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  • lye

    A few days ago, I told you about my first foray into soap making. It seemed simple enough – I could make my own soap, leave out all the chemical ingredients, and boom, I’d be Tom’s of Maine. I whipped up a bar of coconut oil soap with a bit of lemon juice. It lasted…

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  • Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Egg

    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…

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  • Adventures in Soap Making – Lye

    A few days ago, I told you about my first foray into soap making. It seemed simple enough – I could make my own soap, leave out all the chemical ingredients, and boom, I’d be Tom’s of Maine. I whipped up a bar of coconut oil soap with a bit of lemon juice. It lasted…

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  • Training While Fasted

    I’ve always trained in the morning after a big breakfast. My thought process was simple; I’d be providing high quality fuel for maximum muscle building. There is at least some degree of truth to my methodology. Recently, however, I’ve found that my larger meals consisting of five whole eggs, a giant sweet potato and several…

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  • Protein Powders

    Powders are for snorting. If you want protein, you should be eating real food. You know my views on shortcuts, and protein powders undoubtedly belong in that blender. I get my protein in a form my body recognizes, via the flesh of humanly raised animals. But I’ve finally cracked. For you, not for me, I’ve…

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  • happiness

    When Kaplifestyle’s editor, Stephanie, and I discovered our summer intern, Peter, we had no idea we’d be adding such tremendous value. Sure, we knew he could grab coffee (kidding, we’re not even in the same city), but we had no idea he’d be writing guest posts and bringing consistent energy. He works his ass off…

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  • You all remember my friend Fred, right? He’s the NBA executive who came looking for workout inspiration and decided to take a crack at my 5 X 5 workout. Today, I have an update on his progress and answer some of his questions. I know how thoroughly invested we all are in Fred’s life, so…

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  • cleanse

    Peter Summerville is exceptionally bright. Most juice cleanses, not so much. Here’s what happens when clever marketing whips an intelligent soul. No stress, youngster. It happens to all of us. At Kaplifestyle, we try to dive into a wide range of philosophies, myths, trends, and workout routines. My latest experience went way off the usual path.As…

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  • Coffee – the Real Energy Drink

    I’m asked often about the health benefits and effectiveness of energy drinks. I can gracefully answer the first part of the question. The nutrition label on a Rockstar or Monster can tells me all I need to know – stay far, far away. The effectiveness part is a little trickier because once I read how…

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  • If you dare to call yourself bullet proof, expect your Kevlar to be tested. In this post, we’ll touch on Bulletproof’s base product, Upgraded Coffee, and the techniques they use to spread the word. A friend hit me up months ago and mentioned that he knew somebody connected to the company. They wanted to send…

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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