Humpastry Day - Strawberry Coffee Cake

Strawberry Coffee Cake
So, once again I had some strawberries I needed to use up before they went completely bad.  I didn't want to make a dessert and nothing really sounded good to me until I came across a coffee cake recipe.  The ingredients weren't the healthiest, so I decided to modify them and give it a try.  It actually turned out super yummy!  The cake part is really moist and the topping gives a nice crunch to it.  I had gotten a cantaloupe at a Farmer's market that I wanted to eat, so I thought it would be perfect served alongside a piece of this coffee cake for breakfast, or snack, or anytime for that matter!  :)  I also think this would be good with blueberries or peaches!  I may have to try that the next time around!  Oh, and another thing I like about this recipe is that it is super easy to make and I had all of the ingredients in my cabinet already.  Yay!

Ingredients:
Makes 9 pieces

*  1C flour (I used 3/4C white and 1/4C whole wheat flour, but you can use any kind you like)
*  1/4C raw sugar
*  2tsp. baking powder
*  2Tbl. applesauce
*  1/2tsp. salt
*  1 flax egg (1Tbl. ground flax mixed with 3Tbl. water.  Let sit for a couple of minutes until it thickens)
*  1/2C Soymilk
*  1 1/2C-2C sliced strawberries (you could use more too if you like)
Topping:
*  1/2C flour (Again, I did 1/4C white and 1/4C whole wheat flour)
*  1/4C oats
*  1/2C sugar (I used 1/4C raw and 1/4C brown sugar) (After making it, this amount could probably be decreased to 1/4 or 1/3C)
*  3Tbl. cold butter
*  1/4C chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 8x8" square pan.
2.  Make the topping:  Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl.  Grate the butter into the bowl and mix until the mixture is crumbly.  Stir in the pecans.  Set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4.  In another bowl, beat the milk, applesauce, and flax egg.
5.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just moistened.
6.  Pour the batter into the 8x8 pan.
7.  Layer the strawberries on top of the batter.

8.  Sprinkle the topping over the strawberries.
9.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10.  Let cool and cut into 9 squares.
11.  Enjoy!

Boulder 70.3 bike ride

I started freaking out a little bit last week about how I only had 3 weekends left before my HIM, so my husband suggested that we drive up to Boulder Saturday afternoon so I could ride my HIM course.  I was more than thrilled!  So, Saturday after my husband got back from his long bike ride, we loaded up the boys and all our stuff and headed to Boulder.  We got to the reservoir, where the course starts, and my husband got my bike ready while I went to change.  The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was how HOT it was!  It was about 99 degrees and I instantly started sweating.  I had to change in one of the port-a-potties and it literally felt like a sauna in there!  Ugh!  
Pretty soon I was ready to go.  I gave my boys and husband kisses and hugs and took off.  My husband wanted to take our boys to play in the reservoir, but he didn't want to be there for 3 hours, so they took off to run some errands and we agreed to meet back up at the swim beach when I was done.

Here is the profile of the course:

 It is a two loop course, so I was anxious and excited to see what it would be like.  The first part of the course, after you leave the reservoir, is actually on Highway 36.  It is a very busy highway, but it has a pretty decent shoulder to ride on.  Even with the shoulder, there were some cars that got a little too close to me and I got really freaked out.  The highway is where you climb, and you just keep going up and up with some small downhill portions mixed in to keep it interesting.  I knew the name of the road I had to turn on and I kept passing road after road, and just kept saying, "Come on St. Vrain road."  Finally, I saw the sign for it and I was so happy.  I turned Rt. and it is a great downhill road that keeps going and going.  There are some gradual inclines, but for the most part it's flat and fast.  I loved it!

St. Vrain Road is actually a beautiful road.  I passed by mostly farms and lots of horses that were some of the most beautiful horses that I have ever seen.  But, it was HOT and I really didn't feel like eating anything.  There is not a lot of shade on the bike course, which I didn't expect there to be, and I was going through my bottles very quickly.  I had my aero bottle filled with water, a bottle filled with a 1:3 Gatorade/water mix, and a bottle of water with Nuun in it.  I thought that would be enough, but after drinking 1 1/2 bottles before I even made it to the second loop, I knew I was in trouble.

I felt great on the first loop and was ready to do it again.  This time around, I knew what to expect, so mentally it was a lot easier.  But, when I turned back onto HW 36 and started climbing again, my legs felt so tired.  I knew I needed to start taking in more nutrition or else I would be toast!  I started climbing and got passed by some guy that literally looked like he could be in the Tour de France.  He just flew by me!  But, I kept him in my sights and that really helped me pick up my pace, dig deep, and make it to the turn off.  I got to the downhill and just flew!  My max speed at one point was 36.4 MPH!

With about 30 minutes to go I ran out of water.  I didn't really know what to do because I was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by farms.  I seriously thought about stopping at a house and asking for some water, but decided against it.  I just kept going and knew that I would be finished soon.  My speed slowed down a little at this point because I was so thirsty, but I still felt pretty good heading into the home stretch.
I was so happy to make it back to the reservoir and my husband and boys were waiting for me at the swim beach with icy cold beverages! Ahhhh :)

There was an out and back section of the course that I didn't do, so I ended up riding a little under 54 miles in 2:44.  I was thrilled to see that my average speed, with a couple of stops, was 19.6MPH!  I can only hope that that number will go up when I'm actually racing!  Although, who knows what I'll feel like coming off a 1.2M swim.

Overall, I felt great and it gave me a nice confidence boost for my race.  I am so glad that I was able to ride the course beforehand, so mentally I know I will be prepared for it come race day.  One thing I know for sure is that I will definitely be taking advantage of the aid stations on the bike course this time around.  For my first HIM, it was 50 degrees out and I didn't even need 3 water bottles.  But, I know it's probably going to be super hot on race day and I need to stay well hydrated if I don't want to collapse on the shadeless run!  Plus, hot bottles of Gatorade and Nuun are just not that appetizing!  :)


Oh..I almost forgot!  To celebrate having over 100 followers (woohoo!) I am doing a fun giveaway sometime this week!  Yay!  So, look for it in the days to come! :)  

A week in review and other things too

Training:
I had a pretty good training week, but I am so tired today!  My whole body just feels fatigued.  I think it may have something to do with all of those French pastries I ate on our mini vacation in the mountains! Ha ha! 

*  I took advantage of Xterra's sale (which they always seem to have..ha ha) and bought the Vortex 3 sleeveless wetsuit!  I finally got to try it out at the Aquaman swim race on Tuesday night.  It felt a little tight in the neck, but once I got in the water it was fine.  Can I just say that I love that wetsuit!  It was so comfortable and I didn't feel constricted at all.  I really think my full wetsuit may have been contributing to some of my breathing issues.  I was a little nervous at the start, but excited to get more swim race practice in before my HIM.
They counted down and we were off!  I felt great in the water and didn't have the usual panic/freak out that I usually get.  The only time I had to breastroke was when waves from the jetskis started pounding me.  I finished and checked my watch.  I did it in ~15min. yay!  Now, I know that isn't a very fast time, but considering the fact that the fastest I've ever swam a 1/2M in a race was 19min, I was thrilled with the 15.  I needed that little boost of swimming confidence!  I'm planning on doing the 1M swim next week, so we'll see how that goes.

*  I had a great bike ride on Wed. night.  After dinner my husband put the boys down so I could go for my ride.  Yay!  As I was going around the Cherry Creek Res. this is what I saw:

 The rainbow was so beautiful!  Then, a little bit later in my ride, I got to see the sunset.

It was such a beautiful ride and it just made me so thankful for all that I have and am able to do.

Other things too:

* Patrick at The Road has launched The Endurance Athlete Project and I think you all should check it out!



*  So, what do you do when it's 96 degrees outside and you have two boys that want to play?  Bring on the Buzz Lightyear rocket sprinkler!

Can you see the anticipation in their faces?

BLAST OFF!  Look at how excited they are!  I love this picture!










I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Good luck to all of you that are racing this weekend too!  You are going to do great! :)

Humpastry Day - Rhubarb Bread

Rhubarb Bread

I felt like baking some bread today with my boys, so I decided to make some with the fresh rhubarb I got from my neighbor.  When I was baking this a delicious smell filled the entire house and I could not wait for it to be done!  This bread is super yummy and just kind of melts in your mouth when you eat it.  It is a little sweet, so feel free to cut down on the amount of sugar.  The topping is optional, but oh so good!

Ingredients:
Makes 2 - 9x5 loafs

*  1C soymilk
*  1Tbl. lemon juice
*  1tsp. vanilla extract
*  1 1/2C brown sugar
*  1/3C canola oil
*  1/3C applesauce
*  1 flax egg (1Tbl. ground flax mixed with 3Tbl. water)
*  1 1/4C all purpose flour
*  1 1/4C whole wheat flour
*  1tsp. salt
*  1tsp. baking soda
*  1 1/2C chopped rhubarb

Topping:
*  1/4C brown sugar
*  1/2tsp. cinnamon
*  1Tbl. butter, melted

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.  Lightly grease two 9x5" loaf pans.
3.  In a small bowl, mix the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
4.  In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, oil, and flax egg together.
5.  In another bowl, combine the flours, salt, and baking soda.
6.  Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture until just combined.
7.  Fold in the rhubarb.
8.  Pour the batter into the loaf pans.
9.  If making the topping: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter.  Sprinkle the mixture over the batter in the loaf pans.

10.  Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11.  Enjoy!

Our mini vacation in pics!

We had an awesome weekend in the mountains!  My husband did a great job in the Triple Bypass ride and we were able to enjoy the rest of the weekend as a family.  It was full of riding, hiking, rain, playing, and relaxing.  Oh, and I can't forget the delicious French pastries we ate for breakfast two days in a row!  Yes, two days in a row...they were that good! :)  Anyways, I thought I would just show some pics from our trip.

I don't know if you remember from an earlier post, but my husband participated in the Triple Bypass ride on Saturday.  It is 120 miles and goes over 3 major mountain passes in Colorado.  I can honestly say that it is something I have no desire to do, but this is his second year doing it.  He's amazing!
Here is a picture of my husband at the Loveland Ski area aid station, 57 miles into the ride.  Isn't that jersey so cool?  I love the colors of it this year!









My oldest on an awesome horse swing by my
sister-n-laws house.  My sister-n-law and her husband moved to Frisco a couple of weeks ago, so it was perfect for my boys to play with them at their house.  It was a great way to pass the hours while we waited for my husband to finish his ride and they got to have some quality time with their aunt and uncle!







My youngest didn't get his usual nap, so at the finish line, while we were waiting for my husband, he just decided to lay like this next to a cone.  Poor little guy!












My husband finishing strong!  Yay! :)  After the ride, we hung out, got some food, and headed back to Breckenridge to check into our hotel.









The view from our hotel room!  It was so beautiful!











My youngest walking up the hiking trail with his "walking stick."














The best family picture we could get.  The boys look like they're about to throw the rocks, but they're actually showing them to my sister-n-law.  :)

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers.  They were everywhere, so I had to take at least one picture of them.

We ended our trip with delicious homemade pizza at my sister-n-laws house, followed by an entertaining concert put on by our boys.  We were literally cracking up the whole time!  :)

Although it was a short vacation, it was perfect and just what we all needed.  It was filled with lots of adventures, like going on a bike ride with the boys in the burley and getting rained and hailed on all the way back, family time, and memories.  We're already planning the next mountain vacation in our heads!

A week in review and other things too

Training:
This has been an awesome training week!  It is nice to finally be back into the swing of things.  It's amazing how different my body feels when I put in a lot of training hours.  I feel stronger, fitter, healthier, and just happier in general.  :)


*  I had a great 10M run on Thursday.  It was a far cry from last weekends horrible long run attempt.  It was actually overcast, the temp. was around 60, and there was a slight breeze.  It was perfect!  I felt strong the entire run and it was an awesome feeling!  I know the likelihood of the weather being this cool for my HIM is slim to none, but it was nice to have a break from the summer heat and humidity.  

  
*  I was excited to go to my Aquaman swim race on Tuesday night, but unfortunately, Mother Nature had something different planned in the way of lightning, rain, and thunder.  I went to the race site anyways b/c the weather here can change in an instant, but I knew deep down that it would probably be canceled.  The race was supposed to start at 6:20 and they said they were going to make the call to cancel it at 6.  6 rolled around and they said they were going to wait another 15-20min. to see if the storm would pass.  The sky was dark, lightning was everywhere and I knew there was no way it was going to happen.  So, instead of waiting around, I told my husband that I just wanted to go.  I didn't want my boys out in the storm and I really did not want to risk getting struck by lightning just to practice my open water swimming!  I transferred my registration fee over to next weeks race and headed home.  This is what we saw as we were leaving the park:

I have no doubt that if we would have stayed, we wouldn't have seen the double rainbow.  My boys have never seen a rainbow, so they were just besides themselves with excitement! :)

*  I decided to get a stroke analysis done at a place called Swim Labs.  They use an endless pool with mirrors and cameras which video tape you as you swim from different angles.  It was so bizarre at first swimming in an endless pool, but after awhile it was as natural as swimming laps in a pool.  If I was a millionaire, I would have one of these in my basement!  They are so cool!  Anyways,  I was shocked by what I was (or was not) doing when I swam.  My left arm almost crosses in front of my head causing tons of drag and let's just say I have NO pull.  I really thought I was doing it somewhat right, but no, I was just doing this weird motion with my arm.  No wonder I'm so slow!  The mirror on the bottom of the pool gave me instant feedback and I was able to correct my left arm position really quickly.  The catch and pull though are definitely going to take some time.  The instructor gave me some drills to do, sent me home with a CD of parts of my swimming, and told me to practice, practice, practice.
I went to the pool this morning and tried out the new drills.  Let's just say that the saying, "Old habits die hard" is very, very true.  It is going to take me a long time to get the catch and pull right.  But, I'm excited that I finally know what I need to work on and can't wait to see how my swimming evolves from here.

*  I have been seeing these cool graphs and routes on blogs that people have uploaded via Garmin Connect.  I have been using the old Garmin training center software that came with my 305 years ago.  I decided to check out Garmin Connect myself and, oh my god, it is so much better than the old software!  Seriously, where have I been that I am just now using this?  But, I can't figure out how to post the map on my blog?  Help!  

Other things too:
*  As I was driving home from my Swim Labs apt. I saw huge signs advertising GoLite's warehouse clearance sale.  I love GoLite stuff, so I went to check it out.  They had some great stuff at some amazing prices!  I seriously had to restrain myself from not going crazy.  But, I did walk away with a couple of sweet things!

Check out my new waterproof gore-tex jacket and hiking shorts!  Woohoo! :)









*  I love our garden!  Every day it seems like the herbs and veggie plants are getting bigger.  I cannot wait until our cucumbers, carrots, and squash are ready to eat.  Tonight we're actually going to make a Capri salad with mozzarella and fresh basil and tomatoes that we grew.  Yum!

Cucumbers and squash plants.












Carrots, herbs and tomato plants












*  I have been watching the Tour de France, as I'm sure most of you have been too.  But one thing that always gets me with every stage is how there is a group of leaders out front the entire time.  Then, when it gets closer to the finish, the peloton always catches them and they just drop back.  I find myself routing for the leaders to just hold on EVERY SINGLE TIME.  And, I always get sad for them when they are overtaken.  My husband thinks it's hilarious, but just once, how cool would it be for the leaders to make it all the way to the finish without being caught?!  Now that would be an exciting finish!

*  I was finally able to use the gift certificate my husband got me for Mother's day this morning.  I went to the spa and got an hour long Sports massage.  OH MY GOD!  It was absolutely amazing and completely what I needed!  The masseuse was incredible and knew the exact amount of pressure to use without hurting me or making me flinch.  I have never had a sports massage, but I understand now why so many athletes swear by them and make it a monthly ritual.  I left feeling loose, de-stressed, and completely relaxed! Ahhhh  :)

Source

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  And, good luck to all of you racing this weekend too! :)  

Humpastry Day - Chapati (Indian Flatbread)

Welcome new followers!  :)

Chapati (Indian Flatbread):

Wow, I feel like it has been a long time since I did a Humpastry Day post!  Things have just been crazy busy the last couple of weeks.  Anyways, when my parents were here I wanted to make them one of my favorite dal recipes (email me if you want the recipe!).  Usually I buy Naan from the grocery store to eat with the dal, but I thought it would be fun to make our own flatbread instead.  It is super easy, a relatively quick process, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your cabinet!  Another thing I like about this recipe is that it can be adapted using any spices you want.  I think the flatbread was pretty good, and it went great with the dal as I hoped it would!

Ingredients:
Makes 4-6 servings

*  1C whole wheat flour
*  1C all purpose flour
*  1tsp. salt
*  1Tbl. Canola oil
*  3/4C warm water
*  Any spices you want to add for flavor: garlic, garlic salt, marjoram/thyme/oregano mix, etc.
*  3Tbl. vegan margarine or butter, melted

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, oil, and warm water until a soft dough forms.
2.  Knead the dough with your hands until smooth, about 3-5minutes.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest for 30minutes.

3.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
4.  Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into circles about 1/4" thick.
5.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
6.  Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat.  Add the flatbread and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.  It took about 2-3 minutes per side.
7.  Brush the cooked flatbread with some melted butter and put on a cookie sheet/baking dish in the oven to stay warm while you cook the rest of the pieces.  Cover the pieces loosely with aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out.
8.  Eat with your favorite dish and enjoy!