Week 2 Post - Bowen Blair (5.28.21)
This week, we went on one particular run that was a bit challenging. The distance and elevation wasn't exactly what we were expecting, so we didn't pace ourselves as well as we should have. This was a great learning experience for us and, luckily, we were able to adapt later in the run. I would consider this a "challenging" but meaningful experience as we are all learning how to best use our bodies during this project. We have also continued to run into some challenges in the kitchen. This week, we're still trying to perfect our "protein pancake" technique so it doesn't get burnt or undercooked: a learning process.
I think the main thing that I have learned (and haven't finished "learning") is how to best recover and accommodate exercises for my body. All three of us have dealt with different levels of soreness and fatigue, so this is a more independent aspect of this project. I have been dealing with a shoulder injury this week, which made some of the lifts a bit difficult. However, I have found ways to work around this, as well as relying on my PT to help me with strength and recovery in that area.
I would say I have made adequate strides towards all three of my goals. Firstly, I haven't had to do a lot of adjusting for this week, as far as my schedule, because we had an off-week for soccer. We had the state championship last weekend, so we have a week off to "recover." This has been healthy for me, especially because I was struggling last week to juggle the multiple workouts and soccer. I have, however, made more tangible strides towards my second goal. I have started cooking every meal by myself, regardless of whether I'm with Jaden and Seby or not. And my final goal, to get ready for freshman season, is a long-winded process. I won't see immediate success here, but I do feel in better shape and more ready then I did before this project started.
I don't have any direct questions. However, if anyone has any suggestions for a recipe for us to try, please leave them in the comments! Maybe we will make it next week.
Woohoo, a question about food rather than working out!--I know far more about the former than the latter. =)
ReplyDeletePancakes are easy to make, but hard to make well. You can find some youtube videos with advice about technique, but I imagine having a higher-than-normal protein content is going to mess with the typical approach. My suggestions: 1) Aim for medium-low heat. (YMMV, but this is the sweet spot for pancakes on my stove.) 2) Run a couple of test pancakes to dial-in the temperature of the pan before bulk production. 3) A good visual indicator for flipping is when the pancake starts to collect a lot of bubbles near the center. 4) If the pancakes are fully cooked, but coming out pale instead of brown, consider adding a little extra baking soda to the batter. The increase in pH will help with browning.
Sounds like things are going well. Keep it up, Bowen!
Totally forgot to provide a recipe! The real answer to your pancake question is to not make pancakes. Make puff pancakes (or "dutch babies") instead. They're much higher in protein than normal pancakes, and a helluva lot easier to make because you bake them in the oven instead of grilling them individually. There's a fancy way of doing them with a cast-iron skillet, but who needs that cleanup mess? The easy method uses a 9x13 cake pan.
DeleteStep 1: toss a couple tablespoons of butter into a 9x13 cake pan. Throw it into the oven at 350 F (no need to preheat) to melt the butter.
Step 2: while that's heating up, put the following ingredients into your blender:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp kosher salt (i.e. a pinch of salt)
Step 3: Once the butter is melted, pull the pan out of the oven, and pour the batter into the pan.
Step 4: Place the pan back in the oven, and bake at 350 for ~20 min.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately with the topping(s) of your choice. My kids prefer either maple syrup or a mixture of lime juice and confectioners sugar. However, you can top with sliced fruit, jam, whipped cream, etc. (Anything you can put on a waffle will be good on puff pancakes.)
Thanks for the recipe, Alex! We'll make sure to try that soon. Also, just to clarify, the pancakes that we're making are called "Kodiak protein pancakes." It's wholegrain and, as you would expect, high in protein. Thanks again!
Deletethats a tall bagel
ReplyDelete