Biking To Live » Recipes

The best laid plans are…well, you know

Bryan — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:51:14 +0000

As I write this I’m watching the Tour of Romandie coverage on Versus. I’m blown away by the conditioning of the riders and how fast they can ride. Equally impressive is the countryside there in Switzerland. Hard to believe how green the fields are. Just awesome.

I took Friday evening off from riding so that I could do some work on my bike and be fully prepared and rested for a hard Saturday ride. I planned on getting up early on Saturday, heading out to White Rock Lake for an early morning ride and, in the words of Phil Liggett, “suffer like a dog”. At least that was the plan.

Friday evening I did something to my bike that was long, long, long overdue. Get my point? I don’t think you do. I mean something like 8 years overdue. You see, 8 years ago was the last time that I think it could have been replaced when I had my bike overhauled and the brake cables were replaced. I’m talking about replacing my handlebar tape.

I had never done this myself but wasn’t afraid to try. I watched the video over at Bicycle Tutor and did it with no problems. The feel after I was done was amazing. I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to do it. I also gave everything else on the bike a good once over and it all seemed in order.

I got up early Saturday morning, had breakfast and headed down to White Rock Lake. I knew something was amiss when I started seeing orange cones at the entrances to the parking areas along with police offers. I stopped to talk with one of the officers and he said the lake was closed for the race….like I knew what ‘the race’ was. I could see some runners with numbers on their jerseys so it had to be a running race (yuck!) but I could see a few cyclists out there riding. I tried to find another place to park but they had everything blocked off. I finally gave up and decided to head to the .8 mile loop where I’ve been doing my group ride training. That’s when the rain started.

And it rained almost all day. There was drizzle, lightning, thunder, gully washers and wind. You may have heard about the Dallas Cowboys practice facility that collapsed. That’s probably about 20 minutes or so from where I live. There was no way I was riding on Saturday unless it was on the Ark.

Chicken and Linguini

Saturday night I put my culinary skills to use and decided to give the recipe I saw over at Cycling Tips a try. It’s super simple and turned out great if I do say so myself. It’s linguine topped grilled chicken, avocado, tomatoes and olives. There’s a picture of the dish to the right.

Sunday morning dawned overcast but it wasn’t raining. It was chili too at only 58F. I suited up and headed out to the lake. In the parking lot I was putting my bike together when a runner went by and said, “You’re brave riding today.” I asked why and he said because of the wet roads. I said I need to get it in and he responded that that’s the right attitude. I agree.

Spillway at White Rock Lake

I headed out and within about a half-mile noticed a big problem. The huge amount of rain we had gotten yesterday had caused the lake to swell overnight. The water wasn’t a problem because it had receded but the debris it left behind was. I’m talking big tree limbs, small limbs, slush, and trash. Huge amounts of trash. I couldn’t believe the trash. Totally unreal. There were three of four spots where this debris covered the trail and you were really taking a chance riding through it. I did with no problems but could have easily dumped myself too. The picture to the left is of the spillway at the South end of the lake. It’s hard to see but the water was seriously moving over the spillway and throwing up a good spray and a lot of noise. Totally cool.

The rest of the ride around was no problem but I decided to only do one lap so I didn’t have to mess with the debris again. It was a short 10 miles but tomorrow is group ride training day. Looking forward to that. And suffering like a dog.

Cooking Healthy Oatmeal Video

Bryan — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:23:39 +0000

My little oatmeal article has spurred some awesome creativity from BikeCrazy. Sara took the time to put together a great video showing how she makes her super healthy oatmeal. That stuff just looks awesome!

It’s amazing when you see somebody else do something how easy it makes it look. I love the way she has everything containerized for easy prep. I need to do that to make it easier on myself because if it’s too hard I won’t do it.

You can catch more of BikeCrazy over at her website ByCycleTrips.blogspot.com.

Thanks Sara!

The Health Benefits of Oatmeal

Bryan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:46:55 +0000

When I was a kid my mom made all four of us kids eat some kind of hot cereal when it was cold. It was either oatmeal or malt-o-meal. I hated it. The only thing we had to spice it up with was some butter and that didn’t improve the taste at all. Once it got cold it was even worse. I remember vividly the gag reflex I would have by trying to force down cold oatmeal. Because of that I refused to eat oatmeal for over twenty years. That changed five days ago when 2009 started.

Why did I change my ways and give oatmeal a second chance? Because I had heard for years that it was good for you and it had quite a few health benefits. I need all the health benefits I can get. I decided to do some research and find out what those health benefits were. Here they are.

1. There are numerous studies that show that oatmeal may lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in oatmeal is supposed to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while maintaining the HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

2. The insoluble fiber in oatmeal helps keep the bowels clean by making your stool heavier so it passes through easier. It’s also good for diabetics because the fiber slows down the digestion of starch.

3. Oatmeal is loaded with vitamins like E, iron, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, and thiamine. It also contains zinc which is important for healing of wounds, growth, reproduction, and it’s important for your metabolism.

4. Some studies suggest that a diet containing oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure.

5. The soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs water and significantly slows down the digestive process. This leaves you feeling fuller longer and can help control your weight.

Maple & Brown Sugar

With the new year upon me I told myself that I was going to try and eat better. I decided oatmeal for breakfast was going to be my first step. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid to try it. I was surprised though that it tasted pretty good. I will admit though that I cheated and opted for the Quaker Instant Oatmeal. It was the maple and brown sugar weight control kind. I know they say you should have the plain Quaker Oats because of the sugars in the pre-flavored kinds. I wasn’t going to try it for the first time in over 20 years plain though. If you read the box on the weight control oatmeal it’s actually not that bad. The nutrition facts are shown to the left (ignore the orange numbers; it was the best pic I could find).

There you have it. I took the plunge after a 20 year hiatus from this super healthy food and feel better after having done it. I’ve had several bowls since that first one and each has been just as good as the last.

Before my next article I’d like to hear from you about your experiences with eating oatmeal and what you do to enhance the flavor if your using the plain stuff. If you’re not eating oatmeal, why not?