RachelBringIt’s BodyBlog

Well we finished the adventure race! And to my surprise, not last!! It took us 7.5 hours to complete the course. We had a bunch of ‘lovely surprises’ that kept us from a faster pace but Im really happy with our outcome of 27/35 people which isn’t too bad. I think I pulled my hip flexor on the first run in the morning which hurt me through the bike and the long run. The kayak was INTENSE. On the lake the wind was gusting 25-30 mph and it was almost impossible to make it across. It was fun coming back though and riding the waves but I was miserable from the hard paddling. Not to mention the kayaking was the first event which left us wet for the biking and running . I had so much fun though and Im really proud of my team. We did really good for our first race and I will definitely be planning another race again soon. Ill have pictures up whenever I can !! Im going to try and stretch out and take lots of Ibuprofen! Thanks for all the support guys!

OM NOM NOM NOM

Omg at LEAST 2 lbs of thai noodles are for dinner, and I really didnt get to eat much all day so its a welcomed big dinner!!

This isn’t even all of it, but all i could pile on the plate:

Im off to pack up then early to bed, early to rise (4am)

Thanks for all the kind words guys, I really do appreciate it!!

Much Love,
Rachel!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about 2 things:

1) Adventure Race is tomorrow!!!
2) Its almost Mango season!!!

Let me begin with #1. After getting the rest of the required gear at REI yesterday and spending a pretty penny (who said adventure racing was cheap) we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off packing our camelbacks, running around town picking up the last of our gear which is spread out. Plus I am driving an hour away to pick up the kayaks from my parent’s house, and picking up our team mate’s bike which is being serviced by the wonderful people at Bicycle World and Fitness! If you ever need any bike maintenance in Houston, they are the people to do it! So Carb loading today, I will post pictures later of this madness. So far: Bagel for breakfast, 1/2 a chocolate chip cookie for a snack with 1 scoop whey in water. Mango and chai tea for 2nd snack. I woke up at 5am this morning so Ive been feeling hungrier than normal even though i got 7.5 hours of sleep.

#2 The one fruit I am very passionate about is Mangos!! I will only touch them once they are in season. Ive been walking over to the mango area and smelling them. If I can smell them through the rind, then I know they are good! I got 1 really good one and the other one was meh. I can’t wait till a month or two and then I can hit up the Indian grocery stores in town and pick up some really amazing mangos. There is nothing better than an indian mango. Im just glad my best friend is Indian and knows the best places in town

I went and hit up the gym yesterday, it feels so weird not going as much. I miss it but I know this past week I needed major recovery. So I did a light all over weight session and hit the hot tub to aid in further recovery. Ill post later! Everyone have a happy friday!!!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about 2 things:

1) Adventure Race is tomorrow!!!
2) Its almost Mango season!!!

Let me begin with #1. After getting the rest of the required gear at REI yesterday and spending a pretty penny (who said adventure racing was cheap) we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off packing our camelbacks, running around town picking up the last of our gear which is spread out. Plus I am driving an hour away to pick up the kayaks from my parent’s house, and picking up our team mate’s bike which is being serviced by the wonderful people at Bicycle World and Fitness! If you ever need any bike maintenance in Houston, they are the people to do it! So Carb loading today, I will post pictures later of this madness. So far: Bagel for breakfast, 1/2 a chocolate chip cookie for a snack with 1 scoop whey in water. Mango and chai tea for 2nd snack. I woke up at 5am this morning so Ive been feeling hungrier than normal even though i got 7.5 hours of sleep.

#2 The one fruit I am very passionate about is Mangos!! I will only touch them once they are in season. Ive been walking over to the mango area and smelling them. If I can smell them through the rind, then I know they are good! I got 1 really good one and the other one was meh. I can’t wait till a month or two and then I can hit up the Indian grocery stores in town and pick up some really amazing mangos. There is nothing better than an indian mango. Im just glad my best friend is Indian and knows the best places in town

I went and hit up the gym yesterday, it feels so weird not going as much. I miss it but I know this past week I needed major recovery. So I did a light all over weight session and hit the hot tub to aid in further recovery. Ill post later! Everyone have a happy friday!!!

I am such a huge bagel fan, and living in a city where culinary skills are downplayed as someone who can go and buy a 6 pack of ‘Sara Lee bagels’ for 1.29 at the local grocery store, well its impossible to find good bread, let alone good bagels in this city. Ever since living for a short amount of time up in Calgary, AB I was turned on to the simple pleasure of a good bagel by a ‘little chain’ called "The Great Canadian Bagel" and anyone from Canada knows what Im talking about. After you have one you are hooked forever. Many trips up north to visit family in Boston always leaves my mouth watering for a better bagel with all the great bakeries up there. Well…the closest Ive found down here is Panera and even then, 1$ a bagel leaves my pockets empty so I decided to take on the challenge.

I used this recipe:http://penniesonaplatter.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/homemade-bagels/

It says not to use all purpose but I did and they came out fine!

I made sesame bagels and ones with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. Let me tell you, they taste amazing but the perfect shape is hard to make! I feel it will just take practice, but the taste is worth the effort (which really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be). Its crispy on the outside, chewy and melty on the inside and the closest Ive tasted to that Canadian bagel I have been missing. I dont have macros on this one, it just has to be enjoyed care-free Did I mention it cost me less than 1$ to make 8 of them?

Adventure race news: All set for saturday, stay tuned for my friday carb up extravaganza! Chicken Pad-Thai is on the menu I believe. Have a great Thursday Ya’ll! Its almost Friday!

Well just got back from my trainer evaluation that was pushed back from last week. If you know me, lately Ive been stressing about feeling soft the past couple weeks from all the endurance cardio. I felt like I was getting no where. Well, the numbers don’t lie! check these out!

Jan 23: Caliper Measurements:

Bicep: 6
Tricep: 15.5
Back: 13
Lovehandles: 14
Body Fat: 26.89

Feb 25:

Bicep:6
Tricep: 13 (woot!)
Back: 12.5
Lovehandles: 13.5
Body Fat: 25.06

So I guess Im doing something right. Not bad of a change in a month. Its really hard for me to loose fat, my body likes to hang on to everything! So when I started in Dec I was 28.7% bf and now im 25% thats not too bad for me Im just happy the numbers are going down so I guess Im doing something right! Have a great Wednesday ya’ll

After a nice relaxing morning, my bread dough that I started last night was all risen and ready! This is my first crack at bread and honestly i was happy with the results. I did a whole wheat substitute of this recipe:http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2006/11/jim_laheys_nokn.html

Its a thicker, heartier bread. Perfect to dip in soups and I added some ice cubes on a tray below to make for an even crispier crust. This is how mine came out, not perfect but tasty:

As for my bf% evaluation, well the trainer called and it was canceled until later this week. Which im glad, this will give me a couple more days to figure out whats going wrong in my diet (cal wise) and do some more strength training which seems to drop my fat faster than endurance cardio. I have been tracking my diet to the calorie for the past month and really it feels like im getting no where with it, so this week ive decided to eat intuitively and just eat when hungry. This hopefully will give me a better feel on how much my body needs versus what I have been doing and also possibly give my metabolism a jump start.

So I did a sort of "mock adventure race" to check how I would feel next weekend. I wanted to fit in one last endurance workout before tapering this week, and wow I felt so great! I thought i was going to do 4 cycles, but due to time (and food) constraints I was only able to do 2.33. I definitely should of eaten more before, and brought another pack of shot blocks with me.

First Cycle:
Run (warm up): 1 mile/10min
Bike:5 miles/13:40min
Rowing Maching: 1 mile/ 8:38min

Second Cycle:
Run: 1 mile/10:30min
Bike: 5 miles/22:00 <–got a bad charlie horse in the middle
Rowing: 1 mile/8:40min

Third Cycle:
Run: 1 mile/12 min <– I felt weak at first, went slow then sprinted around 7mph and felt really good at the end
Bike: 2 miles/10min <–Bonked

So I felt really good until the bike, i felt like my hip flexors were still sore from my leg workout 2 days ago which might of been the reason the bike made me completely bonk. Also I was getting pretty bored since the only TV was CNN *snore*. But I am now confident ill be able to finish the sprint race next week and might even not be last . I have my trainer evaluation tonight for my bf%, so im crossing my fingers all this hard work as lowered my body fat at least another 2%!

This is by far one of my most favorite recipes as a quick healthy dinner to throw together. It tastes great and it seriously only takes about 30 mins from start to finish, even less if you already have food prepared. Another plus is it is super cheap to make and yields 4-5 servings which means leftovers for most people! I adapted an irish potato soup recipe from the book ‘The Soup Bible’ to make it more my own. I loooove mexican food and whenever I get tempted to go out and get some greasy food, i make this is and it always hits the spot. Enough chatting, here is how you make it!

Ingredients:

1/2 a med sweet onion (or yellow)
1 large baking potato (3"-4" diameter)
1 can of yellow corn
1/2 tbsp butter or 1/2 tbsp EVOO
1lb of lean ground beef (i use 90%) - I cook this ahead of time
1 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp paprika (to taste)
pinch of black pepper

1) Heat a skillet with about 1/2 tbsp of butter (yes i cook with butter, you can sub EVOO but butter softens onions better)
2) Chop 1/2 a med onion and sauté on med/low till onions are soft. Should only take a couple mins.
3) Add in cumin, chili powder, paprika and black pepper, stir and mix in with onion. Add a bit of broth if its sticking to pan.
4) Stir in till onions look like they are absorbing the spices (1-2 mins) they will take on a reddish color.
5) Skin and chop potatoes into 2" cubes at least
6) Add potatoes and enough broth to cover the potatoes in the pot, bring to a simmer and cover. Let sit for 10-15 mins till    potatoes are soft.
7) Add in canned corn and let simmer for another 5 mins or so.
8) Turn off stove and let soup cool for 2 mins
9) Put soup in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If too thick you might need to add in some more chicken broth  so keep it handy, I usually use only 3/4 of a carton when making this.
10) divide 1lb of beef into 4-5 bowls, pour soup from blender and enjoy!

For 4 servings (they are big)
Cals: 341 cals, 13g of fat, 470mg of sodium, 32g carbs, 26g of protein

If you want to lower the fat you can use chicken instead of beef, with chicken its great too, but I recommend letting the chicken simmer in spices for 20 mins with some broth in a separate pot to add flavor. This is a great post workout meal, and for 340 cals you get a huge bowl that is super filling!

I hope you enjoy my first food blog! I have my race next week and I will need to carb up the night before, so what a better time than to make homemade bagels! I will be attempting these babies this week, along with my famous pineapple banana bread and a lower carb greek veggie salad! Happy Friday everyone!

Ive noticed a lot of people have this as their workout blog (which I also do) but I also love to cook healthy food that tastes amazing. So do you guys think I should post pics and recipes of what I cook? I would also give macros to help those cutting. Let me know!