Grilled Veggies and Summertime chicken

We love salads.

We both usually eat at least one salad a day... sometimes two. They are easy to make, mega healthy, and never get old because there are so many ways to change it up.

This summer I have been really into making grilled veggies(like almost every night!). I still get my salad fix at lunch and dinner it's time to throw what ever veggies we have on the grill.



Some of our favotites:
zucchini
squash
asparagus
sweet potato (yams)
onions
button mushrooms
portobello mushrooms
Bell peppers (all colors)

a lot of the time I will make grilled veggie salads and just throw all the grilled goodness on top of some mixed greens and top with some goat cheese and homemade dressing.

For the protein part of this meal I grilled up some chicken. I don't really have a name for the recipe/marinade I used for the chicken but it's been a staple for me and reminds me of good times in the summer living in Virginia Beach. We used to have big backyard BBQ's at my good friend Ricky's house. We used to surf all day, come home drink some ice cold beers and cook up tons of food. Ricky or his dad would always make their famous "broasted chicken". His dad was a killer cook and actually owns The Jewish Mother in Virginia, and Ricky now runs the place.

Here's the recipe for the marinade. You can use any kind of chicken you want. I think bone-in works is the best but I just had some skinless breasts on hand so I used those.

Summertime Chicken Marinade:
I don't use any measurements and pretty much eyeball everything so these are just guesses.



1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Tapatio Hot Sauce
1/2 lemon (squeeze out the juice and leave in the dish used for marinading)
1 lime (squeeze out the juice and leave in the dish used for marinading)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
canjun seasoning to taste

That's it. Give it plenty of time to marinade... at least 8 hours. Then Grill. Then get down.

Cioppino...our olympic stew!

when you want a restaurant quality meal, but really want to ea tat home to tri geek out to the Olympics, cook some Cioppino!
We served this up with a summer salad while we watched the men's olympic triathlon streamed on the internet....It makes a ton of broth, so right before I put in the seafood, i took out half of the broth and froze it. that way, next time we want Ciopinno, just defrost and add fresh seafood! Or, just be cooler than us and actually have friends over and there's Ciopinno to share!


CIOPPINO

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes,
¼ cup tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can quartered artichoke hearts (no juice)
2 cups dry white wine
4 cups of fish stock (one of those large boxes is good)
2 bay leafs
1 pound little neck or manilla clams
3/4 pound mussels,
3/4 pound uncooked large shrimp
1 pound assorted firm fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or mahi mahi
3/4 pound scallops


2 slices whole grain or sprouted bread. toasted and cubed for "croutons"...or just go "big" with a sourdough loaf and dip that in- that would be DARN good.

Heat oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ¾ teaspoon of red pepper flakes and sauté 2 minutes, Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open. (Discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove bay leaf. Season the soup to taste.

taking it to another level... an experiment.

I read a blog last week that was very inspiring, reassuring, and motivating.

Check out this post by Simon Whitfield.

If you guys don't know Simon Whitfield is one of the fastest triathletes in the world and an Olympic Gold Medal winner... and he's making another run at this year. Whitfield is definitely one of my favorite triathletes and he has one of the best blogs out there. Beth says I have a man-crush on him... maybe so! The dude is fast!

So his post was about the way he eats and it was a good one. He follows a very Primal/Paleo diet (as discussed on Mark's Daily Apple) which is much like what Beth I strive for (check out "Nutrition Mission" post). I have had people tell me that this kind of diet (low grain, high fat/protein, tons of fruits/veggies) is not sustainable or beneficial for an athlete but I have always disagreed. Since I have been eating this way (all this season) I have been feeling great, recovery better than ever, and have had the best races of my life.

a typical dinner these days. Grilled top sirloin and grilled veggie salad.



After reading Simon's post I am going to step it up a notch and add more good, healthy fat to my diet. I already get quite a bit from raw nuts, nut butters, flax seeds, and meat but I don't think I am using enough healthy oils. I also think I can up my protein intake a bit. So over the next month I am going to adding a considerable amount of fat to my diet and upping the protein intake.

I hit the store over the weekend and stocked up on some essentials.


Beth has also recently turned me onto Kombucha. So I am going to be trying to get a serving a day of the "miracle" juice.


that's about it... we'll see how it goes and I will post some more later on how it's going.

a day on the mission...

I was thinking about a post of all the things I eat in a day but it's just too much trouble. I am too much of a grazer so here are some of staples... taken from one particular day. Not everything I ate on this day is in here.

Breakfast/Post ride. Protein shakes and smoothies are definitely a huge part of my everyday routine. I am big on post workout nutrition and eating/drinking within 30 minutes and 99% of the time it's a shake or recovery drink. I usually alternate between 2 different kind of shakes.

1. some kind of choclolate, peanut butter, banana concoction.
2. fruit smoothie with whatever fruit we have on hand.

some ingredients for a #1 shake

ready to hit the road. I usually slug it on the way to work.

a fruit version. In my favorite glass!

Some of my Lunch (at my desk).
- homemade egg salad: 1 egg, 3 whites, red onion, red bell pepper, celery, pickles, honey & grainy mustard, and spoonful of chive cottage cheese.
- 2 corn tortillas (ingredients: corn, water, lime)
- 100 calorie packet of Wholly Guacalmole
- Tapatio hot sauce

kind of weird but very good...

Now let's get to dinner. Last night it was grilled top sirloin, and a pile of steamed veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, zucchini squash and carrots)
I also made a small side salad. Mixed greens, strawberries, bleu cheese, walnuts, almond slivers and a balsalmic/honey mustard/agave nectar dressing.
close up of the salad.

and of course I topped the night with a glass of this....

One more quick thing... Beth and I both really sauces (bbq, steak, siracha, ketchup, mustard, etc.) with our food. This can be kind of tough. Most things in the grocery store have a ton of ingredients and usually have quite a bit of added sugar and random chemicals. Here are couple good ones though...
we basically live on mustard. at any given time there are at least 5 different varieties in the fridge. organic honey mustard from whole foods. good one.

Last thing... If you are trying to kick the soda or artificial sweetener habit I highly recommend some sparkling water. In my opinin crystal geyers is the best and they have quite a few flavors. drink up.

The Nutrition Mission

It's pretty nuts how many people ask Beth and I questions about food/diet because of this blog. We are pretty dedicated to eating healthy and finding good ways to do it.

After my "transition" phase and with Vineman 70.3 coming up we decided to take it a step further and really be a little more conscious of what we are putting in our bodies. A lot of people probably think that we already eat healthy enough and there is no reason to change any thing. This is true but there are always refinements you can make to your diet.

Here's our plan.
The Nutrition Mission

THE STAPLES- these are all items we eat a lot of and have in the house right now:

leans meats and fish (as much free range/grass fed/organic as possible... but we aren't rich!)

tons of fruit, veggies

eggs (mostly whites, some yolks)

protein shakes

raw nuts

Fruits we love:
apples (mostly fuji)
bannanas
kiwi
strawberries
bluberries
raspberries
canteloupe
watermelon

veggies we got on tap:
jicama
tomatoes
broccoli
carrots
cauliflower
bell peppers (raw & roasted)
sprouts
onions
cucumbers
artichokes (whole & hearts)
hearts of palm
pickles
mushrooms
snow peas
red cabbage
broccoli slaw
Yams

salads - mixed greens, spinach, romaine hearts
homemade dressings (balsalmic/red wine/white wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice

all natural nut butters (peanut/almond)
-naturally more

-power butter
-pb2

100% fruit juice/vegetable juice
almond breeze - unsweetened

agave nectar

honey
stevia

100% fruit preserves

sport nutrition products (PowerBar!) - only when training long

No artificial sweeteners (soda, splenda, salad dressing, sauces, creamer, sugar free fro yo, sugar free candies- all out! (tear from beth's eye..))

No preservatives/processed foods

No added sugar (organic cane sugar in some condiments/foods is ok in moderation... ie. organic ketchup from Trader Joe's)

No grains
No chips
No roasted/salted nuts
No dried fruit with added sugar/ingredients

Dairy- dairy sources high in protein but low in sugar/carbs allowed in moderation:
plain greek yogurt (o% or 2%)

low fat/nonfat cottage cheese
stinky cheese on salads (goat, feta, blue)

concessions:

1 small serving of frozen yogurt (only 8 - it's all natural!) a week... after a big day of training!
1 piece of dark chocolate a night
corn tortillas (in moderation) as long as the ingredients are just corn, salt, and water

wheat tortilla when I get a burritto from El Caribe... I love mexican food too much and I have never seen a burritto sized corn tortilla

alcohol:
wine is allowed... always (james).. in moderation (beth)

beer on the weekends (james).. none for beth
no liquor... you need a mixer = sugar/artificial sweetener

Now this is just a guideline on what we want to do. There are many "diets" and philosophies out there. We have gained tons of knowledge from reading Mark's Daily Apple and his Primal Blueprint. I have also done a lot reading on Paleo diets and but we think it really comes down to finding one that works for you, makes you feel good, and allows you and your body to do what you want with it.

We will of course cheat! After races, holidays, and anytime we deem appropriate, but this is pretty much our daily plan. Life is to short to not eat and drink what you want... in moderation of course.

summer strawberry salad with agave balsamic vinaigrette

THE SALAD
mixed greens
sliced strawberries
hearts of palm- chopped
goat cheese- crumbled
slivered almonds- toasted
red onion- thinly sliced
cracked pepper

THE DRESSING
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons amber agave nectar
2 tablespoons (or more) extra virgin olive oil


agave is a perfect mix with mustard and balsamic and really cuts some of the acidity to make it smooth. we love to use agave in salad dressings, on peanut butter toast, in coffee....wherever...if you read this site, you will see that agave nectar is a great alternative to table sugar and is actually sweeter, so you should use about 25% less than a recipe with sugar would call for. it is also lower on the glycemic index, so it shouldn't spike your blood sugar too much. AND it's all natural!

this salad was a quick concoction we made for dinner with james' family in virginia...the crowd was pleased! goes great with a lean grilled steak and grilled whole grain rolls...

yum...beth likes it

cold soup for hot people

when i head back east to see the folks, i also intevitably revert to acting like a child. sometimes, i like to prove that i really am all growns up, (despite the fact that i am still in school and just 2 years shy of 30) so i cook up a good dinner. but i must admit, its not always just an act of kindness- sometimes i like to take the reins since my momma tends to have a paula deen type of heavy hand in the butter.

it is freaking hot in pennsylvania, so what better on a hot day, than a cold soup! and gazpacho is like crack for antioxidant lovers. its full of tomatoes, which in-and-of-themselves have a lot of lycopene. When tomatoes are made into juice or sauce the lycopene-o-meter goes way way up! Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that loves free radicals. So for endurance athletes, who probably have more of those floating around looking for some cells to damage, when lycopene is in the body, it hooks up with the free radicals and sweeps them off their feet ("hey baby, wanna bind?") before they kill and damage cells. i kind of see it like a sugar daddy (antioxidant) who distracts a little floosy/gold digger/home wrecker (free radical) before she has a chance to be a home wrecker and swoop on your crib (nice happy cell) and steal your man.

nothing really has been proven proven linking antioxidants and superior exercise performance (but there is a lot of soft supportive literature out there), but they do help fight disease and aging...and the jury is out on whether you can overdo your antioxidants (some say that you can have so many that the free radicals can't do their job and destroy crappy useless tissue...who knows...)

i'm certainly no expert, i just know that i love gazpacho! its a cold blended vegetable soup. if it were served in a glass, people would call it a smoothie. like if i poured my smoothie into a bowl it would be "chilled summer berry soup"..anywho...

gazpacho
4 tomatoes (peeled and de-seeded- see*below)
2 cups V-8 (or tomato juice)
2 slices whole grain crusty bread
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar or sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 peeled and seeded cucumbers-chopped
1 red bell pepper-chopped
1 yellow bell pepper-chopped
1 red onion-chopped
1 celery stalk-chopped
3 cloves garlic- minced
1/2 jalapeno- diced
1 handful flat leaf parsley-chopped
1 handful cilantro-chopped
kosher salt

*boil a pot of water. cut an X in the skin of each tomato. submerge tomatoes in boililng water for 20 seconds. remove immediately and dunk in ice water or place under the faucet. peel off skin easily....then core them and squeeze out the seeds as best you can

first, combine the olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice or V8 & crusty bread in one bowl. i used a really seedy grainy bread, but you can use whatever.

in another bowl, chop all the vegetables and mix 'em up. then combine both bowls together and blend until smooth-ish. i use an amazing hand blender (get one-it will change your life), but all you crazy protein shake boys can just use a reuglar old blender if that's what you got. then chill the soup for at least two hours (better overnight- my bowl today was better than yesterday).
you can save some of the chopped veggies or herbs for garnish if you like. avocado and a tortilla chip also makes a nice topper (and that's true for pretty much anything :) )..

i made this last night (along with crab cakes and corn on the cob..HOLY DELICIOUS!!!!)...and it was a big hit with everyone. i changed the recipe from a lot of others that i found in that i used less bread (and made it whole grain) and less olive oil...i also added sweetness from a yellow pepper (most recipes call for green) and good quality oil, it tasted PERFECT. i liked using V8 too...that's what we had on hand...

make it! yum.