Two recipes

Recipe 1: Skirt on a Bike's Big Bowl
This is also taken from the Eng*ine 2 Diet. I have modified it for myself and my own tastes. I like it because it does not require cooking, is quick, healthful, and filled with fiber and slow-burning complex carbs.

In your favorite bowl add:
1/2 cup raw oats
1/4 cup Uncles Sam's flaxseed flakes
2 Tbls. Grape Nuts
1 Tbls. ground flaxseed
1 cup chopped fresh fruit (I have used raspberries and blackberries all summer. Bananas, peaches, etc also taste great!)
3/4 cup non dairy milk (or dairy if you can drink it)

Enjoy! (This littel cereal alone will keep you, how shall we say, regular)


Recipe 2: Slow-cook Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup

I found this in a Weight W*atchers recipe book last year and it is so easy and so tasty that I thought I would share it. I use my crockpot to cook this in so that all I have to do is assemble in the AM and when I come home at night my hot dinner is waiting for me. I especially like this in the fall and winter.

Makes 6 servings

12 ounces turkey kielbasa cut in 1/4 inch thick rounds (I went to Hy-Vee and bought italian sausage and used that and it was awesome. To cut the fat, I boiled it first and drained the fat off before adding to the crockpot. If you don't cook the raw sausage first, make sure to put it in the bottom of the crockpot so that it cooks by evening. Venison might be really good here too).

2 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
I celery stalk
1/2 medium bunch kale, chopped (about 4 cups)
3 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 ounce) can kideny beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5) ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine or water (the alcohol cooks off but the flavor remains)
1 teaspoon dried basil

Put everything together in the crockpot, stir it up (unless cooking raw meat which needs to remain near the bottom near the heat source--in that case, first stir up all other ingrediants and pour over meat in the slow cooker).
Cook 8-10 hours on low

Per serving (1/12 cuprs): 241 cals, 5 g. fat, 5 g. sat fat, 0 grams trans fat, 37 mg chol, 1,258 mg sodium, 31 g. carb, 8 g. fiber, 19 g. protein, 158 mg. calcium.

Miles: 7
Stuff I saw: A red fox crossing into the woods as I cycled into my complex last night! That is the same area the groundhog hangs out.

Day 29: The last day of my 'No Car' Challenge

Last week I was notified that I might have to ride out to a town about an hour from Columbia in order to help gather data on a research project. At the last minute we did not have to go so I didn't interrupt my 'challenge'. However today we did have to go so my "official" No Car Challenge was over. Since I started a few days before September I met the 30 days, just not all in September. (It was strange to be in a car on the freeway. I had forgotten how fast everyone moves and how big and heavy the trucks are! How can anyone believe that highway travel is safer than riding a bike? Talk about a mass delusion.)

For me, the bigger issue is that I want to keep on going! I want to see if I can carve out a car-free lifestyle for myself. Since I don't have to drive to this research location myself, I can bike to the meet up location and ride with the lead investigator. For my own personal no car challenge, I want to bike through winter and see what the next six months hold---if I can make it everywhere I need to go by biking or walking (possibly bus as well).

The adventure is really only just beginning!

Day 28: Cafe Berlin move

Today I spent the morning helping out with the Cafe Berlin bike move. I wanted to see the possibilities for moving by bike, and it was amazing! I was so impressed by the heavy loads that were possible to move without a combustion engine! The camaraderie and good spirits were contagious and I had a blast. There were several younger kids there who moved large loads---total rock stars!

I also have to report that yesterday at church, I ran into some friends and they got to talking to me about biking everywhere and one of my friends (who doesn't know about this blog) said, "What is so cool is that you never look like you just biked here!" I was chuffed! My Masterplan is working!

She and I talked a lot about bike commuting. She has started to walk to work several times a week and is really curious about it all. We might have a convert!


Miles:
Monday:17.83 (that is almost 18 miles people!! The farthest yet! Wa-hoo!)
Sunday: 9.42

Day 25: Beautiful day

Yesterday was a hard day--just didn't feel well. Today I was up and at em' early--rode into MU for a 9 AM meeting then back out to Forum for another meeting at Dunn Brothers then over to Jazz for lunch with a friend (Chapel Hill Rd). I have decided that Chapel Hill Rd is my new nemesis. I am going to conquor that hill soon.....even if I have to use a low gear like in the pic above! ha ha ha

The sun feels so good today!

Miles: 6.45 miles

Day 24: An ah'HA' moment

Yesterday two co-workers and I went to lunch and out of the blue one of them asked me, "are you are still riding your bike to work"? I was glad to hear her question because it meant I didn't *look* like I biked in (I was wearing a new pair of black slacks I bought specifically because they don't crease easily, are smart looking, and don't require dry cleaning, etc. along with a nice shirt and sweater. I have curly hair that resists helmet head and I had non-smudged makeup so all-in-all I looked professional).

When I said, "Yes, matter of fact I did bike in today", she was surprised and gave me that up-and-down look which I find so funny. She then wanted to know how I brought in my laptop, heavy books on my bike, did not look sweaty, what did I wear, etc. She said she would love to bike in herself but wondered how to handle all the gremlins that seem insurmountable on the other side of the saddle bag. We spent the rest of our walk back to campus talking about how I managed all the concerns she brought up.

I was so glad that, after only one month of bike commuting, others see possibilities for themselves! That kinda rocks. :-D

Miles: 2

Yummy sweet potato dish

I got this recipe (and tweaked it) from R*ip Esselstyne's book The Engine 2 Diet. I am not a vegetarian but like the focus on green things so I bought this book to learn more about cooking veggies, etc. I forgot the name of it in the book, but here is how I make it:

1 can of pinto beans (use any beans you like)
1 cup corn (I use raw sweet corn cut off the cob but you can use frozen or canned)
1 avocado (I only use 1/2)
2 baked sweet potatoes (chopped up roughly)
I handful of chopped fresh cilantro
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
Juice of one lime
Salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to taste

The original recipe called for black beans and for one mango but I don't like mango so left it out.
I like this dish at room temp--I baked the sweet potatoes and then let them cool down a little bit so when I chop them up they stay firm and not mushy.
You could also add brown rice to this if you wanted a complete protein.

Enjoy!

Day 23: CRON (Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition)

The more I bike everywhere, the more I want to have more energy for it and feel better. So, in an effort to get a handle on what goes in the ole' pie hole (and I literally mean 'pie' hole here people) I decided to use some nutritional software for awhile so that I am better educated on calorie intake and nutritional values. I found a freeware application called CRON-O-METER that I downloaded and like quite a bit (there are mac and pc apps).

I know that some people rely upon calorie counting alone but I want to go one step further and make sure that I am getting enough of the right nutrients. The nice thing about the software is that you are given a pie chart and graphs to clearly show you where you are too high or low in any given nutrient (you would be amazed at the nutritional value of just one cup of leafy greens and raw vegetables). I am supposed to eat between 1200-2000 calories per day. I am shooting for between 1200-1600 per day but with the highest nutrition I can get.

I also bought a food scale and some excellent powdered vitamins (AOR Essential Mix) to make sure I get what I need each day. I especially want to see how much stronger I get on the bike when eating well.

Miles: 6.0