I don’t eat a lot of cereal, but the cereal faces the bread in the store where I shop, and I felt a bit of a craving for it when I picked up a couple of loaves of 7-grain yumminess. It probably had something to with the fact that I came into a nice sum of money and I knew I didn’t have to do the math in my head as I put items in the cart – kind of like a kid in a candy store. In this rare case, cereal usually gets thrown into the cart.

While I do eat out a lot, and I consume more than my fair share of food, what I put in my shopping cart is usually just the opposite of what I am served at restaurants. Some of my food is organic, none of it contains high-fructose corn syrup, and I stay away from beverages that are high in sugar such as pop (soda for those of you with dirty minds and those of you who don’t live in Michigan) and juice, but I still drink beer and wine. In a word, my groceries are healthy.

Walking down that cereal/bread aisle was a little exciting for me. I immediately gravitated to the Kellogg’s cereals. This is no surprise: they are a Michigan company and they do make the best cereal (maybe it’s a childhood thing). I saw that the Special K had the word original stamped on the box. I was excited. I remember when I grabbed a box of Special K in 1996, when I was in the army, and didn’t finish it because it tasted funny. Someone informed me that they changed the recipe. I went years without eating Special K.

The word original got me quite excited. I picked up the box of healthy goodness and looked at the ingredients list: high-fructose corn syrup (SweetSurprise, September 2008). W-T-F, Kellogg? W-T-F? I returned the box to its proper place on the shelf. Next in line were the Corn Flakes. Aaawwww, yeeah! I love Corn Flakes. Ingredients: high-fructose corn syrup. Dude. Moving on, I went for the Bran Flakes which were packaged in a new, retarded, generic box (bring back the classic red box, Kellogg’s!). I knew I was going to be disappointed, but I looked at the ingredients of my all-time favorite cereal: high-fructose syrup. I hung my head low and choked back the tears (ok, maybe this is just a tad more dramatic than what really took place). I placed the box of grainy goodness back on the shelf.

General Mills won my devotion when I picked up the box of Cheerios. In fact, I picked up several different varieties of General Mills cereal and was quite pleased. They don’t use high-fructose corn syrup. In the end, I forewent the Kellogg’s classics for General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios.

Since I am a fan of lettuce, and I believe all foods have a place in one’s diet (that doesn’t mean I like them, though), I was happy to find that Liz reported on iceberg lettuce (Do They Have Any Nutritional Value?). Come to find out, iceberg lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin K (1/6 of a head contains 25% of the daily recommended value), a vitamin that plays a very important role in blood clotting. This is good news for mountain bikers since we often find ourselves sporting scrapes, punctures, and contusions. Some studies have also linked Vitamin K to bone health and cancer prevention.

Unfortunately, most adults are deficient in Vitamin K and could benefit greatly by incorporating this food, which is oftentimes incorrectly considered completely devoid of any nutritional value. While iceberg lettuce is mostly water, another important substance of which many people don’t get enough, it also contains modest amounts of folate, omega-3 fats, and Vitamin A. Folate is of great importance to developing embryos, new cell development (for everyone), and prevention of anemia. Omega-3 fats are essential fatty acids (essential meaning that they cannot be produced by the body) that are important to many cardiovascular-related conditions, among other things. Vitamin A is essential for tissue development (all tissues, including bone) and good vision.

As you can see, iceberg lettuce certainly does contribute some incredibly important vitamins. While it is not a staple food, it has its place. Due to its high water and moderate fiber content, it is an important food to incorporate for weight loss. It is bulk and contributes to the feeling of fullness. I think that is something we can all agree is a good thing.

I keep a wine cellar. It’s a hobby I got into when I got my first ultrasound job in Appleton, WI. I bought a beautiful house with a little 13′x8′ room in the basement. I used that room for a wine cellar. It was the perfect temperature and humidity all year and I took that as an opportunity to build up a cellar of 220 bottles of wine.

Several years and two places of residence later, I continue to drink off of that collection. My collection has dwindled down to less than 75 bottles. It’s a little disappointing to someone who loves wine so much, but my life’s journey over the next decade will not provide for the best storage of nice wines. Moving can be hard on a delicate wine.

While I am no expert – merely an admirer – I have gotten questions from many people regarding wine, the different varieties, and how to choose a good bottle. Wine is an art. There really are no facts when it comes to the enjoyment of art; only opinions. At best, a wine connoisseur can only give you his or her opinion and some basic guidelines for beginning your enjoyment of wine. How far you take it is up to you.

Wine According to Di

Anyone who has studied chemistry knows that everything you learn is not true to a certain extent. Frustrating, I know. Wine is basically a pretty awesome chemistry experiment. Due to the nature of chemistry, these guidelines are basic and the theory of wine gets much more complex as you get into it more. These guidelines, however, will suffice for someone who is looking to simply enjoy a bottle of wine without getting into details.

I’ve found that any grape will most likely taste good when done in a style you appreciate, but mostly when it is drunk within the appropriate time frame. MOST grocery stores, especially those like the ones in my small town, will carry wines that are past their prime. This means that the characteristic fruity flavor is diminishing and the wine really doesn’t have the flavor that it once did. That missing flavor is what you are searching for.

Of the grocery store varieties, I prefer Beringer. While you can get a bottle of Beringer for probably around $6, it is still going to be of good quality. It is complexity of flavor – how many things you can taste and smell from just one wine – and mouth feel – astringent, watery, or full-bodied and soft – that are most likely to vary between different price points. However, you don’t need to pay $70 to get a great bottle of wine. In fact, you get some excellent wines from Beringer for around $25, like the Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

There are MANY excellent wines that are available between the $20 and $40 range. One of my favorite wineries is Argyle, out of the Pacific Northwest. My favorite Pinot Noirs come from there. If you’re looking for excellent juice, but lower prices (in the teens), check out Castle Rock. Castle Rock buys up the excess juice from larger, “more prestigious” wineries and bottles and ferments it for a more affordable price. I love Castle Rock. Your really can’t go wrong there.

If you try one bottle you don’t like, try a different vintage or a different grape. Wines will change from year to year because the grapes change due to varying differences from season to season. California and Australian wines tend to be bolder and, the new trend, stronger in alcohol content, because the grapes are left on the vine longer and they get more sun. These grapes have a higher sugar content.

So, find out what wines are available to you, then get online and look for “drink by” years. There are plenty of web sites that offer tasting notes on different wines. This is where vintage is really important to not-so-serious wine drinkers – use it to get a good product. Buy the wines that are within the suggested “drink by” time frame and you will probably be a lot happier with your wine drinking. You will notice a lot more than just dry, semi-dry, or sweet. You will notice red currants, vanilla, toast, citrus, oak, floral hints, and so many more characteristics found in a wine drunk within the right time-frame.

When I started going to wine tastings, I did not like white wine, and I found Chardonnays, in particular, to be offensive. I was slowly introduced to white wines, served within the drink by time-frame, and found them to be a wonderful alternative to the heavier, bolder reds that I enjoyed so much. I find white wines to be quite enjoyable on sunny days, even in the winter.

Suggested wine pairings are something to take into consideration as well. There is no rule saying you can’t serve a Riesling (pronounced “Rees’ling”, not “Reez’ling”) with a steak, but a red Bordeaux may be a better match. It’s like cooking. You can throw basil on anything you like, and I usually take that liberty, but there is something about basil that makes it a natural pairing with tomato.

On special occasions, I’ll make a creamy chicken dish that uses a dry Riesling in the recipe. The rule for pairing this dish is simple: pair it with that same dry Riesling. At first, I didn’t find the concept of a dry Riesling to be something I would enjoy, but I found that this particular wine and food pairing was divine.

Di’s Recommendations

If you find that your palate is similar to mine, you may be interested in trying wines from the following regions:
• Knights Valley, California
• Sonoma Russian River Valley, California
• Alexander Valley, California
• Médoc, Bordeaux, France
• Willamette Valley, Oregon
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Today’s Menu

• 2 Fried eggs on toast
• Salad – Greens, homemade Ranch, MorningStar Chik Nuggets, tomato, cucumber, blue cheese
• Pasta shells with Chik nuggets, spices, and olive oil
• Salad – Greens, raspberries, pecans, raspberry vinaigrette
• Lots of iced tea (getting ride of hangover)
• Ovaltine

Cast Iron Cookware

Maybe it is of no surprise that the rather untalented chef in me prefers my only cast iron skillet. I bought it for making Steak au Poivre, as seen on Good Eats with Alton Brown. I was particularly surprised to find that the best fried eggs I had ever made were out of that skillet! Oh, yes. It was better and easier than the ever-so-carcinogenic Teflon I have used all my life. What is even better about cast iron is I no longer hear the “use a plastic spatula” comment verbalized by my mother for oh, so many years (yes, mom’s voice sticks in your head even when you live eight and a half hours away).

Cast iron cookware is ideal for cooking all types of food. I bought my cast iron skillet for making Steak au Poivre (pictured), but found that fried eggs out of this skillet are just as easy and equally delightful.

As a female cyclist, cast iron is not only a great tool for producing splendid post-workout meals, but it provides me with that oh-so-necessary iron that promotes adequate transport of iron throughout my body. While I absolutely love beef, it is not something I eat very much of. In fact, I’ve answered the “are you a vegetarian” question many times because my diet consists mostly of fruits, vegetables, and faux meat (I love Morningstar Farms soy Chik products).

Steak au Poivre and Other Meat

Cast iron cookware adds to the iron content of food. Steak au Poivre with scalloped potatoes, corn, and an oh, so yummy biscuit.

I succumb to the temptation of beef rather easily and I can say with quite a bit of certainty that I am most certainly *not* a vegetarian. However, with beef tenderloin prices beyond what I can afford on an average day, faux chicken is usually my choice. That means I usually sacrifice the benefits of dietary iron . . . unless, of course, I cook with my cast iron skillet.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal – it is much like cereal grains except it isn’t a grass – from South America. It is of great value to cyclists because it is high in protein (about 5 grams per serving) and is a rich source in amino acids – it contains all the essential amino acids. This makes it a great post-ride food that can be readily available – cooked quinoa stores quite well in the refrigerator. It is also a gem for those trying to lose weight, especially while maintaining muscle mass.

The million dollar question for most of us is, “What do you do with it?” It is not something that is found in most American kitchens and some of us lack the creativity necessary to create delicious quinoa dishes because we don’t know how to tap into our inner chef. It’s a good thing we have the Internet!

Adding quinoa to soup is a great way to make a filling and complete meal.

My creativity stopped at chicken noodle soup. Adding quinoa made it an excellent, filling, post-ride meal. It doesn’t stop there:
• Treat it like rice. Make a pilaf.
• Have it for breakfast with fruit, honey, and almonds.
• Use it as breakfast porridge.
• Make soup with it.

To learn more about quinoa and find great recipes, use the following links:
Wikipedia: Quinoa
NPR: Kitchen Window – Quinoa: A Sacred, Super Crop
Epicurious: Quinoa Search Results