Cardio? Why, yes! Yesterday I managed 1 3/4 hours on the spin bike. A bit of that was mellow cardio-knitting and a bit of it was classic spin bike sweaty strenuous hill climbing. I'm feeling the muscle building effects from the standing "hills". It felt good to push myself that hard. It also felt good to know I can ride for that long. The cardio-knitting was great. My $5 in Paris has gotten so long that I had to tuck it under my elbow to knit without it interfering with my leg movements.
While the sweater is long enough to worry about functional biking it is not long enough to be complete. The quantity of yarn left to knit is rapidly dwindling. I'm using a yarn that I dyed myself. It is not a 'spectacular hand painted high end lovely yarn' from one of my indie dyer friends. It is simply a Patons Classic Worsted wool in cream that I dyed with Wilton's Cake Dyes. I only had 2 balls of yarn. I thought I could stretch it and make it work. I'm growing ever doubtful. Rather than make myself crazy I chose to go purchase a matching yarn. My fix will be to do the ribbing with the new green yarn. I thought was very lucky to find a slightly heathered green that matches perfectly. I'll be switching to green for the ribbing at the waist and arm bands. Then I'll rip back the neck and re-knit using the green. With luck it will look intentional.
For cardio today we went for a trail run. We did 5 miles out at the Arboretum. The trees are so beautiful. The weather was perfect. By the time we were running the temperature was about 50 degrees and the sky was clear blue. Just perfect for a morning run. The trails run along a beautiful clear creek. On our summer runs I have thought about doing some creek walking. Today I just admired the beautiful clear water.
About those promised recipes? I thought I'd share with you some slightly sweet snack ideas. One of my go to snack foods is soaked almonds. I love how soaking them increases the nutrient value and I love how they taste like fresh coconut. Sometimes I really miss cookies so I'm also sharing with you a cookie alternative. You will notice I have cinnamon in these recipes. Cinnamon is helpful in balancing blood sugar. The goal of the TLS diet is to balance the blood sugar. It is nice to get it in whenever we can. I know the temptation is there to increase the amount of honey called for. Please don't. You will be adding unnecessary sugar to your diet. Trust me when I say these items are plenty sweet as they are.
Soaked Almonds
2 cups raw almonds
filtered water to cover
Place the almonds in a large bowl and cover with plain filtered water. Allow to sit on the counter for 10-12 hours. Drain and rinse. Store in the refrigerator, drain and rinse them twice a day. The soaking process encourages the nut to begin growing. This changes the fat to protein ratio and increases the enzymes. How is that? The nut becomes a sprout. Sprouts are full of enzymes. Once the nut is sprouting it is using the fat for fuel to grow into a plant. I think it is genius! You can eat them as is fresh from the fridge at any point you like. OR you can do this...
Cinnamon Honey Toasted Almonds
Soaked almonds (above)
1 tsp honey
1tsp cinnamon
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
Toss drained and lightly dried soaked almonds with the honey and cinnamon. Dehydrate in a food dehydrator if you have one. Or spread on a baking sheet and dry in oven set at 100 degrees for about 8 hours. Toss occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
Banana "Cookies"
2 green tipped bananas
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (more if necessary)
Cut the banana into 1/2 inch segments. Mix the walnuts and cinnamon together. Coat the bananas with the nut mix. Spread on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled so they don't stick. The oil may not be necessary if the baking sheet is non-stick. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the bananas are slightly crisp. They dry a bit and that is OK. Remember this is 2-3 servings. So share with a friend!
While the sweater is long enough to worry about functional biking it is not long enough to be complete. The quantity of yarn left to knit is rapidly dwindling. I'm using a yarn that I dyed myself. It is not a 'spectacular hand painted high end lovely yarn' from one of my indie dyer friends. It is simply a Patons Classic Worsted wool in cream that I dyed with Wilton's Cake Dyes. I only had 2 balls of yarn. I thought I could stretch it and make it work. I'm growing ever doubtful. Rather than make myself crazy I chose to go purchase a matching yarn. My fix will be to do the ribbing with the new green yarn. I thought was very lucky to find a slightly heathered green that matches perfectly. I'll be switching to green for the ribbing at the waist and arm bands. Then I'll rip back the neck and re-knit using the green. With luck it will look intentional.
For cardio today we went for a trail run. We did 5 miles out at the Arboretum. The trees are so beautiful. The weather was perfect. By the time we were running the temperature was about 50 degrees and the sky was clear blue. Just perfect for a morning run. The trails run along a beautiful clear creek. On our summer runs I have thought about doing some creek walking. Today I just admired the beautiful clear water.
About those promised recipes? I thought I'd share with you some slightly sweet snack ideas. One of my go to snack foods is soaked almonds. I love how soaking them increases the nutrient value and I love how they taste like fresh coconut. Sometimes I really miss cookies so I'm also sharing with you a cookie alternative. You will notice I have cinnamon in these recipes. Cinnamon is helpful in balancing blood sugar. The goal of the TLS diet is to balance the blood sugar. It is nice to get it in whenever we can. I know the temptation is there to increase the amount of honey called for. Please don't. You will be adding unnecessary sugar to your diet. Trust me when I say these items are plenty sweet as they are.
Soaked Almonds
2 cups raw almonds
filtered water to cover
Place the almonds in a large bowl and cover with plain filtered water. Allow to sit on the counter for 10-12 hours. Drain and rinse. Store in the refrigerator, drain and rinse them twice a day. The soaking process encourages the nut to begin growing. This changes the fat to protein ratio and increases the enzymes. How is that? The nut becomes a sprout. Sprouts are full of enzymes. Once the nut is sprouting it is using the fat for fuel to grow into a plant. I think it is genius! You can eat them as is fresh from the fridge at any point you like. OR you can do this...
Cinnamon Honey Toasted Almonds
Soaked almonds (above)
1 tsp honey
1tsp cinnamon
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
Toss drained and lightly dried soaked almonds with the honey and cinnamon. Dehydrate in a food dehydrator if you have one. Or spread on a baking sheet and dry in oven set at 100 degrees for about 8 hours. Toss occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
Banana "Cookies"
2 green tipped bananas
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (more if necessary)
Cut the banana into 1/2 inch segments. Mix the walnuts and cinnamon together. Coat the bananas with the nut mix. Spread on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled so they don't stick. The oil may not be necessary if the baking sheet is non-stick. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the bananas are slightly crisp. They dry a bit and that is OK. Remember this is 2-3 servings. So share with a friend!
Hi April... I am really looking forward to your new format and new blog posts.. I love what you do here.. Yea I know I am prejudice!
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