Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pre Marathon Carb Loading Meals

Andrew will be running the Malibu Marathon
on Sunday 11/14/2010

I'm only doing the 1/2
so I'm not too concerned with the Carb-Loading
I'm just gonna keep eating good, clean meals,
keeping tabs on my hydration, and making sure I get a bit more rest
so I don't feel as wrecked as I did 2 weeks ago when I did

Andrew loves pasta
in any shape, form, and preparation
 
So I decided to make him one of the dishes that my Grandma would make
for my brother when he was in junior high/high school
and participating in every sport that fit into his schedule

Marathon Men and teenage boys have 2 things in common
A never ending appetite
and a never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks

Luckily
I only have the never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks
in common with them.

The greatest thing about this dish
is that it's inexpensive
and can be made with wonderful ingredients
to ensure the best of both worlds
Nutritional Value and Flavor

As always
start with fresh, high quality ingredients
In the cast iron skillet
fresh red and green bell peppers; fresh yellow onions; fresh green onions, fresh garlic, fresh shallots, fresh sage, fresh, oregano, some cumin, salt, and pepper.
Add
to the veggies once they are almost beyond al dente
Add
2 cans of tomato paste, and some more herbs and seasoning to taste
Mix
with some enriched elbow macaroni
and you've got yourself a whole heck of a lot of
delicious carb-loading goodness
that tastes even better the next day

*******

Here's another Excellent way to carb load
while still incorporating fresh ingredients
that also ensures some nutritional value and comfort-factor flavor

Tuna Casserole
White Trash Done Right
Along with the usual suspects (white trash ingredients),
I use fresh, chopped spinach, fresh mushrooms, peas
and freshly grated Parmesan

I'm sure you know the drill
Mix ingredients, stick in Pyrex Dish, Bake,
Serve
Eat

Not exactly photogenic
but it sure does taste good
and it's pretty inexpensive
and, a little goes a long way.

I would love to hear about your favorite
Carb-Loading Meals.

Wishing You a Happy and Healthy Day!
Melissa Adylia Gutierrez
Owner/Personal Trainer





Monday, November 8, 2010

Beautiful Bird

When the weather cools down
I love to turn on the oven and cook amazing meals

Lately, the weather has been hit or miss
One day it's freezing
(by my SoCal standards, anything below 70 should be against the law)
the next day,over 80 degrees

I love a perfectly cooked chicken
Paired with roasted veggies and a glass of bubbly

Last Friday,
The weather was in my favor!
: )

First Step
Start with the best ingredients

I Grabbed this beautiful bird at my favorite Butcher Shop
in Los Feliz, CA
Simply, Cut up some veggies and aromatics
Throw in a Pyrex dish
Place birdie on top after stuffing it with some of the veggies and aromatics
Smear the skin with delicious butter, salt, pepper, and garlic
Top with herbs
Put in oven

Take your time preparing your side dishes
and cleaning the kitchen

Here is your reward
A Beautiful Bird!
I could stare at this all day
but I'd prefer eating it

Crispy Skin
Juicy Meat
A Perfect plate of dark meat
Served with rice, roasted carrots and garlic, and steamed spinach

A Perfect plate of white meat
Served with rice, roasted carrots and garlic, and steamed spinach
I love adding roasted Shallots, yellow onions, thyme, and sage

Served up with my favorite view
Mister Andrew C enjoying one of my home cooked meals
along with his favorite garnishes
Slowly toasted green onions, garlic, shallots, and yellow onions

Dinner was amazing
Had to make a plate for Andrew to take for lunch the next day.

Thank you McCalls for another perfect bird.
Can't wait to rock the chicken stock I made with the bones and make some risotto this week!

I welcome everyone to share your favorite way of preparing a chicken.
Cheers!
: )




Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Post 1/2 Marathon Disciplined Indulgent Treat

Sunday, October 24th
I "ran"

I Love this pic!
This pic was Courtesy of Louis Kwan.
You can view a ton more pics from the Los Angeles Rock n Roll 1/2

I was craving something super delicious
as a treat to celebrate a few long weeks of training clients and completing this 1/2 Marathon, completely unprepared, over trained, and utterly exhausted.

Sometimes I crave some "interesting" things after a long run
Cold pizza and beer
really hit the spot after the
(June 2010)

After this 1/2 Marathon, I was craving something a little more indulgent.
Marrow Bones!

But first, I had to make a quick pit stop to one of my all time favorite places 
for a shrimp taco before heading to my other post-run-standby
for a large order of Sizzling Rice Soup!

After taking care of serious business
Saying hello to the most wonderful fish taco stand owner, Joseph Cordova, and eating my favorite immediate-post-run-snack
and heading to Chi Dynasty for my Sizzling Rice Soup
I headed towards

My Meaty Mecca
to grab some
BONES!!!

Placed them atop some foil on a baking sheet,
sprinkled them with flake salt and some freshly ground pepper
and surrounded them with fresh sage from my garden
and let them get all toasty

Served them with toasted whole grain bread
and a bottle of bubbly

What more could a gal ask for?

Toasted Shallots, Garlic, and Onions!

...for the amazing Cod
Also picked up from McCall's!

Of course, I had to throw in some pretty heirloom tomatoes
for color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value

All served up with my favorite view
Mister Andrew C, enjoying a meal cooked up by little ol' me
: )

He loved the bones
and the pretty fish as much as I did!

What do you enjoy after a run?