Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Chile Coconut Tomato Salad

Today hasn't been a very good day. We both have the post-vacation in NYC blues, and Raquel got into a little fender-bender in the parking lot. So, I decided to make Raquel's all-time favorite meal to cheer the both of us up: Tyler Florence's Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Salad. Unfortunately, I didn't have heirloom tomatoes. So I just used plum and large hot house tomatoes instead. Also, I prefer the coconut un-toasted, and added pine nuts into the salad for crunch. And lastly, since it's avocado season, I threw in some really yummy avocado.

I can't say that Raquel is completely cheered up. We might have to adopt a puppy, because she REALLY misses Nahe. But, at least she has a smile on her face after that meal.

My New Goal: NWM 2009!

In 2007, my introduction to the world of racing and half-marathon training started with the SF Nike Women's Half Marathon. And I can honestly say that the whole experience: the training, the way I eat, and the race itself changed my life. It got me hooked on to a sporty, active, healthy lifestyle. So, I wanted to make that experience an annual tradition for as long as I lived in Northern California. But, the popularity of that particular race forced the organizers to institute a lottery to sign up for it. I can definitely understand it's popularity, because who wouldn't be enticed into running a marathon that offered free massages, chocolates, a Tiffany's necklace, and countless other freebies? I mean, if you're going to put yourself through that torture, there had better be a good reward, right?

Unfortunately, that also meant I couldn't make it an annual tradition because it's not like I'm going to win the lottery every year. So, in 2008, I decided to find other marathons to run, while trying to improve my performance. I started reading the Runner's World magazine, browsed the runner's forums online, and invested in a better pair of running shoes. It's suffice to say that I did improve my technique and nutrition from all that research. But, my finishing times for the next two races were abysmal compared to NWM '07.

But today, I'm happy to announce that I made it through the 2009 lottery a couple of days ago and am now locked in to run my favorite race again this year! And believe me, I can already tell I'm coming back with a vengeance. In the last couple of days, I've already logged over 10 miles, and I haven't slowed down yet. It's like this race has put a fire under my butt, and I'm running with the same exuberance that I originally trained with in 2007. This year I'm also adding a personal time goal. If I cross that finish line in under 2 hours and 30 minutes, I'll be ridiculously happy. Wish me luck, folks!

Stuffed Pork Chops with Spinach and Roasted Bell Peppers

Omg, *drool*....this is truly an amazing recipe: Giada's Pork Chops stuffed with Spinach and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I loved the flavor combination, and center-cut pork chops are nice and lean. These cuts do tend to be pretty thick, so I finished it in the oven after I cooked it on the stove-top. Yet, they still came out tender and juicy. Raquel and I ended up splitting one pork chop, because we really didn't want a huge hunk of meat. And, if you supplement the meal with a fresh spring salad, then you've got a great balance of protein and carbs.

Here are my modifications:

-I used roasted bell peppers instead of sun-dried tomatoes, because Raquel just isn't a huge fan of sun-dried tomatoes.

-Substitute low-skim mozzarella instead of goat cheese.

-Substitute low-fat cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. I've always found that cottage cheese still adds that creamy quality, but without the fat.

-I had some pine nuts lying around, so I threw them into the vegetable mix for added crunch.

Kona Coffee Chocolate Brownie Bites

It was another cranky Raquel monday, and I had to find another chocolate-y dessert recipe to soothe the beast. We found a winner, folks. Giada's Espresso Brownies. I can't believe it, but Raquel has already eaten almost half the pan by herself. These really are amazing brownies. Unfortunately, I didn't have any espresso beans, so I used ground Kona Coffee. But, since we both love that flavor, it wasn't a problem for us. Yes, since the ground is larger than espresso, the granules don't completely dissolve, but I didn't mind that. It kind of reminded me of munching on chocolate covered coffee beans. The only modification I made was to make my own brownie mix instead of buying a store-bought one, because you never know what they put in that. All you need is 1 1/4 cups of cocoa and 1/2 cup of flour, both sifted. It's not necessary to add sugar to the mix, because the glaze is already sweet enough. The one down-side of the recipe: Raquel was bouncing off the walls for the entire night. So I'd recommend not eating them before you go to bed.

Grilled Halibut with Grilled Caponata

I love my grill. Check out this yummy, healthy, Grilled Swordfish and Caponata. No modifications needed.

Semi-Freddo (Home-made Cookies and Cream)

Lately, I've gotten into this bad habit of making some kind of sweet, bad for you, dessert on Mondays. Because, that's the day Raquel gets her allergy shots and comes home miserable and grouchy. And, while I was wandering around the internet, I found this awesome recipe for Cookies and Cream, courtesy of Tyler Florence. This turned out to be perfect in so many ways, because I needed to get rid of our leftover Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from the week before and I LOVE Cookies and Cream. It used to be my favorite ice cream before I discovered Green Tea. I'm not sure if Raquel was a huge fan, because nowadays she prefers frozen yogurt. But, personally I thought it was fantastic.

Here were my healthy modifications:

-skip the caramel. The ice cream already had so much flavor, it didn't really need more toppings. Instead, we drizzled a little organic honey over it.

-Instead of molasses, I also mixed in a little honey into the ice cream.

-I ended up substituting the healthier oatmeal cookies that I made before, instead of store-bought gingersnaps. You can control the sugar content more this way.

Eating Right

Yesterday, Mayumi sent me a link to a NY Times article about the current debate between meat and climate. Essentially, they were talking about the farming industry and how livestock is bad for the environment, releasing more greenhouse gases than cars. I didn't think I get so riled up after reading it, but evidently I did. And Mayumi has requested for me to post my response.

Disclaimer: I never meant to offend anyone with my response. So please don't take me seriously.

"bah.. I think there is a definite line between environmentally-friendly people (who actively try to do things in their lives to be green) and radical, "the sky is falling, run for your lives", hippie extremists.

I think it's all about balance and healthy living. I agree that if a huge amount of the population consumes a ridiculous amount of one resource: gas, meat, water, etc., faster than the earth and nature can replenish it; then yes, I think we're definitely hurting the environment. And that's a sign that we're unbalanced and need to take a step back in the opposite direction: ride your bike every once in a while; eat more grains/veggies than meat a couple nights a week; conserve your water. Humans shouldn't act like spoiled children, thinking that their parents' money (in this case, earth's natural resources) are inexhaustible. And embarrassingly, I think the one nation that has this attitude the most is the US. Anyway, I think if we put more effort into figuring out sustainable methods/technology for our resources, then we wouldn't have to go to an extreme and just completely deny ourselves any particular resource.

Because, in the long run, getting everyone to deny themselves one resource isn't the answer either. A huge part of the population is employed by that industry, and there would probably be an enormous consequence to taking it down. It's not about hitting the industry source to improve the environment. I think there should be more education to the general masses about health-conscious eating. That way we're not only improving the environment, we're improving the health of the general public. Maybe more popular restaurants should take it a step further and prepare more health-conscious meals that require less meat product. The solutions are numerous if the big-wigs were just willing to do some research. In the end, I think that adjusting the average American diet would be more effective than unleashing an unholy amount of angry would-be vegetarians who are trying to save the world, when they'd rather just have a burger.

sorry, that was a long rant. but, I just wanted to give my take on the article. =)

Besides...if I don't eat the cow/chicken/pig/fish, then the cow/chicken/pig/fish is going to try to eat me. it's all about survival, dude. ;)"