Gotta Eat, Can't Cook

July 20th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Dessert, Fitness/Health

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Tour de France Rice Pudding – All in Pictures

Stage 14 of the Tour de France was another brutal assault up the Alps from Grenoble to Risoul. Now, where the men rode wasn’t quite like the upper left picture, but then again, it wasn’t far from it.

On the food side of life, I got a real thrill hearing recently retired Tour racer and now NBCSN announcer Christian Vande Velde talk yesterday about a typical Tour cyclist’s daily course of meals. One thing that caught my ear was his – and I’m sure other racer’s – particular love for rice pudding as a healthy dessert. All right!

Though I’m a fan, I’d never before made rice pudding myself. So, I checked out some recipes, figured out my own way – and laid it down in picture book format.

Stove Cooked Rice Pudding PIcture Book Recipe pages Read more »

July 19th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, French Toast, One Bowl Meals, Special Recipes

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Powering Up with Microwave Cooked Power French Toast – All in Pictures

Whoa, the men of the Tour de France had a tough day yesterday from St. Etienne to Chamrousse with a numbing 3000 foot climb for the last 8 or so miles. Ouch! And, still, Vincenzo Nibali leads the way.

And, today – almost all uphill climbing from Grenoble to Risoul. Ow!

The men will need power. Here’s a great power meal – with a good shot of French: Microwave Cooked Power French Toast.

July 18th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food

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Almond Butter with Dried Cranberries, Flaxseed and Toasted Coconut – All in Pictures

Nut butter. It’s great stuff for it’s energy packing protein and healthy fat content. It tastes great. And, it’s easy to make. What you see above is what I had after a good ride with excellent cycling bud Ken Kolbe to Wachusett Mountain in Central Massachusetts (below) – cherry pancake with nut butter and fresh peach and mango. Not too long ago, I posted a fresh almond butter step-by-step picture book recipe, which you can get by clicking this link. But, hey, the Tour’s on. It’s all about France, great cycling, incredible scenery, and terrific food and flavor. So, here’s how to make Almond Butter with Dried Cranberries, Flaxseed and Toasted Coconut. Read more »

July 17th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fruit Pancakes, Pancakes, Special Recipes

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Cherry Pancake with Nut Butter and Fruit – All in Pictures

Tony Gallopin crunched a mountain climbing first French win of the Tour de France on stage 11 from Besancon to Oyonnax while American Andrew Telansky courageously braved finishing the stage despite injuries from earlier crashes that put him far behind the field.

On the food side of life, sure, you can have fresh cherry pancake just the way it is. It has fruit, protein and complex carbohydrates all fantastically flavorfully packaged together. What you see here is just an example of an easy way to take that cherry pancake from simple to exciting by adding a shot of nut butter, laying down some fresh fruit, and topping it all off with a spoon of yogurt and, of course, fresh whipped cream.

July 16th, 2014

Blog

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What the Tour Teaches About Mountains to Climb – Not Always on the Bike

I just saw this terrifically dead-on quote on the back of a special edition issue of Scientific American dedicated to cardiovascular disease.

Here’s how that quote applies to a slice of life while the Tour de France is underway. Like any sport that pits man – or woman – against tough obstacles, I look at cycling as a metaphor for life. Today, the men of the Tour de France head into the Alps from Besancon to Oyonnax. It’ll be tough – with lots of climbing and focused effort on winning. Yes, painful. But, at the same time, great!

Today, I’ll climb a different kind of mountain: visiting Massachusetts State Representatives to continue to advocate moving forward a unified effort among MASS (Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents), MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) and MASBO (Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials) to effect positive change in education with precious little time remaining in the current legislative session that ends July 31st.

Here’s an outline of the situation.

The big picture:

Today’s education = tomorrow’s economy
30% of our population is engaged in education
A better educated workforce = stronger tax base

The problem:

Our schools are currently overwhelmed by mandated regulations and reporting requirements that distract attention and divert resources needed to provide students with the content and skills they need to succeed in a highly competitive global economy

Evidence:

Massachusetts leads the nation in education but is ranked 4th in reading, 10th in math, and 7th in science internationally (PISA 2012)
Excessive bureaucracy is driving valuably skilled teachers and administrators away from education

The solution:

Make sense of mandates and regulations to take a first positive step toward helping our schools provide the education our students need to compete globally

Action:

We’re asking that state legislators make a specific bill, H.3722 (An Act to establish an education mandate task force), a priority for enactment this legislative session.

Just like the Tour, the effort above is not about one person at all. It’s about a team effort – and it will be fun!

July 15th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Fruit Pancakes, Pancakes

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Cherry Pancake on Top of a Tour Rest Day – All in Pictures

Another gutsy come-from-behind win by Team Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali on stage 10 from Mulhouse to the top of La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges mountains. And, though the sun did come out after another incredibly wet day, the road and the weather took another leading contender, Alberto Contador, out of the race.

It’s a rude understatement to say the men of the Tour deserve a day’s rest. Here’s a cherry pancake to make that rest sweeter – or to add fantastically flavorful variety to your breakfast.

July 14th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Pancakes

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Bastille Day Mis-Fire-Works – And Living to Tell About It

Here’s what a picture-perfect start to stage 10 of the Tour de France on Bastille Day – complete even with some kinda’ “smoke’s on!” fireworks on the side of the road – and a very fresh and flavorful breakfast looked like this morning.

July 12th, 2014

Bar Drinks, Blog, Special Recipes

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Tour de France Stage 6 & Wine and Gin Citrus Chill

The tour ripped on from Epernay to Nancy in Northern France yesterday during the second longest stage of the Tour this year. Here’s a drink that – ok, it’s a stretch – commemorates the unified England and France flavor of the Tour: wine and gin citrus chill.

July 11th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, French Toast

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Wake Up to the Tour with Pan Cooked French Toast and a Choice of Toppings – All in Pictures

The Tour on TV and the smell of butter, eggs, bread, and a good shot of ground cinnamon cooking in the frying pan! Click either the picture above or directly below for a complete, easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.

As for toppings, sure, you can use traditional maple syrup.

But just click any of the pictures below for picture book recipes that show how to put together very easy and terrifically flavorful alternative toppings. As always, what you see in those recipes works fine but is just intended to fire up your imagination. Try something different and make it all yours!

July 10th, 2014

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Special Recipes

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Cobble Destroyed Tour de France Day & Crepes Made Easy – All in Pictures

What an incredibly tough and destructive day on the cobblestones in the dreaded stage 5 of the Tour de France yesterday between Ypres and Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, still in Northern France. Congratulations to Dutchman Lars Boom (great name!) for destroying a field of tough, tough men and winning today’s stage!

Just one word about the whole event today – and I’m 3000 miles away: “OUCH!” Another few words: cobblestones are part of classic road pavement history – and should be permanent history as far as pro cycle racing is concerned. Too many of the world’s best athletes got smoked today, including last year’s Tour winner Chris Froome, on history’s pavement relics.