Beans, beans good for your heart...

Thought I would share a recipe which the whole family liked (there have been others, some good, some bad, but these are the ones the family eats). I've been getting my bean recipes from the book Full of Beans by Violet Currie, and Kay Spicer. The link will take you to Amazon.ca (.com might have it, its a Canadian publication). Great book tones of bean recipes, some deserts too, bean flour and all. They have all nutritional info for each recipe, and many are marked gluten-free.

Beans 'n' Rice

beans, main dish, Rice

1 tsp canola oil
1 onion; chopped
1 clove garlic; chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp celery seed
114 tsp black pepper; freshly ground
1 can (19 oz) tomatoes
2 cups red kidney beans; cooked
1 cup brown rice; or white, cooked
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 green sweet pepper; chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cheddar cheese; shredded
fresh cilantro; chopped or parsley

- In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion and garlic,
stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in
chili powder, cumin, celery seed and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, beans, rice and Worcestershire sauce; stir well. Bring to
boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until most of the
liquid evaporates.
- Stir in green pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through.
Season to taste with salt.
- Garnish each serving with cheese and cilantro.

VARIATION:
CUBAN BEANS & RICE
(sometimes called Moors & Christians)
- In place of kidney beans, use 2 cups (500 mL) cooked black beans.

Notes: Full of Beans, 95

Yield: 6 servings

One day its going to be warm

This winter is just giving more joy. Snow yesterday morning and COLD today. One of my riding buddies had a set of Aluminum milled rollers he does not use.... So next Saturday I'm going to tackle the Sufferfest 5 and I watched the whole thing last night... I was up a little later than I wanted, old school footage.

I have been enjoying the IN 5' series, as they can be pieced together and make a good 10' warm up and cool down. The Sufferfest does not teach you anything but pain... I know what I need in warm up and cool down. I then grabbed my foam roller afterward and worked out all the nasty bits.

There is HOPE of spring as I'm being asked by several of the gentry class who now have bought cross bikes and would like to race in the Paris to Ancaster Race this spring. This race has become HUGE, and it's a lot of fun. Here in Southern Ontario when you buy a cross bike you have to sign a waiver saying that once in the bikes life it will ride in the race... So when the trails melt, and turn to globs of mud, I'll take them on the 60km tour over a two week period. Most years it drys out by race day, but even up to the week before its a mess.

I need warm weather!

Well, I broke my 20 year old rollers today... so trainer only to the end of this cold weather... What a winter so far...

Some workouts are better than others

Well, I've been working in my office this week, and getting to watch the Tour of California. Boss does not mind ;)

I had planned to do Cyclo-SPIN 1 last night. I went down in the basement set up and had Cycling.tv open in one window and Graeme in the other, I had to turn down Manguns and Marty. So I did my workout and did my best to "watch" the race. Anyhow the point of this post is when the final "push" from Graeme came and I'm hammering away, the sprinters are getting their leadouts and when Graeme said "ok cool down" Cavendish just went accross the line... Needless to say if I was there, I would have beeten Cavendish, NOT that I'm competitive and even a Video sprint can get me going that much harder or anything like that. :P

Riding outdoors

Well, on Family Day (President's day in USA), I rode with my friend Greg. "Easy" in the cold weather. Road were clear, sun was shining, wind was blowing, and other than I had thin gloves on it was a beautiful day! Now as per last post I had pounded myself last week... and I think I was still in recovery. Greg just flew up the hills, and oh he looked good and smooth, he is going to be a force to recon with this season.

Then yesterday night I went down to the basement and did three (3) rounds of the ZEN 8' workout, followed up by SPEED Areo-Ab blaster. So now today is recovery and tomorrow will be an easier trainer workout.

Today is staying warm in my office quoting jobs, and staying out of the snow AGAIN.

Oh the Pain, don't ya love it.

OK I've cheated on Graeme! I've been doing the spin class and enjoying this off-season as much as sitting in the laundry room pounding yourself can be "enjoyable". Well, this Friday I opened my Road Bike Rider weekly newsletter, now I've not read it in a few weeks, Though I always like "Scott's Spin". But this week they introduced a site with video workouts for free. He does ask if you download and use his workouts buy a mug or a shirt. It's a lot of you-tube footage, and older recordings, well done to proper tempo music

The Sufferfest and yes he lives up to it. They do not replace Cyclo-SPIN as the cyclo-spin is not only work-out but a technique class too, it takes the off-season plan to the next level. Any way back to the Sufferfest, I started with video 3 as the guy does stuff on the roller, wow, I can ride sitting up but I've never tried to get out of the saddle. I got out my rollers and did the 55 minute work out, and I used all the visulizations used in the spin classes, Waggon wheels, shoe scraper, knee thruster, and popcorn, and one test of the bull-whip. Three exhales to two inhales breathing, and just pulling my head up or pulling my body straight to maximize my breathing (which if you try these "sufferfests" you will need to maximize your breathing).

OH, I'm toast I started the day off with In 5' Breath, then In 5' Warm, finished the workout with In 5' cool, and being smart I got my protien drink and came back and got out my roller and did the myofascial release, and boy did I need it! I did the Spin class 4 Tuesday and Spin Class 3 Thurday, I had other workouts but for streching ZEN Power yoga on Friday.

I'm going to look for a benafactor, as my bike is just wore out! The #$@ front derailur won't always shift up, and on rollers it's a PITA.

Forget Lance, Eddy rules!

Spin Whipped

Well, I did my month end books, met with my accountant and reviewed my Year end, And made a bogus trip to Toronto, thinking I was going to collect on a bad debt. So I was a wee bit stressed by the time I got home.

Cyclo-Spin 4! I did the 8' routine through twice and then Cyclo-SPEED Core this morning, and I had planed on blowing out anyhow, but after the stress of the day I ripped up the bike and my "cottage of wattage" is burned out... gone nada, just made it up the stairs... Which when spring comes (and we are getting teased this week), I'm going to be so ready to romp my friends.

I have been working on memorizing scripture, and I've started with 1 Corinthinans 9:24-27, now Paul refers to running not cycling (I'm a purest, I don't run), but still it has a great transfer for both the Christian walk and for training. I've posted the TPV (tuttle paraphrased version) before. I often get frustrated at "church" people who don't comit fully and do the "junk miles". Paul is calling on those people that it's just finishing but it is running to win. Serving God with everything. Study and pray till your Spiritual "cottage of wattage" is burned out, "can you feel it keep going, 5 more minutes"

^ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ^25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ^26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ^27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (1 Co 9:24). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Time for a SPA

Triguru's been doing here Full spa treatment, and I thought of her this morning as was doing a quick PNF stretch and my IT band is SO tight.

I've been doing the Graeme's spin classes and yesterday I did the 8' Zen power routine through twice, and then Speed's ab workout. So I've not been pushing myself like I do in the spring through the fall, so why worry about tight IT bands and Myofacial Release? Well, I found out this morning! So tonight I'm going to do a Spin class (not sure which one, thinking #3) then pick up my daughter at dance and come back and make here do Strengthen the knees workout, which for a dance the studio don't have them streatch out those musles and the girls get knee sprains. So after that I'm doing the PNF and then the roller, not hot bath as there just won't be that time.