Now that “Takes the Cake”….

Hi ya! I’m feeling kinda loony right now. I think lack of sleep and Cedar allergies will do that to you. Nothing a glass of wine can’t cure, right?
Anyway, lets talk about today! I took the hubs to the airport early this morning (5am). He had to leave early for 70.3 World Champs in Clearwater Florida. Due to work, I stayed and will fly out to meet him tomorrow. Now, about 3 weeks ago, our plan was for the hubs to race with the rest of the pros and try to make top 10 in order to finish the season with a bang. Sounded like a GREAT plan to me! Little did I know what was lurking around the corner. Two weeks ago, the hubs was feeling a little “pain” in the knee. He played it safe and didn’t run for a week. Then once he felt ready to run, he went at it still being cautious. The pain came back and once again he stopped running and then eventually stopped biking. We knew that this little pain (bursitis) could easily get a temporary fix with a cortisone shot, but what would that entail for the off season? It might just make it worse after the race! After much prayer and thought, he (we) decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of racing. It was time to heal, recover, and focus on being at his best for the 2011 season!! Thankfully the hubs has great PT and Massage therapists working on him and he’ll be back to training in no time. But for now, we decided that we would still go to Clearwater and support sponsors and fellow athletes that are competing! We were going to “take the cake” (in a good way) on this trip.
Let me expand on that. According to ANSWERS.COM the expression Take the Cake means: to be the most outstanding in some respect, either the best or the worst.
So there you have it. What was suppose to be the “grand finale” of races for the season has been taken away from us. Are we disappointed about the situation, of course! It’s only natural to be, but what’s really important now is how we handle this situation. And taking the cake it is! We will actually have a trip that does not involve training or bike fees. Our time will be spent with good people and thanking those who have supported James’ career. We will see old friends and laugh about good times! We will enjoy each other and the walks on the beach. But most importantly, we will embrace the time we have to heal (physically) and reflect on what God has blessed us with.
If that isn’t taking the cake, I don’t know what is. Hehe!
Speaking of Cake…..I don’t travel without homemade goodies in tow. Therefore, I decided to make a batch of protein bars to have at our condo. My friend Kelly sent me THIS recipe a while back and today I decided to tweak it “Cotter Style!”

Strawberry Shortcake Protein Bars (gluten free and lactose free)

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla protein powder (whey)
• 3/4 cup whole oats (I used Bob Mill's GF oats)
• 1/2 cup brown rice crispies (you can substitute other cereal)
• 1/5 cup honey
• 2 heaping tbsps. ground flaxseed meal 
• 1 cup strawberries (thawed and purred or chopped)
• 2 tsp sugar substitute (I used stevia)
• 2/3 cup milk ( is used unsweetened almond milk)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Chop oats and crispies in food processor or blender
3. In large bowl, add all ingredients, mix well.
4. grease a baking dish or small cake pan and line the bottom with foil (to prevent sticking).
5. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting. I used a bigger pan in order to make a thinner bar.

Makes 15 bars. Calories: 88.2 Total Fat: 1.1 g Total Carbs: 13.6 g Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g Protein: 10.0 g

yummm, cake! Best served covered with Greek yogurt. I’m off to pack and finally get some sleep. But I must ask, how do you take the cake? And what kind of cake would you be? Ya, its corny, but I’m still loony here ya know!
Cheers,
LC
p.s.
The Mission Makeover results are in!! Bre cooked up a storm and made the GF pudding from my last post. Her recipe has quite the twist and sounds amazing! I’ll post her recipe up on the blog soon but for now, go check it out!