Keep your Veggies Fresh Longer

Have you ever wondered why sometimes your lettuce will stay fresh for a week and other times only a few days? In my experience I can not tell you how many times I have had to throw out lettuce or other veggies because they went "bad" before I got around to eating them. This hastening of the life of your produce is from ethylene gas, a naturally occurring gas many fruits and vegetables produce, and its colorless, and odorless. Some foods aren't affected much by ethylene gas, while others are extremely sensitive to it.


When these sensitive fruits and vegetables come in contact with ethylene gas, they began to ripen at a much faster rate than normal (commercial growers use this to ripen the produce at the factories after picking). In nature ethylene gas serves as a hormone in plants. "It acts at trace levels throughout the life of the plant by stimulating or regulating the ripening of fruit, the opening of flowers, and the abscission (or shedding) of leaves." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene ]


So now what? With a little planning you can prolong the life of your produce by avoiding certain combinations of veggies in the same drawers. For example, you should never store salad staples like mushrooms and peppers with your lettuce. The ethylene from the mushrooms and peppers will rot the lettuce faster.

Follow the guide below and you should have longer lasting produce immediately.

Ethylene Producing Produce:

 apples
 apricots
 avocados
 bananas
 blueberries
 cantaloupes
 grapes
 green onions
 honeydew
 kiwi
 mangoes
 melons
 passion fruit
 peaches
 pears
 peppers
 persimmons
 pineapple
 citrus fruit
 cranberries
 figs
 guavas
 mushrooms
 nectarines
 okra
 papayas
 plantains
 plums/prunes
 tomatoes
 watermelons


Ethylene Sensitive Produce:

 asparagus
 broccoli
 brussel sprouts
 cabbage
 carrots
 cauliflower
 chard
 cucumbers
 eggplant
 endives
 escarole
 green beans
 kale
 lettuce
 parsley
 peas
 potatoes
 romaine
 spinach
 squash
 sweet potatoes
 watercress
 yams

Mind Over Matter

Saturday October 8th, 2011 was a day for overcoming some fears I have while riding. I've been cycling on a regular basis for about 7 years now. In that time I have improved my skills in many ways, through learning from the experts, practicing what I have learned, to teaching newbies, to just getting out there and trying it myself. Well that good Saturday in October showed to be one of those days to just getting out there and give it a try on my own days.

Our route was to include a road in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Mt Madonna. This road I knew was going to be tough due to its steepness, but what I didn't realize was its actual terrain was. You enter Mt Madonna from Redwood Retreat rd. of Watsonville rd. The lower half of this road was mostly loose gravel; keep in mind it had rained earlier this week so at least the gravel was sticking to the ground underneath. However when you get into Mt Madonna it immediately starts into the 8% grade and does not give up till you hit the top where there is a huge Redwood tree in the middle of the road and you gladly join Summit.

Mt Madonna would best be ridden on a Mountain bike or CycloCross bike, however we rode our slick tire road bikes because we had a route we were doing that would take us 80 miles around. No mountain biker would want to ride 85 miles on road just to enjoy the 5 unrelenting miles of Mt Madonna on their mountain bike. I learned very quickly to get my butt back (just like in mountain biking) to keep traction on the rear wheel, and also learned to use "perfect circles" in my pedal stroke. Every pedal stroke that had more torque than the last would cause the rear tire to spinout and slide out from under me, like fishtailing on a motorcycle (yes I have experience at that too). This was a bit unnerving, but I managed to stay upright and took this climb slow and methodical. Not only was the road full of gravel, roots and very large potholes, but then at the second half of the climb the terrain changed to leaves and mud.

Again it took all my focus to keep traction on the rear wheel during the second half of the climb as there were pitches of 12%+ at times. For me this climb came down to mind over matter. I had to stay focused at keeping consistent circles, weight back, look up ahead to take the best line, don't pull too much on the handlebars or you will pop a wheelie. I also had to keep telling myself others have climbed this road in much worse conditions and made it up safely therefor you can do it too. Thankfully I had a ride partner with me that day and he had done this road many times before too, so he was able to show me the best lines over the terrain so as to keep traction without sliding out.

When we finally arrived at the top, I was both excited to be done with the off roading, but also a HUGE sense of accomplishment to have been able to conquer that road on my first attempt but to keep it together avoid the negative self-talk and stay Rubber Side Down.
Next time you want to attempt something that may sound a little difficult, remember to stay focused, stop the negative self-talk before it starts and find the fire within you to just keep going. You can persevere if you put your mind to it.

Sushi Anyone?

Today was a rough go for me personally, BUT work wise I had some great client sessions. In a short few minutes of free time I had today I came across an article on the calorie and fat contents of Sushi. I found it very interesting and thought I would share my thoughts and reactions to the article. The basic premise of the article was that you should avoid the sushi rolls which contain Tempura, cream cheese, mayo, and mayo based creams on or in them. This is a very valid point to some extent. As a nation we are heavy compared to the rest of the world, and because such we do need to be careful of the foods we put in our mouths. However some of the benefits of Sushi are; it is high in vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, iron, and antioxidants, and it can be loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, known for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Here are some of my sushi order suggestions.... 1. Take it easy on the soy sauce. Think of this dipping sauce as liquid sodium. A tablespoon is loaded with 920 mg of sodium (half of the daily recommended intake for adults). So choose the low-sodium sauce when possible—it has about half as much sodium. 2. Skip imitation meat. Many items like the popular California roll are made using imitation crab meat, which has tons of sodium. A typical California roll can have as much as 500 calories and 1000 mg of sodium. So stick with rolls that offer the real thing like fresh tuna, salmon, or king crab, and Eel. 3. Opt for brown rice. As sushi becomes more and more mainstream, restaurants are starting to offer brown rice in place of white rice for the health-conscious patron. This hearty grain is packed with antioxidants and fiber. 4. Avoid anything crunchy (tempura) or creamy. Tempura just means that it's deep-fried and loaded with saturated fat. So steer clear of battered dumplings, fish, and popular options like the spider roll (deep-fried soft shell crab). Also, watch out for creamy rolls filled with cream cheese, mayonnaise, or mayo-based sauces. They're packed with calories and fat. Instead, choose fresh or steamed vegetables and rolls with raw fish flavored with low-sodium soy sauce, ginger or wasabi. 5. Eat a seaweed or cucumber salad. Low in calories and loaded with nutrients (magnesium, folate, calcium, iodine, and vitamin K), seaweed is a filling and healthy appetizer option. 6. Limit your order. Rolls are often not viewed as a full meal even though they often have the same amount of calories as your favorite dishes. Order a single roll and a seaweed salad or edamame to keep your calorie count under control. 7. Choose sashimi. A straight-forward helping of raw fish (no rice or other toppings) is low in calories and gives your body a boost of heart-healthy omega-3s. Can't decide what to order? Two of my favorite healthy rolls are the Spicy Tuna Roll (290 calories, 11 g fat, 25 g carbs) and the Caterpillar Roll (247 calories, 4 g fat, 27 g carbs). So next time you go out for Sushi think twice before ordering the Shrimp Tempura roll, or Tempura veggies. Opt for the brown rice, sashimi, edamame, and seaweed salads and you will be making GREAT choices!

Long Time Passed...Thoughts on Calories and Holidays

I can't believe it has bee over a year since I last put up a blog topic. It seemed to me back then too much time to put into everyday researching a new subject and analyzing it then writing about it. I have since realized I don't need to go that far, this is just a blog for peets sake, right?!?! Well then where should I begin, I believe skipping through all the crud that has happened over this past year and a half. Getting right to the here and now. Well that sounds all fine and dandy so here we go...... This month, October is my favorite month of the year for many reasons, my father and sisters birthdays, the Fall season, changing of the leaves, cool weather, sweaters and cuddling by the fire, oh and Halloween. Yes I do LOVE this month so much. It also means many of us will start into the old routines of eating heavier foods and usually more of it, then to top that off we exercise less cause its too cold outside or its raining. Well what can we do? How can we break this cycle? Only YOU can break that cycle, just like we all make a New Years resolution, do it now. Make that resolution with yourself NOT to stop exercising, and NOT to over indulge in holiday meals and deserts. I'm not saying don't have any of the holiday meals, but be more cautious about how much you eat, and how much you exercise. Remember no matter what when it comes to maintaining your body weight, comes down to this simple equation..."Calories In = Calories Out" in order to maintain your current weight. If you know a big meal is going to be coming up, instead of "eating first and paying for it later", try this simple concept....Get your calories expenditure in the PLUS side to allow for the extra calories later and then you won't have to feel so bad about the few extra calories you will consume. Don't get me wrong this doesn't mean have 5000 kcal during that family holiday meal, you still need to keep it manageable. So before your next big meal, pay the bill first (your exercise) so you know how much you can afford to eat without gaining an ounce. My plan this holiday season, keep it light, keep it active, and keep it positive. Whats yours????