4th of July adventures

On Saturday morning, Karel and I headed out for a perfectly planned ride up to Flat Rock, into NC and back to our home. 

First off - we just love our new bike stands from Feedback Sports - even though Karel installed a rack on our garage wall to hang our bikes, I can't believe we went so long without these affordable, easy to use floor stands!. Also, I just LOVE my new bar tape from Lizard Skins which matches our "Kona edition" Canari kits (we received a prototype product which Karel put on each of our bike handlebars). 

The ride started out great and I was feeling strong staying behind Karel (for the most part) until we got to the watershed area and then up to Flat Rock. I was doing great switching my gears, primarily in the small chain ring to maintain a nice cadence when I came to a descending segment and I tried to change my gears into the big ring and well, no shifting was happening.
Hmmmm. 

When I finally linked up with Karel at the top of the climb, I told him that I wasn't able to change my gears into the big ring and he let me know that my battery was dying in my Di2. Well there is a first time for everything!

It was just over a month when we last charged the battery on my bike (which is typical - about a month per charge depending on miles ridden) so I ended up turning around as Karel carried on with his ride as I was limited to less than 150 shifts before I was stuck in whatever gear I was left in when my battery completely died. 

Needless to say - it was a very interesting ride home just wondering when my battery would die. Thankfully, I made it home (over 20 miles) just fine on the rolling terrain in my small chain ring and was still able to change my gears for the steeper climbs. 

As I was finishing my 4-mile run off the bike, Karel came home from his ride and told me about his exciting ride. Although both of us experienced a bit of a rain shower on the bike (for me in SC and Karel in NC), Karel was riding along when George Hincapie and two other guys rode right by Karel as Karel was doing a higher effort interval to finish his ride. Karel stayed draft legal behind George but it was certainly not an "easy" effort. At least we both had exciting stories to tell after our ride! 

After some recovery food and a little resting while watching the TDF, we were off to Landrum to spend the late afternoon/evening with our friend Katie Malone and her hubby Brad and adorable baby Keene. 

Katie is not only a triathlon coach and experienced triathlete but she is also a huge dog lover. She rescues Weimaraner's (she has 5 of them) but recently she rescued an adorable puppy named Claudette. What a sweetie!!! 

It was nice to hang out, talk triathlons and snack on food but it's hard for a group of triathletes to stay still (and their furry children) so we all went out on the water. 

The guys went kayaking and Katie and I went stand-up paddle boarding (SUP).  

Katie had a small doggy life jacket that we put on Campy as this was his first time in open water. Although he can swim (by default when Karel wants to prove to me that Campy can swim in a pool), Campy is not a natural swimmer like his momma. 

We decided to put Campy in the kayak so that he didn't have to be close to the water but after a few minutes of kayaking, Campy decided that he wanted to be out of the kayak. 

So he jumped out!!!

I was so concerned about my little one swimming in the lake but Campy did not seem too concerned. Campy actually made his way to my paddleboard and I picked him up on his life jacket strap and Campy bravely stood on my paddleboard for the rest of our exploration around the lake. 

Unlike Keene and Claudette, Campy was not so still on the board. He actually jumped off my board (on his own) twice. Karel says he was enjoying swimming and that's why he jumped off. I think he was trying to swim to shore to get the heck away from the water but nonetheless, Campy gave us quite an exciting thrill of a ride on the SUP. 

Much better...back on land. 

After our trip on the lake, it was time to eat!

Brad made burgers and I chopped up some sweet honeydew. We also snacked on chips. 

 Katie put mushrooms on the grill topped with pesto and fresh cut mozzarella cheese, topped with a thick slice of tomato - YUM!!!

I made a refreshing broccoli summer slaw: 

2 bags broccoli slaw tossed with 6 ounce light Daisy sour cream. Add in 2 chopped pink lady apples, a handful of raisins and salt to taste. Refrigerate (if possible) for at least 4-8 hours before serving.

4th of July 2015 was filled with excitement and adventure.

 Oh the fun we have while being out in nature!!

No surprise, Campy slept ALL day on Sunday. He was SOOOOO exhausted from his SUP workout. 

Nutrient-dense event-day creations

Salads don't have to be boring unless this is your idea of a salad.



And certainly, you don't have to be the party-pooper if you bring a plant-strong meal to a holiday event. Certainly, there will be plenty of options to enjoy a little of everything and of course, I want you to enjoy your options and feel great about whatever you put into your body. But, perhaps, as you happily indulge in some occasional treats/eats, you may inspire others by your delicious, nutrient-dense creation.


Growing up as a competitive swimmer, I was never a salad eater and didn't really focus on eating a lot of veggies..... unless they were drenched in ranch dressing and covered with croutons and cheese.  And even though I became a lacto-ovo vegetarian at the age 10ish, my definition of plant-strong was "I don't eat meat"....so that meant, bring on the cheese and anything that doesn't have meat or fish in it!

Oh how times have changed. Still a competitive athlete but I have a great appreciation of how plant strong meals can give the human body a powerful dose of nutrients.

So, in honor of any event/party that you may be going to tomorrow or in the future, here are 3 of my many favorite plant strong creations for you to enjoy!

Have a great 4th of July and be safe.

Mango-kiwi fruit salad
3 kiwis (sliced)
1 mango (cubed)
10 baby carrots (chopped)
1 small apple (chopped)
1/4 cup grapes (halved)
1/2 large lemon juice (or small lemon) for dressing




To cut kiwi's:
1)Cut kiwi in half.
2) Use a spoon to remove skin from kiwi
3) Turn skin inside out.
4) Cut off the ends.





To cut mango:
1) Cut segments out around the core
2) Use a sharp knife to make a grid on mango segments.
3) Use your thumbs on skin-side to pop out the top of mango segment.
4) Cut off cubes with knife.






Carrot, Coconut and Raisin salad


1 bag pre-cut matchstick carrots
4 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tangerines (sliced, seeds removed) + juice
1 pear (chopped)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cranberries
1/2 lemon (juice)


Cucumber Tomato salad



1-2 large cucumber - halved then sliced again in half (I made it look extra pretty by scraping a fork on the outside of the cucumber before cutting it)
5 roma tomatoes - halved, then sliced again in half
2 ounces block mozzarella cheese - cut in small cubes
Pepper, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar
2 tbsp balsamic or any vinaigrette
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tips for 4th of July "event/holidy" eating and recipes

You name it - cook-outs, holidays, fund raiser, birthdays and weddings - food is often the central ingredient. Because of many food-centered events, it is extremely common for individuals seeking fitness, diet or body composition changes to stress about social functions due to the lack of control and unknown ingredients when it comes to eating food prepared by others.

To the disbelief of many, you can keep your body in good health and still enjoy the holiday eats. So when it comes to eating around the holiday's (ex. 4th of July) you should be able to enjoy the occasional treats without feeling guilty, restricted or frustrated but with your healthy relationship with food. That is - you should always feel better after you eat, than before. Be mindful to not overeat as we all know, it doesn't feel good and for many, when you overeat you say to yourself "I never want to do that again."

 

What to do if you are planning the event? A well-prepared event planner should always consider creating a healthy event atmosphere, being mindful that your "yuck" may be someone else's "yum."

Here are a few food tips for a great event:

• Create a buffet of dark leafy greens with all toppings in individual dishes for guests to create their own plant-strong meals.
• Place dressings, sauces and toppings on the side with easy-to-pour/spoon items for portion control.
• Home-cooked desserts are often more appreciated than store-bought .
• Use non/low-fat plain yogurt, fruit purees and applesauce to lower the fat and calorie content when baking with oil, butter, eggs or sour cream. Ex. replace 1 cup butter with ½ cup butter and ¼ cup non-fat yogurt or instead of 1 cup oil, use ½ cup oil and 3/8 cup non-fat yogurt (1).
• Add veggies and fruit (ex. carrots, zucchinis, apples) to dips, sauces, baked goods and anything else that can become more powerful in nutrition.
• For every starchy appetizer, double the number of fresh fruit and veggie selections. Ex. for a bowl of pita chips, have a dish of seasonal fruit and a veggie plate of bell peppers.
• Use smaller utensils for serving higher-calorie options such as nuts/trail mix, casseroles, dips etc.
• Limit the punch and soda and allow guests to make their own spritzers with sparkling water and 100% fruit juice varieties. Place water at every seating area for your guests to stay hydrated without the calories.
• Although smaller plates certainly reduce portion size, it is hard to eat a plant strong meal on a 4" plate. Provide larger bowls close to the plant-strong options and use smaller plates near the more calorie-dense options.
• Label food items by their name or ingredients, particularly for those who have dietary intolerances or any other restrictions.
• Focus on variety (plant and animal proteins, healthy fats, whole grains and of course, lots of fruits and veggies).
• Don't overwhelm your guests with too many new overwhelm your guests with too many new food options but at the same time, introduce others to a few new flavors by preparing a home-cooked dish inspired by your favorite blog or cookbook, rather than purchasing a dish at your local grocery store.

1. Source: http://tgcmagazine.com/articles/74.shtml

 

(article written by me from a past Iron Girl article)

 

Looking for a few good recipes for the upcoming 4th of July holiday?
CLICK HERE for 3 of my delicious creations, including my watermelon salad, fresh bean salad and Red, White and Blue inspired shortcake.