Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

15 Feb, 2010  6 Comments  General Health, Nutrition, Recipes

I hope everyone had an excellent Valentine’s Day. My wife and I relaxed all day, watched movies and made a deliciously huge breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, and some awesome buckwheat pancakes. We also took our puppy (her name is Lucy by the way) to her first puppy kindergarten, she rocked it. Anyway, back to delicious blueberry buckwheat pancakes.

Many, many blogs ago I wrote about the awesomeness that is buckwheat. Buckwheat rocks, as it tastes delicious, is a complete protein, is gluten-free and has minimal impact on blood sugar. In that blog I also mentioned how much I love buckwheat pancakes, especially loaded with Maine blueberries. A reader asked for a recipe, and today I am coming through, as I finally decided to come up with one!

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Mix all the dry ingredients together until well blended. Then add one wet ingredient at a time, mixing well after each addition. The batter make look a little thin, but this is how it is supposed to look. Makes 2 large or 4 small pancakes.

Nutrition Facts (per 1 small pancake)

Enjoy with a delicious veggie omelet and you have a breakfast of champions!

New CP Website

On another note CresseyPerformance.com has had a face-lift. The new site, created by Dynamic Diagrams, is phenomenal. A completely interactive site; chock full of videos, a sweet blog that you should definitely subscribe to, and a weekly-updated news feed, you will be sure to find some cool stuff. Check it out now!

Random Thursday Thoughts

11 Feb, 2010  4 Comments  General Health, Nutrition, Training

Since I have to make the final vet visit with the puppy tomorrow, I probably won’t have time to post a Friday blog, so I figured I would post a rare Thursday edition instead. I have some random stuff bouncing around my brain this morning, check it out:

1. I am a fan of always trying new foods and ideas, and I have been rocking a new carb for breakfast this past week. I bought some Ezekiel Almond Cereal on Sunday, and I have been having 1/2 cup (1 serving) with a large handful of fresh blueberries and some unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It is absolutely awesome. The cereal absorbs all of the milk and expands and softens, but doesn’t get mushy. I am absolutely loving it right now.

I will say that the Ezekiel sprouted-grain cereal is high in calories and carbs, that 1/2 cup has 38 grams of carbs (6 fiber) and 200 calories, so do keep that in mind.

Though not the almond cereal, or vanilla almond milk, I thought this was a cool picture

Though not the almond cereal, or vanilla almond milk, I thought this was a cool picture

2. My wife and I found what appears to be a good looking fish oil product for our puppy. It is by Vet’s Best, and it contains not only some fish oil and it’s everything-healthy omega-3’s, but some evening primrose oil for the anti-inflammatory omega-6 GLA to boot, along with some vitamin E to prevent oxidation. Seems quite solid to me.

Now I don’t know much about dog food, what is a quality company, what is not. If anyone knows of a similar product that is better, or gives this one a thumbs-up, let me know. Any feedback would be appreciated.

3. A growing pet peeve of mine is when people complain that they are hungry when they are dieting and trying to lose weight. Newsflash - when in a caloric deficit your body bumps up ghrelin production, meaning you will be hungry. It is an unfortunate fact of eating below-maintenance calories.

Focusing on high quality protein, healthy fat and fiber (especially soluble, like in chia or glucomannan) can help hold that hunger at bay. So can drinking a cup or two of green tea between meals, as it is a moderate appetite suppressant.

The fact still remains that you will get hungry. I am sorry, but you will just have to deal with it, a small sacrifice to meet your goals.

I prefer to see you thinking about wild salmon and blueberries, is that wishful thinking?

4. Mike Robertson is having a nice little customer-appreciation sale on Bulletproof Knees until the end of the day today. Just enter the coupon code KNEES2010 (yes all CAPS) at checkout and you will get $15 off. I wrote about this product in the past (here), as I think it is far and away the best corrective exercise resource on knee health.

Check out Bulletproof Knees, and remember this sale only goes through the end of the day on today. Plus it has a picture of dudes playing rugby, which makes it even more awesome.

Vanilla, Nuts & Flax Smoothie

10 Feb, 2010  1 Comment  General Health, Nutrition, Recipes

As many of you know I have always been a fan of Dr. John Berardi and his Precision Nutrition system. His work and website are what got me into this industry in the first place!

Many of the smoothie recipes that I have come up with have utilized the recipes from Precision Nutrition, just modified BSP style.

One of my favorite Precision Nutrition smoothies is the Nuts & Flax shake. It is absolutely delicious. The problem is that it utilizes cottage cheese, which is a food I have limited and no longer encourage. I have modified this smoothie to meet my specifications, ie - be awesome.

BSP Vanilla, Nuts & Flax Smoothie

Give it a shot and let me know what you think. I will note that this smoothie is the rare exception that does not contain any fruits or vegetables, so I recommend having a serving of choice with it.

PS - I am currently adding many blogs to my Recipes category, as well as updating my Resources page, so keep an eye out!

You Asked, I Answered

8 Feb, 2010  2 Comments  General Health, Nutrition

Question 1: Any recommendations on protein powders? Or at least protein types. Been using a great whey/casein blend for a while, but looking to get away from it as per the dairy issue.

Answer: For protein powders there are a lot of options, it just really depends on what you can fit into your budget. If you are a fan of whey, like I am, then I would encourage some products like this:

  1. Whey Cool by Designs for Health
  2. BiPro by Davisco Foods
  3. Grow Bioactive Whey by Biotest

Obviously there are a TON more choices, but I just chose 3 good products, with different price points.

I would rank Whey Cool (and products like it such as Warrior Milk) as probably the Cadillac of protein powders, but you pay an arm and a leg for it.

I think BiPro is another fantastic product, maybe a slight step down from Whey Cool, but it is more reasonably priced, though still not cheap.

If Whey Cool is the Cadillac, then Grow would be the Buick. It is still a quality product, but it does contain some sucralose, which I am not really a fan of, but it is also the most reasonably priced whey here, and it tastes great.

It really all depends on your budget, and how much you are willing to spend on protein powder. To me if you start getting a lot cheaper than Grow, then I start to wonder about the quality of the product, it might still be good, but I certainly have my doubts.

If you want to get completely aware from dairy-based protein powders, see the next question.

Question 2: Do you have any recommendations for affordable rice protein powder that doesn’t taste like dust? I got some vanilla rice protein powder from Whole Foods, and I use lots of fruit, but I keep feeling like I’m drinking a chalk shake. Sun Warrior rice protein powder gets good reviews, but is expensive.

Answer: Unfortunately most rice protein powder is awful, in my opinion. I tried Sun Warrior and personally was not a fan, but I am also used to some delicious whey. I too have heard good things, and have had a few clients who really like it, so it is probably the best rice protein powder out there, but you do pay for it.

Other options would be some egg protein, or hemp protein like Hemp Pro 70 by Manitoba Harvest. Hemp certainly has a distinct taste, and is a little nutty, but I still prefer the Manitoba Harvest over the Sun Warrior myself. Give each a shot and let me know what you think.

A Delicious Deviation

4 Feb, 2010  No Comment  General Health, Nutrition, Recipes

For my wife and I, Sunday mornings are often a departure from the norm. Every Monday through Saturday we are up early, making the same breakfast, doing the same things, you know, in our routine. Sundays however, allow for more time and creativity, and this is where meal experiments can really shine (or fail, but at least it was worth a try).

This past Sunday Anna and I were not in the mood for eggs, so we popped open our copy of the Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook, and perused the breakfast options, looking for something interesting. Lo and behold, we stumbled across a delicious french toast and parfait recipe that looked absolutely awesome.

Since we didn’t have every single ingredient, and you know I am going to modify it anyways, we made that recipe BSP style. It called for some whole grain bread to be cut into 1-inch squares, so we used some sprouted grain Ezekiel bread. We mixed that with some omega-3 eggs, and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Top it off with a little maple syrup, and it was awesome.

The parfait portion called for cottage cheese, yogurt, and strawberries among other things, and we didn’t have any of it. So instead we subbed in plain Greek yogurt for the cottage cheese and regular yogurt (and added a packet of Truvia for a little more sweetness), used blackberries for the strawberries, and it to was incredible.

The point of this post is to show that eating healthy does not have to be boring or monotonous. Too often people get stuck into healthy eating ruts, including me, where they eat the same meals over and over and over again. Variety is the spice of life, people. Continuity certainly has its place, but there is something to be said for stepping outside your comfort zone and trying a new recipe and just seeing what happens.

In the end it was a phenomenal breakfast, not only did it taste great, it looked the part too.

For more recipes like this, definitely check out Gourmet Nutrition and the complete Precision Nutrition System.

One-Upping Tony Gentilcore

1 Feb, 2010  10 Comments  Movie Review, Training

I teased on Friday that I would show the video evidence of me pulling 615, to stay ahead of Tony on the staff leaderboard (though still behind EC, who pulled 640). Well without further ado, here I am:

PS - I know it isn’t the world’s prettiest lift, it was a max effort, and it was 615lbs, it happens. I do not recommend training like that, but some thoracic rounding when maxing out is just fine.

PPS - Yes, that is Pearl Jam playing in the background, and they are the greatest America rock band of all time.

On a totally unrelated note, I watched two totally awesome movies this weekend. I finally got around to seeing the very charming and incredibly likable (500) Days of Summer, and the visually arresting Avatar.

(500) Days of Summer was very charming, as both leads were excellent. It will put a smile on your face for so many wonderfully touching parts, and yet it will break your heart at so many others, while making you chuckle throughout. In many ways it reminded of me of Garden State, in that it had a charming tone, two wonderful leads and a great story.

Avatar was just amazing to watch. The story is nothing new, but the visuals are on a level that has never been seen before, and I was absolutely blown away by it. Obviously I am like the last person in the country to have seen this movie, so I am hardly telling any of you something new, but if you have not seen it yet, do yourself a favor and find an IMAX 3-D to maximize the experience.

Uhh…Random/Interesting Stuff?

29 Jan, 2010  No Comment  General Health, Training

A CP client sent me a link to a Harvard website all about running. As I am sure you know, running is certainly not my favorite thing to do, and I am quite fond of the Mike Boyle quote “You have to be fit to run, not run to be fit”.

That being said, this website is quite fascinating. It is looking at the history of human evolution, and the fact that humans have been running for millions of years without the aid of the modern running shoe. It looks at the running mechanics of people who have never worn shoes in their lives, compared to the running mechanics of people in shoes.

It shows the different ground reaction forces, feet angles, and the resulting differences in the way our bodies absorb these forces and changes. It is really interesting, and really expands on the topics covered in Born to Run (which I reviewed HERE, awesome book by the way). I highly recommend you check this site out, especially if you are a runner.

This may sound dry and boring, but it is written for the lay population, and has lots of videos and charts to show the data, and it is very eye-opening and makes me even more certain that for most people, getting out of your shoes as often as possible is a fantastic idea.

On another note, Tony, Pete and I just completed a month of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program, and I must say, I came away impressed with the results. All three of us have set some PR’s after finishing this program, and that is quite a feat.

Pete increased his box squat by a whopping 50lbs (granted, his max had probably gone up some before this program, he just hadn’t tested it), his bench went up by 20lbs, his trap bar deadlift went up 40lbs and his 3-rep max chinup went up 12lbs. These are some remarkable gains. I will also note that since July I have helped Pete put on 18lbs, so that has certainly helped his gains.

Tony finally pulled 600lbs on the trap bar, which was a 25lb PR for him, improved his 3-rep max chinup by 6lbs, and was able to up his bench by 5lbs as well. He didn’t test his back squat because his knees would probably explode. For someone with over 12 years of training experience, this is incredible progress for 1 month of training.

Now my testing was a little hit or miss. With Tony pulling 600, that meant he was now 5lbs ahead of me on the staff leaderboard. This was unacceptable. I attempted my bench, but after a night where I had to get up at 1 and at 5:30 to take the puppy out to pee (she is only 15 weeks, she can’t hold it that long), I bombed out miserably.

Considering I am also about 20lbs lighter than I was when I set my bench PR of 345, it probably wasn’t going to happen anyway. My trap bar was a different story, and since the video evidence of me dominating Tony needs some formatting, you will just have to wait until next week to see me setting a PR pull. I also plan on testing at least my chinup next week, as I can’t be the only guy on staff who’s total weight is under 300lbs, and possibly my box squat as well, so stay tuned!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Vanilla & Berries Delight

25 Jan, 2010  6 Comments  General Health, Nutrition, Recipes

As many of you know I used to eat cottage cheese like it was my job, often twice per day. I had a recipe that I ate nearly every single day, and I loved it. Now that I have cut back on my dairy consumption, and no longer really eat cottage cheese, this delicious meal was no longer an option.

So I have decided to do something about it. I have created a non-cottage cheese smoothie version, which I personally think is absolutely delicious. If you love vanilla and you love berries, you will absolutely love this smoothie.

Vanilla & Berries Delight

Now if you are a guy who needs a few more calories than this provides, then I would add in 6oz vanilla Greek yogurt, and maybe bump the flax to 2 tbsp and the walnuts to 1/4 cup, or you can just do any one of those things, depending on your needs. You could also add in some old-fashioned oats or quinoa flakes if you needed to bump up the carbs.

If you are a woman, or anyone looking to keep calories lower, you could keep it as is since it is only about 360 calories, or you could cut walnuts down to 1 tbsp and berries down to 1/4 cup each if you really needed to.

The point is, do not be afraid to make changes or experiment based on your needs and desires. Enjoy!

PS - A lot of you have requested that I add a Recipe Categories feature. Well take a quick peek to your right, as it is finally here. As I continue to blog I will add old recipes to that category as well, so that way all of my recipes will be much more easily found!

A Day In The Life: Take 4?

25 Jan, 2010  6 Comments  General Health, Nutrition

With my recent decrease in dairy intake and other dietary changes, I have had some requests for another Day In The Life installment, showing my personal food intake. One thing I want to remind everyone is that these are example days, not every day is the same. Feel free to use my exact meals, or experiment with your own, as food is one of the great joys of life, eating should be a pleasure, not a mindless feeding.

Wake @ 6 - take puppy out to walk/pee

Breakfast @ 6:30

Omelet

Oatmeal

Beverages

Supplements

Pre-Training @ 9:45 (while driving to CP)

Smoothie

Beverage

Train @ 11-12 - lots of water

Post-Training Lunch @ 1

Dinner @ 5

Greek Yogurt Special

Late Dinner @ 9ish

Stir-Fry

Beverages

Supplements

That is an example day, though half the time at breakfast I replace the oats with 1/2 Ezekiel English muffin with 1/2 tbsp Manitoba Harvest hemp seed butter and 1 tsp organic fruit spread, with a banana. I also eat a lot of Ezekiel wraps after training when we haven’t made chili. I have a bunch of tasty recipes, and I have one with a piece of fruit like an apple or an orange. I also drink a ton of water throughout the day, along with another 2-3 cups of white, green or black tea.

I hope this helps some of you find some good recipes, and see that eating healthy is also delicious!

Reading Without Reading

21 Jan, 2010  2 Comments  General Health

Now that we are truly in the midst of the busy season at CP, downtime is a scarce commodity. I love to read, in fact it is one of my favorite leisure activities, been that way since I was a wee lad. Unfortunately these days there is little to no time whatsoever to sit down and enjoy a nice book.

On the bright side however, is the fact that I spend approximately 2.5 hours per day in my car. The first impression of that statement may not seem like such a bright side, but we can make those hours mighty productive if we chose to. I use that time to dictate some of these here blogs on my Dragon Naturally Speaking, I listen to sports talk radio and most recently I have been listening to audiobooks. This has been awesome.

My queue of books seems like it grows daily, and I am barely able to even chip away, so this has been more or less life-changing. This all started a while back when I listened to EC’s copy of Born to Run, which I reviewed HERE.

That book really got me interested in pursuing this route further, and I have finally come around to making it happen. I have found that the best way to do this is to join Audible.com. You can download the mp3 versions of these books rather than on multiple cd’s. This allows you to download it straight to your iPod, and it goes in as one file, rather than 15 tracks per cd. There is also no waiting for the product to ship, and you have less “things” lying around your house. For the final touch, it costs significantly less.

Tony has been trying for over a year to read some of Malcolm Gladwell’s stuff. I have really wanted to, they were just stuck behing other books on the list that I just could not seem to finish, so audible.com came to the rescue. In the past few weeks I have listened to Blink and Outliers, and plan on getting the Tipping Point soon as well. Blink was very good, but I thought Outliers was fantastic, definitely a must-read (or listen) and both books are read by Mr. Gladwell himself.

I am about to start working on Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Tony is loving it, so I thought I would give it a listen. I have to head up to Bangor, Maine tomorrow so needless to say I will probably finish the book by this weekend.

To wrap up here is a quote I borrowed from Mike Boyle’s post about listening to audio books during your commute:

“A study at USC has shown that if a person drives at least 12,000 miles a year ( as likely someone would in any metropolitan city) and uses this method of education (audio books), in a matter of three years he or she would have the equivalent of two years of college education”.

That’s pretty sweet considering I drive 750-900+ miles per week!

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