sledge_antilles hits the canteen

[sledge_antilles]

Greetings fellow Rebels!

 

I had several ideas for challenges over the holidays and I was going to focus on everything(!) during this first challenge back. But you can't really focus on flexibility, and focus on eating, and focus on cooking, and focus on building a business, and focus on planning adventures, and focus on less screen time, etc...or you're not really focusing, am I right?

 

So I have goals in various categories, but the main gist this go round is food. Both cooking and eating.

 

On a side note, I liked the six week span for previous challenges. I'm not opposed to four, as it may turn out to be better (won't know until I try), but I may end up turning these into eight week challenges. We'll see how it goes.

 

Goal 1) Make one pot of rice and beans each week. This is a 'get back to basics' challenge. I eat a vegan diet, and rice and beans in various guises was the bedrock of that for awhile. For whatever reason I've stopped eating a lot of it and my diet as a whole has suffered as it means I cook less and eat more processed food. One pot a week seems reasonable to get back into the habit, and leave me with enough for at least a few meals during the week.

 

Goal 2) Eat two cups of peanuts five days a week. I'm tall and skinny and trying to gain weight. I'll continue to eat three meals a day, and I'm hoping this is a caloric increase enough to help me put on some muscle, as I'm starting to struggle with my lifts and it feels like it's too early in the program to be struggling this much.

 

Goal 3) Add one bodyweight exercise to each workout. I'm currently in week nine of Stronglifts and becoming a bit more comfortable with the program, so I'm going to add on one bodyweight exercise per alternating workout. Specifically pull ups and dips. I can track progress on the app, but success in this goal is including the exercises rather than hitting any specific numbers.

 

Goal 4) Avoid Facebook news feed. I'll need to use Facebook to organize some events and communicate with specific groups, but my goal is to avoid the news feed entirely, as it is a hindrance to my day in multiple ways (timesuck, FOMO, etc.).

 

Best wishes this go-round folks -

 

Stay on target!

[sledge_antilles]

So far so good, fellow Rebels -

 

I made my pot of rice and beans on Saturday, have enough leftovers to last at least until tomorrow. I've been eating my peanuts. So. Many. Peanuts. But, I'm getting more used to that, and I know it's only for a short(ish) time that I'll need to keep it up. I've been doing my pull ups and dips with the workouts (I hit a set of 5, then 4, then 3 yesterday with pull ups.) And I've been avoiding my Facebook news feed. I accidentally scrolled down a bit one day before realizing what I was doing. I don't miss it that much yet.

 

Week number one down - on to the next.

 

Stay on target!

[peelout]

Goal 2) Eat two cups of peanuts five days a week. I'm tall and skinny and trying to gain weight. I'll continue to eat three meals a day, and I'm hoping this is a caloric increase enough to help me put on some muscle, as I'm starting to struggle with my lifts and it feels like it's too early in the program to be struggling this much.

Don't forget to atleast monitor the warriors site regarding gaining wt.  They have some really good info on gaining.  In fact, they spend a lot of time gaining wt (and then cutting to get rid of it.  Also, if it's in your budget and vegan diet, consider a wt gain protein powder.  Easy way to up your calories fast.

[Leimanu]

How's the challenge going?

 

The Warriors know a lot about bulking v cutting.

 

[sledge_antilles]

Don't forget to atleast monitor the warriors site regarding gaining wt.  They have some really good info on gaining.  In fact, they spend a lot of time gaining wt (and then cutting to get rid of it.  Also, if it's in your budget and vegan diet, consider a wt gain protein powder.  Easy way to up your calories fast.

 

I popped a question in over on the food board for some suggestions before starting this challenge - got some helpful hints which steered my initial choices this time around. As for vegan powders - they're not in my budget right now, but you did start me thinking about how they might be, and how I can possibly incorporate smoothies into the routine. The main problem outside the budget is a lack of fixed schedule with my job - I have no weekly, sometimes even no daily, routines. But maybe a smoothie doesn't have to be an everyday thing...

 

 

How's the challenge going?

 

The Warriors know a lot about bulking v cutting.

 

So far so good - hitting the goals as the days go by. I made a second batch of the same rice & beans recipe as it was really good the first time around. I don't know if what I'm doing would be considered "bulking" (is that more intense than gaining weight in terms of timeframe?) but I have put on a few pounds.

 

 

 

[sledge_antilles]

Week three update - plugging along, so far so good.

 

I've been meaning to post the recipe I've been using for my rice and beans every time I check in but I kept forgetting - so here you go if you're at all interested (it's a vegan variation of the Cuban style Moros y Cristianos):

 

Yields 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cans (15 ½ ounce) black beans with liquid
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup grated onion
• 1 cup grated green pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken of veggie stock
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil.

2. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic and salt to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the herbs and rice and stir for another minute or two.

4. Add the beans and their liquid, then the stock and vinegar. Increase heat to high. Stir well. When it begins to boil, cover pot and reduce to a simmer.

5. Cook covered for 35 minutes.

6. Take the covered pot off of the heat and allow to sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice a bit with a fork. Remove bay leaf. Serve immediately or reheat the next day.

(As a side note I've been topping this with fresh avocado and some spicy green salsa, and it's been really good.)

[sledge_antilles]

Been running around like crazy last week so I didn't update - but things are plugging along with my challenge, so far so good. I'm going to continue it in the next post/next challenge, as four weeks went by too quickly.