Friday, February 29, 2008

Chefin' It Up

The tables were turned last night and I actually cooked for the Captain. I have to share this recipe with you cuz it was tres delish and healthy. I made it up and the Cap was seriously impressed. I didn't really measure things, so bear with my crude recipe:

Chicken Marinade:
(I made this in the Magic Bullet)
Fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1/3 cup)
Olive Oil (about 1/4 cup)
Bunch of Cilantro
Garlic Clove
Tabasco
S&P

Cook up the chicken breasts in the marinade. I used those strips - they cook easier and were on sale :)

Then I made 1 c of Quinoa (per directions on box)
I let it cool a bit.
Toss in cut up, seeded/peeled cucumber
Toss in some fresh cilantro (cut up smaller)
Squeeze fresh lime juice.

Put Quinoa mixture in a pretty bowl.
Lay chicken strips over top.
Garnish with sliced Avocado and lime wedge.

Seriously, Rachel Ray ain't got shit on me. (And her stuff is WAY too fattening.)

RUNNING NEWS:
I am going to attempt some hills this weekend. Last time I did hills was not so good. Any hill training secrets?

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh man that sounds delish. Could even work for pork or turkey (my options b/c I am allergic to chicken). Mmmm. I have never made quinoa before. I think I might have to finally give it a try. haha.

Good luck on the hills. I have no advice, because I have not attempted that chance at sudden death for me. haha.

Judi said...

Hills - take them slow and easy and use your hamstrings to push yourself. :)

I have hills on all my runs so this is what works for me.

Heather said...

I've never heard of a chicken allergy, wow!

Anyway, this looks delish. I just had quinoa for the first time a few weeks ago and LOVED it!

AddictedToEndorphins said...

Yes!I have hill training secrets--

1) look about three feet infront of you, those three feet will look flat

2) Shorten your stride and increase your turnover

3) Don't stop till you crest the hill. Slow down to walk on the way back down the hill, get your heart rate down.

4)You should feel like your going to puke at the top of the hill. Try to keep the repeats about the same time

5) Use a mantra like "I LOVE HILLS" or "IM STRONG, IM FIT, I TRAINED FOR THIS"

Have fun! :o) Keep a positive attutide! LOVE the hills

AddictedToEndorphins said...

OH and on the way to thehills and on the way back from the hills run really easy, and make sure your warmed up really well!

Mendy said...

I am sooo not the cook in the family, I'll have to send hubby over to your blog. :-) But that sounds delicioso (too much Dora on tv these days) especially the garlic. YUM.

I'm doing hill work next week. I just talked about it in my blog. Maybe check out that link... it's got some short hill repeats that start out with only 2 10sec intervals. I look forward to hearing about the hill work.

TNTcoach Ken said...

Get a tow rope for your hill training, the invisible kind. Just use your arms and you'll be done in no time.

My Life said...

Sounds good... never had quinoa though. Moved a box that was probably 3 years old back from Oki with me. Finally tossed it about a week ago.

I agree RR is too fattening and honestly, the recipes I've made just aren't that great.

And your chocolate milk/ass explosion pic is sick... however did you manage that one!? ;)

Nancy said...

OMG, I have the bullet too. We are so a match.com. :D Recipe sounds great. I'll have to try it. Nice work!

HILLS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. EVERY HILL MAKES YOU STRONGER.

Heather said...

Hill are ass-kickers, which is what makes them rock. <--- says she who has not run in so long its laughable.

Hey do you ever make protein shakes in your magic bullet? I despise protein shakes, but have heard that the MB is the key to making them palatable.

Viv said...

The dinner sounded so classy and tasty.

Good luck with da hills. My hills consist of running over the curb back on to the sidewalk. Have a great weekend!

Paul said...

These work for me. Your actual mileage may vary:
- Keep your hips forward. This means don't bend at the waist, or, into the hill. This will constrict the range of motion in your legs. Test: lean forward at the waist while standing and see how high you can lift your foot. Then stand straight with hips slightly forward and see how much higher and easier you can lift. When you bend at the waist you fight your leg motion.
- Keep your foot strike from occurring ahead of your body. A foot strike ahead of your center-of-gravity on a hill puts on the brakes and also makes your legs support your weight at a more bent knee-angle. If you've ever done quarter-squats you've seen how much more you can lift then when doing half or full squats.
- Let your legs extend a bit as you push off. This is amazing because the increased range of motion in your quads will delay the onset of the burn. (This extension will happen on its own if your feet are landing below or slightly behind your center-of-gravity with your hips properly aligned.)
- Get your heels up. Good quick foot lift leads to good quick turnover (as 'addicted' mentioned). Picking your feet up also shortens the 'lever' of your legs which allows you to quickly bring your legs through the 'recovery' phase of your stride that follows push off. An image here is to imagine that you are 'stepping over' the ankle of the opposite leg - which is on the ground at this time. The concept of 'stepping over' is taught by many sprint coaches. They talk about stepping over the opposite knee which is great for 100m, but overkill for 13.1 to 26.2 type runners.

The foot strike position, push-off, heel lift and 'stepping over' concepts are the reason that "the magic of a good stride happens behind you."

This is a lot to remember but over time and practice it all becomes automatic. Uphills are THE best possible way to perfect your running form. Low impact plus added resistance go great together.

I apologize for being so long-winded. Hope this helps.

B said...

That magic bullet is my favorite kitchen gadget (well next to a really really good chopping knife!)

The recipe sounds really good - I'm toing to try it!

(I don't think I've ever commented here before - hi!)

J~Mom said...

Oh man, I totally want a magic bullet. See, now I NEED one!

Lily on the Road said...

that sounds yummy! I'm going to try it....

as for hills everyone seems to have covered just about everything...so all I can add is warm up before you start hills, start slowly and gradually increase this distance and reps over several weeks...don't forget a nice slow run afterwards.....

Marcy said...

Ooooo that sounds pretty yummy!! Thanks for the recipe :-)

TonyP said...

I am now totally starving !

On the hills, you already got some good advice in other comments. I want to echo one...shorten your stride and increase turnover. This is key. Enjoy.

Erin said...

Sounds yummy! Rachel Ray has got good ideas, but I agree, way too fattening. Lol, I always pump my arms faster up hills, and then my legs follow their pace. I probably look like a freaky looking chicken or something.

Anonymous said...

My fat ass have two rules for hills...

1.) Knees are better kept unseen. If you see your knees you're bending at the waist and your legs over reaching to the front (likely driving your heels right into the hill - ouch).

2.) Maintain meat cleaver arms. 90 degree angle, fist to chin -> fist to waist... repeat. Power arms make a powerful charge.

Just relax and imagine someone is at the top of the hill pulling you upward via a rope tied to your belly button. Tight abs, loose limbs, visualize success :-).

Welcome back :-)

RunnerGirl said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe, I'm always in search of new stuff to cook. I have a ton of Rachel Ray cookbooks but you're right, its all way to fattening!

Good luck with those hills!

Unknown said...

yummmmm. Sounds good.

My advice - simply embrace the hills. Think positive thoughts "Oh good, another hill!! I'm going to be so strong after this run..."

Danielle said...

Yum! Sounds good!
I run hills 1-2 times per week and at first it was a REAL challenge. Be careful, don't overdo it the first time or you may end up with an injury. I think running some hills can really improve your time too (although you are pretty fast)

carla said...

the rachel ray line? freakin hilarious

recipe?
FANTASTIC.

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