SpokEasy

Food

Rego

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Rego? Rego? As in ready to go again? I guess that’s the point. Science in Sport Rego is designed to help your muscles recover quickly; and then you’ll be, well, ready to go again. I bet this would be good mixed with almond milk; and regular dairy milk would be good, too. I’m admittedly not a big fan of vanilla shakes, so I’d go for the chocolate flavor. Each serving of this powder contains 20 grams of soy protein isolate; and works best when you consume it immediately after a workout. Rego is lactose free; and tested for banned substances. 3.5 lb canister. $58.00 For electrolyte replenishment during a ride or other workout, try Rego’s companion product: Science in Sport Go. “Go” helps combat fatigue and muscle cramps by supplying the electrolytes lost through perspiration. Available in Lemon & Lime; or Orange. 3.5 lb canister. $41.53  

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Unkeurig

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Unkeurig! I think unkeurig when it comes to hot chocolate. I once bought home hot chocolate from the salvage store; and didn’t notice that it was for a Keurig until after I got home. I don’t have a Keurig machine; but I wasn’t about to throw that mix away. The only thing to do was try it! The top of the pod was easy to puncture; and I poured the mix into a mug. Then I added hot water (heated on the stove); and stirred it up. It worked just fine! So if you don’t own the machine, don’t despair. Going unkeurig is easy! Last night it cooled off considerably; so I’ve got hot chocolate on my mind. It was quite windy this morning, too; and I really felt the chill on the way to occupational therapy. My left hand is still quite weak; but it bothers me less and less. In another week I should be able to get back on the bike! At first I might have to use my Camel-Bak, even for short rides; because my left hand might not be ready for pulling a bottle in and out of its cage. But it will be great to be back in the saddle! Of course it will be some time before I can do really long rides again; but I’ll work up to it. It’s not as though I’m training for a major event, such as Tour de Cure; or a century. But I do want to get back to 40-mile Sunday rides. Maybe I’ll experiment with doing those long rides during the week. I  don’t have to do them on Sundays any more; and that gives me a lot more leeway when it comes to planning cycling activities around the weather. What a luxury that will be!

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Spice of Life

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Spice of Life? Variety is the spice of life, so they say. Why not “spice it up” with this Larabar 16-Flavor Variety pack? This collection includes taste sensations such as Cashew Cookie and Carrot Cake. I think this package would be great for me, because I often prefer smaller amounts of several foods to a large amount of a single dish. That’s why I like to get a combination plate when I eat at a Chinese restaurant!  I might be able to get back on the bike again in a week or so.? It’ll be great to be able to visit the salvage store! First thing will be a raid on the grab-bag bins; then I’ll hunt for canned chicken; almond milk; and cheddar cheese. Of course I’ll watch for things I can use as ride food. It will also be good to be able to visit the regular supermarket for fresh produce. I really need to get back on a proper diet; and, now that I’m retired, I don’t have to wait for the weekend to make the ride. I can get lettuce and other salad makings; and apples and bananas.  Soon I should be able to make some Hoppin’ John variations; so I’d better add celery and bell pepper to my shopping list. I have to start using up the dried beans I’ve got sitting abound here; and “HJ” variations are a great way to do that! Then I’ll have something different to eat. After all, variety is the spice of life.

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MET-Rx Variety

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Met-RX Variety MET-Rx Variety is the latest addition to the SpokEasy shop. This package lets you try three delicious flavors: Vanilla Caramel Churro; Super Cookie Crunch; and Crispy Apple Pie.  Each bar packs in 30 or more grams of protein; and supplies zinc; vitamin A; and vitamin C. They make great ride food; and serve as a light meal, too! Total of one dozen bars. $44.99  

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Combos

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Combos! Combos were once one of my go-to foods for long rides. I like the combination of crunchy and salty; and with low blood pressure, I actually need the salt. The cheese pizza-pretzel hybrid seen here is interesting — Italy and Bavaria pairing up, you could say. I tried other varieties of Combos, too — Baked and Pepperoni Pizza.  Along with this snack, I tried miniature gumdrops; and even pieces of various candy bars. As time went on, however, I discovered that Combos don’t have the sustenance I need for long rides. Then I began to drift towards Clif Bars; and currently rely on Gatorade Whey Protein bars and Clif Builder’s Protein bars. Anything with chocolate is a problem on a sunny day, even in cold weather. I learned that years ago; but a number of the bars I use have chocolate coating. All I can do is put up with the messiness. Speaking of cold weather, ours is a ways off yet. Our high temperature today reached 95 degrees; and the heat is going to stick around a while. On top of that, there’s a potential hurricane threat in the making. Last I knew, the most likely track took the storm to the western coast of Florida; but it’s too soon to say where that thing will go in the end.

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Keep Cool

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Keep Cool Keep cool with the Arctic Zone Cooler! I have something similar to this; and it’s handy for taking lunch to work. In hot weather, I often take it to the salvage store with me. That means using the trailer, because the cooler takes up most of the space in a pannier. The Arctic Zone Cooler comes with four reusable freeze-packs for keeping your lunch or drinks cool. The cooler can fold for easier storage. Today I rode to the salvage store; but I left the trailer home. I had an appointment to get the latest Covid booster at 11:00; and didn’t want the extra weight dragging along to slow me down. Instead of a cooler, I brought along an insulated bubble envelope with a “blue ice” in it. As it turned out, I didn’t get much that I needed to keep cool. As the morning went on, the wind seemed to strengthen; and of course I had a headwind on the way home from the store. The clouds were gathering, too; and the forecast is for scattered T-storms by 4:00 pm. So I’m glad I got in my riding this morning. Another way to keep cool is to wear sun sleeves. My favorite thing about them is that I need to use less sunblock! Sun sleeves feel hot when you first put them on; but after you get moving and start to sweat a bit, your arms feel cooler. Convection? So far I haven’t tried leg sleeves; but they work the same way as arm sleeves. Maybe I’ll get some one of these days. In the meantime, I have to plan tomorrow’s long ride. I found some Gatorade Whey Protein bars at the salvage store; and got five of them. I won’t eat all of them during one ride; but the rest will keep for later rides. My pass through the store also yielded a can of Sport Shake that I can use as a recovery drink. It wasn’t a bad haul; and now I’m just trying to keep cool.

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I Miss These

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I Miss These! I miss these Breakfast Ovals! I found them at the salvage store a few times; but that was long ago. Breakfast Ovals became an instant  addition to my Shop once I tried them. I like berries; and as I remember, there’s some cinnamon in these, too. Thankfully, I don’t have any food allergies; but for those who do, these ovals contain no tree nuts or gluten.  Breakfast Ovals are easy to carry along for a healthful snack; or they make a quick pre-ride meal. Oh, how I miss these things! I hope the salvage store has them again sometime. By the way, it looks like the weather will probably be OK for this coming Saturday’s ride to the salvage store. This time though, I think I’ll leave the trailer home. Sunday’s forecast is a bit more uncertain. I certainly hope I get to ride; but if I can’t, I must remember that it’s not a disaster. Sure, I want to keep working towards my Love to Ride goal; but after all I hit the 4000 mile mark yesterday. After today’s miles, I have about 988 to go. All I need to do is keep riding as usual; and I’m going to make it!

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Comin’ up a Cloud

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Comin’ up a Cloud It’s comin’ up a cloud, as a Southern saying goes. Here comes a T-storm! At 7:00 am it was quite cloudy, but not completely overcast. The sun was in and out of the clouds; but it didn’t look like it would rain soon. So I hitched up the trailer and rode to the salvage store. Of course I kept an eye on the sky. There were already thunderheads building up when I left home; and bad weather can develop quickly. On the way back home, there were more clouds; but I got home dry. The sky looked quite stormy, but it wasn’t raining yet; so I took a chance and rode over to the drug store. I wanted more masks; and I was delighted to discover that they were on sale. That was a good chance to stock up! Just as I got home, I heard thunder. Yep — it was comin’ up a cloud. It was about 10:45 am by then; and I was rather surprised when it didn’t begin to pour within a short time. But maybe it’s still coming. I ran up my bill at the salvage store by buying paper towels. There goes my stock-up-while-I-can mentality; and it might not even be necessary now. I also had to buy sunblock, because I forgot to bring mine with me. The ride back home was going to have me out for too long to not wear sunblock. As always, I watched for things that I can use for ride food; and I wasn’t disappointed. The store still had something called Pro Bar Meal Bar; and for only 50¢ apiece. I got eight of them; and I also found Gatorade Whey Protein bars. They cost only 90¢ each. Gee, what’ll I do if that store goes out of business? Tomorrow’s rain chances are greatest from early afternoon; so maybe I’ll be OK for my long ride. I want to get in my miles for Love to Ride, after all! My total for 2022 is up to 3742.2; and I have 1257.8 more to go. As of 12:30 pm, the thunder was more frequent. Good thing I’m not starting a ride right now!

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Sardines

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Sardines When I see pics of the Tour de France peloton, I think of sardines in a can. That’s how closely packed those riders are! One wrong move, and the result is a big pile-up. This morning I went to the salvage store; and sometimes I see sardines there. I’ve never bought any, though. I remember when an uncle visited us when I was about twelve; and he was eating anchovies. I thought they smelled horrible; and that turned me off to anchovies and sardines! Today I brought home a pretty light load; but even so, I took the trailer so I could bring the cooler along. It’s too hot now to take home things like yogurt without a bit of refrigeration. Can you believe I got only three small cans? I got two cans of Vienna sausages; and one of smoked ham. I want a break from chicken and tuna sometimes; and the sausages went into my box of hurricane supplies. Tomorrow’s forecast isn’t favorable for cycling; and I considered going for a short spin on the road bike today. But after I got home from my trip to the salvage store, I headed for the bike shop to get Chamois Butt’r; and then made a stop at the drug store to get masks. With the talk of another [!] COVID spike, I thought it was a good idea to stock up. As it happens, I chose my time well. The store had a special: buy one pack  of masks; get the second pack of the same or a lower price half off! By the time I was home from all those errands, it was 11:00 am; getting rather too hot to be starting a ride; and I was hungry. About noon it got drizzly; so I decided to stay home. As to tomorrow, I’ll have to hope for the best.

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With Flying Colors?

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With Flying Colors? Want to come through the kitchen with flying colors? I thought of flying colors when I named this dish, Go Red. It’s my umpteenth variation on Hoppin’ John; and it uses red lentils and red bell pepper. The funny thing about red lentils is that they turn yellow during cooking! Maybe I should have named this Go Yellow? And after all, today the Tour de France began; and that brings to mind the yellow jersey! It’s a wonderful feeling to get to the end of a big ride with flying colors — as in reaching the end of a century. Nothing matches that elation; but it’s about nine years since I last got to experience it. For several years I’ve worked up century training plans; and something always derails those plans. Last year it was Hurricane Ida; and I have persistent problems with fatigue, anyway. Maybe I need to forget about doing a century for the time being; namely, to strike the colors! I did my century rides mostly to see whether I could; and I found out than I can! Flying colors also makes me think of a hummingbird. Once I saw one when the sunlight was shining on it; and that bird positively glittered! Hummingbirds are amazing; and I wish I saw more of them. But back to the kitchen. I have to plan some cooking to do over the weekend. Garbage Soup might not seem exotic — and in fact, it isn’t — but the freezer is getting too crowded again.

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