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I had my first checkin with my coach yesterday – yesterday as in 24 hours after Taylor and I marked the end of our “bender” in Houston.  Admittedly, it felt a bit more like confessional than a checkin, and I shamefully informed her that I skipped my prescribed long bike ride and long run.  Not to worry: now that the annual wedding is behind us, Taylor and I are ready to kick it into high gear ahead of our A-races: Wildflower, Vineman 70.3, and Ironman Lake Tahoe, and I did just that with a 52 mile bike and a 1900 meter swim yesterday.

Although I eat clean 80% of the time, my former fat-kid self still has a lot of pull when it comes to the remaining 20%.  More concretely, when I was quizzed by my coach about what I’d eat after a long bike ride knowing that I had a long run the next day, I gave a textbook answer – a smoothie high in protein with a lot of fruit to replenish my glycogen stores immediately after, followed by a meal high in protein, complex carbs, and antioxidant-laden green vegetables a couple hours later. Which is true – 80% of the time.  I love pizza.  I’m from downstate New York – it’s in my blood.  When I hit that lonely place toward the end of a long workout, the mere thought of a hot, fresh pizza is enough to keep me company and push me to the finish.  Taylor and I made an amazing pizza at home last night thanks to some inspiration from SF’s Za pizza and a new pizza stone from her mom.  Here’s how we did it:

Ingredients

  • Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough
  • Green pesto
  • Minced garlic
  • Arugula
  • Trader Joe’s red-skin breakfast potatoes
  • Trader Joe’s burrata cheese
  • Eggs
  • Whole wheat flour (for coating the pizza stone)
Before

Before

After
After

Method

  • Remove pizza dough from package and let it settle for 20-30 minutes, preferably on a pizza stone lightly covered with flour
  • Preheat the oven to 450
  • Cook the breakfast potatoes roughly halfway through
  • Knead or roll the pizza into your desired shape/consistency
  • Spread a thin coat of pesto across the dough
  • Top with arugula, burrata, potatoes, and garlic
  • Crack two eggs on the top (optional) for extra protein/flavor, or add meat of choice
  • Cook for 20 minutes or until the eggs are thoroughly baked
  • Give yourself a pat on the back for a hard workout and delicious culinary creation