Menu
  • Protein Powder Alternatives

  • Grilled Chicken Thighs (with Sample Recipe)

    Since opening my heart to the indoor electric grill, I’ve had some strange, unscientific but supremely tasty successes with some phenomenally healthy flavor combinations. This post is devoted to my new favorite recipe for grilled chicken thighs. If you’ve been following my blog, you know how I sing the praises of  dark meat. If you’re not…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Improving Motivation – [Guest Post – Stephanie St Amour]

    My naturally in-shape ex-wife, Lisa, is allergic to working out. “Running gives me a headache,” she used to tell me. What about the endorphin release, Lisa? “That doesn’t work for me.” Ha. Love it. She’s gifted. We are different beings, and we respond very differently to training.  Stephanie, our know-it-all editor and my partner at…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • “Paleo” Meatballs, with recipe

    My brother has some huge meatballs. He had the audacity to tell me this morning that his pork/beef blend needs no breadcrumbs. Meatballs with nothing but healthy ingredients? If you’re Italian, you may want to stop reading. I knew I had to check this out, so I went for another stroll to the grocery store,…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Ginger (with Sample Recipe)

    Ginger has been appreciated for about a bazillion years – and for good reason. The Mahabharata is an epic poem, written in Sanskrit between the 8th and 9th centuries. It is believed to be the longest ever written. No, there won’t be a test on this – what was interesting to me is the description within the…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Ginger has been appreciated for about a bazillion years – and for good reason. The Mahabharata is an epic poem, written in Sanskrit between the 8th and 9th centuries. It is believed to be the longest ever written. No, there won’t be a test on this – what was interesting to me is the description within the…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Lars Anderson – Waste Less, Change the World [Guest Post]

    Lars Anderson was the most cerebrally unique member of the club I managed in 2007 in Greenville, South Carolina. He and I chatted about world topics with baseball sprinkled in. Even then, at just 19 years of age, he had conscientiousness unfamiliar in the pro sports world. His thoughtful post comes as no surprise to me.…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • waste

    Lars Anderson was the most cerebrally unique member of the club I managed in 2007 in Greenville, South Carolina. He and I chatted about world topics with baseball sprinkled in. Even then, at just 19 years of age, he had conscientiousness unfamiliar in the pro sports world. His thoughtful post comes as no surprise to me.…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • turmeric

    Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, so it’s only appropriate for me to talk about my true love.I’m speaking, of course, about Indian food. More specifically, let’s chat about the healing properties of the spices used in my all-time favorite cuisine.When I was playing in Japan in 2005, I found the best Indian restaurant I’ve sampled in…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Being Yourself – Chyna Bardarson [Guest Post]

    I’ll never forget the moment a hitting coach suggested that I “do it like Manny.” I was never Manny Ramirez, nor would I ever have that level of hitting talent. Trying to emulate him was not an efficient use of my time. I was much better served finding the best version of my own stroke. Additionally,…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Nutrition and Meals

    I have an unhealthy obsession with achieving the perfectly cooked, easy to peel hard boiled egg.As a quick reminder, according to Dr. Jeff Volek, “Whole eggs contain more essential vitamins and minerals per calorie than virtually any other food.”I can trace my fascination back to clubhouse in Arlington while a member of the 2001 Texas…

    0Comments

    Read More

I aim to plan and consciously choose all of my indulgences. I have the knowledge and willpower to do so, but occasionally, I will have a substantial misfire.

I was in Boston, my home away from home, for the 2004 World Series reunion. I splurged nutritionally as I had intended, but I didn’t map out my large nutritional stumble while watching the game.

I had it all pre-navigated. My two men (12 and 14) and I love to experience travel through food. We think it’s the most efficient and interesting way to explore the culture of a city. We discussed the trip ahead of time and decided on three restaurants where we would fully indulge and eat like kings. We’d start with the team dinner at a fine steak and seafood house, follow it up with breakfast the next morning at a bakery, and finish it out with lunch at a tapas joint in the South End.

The first night the three of us shared bone in filets, swordfish steaks, oysters, giant shrimp, crab cakes, lamb chops, chocolate cake, apple crisps and cold vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed a few glasses of whiskey, neat, and my boys drank Sprite. We left the restaurant 1 for 1. Remember, this indulgence was planned.

The next morning, we went to a bakery suggested by a Boston-based chef friend. The boys picked up scones and French toast; I scored big with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a crusty roll with spinach and tomato. The bite came complete with a Dijon mustard finish that struck a chord with me, managing to last all day. 2 at bats, 2 knocks.

After mobbing around on the T train all morning, making our way to Harvard and back to Downtown Crossing, we landed at our destination for lunch, Toro. Theo Epstein made the recommendation after I mentioned that my boys and I were on a food adventure. This is the guy who went out to get the “washed up” 2002 version of David Ortiz, so he’s proven his scouting mettle. If he thinks it’s a worthwhile trip, I’ll take his advice.

Back to food.

Rather than turn this post into a restaurant review, I’ll keep it simple. I had an out of body experience. Every small plate that arrived was visually captivating and stunning on the palate. We sprinted the gamut. From spicy curry beef empanadas to cauliflower with golden raisins and pine nuts to the pièce de résistance, roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade. This dish, holy fuck. Our waiter described it exquisitely as “like rich, hot, beef flavored butter.” I was now 3 for 3 and ready for my final at bat.

A theme throughout this entire trip was advance planning. My first mistake was not preparing for this final meal. I figured my boys and I would just eat at the ballpark and didn’t put much thought into it. I knew that the options would be plentiful and come in large quantities. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I quickly got off course.

I was running around at Fenway from this place to that, answering questions and meeting folks. My boys were on their own and already up in the suite by the time I arrived around the start of the first inning. They had eaten pizza, snacks and fruit, totally what I expected for them. I walked in starving, my second mistake.  I reached for a plate and piled on decent looking veggies, a huge mound of guacamole, and the only available protein, stale fried chicken strips. I could have reached into my bag and opened a can of wild caught salmon. I didn’t. My defenses were down. I hadn’t snacked. I ingested that garbage and suffered strike one.

You know my stance on processed foods. Those frozen chunks of flour covered meat product provide little nutritional value. I had already experienced a whirlwind day filled with emotion and exertion, and the pizza under the heat lamp began to look lovely.

I advocate indulgence, but I advocate planned, quality indulgence. This was neither. I scarfed down a piece and the drugs hit my bloodstream. I couldn’t chew fast enough. Strike two.

The final pitch of the at bat came in and I chased it. I scarfed down a few more slices, knowing even as I did so that it wasn’t my finest hour.

3 for 4. In baseball that’s a hell of a day. Nutritionally, I expect 4 for 4s from myself almost always. I’m in control, so the high bar is appropriately set. Rather than dwell on it, I’ll do what Manny tells us to do after a rough at bat. “Turn the page, papi.”

I write this from the plane the following morning. I’ve turned the page. Today, I’ve ingested steel cut oats, fresh organic blueberries, a pile of kale, a chunk of a ham steak, a few fresh scrambled eggs and organic black coffee.

In my bag, I have a large salad with tons of fresh veggies, almonds, chicken, organic Hannah yams. I also still have that wild salmon I passed over for pizza in a box.

I’m back on track. I remember last night’s at bat and will make the adjustment without carrying the emotion of yesterday over into today’s game.

I hope you’ll share your stories of strikeouts or home runs in the comments section below.

Kap