Fritatta

I have been experimenting with a no starch diet now for a month, it has been great. The only problem is,  I dropped weight and now have re-gained it. I guess I enjoyed it too much! Don't panic, I am talking two pounds, and that can fluctuate based on just what I ate and drank the day before!


So the idea of my "no starches" is that I need to increase fats. Well, I increased them too much I think, I was lazy and didn't weigh and measure. I am now doing that again so I can actually make an intelligent decision on all of this.


One thing I have quite enjoyed is fritatta. It is so easy and you can basically make it with whatever you have on hand. This started because David made something and it required 8 egg whites so I stopped him from throwing the yolks away. I combined them with slightly more egg whites from a carton!


I used whole eggs basically, full fat cheese, vegetables and pancetta (Italian bacon). So, if you were watching your weight you might use mostly egg whites (a couple yolks for richness and the flavor), low fat cheese, vegetables and no bacon or maybe turkey bacon (never tried it so I'm not sure). 


It can be low calorie and delicious, I know as I have made it before that way! You know how to do it!


In a well seasoned fritatta pan (or a pan that can go in the oven- don't use a non-stick). Coat it well with butter or olive oil ("no" calorie watching or "yes" calorie watching). Add whatever chopped ingredients you wish, here I had sautéed zucchini and pancetta, I am just warming it at this point in the process, the vegetables and pancetta were already cooked. Pour over the eggs (whole eggs or a combination of some whole eggs and some egg whites), add mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you like) and then with a rubber spatula, gently lift the edges as the eggs cook, the uncooked egg with run down the sides and fill up the space.

Add some more mozzarella (here I have small pieces of fresh buffalo mozzarella, the white chunks). 

When it is mostly set, after gently lifting the sides away and letting the uncooked egg run under, it will be time to put it under the broiler. 

The egg puffs, the top browns and the cheese melts. this was only a few minutes. It depends on the oven, the pan and the distance from the burner. I would go anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. 

All done and ready to cut into wedges. This is great served hot, room temperature or cold. In the picture at the top of the page I had it with avocado. See why I gained some weight? I should have left out the avocado....

Do try this, even on a low calorie diet. Just use less whole eggs, less cheese, and more vegetables. Eggs are a super good source of protein and this is a great breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Grilled Radicchio

I love foods with vibrant flavors. Bitter, spicy, sweet and salty, I love it all and bland food just doesn't impress me at all.

A vegetable I love is radicchio, it is a leaf chicory. It usually comes in small, compact heads and is a deep, dark red color with white center veins.

I like to separate the leaves, leave them whole and put them in a large basket. They will be wilted on a hot grill. I have also done this under the broiler if I am not grilling (actually I never grill- isn't that a man thing? David does it!)

In a large bowl I make the vinaigrette. For two heads of radicchio I use 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and lots of black pepper. It is not science, use what pleases you. This is a very lightly dressed dish, you would probably like the vinaigrette doubled....I don't care for overly dressed foods.

I can highly recommend Frog Hollow Farm organic olive oil. The fresh, fruity flavor is out of this world! We buy it at the Campbell Farmer's Market but they sell at several other markets too.

Put the bowl by the BBQ and grill the leaves, turning if you like (but not necessary) and when they are wilted plop them in the vinaigrette, turning occasionally. 

The radicchio can be served room temperature or it can be heated again. I serve it as a side dish with any meat or fish that does not have a sauce on it.

Today I took my left over radicchio and mixed it with left over sautéed broccoli rabe, another bitter Italian green, similar to a bitter broccoli. 

I warmed them both together and was going to put a couple fried eggs on top, so the yolks would break onto the greens, but we were out of eggs and will not be going to the Farmer's Market until Sunday, so I settled for scrambled egg whites.

Mixed it all together and added a bit of black pepper and it was wonderful. The egg yolk would put it over the top, definitely try it that way. This is a healthy, low carb, flavorful dish to enjoy anytime. 

I have also made this with ground beef instead of egg and find it especially satisfying for breakfast. 

Emu Egg Omelet

Dang that's a BIG egg! David and I were shopping at the Mountain View Farmer's Market and were getting some meat- Jim had these huge Emu eggs displayed on the table. I admired them but didn't think of eating one until another customer started telling me how wonderful they were, and then I had to have one.

She said they made a very rich and fluffy omelet, and I love omelets, I can eat them three times a day and have actually been known to! Eggs are one of the best protein sources we can eat. Typically I eat egg whites and will add one whole egg, this would indeed be a special omelet. 

What she didn't tell us right away was that the shells are very thick, and actually collector's items so you need to drill a hole in the end and blow out the egg so the shell can be preserved. Sounds like a fun night to me!

This post has a couple very short video's so if you are an email subscriber, please navigate to the blog to see them, they really are an important part of this blog.

We would have an Emu omelet with some strong stinky cheese and truffles. A glass of sparkling wine and the evening would be complete.

First we drilled two holes in the egg. (Video)

Then, we, no I had to get the egg out of the shell. The Emu egg is a bit different than a chicken egg. Chicken eggs contain 37% saturated (bad) and 63% unsaturated (good) fats, while emu eggs contain 31% saturated and 68% unsaturated fats.  Both contain all 8 of the essential amino acids needed in human nutrition.  Chicken eggs contain about 65% white, 35% yolk.  Emu eggs contain 55% white, and 45% yolk.  The big green eggs yield about two cups of egg.  One large chicken egg is about one quarter cup.

I decided to get a very large stick a break the yolk up while it was inside the egg, this way I could blow it out of the teeny tiny hole. The texture of the egg was very thick, I could feel the thickness with the stick and it was rather gross. (Video)

Then, I had to keep blowing the egg out of the shell, it was very thick and didn't cooperate well.  David and Derek had a good time as I did all the work.

Here I am in action, the egg is starting to come out now. (video)

Now it's really coming out and it seems like it just won't end! There is an awful lot of egg in this big green orb! And look how thick it is, the stick is standing up in the egg!

Once all of the egg was out, I had to take a breather- that took quite some time! We heated a very large skillet and started to cook the egg(s).

Then, we grated some stinky french cheese we purchased in Berkeley at the cheese board, and I shaved some black truffle. Yes, I happen to have a dedicated truffle shaver, not that it gets used often enough.

The egg was too large for us, so the omelet turned into scrambled eggs. The cheese was gooey and melted inside,  and I cooked the egg only until it was just set and still very creamy- I hate dry eggs! A generous shaving of black truffle on top and dinner was served!


I will buy these again, the egg was rich, creamy and fluffy at the same time, it must be the extra yolk to white ratio! I don't know if we will have as much fun with the next one, but we will certainly try!

Friday's Training with Roy

Roy and I are training shoulders on Fridays right now, and I am loving it!


There is always a point in my training where I think I know so much, only to find that there is a whole world that I don't know about, and it is so fun to discover it! 


We are working on my anterior and lateral deltoids to show more roundness. The posterior are looking good, and that usually lags on so many people.


We went for volume, I seem to respond well to that.


Incline barbell press (using fatgripz)
Incline dumbbell press with a neutral (some call hammer) grip
   superset with
Lateral raise
Incline front raise (on a bench, face down, neutral grip)
   superset with
laying rear delt raise


I took longer than an hour, and it felt great!  We chatted for a while about the world of competing, dieting and the shady side of the bodybuilding world in general.


A guy wanders over from the pull down across the drive, we are in an industrial area, who knows what goes on behind the closed doors! He said we both look like "fit people" and wanted to know if we wanted to buy some Sea Bass.


Roy and I looked at each other, I couldn't tell if he was about to crack up and was holding it in, or not. I know it was rather odd. It is 80 degrees outside, we are standing in font of his gym and some guy wants to show us his fish in a crowded and cluttered garage...


I say "sure we will come see" and we walk over, they have huge ice chests with not much in them, they buy from the fish wholesalers...hmmm. I see fishing poles but I don't think they are for sea bass. They give us a crab cocktail and we thank them and walk back to the gym, we decide not to buy anything.


We huddle together in the gym wondering what kind of business they are running and laugh as we both tell the other they can have the crab salad. We talk about Arnold and wonder if he will be able to make a comeback, or are we stuck with the vision of his belly in the speedo forever? He was stunning in his younger days, and although he did use steroids, he was and still must be genetically gifted.

I say goodbye, we will train legs on Wednesday evening. I drive off to have a pedicure. I realize it sounds like I have some odd foot fetish, I have a pedicure or a foot massage almost every week, but it is so relaxing and an inexpensive treat to myself. 


I picked wild orange today, one of my last hurrahs to summer.

I fell asleep, It seems that I am always falling asleep when I have a pedicure or a foot massage! That's a good thing right?


Actually a waive of sheer relaxation came over me, making my eyes heavy. I wouldn't say I was tired or exhausted, it was like every inch of my body felt spent and completely at peace. It happens sometimes when I train for a long period of time, and I believe it is endorphines surging through my body and then a let down, like there is nothing left in me. It is this high that keeps me doing what I do all the time.


I closed my eyes, just sitting waiting for my orange creamsicle polish to dry then home I went, floating on a cloud, not quite sure what is in control of my body. 


Time for a great muscle building meal. I had planned on having fillet Mignon, but we had another teenager over for dinner and I gave up my fillet for the good of the cause. Instead I had a fabulous beefalo patty from Pampero Ranch.  Stacy introduced me to this farm, Jim sells at the Mountain View farmers market. The beefalo is very tasty, 4.8% fat, grass fed and a great source of protein. He sells some wonderful eggs where the chickens eat only melon rinds and flax seeds too.


I had beefalo, a whole egg, broccolini, mushrooms and peppers. A spoon of mustard and a big glass of water. 

I am ready to hit the Quads on Saturday morning. Roy and I trained hamstrings Wednesday, they are still tight from the workout, of course sprints and stairs afterward certainly helped to pump them up. 

I wonder, do you ever get this feeling after training? I would love to hear!

Meals after Over Indulging

Saturday I went off the diet, I was in control, I planned it. I have to be fair to David and this is our month of fun, July when he is off. Anyway, I don't need to starve myself for three months.

I do have to get back to the right foods though so on Sunday I ate wonderful, healthy, fabulous foods. I know several competitors who wouldn't dare eat this when they are prepping for a competition, but I can and I do.

I started the day with my usual meal replacement drink, then a protein-carb (1 to 4 ratio) drink after training.

Breakfast was 1 cup egg whites with low sugar ketchup and some hot sauce, then one serving of steel cut oats with splenda and cinnamon.

Lunch #1 as David refers to it (actually meal #3) was this salad. I shredded raw green cabbage, chunks of tomatoes, roasted beets, thick cucumber, raw bell pepper and 4 ounces cubed cooked chicken breast. I tossed it with homemade balsamic vinaigrette (no oil, recipe will be at the bottom).

Dinner was this salad, a modified salad nicoise (my favorite). David made it for me (with my strict direction as he loves his olive oil), he does a great job. We went to the farmers market in the morning and bought it all there.

Thick slices of heirloom tomatoes, chopped green bell pepper, sliced breakfast radishes, sliced cucumber. Then I cooked pasture raised eggs, till the yolk was almost set, and topped it with two of those.

Stacy introduced me to pasture raised eggs. I used to buy organic, these are so much better, even my son can tell the difference and he asks for these ahead of time now to make sure we cook the right ones.

Whole eggs are more calories, about 50 per egg, but I am not drastically reducing calories now, just keeping it all clean, and on an even keel, besides, if you noticed there was no starch in this meal or the other one, when I reduce starch I increase fats.

Whole eggs occasionally are very good for you, in fact, when I am not prepping I will eat them more often, these are creamy, rich and have a fantastic mouth feel. 

Then I had 4 ounces of grilled ahi tuna. Rare, really, really rare. Topped with chopped chives and again, my balsamic vinaigrette, salt and pepper and I was not only satisfied but feeling good.

Had I not been dieting I would have shared David's lunch. These are fresh Monterey sardines, wrapped in grape leaves pulled from our vines out front. He just took them off the BBQ.

Here is the actual meal, looks pretty tasty huh? He oven roasted these cherry tomatoes with olive oil, coarse sea salt, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar and fresh thyme. Served with bread to sop up the oils, looks great but just a little to much for me right now, I have a goal in mind.

Then I made the boys a rustic crostada, it is a dough of white flour, white sugar, butter, salt, rolled out and then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and a mound of fresh apricots from our backyard is piled on, the entire thing is baked till flaky and golden.

And when it comes out of the oven it is sprinkled with confectioners sugar, and served hot with vanilla ice cream. I went to bed so I didn't have to suffer through the moans and groans of pleasure! ha ha

Vinagrette: Mix to your own taste approximately 1 Tbsp grainy mustard, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp splenda, salt and pepper. Keep it on hand always, take it with you when you go out to dinner so you aren't tempted to put any of their dressings on, they are full of oil and garbage! 

New Year's Eve Dinner

We stayed home, too many drunks out there on New Year's, and you know what they say : "Amateur night".

I made a lovely French meal from a book David bought called The Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris, Everyday Recipes from the Real Paris by Daniel Young.

The meal was light, satisfying, healthy and so delicious.

We love France; the food, the people, the country and traditions are so much as we like to live.

To start we had Steamed Whole Artichokes with Poached Egg and Vinaigrette.

This is a cooked large artichoke, that has had the center leaves and choke removed after cooking, then a poached egg is placed in the center. The yolk is warm and runny.

You pull off the artichoke leaves from the center, which have the warm yolk clinging to them, and dip them in the herb vinaigrette.


Then once you have eaten all the leaves, you have the white of the egg resting on the heart of the artichoke, with some yolk still there. I loved it!

While the vinaigrette has olive oil in it, which is a fat and thus has more calories than a protein or carbohydrate, it is a monounsaturated fat, and it is important to include some in your diet everyday.

Then we had Garlic Soup with Mussels.

You saute garlic in olive oil and the cook mussels in water and white wine. Once the mussels open, the cooking liquid is added to the olive oil/garlic mixture then simmered. Although this soup appears to be creamy, there is no cream. One egg yolk (for 4 servings) is whisked into the soup at the last minute to add richness.

The mussels are removed from their shells. Small toasted rounds of baguette are placed in a shallow bowl, some Gruyere cheese, the mussels and then topped with the hot soup and a sprinkle of Piment d' Espelette, a mild pepper from the Basque region of France.

A wonderful bistro meal, with a little sparkling wine and then a glass of Chateau La Canorgue. If you ever saw the movie "A Good Year" with Russel Crowe, it is the property that he "inherits".

We visited the winery a few years ago, I highly recommend it if you are in that area of France!

I digress. The meal was delicious, healthy and perfectly acceptable for any dietary goals (OK, not if you are prepping for a competition, but then you cannot eat anything!)

Remember, meals can be delicious and healthy, there is no need to suffer just to maintain a healthy body weight and low body fat. 

I went to bed at 8:45 (always thinking about the next day) and was set for a long sleep, the gym didn't open until 7:00 am!  The wind and the cat woke me at 5:30, I was full of energy and feeling good.

It was leg day, but I tweaked my right spinal erector on Friday and it was still a little tight, so I changed it to shoulder day. I had a fantastic workout! Heavy sets, jump rope in between each set, for an hour and 45 minutes. A great long steam and off to tackle the day.

Egg Whites and Blogging

This is my nightly ritual. I microwave a cup of liquid egg whites, top with black pepper and a little low sugar ketchup, grab my jug of water and start blogging. I somehow manage to keep most of it off the keyboard too!

Were you wondering when I actually had time to do this? I mean, I get up at 4:00 am to go to the gym, I then go to a full time job and I have a family and they have lives too.

But we all manage to make time for things that are important to us. For most it is watching TV. I don't do that, I prefer to read. 

I read many books, often I will have 5 or 6 going at once. My mood or energy level will determine which book I read on any given day. I also like to write, and to share my sometimes crazy ideas with people, hoping that I can inspire some of them.


My son Cooper spends most of his free time playing lacrosse. He strings heads for his friends, he practices in the backyard and across the street. I think he even sleeps with his stick(s) sometimes.

David likes car racing, specifically Formula 1. Nascar is NOT car racing, it just doesn't have the same panache.  Unfortunately there are only 19 races a year. Of course, that needs to be multiplied by 3 because you have practice, qualifying and then the actual race. He also spends a lot of time on his wine making.

My point is that we all make tome to do what we enjoy and what we feel is important to maintain our sense of balance. If you don't "have the time" to train or eat properly, you need to look inward and decide if it is really important to you.


I will bet that you will find the time if it is.

Breakfast

Breakfast is very important, you should never skip it! I know you hear that all the time, but there is a good reason. Study after study has been done on subjects who ate breakfast and those who did not, and the "eaters" come out ahead every time.

When you wake up, you have been "fasting" for many hours, your body needs fuel so you have energy, fuel so your brain can function.  It is a myth that you burn more fat on an empty stomach, it is absolutely not true. 

Believe me, if the only magic trick to burning fat was to exercise on an empty stomach, we would not be a country of obese people!   And, if your body turned to burning fat every time you had an "empty stomach", then again, society would be awfully slim because most people go way too long in between meals anyway!

So just what does your body burn when you are exercising on an empty stomach? Hard earned lean muscle mass.... 

And what happens when you finish exercising and you don't consume a carbohydrate rich meal? Same thing, anything you thought you were building up is being thrown right out the window and you still have that layer of fat hanging about.

So many people are afraid of eating a healthy, balanced diet for fear of gaining weight, but by incorporating this one meal, you could actually start losing weight!

I love steel cut oats (above) and I sprinkle flax seed on them. How much do you eat? Well, they just so happen to tell you what a "serving size" is right on the box, and they are correct. Yes it has lots of carbohydrates!

I make a batch of several servings and put them into the refrigerator, so I can just pull one out and heat it up as soon as I get home from the gym. Don't microwave those plastic containers! Transfer the contents to a glass dish first. By making batches you ensure you have breakfast ready and made so you won't be tempted to stop at Starbucks or a fast food restaurant.

I will top my oats with splenda, and sometimes some peanut butter if I am not prepping for a competition. Serve with a bowl of scrambled or microwaved egg whites and I am set for the morning.

Salad Lyonnaise

One of my favorite salads, Salad Lyonnaise. It can be rather fattening if you order it at a restaurant, but if you make it yourself, it can be quite delicious and good for you at the same time.

Salad Lyonnaise is made with frisee, with a mustard vinaigrette, croutons, lardoons and a poached egg on top. Most people automatically assume a salad is healthy and a great diet choice. Not so, in fact, most restaurant salads are as calorie laden as a cheese burger and just as fattening.

To start with, the salad dressing is always a killer. It is laden with fat and they put way too much on, the greens are almost always swimming in oil.

Croutons are also covered in oil, they are fried!

Lardoons? Those are just long, thick slices of bacon.....

So how do you make this at home so it tastes good and you aren't ruining your diet?

Make your own dressing, but make a white wine mustard vinaigrette:

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 Tbsp Flax oil
pepper
1 packet splenda

Then, don't fry croutons, but cut some whole grain or ezekiel bread into large squares, bake it in a 400 degree oven, turning occasionally until crisp, 10 minutes. Or toast it and cut it into cubes.

Cut turkey bacon into thick slices, then fry or microwave and drain well.

Toss the frisee with some of the vinaigrette, croutons and lardoons, then top with a poached egg. The egg should still have a warm, runny yolk so that when you cut into it, the warm yolk mixes with the salad greens. Sprinkle on some chopped chives and a couple grindings of pepper.

Delicious!