Mother-in-law Mole Recipe Rebuttal

Far be-it for me to be a poor daughter-in-law and ignore the sage advice of a mother-in-law who also dubs as a professional chef and baker!

So it is my pleasure to have my fine Irish (trust me, that's relevant) Mother-in-Law, Fionnuala Sarsfield offer up this Mole Recipe... Let the cook-off begin!

1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp.cinnamon
1 - 14.5 oz.can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used semi sweet)
1 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup water (or you could just sub 1/2 cup chicken broth)


Put chicken breasts into slow cooker, turn on low. Mine were breast tenders and they were frozen.  

Saute onion in a bit of cooking spray for a couple of minutes.  Add almonds and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often as not to burn the almonds.  Add in chili powder, cumin and cinnamon, stir in for a minute.  Add diced tomatoes with the liquid, chocolate, oregano, salt, pepper, bouillon cube and water (or chicken broth).  Stir around and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.  

Carefully place into a blender or use an immersion blender to blend together to make a smoother sauce. I left mine a bit chunky.  Continue to cook until slightly thickened, you don't want to put it in the slow cooker too thin.  When sauce is done, pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 - 7 hours or until done. Shred chicken and mix in with the sauce.  Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes.  We ate ours over baked potatoes and broccoli.

(Use cocoa powder and extra water instead of chocolate, about an ounce of powder, mixed with water to make a paste.)

A Mexican Inspiration for March

Okay folks, February is over (we made it!) and it's now March - the month of change! We move the clocks forward for daylight savings, cherry blossoms adorn the city with little pink buds, and Switching Gears club members are dawning race bibs for the first time (Diva 8k race and the UBC Duathlon). Then our training camp rounds out a long winter of indoor training and lands us smack into the Easter long Weekend.

What a mouthful. And SPEAKING of mouthfuls, let's get to this month's food item of the month:  Navita's Naturals Raw Cacao Powder - Ooooooohhhhhhhh the possibilities... 

Thanks Josh and crew from Urban Fare Olympic Village, who sent me this in an email boasting the benefits of this month's item:

"Raw Cacao powder is packed with magnesium, antioxidants and other essential minerals and nutrients. The uses for it are endless"

And with that I introduce this month's inspiring recipe: Crock Pot Chicken Mole

Now, I know I said March was a month of change and moving toward warming temperatures and such, but..... Don't put away the crock pot yet. This spicy dish is gonna warm you up after those cool outdoor runs & rides plus this dish is so rock-your-mouth-spicy it'll make you sweat so bad you'll need to eat it in your bikini my friend, oh yeah - that's Spicehhhh!!!

Enjoy this dish with rice, tortillas and slaw, as a dip for chips and just about anything else you can think of that'll make you want to don your bikini, sun hat and a cold Cerveza ;)

Hasta Pronto xo

Quinoa for Breakfast?

For my birthday last year my kind and loving athletes got me "The Feed Zone Cookbook" by Allen Lim and Biju Thomas. I LOVE it, full stop! (And them for graciously giving me such a rad present!)

I wanted this cookbook because it provided nutritious ideas "for athletes" specifically. They provide yummy ideas for "portable food" that you can take with you on a ride, like "Cashew and Bacon Rice Cakes".... Right? OMG let me tell you how your taste buds will thank you when you add bacon to your next ride :)

Anyway, they also inspire great ideas for every meal and even provide quick "Apres" mini meals for after a ride or hard training sesh.

These guys are the whole package- They're smart, well-educated dudes, they ride, they know delicious food  and they deliver it with a delightful reminder that mindfulness plays a big role in what we feed our bodies.

Yup, I'm a lover of this cookbook, and I'm going to share a quick and easy breakfast recipe with you... But you should go buy this book for yourself because I won't be spilling all the beans here ;)

Quinoa and Berries:
1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 cup milk
dash of salt
1-2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine water, milk, quinoa and salt in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Turn the heat down and let simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated (I like mine a little more runny so I cook for less time).

Add honey while it's still in the pot and let sit a few minutes with the lid on

Top with berries and nuts of your choice. This is also delicious topped with yoghurt and cinnamon!

Enjoy

Why so many Quinoa recipes you ask? Because our local sponsor Urban Fare has kindly made their discounted "Food Item of the Month" Quinoa! 

Thanks Urban Fare :)

Quinoa Mushroom Casserole

This dish was inspired by a trip to Mount Baker with my friends and I was asked to make a vegetarian dish. I had no recipe and the basis was "Casserole". Here's what I came up with!

Quinoa Mushroom Casserole

2 cups dry Quinoa
2 stock cubes
Coconut oil
1 lrg onion
1 lb mushrooms (any variety - cut into chunky pieces)
1 small broccoli head (cut small)
1/2 cup raisins
Season with salt, pepper, dash of nutmeg and cloves

Smashed Sweet Potato topping
3 lrg Yams cut and boiled (if you're up to it you can roast them for uber awesome tasty-ness!!!)
1 cup of chopped walnuts
Crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:

Cook Quinoa as per directions adding both stock cubes to the pot. Set aside when done cooking.
Saute onion until soft then add mushrooms being careful not to cook too long so they lose their plumpness. Shitake, Portabello and oyster mushrooms will have to cook a little longer.
And broccoli & raisins and cook for a minute or two more, just to coat them with the oil and seasoning.

Mix sauteed veggies with cooked quinoa and place at the bottom of a glass 8x11'' dish.

In a bowl smash yams and walnuts together with a fork. Spread the mixture over top of the veggie / quinoa base and then top with the stinkiest, bluest, rank blue cheese you can find!

Bake @ 425 F for 10-15min to warm it all up then broil it for a minute or so to crisp the cheese crumbly goodness on top.

Serve it up with a balsamic topped side salad and a glass of red wine, preferably with friends :)

Enjoy xx

Gluten Free - Quinoa Chocolate Cake

As promised this Blog will exist as a medium for all things I am passionate about; food, training, mindfulness, strength training etc....

This one combines my love of Food and Chocolate, you're welcome ;)

Quinoa Chocolate Cake (with ganache topping):
2 cups cooked Quinoa (cook Quinoa as directed )
1/2 cup Milk
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 cup melted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Bake at 350 F for 30-40 mins depending on size of cake pan!

Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate

Bring Whipping Cream to a bare boil, turn off and add chocolate pieces. Stir until they melt, let cool slightly then top cake with it or save it and drizzle on as much or little as you like.


Here is the original site I got this gem from: http://wheatfreemom.com/blog/recipe-quinoa-chocolate-cake/

Enjoy :-P

Let's talk Yearly training plans: Starting with the Base-ics!

Ah yes, the Prep and Base phases - they don’t exactly elicit beaming excitement in most endurance athletes. If training phases had personalities this one would be reminiscent of grandpa- wise, well read, patient and painfully deliberate. It’s lack of ego boosting, endorphin-filled, masochism often causes athletes to hurry this phase or even skip it altogether!  But don’t let that lack of pukey-taste in your mouth, and high-fiving, butt-slapping macho ism let you underestimate it as the most important training you’ll do in your yearly training program! Yup, you heard me.

It is precisely this low-intensity training that will be the key to laying down the necessary adaptation for the those hard sessions later on, and the racing that is still months away.

In the Prep phase the key is a gradual re-introduction into training that will build toward higher volumes of aerobic training. It’s a time to get back on track with your nutrition (if it has gone in a direction you’re not happy with) and a time for setting goals for the new training & racing season. Yes, you should also set goals for your “training” season. Goals aren’t just for racing, they should also serve as motivation for the countless hours, early rises and cold wintery training you’ll endure in the weeks to come. I’ll talk about goals in another blog, but they are a necessary skill set.

The Prep and Base I, II & III will make up the first 15 weeks or so of your yearly training plan and will focus on these components:

Prep & Base I:

Strength training	Injury prevention and force production
Neuromuscular System	Skill & efficiency drills (also strength training)
Aerobic endurance	Efficient use of Oxygen and fuel to create energy Increased capillary density around muscles Greater stroke volume (capacity for your heart to pump blood) Enhanced enzymatic conversion of fat to energy.

Base II & III
All of the above plus

Developing sport specific strength	Hills, low cadence etc.
Building muscular endurance	The ability to maintain high exertion levels for extended periods

Aerobic Endurance: Training intensity needs to remain between the 40-55% range in order to elicit the desired physiological adaptations for this system. Skipping this type of training means you’ll always come up short on longer races, you may be able to go fast but you’ll burn out because your body won’t have the efficiency to keep going over longer durations. If you can manage to avoid the temptation of going hard during this phase you will reap the rewards later on when the intensity goes up.

Strength Training: The big focus during this phase is Strength. Not Strength training at the start of the your yearly training plan is like taking a Formula 1 car and sending it out on the track with bald tires.... Something is gonna blow! And for god’s sake make sure your strength sessions don’t just look like another endurance session, lift heavy and perform technical lifts such as deadlifts, deep squats, hip thrusts, pull ups, turkish get ups etc. And if you don’t know how and don’t know what half of these things are, then hire a strength coach who does and who can coach them well.  
Early season is also the time to get rid of any lingering or nagging injuries from the previous season. This is a good time to get acquainted with people like RMT’s, Acupuncturists, physiotherapists etc.

Neuromuscular system: Training this system requires countless repetitions, and low intensity & impact. This type of training teaches the brain to pattern a desired movement, and in sport, it’s important to teach our brains and our muscles good communication skills! These take place in the forms of drills such as; over cadence & single drills in cycling, strides & ankle jumps in running and body rolling in swimming. During this phase these drills will encompass most of your session length, in the later phases you will still do them but they will serve as a warm up rather then be the main focus of your sessions.

Ideally your prep & base phase will start approximately 23-24 weeks before your A-race and gradually change from Base I to Base III as it progresses to what comes next: The Build Phase.

We’ll talk about that next, for now Enjoy your training and go get strong and fit :)

Email the coach at laporte.lynne@gmail.com

A Blogging Resolution!

I'm not one for "New Years Resolution" type stuff but there is something I want to see myself do more of this year and that is to write. I want to reach a wider audience with the things am passionate about and teach my athletes and clients.  You will find information here about the sport of Triathlon, Mountain biking, Strength & Conditioning, Nutrition and Mindfulness.

My motto is: Fitness is for the mind, body and soul

Coach Lynne