John’s Ramblings

It’s going to be another beautiful, sunny day here. It’s just freakin’ cold, man! This section of the continent is supposed to be “moderate in temperature due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, and Puget Sound”.

Well, someone flipped on the air-conditioning this week, and it’s 22 degrees at the moment. It’s been windy as well. Riding my bike in sub-freezing temperatures with a 20 mph crosswind isn’t my idea of a good time. Call me a slacker, but there it is.

I went to spin class on Monday and Wednesday, and will be going again in a couple of hours. It is no substitute for pedaling my ass up some of the hills around here, however. I also need to do some rides to concentrate on improving my pace, as I hope to do the STP in one day. Kind of a big nut to crack for Mr. Moderate Pace.

I’m down about 6 pounds since Jan 30th, which is pretty good progress. I’m still somewhere near a bag of cement to go toward my goal however, so I better start getting creative with my exercise regime, stat.

A couple of goodies for you on the food front:

Yesterday the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer arrived in my mailbox, and it mentioned these “Handful of Nuts” almonds. I’m a sucker for nuts, and would gladly munch nuts or trail mix while riding my bike, if only it were practical to do without stopping. They’ve divided roughly a pound of roasted unsalted almonds into individual serving packets. These packets can easily go into my jersey pocket or seat bag to give me a satisfying crunch during a long ride. I’m thinking this will be a nice change from all the other stuff you eat while riding, which tend to be mushy (like bananas) or chewy (like bars).

Last night we had store-bought crabcakes with a batch of chipotle mashed sweet potatoes. These spuds are really easy to make, satisfying on a cold winter’s night, and nutritionally sane to boot. Basically, you peel, cube, and steam a couple of sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. When fork-tender, throw them in a bowl and mash them with 1, 2, or more chiles from a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (chopped up). Add a spoon or so of the adobo sauce from the can as well. Salt, pepper to taste. Add butter if you must, but it really isn’t necessary. Mash the whole mess & serve. Absolutely delicious. Props to Alton Brown, the ultimate geek chef.

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