Saturday....PLUS HEALTHY RECIPE

Saturday was a good day. There were plenty of things to be thankful for about Saturday. It started out as a day where the "Pink Hotness" and "Blue" got to become reacquainted. I can say it was just like old times out on the road. During the summer months, they used to pedal for miles on end, visiting alpaca farms and seeing the sights together. Like two old friends, they picked up right where they left off....aaahhh... Don't they look cute together??
Heidi and I chatted away for three hours on the bike and jammed out to some great tunes. We finished really strong, and I was reminded, yet again, how much faster the time goes when I ride with people! I'm so thankful that I have friends to ride with right now. I just know she's going to rip it up at New Orleans 70.3, and I can't wait to see her compete! Watch out NOLA! She's coming down in a few months. I will certainly miss her like crazy, but I know she'll be starting a new life down there so I'm exceedingly happy about that!

Then it was time to transition run in 20 degrees temperatures. That required dressing up warm (hats, gloves, neck warmers) and getting out of there ASAP (so we could get right back)! We had a great run, and at times I couldn't even see her face because she had her neck fleece pulled up so high. I think she'll be a bit happier in the New Orleans temperatures...don't you?!

The rest of Saturday was relaxing and I got some groceries so I could make this weeks dinners. Which brings me to my next comment on eating.

Making just one meal at a time is non-sense people. Think about how tired you are when you come home during the week at night. Either you've gotten up at 5am, did all your morning workouts, worked all day and then came home at 6pm at night exhausted....this is NOT the time to start planning out what you are going to eat! Or you've gotten home late because your workouts are in the evening!

You can do this one of two ways, either have all the ingredients ready, chopped, waiting and prepare food in say 20-30 mins or less, OR you can do what I do - and make mass quantities of food on the weekends.

It just makes so much more sense to me to make a healthy dish or two and then cycle them on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday and then fine, go out to eat on Friday or Saturday. You save time, money, and energy by doing things this way AND you take all the headache out of finding something to make every night that meets the requirements we must have as an athlete (high antioxidants, fiber, whole grain, carbohydrates, vegetables, lean protein etc.).

So, here's and example of how I "get er done" on the weekends. I have now eaten this for two meals and it's only Tuesday night! I hope it helps!

What you’ll need:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil (preferably with spices)

· One clove fresh garlic

· One large head fresh broccoli

· One large red pepper

· One pack chicken tenders (1-1.5 lbs)

· 1/2 lb large shimp, uncooked and with shells on

· One 16oz box Whole Grain Pasta (any type)

· Parmesan Cheese (approximately 1-2 oz

Place 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in a warm pan and add chopped garlic. Allow mixture to simmer and slice chicken tenders into one inch chunks.

Fill large saucepan with water and bring to a boil, at the same time while slicing red peppers into 1 inch chunks and cut off broccoli heads into smaller pieces.

Wow.. look at all that color!

YYYUUMM...whole grain pasta.. How do I know it's whole grain? Check the label, does it have "WHOLE GRAIN or WHOLE WHEAT" as the first ingredient? Does it show a whole grain council stamp with 16oz or more whole grain per serving - you bettcha!

Sun dried tomato olive oil (best oil choices are olive and canola due to their mono & polyunsaturated fat content)!

Add red peppers to pan once garlic begins to brown, and leave in for about 5 minutes until red pepper begins to soften. In the mean time, break tops of broccoli off and add to simmering garlic and red peppers.

Simmer, Simmer... Do your thang..!

A Shrimp close up.. see tail on and shell on. You've got to peel these quickly, wash with water and devein... it's not fun, but it really doesn't take that long.

Once vegetables have steamed for 7-8 minutes (lid on), add chicken and use a spatula to stir and coat with olive oil. Allow to simmer for approximately 5-7 minutes and finally add shrimp and mix.

Shrimp peel and deveined, ready to be added....

Drain pasta once it’s al dente, and add mixture of vegetables, shrimp and chicken to a large bowl. Add drained pasta to large bowl and toss all elements together.

Chicken cooking in the center of the pan (prior to adding the shrimp). The chicken will need a bit more time to cook than the shrimp so allow that to get mostly cooked through before adding your shrimp as the last step!

Shrimp added - check!

Toss all together and top with Parmesan cheese to taste. You can also add other desired spices.

Yummy dinner with whole grains, vegetables, lean protein and add a side salad for few extra veggies.
I don't have a green thumb, or even the ability to figure out how to not kill most plants. However, Lissa's presence in the house helped tremendously with making sure my amaryllis didn't bite it. It was so small and was supposed to bloom by Christmas (see below). Not surprising at all, my plant (like me I guess) was a late bloomer! Anyway, it's almost at the ceiling so its going to be pretty when it finally happens! I can't wait!

The amaryllis plant is a favorite for Christmas, and with good reason: This south american tropical beauty is easy to grow, exhibits huge colorful blooms in red, pink, white and orange, and it blooms like no other bulb. Usually a bulb will produce 1-2 tall flower scapes each featuring up to 4 flowers.

Due to the number of flowers and scapes developing, the bloom time is extended often for up to 2 weeks. Combined with the ease with which you can force this bulb into flowering, it makes the perfect holiday plant.

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! Remember, whole grains, carbohydrates, lean protein, colorful veggies and you're set to go for dinner!