken, chili beans, salad, etc.
Ate, bought the event jersey and Christine took me back to the hotel and I had a nice nap. Good times.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Much healthier
I got some good news in my diet/nutrition class today. Today we received our "Risk Factor Profile". When I started my diet program, 1-1/2 years and 205 lbs ago, I filled out a medical questionaire concerning my eating, exercise and lifestyle habits. You can imagine what it might look like for a 400 lb dude. Not good. According to the way this chart works, a healthy American has a Risk Factor Score of zero (0). Mine was +26. Biggest hits were being very overweight, not doing any exercise, high blood pressure, and not eating enough fruits/veggies. Poor. Today profile 1-1/2 years later, is much better. I now have a Total Risk Factor of -12! That is a net change of 38 risk factor points. My doctor says that I've added another 15 years to my life. This makes me very happy.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Back on track...
After a long weekend away doing very little exercise and eating mucho rich food, including my first french fries in a year and a half, I'm hoping to get back on track this week.
Monday: Met up with the TnT regulars at Balboa Park for a nice 4-mile session. Tried to work on my form a bit. Kat, somehow talked me into doing some sit-ups after the walk session. Some little torture she calls "bug-crunchers". She took pity on me and we only did one set although she threatened more sets in the future. The session started at 6pm and I since I get out of work at 5:30pm, I don't usually get a chance to eat beforehand. After a big walk, a man hungers. Erika threw out the idea to get sushi. Kat had to be somewhere at 8:30 so we had an hour to find a place. We ended up going to Whole Foods and eating it there. I was a little dubious of eating sushi from a supermarket, even if it is from a health store but it was pretty good. I hadn't been in the store in a while and didn't realize that they actually cook in the store. Had a nice little picnic on one of the outside tables and then called it a night.
Tuesday: Rushed to the Lake Miramar TnT session. I got there a few minutes after 6pm and saw two teammates, including Mentor Kathy, at the meeting location. Parking was at a premium and it took me a few minutes of driving around to find a spot. In the meantime, my teammates took off without me! In fairness, they hadn't seen me. They had a decent head start and I decided to do a little speed walking to see if I could catch them. They were pretty quick, but I was able to see the distance closing slowly but surely. I caught up with them around the half-way point, 2.5 miles in, and was kinda proud of myself. The rest of the session we walked at a nice clip. Kathy has one of those hi-tech watches with a GPS in it that tell you how far you've traveled and what pace. We walked a total of 5 miles at a pace of 15.22 min/mile, my fastest yet. I got a late start so I was even faster than that! Burned a little over 600 calories.
Monday: Met up with the TnT regulars at Balboa Park for a nice 4-mile session. Tried to work on my form a bit. Kat, somehow talked me into doing some sit-ups after the walk session. Some little torture she calls "bug-crunchers". She took pity on me and we only did one set although she threatened more sets in the future. The session started at 6pm and I since I get out of work at 5:30pm, I don't usually get a chance to eat beforehand. After a big walk, a man hungers. Erika threw out the idea to get sushi. Kat had to be somewhere at 8:30 so we had an hour to find a place. We ended up going to Whole Foods and eating it there. I was a little dubious of eating sushi from a supermarket, even if it is from a health store but it was pretty good. I hadn't been in the store in a while and didn't realize that they actually cook in the store. Had a nice little picnic on one of the outside tables and then called it a night.
Tuesday: Rushed to the Lake Miramar TnT session. I got there a few minutes after 6pm and saw two teammates, including Mentor Kathy, at the meeting location. Parking was at a premium and it took me a few minutes of driving around to find a spot. In the meantime, my teammates took off without me! In fairness, they hadn't seen me. They had a decent head start and I decided to do a little speed walking to see if I could catch them. They were pretty quick, but I was able to see the distance closing slowly but surely. I caught up with them around the half-way point, 2.5 miles in, and was kinda proud of myself. The rest of the session we walked at a nice clip. Kathy has one of those hi-tech watches with a GPS in it that tell you how far you've traveled and what pace. We walked a total of 5 miles at a pace of 15.22 min/mile, my fastest yet. I got a late start so I was even faster than that! Burned a little over 600 calories.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator
Stumbled across this last night and thought it was interesting. The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is how many calories a person's body consumes just to keep breathing and the blood flowing. It is how much energy your body consumes while at rest, doing no exercise, like when I'm sitting on my butt watching Film Noir movies on my living room couch. Go here to calculate your rate, based on your height, current weight and age. It is possible to get the real number via a medical exam for around $60 if anyone is interested. From what I've read and heard, the calculated value ends up being very close to the medically measured number so it usually isn't worth spending the money.
Note that this calculated value doesn't account for the energy you spend walking around doing your normal daily routine or any actual exercise you would do. Add those calories to your BMR and you get the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose or gain weight, another rule of thumb is:
Men: Goal Weight X 12 = Calorie budget for the day
Women: Goal Weight X 10 = Calorie budget for the day
Yes, the ladies get the short end of the stick. Besides being able to pee standing up, it seems that men have the further advantage of burning more calories due to greater average muscle mass.
So if my goal weight is 180 lbs then my calorie budget is (180X12=2160) not counting exercise. I'm fortunately at my goal weight so I can a eat a bit more depending on how much exercise I do. Nice!
Note that this calculated value doesn't account for the energy you spend walking around doing your normal daily routine or any actual exercise you would do. Add those calories to your BMR and you get the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose or gain weight, another rule of thumb is:
Men: Goal Weight X 12 = Calorie budget for the day
Women: Goal Weight X 10 = Calorie budget for the day
Yes, the ladies get the short end of the stick. Besides being able to pee standing up, it seems that men have the further advantage of burning more calories due to greater average muscle mass.
So if my goal weight is 180 lbs then my calorie budget is (180X12=2160) not counting exercise. I'm fortunately at my goal weight so I can a eat a bit more depending on how much exercise I do. Nice!
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