But rather then focus on my shitty jump rope skills (really, I suck and it pisses me off, can you tell??) I wanted to share some things I've been loving lately.
Food:
1 - Roasted veggies - I've been roasting almost every veggie I can get my hands on. It's really, really easy and makes things a little more interesting then just steaming them. Preheat oven to about 350F (approx 176C), place veggies on a cookie sheet or roasting pan - the more uniform the pieces the better. I use foil so I don't have to deal with clean up. Don't crowd the pieces or they'll steam instead of roast. If I'm feeling adventurous, I'll use about a 1/2t. of olive oil and toss everything together with my hands. Check on them often, using tongs to toss them around as they're cooking. Yum yum yum. Favorite options are broccoli, cauliflower, yams, potatoes (a bit boring), asparagus, green beans, carrots. I make a couple of trays at a time and mix them together for later.
2 - Sugar Dumpling and Delicata squash - I'm not usually a big squash fan, unless it's covered in butter and brown sugar, but these two varieties are so delicious and sweet on their own (sugar dumpling has a bit of an edge on sweetness, so I'll buy it over delicata if I've got the choice). For all squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place cut side down on a cookie sheet/baking pan with a little bit of water. Roast in a 400F (204C) until soft - usually by the times the skin starts getting a little brown it's ready. Scoop out of the skin and enjoy. I think I've eaten approx 15 sugar dumplings since PCP started!
left: delicata right: sugar dumpling
3: Kale chips! Sarah posted about these a couple of months ago. I can't get enough. I'm guessing lots of the nutritional value goes out the window when you make them this way, but they're like a 1000% better for you than potato chips and just as addictive. I use maybe 1/2 teaspoon of oil, if that, on them but they're just as good with just a little cider vinegar. Again, don't crowd them on the pan or they'll get gooey.
4: Paprika - I swear, it's smoky flavor makes things taste like bacon:) Which made me very happy while eating my over easy egg this morning! This is the brand I like, you can get it mild or hot.
Lots more favorites to come, including non-food PCP things (sexy items, like roasting pans and an avocado keeper) - would love to know more about what others are eating.
BTW - the cake I made for Sunday turned out better then I expected. I'm thinking the boost I got from the friday night indulgence gave me the inspiration I needed. It's definitely not my style of cake, but the client was happy, so that's good enough for me!
FINALLY - I'm with Ian - what's up with the double katana? My arms literally wouldn't budge, especially when I was trying to keep my elbows from moving. The jumps are fun (in a weird way) and but I don't know about the creeps. Am I supposed to be in the same position the whole time? Walking around like a duck?
JFD
JFD
JFD
What kind of rope are you using again? Can you take a picture? Also, what surface are you jumping on?
ReplyDeleteI'm using a Nike Speed Rope - this one, to be exact - http://bit.ly/ahMKaQ and am jumping on my patio, which has a brick surface. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the first few weeks of jumping without having had a mirror right in front of me. The first week, at least, all I did was stare at my feet in the mirror as I jumped to get the timing down.
ReplyDeleteI still jump in front of a mirror but can look at my feet, at myself, and occasionally even look elsewhere.
Any chance you can try jumping somewhere with a mirror? Get a cheap full length mirror at a yard sale, and move out onto the patio when you jump?
I'm sorry the jumps are so shitty. It's really weird how you can think you've nailed it and then not do anything differntly but it all falls apart. Things are much better for me since getting the Nike rope but at times it's like some kind of slack in the rope develops near the handles and then the whole system falls apart... not sure why this is happening... tripping is really frustrating though.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips re the squash. I cooked a sugar dumpling for the first time last week and it was so sweet - much more so than regular acorn. I keep walking by the delicata, not sure what to make of it but I'll give it a shot now. And of course I love butternut to fall back on. I'm going to search for that paprika too.
And, Sara! What a gorgeous cake! I love that creativity. I became obsessed with looking at cakes a couple of years ago when I watched someone (on TV) do something crazy with fondant and I was hooked. I could probably sit in your kitchen and watch you all day ;)
Nice post on the food, and I agree with the paprika (makes everything better).
ReplyDeleteSo some suggestions on making the jumping easier:
Don't make the motion hard. I noticed that when I relaxed my muscles and got into the rhythm of jumping it just flows smoothly. Before I would jump higher then I needed to and jerk my arms more then I had to. The rope should be light and should move around your body with momentum instead of large force (watch how boxers do it so effortlessly because they're not forcing it). And the feet should only get as high as they need to. None of this might not make any sense but once you get better at it (and you will) you'll notice it is a lot easier than how it is right now. It will always be boring but it's what will create more results than any of the other exercises.
I agree with you on the jump roping. Although I'm on a timeout away from the jump rope, it was actually getting worse for me too. Tripping up almost every 10-20. Very frustrating. It was good at the beginning but is now going downhill for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing some cooking ideas/tips. I use them all the time. Great job on the cake. It looks too pretty to eat.
Thanks for the cake compliments - am SO glad it's over. Jumping, fortunately is getting better. i think my biggest obstacle was the brick patio.
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