Jamie Oliver, a well known British chef, has recently started a new TV series that promotes cooking simple and delicious meals, dishes that can be made within ten minutes on any given day. Jamie’s new campaign, Pass It On, is here to help us to live healthier lifestyle and save money without sacrificing our palate.

Please guinea-pig some of the recipes from his new website, Ministry of Food, and let me know the results!

One of my closest friends, Welton, who had spent the last year in Iraq, visited me and our other friends in New York recently. To celebrate his homecoming, I cooked a meal for him to show my appreciation for his service in Iraq.

My menu was simple; I made stuffed peppers with goat cheese for the appetizer, and roasted a rack of lamb for the main course.

Finally had the opportunity to go to New York’s Greenmarket to pick up some fresh produce.

Roasting the hot peppers and seeding them for goat cheese stuffing.

Marinating the rack of lamb with dry-rub (chopped garlic, rosemary, sage, blackcorn pepper, and olive oil).

Dicing roasted beets for a simple beet salad.

Voila! Resting the rack of lamb before cutting.

Had to bake a loaf of bread within 7 hours, I used the “no knead bread” recipe (to save time and for faster fermentation) and had this loaf on the table just in time for Wally’s arrival.

Thanks to Peter’s type writer, I was able to put the menu on the table before dinner was served.

Appetizer: stuffed pepper with goat cheese and herb, topped with roasted beets.

Entree: rack of lamb with mustard sauce.

Dessert: Ricotta cheesecake…and I didn’t make this (my friend, Betty, brought it). A dessert I’d like to make in the next dinner party.

Welcome home, Wally!

Warm-up

• 300 freestyle
• 300 flutter kicks
• 300 hand paddle pulls

Drills:

• 3 x 200 sprint and flip; sprint the last 5 to 7 meters and flip
• 1 x 100 1-arm swim (at the end of the workout)
• 1 x 100 catch-up (at the end of the workout)
• 4 flip turns (at the end of the workout)

Main sets:

• 2 x 100 freestyle
• 2 x 200 freestyle
• 2 x 300 freestyle
• 2 x 400 freestyle

Total distance (in meters): 3,700

Warm-up:

• 300 freestyle
• 300 flutter kicks
• 3 x 150; breathe every 3, 5, and 7 strokes

Drills:

• 4 x 150 (50 finger drag & 100 swims) w/fins
• 2 x 100 kicks on the side w/fins
• 2 x 100 kicks on the side w/0 fins

Main sets:

• 1 x (100, 200, 300) w/ fins
• 2 x 50 backstroke kicks
• 2 x 50 flutter kicks
• 3 x (100, 300)

Total distance (in meters): 4,050

My friends and I, total 10 of us, went to Montauk, New York, last weekend for a biking trip. It was a fantastic experience; I was able to embrace the nature, and best of all, I spent some quality time with my friends. Please enjoy the snapshots provided by Wook and I!

The house we rented for the weekend.

Staying home and resting up for the highly anticipated bike tour on Saturday. Oh…we brought our favorite dog, Chocolate, along with us on this trip.


I took Chocolate for a walk on Saturday morning in the Montauk neighborhood. Chocolate did his “business” on the grass while I enjoyed the fresh and crisp air.

Huge breakfast, scrambled eggs and home fries,  before our bike ride.

Assembling and checking on the bike…I always have hard time putting the seat-bag on!

and we are ready to roll!

On the way to Montauk lighthouse (our destination), we passed a farm that had several horses wandering around the field. I stopped by and said hi to the horses. I almost got my fingers bitten off because the horse chewed on my hand when I tickled his jaw.

We arrived the top of a hill and…

took some amazing pictures. Isn’t nature empowering?

The couple, Peter and Melanie, shared a smile on top of the hill. Pete even went down the cliff and brought Melanie a “smooth” rock as a gift.

Couple number 2, Ricky and Alyce. Aren’t they adorable?

Finally…we had arrived the lighthouse!

Go team!

Ricky was gentleman enough to bike alongside of Alyce. Everybody came home safely!

We biked 14 miles totally; this biking trip was a total success. Everybody was energetic and stepped up to the challenge. Would you like to join me, the Sweaty Guinea Pig, for a nice bike ride next time?

I baked lentil cookies for my biking trip at Montauk, New York, last weekend. Before making the cookie dough, I simmered 1 cup of lentils for 30 minutes, then I pureed them until a smooth paste had formed. Because of its starchier texture than regular cookies, lentil cookies are denser and less fragile when baked, and they don’t flaten out; therefore, lentil cookies are excellent snacks for any ourdoor activities. Here’s the recipe:

Lentil cookies

• 9 - 1/2 oz. all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (you can also add allspice)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 stick of butter (6 oz.)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup lentils (yield approximately 1 - 1/2 cup of lentil puree)
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1 cup of dried fruit (anything you like)

Do you have any special cookie recipes?

I finally swam my first meet, not without embarrassing myself of course, last Saturday in New York City. I was happy that I broke my personal records in 50, 100, and 200 meters.

My time (all in freestyle):

50 meters: 44 seconds
100 meters: 1:38:15
200 meters: 3:56:15

The embarassing moment came when I lost count of the laps that I had swum in 200-meter freestyle; I stopped after 100 meters and fell behind immediately. But I was lucky not to have been disqualified because my feet did not touch the ground. I was also surprised that I finished the race under 4 minutes, which was my registered time.

With one swim meet under my belt, I look forward to make up a new training routine and get ready for the next meet.

Protocol: 3 x 20 followed by 10 repetitions of a body weight exercise
Goal: increase muscular endurance

Active warm up:

• 1 x 15 bird dogs
• 1 x 10 glute march
• 1 x 10 inverted hamstring

Main sets:

• Incline bench press: 95 lbs. & Stability ball push-ups
• Straight leg deadlift: 95 lbs. & BOSU squat
• Military shoulder press: 20 lbs. (sit on a stability ball) & upright rows
• Ste-up (carrying a barbell on the back) & BOSU inverted hamstring
• Bend over rows: 75 lbs. (stand on a BOSU) & pull-ups (wide, shoulder width, and close grip)
• 1 x plate combos: chest press, overhead press, standing front press, upright rows, curls, and overhead extension, 10 repetitions per exercise

Warm up:

• 200 freestyle
• 3 x 150 pull buoy w/ 3, 5, and 7 strokes per breath
• 300 flutter kicks
• 300 hand paddle pulls

Dry Land:

• 2 x 20 push ups
• 2 x 1 minute jumping jacks

Main sets:

With fins (focusing on longer distance per stroke):

• 4 x 200
• 4 x 100 w/ 50-meter dolphin kicks

Dry Land:

• 2 x 20 push-ups
• 2 x 20 v-ups

Without fins:

• 2 x (100, 200, & 300) freestyle

Total distance (in meters): 3,650

Everyday Sweat Day 3:

• Hip rotations: 2 x 15
• Front planks: 3 x 1 minute
• Spiderman: 3 x 15
• Bicycles: 3 x 15

These exercises focus on range of motion and core strength. The best way to improve general fitness and athleticism is to enhance flexibility and bodyweight strength (ability to carry one’s own weight).