Cold weather Recipe

Okay so its really not that cold in Texas yet but I love making a huge batch of this recipe and freezing half for later or for whenever we're craving it again. I do have to warn you, it takes a while to make but if you want the quick version, just replace the uncooked bag of northern beans with two 10 ounce canned northern beans. Still good but not as good as the home cooked beans, yum!

One more thing- this is not a picture of my batch of chili. I forgot to take a good picture of it so I found this one that looks very similar, minus the sour cream :)

WHITE CHILI

1 pound bag of great white northern beans
6 cups chicken broth (I use more)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 medium onions, chopped divided)
1 tablespoon oil
2 4ounce cans chopped green chilies (I buy the hot or fire-roasted chilies)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts
3 cups grated monterey jack cheese
*** I also add in 1 10oz can of vacuum packed mexicorn. Thats a bell peppers and corn mix in vacuum sealed can from Green Giant.

Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and half of the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more.
Add more chicken broth if necessary. In a skillet, saute remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add the cooked chicken and corn and continue to simmer 1 hour. Serve topped with the cheese. Can add tomatoes, guacamole, tortilla chips, etc.


ITS WORTH IT!!
LC

Let the off season begin

Off Season Cooking can be a little tricky. You go from trying to get a good balance of dense carbohydrates, good fat, and protein mix to focusing more on lean protein, lots of veggies, and a lighter balance of carbohydrate and fats. This helps maintain muscle mass while also trying to keep the blood sugar level and not STARVING! I think the first 2 weeks of not doing anything gets you even more bored and hungry, at least thats what I've noticed that James does ALL THE TIME! I try to buy good healthy snack that are flavorful and that which he can have a lot of and still not consume a ton calories. Here are our off season staple below.
1. Non fat greek Yogurt- Fage brand has a good source of protein and for a whole cup its only 120 calories and 20 grams of protein!
2. Apples, more Apples, spinach, and Watermelon- very filling fiber and provide lots of water and nutrients!
3. Edmame (soy Beans)- cooked hot or cold these beans are a great high fiber and protein snack and 1 cup goes a long way!
4. Brown Rice crackers- sea salt and Pepper are delicious. You can have like 40 of these and still stay under 130 calories. Plus their whole grain and paired with hummus of low-fat cheese, their a great snack!
5. Thin Sliced organic turkey meat. Costco carry a great brand that is all natural and again a bunch can go a long way and for only 70 calories and 12 grams of protein.

The Meal above is just a idea of what off season meals look like for James.
5oz herbed chicken breast with cooked spinach
3/4 cup whole grain rice pilaf
large watercress salad with feta, watermelon, and edamame.

YUM!

LC

Kona 08

My journey to Kona ended just as bad as it started 2 weeks ago. I have acquired the new nickname of "stand-by" because that is how I travel. You can always count on me calling somebody from a location that I have managed to get myself stuck at. This trip to Kona was going to be different because I had a ticket bought for me! I was going to arrive at my destination on time, no delays, and no fat people who decided to stuff there face with pizza at the last minute, and show up late bumping me off a seat I swore was going to be mine. About two and half hours into our flight the pilot made a 180 degree turn which was a bit of an alarm. Seconds later the captain came onto the mic letting us know that we had a radio failure and that we were making out way back to Phoenix. We arrived back to the terminal to receive complimenary water and sugar cookies. We still had to pay for drinks once we got back onto the plane two hours later.

Arrived in Kona and was off to work the next day with K-Swiss. I had a blast working the stall and we sold a bunch of shoes. Here is our stall and some other pics from around the expo.



P4


Norman Stadler's bike


Race day arrived quickly and it was so nice to be in Hawaii watching instead of watching the live feed on Ironman.com. I have so many favorites and was called out many times by my wife on who I wanted to win. I wanted Chris Lieto to win when he came out of T2, I thought Norman would win when he came out of T2, I told Alexandar it was his race to win coming up Palani, and when Cameron Brown came up Palani I wanted him to win. Being a kiwi from way back and having Brown staying with us, I can say now I wanted Brown to win the race.

T2 Pics:
Brownie


Potts


Alexandar the Great



That is all for now. Will post the drama of trying to get back to the mainland and some videos from race day.

Portophobia- the fear of what??

So I received this article today from one of our local triathlon newsletters and couldn't help but share. I pretty sure we've all been there!

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! And long-lines at the Port-A-Potty.”

I will be brief on the relief from “portaphobia.” Portaphobia: fear experienced when ones “GI” track requires immediate attention before a sporting event; fear of “one-square” left on the toilet paper roll; visual trauma experienced with long lines in front of a port-a-potty.

So what to do?

Like you plan for your fueling, clothing and pacing, plan for a “nature call.”

First, know the facts.
1. Caffeine increases intestinal muscle contractions. What that means coffee drinkers is the caffeine you are ingesting is best to be taken two-hours prior to your event. Caffeine taken immediately before an event can move things along you might not want moving, if you know what I mean!
2. Carbs can move quickly. I tell all my athletes on the day before a race to eat a normal breakfast; make lunch their largest meal of the day and eat a light dinner 10-12 hours before race time. This may surprise you, I suggest avoiding the Uber Pasta Feast! A little pasta is fine, but too much is not a good idea. Our bodies carry carb and fiber heavy foods through our system (GI track) in approx. 12-hours. Foods with higher percentages of fats can take up to a day and a half!
3. Know YOUR body! History is a good indicator of what to expect. Know your bodys intestinal speed can be as helpful as knowing your pace per mile!

Lastly, as the great John Wooden says, “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” So bring some extra toilet paper!

Hope this made you laugh and relate as well!
LC

80-20 Rule

Okay, here's my rule as a nutritionist. 80% of the week you should always try to eat clean and healthy BUT 20% of the week you need to fulfill your cravings, IN MODERATION that is. Due to the array of halloween candy at our local grocery store and my obsession with candy corn, I found this awesome recipe that is delicous! Its kinda healthy, no trans fat and their are some healthy oats mixed in the batch, but other than that its just plain sinful and delicous. Enjoy a couple cookies with a glass of milk or hot chocolate. Gotta love fall baking!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. shortening
NOTE:I used a brummel and brown butter made with yogurt for less saturated fat
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. quick-cooking oats, divided
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
66 Hershey candy corn kisses (pretty much the whole bag)

Heat oven to 350°F Beat peanut butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together 1/2 cup oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining oats; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with tines of fork to form a crisscross pattern.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Remove wrappers from candies. Place 18 candies in heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; knead bag and candies. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, kneading after each heating, until candies are melted and color is uniform. Cool slightly. Cut off corner of bag about 1/8 inch from point. Lightly drizzle cookies. Before drizzle sets, place candy piece in center of each cookie.

Cheers,
LC

12km hard run and a good you tube video

Today was a solid day with Terrrrr'enzo. This morning we put in 2.5 hours on the bike with 12x5 minutes at 320 watts. I tell ya, I'm either fresh or the Specialized Transition bike is the dopest bike ever.

The workout of the day was a 12km hard run. It started off fast and ended fast. I held on as long as I could and the last km he pulled away putting 20 seconds on me. The kid is wicked fast and look to see him dominate in Clearwater. We went through 10km in 34:50 and I ended up splitting 40:50 for the 12km.

Been lazy with the pics, but I have some good ones to come of the bike I have been riding and Kona IM pics.

Here is a funny you tube video I have been watching at least three times a day.



JC

Ironman....yes please

Had a great week in Kona leading up to Ironman. Lindsay and I were put to work selling K-Swiss shoes at the expo. The brand was well received and we sold a ton of shoes and signed some big names to race under the brand next year.

Race day was incredible. I had a moped to zoom up and down the run course checking out all the action. I thought it was going to be the year of the C's: Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown, Chris Lieto, and Craig Alexandar. Heat soared up to 108 degrees and destroyed a lot of athletes. Craig had an amazing day and looked so good.

I meet up with Terenzo Bozzone during the race and now he is staying up north with me at my old man's place. I'm his training hack for the next few days in his build for Clearwater. He managed to score me a Specialized S-Works Transition for the week to ride and it is awesome! I'm a huge Cervelo P3 fan and was devastated when I sold my last one, but it is a different story now. This thing blows the P3C out of the water. I hope to be getting one around mid March. There is a race I plan on doing in early March in the southern hemisphere.