Category Archives: Nutrition

Apr 20 0 comments
Nutrition

Raw Tuesday

ahh.. tuesday, slowly becoming my favorite day b/c of what it brings: raw potluck at my house. I love it. I look forward to it and the excuse to experiment with new raw recipes (or make one up!)

Tonight we just had four people (and two pups) and it was really nice to get some quality conversation in and eat some delicious food :) I’m so happy my friend Marni could join. Finally, a like-minded healthy triathlete friend! She’s got her Masters in Exercise Physiology and is in the process of becoming a licensed dietitian. She’s a wealth of knowledge and experience– both in the world of nutrition and sport. It’s always so much fun picking her brain :)

Amidst all the tri/bike/sport/training talk, we managed to shift the focus on the food. It’s amazing how pretty raw food is — all the colors and textures, and best of all: in their natural state. We eat with our eyes first and I tell you, raw food tastes good.


Kaz made a delightful Creamy Pasta made by sprializing a zucchini for the noodles and blending a sauce from red peppers, cashews, and a few other pantry staples. The sauce was amazing and we all ended up practically licking our plates. I could see using it on salads, over broccoli, any sort of veggie noodle, the possibilities are endless. Luckily I ended up with a little leftover sauce so I’ll certainly be experimenting. She also brought over a green soup which we all deemed “not a keeper”, but that’s what is so great about Raw Tuesday, we get to use each other as subjects in testing our recipes.


Marni brought a Carrot Ginger Salad, complete with raisins and cinnamon. The ginger held the starring role, but complimented the rest of his team perfectly. It was so good and sweet that we all pushed a little to the side of our plate to reserve as dessert.



I made Raw Summer Rolls– collard/cabbage leaves served as the wrap and the fillings included shredded carrots, avocado, marinated portabello mushrooms, cucumber, sprouts, and bean sprouts. I topped them with chopped basil, cilantro, mint, and green onions and an Asian “peanut” sauce I threw together rather last minute. It consisted of raw almonds, tamari, cold pressed olive oil, and a little sesame oil- blended until creamy.

Dinner was delicious and we all had seconds. Kaz brought over a couple raw desserts she picked up from a vendor at the local farmer’s market, Viva la Verde, so naturally we found room in our stomachs, but contrary to popular, belief we were all really full from our raw dinner. It does happen. The desserts were INCREDIBLE. I would have taken photos of them but we demolished them before i could even turn my camera on. We had a chocolate cheesecake and “Rawky Road”. They were both in tiny sampler sizes (picture a container you might put a to-go salsa or salad dressing in) and it seemed crazy to try and divide them into fours.. but we did and surprisingly enough, they were plenty satisfying. Raw desserts are notoriously rich (and decadent), so a little bit goes a long way… not to say I wouldn’t have devoured the whole thing (ok, both) by myself, but that’s a whole different story… and it’s race week :)



All in all, another successful night. I think we found a few more recipes to add to our repertoire. We’ve got grand ideas of what to do with them when there’s enough… but for now, that’s a secret ;)

Apr 14 0 comments
Nutrition, Training

Weekend Recap

Is it strange that I actually look forward to my weekend distances? There’s something about having hours to yourself alone with your thoughts that really appeals (not to mention no choice but to be away from a computer screen).

I woke up Saturday morning ready to hit the road and put my tired legs back to work. I had a 3 hour ride followed by a 30:00 transition run planned. I rather enjoy pedaling down A1A and find it surprising how no matter how many times I travel down this road I always discover new (extravagant) houses and (immaculate) yards. Sneaking a peak of the crashing waves between homes is not a bad touch, either.

I’ve got saddle sores flaring up again, which makes an otherwise no-stress ride incredibly painful. Having to adjust positions every couple seconds is not only annoying but will make my shoulders/back sore tomorrow. Anybody got any suggestions/tips for helping/preventing these?
I was supposed to stay in zones 1-2, so I didn’t push terribly hard, just kept it solid. I wanted to take note of my nutrition so my coach and I can come up with my individual plan. Someday I’ll find something that works and gives me enough energy without upsetting my stomach… until then, i’ll just keep experimenting. Coach suggests I get in at least 100 cal/hour on the bike. I stashed a pack of shotbloks in my bento box, filled my aero bottle with water and my cage bottle with 1.5 scoops EFS (orange). I was excited to give the EFS a try.

Nutrition

at 1 hour i drank 3 sips EFS
1:15 - 3 sips EFS
1:30 - 1 shot blok
2:00 - 3 sips EFS
2:30 - 3 sips EFS
3:00 - 3 sips EFS

I wanted to take in more, but i didn’t think my stomach would tolerate it. I felt like i got in enough, but i know it’s prob less than desirable. I wish that there were some non-fruity options for sports nutrition. i’m not a fan of super sweet stuff and i get that stringy taste in my throat i can only compare to drinking lemonade. I wasn’t a huge fan of the orange EFS, but still want to give it a few more chances. I didn’t bonk and had plenty of energy, so I think it’s got some staying power, I just didn’t love the taste… but I’m picky.

My transition run was pretty terrible. My legs were shot. It was tough… and slow… very slow. I was really tempted to turn around early (and it was only 30 mins!!), but thankfully I found the strength to finish it out.

Sunday was set to be a 1 1/2 hour z2 run. My whole body was exhausted, especially my legs. I had plenty of energy and my mind was in it, but that can only get you so far. Honestly, i just wanted to make the full 1.5 hours, i couldn’t aim for much more. There was no speed, just a leisurely pace. As far as nutrition, I just had 1 shot block at 45:00.

I got home and quickly (I use this term relatively… it takes me about 10 minutes and a carton of crisco) put on my wetsuit, grabbed a banana, and headed towards the beach. The tri club was starting their open water swims and I wanted to take full advantage of getting some time in the waves. It took a while to find parking since a jazz festival had all but taken over the area, but once I got out onto the sand my plans changed. The wind was angry, the red flag was flying, and while i did see the buoy bouncing in the horizon, I didn’t see any heads in the water. I realized this would not be the relaxing, low-key swim I was hoping for… so after a few minutes of indecisiveness, I waddled back to the car with thoughts of breakfast filling my head.

While I really want to get in some open water swims this year (aside from race days), I’m so glad I didn’t get out there. With an already tired body, it would not have been enjoyable and would have started my season on the wrong foot. So instead, I stopped by a gas station, picked up a couple bags of ice, and filled my tub while I whipped together a quick meal. Forget breakfast in bed… I’ll take breakfast in bath, please.


Nothing like post-workout recovery :)

I proceeded to spend the rest of the day doing something I’ve never done before: yard work. Let me just say, being a home owner comes with some downsides. I miss the DC “yards” which usually consist of a window box, balcony, or if you’re lucky a small patch of grass. Now there’s something I could handle… Spending HOURS upon hours raking leaves until sunset is not my idea of fun. Can’t imagine this is good for my aching back…


On the bright side, I spent the day outdoors and got quite the sense of accomplishment when I saw how much I accomplished all by myself. I also planted lots of pretty flowers which will hopefully brighten my drab (for now) street view.

Jan 12 0 comments
Nutrition

14 Day 100% Raw Challenge- Day 8.

i started the morning out with my usual (lame) 15 minute run. It’s all my coach will allow despite my whining and begging. My foot feels a lot better, but he wants to be safe. I’m really wondering how possible my half marathon in February is gonna be. I’m trying to stay positive. It was actually declared the coldest morning so far, but I guess my perception is skewed, because i wore half the amount of clothes (even forgot my new gloves!) and was perfectly fine… granted, I was running, not biking. I guess the lack of wind IN MY FACE makes a difference. Either way, it was a nice, not miserable, morning.

Once I got to work I made my breakfast, a sort of combination of my 2 favorites: fruit cereal and grawnola. I filled my bowl with one sliced banana, 1/4 red apple, 1/2 cup of grawnola, topped with fresh almond milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I paired it with a new flavor of Yogi tea (warm, not hot). Lovely way to start the workday.

For lunch I was excited to eat some of the taquitos I bought from the Shakti stand at the farmer’s market on Saturday. The sticker on the container divulged all the ingredients, but I wish I knew the recipe. The taste and consistency were so spot on it’s uncanny. Hopefully I’ll be able to execute dishes that taste that good. They were just a bit too spicy for me (i have the most sensitive tongue in the world), so I used the last of the white sauce I had left over from last week to cut the heat. It made a great sour cream substitution. Yum! I paired the taquitos with a simple spinach-arugula salad with some yellow peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts and drizzled it with lemon flavored flax oil.

I snacked a good bit in the afternoon. I brought some leftover marinated/dehydrated veggies as well as the last taquito. I ate it all, as well as some cashews. Will power? Not so much today.

For dinner, I at some leftover asian veggie pasta, which by the way, the noodles get softer the more they sit in the sauce (and the fridge?). I also put together a side salad similar to the one i had for lunch. I put together a quick vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. It was light and full of flavor.

Jan 11 0 comments
Nutrition

14 Day 100% Raw Challenge- Day 7.

This morning’s ride was slightly less cold than yesterday, but despite all my new gear, I still found my feet numb and frozen about halfway through. Dodging ice patches like it was my job. I was supposed to do 3 hours, but i turned around a little past an hour and finished up at 2:12. I knew going further wasn’t going to benefits me, I was just going to miserable and pedaling to get home. I wanted to run afterward, but my feet were far too numb again, despite the fact I wore my compression socks UNDER another pair of regular socks.

A soon as I got home I put 3 towels in the dryer and wrapped them all around my feet as I ate my delicious breakfast: raw grawnola. I used homemade almond milk and fresh fruit on top. I could eat this every single day. so good.

I spent most of the day cleaning/organizing and avoiding the cold. I got some QT in with the pup and worked on some training. For lunch I put together a sandwich from the rest of my zucchini bread. I used the rest of my zucchini hummus and topped it with some butternut squash, cherry tomatoes, basil, and avocado. I also made a salad on the side.

For some reason, I just kept grazing. I wasn’t actually hungry, just not satisfied and I couldn’t figure out what would do it, so i just kept eating. Enough is enough. I broke out the figs and walnuts again, some fruit, veggies, who knows what else. All raw, of course, but still.

Ever since I picked up the kelp noodles yesterday I’ve been eager to make something. I decided to keep it simple and chop up a bunch of veggies and top with the asian sauce I bought when I took my parents to Present Moment Cafe. I used carrots, bok choy, broccoli, zucchini, bean sprouts, yellow onion, portabello mushrooms and dulse. I dehydrated the veggies all afternoon and waited til the last minute to add the noodles. I soaked them for about 10 minutes but they were still a bit tough– not like they taste in restaurants. I tried to read up on preparation tips, but I didn’t really find much. Some say use an acid (like lemon juice), some say dehyrdrate them in the sauce, but most just said to soak them. Must learn more.

Anyone have any tips?

one week down, one to go!

Jan 10 0 comments
Nutrition, Recipes

14 Day 100% Raw Challenge- Day 5.

Against better judgment, i woke up and went on today’s ride… I wore pretty much the same thing as wednesday, only this time I put socks on my hands to block the air. I must have looked ridiculous to onlooking cyclists, but whatever warmth is more of a priority. Too bad it didn’t work.. or maybe it did, but it certainly wasn’t enough b/c once again i was frozen to the core. It was terrible. The way out was somewhat tolerable, but once I turned around and had the headwind, I was ready to be home.
Once I made it in to work and made my breakfast my day started to get better. Once again, I made “fruit cereal” and once again, loved every bite. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? I also had some more Yogi tea throughout the morning.

For lunch I made it a priority to eat up the things in my fridge before they went bad. It was another everything-but-the sort of salad. Quite filling– massaged kale, the rest of the broccoli (not much b/c i ate it all in one sitting!), cucumbers, carrots, and sundried tomatoes. For dessert I had another chocolate energy bite.

I snacked throughout the afternoon. I had the second half of my apple and nectarine from the morning and a handful of raw cashews. I was at the office late working on a video capturing the progress of the rebranding I’m working on. I spent the last couple hours with bright lights and video cameras on me. Not my favorite thing to do. I get so nervous in front of the camera and had to shoot a bunch of takes. Guess it’ll get better with time…

Dinner was much like lunch, such that the goal was to eat the leftovers. I only had a little bit of pesto left so I added some of the white sauce i had, more basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon, and some pine nuts (raw) to the blender and made more. I had leftover spiralized zucchini pasta to which I added some cherry tomatoes and the pesto. Instant dinner. I also had a side salad (maybe larger than that name would suggest) of massaged kale, tomatoes, and sprouts.