Eateries in Zushi, Rope Climb and Smoothies

Over the past month, I've eaten at a number of good restaurants...all of which happen to be in Zushi.  Just a quick commute by train, or car from Yokosuka's main base,  these places are reasonably priced and worth checking out.

Upstairs seating at Barefoot Cafe.

Barefoot Cafe -  If you want to escape the huts on Zushi Beach, try the food here.  Just across the street from the beach and about a block from Red Lobster, you can get a lunch set for 1,000 yen (about $10 USD).  I had an huge American-size BLT Sandwich, some yummy chips and salsa, and an iced coffee.  There is a quaint/rustic upstairs that you can eat outside and watch beach goers.  They also have a lighted toilet bowl....the first I have ever seen in Japan and in my life.  Very clever!

Matchpoint -  Just around the corner from one of the exits of The Shin-Zushi train exit is Matchpoint.  Another rustic interior and their specialty is curry.  They had both vegetarian and meat variations and their lunch sets also ran around 1,000 yen.  I like hearty curries, and this definitely was good.

Steak Gusto - Cruising along the beach this past weekend, we stumbled upon this place.  I had recently been told to go here, and I'm glad we did.  They had a great salad bar, that included curry, rice, fruit, and rolls.  We got the salad bar, plus a steak and chicken meal.  Everything was pretty tasty and for the two of us, the bill was only 2,300 yen.  Not bad!  They also have free parking if you get your ticket validated when you pay.


Kamakurakomachi - If you eat soy products, then this is the restaurant for you.  It is extremely small, and located about 5 minutes from the JR Zushi station.  I was taken here over 2 years ago, and have been back many times since.  They make delicious tofu patties, tofu potato salad and other wonderful concoctions.  You'd never know what you were eating was tofu.  Lunch sets also are around 1,000 yen.  
  
                                Latest CrossFit Challenge
                                     = The Rope Climb 

In all of my 44 years, I've never attempted to climb a rope.  Well, thanks to CF, this week I was able to have a go at it.  I was able to get my foot to pinch the rope, but I could not figure out how to pull myself upwards.  Thank goodness for U-Tube!  Its very helpful to watch videos so that I can see the form I'm supposed to be using to conquer this skill.  I hope this is easier than double-unders.

My favorite smoothie recipe at the moment.

Lately I've been on a smoothie bandwagon.  I've been making them at night, or for a snack during the day.  Although I've been trying many variations, here's by far, my favorite recipe:

1 cup of Unsweetened Almond milk
1 handful of spinach
1 scoop of protein powder (yes, even chocolate tastes good)
1 handful of blueberries

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy.  You could add some ice to give the smoothie some volume and a little crunch!

Karaoke and Healthier Sweet Treats

I still haven't figured out my new format, or where I want to take this blog.  As of this moment, I've decided to talk about something Japanese, a new skill I've attempted in CrossFit/ or new recipes that I'm dabbling in.    Since I enjoy all of these things, I might just incorporate them all into each blog, or pick a couple to talk about.  I figure that at least 1 out of the 3 topics might be of interest to someone. 

Karaoke Box at Shidax.

Karaoke

Although I love music and singing, I never tried Karaoke until I moved to Japan.  You can find a good selection of English songs to Karaoke at bars, or at Karaoke boxes (businesses that have individual rooms set up for singing, eating and drinking).  It is huge here, so its a must even if you don't have a quality singing voice such as myself.  The price ranges from about 200 yen (~$2.00 USD) per song in bars upwards to 3,000 yen+ ($30.00 USD and up) at a Karaoke box.  Many Karaoke boxes charge per room, plus have an all you can drink plan.  If you want to order food, the cost is extra and is similar to food you'd find at an Izakaya (fried chicken, fries, noodles, salads, etc). 


Here are a few Karaoke places I'd recommend in Yokosuka:

• U- Style on Blue Street in the same building as Gold's Gym.  Nice rooms, has ice cream, a chocolate fountain and a soda drink bar. 
• Shidax located a couple blocks outside of Womble Gate and across from Saikaya Department Store.  This place has a ton of rooms, a good drink menu, and reasonable food.  Its a bit pricey.

• New Texas bar in The Honch.  200 yen per song, never too crowded. and a good ambiance.

Healthier Sweet Treats

Not only do I love food, but I have an and probably will always have an obsession with sweets.  Since embarking on a better eating plan this year, I've been trying out a number of healthier treat recipes.  I realize that many of the ingredients may be high in calories, but they satisfy my sweet tooth.  The no-bakes taste amazing right out of the freezer!

Here's a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually looks like a cookie when taken out of the oven!!

Better For You Chocolate Chip Cookies (grain free, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free)

Makes about a dozen

Adapted from Detoxinista

• 1 cup raw almond butter
• 1/4 cup raw honey (you can use slightly more or less based on your preference)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life chips (more/less if you like) or Dark Chocolate Chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line cookie sheet with non-stick foil.

2. In a bowl, whisk all ingredients (except the chips) together. When combined, gently fold in chips to incorporate.

3. Using a regular spoon, spoon about 2 TBSP worth of batter onto the cookie sheet, about 1.5 inches about. The batter is loose, but it actually doesn't spread a lot.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes (until just slightly firm). Remove from oven and let cool for another 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. This is important to make sure they "set up" right.

5. Remove cookies from sheet and allow to finish cooling on a cookie rack. Store in an airtight container.

They peel easily off of the foil. 

Healthier No Bake Cookies

1cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (soy free) or Dark Chocolate Chips

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup almond butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Melt the following ingredients on the stove top.  I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave, then added the other ingredients.

1 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup almond butter

Once melted add that, along with the following ingredients, to a bowl:

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Place in freezer for about 30 minutes until ready to eat. 

Switching up the blog

Three months have passed since my last blog post.  I have so much to write about, but am not finding the time or energy to sit down and do it much this year.  I really have enjoyed sharing our journey with those interested in reading this blog.   I am really wanting to switch up the content to incorporate our travels, healthier food ideas and fitness.   I'm still brainstorming, so be on the lookout for some different topics, etc in the near future.  I'm open to suggestions, so please message me with your comments.  I NEED your input!!

Hay Fever in Japan

For the past month, I've been longing for spring, warmer weather, and viewing the various blossoming trees in Japan.  Unfortunately, along with blooming season, comes Hay Fever.  Hay Fever has been striking some of my immediate family for the last two years; something that none of us have back in The United States.  This continues to baffle me.  Last year, the boys' pediatrician was telling me that our bodies are immune to Hay Fever the first spring season in Japan, but that it can develop during the second year.  There must be some truth to this because along with my family, many of my friends and co-workers have also been suffering. 

Cherry Blossoms can trigger Hay Fever.

A few weeks ago while we were up at Taura Plum Grove viewing the blossoms, I'd had my final straw.  The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and I was tired of my red-itchy eyes, sneezing, itchy nose, sore throat, etc.  Luckily, my friend that was with us is a nurse and advised me to get some generic Loratadine (Claritin).  It took a day or two to work, but it has helped me function.  I also found some Bausch and Lomb antihistamine eye drops that have worked like a charm.  My son has even used face masks outside....especially if the pollen count is high.

I'm happy that Hay Fever season won't last much longer.  Once the blossoms are gone, I'm hoping to wean myself off the allergy medication and continue to enjoy the Japan I so love.  


 

Eating Paleo in Japan

Before last month, Paleo was pretty much a foreign word to me.  I'd heard about it here and there, but never really had a clue what it was about.  Most people that do CrossFit (see my last blog entry) live a Paleo lifestyle.  The Paleo diet consists of eating the following:  fish, shellfish, eggs, nuts/seeds, fruits/vegetables and lean meats.  On Paleo, dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol, sugars and overly processed foods are not allowed.  Wow!  I wasn't sure if I could survive without cheese, bread and rice especially since I live in Japan where rice is such a staple food.

After giving this a lot of thought, on January 14th I decided to participate in the 30 day Paleo Challenge.  This was completely optional and nerve wracking because while I've dieted over the years, I'd never been on a program where I was eating clean.  Luckily, one of the requirements on this challenge was having a partner.  This was a complete lifesaver for me because I needed someone that would hold me accountable during these 30 days.

Extra Credit handstand outdoors!

Along with the nutritional aspect of the challenge, we were also supposed to keep a food journal, do a certain amount of workouts per week,  take before/after pictures, get our measurements taken, perform a baseline run/pull ups, and do extra credit.  Since most of these things were based on points, the team with the most points at the end of the challenge would win.  Since I do have a competitive side, I was bound and determined to not mess up during the challenge...but this was no easy feat.

The first week of the challenge would prove to be the toughest.  I seriously felt like I needed a sponsor.  Thank goodness for my partner, coach and other classmates (even the ones not participating in the challenge) who were such a great support network by providing recipes, tips, cheers, etc.   As the weeks went on, eating clean became easier.  I was sleeping better, had almost no headaches, lost a little weight, rarely felt famished (well maybe on a few days), was very hydrated, and was still able to exercise like mad.  Although I was feeling awesome on this diet, the one tricky part of the challenge was eating out.  Again, I live in Japan where noodles and rice are consumed at almost every meal.  Thankfully, Japanese eat a lot of meat and vegetables, so I was able to find something that was Paleo.

Paleo chicken curry (thank goodness for coconut milk) for dinner.

By week four, I was so used to doing the food journal, drinking 1/2 of my body weight of water, and really paying attention to what I was consuming, that this challenge became habit.  I liked how I felt and decided that I would continue Paleo or at least a modified version of it when it was over.  My team, along with two other teams came in 1st Place.  I was so proud of myself, my amazing, strong, funny, friend and partner, and of everyone else.  It is not easy to change or stick to a healthier lifestyle even if you know it is good for you.

Extra credit Fireman's Carry!

I also want to thank everyone outside of my CF group for cheering me on before/during/after the challenge.  Your positive comments, making me special Paleo food to eat, and your genuine inquiries as to how things were/are going for me were sincerely appreciated. 

CrossFit

Last summer I met a lady at a going away party who was a CrossFit instructor.  She said that since it wasn't offered on base that she was interested in getting the program started here.  I told her I would love to try it out and left it at that.  Through the grapevine late last year, I'd heard that introductory classes were being offered.  Excited, I contacted the instructor and signed up for a class called Elements.

I had no idea what you do in Elements or in CrossFit for that matter.  I just knew I was up for another challenge since I'd been exercising regularly since last June.  I found out that you have to take Elements if you are not familiar with Olympic lifts.  Oh my....I had never really lifted anything more than a weighted bar, done a bench press once and tried a dead lift last spring.  While I was nervous and unsure of what I was doing, I ended up learning so many new things in this class.  I tried things like: back squats, front squats, cleans, the snatch, sumo dead lift high pull and many others.  We were shown proper form and how to lift safely.  One day after Elements we did something called a WOD.  The WOD had a name, was timed, and we did some crazy exercises (box jumps, rowing, lifts, plank, wall walks and wall balls), some of which I'd never done before.  When I was finished, I was beat, happy to have completed Elements and ready to try CrossFit classes.

CrossFit classes are held in a group setting and led by our amazing and strong coach.  There are multiple classes per day and the popularity has literally grown overnight here (I feel very lucky to have taken Elements when I did).  A typical class begins with a warmup (cardio, mobility exercises, lunges, push ups, sit ups, etc), strength exercise such as a certain type of lift or working on particular skill (hand stand push ups, ring dips, etc), and then the WOD or workout of the day which is timed. 

Here is an example of the WOD named "Angie" that we did this past Wednesday:

100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

This WOD was brutal and I finished last....but at least I finished.  CrossFit has shown me that I am stronger than I think I am and that I can push through even the hardest of workouts.  I love that no one can leave class until the last person is finished doing the WOD and that my coach and other classmates have done exercises alongside me to help me push through until the end.  This has been the most supportive group I have ever been a part of and I look forward to the CF journey of added weights, doing my first strict pull up without a band, and seeing how much stronger I will become this year.

We do a ton of Burpees in CrossFit.  

 







 

Busy Busy

I must apologize for my intermittent blog posts this past year.  I had every intention of blogging between 3-4 times per month while we are in Japan, but had more on my plate this past year (by choice) making it harder to come up with time to do weekly entries.  This year, I'm hoping to do 1 or 2 per month.  That being said, we are already at the end of January and here I am.  Well, there's always next month.

The New Year has been wonderful so far.  My brother rang in the New Year with us, we took a trip on The Shinkansen down south to Osaka and Nara, we went up skiing by Mt. Fuji, the kids are being normal pre-teens/teenagers, Justin's enjoying and progressing in his Aikido, my manager job at the base thrift store is rewarding beyond words (thanks to my co-workers and volunteers) and I've become more dedicated to my health and fitness.

We're off to a good start and I look forward to what this year brings.  I'm going to stop wishing and make things happen.

This is an awesome quote!