Technology is a tool

Obviously I am not keeping up here. Accordingly, I am moving the little stuff to Twitter and putting a Twitter feed at the top. Cross your fingers for me.

Breakfast Tuesday March 3, 2009

I hit the lodge for the breakfast bar. The first time I ever had breakfast bar I was in Disney World. I think I was 9 when my paternal grandparents took me.

Today I had eggs, some tator tots, a sausage patty, grapes, coffee, and pineapple.

Workout Tuesday March 3, 2009

I got up early and hit Crossfit Manhattan before work for the new 8AM class. Jacinto was the trainer. Rumor has it that he's 70. I hope I'm as fit as he is when I'm 50.

"Barbara"

Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

My ribs still hurt after dumping the scooter on Saturday, so the whole thing was fairly painful, and by the third round, I pulled the chord. Pretty lame, but I was doing kipping pull-ups and real push-ups. Last time I started with a band for the pull-ups, and by the third round was doing modified push-ups. So, although I did all 5 rounds last time, this was a bit of an improvement.

Dinner Monday March 2, 2009

A burger again. Cooking for one is a bitch. I have to blaze through whatever it is before it goes bad. Happily, my burger mix turned out delicious, so it's easy enough.

Dinner was a burger, like last night, with broccoli rabe, also like last night.

Lunch Monday March 2, 2009

Another Green Symphony day. I loaded it up with a potato samosa, collard greens, chicken enchilada, beets, tofu and pea salad, and feta and lettuce salad.

Somehow I didn't have my credit card and I didn't have any cash. The guy had me leave my name and phone number and then let me take it. He's such a cool, mellow guy.

Workout Monday March 2, 2009

Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
265-285-305-315-335(fail)-335(fail)-285

I over shot the mark a but, and probably should have stepped to 325. I got the weight off the ground on both of my 335 failures, but my back was in bad shape so I didn't go all the way up. The second time I was nearly there, but it was bad.

Regardless, I am happy. This was a PR day by 20 pounds, I didn't injure myself, and I'm not even sore. I credit substituting good mornings into my warm-up. They really establish the hip bend/straight back connection.

Breakfast Monday March 2, 2009

This morning was a quick and easy one. Raw milk cottage cheese, strawberries, granola, and coffee with raw milk.

Dinner Sunday March 1, 2009

When I finally got home from shooting, I had some bread and cheese. My diet is so low carb these days that I think I got a little hypoglycemic and nodded off. When I woke up, I realized I had missed my dinner invitation at Shanon's, so I took advantage of the hamburger I had defrosted the other day.


I looked up a few hamburger recipes on the web, and it quickly became clear that they were variations on a theme. One egg, maybe some garlic, maybe some other spices. Occasionally I saw bread crumbs.

I opted for an egg, a few cloves of garlic and a little horse radish. I wasn't too sure how to tell when it was done, so I cooked one side, turned it over and added the cheese, and removed it from the heat when the cheese was done. The middle of the burger was not as pink as the burger I had at Dumont, but it was so juicy I think it was OK. Next time I will ask around for tips and use a higher heat.

Meal:

• Burger with horseradish
  
• Toppings were tomato and bread and butter pickles
• Broccoli rabe

Broccoli rabe is my new favorite vegetable.

Breakfast Sunday March 1, 2009

Breakfast was two eggs, scrapple, strawberries, and coffee with milk. Scrapple seems to be some sort of farmers' sausage with cornmeal. It was not bad, but I had such a bad go at cooking it I was a little nervous to eat it. It had a nicely-spiced flavor, with the corn meal providing a pleasant texture.

Dinner Saturday February 28, 2009

After waiting and waiting for Monster Track to start and then running around almost-fruitlessly to catch some of it, I was cold, starving and fairly cranky. So after catching the last manifest hand-off at Affinity I dropped all my gear (which was A LOT), parked the scooter, and ordered a lamb burger from Wombat 613.


I had time to take Yatika to pick up some dry clothes at my place. He had sweat too much and was freezing.

The burger was almost but not quite dry, but still pretty good. It came with under-cooked parsley fries. They were tasty. but somewhat raw.

Breakfast Saturday February 28, 2009

Another neo-classical breakfast. Two strips of bacon, two eggs, a few pieces of hearty sourdough toast, and of course coffee with milk. The Bacon is from Triangle Organic, and is the best I've had. Although Henry was on point with his Flying Pigs recommendation, the Triangle Organics bacon is a more solid choice. As delicious as Flying Pigs was, it was also very showy, sort of like so-called craft brews. Triangle tastes like small 'b' bacon; Flying Pig tastes like re-imagined bacon.

Lunch Friday February 27, 2009

Continuing on with the lighter theme, I didn't forgo meat, but it was only a little and it wasn't red.

For lunch I went to Green Symphony with Andrew. I loaded up my plate with a potato samosa, some pesto chicken salad, roasted mushrooms and braised cauliflower. I treated myself to a pecan bar and washed it all down with Pellogrino water.

Breakfast Friday February 27, 2009

After a full week of eating meat, it was time to lighten it up a bit and have some more fruits and vegetables. So I started with breakfast. Today I had raw milk cottage cheese with granola and strawberries. It was all washed down with the regular stove-top espresso with raw milk.

Raw milk cottage cheese is truly amazing. Eating it is like eating sweet butter, but not quite as rich. So you can actually have an entire cup and not just a pat.

Dinner Thursday February 26, 2009

Tonight was man-networking night at Primehouse as organized by Marcus. I showed up right after my WOD, so I was pretty mellow. I was so mellow that Marcus couldn't believe it. Once we had a quorum and were seated, the bread got my blood sugar back up to the point were I was foaming at the mouth in a more typical fashion.

Happily they had extended their restaurant week offering, which we all went for with a side apiece and some wine. Mine was a beet salad. So that tallied up to:
Beet Salad
Lobster Cassoulet
Petit Filet Mignon
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

It was a delicious dinner with good conversation. I definitely agree with review that said Primehouse was a little gimmicky but had great meat. I had my filet medium rare, and it was very tender and had a nice beef flavor. Next time I eat steak, I will give rare a shot. I discussed this possibilty with a co-worker, and he told me a story about ordering steak rare and it being cold in hte middle. I will risk it.

Lunch Thursday February 26, 2009

Andrew and Josh were supposed to take me to Keen's, but Josh had to bail and Andrew was pressed for time. So instead he and I went to Edison's. As I already noted, I've been increasingly adventurous and decreasingly careful about what I eat. Accordingly, it seemed like a perfect time to order a Reuben. So I did.

When it arrived, they brought a knife and fork. I asked Andrew if i was supposed to use them, and he said he would just "sandwich it up". So folded it over and got to work. I went all they way, but this is what it looked like just before I finished it up.

The thing was a serious gut bomb, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Jen informed me that's why people drink coffee after lunch, and in Spain the do pass out. Live and learn.

Breakfast Thursday February 26, 2009

It's been a pretty heavy week of meat eating, and it isn't stopping. I have burger lunch plans with Andrew and man night dinner plans with Marcus and company. So this morning I didn't have any eggs or bacon. I went with some cottage cheese and granola. Both are from Triangle Organic and amazing.

Dinner Wednesday February 25, 2009

Tonight was dinner with my old roommate and law school classmate Mike at Dumont Burger. I hadn't seen him in years, but periodically he will ambush me on Google chat or send me a random text asking me my opinion on something.

We met in front of the restaurant and both agreed that neither of us had changed much.

He and I ordered burgers. I had mine with Gruyere cheese, he kept his naked. I got the salad, he went with fries. And I had a beer. Sierra Nevada ESB. The burger went down real easy. I preferred it to the Muggs burger, but I will have to go back and confirm. I think I found the onions and mushrooms at Muggs distracting.

Wednesday Lunch February 25, 2009

Today I returned to the Biryani Cart, this time designs on their sandwich cart extension. Matt accompanied me. I steered him toward the chicken kati rolls I had yesterday. Today I went for the New York Cheese Steak.

Much to his dismay, I ate my lunch in Andrew's office. He made me throw my trash out somewhere besides his office. He insisted it was unctuous, but after looking it up, I don't agree. But I do agree that it smelled pretty intense. The taste wasn't that great, and later it made me want to go to sleep.

Breakfast Wednesday February 25, 2009

I had the new classic for breakfast. Bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee. The bacon was from the milk club. I can't recall which farmer, but it was good. A smaller cut than the bacon I got from the farmers market. It had a nice, mild, and balanced flavor.

Tuesday Dinner February 24, 2009

I was supposed to make fish for me and my friend Sara who was coming over to look at Empire footage with me. But I got too hung up leaving later than expected from work and then squeezing in a milk and meat pick-up and a Crossfit workout. So we went to The Lodge.

I ordered the chili rubbed brisket with mashed potatoes and kale. Sara had the black and blue tuna with broccoli rabe. I was starving and ordered chicken fingers as an appetizer. Everything really is better fried.

The brisket was really good. It had a rich gravy and was very tender. The addition of the chili was a nice subtle touch, with occasional heat. This made brisket four dinners in a row.

Tuesday Lunch February 24, 2009

Today I went to the Biryani Cart on 46th near 6th. It had received high marks on the Midtown Lunch Blog. I got two chicken kati rolls. They were greasy as expected, but the chicken was fairly tender and nicely spiced. It was a very positive street meat experience.

Breakfast Tuesday February 23, 2009

This morning I had the new classic. Bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee. Eating bacon in the morning is almost rejuvenating. I think the blast of fat and salt just tops off whatever I lost from sleeping or the activities before going to sleep.

Monday Dinner February 23, 2009

Tonight I met Andy for barbecue. Originally the plan was to go to Texas Hill Country, but it was absolutely packed there. So we walked around the corner to Rub. Andy assured me that neither are stellar establishments, but that Texas Hill Country is a good experience and Rub was acceptable.

I got the brisket and baby back ribs with potato salad and greens. The greens were collards, spinach, and mustard all mixed together. I washed it down with some seltzer water.

Although I rarely do it, hanging out with Andy is great, as he doesn't drink. So it's easy to forgo the nearly-obligatory beer.

Monday Breakfast February 23, 2009

This morning I kept it real old school, and had yogurt with granola and fruit. The only variation is that I used strawberries instead of a trusty banana.

Monday Lunch February 23, 2009

Today I was pressed for time, which means salad bar at the Lodge. I started with a bed of greens, and then added some plain tofu, fried tofu, and sunflower seeds all topped with balsamic dressing.

Dinner and marketing

I had a home cooked meal with my old next-door neighbor, Jake. We got back in contact recently, and he suggested we get together and talk about some ideas he has about making beer. After some back and forth, we decided to eat meat at his place. He smoked quite a bit of food over the weekend, including some brisket.

So it was brisket on Sunday at Jake's. I took the train over and picked up a bottle of Hudons Singel Malt on my way. I forgot how nice Carrol Gardens (or is it Cobble Hill) is. Smith Street is also pretty solid and lacks many of the hipster nightmare qualities that my hometown possesses. At the very least, it's something to think about.

No one else was home, so Jake and I were left to cath up and eat meat.

Dinner:

• Smoked brisket
• Mashed potatoes
• Gravy
• Lettuce salad
• Home made lemon dressing
• Hudson Single Malt Whiskey

Jake and I had a beer after at B61 in Redhook. He then gave me a lift home, making my night incredibly manageable.

Saturday Dinner February 21, 2009

I went to the oyster fundraiser for the New Amsterdam Market. However, it was only 7 oysters and whatever other bits of food you were able to scrape up. These included pickled eggs with salt and jalapeno powder, crusty bread made with grain after it had been used to make beer and slathered with butter, the beer the produced the grain for the bread, and baked beans.

This was my first time with oysters, and it was a strong start. They were raw, and I tried some with no condiments, a couple with lemon, and a couple with cocktail sauce. I really didn't care for the cocktail sauce. Just raw was good and had a nautical taste. But I liked them best with a splash of lemon.

However, this was not enough. So on the way home I stopped to get a brisket sandwich at Dumont Burger. It looked like pulled pork to me and was drenched in gravy. I got the fries, not the salad. It was delicious.

I ate at the bar, and got into a conversation with my neighbor. We talked about food, where it comes from, and the Omnivore's Dilemma. I haven't given up on that book, but it's too much like Fastfood Nation. I found both to be far too heavy handed for my tastes.

Later I went to a friend's party. His band was playing, as was my other friend's band. It went LATE, so I made a snack before I went to bad. It was a grilled cheese with roast beef. The cheese was herb-garlic from the milk club. The roast beef was some bougie cold cuts from Sunac. The bread was also from the milk club. It's this impossibly dense sourdough. I slice it extremely thin, but it's delicious. It reminds me of the bread my German roommate from sophmore in college used to eat.

Lunch Saturday February 21, 2009

I was shooting all afternoon, and grabbed some Whole Foods salad bar in between rider shoots. I loaded up my tray with a potato samosa, chicken potato curry, greens with bacon, 2 grape leaves, and some baked flavored tofu. It was pretty tasty, and awesome to eat outside in Madison Square Park while I waited for the second shit of riders and shooters to arrive.

Junk food

If I'm not already there, I'm getting dangerously close. Tonight I had a lamb pita from Falefal Chula. It was better than the chicken shawerma, and better than the lamb kebabs I had last week. But it was not great. I really should have defrosted the ground bison I bought last weekend and made burgers. Tomorrow night.

Back in the saddle

I got overwhelmed with how behind I was, and proceeded to get even further behind. This is my line in the sand. I will fill in behind it, and maintain a steady pace beyond it.

I went to lunch with Andrew. We went to La Paloma, a former mainstay of mine when Marcus still worked here. However, for the first time I considered the entire menu. After careful consideration I went with the steak burrito with red beans. It was OK, and not much more. The steak was a bit rubbery and not that flavorful.

The day after

This morning I had a stomach still full of lamb and cow. So the yogurt and granola with strawberries on top program was in effect. And of course coffee.

Aside from feeling full I felt very good overall. Provided my stress levels aren't too high from work, I've been sleeping better than ever. Also, my physical fatigue from exercise is much lower than expected. I have some stiffness and soreness, but it is very minor.

Rubicon crossed

Just like Caeser, there is no turning back. I went with a few co-workers to some upstairs Israeli place in the Diamond District for lunch. I was feeling adventurous, so I ordered the lamb shish kebab. Bad move. It was chewy and greasy. I learned from Jeff who ordered the same dish that chewy means overcooked. Good information. It also wasn't particularly flavorful beyond the greasiness. At least the bread was like a giant bialy and very tasty.

Lunch:

• Lamb shish kebab
• Pickles, olives, and pepperoncini
• Break
• Hummus
  

After work I hit up Crossfit. It was the last workout before a rest day, and it was a hard one. Alex and I were the only ones there. I was hurting from the previous two days' workouts, and Alex was extremely distracted over the Gatorade opportunity. Here's the full video I made for him.

All this is to say that neither of us had our head in the game, and the workout took much longer than it should have.

For time:
45 Double-unders
135 pound Squat clean, 45 reps
45 Ring Dips
45 Double-unders

I scaled to 115 for the cleans. I could have done 135, but it would have been a lot uglier than it was. My lower back was very fatigued from yesterday's deadlifts, and was rounding quite a bit by the end. I also did some weird hybrid supported ring dip. I feel like I may have been better just doing real ring dips and kipping them. Regardless, still a long way to go in that upper body department. I got this done in a little under 25 minutes.

I went straight from Crossfit to meet John for dinner at Muggs for my first burger. I had flaked on him for the steak, so I definitely owed him this. The firstness of certain foods is funny. John was understandably dissapointed by my flaking, but when I told my old roommate Mike about going to Lugers, he was pissed. Not only did I not eat my first steak with him, I went to Lugers, something he has never done.

The burger was much more manageable than the steak. I think the combination of not being just a slab of meat, all the toppings, and being a little more cooked made it so. Having the meat ground elimated almost all of the textural weirdness.

The burger was tasty, but so is cheese and ketchup on a bun alone. Add in onions and mushrooms and you basically have gold. Clearly I'm still sorting out the flavor thing. Maybe summer barbecue season will clear it all up.

Today was probably the highest protein day of my life. It will be interesting to see not just how my digestive system, deals with it, but also how tomorrow's recovery day treats me.

Deadlifts are hard

I kept breakfast light this morning and had more yogurt, fruit, and granola. My yogurt is way better than the stuff I got from the milk club. But apparently it varies, so I am ordering it again from a different farm.

Meal

• Raw milk yogurt
• Strawberries
• Bear Naked Blueberry protein granola
• Stove top espresso with raw milk

I had lunch with old college friend and fellow Viacom-er Mike at the 1540 Broadway cafeteria. It had an abridged version of the lodge menu, so I stuck with the salad bar.

Lunch

• Bed of greens
• Grilled chicken
• Marinated mushrooms
• Honey mustard potato salad
• 1 hard boiled egg
• Pickled beet salad

After work I went to Crossfit Brooklyn and struggled through the deadlift workout.
Deadlifts: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
I went 275-285-295-305(fail)-295-295(fail)-285

Dinner was a repeat of last night, I was beat, and it was tasty and easy. Later I was even more beat. Those heavy lifts are really very stressful.

Recovery day

I'm pretty sure that I'm still digesting that steak. Or at least that it's still in my stomach in one form or another because it hasn't come out yet. Accordingly, today was a lighter day of eating.

Breakfast was raw milk home made yogurt with strawberries and store bought granola.

Lunch was a bunch of fruit from Cranberries, a deli-style lunch spot in Times Square.

Dinner was a chicken sandwich and grapes. I toasted the sandwich with sauerkraut and cheese. It was quick, easy, and quite good. I am pretty much completely adapted to the chicken program. The flavor is mild, and I am more or less comfortable with its textures.

Tallowed ground

I just got back from the big night at Peter Lugers. It was major. And good. Some had said it would be like butter. The grain was uninterrupted and smooth. It was a much simpler meat than the pork chops.



Meal:

• Steak for 3 split 4 ways between 3 men and a woman
• Creamed spinach
• German potatoes
• Tomato and onion
• Bacon
• Strawberries and cream
• Bread
  

I went with Soo, Carolina, and Adam. Soo took charge, as he has been to Lugers many times, and none of had ever been. I had received many suggestions, but I kept them to myself. I didn't matter, as he did as people had told me to do. Get the bacon, get the steak, get some spinach.

Some had told me the service was bad. The wait staff didn't kiss our asses, but water glasses were kept full and food was delivered promptly. Definitely a good experience. Unfortunately, Soo told me that since Lugers is the truly the best, it was all down hill from here. I'll just have to see. Next, hamburgers.

More bacon

This morning I fried up a couple of pieces of the Fling Pig bacon. It was the best yet. That said, I think I over cooked it. I'll get it soon.

Meal:

• 2 eggs fried in butter
• 2 pieces of smoked and cured bacon
• 2 pieces of toast with butter and jam
• Stove top espresso with raw milk

I went for a quick ride this afternoon in Prospect Park. Unsurprisingly it was packed. But I stretched my legs a little, particularly on the backside of the park on the flat and on the hill to the Grand Army entrance. It felt like my legs were a little over 50% of what they were when I was 20. I think with a little more training on the bike I can nudge that closer to 75%. Also, my recovery coming over the hill was the best it's been since I stopped racing at 23.

CROSSFIT!

Now all I need to do is keep it up and add in more sports-specific training.

When I got back from my ride I had a little snack of raw milk cheddar, ginger carrot sauerkraut, smokra, and some bread.

No candlestick maker

Saturday night I had planned to cook a chicken for Luke and possibly other guests. Luke's neck was acting up and couldn't make it, but Abe from Outlier called me. So I invited him and Tyler over for dinner. I made the chicken according to Zak's instructions here. I would got to put my new butcher knife to use.



Hacking apart the chicken was a good experience. A little grim too, but I really got to inspect the bird. It had already been plucked and gutted, but taking it apart and removing the spine, neck and excess bones as I went wasn't a walk in the park.



I put salt and pepper on the chicken pieces and warmed it on the stove as instructed, then placed it in the oven. Then I started some rice, prepped the bok choy, and laid out the various pickles. Abe and Tyler showed up as the chicken was cooling. The rice finished at the right time, and we sat down for dinner.

Meal:

• Roasted chicken
• Short-grain brown rice
• Sauteed bok choy
• Ginger carrot sauerkraut
• Pickled okra
• Pickled beets
• Some beers
  

Catch-up

I had a pretty busy couple of days. It started with another last-minute audition tape edit for Alex. The production company decided they wanted a 10 minute piece. So Alex shot a bunch more, captured it, and culled it. I tweaked the final edit and we got it done again.

Friday Lunch
Friday afternoon I decided to expand my take-out options. I went to Margon and ordered a Cuban. It was an unsatisfying salty grease bomb. Theo told me that's more or less how it is with Cubans. I may try this legendary sandwich somewhere more reputable, but I do not have high hopes. It's pretty leaden stuff without much subtlety to the flavor. But I suppose that's what some people want.


Friday Dinner
I met Adam, his girlfriend Sofia, Mel, and Mel's friends for dinner at El Mercadito. It was a trendy spot in the East Village with a number of creative tacos and guacamole. We ordered a range of both and shared. I had tacos with pork, snapper, and talpia. They all had some kind of sauce and were pretty tasty. The flavors were nicely balanced and didn't overpower each other. I recognized the feel and taste of the fishes, but couldn't really distinguish between them. The pork had a distinct taste and feel as well. There were also sides of rajas and plantains.



Saturday Breakfast
Saturday was going to be a long day of shooting and errands, so I larded up.
Meal

• 2 eggs fried in butter
• Green grapes
• Raw milk cheese
• Stove top espresso with raw milk

On the way to meet the boys to shoot I stopped by the green market. I picked up two whole porgies and some bacon from Flying pig as Henry recommended. I'll make the porgies on Monday or Tuesday.

Outliers

This morning I finished up my Hawthorne Farms bacon. After a number of conversations with my co-worker Theo and careful examination of the pan as the bacon cooked, I am convinced that it was smoked with liquid smoke. It didn't cook up nearly as nicely as the other stuff. Neither were from Flying Pigs, which Henry strongly recommends.

Meal:

• 2 eggs fried in butter
• 2 strips of bacon
• 2 pieces of wheat toast with butter and strawberry jam
• Stove-top espresso with raw milk
  

My morning reading was very illuminating. I learned that butchering classes are happening two blocks away, and that an old friend works at the shop the butcher runs. This should make it pretty easy to get involved. The same article also pointed me to a farm located in the Finger Lakes region AKA my old stomping grounds. I emailed them about group purchases. I am going to recruit some Crossfitters to get cows, pigs, or whatever. An interesting reversion to the mean with an extra, carnivorous dimension.

Triple rush

Luckily our marathon meeting for today was scheduled in the afternoon. So I got to go to Crossfit on lunch. I did the Rx, but with subs as there aren't enough GHB machines.

Five rounds for time of:
2 pood Kettlebell swings, 25 reps
25 GHD Sit-ups
25 Back Extensions
25 Knees to Elbows

I did OK, but had to pull the chord at 4 rounds, which took me just under 40 minutes. My fifth round would have taken me at least 10 minutes and I needed to get back to work. It had nothing to do with my failing grip. Nothing at all.

On the way back to the office, I picked up lunch at Green Symphony. They had the Korean-style chicken, which I like. It's baked, not fried, so it's a pretty decent option.

Meal:

• 3 pieces of Korean baked chicken
• Potato samosa
• Steamed collard greens
• Tofu salad with peas
• Lettuce, avocado, and feta salad

After work I picked up my raw milk club order. This time I got yogurt and butter, as well as cheese. I also had eggs, but they were out of scrapple. Next time... Then it was home to help my friend and training partner Alex finish his second audition tape for Gatorade. I thought we needed to make an 8:30PM FedEx deadline, but he worked out a way to post it on-line for them to review.

While we were working, I snacked on various things and had a beer with him.

Meal:

• Cheese sandwich with raw milk cheddar cheese, mustard, whole wheat bread, and bread and butter pickles
• 1 beer
• Havarti cheese and grapes
• Lentil soup for Falafel Chula

We finished the edit. Hopefully this will get Alex to LA so he can train at the velodrome out there and take it to the next level.

Bacon revisited

After an extended discussion of the various sorts of bacon and cuts of pork in general, I tried smoked but uncured bacon this morning. I also adjusted my cooking technique, opting for a slightly lower heat. This produced a more classic look. However this could have been to a different cut. This morning's bacon was very crispy with no saltiness. In fact, despite the tremendous amount of grease left behind in the pan, it was dry. My bacon mystery continues.

Meal:

• 2 eggs fried in butter
• 2 strips of uncured, smoked bacon
• 2 pieces of toast with butter and jam
• Stove to espresso with raw milk
  

Squats rule

I had time to step out for lunch today, so I went over to old faithful, Green Symphony.

Meal:

• Stuffed chicken breast
• Steamed collard greens
• Tofu and pea salad
• Shredded lettuce with avocado and feta
• Potato samosa

I won't be getting the stuffed chicken breast again. It was heavily and strangely spiced, and it also had a hard exterior from sitting on the hot table. Everything else was reliably solid.

I picked up my new team kit on the way home. I'm riding for CRCA/Rapha, so out kit is tight. Still waiting on the jerseys to be printed, but everything else is awesome. Nice light wool undershirts, classic leather gloves, lots of wool socks and more. My only bummer is that I got the medium arm warmers and they don't fit the guns at all.


Next, it was to work out and make up the squat WOD at Crossfit Brooklyn.

Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5 reps
I went 225-235-240-245-255, and completed a full 5 reps for each lift. I'm fairly certain could have made 260, and maybe even 265. Part way through I changed my technique to be less upright and engage my hams, hips, and glutes more. Although I am tremendously quad dominant because of my years of cycling, the greater muscle recruitment makes for more weight lifted. And my back didn't hurt which was a big plus. I'm not getting any younger, so more than ever injuries are a no-no.


Finally home to cook some of my geen market bounty. I had purchased a Brook trout from my favorite fish monger. We discussed his taste for bourbon. I told him about LeNells, and suggested he swing by on his way out of town. He told me he wouldn't make it out of town if he stopped in.

Meal:

• Breaded and pan-fried brook trout
• Raw milk cheddar and jack cheese
• Green grapes
• Sauteed broccoli rabe

I liked the rabe quite a bit and will be picking that up again. At the green market I also picked up some smoked but not cured bacon. I was inspired by a conversation today with two co-workers, Theo and Henry. Both had a lot to say about the merits of bacon, and the wide variety available. There are also some shitake mushrooms that I need to eat along with strawberry jam.

Keeping it light but fatty

I decided to follow my light dinner with a similarly light breakfast. I think with portion control and the coming increase in training volume I will be able to get to 190 pounds easily and healthily.

Meal:

• Raw milk cottage cheese
• Strawberries
• Granola
• Stove top espresso with raw milk

Regarding that increase in training volume, this is the last week of marathon meetings, and I should be able to work out at lunch again. The Manhattan Crossfit is also getting close to adding another, slightly later morning WOD. Finally, Alex continues to run a Tuesday session at Affinity, and Lacort has started up a Friday session and I think he may be doing one other. If I hit at least one of those, get back on track with the WODs, and lift twice a week the world won't know what hit it.

At the very least I won't know what hit me.

A quick lunch and an early night

Tuesday was another day of marathon meetings. That fact combined with the fact it was very nasty out meant I stayed in and went to the Lodge for lunch. Although I am officially more adventurous and ordering meat willy-nilly, I stuck with the trusty salad bar. While there I did take some of the chicken breast.

Meal:

• Bed of spinach
• Marinated mushrooms
• Roasted red peppers
• Tofu
• Chicken
• Broccoli
• Sunflower seeds
• Vinaigrette dressing

I rushed home after my last meeting to meet the oven repairman. Unfortunately he did not fix it. Instead he assessed the problem, took a deposit, and will return on Thursday. So a hot dinner not prepared on the stove top will be possible by this weekend. Look for more entertaining soon.

I was pretty beat and couldn't be bothered to track down a full meal. Since I haven't exercised much in the last two days, that wasn't a problem. I made more of a snack than a meal.

Meal:

• Green grapes
• Raw milk cheese
• Apple
• Chocolate chips from the summer's ice cream making for dessert

Shortly after I was in bed reading. Only a little later I was asleep. Sometimes I amaze myself with the exciting life I lead.

This little piggie

Breakfast was a leisurely. I got up a little earlier than planned. Only a bit, but with enough time to add some bacon to the classic. This was a necessary move since I couldn't find any Denny's closer than south of Prospect Park. I took Erin's advice and cooked it longer. Definitely crispier. I think it may also have been less salty, although I don't know why that would be. Perhaps more fat was cooked off and most of the salt is in the fat?

Meal

• 2 eggs fried in butter
• 1 strip of bacon
• 2 pieces of toast with butter and jam
• Stove-top espresso with raw milk