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Archive for the ‘Fitness Food’ Category

September 27th, 2023

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, How To & Tips, Running Food, Special Recipes, Sports Nutrition

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Rocket Fuel Breakfast, Part 5: Fresh Whipped Cream

Fresh whipped cream tastes far better than whipped cream spritzed from a can or scooped from a plastic tub – and it’s both as incredibly easy to make as it is versatile to use. I love it with the “rocket fuel breakfast” you see above: on fruit pancake, with yogurt and fruit, in coffee. But, as always, imagination is your only limit!

Here’s what you need for both for ingredients and equipment – easy.

Before you get started, here’s an easy tip. Make sure the heavy cream is cold and put whatever container you’re going to use to whip the cream in the freezer until it is well chilled as shown below. The reason: cold cream and a cold container make the cream whip faster – I like that!

Please click any picture on this page or this link for step-by-step fresh whipped cream picture book directions – and enjoy!

August 30th, 2023

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Hiking Food, Nutrition, Running, Running Food, Sports Nutrition

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Rocket Fuel Breakfast, Part 4: Fruit, Yogurt & More

Fruit, yogurt and more? Sure, always more! With full-on flavor – that’s half the fun of it. What you see above is what I put together to rocket-fuel up or an excellent hop on the bike with good buds this morning (below) – and with no need to refuel on the way.

You can get the base recipe I used, Summer Multi-Fruit Salad, by clicking either this link or any picture on this page.

To mix it up a bit, here’s what I used for ingredients and…

…how I put it all together – fruit first; then nut butter, cookie butter spread, jam; Greek yogurt & ground flaxseed with nutritional yeast…

…raisins & dried cranberries; and peach kefir. Killer and went great with the slice of cherry peach pancake and iced chocolate, coconut water coffee shown at the top of this page.

Enjoy!

August 20th, 2023

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit Pancakes, Hiking Food, Running, Running Food, Sports Nutrition

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Rocket Fuel Breakfast, Part 3: Improvised Fruit Pancake

The key word to an energy sustaining rocket fuel breakfast: opposition. Opposition here means counterbalancing complex instant “get up and go” energy carbohydrates with longer burning proteins and fats that provide “keep the drive alive” sustained energy.

One of my favorites that wraps that combination all in one – with full-on flavor – is fresh fruit pancake like the cherry peach pancake shown here.

The best part about this pancake is that it’s nothing like traditional spongy, syrup-sucking flapjacks. No sir/ma’am! These pancakes are rich in protein, have just enough flour to keep them together as they cook in the pan and are packed with fresh fruit. Now, you won’t picture book directions for this specific cherry peach pancake because the only difference between it and the cherry pancake picture book recipe you can get here is the added fresh peach slices on top of the pancake as shown below – and, of course, you can substitute those peaches – or cherries – with any fresh fruit you like.

Click this link or any picture on this page to get the full cherry pancake step-by-step picture book recipe, and either have that pancake exactly as shown in the recipe (though cherries might be tough to find right now) or improvise with any fresh fruit you like.

August 1st, 2023

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Hiking Food, Running, Running Food

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Ice Chocolate Coconut Coffee Picture Book Directions

Last post, Rocket Fuel to Power Your Body in Motion, showed very much the same breakfast I had this morning before popping out for a bike ride with good Hickory buds shown below.

This post focuses on the liquid part of that breakfast, iced chocolate coconut coffee.

A couple quick comments:

Most importantly, this cold drink tastes great! At the same time, it’s moderately caffeinated and provides a good shot of potassium, through coconut water, which boosts metabolism and pays off big time for any endurance physical activity: cycling, running, hiking, walking, full-on yard work – and more. (I usually drink 2 tumblers (about 20 ounces X 2) full of that drink before a ride and then supplement with water on the fly – and never come home dehydrated.)
For optimal results, I highly recommend brewing the coffee and making the chocolate mix in the evening so that it can cool in the fridge overnight for an ice cold drink in the morning.

Here’s what you need to make iced chocolate coconut coffee.

Click any link or picture on this page for iced chocolate coconut coffee picture book directions.

July 11th, 2023

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Drinks (no alcohol), Fitness Food, Food & Health, Fruit, Fruit Pancakes, Hiking Food, Nutrition, Pancakes, Running Food, Sports Nutrition

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Rocket Fuel Breakfast to Power Your Body in Motion

Rockets, power, motion! Please tell me you find that “let’s go!” motivating! When it comes to fuel to power endurance exercise/any physical activity to keep your body in motion, the key is making sure to take in fats, protein, some carbohydrates and fluids – and having them all with full-on flavor.

Here’s what I had recently for the hop on the bike shown above with terrific good friends.

The fats, from whole milk Greek yogurt, whole milk kefir, almond-peanut butter and freshly made whipped cream, combined with protein from egg and whole grain flour in the fruit pancake, Greek yogurt and kefir gave me slow-burning sustained energy. The carbohydrates: a little sugar in my iced coffee/chocolate/coconut water drink, cookie spread on my pancake slice and fruit, dried fruit and jam in my fruit and yogurt mix, gave me instant energy to start my ride. And front-loading fluids with 30-40 ounces of iced coffee/chocolate/coconut water got me going well hydrated so that I just needed to top off with water while I rode, and the potassium in coconut water helped both prevent cramps and improve energy metabolism.

Of course, everybody’s body and fuel requirements are different, and only YOU know YOU. That means it’s most important to pay attention to what YOU eat and drink and how that affects YOUR physical performance, no matter what kind of physical activity YOU do. Still, though the fine details differ person to person, the base components are the same: carbohydrates for quick burning energy, a good shot of fat and protein for long-burning, sustained energy and plenty of fluids to start off well hydrated.

The next few posts, starting with iced coffee/chocolate/coconut water (killer good!), will show how to make each of the 3 pieces shown above that I have regularly – and always with a little improvised variety for flavor fun, before hopping out on the bike.

More soon!

April 19th, 2023

Blog, Breakfast, Cooking Technique, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit Pancakes, Hiking Food, How To & Tips, Pancakes, Running Food

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On the Road Improvised “On the Fly” Meals

Top left & right: In DC for National Bike Summit. Bottom left: riding Fiesta Island with good Navy bud, Stormin’ Walker. Bottom right: “on the fly” improvised fruit pancake.

Been on the road the past 3+ weeks. First to DC as a new BikeWalkNC rep. to advocate with League of American Bicyclists at their National Bike Summit for improved road safety for all (For why, click 5 Reasons US Roads Are Dangerous for Pedestrians and Cyclists). Now in Monterey, California, to attend the country’s largest bike festival, Sea Otter. Have had almost all my meals “on the fly” (aka: completely improvised) whether I’ve stayed in Airbnb’s, like the one shown below, or with good friends and family.

Here’s an “on the fly” example. Was in San Diego last week at my Navy big brother’s place and made this improvised strawberry, blackberry and banana pancake for breakfast.

I’ve certainly made lots of fruit pancakes but never one with strawberries, bananas and blackberries. No big deal.

The keys to improvising are having a good, reliable, easy to remember base recipe and trusting your taste to make what you want. Also no big deal – but a lot of fun.

My base recipe for fruit pancakes: apple pancake. If you’re an apple fan at all, I think you’ll find that pancake both fully-flavor-satisfying and one that will let answer the question, “I wonder how it would taste if I made it with _______?” As soon as you ask that question – and you’re willing to take a little leap in faith – you’re off to the “on the fly” improvised races!

March 2nd, 2023

Blog, Cycling Food, Eggs, Fitness Food, Running Food

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Scrambled Eggs with Pasta and Plantain Picture Directions

Almost every time I hop out on the bike, I think about what I’m going to have for lunch when I get home. That’s actually a good part of the fun while I ride.

Here’s how some of that thinking goes and what I do about it – all about putting “imagination is your only limit” to practice.

The other day, while I was out with a good group of Hickory Velo Club buds, it all started with a quiet monologue. “Shrimp’s gone. Finished beef last night. Want something quick. I do have cooked pasta in the fridge. Eggs…cheese… That’s a start…”

Here’s how I put that to action, all on the fly (aka, improvised as I was putting the dish together).

I chopped cooked pasta, cracked 3 eggs, added shots of chili lime powder, ginger sauce and teriyaki sauce to the eggs and mixed it all up.

While the pan warmed over medium heat, I grabbed a fully ripened plantain and garlic from the top of my fridge and cut and chopped them as shown below.

When the pan warmed, I added a slab of butter, swirled it in the pan to cover the pan surface,…

…and added the cut plantains and topped them with a good shake of ground turmeric and ground ginger. I let the plantains brown on both sides for a few minutes, as shown below, and then added the pasta and scrambled egg mix.

I then added chopped garlic and some sliced cheese and let that all cook until the bottom of the eggs just started to firm (about a minute).

Once the eggs started to firm up, I scooped and turned the egg mix every 30 seconds or so to let them cook cook evenly until the eggs were just about solid, and then turned off the stove heat.

I slid pan off the warm burner, let the eggs finish cooking on their own and chopped both a piece of dried spiced mango and half a small avocado.

I finished by scooping a spoon of the cooked egg, pasta and plantain into a bowl and topped it all with the cut avocado and spiced mango, a shot of parmesan cheese, salad dressing and a tiny spoon of a spice mix called Harissa (big time kick), until what I had looked like…

…this.

Killer flavor! Something I’ve never had before. And all a terrific exclamation point to a fun ride with good buds!

October 18th, 2022

Blog, Breakfast, Crepes, Cycling, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Hiking Food, Leftovers, Running Food, Sports Nutrition

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JIC Follow-Up: Crepe with Nut Butter, Cookie Spread & More

Last post was about a crepe I made with nut butter, cookie spread and raisins, as my dear ol’ mom used to say, “JIC”. And that “JIC” was “just in case” I needed it to refuel on a 60 mile North Carolina ride. And though I didn’t need to refuel on the ride, that full-on flavorful crepe sure didn’t go to waste. No way!

Crepe with nut butter, cookie spread; fruit with yogurt, jam & dried fruit; and coffee

Last weekend I used half of that leftover crepe for breakfast, as shown above, along with fruit, yogurt, jam and dried fruit and a vat of coffee – and, you bet, both the crepe and coffee got a good shot of whipped cream. Again, that breakfast – and a good meal the night before (equally as important) –

…sustained me just fine for another 60 mile less hilly ride, as shown above, with no need to chomp on the nuts, raisins and dried coconut I bagged and shoved in my pocket, again, “JIC”. Ha, Mom!

October 10th, 2022

Blog, Breakfast, Crepes, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Hiking Food, Running Food

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My Dear Ol’ Mom’s “JIC” and Nut Butter and Cookie Spread Road Crepe

My dear ol’ Mom “live life ‘bright eyed & bushy tailed’ and with compassion” role model had quite a few family famous lines. One was “Take it with you, JIC”, aka “Just in Case”, which she almost always qualified with a blunt “It’s better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it”. Yes, ma’am.

This past Saturday I sure heard her voice between my ears while prepping for a crunch on the bike with my good Hickory brothers. I’d actually started that prep the night before by making fresh crepes – all easy (click this link for picture book directions). I then laid on a good spread of both nut butter and cookie spread and topped that with raisins (click this link for step-by-step picture directions – and skip adding yogurt & whipped cream if you’re packing that crepe as shown below).

Crepe with nut butter, cookie spread & raisins packed in a zip bag for a bike ride

In the background of the 2-shot picture above, you can see what I had for breakfast before the morning ride: fruit with yogurt, jam and dried fruit along with 1/4th of a toasted waffle with nut butter, cookie spread and raisins that I topped later with a shot of yogurt and whipped cream – and very little coffee. I thought I had time. I didn’t.

As I’ve mentioned before, a breakfast like the one above almost always keeps me completely fueled for my rides. Same thing here. We stopped for coffee halfway out. I had an extra large with milk but didn’t eat anything – I wasn’t even slightly hungry – and was just fine for the whole ride as mapped out above.

If my dear ol’ mom could’ve seen me, she would’ve smiled, “Well, at least you had it, sonny. JIC!” Ma’, you bet – and thanks! (Wow, that last line makes my eyes swim – for good reason!)

September 26th, 2022

Blog, Breakfast, Crepes, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Hiking Food, How To & Tips, Running Food

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Fresh Crepes with Nut Butter, Jam, Yogurt & Whipped Cream

Last post – I know, quite a while ago – showed how to make fresh crepes, which are just as easy to make as flapjack pancakes but are way more versatile, as shown with just a few examples above.

Whether you use your own crepes or pre-made store bought crepes, the top middle version, filled with nut butter and jam and topped with yogurt and whipped cream is very easy to make, killer flavorful and great power fuel for any kind of strenuous activity because of its combination of simple “get up and go!” sugars from the jam and cookie spread (optional), complex carbs from the flour in the crepe, protein from the egg in the crepe, Greek yogurt and nut butter, and fats from nut butter, yogurt (if you use whole milk yogurt) and whipped cream.

Here’s what I use to put together a crepe like this: homemade crepe (which can be substituted with a prepared, store bought crepe), then from left to right: whole milk Greek yogurt, almond butter, cookie spread (optional – I love both added flavor and light crunch!), jam, raisins and whipped cream.

Crepe with nut butter, jam, yogurt and whipped cream ingredients

Start by spreading nut butter, cookie spread (optional) and jam down the middle of the crepe.

Spreading nut butter, cookie spread and jam down the middle of a crepe

I fold over one of the crepe thirds and add a dab of nut butter to the middle of that third and then fold over the opposing third, as shown below, to keep the crepe folded in place when I warm it in the microwave oven.

Using nut butter to keep the folded crepe thirds together when warmed in the microwave oven

Warm the filled crepe in the microwave oven for 20 seconds.

Warming the filled crepe for 20 seconds in the microwave oven

Finish buy topping the warmed crepe with yogurt and whipped cream.

Finishing with a good shot of yogurt and whipped cream

This crepe just by itself is great. Here’s how I have it before a good crunch on the bike that keeps me satisfied completely with no need to refuel on the fly for distances of 30-50+ miles with plenty of North Carolina hills along the way.