All in Snack

Most of my bike routes around New Paltz involve riding through orchards. They are everywhere. And starting in September, they start to come alive with apples and out-of-town apple pickers. The extent of my picking is usually jumping off my bike mid-ride to grab an apple or a pear off the tree. 

 

One of the best things about summer in New Paltz is that the produce is so fresh that little has to be done to turn fresh picked veggies into a meal. Take this simple tomato and basil salad, for example. All you have to do is slice a few heirloom tomatoes and toss a handful of sungold gold tomatoes and fresh basil leaves on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and you’ve got the perfect BBQ side dish.

Most pro triathletes spend the winter at training camp, putting in grueling hours of work in order to prepare for the upcoming season. Instead of spending my days trail running, going on group rides and smashing swim sets, I spent the winter recovering from a C-section and waking up at in the wee hours to feed my newborn daughter. For the first time in my career, I kicked off the racing season while easing into training—slowly and solo.

Saturday was one of those perfect spring days. Flowers were out everywhere, it was warm enough to wear shorts biking, but cool enough not to over heat. There couldn’t have been a better day for riding up to the Mohonk Mountain House, down the mountain to High Falls and back.

This past month of training has been all about rehab. As much as I'd like to be training like crazy with Laurel, recovering from major abdominal surgery takes time and needs to be done properly. I've been carefully working my way back to fitness under the watchful eye of physical therapist/athletic trainer/all-around guru Carolyn Mazur.

 This is kind of hard to admit, but I've been downing rice cakes like they were homemade bread for going on 2 years now. I always chalked rice cakes up to being too dietetic, but since I started eating a gluten-free diet, these crumbly mess-makers have become a staple in my pantry. I've found that they are the most convenient and cost effective vessels for the standard peanut butter pre-workout snack. 

We have a special treat for you today. Our friend, Elana, of the blog John and Elana Talk About Food is here to share a healthy Super Bowl recipe with us. Elana's managed to transform an Athlete Food favorite ingredient into the perfect half-time snack. Even those of you who aren't so down (to earth) with this superfood of root vegetables will be reaching for the bowl of chips.

Triathletes, you may recognize Elana from the race course or from her recent contributions to Triathlete Magazine. If this recipe leaves you hungry for more, go eat up some time on Elana's blog