Blueberry Banana Flax Pancakes

This is my favorite pre-race/competition breakfast. It's been tried and tested this winter before the Rocket Ride. I recently shared this recipe with a friend, so I guess it's only fair that I share it with you.

Blueberry Banana Flax Pancakes (makes 9x 4" pancakesish)

Dry mix-
1.5c flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2Tb flax seed

[NOTES: Use Kosher or sea salt, iodized is inferior for cooking. Add more or different kinds of spices to your dry mix to your preference, personally TJ's pumpkin pie spice is my favorite. Gold or brown flax, doesn't matter. Raw is best, but needs to be kept in the refrigerator.]

Wet mix-
1 banana
2.25c milk
1Tb raw apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1Tb safflower or olive oil

[NOTES: 1/3c applesauce works instead of banana if you're in a pinch. Choose a non-diary milk like rice or oat that has lots of carbohydrates in it to pump up the energy value and since it's hypoallergenic so it wont mess with your tummy. Raw apple cider vinegar or another acid like fresh lemon juice is used to activate the baking soda so shit rises. Typically, it's always 1 part b. soda: 3 parts acid. Safflower and olive oil have lots of good Omegas and Vitamin E, cyclists need it.]

Method-
In an electric mixer, if you have one, with the paddle attachment, or bowl with a wooden spoon otherwise, make sure your dry mix is well combined, then add your wet mix a little at a time so it doesn't clump too much. Stir until loose and goopy. Depending on multiple factors, you may need to add more milk to get that familiar batter texture. Now add close to 1c fresh blueberries in there just to get them mixed in. Drop batter on your cast-iron or griddle and fry those puppies up. This usually makes enough to make me full and have a few left over for pre/post competition for fuel/recovery. Or you could share, I guess.

[via my Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/lVFtQUCHI6/]

Single Pan Meals: Seasonal Eggless Scramble

This time of year there are all kinds produce that can be used in easy applications at home. Don't be discouraged when you're scoping out the Farmers Market or making a routine run to the grocery store and see different colored potatoes, big leafy greens with crazy colored stems, or squash that come in every shape and size imaginable- they're just as easy to cook up in a flavorful meal as any other vegetable.

If you're anything like me, you can appreciate the simplicity of cooking a dish in one pan start to finish. My cast-iron is always up for the challenge. If you don't own one yet, get on it. You can find them at Whole Foods, a camping store or the internet for super cheap.

To make your next produce run a little more exciting, I'm going to share an easily customizable dish that the Mrs. and I ate for breakfast this morning using seasonal ingredients; an Eggless Scramble. I've bolded the vegetables that you could easily switch out for a different variety without really having to sacrifice cooking time.

Ingredients:

-Half a block of extra firm Tofu, crushed
-Handful of sliced Shitake mushrooms
-Half of a Delicata Squash, deseeded and chopped into 1/2" cubes
-Half of some Asian Yam, skin on, chopped into 1/2" cubes
-1 Carrot, peeled until there is nothing left, peels rough chopped
-1 clove of garlic, minced
-3 stalks of Rainbow Chard greens, chopped into bit-sized pieces, stems included
-salt
-pepper
-cumin, oregano, paprika, turmeric (generous pinch of each)


How To:

Preheat your oven to 400*F and get your large pan hot (medium high). Once the pan is pretty hot add a dollop of coconut oil, a few Tb of grapeseed oil and salt. Next it's time to add your squash and yams. Once they start to get a little brown add your garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir occasionally as you mix all your spices with the crushed tofu in a mixing bowl. When the mushrooms look like they're starting to crisp a little it's time to add your tofu. Stir it in there real nice like and throw it in your hot oven.

While your scramble is roasting, take this time to rinse your greens off really well. Its very common to find bugs and dirt all up on them, you don't want that in your mouth. Also, the water on the freshly rinsed greens is going help cook them down in the next step.

After about 5-7minutes pull the pan out of the oven and add your greens. Stir it up so some of the water on them can get into the bottom of the pan and help unstick some of that. Now cover with a lid and place on low heat. This next part is optional but we always enjoy this particular "vessel." Bust out a few corn tortillas and let them heat up in your raging hot oven until they start to bubble. Once they start to form a bubble or two, remove and kill all the heat. You're now ready for some breakfast tacos or and eggless scramble that can easily stand alone.

Harm's Way

I recently stumbled back upon a Chicago hardcore band that I assumed had vanished from the music world, Harm's Way. They've come a long way. So long, in fact, that Deathwish is putting out their newest EP, "Blinded." Definitely my next record purchase.



One more thing... I found this: http://rottenyoungearth.blogspot.com/2012/03/harms-way.html

Race Food: Secrets of Racer on a Budget

Since I've chosen to eat a plant-based diet, I have learned that I simply can't rely on whatever town I'm in on a given weekend (or week) to have a few vegan options, or any for that matter. It's not affordable for someone who makes $30,000 or less to race bikes, travel to racing destination, find housing and eat out the whole time. Instead, I race bikes, travel to the race, stay where I can and go grocery shopping before hand. A small ice chest and a juicer is all I need. Here's my typical stage race (3 days of eating like a starved animal) menu for under $50:

-a box of spaghetti
-pasta sauce
-2c steel-cut oats
-small jar peanut butter
-small jar jelly
-baby bagels
-dried rice
-died lentils or if I'm planning ahead I sprout them with mung beans a few days before. Protein bomb.
-2 bunches of kale
-3 yams
-2 crowns broccoli
-package of vegan sausage
-small bag of onions
-3large red beets
-bag of carrots
-3 oranges
-3 apples
-1/4c chia seeds
-trail mix from the bulk section
-banana chips from the bulk section
If I have leftover money, I like to get some brown rice syrup or molasses as a sweetener. Also some greens and Goddess dressing are a plus.

For race specific food, I'll usually score a 12pk of Clif Bars, protein powder and electrolyte drink mix. Please note, that I cook this stuff at home even if I'm not leaving town for a race. It's simple, tasty, and nutrient-rich.

For someone who works out regularly, it's important to notice what kind of mix I've got going on listed above: Carbs, simple and complex for fuel and recovery. Unsaturated fats, for fuel and recovery. Protein for recovery. Friuts and Veggies for crucial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Now for the good stuff. Breakfast is a must, no skipping, okay?




2 glasses of water.
Coffee.
Oats with chia seeds, peanut butter and a sweetener (see previous recipe here)
Bagel with jelly.
Juice- 1 beet, 1 apple, 1 orange, a few carrots. In order for your body to efficiently absorb all the iron from the beets you need some vitamin C, that's where the oranges come in. Aside from the obvious vitamins and minerals in the carrots and apples, both are loaded with carbohydrates!

 Post race, usually in the car before you head home.
Add water to your shaker with protein mix and chia seeds. Shake and drink.  Also, the drive back is a great time to snack on that trail mix/ banana chips.

For lunch/ dinner I often swap these around depending on my time and mood. This meal is crucial, your body is crushed from racing and needs carbs and protein. You'll need a small meal to replenish, and dinner will need to top off your glycogen stores for racing the next day.

2 glasses of water, atleast.
Pasta (season the water generously, you sweated out all that salt already)
Pasta sauce
In a hot pan with some canola/safflower or olive oil and sea salt add small diced YAMS, chopped ONION, chopped BROCCOLI and VEGAN SAUSAGE. Once the yams start to brown, put a lid on it so the steam will cook and tenderize the rest. Medium low heat and stir occasionally. When the yams are ready in 10 or 15, everything else is. Place atop your cooked pasta and devour.

2 glasses of water, atleast.
Bowl of rice. To cook rice place 1c dried rice in a pot with 2c water (The magic rice ration is 1part RICE : 1.75parts water, but 2parts is easiest and will work fine), a splash of oil and a big pinch of salt, cover and bring to a raging boil. After the boil is met, reduce heat to very low. In about 45 min your rice should be complete. 
Saute (cooked in a hot pan with oil and salt) of chopped YAMS, sliced VEGAN SAUSAGE, chopped BROCCOLI, sliced ONION. If you have some herbs handy, dried or fresh, throw some in the mix. Fresh garlic is also a crucial addition if you have it. Again, when the yams start to get a little browned, go ahead and cover your pan. You want enough oil in there to brown your veggies, and enough moisture in the veggies to kind of steam them too. This ensures the middle of the veg is getting cooked, not just crisping the outside. If you need to add a splash of water, that's totally fine. Taste a yam, does it taste like it needs another 5 minutes? If yes, perfect! Wash and chop the kale (stems and all) into bite-sized peices and mix that in too. The steam and oil will cook it until it's tender. When your yams are just tender enough, the kale and everything else should be too. When it comes to greens, brown means overcooked, bright green means perfect. You can eat it raw, so dont fret about cooking it enough.
Assemble your saute over your rice and dump some of that Goddess dressing on top, it's basically an herbed tahini. 
  
I was too hungry to stop and take pictures of my food this weekend so you'll have to use your imagination. Sorry :)

Day 3: Cascade Lakes Road Race

Stage 1 of the Cascade Classic is a road race that starts and finishes at the West Village ski resort on Mt. Bachelor. Picture this: Your straddling a road bike in a parking lot with 85 other dudes in 90+ degree heat a 6,300ft above sea level, slamming a 24oz water bottle before you start racing said bike for the next 70 miles around the base of the mountain and a nearby lake or two. Sweaty picture, no? I knew hydration was key, so I took 3 bottles with me- one in a jersey pocket and two on the bike. I didn't know jacking your heart rate up at altitude will mess a dude up, hydrated or not. My job in this stage was to stay up front and follow anyone that wanted to join or start a breakaway. This would give our climber, Max O'Neal, a perfect opportunity to not do anything the whole race, that is until the pack reached the final climb up Mt. Bachelor where he could use his uphill strength to smoke fools to the finish line.  

The idea being if I get into a move that gets up the road with a few others from different teams, the teams left over in the pack who don't have a man in the breakaway will worry that their shot at victory is over so they'll have to work together to chase us down. If a team has a man in the break, they get to sit pretty and let everyone else do the pace-making until they reel them back. Now they're fresh and the team that wasn't represented is tired, and has lost their shot at challenging or matching a final acceleration to the finish line. 

Neutral rollout began as we cruised behind the lead car for the 3,000ft descent down the volcano at 54mph. After about 3 miles the race is on, and the accelerations begin. I spent the first half of the race responding to counterattacks that Brian Hitchcock (HSP captain for the weekend) was instigating. He definitely help set the aggressive tone, so now it was my job to just flow with it. After many attempts, I sat in around 5th wheel or so to recover since it appeared that nobody was ready to let anything go. About 3k before the first feed zone one guy from Audi got away- 1 man is no threat but a few more could be. About 1k before the feed zone, Thorsten informs me that Hitch snapped his chain! FUCK. This put us on alert, so we had to make sure nobody got away without us to allow him to chase back on after the neutral service vehicle fixed him up.

Naturally, while Thorsten and I were moving up to the front, 3 guys separately attacked to bridge up to our lone ranger. This was bad- not in the move, AND we have to pick up the pace to bring them back while Hitch is trying to catch back on. I spent the next 25 miles or so chasing and trying to follow bridge attempts. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't sit in early enough to recover and let everyone else do the chasing, which led to some massive fatigue. We were just getting out of the windy stretch of the course before the final climb when I experienced something I've only heard stories about- double leg cramp. From calves to ass, my muscles began to seize and convulse out of nowhere! One minute I'm at the rear of the pack chatting with my one of our travel buddies, Nate Pitts, eating, drinking to prepare for the hard climb approaching, the next minute I'm whining like a little girl, squeezing my hamstrings as I just coast right off the back of the group. I can't pedal at all. My legs literally wont fucking move and all I want to do is pass out from the pain. I drank 6 water bottles - WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY?

After declining a ride to the finish line by multiple cars (if you dont ride in, you forfeit the race) I was able to dismount and try to stretch my legs. I had to soft pedal for about 50ft just so my legs wouldn't stop working again. Luckily for me there were other bodies up the road, pulled over for some reason, which meant I wouldn't have to ride the final 15 miles or so by myself. The race was now long gone, and my chances at putting myself even close to a GC position were over. All I could do was finish and play domestique (workhorse) for the team. I caught up to the first guy up the road, who also had cramped (for the first time ever) and we road together as we approached the next victim. I told him my teammate, Thorsten, has often cramped up in the past which I assumed was just from not drinking enough water and now I get it. Water wasn't the issue, I really think it was over-exertion. We get up to the next guy just getting back on his bike- it's Thorsten! Speak of the devil. He didn't cramp this time, he got some altitude/heat exhaustion and started puking so he had to pull over until his body was done purging. We were both physically fucked. After playing cat and mouse with other dropped riders up the road, we ultimately road to the finish line together. A Coca Cola from the Illegal feed zone (these are offerings from candy, beer to water or whiskey that fans put on) on the climb may or may not have been taken to save us from passing out.

We finished 17 minutes behind the leader that day. Bummer, but there's still lots of racing to be had.

Cascade Classic Update

Please accept my apologies, I was having issues trying to blog from my iPhone, since the Blogger app is sub-par. It also deleted my entire Day 3 and start of Day 4 post, which is obviously not Pro. I'm off to work, but plan to feed you baby birds later tonight. I was able to snap some pictures in and around race time but definitely not as often as I had intended, but nonetheless, I will do my best to do this weekend justice. I promise, there is no better example of easy, nutritious cooking, than that of a cyclist away for stage racing - there will be recipes. Thanks for checking in.

Day 2: Cascade Classic

 After sleeping in and enjoying a typical morning breakfast of steel-cut oats and copious amounts of coffee we all kitted up (slang for putting on our color-coded spandex costumes) and rolled out the door in search of a hill climb. Yesterday we rode past a nearby butte with a promising ascent, so we located it on the horizon and quickly found ourselves at the base - Pilot Butte Scenic Viewpoint. 

I think it took us around 7 minutes to climb to the top, but I can't upload my Garmin until we get back to Seattle so it's "unofficial" for now. Kat finished with Chris and Rob a little bit behind Ted, Nate and myself, but she had her Strava on and officially has the fastest women's time to the top at 8 minutes and change I believe. Ted is notorious for setting a slightly uncomfortable pace uphill, and since we are at 3500' above sea level, I figured I'd see what it felt like to go a little hard when the air is thin - a slight understanding of what racing down then back up Mt. Bachelor tomorrow afternoon is going to be like. It sucked at first but then it mellowed out when I started to control my breathing. See?

A proper 580' climb only 3 miles from our house. Beautiful. 

After we finished strolling around town and picking up our race info packets for the weekend we headed across town to drop by a BBQ we were invited to by my life homie, Mike Roecklein. He is the Director/ owner of Stage 17- Cylance and apparently has hosted this Cascade Classic BBQ for a 2nd year in a row where little fish bike racers like us can eat, drink and shoot the shit with the top dog fast guys. Today his friends on Team SmartStop (Domestic Pro team) and the Bear Development team (under 23yr old) were invited along with our posse. We really did feel like little fish. However, everyone was super nice and didnt make us feel like minions. Also, we got to stuff our guts with delicious fajitas as we lounged in the green grass of their host house's beautiful backyard. Such a great day to kickoff what is about to be a brutal weekend of racing. 

Did I mention we went swimming in the Deschutes River this afternoon too?

 Check back tomorrow for a race update and what I've been cooking up in this kitchen on our small grocery budget.