Saturday, February 8, 2014

Turning 22



It's hard to believe that I'm 3 weeks in to my final semester of undergrad at CSU, time has flown!  Since classes restarted,  I've been getting back into a routine.  In this post I'll talk about some recent tri team activities, food, and my new relationship!...with Skratch Labs.  

While training at home in Minnesota over winter break, I missed having teammates around for workouts.  It's been cold here in Fort Collins the past couple weeks, but with a couple races around the corner, the coaches have been pushing us hard. 
It gets hot real fast in the garage

This past Sunday was the super bowl.  The CSU Triathlon Team had a super bowl party, complete with pre-game trainer ride.


We did a DVD spinerval workout called "dropping the hammer".  One of our bike trainers sounded like a jet engine, which made listening to Troy (the guy yelling at you from the TV) somewhat difficult.  One of the guys in Troy's video had a full disc.  Needless to say, he was scary fast! 

Then we watched football and ate.  

Chocolate covered strawberries
Dessert fruit pizza and more fruit




Watching the Broncos...David (with the pillow) I guess couldn't take it any more



Finishing up some brussel sprouts

I brought two different kinds of chicken to share.  The first kind is maybe my favorite kind of chicken to make.   The chicken teriyaki was a huge hit and I was glad I stole the first piece.  A couple people asked for the recipe...

In a large plastic bag combine:
3-4 chicken breasts cut into palm-size pieces
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
Ginger
Garlic
A little sugar
Optional: Onions, mushrooms, parsley
Shake up the bag and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours or overnight if possible.  I've baked the chicken and cooked it in my crock pot. I think the chicken comes out slightly more tender if you bake it (375 for 25-30 min).  If you decide to add them, the onions and mushrooms taste delicious too.

Give it a try!  You will not be disappointed.

I also made chicken tandoori made from chef Biju's recipe.  




I'm also really excited about getting a chance to work with Skratch Labs for the next year.  I was selected to be one of their "taste agents".  I first heard about their book, The Feed Zone, a couple years ago but didn't get a copy until this year.  (Thanks to my sister for the b-day present)  Skratch Labs strives to combine real world science and experience to develop the best tasting and performing nutrition products.  

The style of how Biju and Allen create and experience their food is exactly what I strive for.  The success stories retold in their book tell of problems many athletes have encountered with nutrition...bloating, low energy, energy spikes, bad digestion... Basically, the goal of the company is to convince athletes that food eaten while training and racing can be real, simple food that tastes delicious.  

The people working at the company are honest and funny.  They answer questions and respond to feedback like champions.  While many of today's sports drinks use chemicals and artificial flavoring, Skratch uses real fruit!  And it tastes THAT much better.  They made a superbowl commercial for their hydration mix...





Check out their website, www.skratchlabs.com to see for yourself. I can't say enough good things about Skratch and I'm looking forward to using their hydration products and adding my own twists to the recipes from their book.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!