Protein Pancake For One

The Tuna and I disagree on what constitutes a delicous Sunday breakfast. He prefers eggs and meat. I prefer something hot, starchy, and easily topped with nut butter. I'm also working on getting in some post-run/workout protein. Enter: protein pancake.

2 T flour (recommend coconut flour)
2 T protein powder (recommend Life Basics unsweetened vanilla)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 flax eggs
1/3 cup pumpkin

Toppings- peanut butter, banana, maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together. Cook on a skillet on medium heat for 2 minutes each side. Top with some pancake love and get your yum on! Could it be any easier?

Coconut Pumpkin Bars

Coconut Bars with Pumpkin Filling

1/4 c dried cherries
12 pitted, chopped dates
1/4 c water
1/2 c pumpkin
1/2 T cinnamon
Simmer on medium heat until thick and spreadable.

1 c coconut flakes
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c quinoa flour
1 scoop (about 1/3 cup) protein powder
1/4 c chia seeds
1 flax egg
2 T honey
2 T melted coconut oil
1 T stevia powder
1/2 c almond milk
Combine above. Spread half into square baking pan. Top with pumpkin and fruit mixture. Press the remaining batter on top of pumpkin.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces and enjoy all week! Thanksgiving is here early this year. ;)

Acknowledgments to Sarahfit at www.sarahfit.com for inspiring me with her date-oat bars. These coconut bars were created by my desire to make an oat-free, fruit filled bar as gorgeous as her bars!

Carrot Cake Breakfast Cupcakes

I got a new food processor for my birthday! And I love it. It is a 7 cupper, quiet and it pulverizes food about 90 billion times more effectively than my old 3-cup FP.

What did I not get for my birthday? A cake. Why? Because I'm a picky, picky lady. I obviously didn't want gluten, dairy, or eggs in the picture. And I also didn't want weird, unknown vegan and gluten free ingredients, such as gums, margarines, or other chemically produced shenanigans. I did want carrot cake. Because my momma always made me (each of us) cake for our birthday. And I always wanted carrot. Much to my older brother's dismay. So, my birthday present to you, carrot cake breakfast cupcakes with coconut cream, is a twist on a nostalgic favorite.

Cake Ingredients:
1 c almond meal/flour
1/2 c coconut flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T diced crystallized ginger
1 T pumpkin purée
2 flax eggs
1/4 c honey
2 T melted coconut oil
1.5 cups grated carrots (about 6 carrots)
3/4 cup chopped pineapple (I thawed some frozen pineapple)

Topping Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (not light)
1 tsp stevia
1 tsp cinnamon

First, the day before you want cupcakes. mix the topping ingredients in a container with a lid. Put it in the fridge. This will allow the cream from the coconut milk to rise to the top. If you have a high tolerance for frustration, you can try, multiple times, to skim the cream off the top and whip it into a fluffy topping. If you want to save your sanity, just skim and plop the cream on top of the cooled cupcake. I digress...

Now for the cake. Grate your carrots! It is a good thing I hate this part. Otherwise, I'd have carrot cake every week. What is that you say? The FP has a grating attachment? What a wonderful reason to make carrot cake more often!

Here we go, carrots! Cut them into similarly sized pieces.

It's working! Instant grater carrots.

Grated carrots in less than 3 minutes.

On a side note, organic carrots taste like a completely different product than conventional carrots. Reason number 204828375236420394 to buy organic.

Transfer carrots to a bowl. Mix in pineapple, flax eggs, coconut oil (melted!) pumpkin and honey.

In another bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, crystallized ginger.

Add the wet to the dry. Or the dry to the wet. And mix until blended. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Cool and top with coconut cream, as described above. If you are interested in sharing your cupcakes with your coconut-disliking, cream cheese loving husband, you can leave a few unfrosted so he can top his cupcake with another form of frosting.

Cream cheese (business) in the front. Coconut cream (party) in the back.

Up close and personal

Mmmmm. Happy belated birthday to ME!

I dubbed these "breakfast cupcakes" because again, they are healthy enough to eat for breakfast. At least on your birthday. And because the texture is closer to a muffin than a cupcake. I think omitting the pineapple might help. If you try it, let me know in the comments below.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Milkshake

Ugh Monday morning! Why do I sleep until 8 AM on Sunday and then expect that 5 AM will feel just as springy on Monday. This week, I couldn't do it. I couldn't drag myself out of bed at 5 AM to then further torture myself on an elliptical or bike. I felt guilty by the time my last chance alarm went off at 6:40. You know the feeling.

All was made right with this smoothie. The smoothie tastes like a milkshake. Probably because it tasted like I should feel guilty eating it for breakfast. But as the ingredients indicate, there is no need to feel guilty. So I was twice cleansed of my guilt. And  quite proud for throwing this together on a groggy Monday morning and using leftover ingredients from yesterdays baking extravang-zah.

2 c coconut milk (left-over from thinking I was special and could whip "light" coconut milk. Don't do it. It doesn't work. You need the heavy stuff.)
5 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c frozen fruit (I used bananas and raspberries)
1 scoop chocolate green or protein powder
1 T melted coconut oil mixed with 1 t chocolate powder (left over from yo Frisco)

All you have to do is mix it all in a blender. Or in a cup with an immersion blender. The melted oil/chocolate combo turns into tiny chocolate chunks when it combines with the cold fruit. It is amazing! Try it! You will be amazed!

Extra swirl of coconut milk on top. Don't mind if I do.

And no. I did not drink half the smoothie and then decide to take a picture. I put half of it in a mason jar for tomorrow, as per my own recommendation, thankyouverymuch.

Now, I do feel a bit of remorse that these pictures are pretty awful. I'll blame it on the Monday AM grog. You get the idea. No go try it!

Thai coconut cashew scones with peanut butter glaze

It's Friday! I'm still trying to kick the respiratory virus that has been hanging on the past few days. So naturally, my first thought upon waking is, "I need sinus meds." I venture to the fridge to find something to eat before I take said meds. Ponder. Ponder. Lentils? I could make pancakes with lentils. Tuna's left over curry from Thai Grille? I would be very cranky if someone ate my leftover curry. As if I'd ever have left over curry. My mind drifts to the previous days' of mindlessly zoning in and out with Food Network on the television. Ina Garten making maple scones. Scones. Bingo!

Now, I have never made scones. I have certainly never made vegan, gluten free scones. But I was feeling inspired by the Thai flavor palate. Here is how it went down:

Scone ingredients
1/2 cup coarse oat flour
1/2 cup cooked mashed lentils
1 T coconut sugar
2 T coconut
1 T cashew or other nut butter
1 flax egg
2 T non dairy milk
1/2 T baking powder
1 T grated fresh ginger or 1/2 T dried ginger
2 T coconut oil- COLD and cut into people sized pieces

Glaze ingredients
1 T coconut butter
1/2 T peanut butter
melted together with 1 pinch of cinnamon


First thing is first. Put some coconut oil in a freezer safe bowl and pop it in the freezer. Then make your flax egg (1 T flax seed + 2 T boiling water, stir and set aside).

As I mentioned before, my food processor is behaving poorly. I think I've dulled the blades with frequent pulverizing of Medjool Dates. So I blended everything together with my immersion blender in a big cup. First, I ground the oat flour. I recommend putting a towel over your cup whenever blending anything dry with small particles. This is a lesson I have yet to learn on the first attempt, so I usually end up with grain particles all over my kitchen until I remember my own trick. Add in all other ingredients, except for the COLD coconut oil.

I have vague memories of both my mom and Ina Garten telling me how important cold butter is when making pastries and scones. It is important for the butter to be cold so it can POP when in cooks and leave air pockets which result in flaky, delicious baked goods. I wanted to see if the same would be true with coconut oil, which, like butter is solid when cold but become liquid when heated. Suspense...

Now, If you're a scone fanatic, you put your scone dough in the fridge to chill to maximize the fluffiness factor created by cold butter POPPING. If you're hungry and impatient, you don't. So I didn't.

Once your scone dough is combined, remove the coconut oil from the freezer. Use a butter knife to cut the oil into pebble sized pieces.

Pebble sized pieces of coconut oil

Stir the pieces into the dough. Then use a cookie scoop or large spoon to place scones onto a greased cookie sheet. Try not to touch the dough because it will get warm and the butter won't POP. Bake at 375 degrees Farenhiet for 15 minutes.

Scooped out and ready to bake! Look at the gorgeous texture!

Once the scones are done baking, drizzle them with peanut butter glaze. Engage scones in a quick photo shoot before you dive in.

I know what you are thinking. Did she eat three scones? No. No I didn't. I ate two. At first. And then I ate one more. So, yes. I ate three scores. You would have too! These scones are delicious! And flaky!  I think the coconut oil had the same effect as butter. And I didn't even have to substitute 1:1 for the massive amount of butter usually in scones (usually, 8 T  or 1 stick!)The coconut and oat flour add some texture. The Thai flavors come together beautifully and the lentils keep the scones moist! They honestly don't even need a glaze. If I hadn't already named this post, I might not have glazed them at all! All this and they are gluten free, vegan and have almost no sugar! It's a win-win win-win-win!

PB & J cookie dough pancakes

At last! A Friday without work or a gazillion appointments! So what did I do? I made pancakes. A great, late breakfast after sweating my face off at the gym.

PB Pancakes
1/2 cup beans
1/4 cup + 2 T PB
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 T baking powder
1 flax egg
1 t coconut sugar
1 t chia seeds
1 T buckwheat flour

Pulse or blend together peanut butter, beans, and milk in food processor until smooth. Add in everything else and pulse/blend. Drop by the tablespoon onto a griddle or pan with 1/2 T oil (recommend coconut oil) on medium heat.

Silver dollar sized PB pancakes on the pan

You can omit the buckwheat flour, but the pancakes will be lighter and crispier. I think they are pretty.

Pancakes without flour, They look like lace cookies!

I also recommend adding another 1/2 T oil between batches so your pancakes don't burn. Burnt pancakes remind me of my Italian grandfather commanding, "Mangia, mangia!" as I stared at a plate of black pancakes. Perhaps this is why Grandma Terelle did most of the cooking.

"Jelly" Topping
1/2 cup strawberries
1 t coconut sugar
1 t coconut butter

In a saucepan, combine all topping ingredients in a sauce pan and reduce over medium heat until thickened. I added a probiotic capsule after I turned off the heat. Just cracked it open and sprinkled it in. Because I love my probiotics.

Early in the reduction. Mmmm strawberry "jelly."

These were so delicious. I took a few too many pictures and started thinking of more varieties before I'd even found my fork.

Peanut butter and jelly. In pancake form!

PB&J spinoff smoothie

I'm a bit obsessed with peanut butter. Some days, I think I eat it at all three meals. Today, I needed a pick-me-up for day 5 of 6 in a row of waking up at 5:15 AM. The life of a gym-rat.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

Peanut butter and Jelly Smoothie
1.5 cups non dairy milk
3T peanut butter
1T strawberry jelly
4 frozen strawberries
1/2 a banana, frozen (about 1/3 cup)
Nutrient boosting add ins: chia seeds, probiotic powder, flax seeds, etc

Use an immersion blender for quick clean up!

Mix it in your blender. Pour into a cup and enjoy. The best part is that this kept me full until lunch even after a swim workout! And it made work on a Friday not so bad.

These are a few of my favorite things.

It's 12pm, and I haven't gotten out of bed yet. Well, I have, but only to rinse my sinus cavity (hold on, I'll explain), take a decongestant, and make a smoothie. I suppose I can no longer live in denial and admit to myself that I'm sick. No running, today or tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, if someone instructed me to go a day without spinning my wheels a little bit, it'd be a miracle if I listened to them. If I did by slim chance, I'd be surprised if it didn't drive me borderline nuts. Clearly I'm pretty sick, because there is not a single cell in my body that wants to run. Or shower. Or eat solid food. Or perform any task that requires functioning on a higher level than that of say, a toddler.

Sometimes I think of me as two different people: sick-Tayler and me-Tayler. Sick-Tayler refers to me before I gave up eating all the allergens that I go without now. I was sick, tired, miserable, and frankly, not nearly as good as me-Tayler, or present-day Tayler. Of course, I'm sick today, but Sick-Tayler being sick was a totally different story than the girl most of you know being sick. Before, being sick was much much more than a physical thing;  it had heavy emotional and mental effects. Before, I still had the brain, personality, and all the physiological traits that I have now, but it was like someone had taken a little gray veil and pulled it tightly overtop, dulling and restricting them. You could see through the gray haze what was inside, but it wasn't anywhere close to what it could be.

No one likes being sick, so to say "I admit that I hate being sick" would be a stupid statement. I still am slightly annoyed that I'm sick, but I'm not fixated on the work that I'm not getting done, the miles that aren't getting run, and all the other things on my to-do list that are going to go untouched. I'm in attack mode: be proactive as possible to help my immune system beat the shit out of this bug who has robbed me of a sunny afternoon 400m session. I got a decongestant. I've been taking echinacea and zinc. Instead of eating any junk that sounds appetizing, I'm slamming juices and smoothies with as much nutrition as I can cram into about 16oz.


Being sick is obviously not what the title of this entry references. Among the things I that I do like is Brother's Drake mead. If you don't know about mean, it's just wine made with fermented honey instead of grapes.  Isn't that a lovely little shot? That was taken at Bodega where they have a cocktail on the menu with the Drake elixir and a splash of ginger ale. Divine. I like to rep the local businesses. However, I advocate avoiding the sauce when you're sick (yes, even in that Hot Toddy.)

I love these temporary tattoos. I exercised a little retail therapy whilst licking my sick-wounds today and bought the awesome chubby baller-man.

I love this mango veggie smoothie from Naked Juice. Anything with sweet potato in it is fine by me.

I love this fresh juice of lemon, ginger, celery, grapefruit, and green apple. I can't say enough about lemon juice. It's antioxidant power is beastly; have you ever put lemon juice on sliced apple or avocado to keep it from turning brown? I want that awesomeness in my gut.


Another one of my favorite things: flavors for smoothies that involve non-drinkable foods desserts (cake, pie, cookie...). You might notice a pattern. Red velvet cake, snickerdoodle, German chocolate cake, key lime pie. You get the point. I could keep going. Another one of my favorite things: Amazon Subscribe and Save. Ironlady, another member of the Columbus Running Company family who is also gluten and dairy intolerant, told me about it and recommended it as a great place to get a huge selection of gluten free products with free shipping and and discount for subscribing. Choose your own shipping frequency. No contracts. Cancel anytime. Seriously. After going through 4 cans of pumpkin last week, I decided to add that to the list of things Amazon sends me on a monthly basis. Ridiculous?

Maybe. But it's wonderful for everything, including desserts in a glass. Cue electro dance mix and boogie to the blissful thoughts of cool, creamy pumpkin pie through a straw. I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan, probably because compared to chocolate pecan or nonveggie-based pies it tastes a little...healthy. It's a different story if you throw some vanilla coconut milk ice cream on top. Then I'm sold. Before I gave up the cow, I would die a little bit inside when Edy's pumpkin ice cream was discontinued post-Thanksgiving season. This smoothie is basically like an Edy's pumpkin milkshake, but with Superman nutritional value. To kick it up even one notch further, I add Trader Joe's Very Green powder to all my smoothies. It looks like mold. It goes completely unnoticed in smoothies. I feel good when I know I'm drinking chlorophyll. And no, I'm not kidding. I'll hide as many good-for-you things in a smoothie as I can without it turning into a non-dessert, so I threw in 3 aspsaragus spears for a little extra zinc content. Spinach or any other green would work, and zucchini is pretty easily camoflaged as well. 

Pumpkin Pie in a Glass

 Ingredients


1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
tsp vanilla extract
3 asparagus spears (optional)
3 oz silken tofu
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Very Green powder (optional)
3-4 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until well combined. Since you can't lick the inside of a glass, I suggest serving in a bowl.

Wicked Wednesday

The words are almost jumping out of my mouth and onto the keyboard; the Villain of the Week was an easy decision this week. I was in the middle of an easy run having a little thinky-think yesterday, and almost as soon as the words "Villain of the" were processed, a kid rode by me on his bike on a campus sidewalk. Cue ominous beats: this week's VoW is the crowded sidewalk cyclist.

Summery hipster

A few Sundays ago, Girl Tights and I were putting in some Sunday miles heading north on High Street. A the corner of 5th Ave. and High, a flannel-donned Hipster whizzes around the corner on her perfectly weathered 10-speed quick enough so we were about nose-to-nose before I even knew she was there. And  it wasn't my nose I was worried about. That front tire on her vintage Schwinn was pointed right toward my lady parts.

(As an aside, I realize that it might come off as if I'm making fun of hipsters. Maybe I am, a little bit, but merely for irony since I have been accused of being a liberal hipster and living in a liberal hipster neighborhood on a number of occasions. I'm okay with it. If you want to know more about being and living like a hipster, check out this blog entry over at Verbal Vomit. I laughed. )

I know I don't have all the goods down there that Girl Tights has, but let me tell you something: getting hit in the lady junk hurts like a motherf*#$er. I ran into the corner of a desk in the second grade. Life-changing pain. The experience was so life-changing, in fact, that I'm fairly sure it was the reason why I am hardwired so that upon first awareness of the wheeled Hipster, fight-or-flight instincts overtook my left arm which shot in front of me as fast and as hard as my neuromuscular system could permit. My hand, ninja-ed Bruce Lee-style directly into the middle of Hipster's chest, stopping her so that my hoohah was mere inches away from a black rubber death.

I've had several other incidents with sidewalk bikers, most of them on campus, and most of them on crowded sidewalks. I've never been able to figure this one out: why must we ride our bikes on such sidewalks, making it impossible to move two-wheeled vehicles any faster than a walk's pace anyway? I'm also that subscribes to the notion that if you're walking on the sidewalk, the same rules apply to you that apply to cars on the road. We walk on the right and pass on the left. And we certainly don't walk in the left lane when there is oncoming traffic. All these rules go to shit with pedestrians, and even more so when you throw a bike or two in there. It's not a good sign that my first instinct is to shoot my left elbow out anytime a sidewalk Contador goes flying by me. There have also been numerous times when I've seriously contemplated the Big Daddy stick-though-the-spokes trick. Let's get it together: bikes and all other "cars" belong IN! THE! STREET!

Whew. I feel better now. Okay, onto superfood: ginger. It's an ugly little root, but this knobby herb is a powerful anti-inflammatory which is something everyone can get pumped about. Me and my porcelain digestive system love it because it combats nausea and indigestion in about every sense of the word, including acid indigestion and gas. When I feel like someone's blown a balloon up in my gut, I juice some lemon and ginger root and throw it on some ice with some water and it does WURK. It is also suggested that this guy helps relieve motion sickness and promotes general digestion. Recent studies have shown that ginger root directly affects the muscle tissue in the digestive tract, preventing abnormally strong and fast abdominal cramping. Hello, ladies: have some ginger tea during your "special time" and see what it does for you. Aside from digestive inflammation, ginger has been shown to relieve symptoms of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, and new developments in the study of diabetes in animals shows that ginger may help to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Even studies of ginger root and the suppression of cancer cells are of recent interest, though these studies are very preliminary. Basically, the moral of the story is that this root is a baller.

How do I eat it? Frankly, I dump ground ginger into anything that makes sense. Juices, smoothies, stir-fry, oatmeal, and baked goods, but Snickerdoodle Alo Bites are a simple, easy favorite. (Also pictured are the blueberry pie variation.)

 
Snickerdoodle Alo Bites

Ingredients:
1/2 cup medjool dates
2/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax)
1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Pit the pits from the dates and add them, along with the coconut, and coconut oil to food processor and process until dates and coconut are finely chopped. Be sure not to process too long; your mixture will turn to paste and wind up in one big ball of dough spinning along the inside of the processor bowl. The mixture should have a "meal-ly" consistency. Transfer the date-coconut meal to a bowl, add vanilla, and set aside. Process the cashews and chia seeds to the consistency of a fine meal. Again, avoid over-processing, as the cashews will turn to butter. Add the salt, ginger, and cinnamon to the cashew-chia meal and pulse a few times to combine.  Knead the cashew-chia meal into the date-coconut meal with ever-so-slightly dampened hands (this will prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.) Add in chocolate (or white chocolate!) chips if desired. Roll into balls and store in the fridge.

Why does "fridge" have a "d" but "refrigerator" doesn't? Oh, and what's up with the goofy name? I'm currently slacking on some statistics, so we'll have to leave that for later.

Priorities, perspective.

Sundays are habitually a day of reflection for me, a hybrid of the diminuendo of the preceding week and the crescendo into Monday and the warp speed of the week. I do a lot of talking to myself on Sundays. Literally, I will have a conversation with myself. Out loud. I'm not sure what it is about the thinking process that is enhanced for me with just spoken word, but no matter the context, problem solving happens for me most efficiently if I explicitly say out loud what it is that I have, where I want to get, and then stumble along various paths until I find the right one.


I've decided that life is just one big balancing act-or perhaps more like a continuous series of balancing acts one after the other separated by little blips that might shuffle the positions of priorities on their totem pole of utility. There are two tricks, then, that we need to be able to identify: the first is actually deciding what our priorities are and which ones are most important. The second is then teeter-tottering appropriately given the leaders on the priorities totem pole. The second is tough, but nearly impossible if you can't explicitly identify what is truly important to you. The more I ponder this, the more I realize that many people are trying to do just that: run the balancing act without the proper weights installed on either end.


We, as people, are so aware of so many things, including the other people around us and those that are far away from us no matter what distance metric you use. We're aware enough of the moon and its properties, which is over 238,000 miles away, that serious consideration of colonizing it has been tossed around. Why, then, is awareness of ourselves so elusive? So elusive, in fact, that the lack of self awareness is not even a second thought to the majority of us? It requires an extra muscle, an extra oomph to shove us into a perspective that lets us see what we're doing in a way that makes us ask why we do what we do and how what we do effects everyone else around us. It requires work, and that I think is the answer to the previous question-why so many of us don't do it.


I've never been an unhealthy eater. I've always been into the idea of taking care of myself above the average maintenance standards that most would agree are "normal." However, it wasn't until becoming a mostly-vegan and a 90-100 mile/week girl that I became immensely aware of my eating habits and how I made food decisions on a day-to-day basis. I am certainly not perfect, nor do I expect to be, but each day I feel like I get better and better at being completely aware of what I'm putting into my body and why. Most people would say that running 100 miles in a week is grounds for being a garbage disposal-any and every food is fair game. The reality is precisely the opposite: my body undergoes far more stress than the typical person, making it even more important  that I flood this thing with as much nutritional value as I can given the amount of food I can comfortably take in on a daily basis. 


Running is a funny thing. Some days, running dropkicks my appetite into full gear, but if the exercise bout is intense enough, it really does a lovely job of pissing on all my desires to ingest solid food. The idea of choking down a bowl of oats with nut butter and fruit is enough to make me dry heave immediately (or even an hour after) some of the mid-September 20 mile marathon work days. It's then that you have to plan: I can (have to) stomach liquid. What can I get in that can be liquid form? Later in the day, I have to ask what did I not get in earlier that I need to have now?  I stumbled on this article on http://www.seriouseats.com. A meat-eating manly man takes a "30-day vegan challenge" and kept a daily journal about his experience. It was clear from his writing that he very much intended to go back to his burger-and-wing lifestyle after the challenge and that the challenge wasn't going to do any magical transformation and veggie enlightenment. However, I found great pleasure in reading this statement he makes on day 6 of the challenge:

"Veganism has forced me to be constantly aware of what goes into my mouth and this has consequently resulted in a big decrease in calories that I consume and an increase in the regularity of my meals."

I don't believe veganism is for everyone. If you're cool with eating hormone-free chicken, then by all means, nomnom on some of that.  I'm completely cool with eating some forms of seafood. But I will say that it unquestionably benefits everyone to be aware of what you're eating, when you're eating it and why. The relationships that people develop with food are extremely interesting to me. From a biological point of view, food is simply the fuel we put into our bodies to live. Ben Franklin was the one who said "eat to live, not live to eat."  Most people don't have an emotional attachment to the unleaded that they throw in their car. I also don't think that one should sacrifice flavor, taste, and the occasional indulgence for optimal nutrition. It all goes back to balance and moderation-that annoying teeter-totter. 


I don't have time to cook is something I hear all the time, and I'm here to tell you that you don't have to spend tons of time on a meal for it to rock your tastebuds and be good for you. I'm constantly eating on the move; I'm a grazer and eat fairly constantly all day long rather than eating separate, designated meals. Cue breakfast on the go:




 Red Velvet Cake Smoothie, v2.0


Ingredients


1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 swiss chard leaf (or your favorite green)
1/4 cup roasted beet puree
1/4 summer squash
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp coffee grounds
3 oz. silken tofu (I just used 1/5 of the package)
pinch of sea salt
tsp vanilla extract


Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.






One of my favorite snacks doesn't require a recipe, but it's genius:

PB&J Boats


Ingredients


1 medjool date
1 tbsp peanut butter


Cut the medjool date like a hotdog bun; remove the pit. Stuff with peanut butter. Inhale. Repeat.









I like to eat a reasonable combo of carbs and protein post-workouts. No, I do not bring my food scale and make sure I'm eating a ratio of 4:3. If I'm in a reasonable neighborhood of that ratio, I'll chalk it up as a win. These dudes taste so good, I feel kinda like a rebel eating them right after I've stepped off the track:

White Chocolate Pistachio Protein Bars
Inspired by Chocolawtay


Ingredients


For the shortbread layer:
1 cup GF oat flour
1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder*
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (or just more vanilla)
2 tbsp stevia powder





For the pistachio layer:
1 cup pistachio butter* (no salt, no sugar added)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
2 medjool dates
3 scoops vanilla protein powder*
pinch sea salt


For the white chocolate layer:
2 tbsp almond butter
4 oz. white chocolate
tsp honey


1 scoop = 30g


Line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment or wax paper.


For the shortbread: combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. The consistency will become that of stiff dough. Press the dough into pan and place in freezer to set while you prepare the second layer.


For the pistachio butter layer: to prepare the pistachio butter, place 1 cup of roasted pistachios in food processor and process until butter has formed. Since the oil content of pistachios is lower than that of most nuts, this may take a while and you may have to stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. If necessary, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to help develop butter. Once the pistachio butter is prepared, add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and combine. This dough will be looser than the shortbread layer. Press the dough onto the shortbread and place in freezer to set.


For the white chocolate layer: place all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second increments until the chocolate is melted and ingredients are combined. Spread onto the chilled bars. Work quickly, as the chocolate sets fast on the cold surface. Refrigerate until the chocolate has just barely hardened and remove and slice the bars. Store in refrigerator and remove ten minutes before noshing to soften. 

Cinnamon Cookie Batter Pancakes

I love pancakes. The Tuna has this weird notion that pancakes are only good for a few bites. I, however, am capable of embarassing myself at the all-you-can-eat pancake special by eating more than a primate. Well, that, my dear reader, was before my cleanse! Since, my cleanse, I haven't been eating dairy, eggs or gluten. All things found in pancakes. Sigh. But wait, this forces me to be creative. And what have I discovered? Pancakes that taste like cookie/brownie.insert-other-baked-good-here BATTER! What's the secret? Beans! Here's how to make your own Cinnamon Cookie Batter Pancakes with Maple Almond topping.

Ingredients:
1 T coconut oil (or other oil) for the pan
1/2 cup beans. Recommend black or great northern/cannellini
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 flax egg (1 T ground flax +2 T boiling water. Let it sit 2-3 minutes)
1/4 t vanilla
1 T coconut sugar (or any sweetener you have)
2 T almond meal
3 T buckwheat flour
1 T buckwheat groats, or something else crunchy (flaked coconut, almonds)
1 T baking powder
1 T cinnamon

2 T almond butter
1 T non-dairy milk
1 t maple syrup

First, make your flax egg and set it aside. Put your pan or griddle on medium heat with the 1 T oil. Then combine your beans and milk. I recommend doing this in a food processor or blender. Or you could mash the beans to smithereens first, then add the milk. Transfer to a mixing bowl, if you're not already there. Add vanilla, sugar and flax egg and combine by hand. With a spoon. Add almond meal, flour, groats, baking powder and cinnamon and combine by hand until smooth. Pour onto hot pan/griddle by the 1/2 cup. Cook each side 2-3 minutes.

While your cakes are filling the air with the aroma of a Cinna-bun stand, combine almond butter, milk and syrup in a small microwave safe bowl to make the maple almond topping. Microwave 10 seconds. Stir. Microwave 10 seconds. Stir again. If needed, microwave 10 more seconds and stir again.

Plate your cakes and drizzle with maple almond topping. Add a banana if you want to be like me.

My plate about 3 minutes later:

Gluten free eating has also resulted in an obsession with buckwheat. But more on that another time.

Wicked Wednesday

Robin Hood, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. The Boondock Saints. Batman. Walker, Texas Ranger. Kicking ass and taking names-but only of the assholes of the hour.

I've long had a fantasy of getting in a movie reel-worthy bar brawl. And no, nothing like what would happen if you cut in line for the ladies room at Brothers or any other turd-magnet establishment. I'm talking some Ed Hardy gelled-up meathead is disrespecting his small, pretty, quiet date and somebody's gotta do somethin' bout it. With their fist. I want that to be me.

Not the ideal story to set up for a superhero alter ego, I get it. It puts one at risk for sounding something like Whitetrash Woman rather than Wonder Woman. Or a Housewife of New Jersey. Regardless, each week on Wicked Wednesday, I'll take some time to highlight the Villain of the Week: those who need the ass-kicking that can only be dealt by a badass do-gooder.

This week: driver turning right at stop signs who rolls right on through, only looking left and not right.

I'll tell you why I hate this guy: because just as he's pulling right, I'm trying to run by, and he never sees me coming. I'm usually running at the butt crack of dawn, so I'm dragging-ass-tired, or I'm recovering from some insano workout prescribed by Coach, so I'm dragging-ass-tired. Then, I must break the rhythm that I had likely worked so hard to establish, and then find myself in the world of lead legs again. This usually results in me screaming something like "are you REALLY NOT LOOKING AT ME?!?!" in a gradual crescendo so that he might perhaps hear the last couple words and poop his/her pants in fright. Sometimes, fear is not evoked because they're not only driving but also entertaining multiple other stimuli at the same time, so I end up getting something more like this:

Or alternatively, if I'm particularly razzed (because I'm extra tired, or hungry, or both), I'll smack the side of their vehicle as hard as I can and hope that he/she fears they've run over something. There are certain neighborhoods where I do not utilize this form of notification of their crap driving.

Okay, now that the villain has been established, we need to talk superhero. Superheroes, much like runners, need a finely-tuned engine. You want a performance vehicle? You bet your ass your Maserati isn't running on unleaded. Bodies work the same way. You wanna ask a lot of it? You gotta put good gas in it. Cue lights: superfood. Superfood is a trendy term that's been popular among foodies and fitness freaks alike for foods that are....well, better than average, at the very least. These are foods that have a big nutritional bang. Part of me wants to know the exact standards or cutoffs a food has to meet before going from a normal healthy choice to a superfood.

Superfood of the week: rainbow swiss chard. Think of this guy as the funfetti icing of the leafy greens section. I'll admit it; until last week, I was a swiss chard virgin. Then I made this soup, and I was sold. It has a sturdy, hearty flavor that I found surprisingly tasty. And forget the gatorade; chard (and veggies in general) are loaded with electrolytes including potassium. A half cup serving of chard has almost as much as a banana. As with other leafy greens, it packs a powerful vitamin C, K, and E punch, and of course that fiber to keep ya regular. I knew you were worried. Runners (especially non-meat eaters) will like it's iron content.

Don't particularly love leafy greens? Don't worry. I'll admit, the leafy ones are my least favorite of the vegetables. We can work our way around that: the green monsta.

I know what you're thinking. It looks like baby puke. Fine, maybe it does, but it tastes like a vanilla blueberry milkshake. Don't be a wuss. Put on your superhero pants and drink it.

Chard Green Monsta


Ingredients


One whole swiss chard leaf, stem included
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup summer squash, chopped
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 - 1 cup almond milk
ice, as needed
stevia, to taste
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. (I let mine go for nearly 5 minutes. No way was I chomping on pieces of chard in my vanilla milkshake.)

Grain-free coconut oatmeal

Coconut oatmeal. My first encounter with this concept was in Chicago, IL during the Chicago Marathon Weekend. The Tuna (my husband, henceforth referred to as Tuna or the Tuna) and I were on the quest for breakfast on Saturday, the day before the race. We wondered into e. leaven. The first thing I saw on the menu board was coconut oatmeal. I wanted, with every fiber of my being, to try it! But, rule #1 of pre-race meals. Nothing new. So, on the day before what felt like the biggest race of my life, OTQ attempt #1, I stuck with french toast. The last thing I needed was GI distress in addition to leaden legs.

It's more than three months later, and I cannot get the coconut oatmeal concept out of my head! Week 1 of my cleanse in the dead of winter left me wanting something warm for a weekend breakfast. I had the house to myself since the gym doesn't open until 10 on Sundays and the Tuna was out enjoying his run. Coconut oatmeal. Two methods, one result. Crave this.

Method 1- Risotto Style Weekender, Stove Top Version

Ingredients:
3/4 c. coconut- shredded or use the flaked stuff and grind it up in the food processors, almonds, flax seeds, chia seeds. Make it add up to 3/4 of a cup, but coconut should be the star.
2 TBSP pumpkin- because it doesn't get much better than vegetables in your breakfast
1 1/2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2-3 tsp date sugar or other sweetener as needed.
1/2 chopped apple
Cinnamon to taste. I recommend 1 tsp, but I love cinnamon.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine ground/shredded nuts and seeds, pumpkin, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir often until liquid is absorbed. Add another 2 TBSP of milk, stir until absorbed. Add another 2 TBSP, stir until absorbed. I know you're thinking, "yaaaaaaawn." But truly, I watched the "oatmeal" thicken, soften and multiply before my eyes. You should continue to add milk until you are 1) satisfied with the texture (hard vs. soft) or 2) out of milk. Add in the sweetener, apple and cinnamon and stir until combined.

This makes 2 servings for a cleansing, cross training gal. Or probably 1 serving with other snacks after a Sunday long run.

My first attempt at coconut oatmeal was so insanely addicting, I had to come up with a quicker method for the weekday morning.

Method 2- Break the Fast FAST, Microwave Version

Ingredients:

3/4 c. coconut- shredded or use the flaked stuff and grind it up in the food processors, almonds, flax seeds, chia seeds. Make it add up to 3/4 of a cup, but coconut should be the star.
2 TBSP pumpkin- because it doesn't get much better than vegetables in your breakfast
1 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2-3 tsp date sugar or other sweetener as needed.
1/2 chopped apple
Cinnamon to taste. I recommend 1 tsp, but I love cinnamon.


The night before:
Combine all ingredients in a small microwaveable bowl with lid.

In the foggy eyed AM:
Place bowl in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave one more minute.

The results are the same. Happy, delicious, filling, healthy meal.

AND the bowl cleans up so much easier than oatmeal made of pssssh, oats.

Red Velvet for Iceman, Chococado for me.

First post. I must say, I was a little overwhelmed. First impressions are very important, and I've thought extensively about how to make this post just perfect. It has to pull the readers in and give a sense of who you really are, what you stand for and why. You need to be funny. But not lame funny. Or too funny! But don't be too methodical and logical. Don't be dull. Don't curse too much! Make sure you appear informed and knowledgable...dear lord.

I just finished up a cleanse. I will do these periodically (I will shoot for 4 times annually) just for digestive "maintenance" if you will. Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Aside from a small handful of people, I'm sure you're thinking something along the lines of hippie or weirdo or...well, probably a whole slew of  things far worse than that. I'll go ahead and be up front: I have the mouth of a sailor, and I don't really give a sh!* what you think. I know that I've spent an extensive amount of time thinking about my body, why it behaves in ways that I don't like, and what I can do to fix it.

I don't know anyone else that's spent as much time pondering the subject, and I know that I've figured a lot of things out and am doing a lot of things that works for me. I'm not a medical doctor; I'm a statistician. I have done a ridiculous amount of reading from various sources, and I know how to problem solve, but I've never taken a single nutrition class. A bit about me: I'm horribly curious. I ask tons of questions. I get almost as many answers. Repeated empirical evidence, though not proof, is pretty much enough to convince me that these "cleanses" (which might be mistaken for torture by some) work. In fact, this week is the most normal my digestive system has felt in a long long time. To top it off, I had settled on a full 72-hour cleanse, and since I have been feeling so good, I have just finished day 5 following the rules save the two half cups of cold-brewed coffee split between yesterday and today, a handful of strawberries, and a cashew cookie Larabar.

And truthfully, I don't feel too deprived. I do miss texture; all my meals have either been juiced or pureed. And everything has been raw, and while I'm down with raw food, sometimes I just wanna roast those veggies. I thought I'd share a "recipe" with you that makes me believe that I could keep up this cleanse (almost) indefinitely. I had dessert tonight. Yeah. For real. Skinny vegan girl eats dessert. Believe it. Every night. Tonight: behold the chococado frosty with sea salt.

Like a Wendy's frosty in a bowl. And the sea salt. I know, you're doubting me. But stop it. I know what I'm doing. Just try it. You'll never eat chocolate without it again. It makes sense. Salty sweet. People dip their fries into their frosties. This is why.

Rich, creamy, almost zero sugar, full of healthy omega-3's, protein, and fiber. And tastes GOOD. Listen, I don't eat s*@! that tastes bad. This is good. My buddy Iceman is cleasing right now and tryin' to quit the horrible white beast we all know as sugar. Don't get me started on sugar. It'll kill you. I'm meeting him in the morning at Highbanks for some easy miles, and I'm bringing him a red velvet cake smoothie. Yeah, liquid cake that adheres to a very restrictive cleanse. Magic. Vegan magic.

Both were good enough to have me tilting the blender pitcher high above my head to suck down the last drop.

Chococado Frosty with sea salt


1 avocado
1/6 package silken tofu (I used organic)
1 - 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Stevia to taste
sea salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth and pour into a shallow container; freeze overnight. After frozen, thaw container so that you're able to break up the mixture and add to food processor or blender. Add almond milk as needed to thin to desired consistency. Top with course sea salt. Eat, lick bowl, be happy.

Red Velvet Smoothie

1/2 avocado

1/4 package silken tofu (I used organic)

1 - 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

tsp butter extract (don't worry, it's vegan!)

2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp beet juice

Stevia to taste

pinch of sea salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Inhale.