Rope Training

Roy surprised me today! Actually I think he surprised himself too. The big, long rope is always running down the center of the gym, I never really paid much attention to it, I figured we would get around to it when we did.

He changed the shoulder workout, we started with standing behind the neck barbell press, I warmed up then on to 65 pounds then right to 75 pounds and that's where we stayed, 8 reps, 5 sets.

Then seated dumbbell press at 35 pounds, 7 reps, I think we did 5 sets, maybe 6?

Then he asked about the rope, "did we use the rope recently?" "Um, no, I have never used the rope, or any rope for that matter."

A look came over his face..."never...used....the rope?"

"No" I explained I always wanted to use the sled, the chains, the ropes, all the fun stuff. I got to use the prowler with SC, but he never let me use chains, not quite sure why...

I told him that I have been having so much fun with everything else we have been doing, it slipped my mind. The smile on his face seemed to get a little smirky at that point. 

He looped the 40 foot, 2 inch diameter rope through the sled (that was already weighted with a  few 45 pound plates) and told me to grab one end and bring it together with the other, and hold one end in each hand like this:

I was supposed to do one minute on full blast and one minute rest, seems like nothing...well have you ever "done the rope?" ha ha, I bet not!

So he stood on the sled, stopwatch in hand and says "go" and I am supposed to undulate alternating arms like the fellow in the picture above. Big, strong movements, hmmm, it's  not working that well.

Then I am to switch to both arms together up, then down, using my legs and  my entire body to create giant waves of undulating rope.

My breathing is very labored, I am sweating, huffing and puffing, it's not over yet. Below is one of the Kardashian girls training with ropes. I suspect she does this about as often as she takes out the trash...in other words it was for the camera only.  If she did it regularly she wouldn't have such a well endowed rear end. 

Next I am supposed to swing one rope over the other and smack the ground, then swing it back over, and keep alternating, almost like "double dutch " jump rope, but it's slow going, let me tell you.

4 frigging sets....maybe it was 5???? I think the last time I was breathing this hard was my first kickboxing conditioning class!

At the fourth set Roy started laughing and said "oops, stop- that was 1 minute 20 seconds"...

WHAT???!! What the hell is the stopwatch for then??? 20 seconds extra is a lot with the ropes, let me tell you!

But I loved it, 

LOVED

EVERY 

MINUTE!

After I got home and ate, David and I had to go downtown to get a cheese slicer (long story you really don't want the details on), and we decided to go by the new cheese shop in downtown Los Gatos. We see Nick coming out, the owner and chef of Nick's on Main, one of my favorite restaurants. We stop to talk, he asks if I am competing (he knows we never come to the restaurant when I am on a diet) and I explain that I am in the "get big" stage, no diet, so we should see him soon. 

He looks me up and down and says "still training? You just finished now huh?" "Yes" I said and smiled. "Shoulder day, we used the ropes."

He could tell, my arms were pumped and full. I could feel the swelling starting....

Next Friday will not come soon enough!

Be Yourself

I do enjoy chocolate, especially dark chocolate and someone at work gave me a box of Dove dark chocolates just before our holiday break.  They each have a saying in the foil, and this one says:

Feel free to be yourself

Many of us forget this. We get up every morning and dress, but who are we dressing for, ourselves or others? We train every morning, but who are we training for? It is to accomplish something we want or someone else wants, the look I mean, the outcome. Why are we training?

Recently I was asked, no, more like "questioned" how serious I am with my training because I go out to restaurants, and eat and drink. How can I really be serious if I do that?

I don't owe anyone an explanation, but I do  think that it may help others who may struggle with this same question running through their head. Can you possibly be "serious" and live a normal life?

I say yes you can.

First it's important to define what a "normal life" is. To many a normal life is hitting the clubs a few nights a week, eating, drinking and carrying on. This will certainly not produce a lean, tight body.

Normal to me is being able to go out on occasion with friends or family and eat a fairly typical meal and enjoy it. That's the key. Enjoy it. 

I think it is important to do this, because once you separate yourself from friends and family, and never eat with them, it is signs of an eating disorder. Seriously, so remember that.

Don't get me wrong, when I am prepping for a competition I have a date and a goal, I do not veer. I stick to my diet and that's that. I will go out and bring my own food, and if it's going to be hard for me, then I choose not to go out so I don't make a decision I will regret.

But I am not preparing for a competition right now, I can relax a little and I do. I remember that part of enjoying life is sharing things that bring people together, and one is of those things is food. For some people, the food is very, very important. 

It is very easy to make good choices when dining out, although it is tempting not to! Be firm with your server. Get lemon for your baked potato, skip the butter and sour cream. Get a leaner cut of beef, steer clear of the fatty ones. Ask for vinegar and olive oil on the side and put it on your salad yourself. Request steamed vegetables, plain.


I regularly bring my own food to a favorite restaurant! My son loves a ramen house, so I go with them (when not dieting) and order my own ramen but I dump in 4 ounces of cubed chicken breast. That way I get the protein I need, and still enjoy the food and time with them!

Spend some time with your family, and don't forget they love you and want to be with you, to share the things that bring happiness to them. And do what you need to do to make it all work.

The Cellar Door Cafe

Right after kickboxing on Saturday I showered and we all piled in the car to drive over to Santa Cruz for lunch at the Cellar Door Cafe. I figured I had burned enough calories between the 2 hours of weight training and then the hour of kickboxing. David, Lauren and Cooper are at the kitchen bar, our favorite place to watch all the action as we eat.


Below is a large chalkboard on the wall with the list of the producers and suppliers of the ingredients that day, all the farms. Lauren, being a very clever young woman asks "Is the boy happy because the girl is dirty?"


Ha! Smart girl!

The Chef, Jarod Ottley sends out a complimentary dish of fried Brussels Sprouts with smoked chevre. We also ordred Smoked fingerling potatoes with aioli and a fantastic pizza. It was Lamb sugo pizza with sheep's milk ricotta.  My plate is below, I had only one piece but could easily have eaten half the pizza.


Cooper and Lauren said it was the best pizza they had ever eaten in their lives (yes I know they are only 17 and 18, but they eat a lot of pizza!).

David then had Santa Cruz abalone, winter roots, castelvetrano olive and pickled carrot. I had a similar version of this last visit, it is amazing.

I typically order any seafood because it is so fresh and unique here. I had Eureka sand dab. Monterey squid, white beans and cippollini. Heaven on my plate!

Both Cooper and Lauren had the same thing: seared skirt steak, warm cabbage salad, fried farm egg. The moans and groans from the two of them were never ending. Cooper said it was the best steak he has ever eaten. I explained they use great local meats- but he said it wasn't just the meat, it was HOW it was cooked.

Oh, I finished my plate....could have even eaten the skinny little bones I guess! 

We ordered some cookies, but the server brought over a huge platter of desserts, including my favorite Dark chocolate cookies with caramel mascarpone. I explained that we hadn't ordered that, and she turned to look at Jarod, who just nodded his head, instructing her to place the platter in front of us.

Dessert was on the house. Lauren took one bite of the cookie and I thought she might try to whisk mine away from me! David and Cooper thoroughly enjoyed the date cake with maple and walnut.

Jarod come over and chatted about the upcoming holiday, the restaurant would be closed for a couple of weeks (good for them, bad for us). Lauren and Cooper expressed their pleasure with the whole experience and we vowed to return again soon.

Getting Big and Enjoying Life

It was Thursday, the day before Veterans day which was a holiday for all of us. I sent David an email:


"Cooper and Lauren are going to Halu before their play- want to go out to dinner?"
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss"
"Cellar Door!"


I make reservations online through open door and get home at 5:30. We live in San Jose, on the Los Gatos border so we are right at the Santa Cruz Mountain foothills, the Cellar Door Cafe is over the hill in Santa Cruz on the other side of the mountain. It would take almost an hour with traffic.


As we drive over the hill I am talking about my "bigness". I want to get big, I am trying to get big and amazingly, my diet has been working. I have cut starches back to only 3.5 ounces ONCE a day (after training) and increased protein 2 ounces every meal, which is 12 ounces more a day- almost a pound of lean meat/eggs/fish. I have grown, I am 13 pounds more than I was 5 weeks ago. And, most is muscle, there isn't much fat, really. I have done a good job. 


But, I am still allowing myself to enjoy life and eat, drink and be merry on occasion. Tonight was one.


David said "It's a holiday! We are off!"  "Well" I said "I still have to get up at 4 am to go to the gym". "Your choice" he happily shouts as he zips along the mountain road. "Don't wake me up when you go!"


We arrive and I ask to sit at the bar, we love to talk with the chef and watch the action. We love this restaurant and we are lucky to have such a fantastic place so close. We sit and the server greets us "Hey guys! Nice to see you again!" I don't know her name but she is a wealth of knowledge regarding food and wine. 


She brings us a glass of wine then places a dish in front of us. "Chef has sent this out for you!"


Notice she said "Chef" and not "The Chef". Jarod Ottley is respected and he is "Chef". He waves and smiles, he has sent out a beautiful dish of Fried Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Chevre. 


Heaven. Absolute heaven. Jarod walks over and greets us welcoming us back. Here David is enjoying the sprouts.

And more sprouts. They aren't breaded, just fried and the cheese is smooth and smokey.

Bread from Companion Bakery around the corner, olive oil and salt.

The pizza oven and the prep area where Jarod stands and creates the masterpieces he sends out to the anxious patrons. 

We shared Local Greens, Lemon, Almond. It isn't just a salad, it is a lovingly created piece of art. The greens are local and dressed by hand, then carefully stacked on the glass plate. The couple next to me ask what it is, they want one too.

David then has Pork Belly Confit, Cippolini, Torn Bread and Bean. He has had a slightly different version of this before, he likes it very much.

I had Monterey Squid, Squash Blossom, Sunchoke, Corn. Oh I ate half before I took the picture!


A French fellow sat down next to me and we chatted, he ordered the Duck Confit.

I look at the menu and see "chocolate cookie". I ask the server about them, could they be the fabulous cookies I had last month? She talks to Jarod, no they are not the same. But Jarod will make them just for me, as a special treat!


She tells me they changed the serving size, they used to serve 6 and realized it was way too many. Funny, I ate all 5 last time, David had 1.


Here they are, my special cookies, little sandwiches, so I actually did get 6 (two per sandwich). Last time I guess there were actually 12! David didn't even have a bite.

They all watch as I thoroughly enjoy each cookie. Then the two women sitting next to David want to know what I am eating. They don't see this on the menu and they want them. Oops, Chef will need to make more I guess!

David said he would have me home in time for bed, we arrive at 8:30, I relax with a glass of sparkling wine then off to bed, 4:00 am comes early.

Next Saturday is Passport Day, we have wine shipments to pick up and they happen to be in Santa Cruz, I have made reservations for lunch at the Cellar Door again. We told Jarod we would drop off some of our wine for him.

Post Competition Celebration Lunch

Sunday I couldn't sleep in too late, I am wired to get up and go. I woke about 6 a.m. and read the paper, David got up early too and I asked for breakfast. An avocado, mushroom and cheddar cheese omelet with one piece of sourdough toast.


No pastries, I have all the time in the world really. The days following a competition are so fun, filled with eating and celebration.


We went to the farmers market and I ate some fruit, oh the flavor was wonderful! I bought great vegetables and meats. On the way home I texted Virginia- Ramos Fizzes in 15 minutes! She and Mark came right over, Sophie leading the way in her little battery operated car.


Then it was over to Santa Cruz for lunch at the Cellar Door Cafe. We are so lucky to have this stunning restaurant so close.

 

I knew what I wanted as soon as I talked to the server. The Aioli Monstre. A huge platter of cold poached seasonal vegetables and seafood, served with aioli (garlic mayonnaise).

Oh there was wine too, after all, Bonny Doon is a winery! I am not a "cheesecake Factory" gal, quantity does nothing for me, it is quality I want. I am a foodie, I know great food, I eat only the best. I know the best restaurants, hit me up when you are looking for something....

Here is the platter up close, next Sunday is the last day this is on the menu, then they are honoring the change of the seasons, and moving to bouillabaisse, I will be there for that!


My platter has cauliflower, carrots, green beans, Romano beans, wax beans, stuffed egg, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, basil, radishes, scallops and halibut cheeks! Each morsel is delicate and fresh as can be, you dip it in the garlicky mayonnaise and it is heaven on earth. 

It is an open kitchen, we like to sit at the counter and chat with the chefs. David is enjoying Pork Belly Confit, warm cabbage salad and fried yolk. 

It doesn't sound great but it was, I tried it!

I could have licked the plate. I joked with the server that I should have just eaten the darn shrimp tails too....

Dessert. Dark chocolate cookie, caramel mascarpone. Sounds simple, and it was. Simply delicious!


David ate one.

I ate the rest. They make them there, the cookies were slightly crispy outside, sort of like the crackly top of a brownie, then dense and moist inside. Like a sophisticated Oreo. 

This is one of the few restaurants Cooper will go out of his way to eat at, he knows great food too. I highly suggest you make a trip here, it is worth the drive over the hill.

Lobster Rolls

Yesterday David and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary. We decided to go out to dinner and have lobster rolls.

I find it interesting that some people restrict their diet year long, depriving themselves of every pleasure, every wonderful taste treat, yet most of them really don't look as though they do, honestly.

It makes me wonder if they are really sticking to their diet, or they just think they are eating the right things.

I eat a well balanced, healthy diet year round, but I certainly don't suffer and deny myself when there is not reason to.

When I am preparing for a competition, as I am right now, I start buckling down and I don't have those little tastes here and there, no spoon fulls of peanut butter at night, no sips of wine, and that, really, honestly does the trick. I mean, if you maintain a well balanced diet anyway, it isn't that hard to tighten it up.

Last night I went all out, and didn't even think about the food, and this is what most of the population does on a nightly basis when making food choices.

Here I am at the Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City, California enjoying a Maine lobster roll. They import live Maine lobster daily, have a bakery that makes the special rolls and they fry an awful lot of their food and I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I won't feel guilty. After all, as I always say "Life is not a dress rehearsal!"

Cooper, David and I ordered appetizers (called shaketizers) of cheesy garlic fries (for Cooper really), beer battered onion rings (for Cooper again) and beer battered coconut shrimp (for me). I was at a party at a friends house a couple weeks prior to my last competition, and she made platter after platter of coconut shrimp, which I was forced to decline....so this was perfect!

David had a cup of great clam chowder that even the 16 year old liked.

Then came the lobster rolls. These things are packed and overflowing with huge hunks of sweet lobster meat. We ordered the Maine rolls that come mixed with Hellman's mayo (it's Best Foods west of the Rockies), green onion and salt and pepper. Stupendous! Not too much mayo at all, in fact it was a very light mixture.
David couldn't eat all of his so I was obligated to finish it, it would be a crime to let that go to waste. He turned to me and commented "You are an amazing eating machine!"

So I went home, very full, but feeling like we celebrated and enjoyed life together once again.

Tomorrow, it's back to the same ol, same ol. I had lost three pounds in the last week anyway, so I will be up a bit, then back down, I have time, no worries.

It will probably be a couple years before I go back again, although Cooper did ask if we could return to try the fish and chips.....

The point I want to make is, be good to yourself, eat right and respect your body. Understand it's limitations when you don't provide it with the proper nutrients. Don't be so rigid with yourself and your diet that you cannot enjoy a meal out with those who care about you and want to be with you. Don't obsess!  Remember, you are hearing this from a person who competes and restricts her diet for months on end. If I wasn't going to stand half naked on stage, I wouldn't be so manic about it, believe me. Put it into perspective.

Enjoy life, enjoy the people around you, remember that everything you do affects those who love you.  Don't ever have regrets. That's one thing my mother taught me early in life.

Cellar Door

 

Sunday's lunch was the Cellar Door in Santa Cruz.

This is a wine tasting room and cafe, the food is fabulous!

David, Cooper and I shared a few starters, smoked fingerling potatoes with aioli; Castelvetrano olives, roasted garlic and meyer lemon; Monterey sardines, date and toast.

The fingerlings are sublime, I would order them every time. David loved the plump sardine, although neither Cooper nor I are sardine fanatics.

Then David had Line caught black cod, farro, beets, squash and orange while Cooper and I had the same dish of seared skirt steak, spaetzle, spigariello, onions and sauce romesco.

Followed by wine tasting for two, then a nice ride home in the convertible.

As you can see, my week following a competition is quite the culinary treat, I enjoy really quality foods, and luckily live in an area that has some of the most amazing restaurants!

I do enjoy them and don't feel guilty, it is all a well deserved treat and once I go back to my regular diet, I will quickly shed those extra pounds I gained.

Chez Panisse

 

Chez Panisse is one of my favorite restaurants, and I can always get my son Cooper to come along too. It has been known as one of the top restaurants in the United States for over 20 years.

Chez Panisse opened its doors in 1971, founded by Alice Waters and a group of idealistic friends. A neighborhood bistro, it is named after Honoré Panisse, a character in Marcel Pagnol’s 1930s movie trilogy about waterfront life in Marseille (Marius, Fanny, and César), as an homage to the sentiment, comedy, and informality of these classic films.

From the beginning, Alice and her partners tried to do things the way they would like them done at a dinner party at home, with generosity and attention to detail. The Restaurant, located downstairs, is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, by reservation only. The fixed dinner menu consists of three to four courses. The menu which changes every night is designed to be appropriate to the season and composed to feature the finest sustainably-sourced, organic, and seasonal ingredients including meat, fish, and poultry.

Prices for the restaurant are $60 on Monday, $75 Tuesday through Thursday, and $95 on Friday and Saturday (not including beverage, a 17% service charge, and 9.75% tax). Monday night’s menus are typically simpler and more rustic or regional than on other evenings. Friday and Saturday night menus are somewhat more elaborate.

The Café at Chez Panisse, located upstairs, opened in 1980 offering an alternative to the set menu served in the Restaurant downstairs. The Café serves a moderately priced à la carte menu for both lunch and dinner. It has an open kitchen along one side of the room with a charcoal grill and a wood-burning oven. The menu is inspired by the market and changes every day.

Alice and Chez Panisse are convinced that the best-tasting food is organically and locally grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound by people who are taking care of the land for future generations. The quest for such ingredients has always determined the restaurant’s cuisine. Since 1971, Chez Panisse has invited diners to partake of the immediacy and excitement of vegetables just out of the garden, fruit right off the branch, and fish straight out of the sea. In doing so, Chez Panisse has established a network of nearby suppliers who, like the restaurant, are striving for both environmental harmony and delicious flavor.

David and I spent Bastille Day, Wednesday, July 14 at the cafe. For starters we had a glass of cava and Canard Farm rocket with anchovy, garlic, and egg (David) and Pizzetta with tomato sauce, Monterey bay squid, and aioli (Kristy picture above).

Next was a bottle of 2007 Saumur-Champigny with Liberty Farm duck leg confit cooked in the wood oven with frisee salad, fennel, roasted figs, and sage (David) and Rigatoni with shell beans, tomato, pancetta, savory, and ricotta salata (Kristy).

Finally, Blue Bottle coffee with Frog Hollow Farm Blenheim apricot tart with noyau ice cream (David) and Mint-chocolate ice cream with bittersweet chocolate sauce (Kristy).

Everyone should experience the wonders of Chez Panisse, and now they are even on open table!

Dinner? I am making Spanish Garlic Soup with an egg. It is olive oil, garlic (it is Bastille Day), homemade chicken broth, paprika, cumin, saffron, a few slices of stale bread and two eggs that will be cooked until just set, right in the soup. It is delicious, very healthy and light and neither one of us could really eat much more than that!