Bed 1: The onions and garlic had a nice growth spurt. Some of the onions are now flowering, but I have to figure out when to pull them out of the ground. I haven’t grown these before so I have to figure out the best harvesting time. We’ve pulled a few already and used them as slightly overgrown scallions for cooking. The garlic stems all turned brown within a week or two and the bulbs had rotted. Don’t know what happened there.

Bed 2: Once again, the diffuse light this bed gets from the shade tree is making it a non-producer during the summer. Three months after planting, pole beans are only 3″ tall and the transplanted peppers have withered and died. The brussel sprouts and broccoli plants are doing well, but are still very immature.

Bed 3: Arugula gone crazy! This is Max’s favorite spot to catch a breeze and
cool off.

Bed 3: The salad bed was a bust this year…except the arugula. I have more arugula than I know what to do with! The romaines and arugulas bolted in May due to the early heat wave. They normally wouldn’t do this until the end of June or early July. So, we got very little salad harvest out of here. The Swiss chard is hanging in and I have to figure out what to do with it and see how it tastes (cooked?). The artichokes were killed off by aphids of some sort, although my Armenian cucumber is now flowering and I hope to get some cukes by the end of the month.

Bed 4: When tomatoes outgrow their designated “square foot” and the gardener
neglects his pruning duties.

Bed 4: My three tomato plants have completely taken over this bed. I’ve been sharing sweet cherry tomatoes with friends and have a pretty good harvest of Roma tomatoes. The bigger varieties have not fared so well in the heat. Now that we’ve had a couple of weeks of triple digit heat, the tomatoes are starting to go dormant. This may be a good time to prune them back because they are out of control.

Bed 5: What a strange, strange season it has been for corn.

Bed 5: This has been a crazy bed of Franken-gardening. Turns out my Hopi corn (blue corn) cross-pollinated with the white sweet corn, leaving me with white/blue sweet corn that had a rather nutty taste to it. Actually, it tasted like shit. The strawberries are coming in one at a time. Hardly worth the effort, although I’ll probably keep them but may set up a dedicated strawberry bed or pots in the future.

On a frustrating note, I was bested by squash beetles. I had rubbed the caviar-like eggs off the leafs, sprayed Neem and used the adult beetles like Fourth of July poppers by throwing them against the flagstone (they do pop! when their guts come out…really, great fun), but the little bastards beat me in the end. I went out of town for a week and came back to find they had killed off my three squash plants. Completely mummified them. I have since learned that far wiser local gardeners don’t plant squash until July to beat the beetle plague.

Bed 6: Is it bad soil or dog wee-wee that is to blame for these weak crops?

Bed 6: This bed is having issues as well. My tomatillos died off. Peppers did the same. Now the tomatoes are dying off. I’m suspecting dog urine as the culprit here as I’ve caught Max marking the tomato plants here.

The mighty Chicken Casita. Lots of four-letter words, smashed digits and blood
involved in the building of this thing.

The Ladies: I admit to having neglected the garden a bit as I was spending most of my free time getting the chickens out of the garage and getting the new Chicken Casita built. So far,  our three Red Star hens seem to like their new digs…and it’s high-tech misting system. They’re 13 weeks old today and we just might start to see eggs in another 7-9 weeks. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the heat stress delays that a bit until the temps start cooling down in October.

Overall: This year’s warm season garden is turning out to be somewhat of a bust. The early heat wave appears to have foiled the salad garden so the salads this year are non-existent. I’m letting the lettuces go to seed and will let Mother Nature dictate what the cool season garden will produce. I’m certain She knows the planting schedule better than I do!

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“I can’t get my little boy to stop eating sugar,” the mother said to the wise man. “Please help me.”

“Come back and see me in two weeks,” the wise man said.

With a quizzical look on her face, the mother reluctantly walked away. Two weeks later, she brought her son to see the wise man.

“Stop eating sugar,” he said to the little boy.

“Why did we have to wait two weeks for that?”

“Because,” the wise man said, “I myself had to stop eating sugar.”

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The main tasty ingredients.

Garlic Basil Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/4 pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Return the shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.

Emanuela Silvagni, fitness chef, classically trained chef, professional bodybuilder, certified personal trainer & sports nutritionist, has been cooking for over 25 years and training for almost as long. Since being trained by the legendary Triple-Crown Bodybuilding Champion, Steve Michalik and losing over 100 lbs, she has been helping her clients achieve their athletic, fitness and weight-loss goals.

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That’s the first word that comes to mind when I took a look at this site over the weekend and realized it has been a while since I published anything. Well, I didn’t actually say “dang!” but the words I did use aren’t really appropriate to post here now that my daughter likes to drop by from time to time and see what the old man is up to.

Let me see if I can get everyone up to speed rather quickly.

INJURY REHAB
After I grocked my lower back in March from combining deadlifts with sprints, I finally started to get back on the training bus about three weeks ago. Some light stretching and very low intensity lifting and all systems appear good to go.

I’m starting to slowly ramp up the intensity and doing my best to be mindful of listening to what my erector spinae have to tell me.  Sitting at a desk 40+ hours per week does an amazing job of turning the lower back musculature into a stressed, and weakened, connection of myofibrils. As I’m learning to appreciate, it’s not an acute issue, but rather a chronic one of accumulated stress (i.e., poor seated posture) over the last several years.

Yes, the poor postural choices I’ve made over the past 20 years ago have caught up to me.

TRAINING FOR THE ULTIMATE COMPETITIVE SEASON
With my back returning to full operation again, I’ve started training, but not necessarily for triathlon. While laid up, I had quite a bit of time to think about training cycles. I am finally accepting that I live in the Mojave Desert and the traditional triathlon season of May through September just doesn’t cut it here. It’s too freakin’ hot to train through the latter parts of June into early September when the nighttime lows are in the 90s!

Plus, with the family budget getting tightened even more, I’ve put the kabosh on all out-of-town racing this year and there are no local races during the summer. We have our first race in April, and Xterra (new) in May and three races in September and October. That’s it. Even the Las Vegas Marathon, which I’ve run the half distance the last two years, is in early December.

Soooo…with that in mind, I decided to completely overhaul my competitive season and really put the multisport title to the test. Steve Ilg, whom many of you know as my “foundation coach,” sets a great example of a true multisport athlete. He recently captured 4th overall in the master’s category at the Ironhorse Classic bicycle race in Durango after a remarkable early spring season in both single and multi-stage nordic races. Take a look at Ilg’s race resume to see what I’m talking about.

I’m going to dance with the seasons here and play with designing what I’m calling the ultimate competitive season. Every sport has its game to measure performance and skill. There is nothing wrong with that at all because it gives one a chance to see progress, identify weaknesses and undergo a tremendous learning experience that solo training simply cannot do.

In short, toeing the start line takes guts on several levels and provides an education on many more.

So then…what would be the ultimate test for a well-balanced “fit” person?

CrossFit has their CrossFit Games which appear to combine a decent mix of strength, speed, agility, and some endurance.

Triathlons, marathons, road racing, MTB races, trail races, etc. are essentially endurance focused with some SPECIFIC skill level required based on the sport, i.e., mode of transportation.

Yoga is not competitive in the standard sense…although The Onion did a great parody about a yoga competition a few years ago.

Olympic lifting, power lifting, etc. are strength-focused.

While there is no uber competition that tests across a broad physiologic spectrum in one day, I figure it would be of interest to discuss how one would gear a training year to hitting as many different athletic competitions as possible while still remaining competitive in each event.

I mentioned Steve Ilg above, who goes from nordic ski racing to road cycling to trail running over the course of one year. Yet, the overarching focus is one of endurance.

As another example is Rachel Cosgrove, who went from setting a national record in her class in the deadlift and a couple months later was competing in the World Triathlon championships.

With that in mind, here’s what I’m intending to do for the next 12 months:

• JUNE: Continue rehab from back injury and ramp up intensity.
• JULY-OCTOBER: Endurance focus competing in local sprint triathlons in September and October. Perhaps a 5K or two if time permits.
• NOVEMBER-FEBRUARY: Skill focus competing in martials arts competitions (sparring and forms)
• MARCH-JUNE: Strength focus on Olympic lifting. Not sure about the local competition available yet. I’ll be hanging around an Olympic lifting gym on weekends to learn more about this amazing and challenging sport which, I’ll admit,  scares the shit out of me. Of course, this is why I must delve deeper into it.

My goal is to do well in all three areas: endurance, skill and strength and will be curious to see how it goes in the months ahead.

THE GREAT CROSSFIT/CROSSFIT ENDURANCE EXPERIMENT
Yes, I am still doing this. CF claims to be great across a broad spectrum of sports and I will continue to use their training and nutrition (Zone or Paleo Zone) strategies for the upcoming season and put their approaches to the test.

I will do the CrossFit Workouts of the Day (WOD) 4-6 days per week and once July comes around, I will begin to incorporate the CrossFit Endurance WODs on top of the CF WODs as they recommend. During the martial arts segment of my year, I will drop the CrossFit Endurance training in favor of more Tae Kwon Do-specific work. Likewise for the strength focus next spring.

While I can’t report much progress in the CF/CFE experiment because I’ve been sidelined most of the spring, I can tell you that a conscious effort to applying Zone nutrition standards to my diet is going quite well. It has taken a while for me to get this dialed in, but a 16-block prescription appears to work wonders in regard to fat loss and energy levels…which is suprising considering the low caloric level (~1,600 kcal per day for a 178-lb me).

Per CF recommendations, I will get more anal about this and am purchasing a digital scale to get more accurate about my food consumption for the next few weeks. There’s a great sentiment I’ll paraphrase from Leigh Peele: It’s a pain in the ass to measure food, but you need to do it. Otherwise, you’ll be one of these people who is trying to lose bodyfat for 10 years.

THE OUTDOOR JOURNEY
Like many other triathlon and athlete blogs over the past year or so, I’ve entertained the thought of closing shop and moving on. While a few of the great ones have disappeared, I’ll keep going for a while longer. The last couple of semesters of school (on top of my main job, family and training commitments) have left little time for writing good content. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the most recent posts have been from guest authors.

I may make this more of a monthly magazine with one publication date for the month with several stories. Or, perhaps I’ll continue to post infrequently as stories are done.  Let me know if you have a preference.

I have the summer from school off and want to use that “free” time to decide what to do with this publishing petri dish which has undergone a few incarnations since its birth in 2006.

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He sent me a video to watch and I found out he’s giving away $20,0000 for his body transformation contest. (You can watch it here: Get Lean)

Here’s the catch: To qualify for this reward, you have to participate in the Lean Eating program. You get six months of top-notch coaching, and, if during those 6 months you achieve the best body transformation, you’ll win $10,000.

As Berardi told me, “Worst case scenario, you come out with the best body of your
life. Best case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life, and 10 grand.”

If one of your summer goals is to finally get rid of your pooch or Starbucks belly, I encourage you to check out John’s post below. In it, he shares with you two critical components for body transformation success. And then he tells you exactly how one man and one woman are
going to swoop in and claim $10 G’s of his own money.

Dr. Berardi’s Get Lean Competition

Oh, and one more thing. Berardi is making his message time sensitive. No, it’s not gonna self destruct or anything. However, spots are limited in this program.

On a side note, I’ve been meaning to sign up for Precision Nutrition because Berardi doesn’t just deal with fitness competitors and bodybuilders. He’s worked with cyclists, triathletes and other multisport athletes as well and, from looking at his forums, has delivered a great product.

Why haven’t I?

First, my game plan for 2009 is to work the CrossFit/CrossFit Endurance protocols which call for using the Zone Diet. It’s not fair to jump ship early in the experiment…although the chance to win $10K is very tempting.

John has promised more details later this week…

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Chef Joseph T. Bonanno

As a fitness trainer, I’d like to address my number one pet peeve in regard to fitness and nutrition from my experiences with clients and firefighters I’ve worked with. That is the concept of going on a regimen to lose “weight”. By saying this lose “weight’ expression, you’re starting off with the wrong mindset. Weight is a relative figure! You could theoretically lose 10 pounds on the scale fairly quickly but the question remains, what did you actually lose? Was it fat, water, cellular fluid or some degree of muscle! I have witnessed both fitness clients and firefighters go on nutritionally disastrous diets (cabbage soup for example) all in an effort to stand on a scale and see a reduction in “weight.”

In reality though, what they have done in losing 10 pounds that quickly without proper nutrition is lose a considerable amount of muscle. Studies have shown as much as two-thirds of every pound lost while dieting too severely while exercising comes from lean muscle!! Now left with less metabolically active tissue than before and with supporting muscle shrinking, one can actually feel “fatter” than they did previously!

Your concerns should be to change your body composition, your lean muscle-to-fat ratio, otherwise known as your bodyfat percentage. At fitness seminars, I show clients and firefighters two celebrity pictures to illustrate dramatically why weight is a poor indicator of condition. The two celebrities we all know are comedian John Candy and “The Incredible Hulk” Lou Ferrigno. Both are the same height about 6′4″ inches and about the same weight, around 305 pounds. Without seeing the pictures yourself you can probably imagine the difference.

Despite being statistically similar, the two of them are vastly different in condition. So, “weight” has little to do with fitness or condition, just an arbitrary number on a scale. Also, beyond vanity, John Candy died from lifestyle related illness while Lou Ferrigno, after 50, was placed in the top three in the Masters Mr. Olympia and is alive and healthy today! Besides, for my chosen profession firefighting, if you were trapped in a burning building, would you rather look out a window and see John Candy or Lou Ferrigno gearing up for a rescue?

So, that being determined, how to determine if we are carrying too much bodyfat or unfit without a scale. One way is to get a good set of bodyfat calipers that can be purchased fairly inexpensively. One I have used successfully is the Accu-Measure. It’s easy to use, fairly inexpensive and fairly accurate. If you are not concerned with being that precise their is another way. Find your hip bone, about 6-8 inches to the right of your navel. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the bodyfat just above that hip bone. Pull it away gently, if it is thicker than two of your fingers together, your percent of bodyfat is a little too high. You are officially no longer “all muscle” and can stop telling everyone you are “big boned” or “stocky”. You are carrying too much bodyfat, especially dangerous as a firefighter and detrimental to your “outdoor journey” activities.

Of course, with proper training and nutrition, the scale may reflect some drop in “weight” but ideally the number may not change all that much(except in extreme cases). You will gain or more important keep hard earned muscle and lose primarily bodyfat. Keep tabs on it by rechecking your body fat percentage with calipers or the pinch test. Best wishes on your “outdoor journeys’” and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me at www.chefbonanno.com

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Yes, you can cook fish in the dishwasher!

Welcome to another addition of “Kimberly’s Kitchen for Competitors.” Here’s a new and quirky way to make salmon for you and your family!

This is the strangest sounding idea, until I actually tried it. Of course, I put my own spin on things with ingredients, but this is a healthy, simple way to perfectly prepare salmon for dinner!

Also, all you need to do is prepare it, put it in the dishwasher, then you can go work out or go on a run!  This is a full meal in itself - Try it…You’ll be amazed!
~ Kimberly Edwards

Type: Main
Serve With: A side dish of rice or a side salad
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 Full Dishwasher Cycle
Yield: Serves 4 people - Complete Meal in itself
Nutrition Facts: Healthy, high protein, omega 3 fatty acids

Ingredients:
1 half Salmon - Fileted, de-boned, skin on
3 dozen Snap Peas - Or snow peas
1 dozen Brussel Sprouts - Washed, outer layer peeled off and halved
1 Bell Pepper - Sliced lengthwise, Any color
10 Cherry Tomatoes - Halved
1 dozen Crimini or Button Mushrooms - Halved
1 Orange - Sliced crossway
1/2 Lemon - Sliced crossway
3 Green Onions
3 stalks Dill Weed
1 bunch Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
2 cloves Garlic - Thinly sliced
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3-4 tsp Butter
2 tbsp White Wine
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper - To taste

Instructions:
1. Wash and prepare vegetables and toss them in olive oil and pepper.

* Tip: The thinner you can slice your veggies, the better they will cook.

2. On a large cookie sheet with a lip all around it coated with olive oil or sprayed with cooking spray, arrange fish (skin side down), snap peas, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and Brussel sprouts.

* Tip: I like to keep the fish in the middle of the pan and arrange the vegetables around it.

OR…

Make 2 separate packages made of all aluminum foil: 1 for the salmon, and 1 for the vegetables - be sure no water will be able to seep in by double wrapping the foil.

* Tip: Lay a few layers of the foil on the counter large enough to accomodate the fish and/or the vegetables and create 4 lips on each side to be able to hold in the liquids until you finally wrap it all up into a tight package.

3. On top of fish, sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper, lay garlic slices, green onions, parsley leaves then citrus slices on top.

4. Sprinkle entire cookie sheet with white wine and dot with butter.

5. Completed surround cookie sheet with aluminum foil by continuously wrapping it around and around with it, being sure no water could get into the package.

6. Take out cutlery/silverware container out of the bottom of your dishwasher and place cookie sheet or package into clean and empty dishwasher, or if the cookie sheet can fit in your top shelf with the dishwasher being able to close, put it on the top shelf.

7. Run the salmon and vegetable packages through a complete, normal cycle in the dishwasher and be ready to serve when it beeps.

* Tip: In the meantime, go on a run, finish your housework, get some web surfing in at CookingWithKimberly.com or take a nap. Also, be sure to prepare your story on how you made that salmon! Everyone will love the idea and think it’s the funniest thing they’ve heard in a while!

8. Serve with a side salad or side of rice!

9. Enjoy Perfectly Prepared Salmon! You’ll be amazed!

This is one of my favorite meals to prepare because it’s such a fun story for everyone!

Try asking your hubby or kids to take the salmon out of the dishwasher! LOL LOL LOL

***

I hope you enjoyed this Nutrition Post on The Outdoor Journey! Until next time…

Eat Deliciously,

Kimberly Edwards
CookingWithKimberly.com

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, check out more of Kimberly’s Healthy Recipes @ Cooking With Kimberly.

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