All in Dinner

Like a lot of triathletes, I rely on my blender to fix quick meals year round. In the spring and summer when I'm training all the time, I make smoothies almost every day to pack in calories and nutrients with minimal effort. This fall, I used the blender as a soup-making machine to stock my freezer so that come January, John and I can enjoy a home cooked meal when we’re sleepwalking through new parenthood.
"Make this Tonight" suggestions seem to pop up in my inbox often enough to make me feel guilty that I never go home and...make that tonight. Some of the ideas look delicious, sure, but, ever focused, I usually let a hankering for one thing or another determine dinner. 
After a double workout session last week—Bar Method then River Road run—Bec and I foraged at Trader Joe's in Edgewater, NJ. First we beelined to the sample station for a few bites of mini quesadillas. Then we each bought a snack to eat while we shopped, trail mix for me, a peach for Bec. 
Our main course was prepared by newlyweds Jess and Lander Bravo. On Saturday morning, they rode from their house in Brooklyn to Grand Central, took the train to Poughkeepsie, and then got back on their bikes to ride to New Paltz -- all while hauling a bag of ice and marinating chicken. 

As I dug my spoon into our shared pint of Stewart's ice cream, eyes fixated on Gaby Douglas’ uneven bars routine, my husband, John, turned to me and said, "Maybe we should be eating tofu or salads."  I didn’t put my spoon up until the pint was gone. But the next night I cooked a salad appropriate for watching chiseled Olympians sweat over fractions of points and seconds.

Coating summer vegetables in thick salad dressing appeals to me about as much as wearing a tight cashmere sweater on a humid, 90-degree July day. So I rely on lemon juice and olive oil to liven up my hot-weather salads. The combo is so simple and versatile that I wasn’t surprised when, last week, both Laurel and Athlete Food editor Melissa independently mentioned that they’re addicted to it, too.