Cold Weather Cooking

I have noticed that when it gets colder, I want to eat differently! Out go the salads and in come the cooked veggies and then I want to add in some soups and things that will warm me. I have kept it a secret up 'till now........but I get cold if the temperature goes below 70 degrees! AND it is certainly below 70 degrees in Albuquerque. As I write this, it is 27 degrees!

Last week I watched Good Morning America and saw an interview with the Thai chef Su-Mei-Yu who wrote the book "Elements of Life." I have always liked Asian food and watched the interview with interest. She spoke about eating different foods when it rains and different foods when it is hot or cold outside. This made perfect sense to me as I seem to do this automatically. She also spoke about finding out your natural element as far as earth, water, wind or fire. For me, I am 3/4 earth and one part fire! So, for me, I have been adding in some heavier and warmer foods like pumpkin muffins, squash, green chile stew and homemade soups with fragrant herbs on top.

Last night, before I went to bed, I put the crock pot on and made some pinto beans which are a staple of eating in New Mexico. Check here for a good recipe:
http://www.myhomecooking.net/ Go to Mexican food recipes.

All throughout the night, I could smell the beans cooking with that little bit of salt pork and when I woke up, I had the most delicious beans imaginable. I wish I could transport the delicious meaty smell to you through the computer! To me, beans are very nurturing.

What I also learned from the book is that for me, in the winter, I need to eat more bananas, dates, applesauce, walnuts, kiwi, cranberry, beans, corn and swiss chard...to name a few. I have identified a few good recipes in the book and will start to try them.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for the colder weather. This is a great snack for when you get home from a long cold day of cycling or being outdoors.

Harvest Apples

3 apples of your choice cored in a cone shape with the larger part on the top of the apple. Do not core through bottom and make a hole.

3 TBS peanut butter

2 large boxes of raisins (3 oz)

2TBS sunflower seeds

Mix all ingredients and stuff 1/3 of the mixture into each apple. Place apples in an ovenproof dish and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until apples are soft, but not mushy. I find if I put the apples in a loaf pan, they do not roll around while cooking!

324 calories, 7g protein, 55 g carbs, 11g fat, 79g sodium and 8g fiber. If this is too much food for your snack, cut the apple in half! To reheat, just zap for a few seconds in the microwave!


How does all this fit in with training , being healthy and weight loss? Very easily. Eating in moderation is the key.
Cece

This is a Simulation...Do not Try this at Home

As I was driving to work this morning, I was crossing the Montano Bridge and right at the river crossing, I saw a clothesline full of bras! The line of bras was to remind us that YES it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! There must have been about 100 bras on this clothesline and I heard that there was a traffic accident during rush hour from someone looking at the bras and not at the road. Do not try this at home!

I heard a piece on the news this am that created quite an uproar. A TV channel in Washington DC put a story on the evening news showing an actual breast self-exam so women could know how to do their self check ups. Evidently there were some who thought it was sexual! The woman commentator said it very well when she said, "if you want to look at breasts that are sexual there are many other venues available to do that. This is not one of them!"

And so, once again I will say...If you are reading this and have not gotten your exam....turn off the computer...pick up the phone...and schedule your mammo. The life you are saving could be your own! Cancer Sucks!

cece

The Shoulder, a Winter Training Plan and a Fantasy Vehicle

Being indoors on the trainer doesn't cut it for my shoulder injury. Meaning that even though the trainer is great cardio and keeps the legs rockin' and rollin' it does nothing for my shoulder strength. When on the trainer, I do not really use my arms or shoulders....other than to hold on! When riding the road, I need to balance myself on the bike, steer, navigate and deal with the changes in the road. I found this out last weekend, like a grand surprise, when my shoulder had to struggle to keep up with the rest of me while at the Day of the Tread! I struggled to hold myself on the bike. Plus the wind compounded my troubles! It took a lot of energy just to stay on the bike!

So, what does that mean for me? Even though it is now winter in Albuquerque and the mountains look like beautiful snow covered tin foil... and it is freezing cold....that I must get outdoors on my bike. So, now I need to plan how that will happen.

I can do a split shift...and ride early in the afternoons and then go back to work later in the day. OR. I can ride after work but that will be a challenge as it gets dark real early...although I now have a light! LOL! But we've already been THERE.....so that leaves mornings and weekends. In the mornings, it is literally freezing...AND I hate the cold...and have to go to work....so that leaves weekends.

This weekend, when the team is riding, it will be 27 degrees! In Albuquerque we always have wonderful wind...and we are known for "The BOX" which is why we are so balloon friendly! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque_International_Balloon_Fiesta

We are always blessed with a head wind ...no matter if we think we will get a tailwind on our return ride. We always get a head wind! This is why the balloons go in a box...they go across the valley and then go back up and across the valley...head winds both directions! URGH! With my shoulder, I cannot fight the wind to stay on the bike...it is very hard.

So, what are my options? I can suck it up and "man up" and get out in the cold and wind (which I did last year complaining all the way) or I can ride later outdoors on the weekends when it is a bit warmer perhaps 50 degrees. Or I can do a split shift at work and ride in the very early afternoon when the temps are more moderate. That sounds better to me.

I really need to develop a better back bone on this cold and wind issue and I am reminded of a very functional picture that the Fat Cyclist's (http://www.fatcyclist.com/) daughter drew for him. Oct6th blog entry) it was...a vehicle that protected him from the snow and the elements....perhaps I can fantasize about this vehicle , which I hope Fatty will patent...and I can channel the warmth and protection that the vehicle will afford me.

Other than that...I just have to get my butt out in the cold and wind and suck it up!

Cece

The Day of the Tread

The Day of the Tread was a fantastic event! There were over 900 registered riders who rode various ride lengths from 12-100 miles! There was music and dancing at every turn and wonderful rest stops with sopapillas and bloody finger cookies and lots of laughs and meet ups with old friends! When I first arrived , I saw a parking lot full of friends from Team in Training and got lots of hugs .

Thanks to Catherine for riding with me! It was nice to get to know you a bit more. I like to ride and get to know someone. It is great fun!

This is one of my old friends...laid back and enjoying his recline on the back of a tandem. I heard this guy kicked butt going up Tramway hill.....you know this is my absolute fav-or-ite hill! LOL How can he smile going up that hill? How can my friend Stephanie smile climbing up that hill...oh well, maybe one day I will learn how.

Women Riding Well did this as a club ride. We got together on several days and painted our jerseys as a deck of cards! We had lots of fun doing this together!

Here we all are pre-ride. I am not sure if you can see that we are all the Queen of Hearts and we are wearing a crown with a heart in it on our helmets.
Here are the backs of our shirts that we painted. Each woman's shirt was unique and painted according to her own style!

Here is me with my tiara! Barbara helped me hitch it up and helped me to get it to stay upright on my helmet. Thanks Barb!

And this is my friend Stephanie who is just a man magnet when she is wearing ears! I just think men like a women in ears! LOL....she went as a white tiger.

And here is the man who just about stole the show during the ride. Can you see that he has adapted his bike to hold an IV drip bag and a urine bag? Not only that but....or shall I say BUTT.....he was flashing us all throughout the ride.....and afterwards we made him show us how he did it. He got a fake butt and pantyhose.......and the rest shall be left to the imagination!
Nice Legs! See slide show below for more pics and costumes.

Day of the Tread in PIcs