Food Thoughts

Many of you know that I like to cook AND I love to eat. You may also remember me commenting in the past that I used to love to eat WAY TOO MUCH! Like 300 pounds too much. That was a good 16 or 17 years ago and I like to not think about it. Anyway, since defattifying myself, discovering cycling and becoming an endurance athlete (I have to say I feel embarrassed calling my self an "endurance athlete" but hey, the second you get that Bikereg.com receipt in your e mail's in box you become one in my opinion) I have become even more zealous about my cooking and eating.

I truly believe that athletes, both professionals and amateurs alike do more of their OWN cooking than the general public. Even when I cook "badly", that is to say with "extra cheese" or meats not all that great for you like sausage or pepperoni, I still like to be in control of the amount and and the sort of meat it might be. Leaning towards lower fat cheeses "bad" meats like turkey sausage or turkey pepperoni. I just like the control of the meal, EVEN when the meal is "bad" for me, I don't like it to be "over the top" bad for me. That's what beer is for! And I'm even loosing my desire for that lately.

I like to browse through magazines like Clean Eating, Oxygen, Cooking Light and books that Wifey gets from the library for ideas. I'm not sure if I've ever really followed a complete recipe from any of them, but I get a ton of ideas. So many recipes call for ingredients or procedures that are just too time consuming when you work 8 hours, come home, ride for 1 to 2 hours, shower, play with your kid and still have to make dinner. I mean I've read magazines where they'll want you to make refried beans from scratch. Seriously?? You really think I have time for that, when I can open up a can of fat free refried beans that cost me a $1.50? I mean I'd LOVE to make my own RFBs someday, just to say I did it and see how they turned out, but it's just not possible with a schedule like mine.

I also see recipes that in my opinion are just not that suited for endurance athletes. Some of the magazines that I mentioned above are geared more towards getting lean and dropping as many calories as possible from a dish rather than providing the athlete with meals to fuel a long workout or a race. I want "fuel", but I still want it to taste good and I want it to be fast.

I hate to repeat stuff I read or see on other blogs but this one bares repeating- Jeff Kerkove posted about a site called Culinary Competitor last week. What a cool site and a great idea! I'm not moved to send "fan e mails" too often, but within 20 minutes of reading their site, I found myself sending off an e mail to them giving them some serious props. Many of the meals I still don't have the time or the culinary skills to make (maybe Harp does!), but the whole concept of a web site devoted to athletes cooking for themselves is one that I'm REALLY into. The site is already good and has so much more potential. I really think that the site could be and will huge with athletes who like to do their own cooking.

Who knows, if they decide to create a section for culinary "ham and eggers" like me, maybe you might just see my turkey ballz on there some day! ;)

On one last "culinary note"
I'm now a huge fan of Chipolte Pepper in Adobo sauce.

I've Been making a chicken and rice dish with them and IMHO it rocks. It's a spicy, smoky flavored protein/carb kick in the rectum. Gotz to love the Chipolte Pepper ;)

OK, NOW I'm hungry!

Later.