A Ride to Hyde... A Visit to an Old Campsite and an Indian Treat

Even with all my injuries, I can still ride a bike which is what my old orthopedic surgeon, Dr. G. William Woods, said was the best exercise for people with bad knees.

So I got up this morning and headed up NM 475 to Hyde Park on the Red Mule.

I got to the park and then rode one of the roads up into the campground.

I was looking for a particular campsite that I had stayed at back in April 2010.....

And I found it!

It was Campsite 10 and these old log shelters were built back in the 1930s.

The campsite has a stream running right next to it.

It didn't take long to make the ride down and back to the condo.

I got cleaned up and drove to the India place on Cerillos for a nice plate of Indian food.

Sometimes you just have to take lemons and make lemonade.

Injury leads to Injury

Been nursing a 40% torn left Achilles Tendon since February.

It will be a long healing process, at least a year, if it heals at all.

The injury has caused me to walk differently.... more flat footed.... and I'm wearing 1/2" of heel elevation in my shoes to try to take some of the pressure off the injured tendon.

So last Sunday, I was doing the Cabezon Peak hike.... and everything was going great.

The ascent was fine and some of the descent went well but the last 2 miles was on steep loose shale and gravel.

And I wasn't using hiking poles which I should've been.

And the next morning I woke up with a stabbing pain on the inside of my left knee when I tried to come down the stairs.

And it has not gone away.

So basically, I'm having difficulty walking now.... so basically, I'm a cripple.

I've researched the injury and concluded it's probably a strain or injury of some kind to one of the 3 muscles / tendons of the hamstring that wrap the inside of the knee and attach to the lower leg - Sartorius muscle, Gracilis tendon or Semitendinousus tendon.

http://www.methodistorthopedics.com/pes-anserine-bursitis-of-the-knee

I'm relatively certain the flat footed walking has caused even more tightness in my hamstrings and I've pulled my hamstring at the point where it wraps the inside of the knee.

Stretching, icing, kinesiology tape and active release / massage with a Lacrosse ball bring some temporary relief and allow me to walk for some time without the pain but it comes back each morning and I have to go through the same routine each day just to be able to walk.

It's a cycle I've gone through several times.... where one injury leads to another.

It's kind of discouraging, being in a beautiful place like Santa Fe, a goal I have worked toward for several years and I've been injured and in significant pain most of the time I've been here.

So what's the plan?

No different..... do what I can do without aggravating either injury.

Ride my bike, do Yoga and Pilates, do select Weight lifting exercises, stay on the Paleo and stay light in weight and get as much sleep as I can.

And let Time take care of the Rest.

Why buy restaurant food when you can eat this!

Roasted Chicken Breast on skillet grilled green chile bread topped with tomato, basil and olive oil.

And another dish with several different courses:

A Spring Mix base with carrots, avocadoes, tomatoes and topped with sliced strawberries.

And on the bottom, cast iron skillet grilled jalapeno slices, yellow squash and carrot sticks.

So there's the veggies and carbs....

A big pattie of the ground turkey breast mix is the protein.

While all that's going on, I'm doing a 4-1/2 min boil on some eggs to complement future meals.

I also did 2 eggs over medium and put those over the split turkey breast pattie and sided with a Fruit Punch Creatine / Fresca / Cabernet mix with a slice of fresh lime.

How much would this meal cost in a restaurant?

Salad - $10

Roasted Veggies - $7

Ground Turkey Breast Mix and 2 eggs - $7

Yeah.... probably about $24..... I made it for < $5.

Ground Turkey Breast Mix preparation

I've done this step by step prep on the blog a few times but was telling several of my hiking group about it so I figured I'd do it again.

Ground Turkey Breast is 99% fat free.... meaning it's SUPER LEAN.... meaning when you cook it up, it's DRY..... unless....

You help it out a little bit.

Here's how I do it.

1 beaten egg with seasoning

Tabasco

Kikkoman

Balsamic

Honey Mustard

Add at least 3 or 4 shots of each liquid and at least 2 teaspoons of the mustard to the beaten egg and mix.

Here's Trader Joe's version of this super lean high protein meat.

Dump the turkey into a suitable sized container and assemble your seasonings....

For this run, it's salt, pepper, TJ's 21 season salute and Red Curry powder.

Add plenty of it.

And then mix it in....

Then add the wet mix.

And mix that in thoroughly.

Next comes the veggies..... for this batch it's

Carrot sticks, Green Bell Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Sweet Onion, Basil and Kale.

Dice and season and mix....

And add to the wet turkey mix....

There it is.... the mix and you can do anything with it....

Stir fry, omelettes, meat loaf, sandwiches or....

a Stand alone pattie.

Add some TJ's pastrami and a sliced sweet baked potato to the skillet and flip that ground turkey breast mix pattie.

There it is..... over a Spring Mix with the baked sweet potatoes and strawberries on top.

That's an easy mix that is High Protein Low Calorie and will go with anything!

Step by Step Paleo

Some folks in my hiking group were asking about my Paleo dishes so I decided to do a step by step on a couple of meals to show how fast and easy it is to eat nutritious and delicious food.

Here's my standard base....

Spring Mix

Tomatoes

Carrot sticks

Sweet Onion

Drizzle this with Balsamic and Olive Oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings.... in my case, it's S&P and a combination of Hot Madras Curry Powder, Cumin and Turmeric and TJ's 21 Season Salute

Then add your favorite fruit - Here it's raspberries and red seedless grapes.

Meanwhile.... back at the Cast Iron Skillet, there's a heaping helping of my Ground Turkey Breast Mix for protein.

And my new favorite ready made chicken breast....

Add that to the skillet with some additional seasoning, flip the turkey pattie.... 

And Presto.... couple with a Stockyard Oatmeal Stout...

And Dig In.

All the way from Lake Jackson Tx.... for the 2nd time....the Red Mule....

On a commute to / from Anytime Fitness.

Here's the layout for one of  my all in one skillet Paleo favorites.

Kale, Green Bell Pepper,Sweet Onion, Carrot Sticks, Eggs, Baked Sweet Potato, Fresh Basil, the last of the Ground Beef Mix and some more of the TJ's Roast Chicken Breast.

Heat the cast iron skillet.

Start the assembly line by prep'g the "Hard" veggies - Pepper, Onion and Carrots.

Remember to season each entry to the skillet.

Give the hard veggies a few turns and 3 minutes in the skillet, then add the kale.

Next is the chicken, a link of TJ's Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, the sweet potato, tomato and basil with the beaten seasoned eggs on standby.

In goes round 3.

Toss, Turn and Cook for another 3 minutes.

Then reduce heat and pour in the eggs.

Turn the pile a couple of times till the eggs are cooked and....

Bam! You have a skillet full of Paleo goodness.

Plate with some fresh strawberries for a little sweetness and you're good to go.

Add some salad and a Protein Drink with the leftovers.

See how easy that is.

Eat like this and you will look and feel great!