July 26th, 2014 
Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Eggs, Fitness/Health, Special Recipes 
Comments Off on Power Finish to Tour & Fully Flavorful Microwave Omelet S2E – In Pictures Wet & nasty stage 19 of the Tour de France yesterday. Powerful 30-plus time trial today. On to the Paris tomorrow. Wow, it’s been a rip of a tour!
Here’s something that no matter the weather or need for power will give you a bright breakfast smile: Microwave Cooked Omelet – From Simple to Exciting. Aside from the flavor, the really cool thing about making this omelet is that you can mix, cook, and eat the omelet from the same plate. I dig that – a lot!
July 24th, 2014 Blog, Cycling Food, Fitness/Health, Special Recipes, Video & Picture Ebooks Comments Off on High Protein Power Tuna Salad – All in Pictures & Video 
Had to launch early yesterday morning and reluctantly missed the four grueling stage 17 Tour de France climbs in the Pyrenees. Gotta’ a good feeling some of the riders wish they could say the same – and still live to ride another day to tell about it.
In the end, it’s all about what you use to burn in your tank when you’re pushed to the limit. Here’s a great recipe to power you when you need it – with full-on flavor: Power Tuna Salad.
July 23rd, 2014 Blog Comments Off on Tough Pyrenees Climbs: Easy One-Bowl Power Cereal Breakfast – All in Pictures 
Congratulations to Michael Rogers, who took an early lead from the pack yesterday and won stage 16 from Carcassone to Bagneres de Luchon with rivals nipping at his heels.
I know I’ve laid down quite a few breakfast recipes lately, but that’s the meal I have when I click on the Tour in the morning. Breakfast is also the foundation meal for the men before they take off to crush miles on the road.
Here’s a breakfast I’ve had many times before a ride that’s easy to make, easy to clean up afterward, and best of all, is fantastically flavorful: Microwave Power Cereal that you can get by clicking any picture on this page.
July 22nd, 2014 Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Special Recipes Comments Off on Pre or Post Ride Nut Butter and Trail Mix on Toast – All in Pictures 
Rest day over. The men of the Tour crank it into the Pyrenees for 237 kilometer (147 miles) of serious climbing. Here’s what the profile looks like. Ouch!
Didn’t see stage 15 of the Tour live yesterday, though I’m watching a replay now. No shame – not a drop. I was on the road yesterday morning laying down a very fun, gorgeously cool (for July) 25 mile ride on the Nashua River Trail in North Central Massachusetts with a darn good friend who’s recently gotten back to biking – and absolutely loves it! Terrific!
July 20th, 2014 Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Dessert, Fitness/Health Comments Off on 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.
July 19th, 2014 Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, French Toast, One Bowl Meals, Special Recipes Comments Off on 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 Comments Off on 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 Comments Off on 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 Comments Off on 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:
The problem:
Evidence:
The solution:
Action:
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!
