My dream job would be getting paid to travel.
Who’s hiring?
Some people are read to come home after vacation. Not me. Vegas and I just got back from a (almost) 2 week adventure. We went to Napa for a wine course, came home for a bit, and then headed out again to Vegas for my first NASCAR race, then to see Antelope Canyon in AZ, and lastly to Phoenix for Padres Spring Training.
It’s a lot to recap, but I wanted to quickly share some Antelope Canyon highlights.
…
Arizona is a beautiful dessert.
So many odd plants… it’s like a Dr. Seuss book.
We spent the weekend in Tucson and enjoyed so many sights. Elvis even came along! Remember him from the cross-country move?
…
I’m cheating a little this week.
Not Ashley Madison style though… here’s to karma.
I’m cheating by not having a actual strange but good recipe. Vegas and I are in Arizona and I didn’t really do anything that strange food-wise unless you count my salmon scramble in Wednesday’s post. Or maybe my road salad. Perhaps Vegas’ gas station selections.
We did eat some strange food in Scottsdale Wednesday night though! I spent a couple of hours of the drive searching for the best possible food options for dinner when we arrived. I landed on SumoMaya – an Asian-Mexican fusion concept. We were not disappointed!
…
Traveling to pretty locations is fabulous.
And then you come home…
Last week I was in Arizona at the Camel Back Inn with my mom. You guys saw part of my travel meals Wednesday. I made it – and I ate pretty well! In fact, often I was more happy to be eating my food than the resort food! That, the fact that I didn’t give in to the temptation of a tasty margarita in the desert sun… the overall sense of accomplishment… is carrying over today to make my Monday Marvelous.
Breakfast was easy – oatmeal all doctored up with my delicious Growing Naturals protein and berries and cinnamon from the hotel. I also asked for lots of lemon.
Best eaten with beautiful patio view!
Some of my other meals are below: I took lots of fresh veggies, sweet potatoes, bison burgers, no-salt deli turkey, and baked chicken. And my delicious greek yogurt dessert creations.
I was able to get plain salmon and brown rice from the hotel, which helped a lot. I brought my own nutritional yeast, but remember you can always ask for seasonings – lemon, vinegar, red pepper flakes are my standard requests.
Two favorites: the cucumber-mint “mocktail” on the bottom right above was a fantastic refresher at the spa restaurant (See my mom in the background? She was Instagramming her carrot-apple juice!). My last meal (on the bottom right above) was on the airplane. Sweet potato, turkey, and a fresh salad purchased at Wendy’s (surprisingly fresh and tasty!) in the airport before take off.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Despite all the fun, it was nice to be home in my kitchen. Saturday I got up and went to posing practice, followed by a killer leg day (seriously – SO SORE today). After all my travels there was NO food at my house so I had a great time reloading at the farmer’s market. Sea Bass must be in season because this was some of the best I’ve ever had. Buttery, moist (sorry), and not at all fishy.
Served with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, spinach, eggplant, and edamame.
I also roasted a kabocha squash with cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cayenne. It sounds strange, but it is GOOD!
No real measurements… I just sprayed my squash with some coconut oil and tossed it together. I roasted it at 350 until tender.
Sunday was softball day. We won the game… I slid into 2nd base at one point. Maybe not the best decision 2 weeks before a competition because my knee got a little scraped up.
BUT I was safe. And then I scored.
That didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the split I did off 1st base to catch a ball. Note to self: splits are not a good idea the day after heavy leg day.
I missed the second game because I had to shower off in order to meet a friend to see Jillian Michaels!!! I still had to run my sprints, so I just ran them on the way to the show (about 2 miles away) instead of driving. Haha.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Jillian was good… but a lot of what she said I already knew. Don’t eat crap. If you want to lose weight, burn more calories than you eat. It was refreshing to hear someone talk about the basics though. No “special” diets.
The secret to being in shape is that there is NO SECRET! Eat good, clean food. Eat it in moderation. Exercise. Why can’t I get paid millions to tell people this?!
My favorite part was when she talked about exercise. She called people out of their half-assed elliptical-while-reading-a-magazine workouts.
Raise your heart rate. If it’s not high enough, move your ass faster.
I also loved that she wore flip flops.
What really got me was what happened in the audience in front of us. These two (obviously drunk) girls were there… which was funny at first that they were drunk at a fitness event. It became un-funny when one of the girls PUKED. I can’t even make this shit up.
They were clearly old enough to know better. They even looked pretty fit. I was embarrassed for them. Cheers to not being that girl. Not that I ever puked in a nice theatre (or anywhere in public), but I have had my moments. What I am grateful for – what is marvelous – is that I’ve gotten past that in my journey and am in a happy, healthy place. one where I know I’ll wake up tomorrow without a headache and sore only from my workouts.
***
Before you think I didn’t rest at all, I did stay home Saturday night at watch Life of Pi. It was ok… I liked Argo better.
Does anyone have a magic trick for healing a knee scrape quickly?
What is your favorite part about where you are right now in your journey?
Traveling doesn’t have to be hard.
Step 1: Choose your companions wisely.
I’m 3 weeks out from my next competition. And I’m in Arizona this week. Trying to get in 7 lean meals a day is NOT an easy thing to do on the road. As I’ve described (in greater detail) before, I simply bring my own.
My diet changes this week mean no fat, no sodium, and a more limited list of fruits and veggies (to avoid bloating). I packed enough food to eat 6 meals per day, and I carried it ALL on. No checked bags. The unplanned meal is one I can get at the spa restaurant where we’re staying (I called ahead).
And yes, you can make it through security with a lot of unmarked powders. 
________________________________________________________________________________________
We left after Meal 2 today, so 5 of my 7 WIAW meals were all eaten on the road. It was actually fun! This trip I rocked the desserts. Hard core.
Check out my 7 low fast, low-sodium, protein-filled meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how more normal people are eating!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos). This is the one thing I haven’t figured out on the road since ACV is a liquid and that won’t fly. I savored my last one for the week.
Then I rocked a workout in one of my favorite race t-shirts in honor of Boston. I was a sweaty mess for breakfast, which was a cherry PB & Jeggs… on top of a corn tortilla. Not gonna lie, it would have been better on an english muffin.
My last meal at home. This was straight up awesome – the best sea bass I’ve ever made. I don’t think it was my preparation so much as it was the freshness of the fish. I guess they’re in season?!
For my side I had a quick salad of cherry tomatoes, raw zucchini, basil, red pepper flakes, and rice vinegar.
Lunch on a plane. I packed up my version of a chopped salad – chicken baked in Ethiopian spices, cauliflower, celery, celery leaves, and cubed sweet potato.
Bison on a plane! With cauliflower and snow peas by the light of my laptop.
My mom was staring at me in disbelief. She even said “I can’t believe you were the kid who wouldn’t eat anything but bologna every day.” My, how times have changed… and she was jealous because all she’d had time for that day was a shake and a bar. Bwhahaha!
We were both famished when we reached the hotel. Our room wasn’t ready, so we enjoyed dinner on the patio looking out at the mountains.
I ordered a simple salad (that dressing wasn’t used) and then added my own no-salt turkey and a side of sweet potato. I wanted to leave the ‘tater on the foil… I thought it was funny… but Mom got embarrassed and told me to put it on the plate. LOL!
We went for a long walk and checked out the spa (where I’ll be all day – OMG their gym is NICE). On the way back we swung by one of the restaurants at the property where I obtained a plate and silverware. Eating out of a baggie isn’t the end of the world, but if you can have a real plate… well, that’s just better.
Mexican baked chicken with cauliflower and snow peas. I had cauliflower to use, can you tell?
This is part of my dessert creation success. I took individual containers of non-fat Greek yogurt and mixed them with oats, a fruit, and various flavors. Then I cover them in foil and place them in the freezer. This way, when I pack them, they also act as an ice pack for my other food.
Tonight’s selection was mashed blackberries, cinnamon, stevia, and cocoa powder.
Just as good as the creations I make at home, my friends!
***
Sitting on that patio at dinner in that dessert spa atmosphere I wanted a margarita so bad. I texted my trainer to beg. He said no and that I would appreciate it on competition day. He’s right… but damn.
Did you #workitout for Boston yesterday?
Have you ever whipped out your own food at a restaurant? I’m shameless.
