Some New Staples

So the detox went really well, I carried it out for about 2 weeks with adding caffeine and some alcohol the second week....

With the detox diet I did always comes some good recipes.  Two soups and one warm salad in particular became a staple.  I pumped up my vegetarian chili with some chipoltle chilis in adobo sauce, I fell in love with miso soup and found a new way to do collard greens.

Smoky 3-Bean Chili

1 onion diced
1 stalk of celery chopped
10 baby carrots chopped (this was all I had)
5 cloves of garlic diced
2 green peppers chopped ( I had 1 green and 1 poblano)

Use some olive oil and saute this mixture with medium heat for about 5-7 min until softened.

Add this to a crockpot or just large pot on stove then add the following to the pot.

1 can black beans (or soak dry overnight)
1 can kidney beans
1 can chickpeas
2 chipotled peppers in adobo (add a smoky flavor - can find in Mexican section of most grocery stores) or just do 1 jalepeno chopped.
2 cans of whole tomatoes (break them up with wooden spoon before)
Maybe 1/2-3/4 cup of chicken broth.
Sprinkle in some cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper.

I let it go on high for an hour or 2 and then low for 4-6 hours in crockpot or just on low for 8 hours.  The longer the better, you can also just do it overnight.

When I serve I use sliced avocado for topping, crumpled rice or corn chips and maybe dollop of 0% greek yogurt and then of course hot sauce (cause nothing is hot enough for me)....I also added some quinoa to the chili.

 

Mellow Barley Veggie Miso Soup

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.

Add in the following:
1 chopped leek
1 onion chopped
1 scallion chopped

1 stick kombu (sea vegetable) (about 4")
Let simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Add in the following:
1 baby bok choy (white part only for now)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped green cabbage.

Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Use soup broth in a ramekin or small bowl and add 3 tspn of white mellow miso, 3 tspn of barley miso and stir until the paste loosens up.

Add to the pot and simmer (DO NOT BOIL OR IT WILL DESTROY THE ENZYMES IN THE MISO)

Add greens of bok chop until bright green.


This is really good for you after "fasting" while sleeping with your digestion, or lunch or dinner :)

So yummy.

Warm Collard Green Salad with Brown Rice Vinegar (adapted from the Jai Seed/Rich Roll cookbook)

1 yellow squash - sliced
char the squash over high heat (no oil) and flip, place in a boil.

Add 1tspn of olive oil and saute some mushrooms and garlic, place over squash.

Add 1 tspn of olive oil and saute some collard greens until translucent, place over mushrooms.

Add some brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, seas salt and pepper.

I ate it with some homemade gazpacho that you can find from one of my previous recipes here.  Easy and delicious.

World Series of Triathlons - Kona

In light of what will be occurring this Saturday, October 8th, I decided to instead devote a post to the Ironman Hawaii aka Kona aka the World Championships!  My love for the sport started in 8th grade, although I would never even "tri" a triathlon until I turned 31 unless you count a couple duathlons that were on a mountain bike....

Doesn't matter, I was enamored with this big race since 1989 when my Aunt Noreen and Uncle Glenn were married in NJ and  shortly after moved to Hawaii and would pursue the dream of competing in Kona....They both got in - my aunt in 1991 and my uncle in 1992.  I still remember being in high school and telling friends that my aunt and uncle were in the biggest race - I don't think anyone cared but I was so excited!  I was crushing over Mark Allen! 

The Iron War of Mark Allen and Dave Scott - 1989

I loved going to my grandparent's house and seeing that finishing post of my aunt coming in posted on the fridge.  She had quite a struggle but she finished and was an "IRONMAN."  My uncle finished in 10 hours and some change which I can't even fathom - but I think it is freaking awesome!

For any of you that don't know, the World Championships Ironman is mainly qualified racers from the other WTC-sanctioned (Ironman branded) events as well as some lucky little bastards that get in through the 200 lottery slots.  The race consists of 2.4 miles swim in the Pacific...(yes, kids, this water is clear unlike the Jersey lakes and cranberry bogs we need to sift through out here),  156 mile bike  past some lava fields (no joke), and last but not least, just a short little marathon. 

This was the IM Hawaii World Championships 1992....(I hijacked some of the pictures when my uncle was in it - such an amazing event)....I was so excited to find these pictures from almost 20 years ago!

Start of the race!

Swimmers getting ready to start!

This was from a post card

Setting up the bike pre-race!

Transition area

Finishing up - looking strong!

This is it now...



So yes, the outfits, may have changed, the bikes upgraded a little, but the emotions are the same.  


Among the hottest pros are Chrissie Wellington (course record of 8 hours and 54 min....), Andy Potts, Miranda Carfrae, etc...but what about those age groupers?  What about those incredibly dedicated peeps that hold down a full-time job and have trained for an additional 20-25 hours a week on top of that competing with the best of the best in the hopes of winning, placing and/or finishing this intense race.  And let's not forget those people that have handicaps such as amputees, blind, etc that finish the race way faster than I can ever even hope to.  These are the people that encourage me to run that extra mile when I feel like stopping!
 
So is Hawaii Ironman part of my hopes and dreams? YOU BETCHA! Maybe it won't happen till I am 75 and qualified by doing IM Brazil (I hear you have a better chance), or maybe one year I enter the lottery (not the $$$ one, the ironman one - all though the first would be nice too) and get in, OR maybe I just take a short vacation and watch the event unfold in-person and cheer and hold signs for all those amazing athletes.

The race will not be airing till November, but you can track tomorrow some of my favorite blogging friends.  If you get a chance, visit some of these blog links and read what some of these cool kids do in their "spare" time and how hard they work to get where they are! 

Tatiana  - What it is
Beth W - California Training
James - Blood Sweat and Beers
Hailey  - Hailey in Training
Beth S - Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials
Sonja  - GoSonja
Marni - http://trimarni.blogspot.com/

 Good luck to all those RACING tomorrow!!

Now Where Was I.....

Mentally and physically I am feeling so much better.  I went through a bit of a slump where I was lacking in endorphins which equated to a GRUMPY HEATHER....The fact that I couldn't exercise led me to the obvious decision to eat whatever I want and drink a lot, duh!  I do have to say it's been fun...

There was the spectating at my favorite Marlton Lakes Sprint Tri while watching four of my friends and two of which trained all summer and did their first tri - GO HGRC! 

My sister and I made signs

Theresa, Marissa (new triathlete), Christine, Nicole, Tiffany (new triathlete), myself and David

 ....followed by the beerathlon, where the HGRC may not have reclaimed their title but showed many boys that we are able to move from position 4 out of 8 teams to position 2 by the mere skill of out-drinking and flipping cups.

Erica (Queen of Jenga), Me (The Pong Master) and Christine (Ninja champion - yup an Asian stereotype)

Our Chant before the finals - Flip Cup (sporting our new HGRC shirts - Metal Chicks Tri Harder)

...celebrated my birthday weekend(s) with Mexican and beer at the Hulmeville Inn...

Celebrating my birthday with my friends: Firestone Walker, Russian River and Wyerbacher

 ...dinner with my family and friends...

Yes, I turned 36....

Happy Fucking Birthday....pretty much sums it up!

Hanging with my girls!

And my awesome family!

...and yes, more beer at the US NJ Battleship where we combined mixing history with being incredibly drunk and befriending every beer rep and local there.

USS NJ BATTLESHIP - GETTING IN SOME HISTORY

NICE GUNS....

My partners in crime for the day....

A handy necklace for holding your beer....those Oskar Blues peeps are so smart, I mean the cans you can even ummm... put candles in them...oops..

Drinking our favorite Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin - I think we drank a pitcher of it...we may have made a nuisance of ourselves

Enough said...

So enough of the montage of what I did while I recovered from my bike accident....

While there was a good amount of healthy eating, the quantity and lack of good decisions to eat healthy while drinking and extra empty calories (e.g. beer) far outweighed the amount of good healthy eating.  The lack of calories being burned didn't help...My bad eating is really not terribly bad it is more just comfort foods like lots of pasta, bread, pretzels pizza, etc.

So I found a workout in an old Muscle and Fitness for Hers about two weeks ago while cleaning, and vowed to include strength training 4 days a week and do some sort of cardio (spinning) 6 days a week while attempting to start running.  I'm in my second week of the workouts, started running again without hurting (little tightness in the chest) and got my bike back all fixed up!

Last week I started my detox - see here for my specs on the detox.  Mike decided to jump on the bandwagon and my birthday present arrived just in time...

MOVE OVER CUISINART I'M BIGGER AND BETTER, I GRIND UP BEETS LIKE IT'S MY JOB

 YES, he is the best husband in the world!


We have used it every day for yummy shakes and soups.


So as it is almost the close of a full week - A VERY PRODUCTIVE WEEK
   6 days of working out
+ 4 runs = 14.5 miles (I can run without complete pain)
+ 3 spinning rides on the trainer (my bike is fixed!)
+ 4 intense strength training including 1 day of plyometrics
+ 2 yoga classes (vinyasa and power)
+ 6 days of detox
+ 1 five-gallon robust porter in it's first fermentation (POST TO COME!!!)

5 lbs lighter!!

So as I continue this detox (I am adding back in some alcohol (LIMITED) and caffeine....

I leave you in good spirits and a HAPPY HEATHER!

New HGRC Logo = New Shirts!!!

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, two girls were running around a river....as they were all sweaty, feeling disgusting in the pleasant Jersey humidity...

This is a short video that sort of describes the conversation that Christine and I had....

HGRC Beginning
by: HLOCK

So this is my partner in crime....remember we decided to do our first triathlon over Jager shots....

The HGRC was not just developed for runners or triathletes, it was developed for the woman that embraces health and well-being and of course, FUN.  We have runners, walkers, Zumba instructors, triathletes, gym-goers, etc. 

An HGRC girl is resourceful

We have creative signs and great cheerleaders!!

We love the paparazzi

HGRC circuit training - obviously ending in a drink

HGRC Tire Changing Class

tire-changing class gone wrong

Christine used her thumbs!!  Best advice ever.

sporting our logo at tris

Philly 1/2 marathon

So join in the fun - here is our latest logo developed by our "creative team," i.e three girls and a couple of beers combing our love for metal and triathlons!

There will be another in the works for the fall where we will be creating some hoodies.  If you would like a shirt - please email me for details or ordering information at missfancypants@mac.com.  Shirts will be from Old Navy - if you would like to order one.  This order for tanks will need to be in by Monday evening, August 22nd.  However, we may do a tech type of shirt with the same logo in the next month!

Farmer's Market Finds - Gazpacho Ingredients

Last week I went to Z Foods Farm in Lawrenceville, NJ to check out what they had.  A friend of mine has been a long-time supporter of their organic veggies....So I came home with a lot of goodies/ingredients for some recipes. 

During my time on the couch to recover from this injury, I watched some more of my favorites - Giada at Home and Barefoot Contessa.  Giada made a spicy gazpacho which I have to say the thought of cold soup doesn't sound all that appetizing; however, she always makes it look so awesome so I was on the hunt at the farmer's market for the ingredients.  I like to do my own thing and not follow any real recipe so I was hunting for tomatoes, peppers, onions and cucumbers.  Good old Ina was doing a show on the farmer's market so I was inspired!!

Here is the outcome of the two shows:

FYI -- there is no exact recipe I just cut up a bunch of stuff and threw it in.  I don't think you can go wrong -  I did add some vinegar (I used brown rice vinegar but apple cider vinegar or white vinegar would work) and sea salt and pepper.

Purple basil - I used a couple leaves and used the rest for some home-made pesto

Three on the left are variations of cucumbers, then some yellow squash and sweet onions

some heirloom tomatoes

Peppers made a nice flavor to the gazpacho along with purple basil

Ending product

After all this was said and done.  I poured some in a bowl, added a little dollop of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the good stuff) and then sliced up some avocados.  Christine came over that night to cheer me up, work on some HGRC logos for new shirts.  She used the gazpacho as a salsa which was equally good.

I think this changed my mind on gazpacho moving forward!

Healthy Eating While Recovering...

So you may ask - what does a triathlete in training do when things go askew????

Unfortunately, not a lot for the first 5 days, I have been resting, laying with the dog, watching way too much TV and going ape-shit crazy.  I do have to say the big positive is being waited on hand and foot by the "best husband ever!!"

HOWEVER, I am so used to going, going, going that this is very difficult.  Besides reading my book on home-brewing, writing out my list for what I will need when I start my first brew, I also decided to try to figure out what I will be eating during my little "holiday" from working out.  14 hours a week of training down to 0 for a couple weeks means my caloric intake needs to be less (much less) and it needs to come from some quality ingredients!!


My go-to supplements during this time are multi, calcium with D, omega-3, vitamin M (otherwise known as motrin or ibuprofen...), Kombucha (truly believe in this stuff) and Arnica Gel for some topical pain relief.

I went to the farmer's market and stocked up on some goodies...and figured there will be some key recipes posted over the next week (an area that I have been lacking to post about lately!)

Here are a couple I was able to do with little effort as I didn't want to over exert myself.

Mixed Beet Chickpea Quinoa Salad
1 red beet
1 golden beet
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Balsamic Vinegar
21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joe's) or any peppery seasoning
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 can chickpeas
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
Goat cheese

Wash beets and cut in small pieces.  Toss in some olive oil, sea salt and seasoning and lay on roasting pan. 

best seasoning ever!!!

Roast for 30 min at 400 degrees.

Let cool on baking pan.

In the meantime, cook quinoa.  Use 2 cups of water with 1 cup of rinsed quinoa.  Let it come to a boil, then simmer covered for about 20 min.

Once beets are cooled slightly, add quinoa, spinach, chickpeas.  Add some balsamic glaze and a little olive oil (you already have some from the roasting).  Scoop in a bowl and add some goat cheese (which melts to make it creamy...).

this was actually an older picture, I added a little tofu to the mix instead of beans

Awesome and great for left overs as a snack or post recovery food!!!

Fish Tacos with Roasted Veggies

3 tomatillos
1 large tomato
3 poblano peppers
olive oil
Sea Salt

Slice up and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes and take out.

 

Lower temp to 350 for the fish.


Melinda's mango habanero sauce
Fresh squeezed lime juice
Salt
21 Seasoning Salute
Wild-caught halibut or other mild white fish.

Marinate for about 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap.  Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until flaky.

I served this with blue corn tortillas from Whole Foods and some shredded low fat Mexican cheese.  I softened the tortillas using some PAM in a pan for about 30 seconds per side.  I also served this with some brown rice mix and cilantro from Trader Joes.

Asian Quinoa Bowl

2 cups of water
1 cup of quinoa
2 spring onions chopped
1 cup of edamame
1 cup of black beans
Steamed fresh string beans
Cilantro
Island Teriaki sauce from TJ
Avocado

Cook quinoa (refer to other recipe) or you can use brown rice.  Add everything together and a couple tablespoons of teriaki sauce. 

 

I also added sirachi sauce for some extra spice and some grilled chicken for some more protein.  I add the diced avocado at the end, because if refrigerating it, you don't want the avocado to go brown.

Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

Also for a quick dessert, I threw together left over containers of blueberries (yeah Jersey), some Jersey peaches tossed with agave.  I then made a topping of crushed thin ginger snaps from (you guessed it...) Trader Joe's, some brown sugar and margarine by cutting it to make little balled crumbs.  It was awesome.  I threw it in the oven for 25 min at 350 degrees.

 

I hope to have some new recipes using my Farmer's Market goodies for the next post!  AND a new HGRC logo that we have been working on...