Kale Basil Avocado Pesto

It took me about two weeks to finally get around to making this dish. Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. One of my favorite reads for recipes/ideas is Shannons blog Tri 2 Cook. I didn't know it existed till I stumbled upon it on Foodgawker. Being that kale is one of the ingredients in my daily salad trinity (Manoa lettuce, Spinach and Kale) I decided to sacrifice a bit to make her Kale Basil Pesto.  I have to admit, it was pretty phenomenal! A friend of mine was over that night and she practically licked my food processor clean! 

Kale Basil Avocado Pesto

1 small avocado (Hass) cubed 

1 1/2c packed basil 

1 large bunch of kale (de-stemmed)

1/2t salt

black pepper

1/4c grated Parmesan cheese

2 small garlic cloves (minched) 

2T extra virgin olive oil 

Blanch kale in boiling water for 2-3 min. Transfer to an ice bath (bowl with ice water), remove and squeeze to dry.

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process till desired consistency. Add more salt/oil to your liking. 

Can be served with pasta, a dip, or even pizza. 

Enjoy!

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When Flip turning goes wrong

Accidents happen. Last Friday night while swimming my 1650m TT (finished in a slow 28:43), somewhere around the 1000m mark, I underestimated the distance between the wall and where I started my turn. This led to my right heel slamming down on the pool gutter. Ouch. Despite the throbbing pain and not wanting to stop, I continued on with the TT. Since I was able to walk back to my truck, I figured it wasn't that bad....

The next morning I got up, took one step out of my bed and almost fell over. I couldn't take one step without being in pain. Oh well cancel biking plans and go back to sleep. One IB6 and a few hours later, I was able to slowly limp around the house but production was not happening.

 

Saturday afternoon

By Sunday, the pain was still around but not as bad. Walking was manageable but not long distances. I'm guessing nothing was broken since the pain is decreasing. Was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to hold up while working at the restaurant but I was fine. 

 Sunday Afternoon. It's funny how bruises get bigger/uglier after a few days

Today, the pain is just a slight irritation but the area feels a little tender. Might try go out for a short run if the weather permits. Well see how that goes. 

Despite this major pain in the ass, I will still continue to do flip turns instead of open wall turns. I'll get the standard argument from other triathletes "no need to flip turn in open water, so why do them" and that's great but where are you in the swim? MOP (middle of pack)? BOP (back or pack)? If there isn't any walls in open water swims, why are you doing OWTs? Shouldn't you turn around before the wall? My reasoning for doing them 1) Open wall turns are a mental/mini rest break in a set (sets are meant to push you/make you stronger so why slack) 2) It gives your lungs a work out and  3) It's what real swimmers do (don't we copy pro cyclist and runners, so why not Olympic swimmers).

I believe that everyone is capable of properly doing flip turns with dedication and practice. You just have to breakdown that mental barrier that's keeping you from doing them. 

So if you're a open wall turner, what's your reason for doing them? 

The swim off from Herbert Krabel on Vimeo.

Hmm...no open wall turns from these ladies.

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Blackened Ahi With Quinoa

Living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I am no stranger when it comes to eating fresh fish and seafood. Strangely enough, fish is not one of my top choices to eat. However, when given free fresh fish, I have no problem putting it to good use. After graduating high school a long time ago, one of my first jobs was a dishwasher at Kilauea Lodge on the Big Island. One of the perks of dish washing was that we'd get a dinner prepared by one of the chefs at the end of the night. One particular night, were were made a Blackend Ahi dish. The flavor was amazing and since then, I've been a fan of anything blackened. 

Blackening Seasoning (One filet serving, x2 amount for more)

1T paprika

1/2t oregano

1/2t thyme

1/2t cayenne pepper (more for hotter)

3/4t black pepper

1/4t onion powder

1/4t garlic powder

1/4t salt

Mix all ingredients together in a container.

Place ahi (tuna) filet in container and shake till fish is coated well. 

Using a small pan, add about 1-2T olive oil and heat till olive oil is almost smoking. Carefully place fish into pan and fry 1-2min on each side (more for a drier fish). Remove from pan and let cool on side. 

Quinoa 

1c quinoa

2c chicken stock 

Add ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer and cook till soft. 

If you don't want to keep watching it, you can cook quinoa in a rice cooker. 

Plate fish on Quinoa and serve with steamed veggies. Enjoy!

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Valentine's Biathlon Recap

Despite the whole V-day theme and the possibility of witnessing too much PDA, I signed up for the Valentine's Biathlon hosted by Waikiki Swim Club. Yeah, I'm a V-day hater. Since this was my first biathlon, I went in with a game plan of being conservative on the run and going all out in the swim.

Race day morning, instead of eating anything solid, decided to try the liquid diet route. Somehow managed to drink 12oz of Hammer Perpetuem (1 scoop) which was pretty rough, taste wise. Since the race was held at Ala Moana Beach park it took me about 10min to get there.

With the run being my weakness, It felt like almost everyone in the race passed my. Despite this, I stuck to my game plan, and held a brisk pace, maybe 75-80% effort knowing I still had to swim. I noticed a few VFF guys doing the gravel dance on the rough spots which was slightly entertaining. Towards the end, started to pass people who were breathing pretty heavy, all I could think was "shit, the swims going to suck for you". Got to the transition area and tossed the shoes and put the goggles on to get ready for the swim. According to my watch, my 5k time was a 24:48 with an average pace of 8:01. I surprised myself since I've never run anything under 25 min and I wasn't going all out. I had a lot of catching up to do since it seemed like half of the racers were swimming already.

Despite not breathing hard during the run, the swim started out a little rough. I took a few strokes and it was pretty tough to breath. Ugh. Thought to myself "Stupid asthma...still got 900m to go". Err so much for a fast swim. I must have swum breaststroke maybe 25-50m until things got under control. Since Ala Moana is pretty murky, I couldn't really see anyone or find a good draft. Hit the turn around point and BAM, talk about SUN! The sun made it pretty impossible to sight so so I kinda gauged it by following the shoreline. Since I was feeling much better, I decided to go all out on the return. Despite the swim fiasco in the beginning, my watch registered a 19:24. Not my greatest swim time but I was happy with it. 

Overall, I managed to place 19th overall (19/130), 5th in the 25-29M age group (5/14). In my age group I was almost the slowest runner (11th) with a time of 24:31.0 but I was the fastest swimmer with a time of 19:37.4 and an overall time of 44:08.4.

I guess my only complaints would be 1) to start the race earlier so the sun doesn't blind anyone and 2) change it to a swim/run format. My speculation is that a runner came up with the format so he/she couldn't lose to the fast swimmers. Haha.

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SLS3 supports Sea Shepherd's “Stand Up for the Oceans”

It's always good to see companies donate for a good cause. Such a company is SLS3. For every product sold, $1 will be donated to Sea Shepherd. 

From their blog 

Oceanside, CA – January 26th. SLS3 the leader in compression sportswear just announced its support for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). $1 of every product that is being sold will be donated to Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization which uses direct action tactics to protect sealife.In 2008, Animal Planet began filming the weekly series Whale Wars based on the group's encounters with the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.
“I watched the show a couple of years ago for the first time and was hooked ever since” says Sebastian Linke, owner of SLS3. “ In addition to building innovative products that reduce environmental impact, we take our social responsibility mission very seriously - We feel honored to be giving back to those who defend what is so precious to us all.”
Visit www.SLS3.com to find a retailer near you and learn how YOU can make a difference.
About SLS3:
SLS3 manufactures sport compression and Triathlon race apparel in the USA. We design and market high quality compression and triathlon race apparel that meet and exceed the needs of our customers. Our products will enhance performance with emphasis on technical design for comfort. Our goal is to produce the best possible products to serve our customers who are looking for comfort and performance. MADE IN U.S.A. is an important part of our apparel line as we have made a commitment to production of our apparel in America. We hire local staff and we purchase our materials from the highest quality vendors available to us.

About Sea Shepherd:
Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. The organization has gained recognition through the TV Series “Whale Wars”.

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