Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Foodie

i have lagged on the food front... at least in terms of blogging- but not so much in the kitchen creating!

here are my latest eats... no pictures but can promise these do not disappoint.


Vegan Sautéed Collared Greens:

ingredients:

*about 4-5 cups worth of chopped collared greens (kale, chard, mustard greens). i have been getting the big bag at TJs and using 1/2 of that

* 3-4 cloves chopped garlic

* 4 chopped shallots

*tab of olive oil

*1 can white beans

*tab of liquid aminos

start by sautéing the garlic, shallots and olive oil on medium heat. let them go for a few minutes then add in the greens. keep mixing the greens because they cook fast. after a few more minutes add in the white beans (drain all of the water out first). keep mixing until beans heat up and greens are cooked enough! add a splash of either sea salt or liquid aminos at the end and dinner is ready! i usually make a side of brown rice or quinoa.


Raw Coco Chia Energy Bars

ingredients:

* 3 cups pitted dates

* 3/4 cup ground chia seed

* 1 cup ground walnuts

*3/4 cup ground raw cacao nibs

*splash of almond or vanilla flavoring

*1/4 cup ground oats or oat flour

put dates into food processor and blend until smooth. add in chia seed, walnuts, cacao grounds and vanilla or almond flavoring. mix together with a spoon or by hand. if nothing is ground up before you start you can add the nuts and cacao nibs to the dates and grind them up in the food processor together. once you get a big ball of the mix lay it out onto a sheet of waxed paper. flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. cover and let it chill for a few hours in the refrigerator. after chilled cut into 1 inch square bars and roll to cover in the oat flour. i suggest storing in the refrigerator. these bars have been great as a snack especially between workouts! the cacao has a little caffeine plus antioxidants and the chia seeds have amino acids and antioxidants. great energy!

eat up and enjoy!

to your health,
C




Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Go mavericks!

the most daunting thing about my swim coaching interview yesterday was the fact that i had to wear professional 'looking' clothing. in my day to day world of personal training, professional clothing is made of spandex and lycra. preferably from lululemon. sweat proof, wrinkle proof and fit/size proof. i didn't know if i would still fit into my once 'teacher' outfit of nice slacks, a collared shirt and - do i dare say it- shoes that do not tie on with laces?!? luckily i dug out the box and dusted off some slacks that still fit, found the shirt (yes only one that i own) and the one pair of shoes to put together an interview 'professional' looking outfit.

as i was waiting for the interview to start i was thinking of better ways to conduct a swim coaching interview. instead of sitting in front of 5 men, none of which have probably ever been to a swim meet, and answering questions, why not throw the candidates in a mock setting of the first day of practice? swim team is a no cut sport. and in encinitas about 80 kids come out at the start of the season to find out what 'swim team' is all about. the candidates would each be timed and then judged, on not only how fast, but how well they organized the swimmers. seeing as i had coached last year i thought this type of interview process would be a lot more bias to myself knowing at least half of the kids names. of course the task is a much greater challenge then walking into a room full of football and basketball coaches. lets such say i had a lot of confidence going into the interview.

besides my clothing, the rest of the interview was very relaxed. i knew i would be excited to get the position and it would be a great career move but at the same time i do have a lot on my plate already. leaving the interview i still had no indication one way or the other...

so i am happy, excited and honored to announce that i did get the position as LCC head swim coach! i figure if i can organize 80 kids to get into a swimming pool i can figure out how to be a swim coach, trainer, triathlete and bride-to-be. all so good and now so busy!

to your health,
C

Monday, February 1, 2010

crazy. beautiful.

crazy: leaving my house at 6:20am, saturday, on my bike.
beautiful: the full moon peeking through the fog over perfect shoulder high waves

crazy: riding the first 2 hours with some of my fast friends
beautiful: the company, and pace, made the time fly by

crazy: leaving my friends to do the last 2 hours solo
beautiful: the company and effort, on my own, made the time enjoyable

crazy: coast hwy was flooded from the nights high tide
beautiful: as i passed the clean up crew, a flock of pelicans flew right next to me, so close!

crazy: made it home in 4hours 15 min.
beautiful: had 15 min to shower and leave to make my appointment at pottery barn

crazy: wedding registry
beautiful: registering seemed harder then my ride

crazy: wedding dress shopping
beautiful: my sister and friends that all came to support me!

hope you had a crazy and beautiful weekend!

to you health,
C