Two Kitchens, One Passion

Since school is out, I really thought I would more time to update our blog this week, but who knew getting ready for a wedding could keep you so busy! ;)  One week from today Dan and I will be on Orcas Island getting ready to say our vows. For those of you doing a nutrition challenge this month, these recipes are for you!  The first recipe is for a mixed nut butter that seriously tastes like candy, but it's not sweetened at all!  If you're missing peanut butter right about now, try it out. Snickerdoodle Nut Butter Yield: ~1-16 oz. jar (plus a little extra) Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, vegan, Paleo Ingredients 1 cup raw cashews 2 cups blanched hazelnuts 1 cup raw almonds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Dash of sea salt Directions Place the nuts in your food processor and begin to process.  Stop every 2-3 minutes, or as needed, to scrape down the sides of your food processor.  *Note, this will ...

Guacamole? Yes please! Bacon? Of course! Buffalo sauce? Always! Plantains? My new obsession! The result: An Amazing and Addicting Grilled Guac Sandwich! Since going Paleo two years ago, I have never really had any cravings for carbs like pasta or bread, but this plantain bread left me wanting sandwiches for days after making it!  This is the best paleo sandwich bread I have made: it has a very similar taste and texture to real bread.  Any other gluten free breads I have tried tend to crumble and fall apart, but the plantain bread held loads of creamy guacamole without being a mess to eat! I also created an amazing guacamole to add to this grilled sandwich: Buffalo Chicken Guacamole.  I love buffalo sauce and I love guacamole, so I figured together they'd be a perfect match.  And they were!  This guac would taste delicious as a dip for sweet potato chips too. Grilled Guac Sandwich Yield: 2 sandwiches Gluten free, dairy free, egg...

This dish really made me realize how versatile plantains are.  I have used them a few times before, but this recipe is by far my favorite way to cook them as a savory dish.  Plantains are a great Paleo substitute for your normal grain-based starches/carbohydrates and are pleasantly filling. Plantains may look similar to bananas and come from the same family, but there are important nutritional differences between the two.  Plantains are a good source of fiber and contain more Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and potassium than regular bananas.  They also provide decent levels of iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.  Green plantains have a much lower sugar content than bananas as well.   Green plantains are also a source of resistant starch.  I have recently done some reading about resistant starches and the benefits they have for your gut health.  Resistant starches are not absorbed by the small intestine, but instead help "feed" the good bacteria in you...

These pictures are really proof of how long it's been since I had updated things on here..Back at the beginning of February I did a competition in Philadelphia, called the Philadelphia Winter Warmer, which I had done last year as well.  Although I did not do quite as well as I would have liked, it at least let me know where my weaknesses still are.  And competing is always fun!

Well, the weather in Maryland today is dreary and rainy.  But, everyone loves to stay at home and bake on days like this right? :) I made all of these muffins a while ago for a staff breakfast, and they all got eaten up.  They were so tasty no one even knew they didn't have real sugar in them!  When I baked these, I halved each recipe so that I could bring a variety in as my contribution for breakfast, so I am estimating that the full recipe would actually double the number of muffins I got. Pick your favorite kind of muffin, bake, and enjoy! Pumpkin Spice Muffins Yield: 12 muffins Ingredients 6 eggs 2/3 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup coconut flour 3 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Pinch sea salt 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted Instructions 1) Preheat oven to 350°F. 2) In a food processor or blender, add ...

WE WANT BACON!!! Notice any similarities with the picture above?  ;) The reason I am calling these cookies "infamous" is because every time I bring them to a party, they get devoured and I have at least one person ask for the recipe.  If you like cookies and bacon, then you will love these.  You can make these two different ways, depending on how much you care about being strictly Paleo or on how much you like chocolate.  My personal favorite is the the original recipe with raisins, but using "Paleo"ish chocolate chips is also very tasty!

Are you thinking about having Taco Night sometime soon??  If you are, then I highly  recommend trying out these tortillas/soft taco shells.  I was amazed at how well they held together the first time I made them, and I have continued to make them anytime I want a bread substitute.  I have used them for beef tacos, BBQ pulled pork tacos, and I want to try make a sunflower seed butter & honey wrap with them as well.  :) I must give credit to  Fast Paleo  for providing this amazing recipe.  If you have never visited their website, I suggest checking it out.  They have a very large collection of Paleo recipes. *Note: If you have a nut allergy, you can substitute the almond flour with coconut flour by making the adjustments noted below.  I have made them both ways, and they turn out great either way.  I have also doubled this recipe to make 10 tortillas for a group of us. Paleo Tortillas Yield: ~5 tortillas or 2 servings ...

I know that I have not made any new posts on here in a while. but it is Spring Break for me so I will do as much as I can over the next week! Reasons I have neglected posting: 1) Being a teacher definitely keeps you busy!  If I'm doing work on the computer at home, it's usually planning lessons or entering grades. 2) Less than 3 months until Dan and I are getting married!!!!  I think this reason is my best excuse :) To start things off with a great money-saving recipe, I am going to share my recipe for sunflower seed butter.  You can use this as a substitute for any recipe that calls for peanut butter, and it tastes great as on its own if you want to sneak a spoonful every once in while. Here are three other ways to enjoy this sunflower butter: 1) Spooned on a banana as part of breakfast. 2) Mixed in with frozen bananas for some "peanut butter" banana "ice cream." 3) As part of a sauce: I added a recipe below that I used as a topping for roasted e...

Even though our Whole30 officially ended yesterday, we have still started today out completely Whole30 compliant! Neither of us have any cravings for foods that have been off limits for the past month and are feeling great, so why change? Now don't get me wrong, we will still have some days with a few exceptions, like tomorrow while watching the Super Bowl, but we intend to make eating by Whole30 guidelines the norm, and are going to keep dairy and gluten out of our diets completely. The last two days of our Whole30 were busy for both of us with work and training, so meals were relatively simple and we actually barely even thought about the fact that 30 days were up.

Another double run Wednesday, the last one during Whole30! Unfortunately the weather this week has continued to be pretty cold and windy, so the first run of the day ended up on the treadmill. Until last Friday, I hadn't run on a treadmill in a long time. I went to the gym at SMU and had my first run on a Woodway treadmill - completely different experience than the typical gym treadmill! I'll still prefer being outside, but at least I know I have another option that I can enjoy on days when the weather is not cooperating.

After a gorgeous 70+ degree day on Sunday, days 26 and 27 have been a shock to the system. Highs in the 30's and lows in the teens (windchill in the single digits) - bipolar Texas weather strikes again! Note: we will be back to 70 by Friday, how is anyone supposed to get used to the temperature here?! This week we have been working on getting back to getting to bed super early and getting up early. We transitioned to this schedule after we did Whole30 last year, but fell off a bit when things got busy around our wedding time. With the improved sleep quality and energy level, we found that going to bed around 9 pm and getting up at 5 am was the most efficient for us from a time standpoint to balance our busy day-to-day schedules. We've been successful for the past two days, now just to stick with it and make it a habit. 

With our road trip and long weekend workouts I missed a day of blogging, so here's day 24 and 25! As I mentioned in my last post, we brought along quiche and an avocado to have for breakfast at the hotel. Having a fridge and microwave in the room while traveling makes this a lot easier. However, in order to get lunch at a good time so we were ready for our workouts when we got home we would have to get lunch on the road. While Andy was driving, I used my phone to search for places to eat that might have some Whole30 compatible options. I ended up finding a breakfast/lunch spot in Ardmore, Oklahoma called Jimmy's Egg. If all else fails when eating on the road, eggs and veggies are simple and easy to find. We ended up being able to get a burger paired with a side salad, and a dry baked potato. The restaurant doesn't have baked potatoes on the menu, but since they serve home fries we figured we would give it a shot and ask. If you want to be sure that you are compliant with o...

My husband Andy is a former wrestler, and since there is not a college with a team anywhere around us he hasn't gotten to watch a match in a long time. Since it's only about a 4 hour drive away, we took the opportunity to drive up to Oklahoma State University to watch a match. Not only is the team ranked #5 this year, but they arguably have the most storied program in NCAA wrestling history. We had a great time watching and stayed up in Stillwater overnight before driving back to Dallas. This meant having to plan our food carefully, being on the Whole30 while on the road isn't easy. I looked up the nearest Chipotle for us so we could easily get dinner, and we packed our own breakfast of quiche and avocado to bring along with us for the next morning. 

My body is feeling like it's fully adapted to Whole30 foods and is also adapting to the increase in intensity in my training plan, yay! The last two weeks I had felt a bit sore and sluggish following my double run on Wednesday, but this time I felt fine the next day and got right up and hammered out my bike workout, a great start to day 22.  

Another double run Wednesday meant I got to see both sunrise and sunset while running at White Rock Lake! After running in 72 degree weather on Sunday, the first run while it was 27 degrees was a bit of a shock to the system.  Mornings runs are so peaceful though and a great way to get ready to tackle another day at work. That and people who exercise in the morning seem much happier based on my extremely scientific study of the percentage of strangers out running who say "hi" or "good morning," or even smile and acknowledge your presence compared to the percentage of those running later in the day :p

For the past couple of weeks we have both been starving by 11 am, so we were thinking of ways to alter our breakfast to hold us over for a bit longer. The quiche we were making along with half an avocado was not quite enough to make it through the morning. Andy had the idea to try and add ground turkey to our quiche recipe, and on day 20 I was satisfied enough to hold off having lunch until 1 pm - success!

70 degrees in January means I wanted to spend as little time inside on day 19 as possible! Good for my mood, bad for the amount of food prep left at the end of the day. Since Monday was a day off of work, we pushed our normal weekly food prep from Sunday to Monday. So this meant major multitasking in the kitchen while trying not to burn anything. Made it through food prep and prepared a delicious dinner though, so it was worth it!

Day 18 was a Sunday, so that meant another long run. The weather was 65 degrees and sunny, so it was an absolutely perfect day for running. To be able to take advantage of the nice weather, we got up and ate a good breakfast, then did some work at home while waiting for our food to settle and for the temperature to go up.  Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and sides of sweet potato hash and bacon (I was able to find bacon at our grocery store that did not have any sugar added). For the eggs we sauteed the peppers, onions, and mushrooms in coconut oil, then added 6 eggs. To speed up the sweet potato hash, we microwaved the sweet potatoes until they were beginning to soften, then cut them into cubes and cooked them in coconut oil until they were browning. We microwaved our sweet potatoes a little longer than we should have, so they were a bit difficult to cut, but they still tasted delicious!

The last few Saturdays we did all of our life and work tasks first, and then did our long bike ride at the end of the day. We started day 17 with the goal to reverse this order, since last Saturday I wasn't done biking until 9 pm. Breakfast and coffee were the first priority after getting up, followed by prepping our long ride nutrition. Fortunately we are starting to figure out what works best for us for energy during out long workouts, and can get it prepared a bit quicker than we used to. Another motivating factor to get the bike ride done first was that the second day of the SMU swim classic was today, so I would get to watch Michigan Swimming one more time! 

Since I didn't succeed at my bike test on day 15, that meant I would be starting day 16 with some extra fun....The basic idea of the bike test is to go as hard as you can for 20 minutes, and by hard I mean I usually keep a trash can nearby, just in case. I got up early to get some food and coffee into me before testing. The little bit of rest and the extra carbohydrate intake at dinner must have made a difference, because my legs felt infinitely better today than they did yesterday and the test went well. With the bike out of the way I was looking forward to the end of the day, getting to watch #1 ranked Michigan men's swimming compete at an invitational at SMU! (#3 Florida, #6 USC, and #8 Louisville are there too) 

Thursday was Whole30 day 15, halfway there! Everything has been going so smoothly though that I'm not desperate for day 30 to arrive. The only thing I'm looking forward to is being able to go out to eat every once in awhile, or pick up something quick for convenience, without having to spend lots of time making sure food is compliant. I'm planning on sticking to Whole30 compliant meals 95% of the time, but that 5% of flexibility will make life easier.  Day 15 was going to be a bike test day for me, but my legs had other plans. After getting on the bike and going through most of my warm up I realized my legs were just not going to fire.  My legs felt like limp noodles and I just couldn't muster up the energy to turn the pedals with any kind of power. My guess was that I didn't have enough carbohydrate on day 14, which included two runs. I try to eat sweet potatoes on a regular basis with the amount I train, but this made me realize I need to be extra conscientio...

Day 14 was double run Wednesday! I made sure I was well prepared with food and pre/post run snacks and hydration to make sure I wasn't depleted going into Thursday's power test on the bike. Wednesday is also one of my longest/busiest days at work, so I needed to be prepared. On a side note, I received the one gallon container of coconut oil that I ordered from  Tropical Traditions . They are having a sale that ends today - all gallon and larger containers of coconut oil 50% off. Now I won't need to buy coconut oil for a long time :) Breakfast: Piece of quiche (shredded rutabaga, shredded sweet potato, mushroom, kale, egg), half and avocado, cup of coffee. Pre-run #1 (mid-morning): In order to have some pre-run nutrition, I made up a recipe for energy bites on Tuesday and mixed up a batch.

As with most of the mornings the past two weeks I struggled to get up today when my alarm went off. Once I was up my energy was good for the rest of the day, it just took a bit for me to fully wake up. Started the day with a cup of coffee before an easy hour on the bike trainer.  Breakfast: A piece of quiche (sweet potato shreds, rutabaga shreds, mushroom, kale, and egg) and half an avocado, both topped with salsa. And another cup of coffee :) Lunch: After mixing it up with chili for lunch yesterday I was back to my typical lunch of vegetables, an orange, half a grilled chicken breast, and half a sweet potato with coconut oil and hot sauce. It may not sound very exciting, but it is delicious, well balanced, and I don't ever get tired of it.  Post-swim: After work Andy and I went to the pool for a swim. When we got home, Andy got creative and came up with a Whole30 sports beverage. The key lime juice adds potassium, and the sea salt adds sodium. You can also add...

Well after looking at yesterday's weather I understand why I felt like I was having to work hard to run downhill on occasion, and why I was a bit tired this morning. Sustained winds of 32 mph with gusts to 51 mph make a long run interesting, even if the temperature is great! As opposed to Saturday and Sunday, I wasn't ready to jump out of bed right away, so I took the opportunity to get a few more minutes of sleep. We didn't have the chance to make a quiche over the weekend, so after we finally got up we made a quick breakfast from scratch. 

Day 11 was another 70 degree day of Dallas and another day of having lots of energy, I'll take it! Started the day with a great breakfast, followed by the weekly trip to the grocery store. In case you were wondering, this is what it takes to feed two athletes training for an Ironman each week.....

Finally woke up with a ton of energy! And another bonus was sleeping in and not waking up with a caffeine headache like I usually do anytime I sleep past 7 am. We have been consuming coffee in moderation, as it is allowed on the Whole30 as long as you don't go overboard. Even with the drinking coffee daily, it seems as if my body is no longer dependent upon the hit of caffeine to wake up in the morning. Another great part of day 10 was 70 degree weather in Texas. I have a love hate relationship with Dallas sometimes, as I am not much of a city girl, and the heat becomes oppressive in the summer. Right now though, this relationship is definitely in a love stage.  

Day 9 brought a full day of energy, one of my favorite meals, and two great workouts, score! Even though it was another grey and rainy day in Texas, once I was up and going I felt pretty good for the entire day. I'm still struggling a bit with waking up in the morning as soon as my alarm goes off, but it's getting easier by the day. Friday mornings are usually a bit less hectic and pressed for time than the rest of the week, so we were able to make breakfast from scratch, rather than the make-ahead quiche we use most days of the week. Breakfast:  a skillet meal with shredded sweet potato, shredded rutabaga, kale, broccoli, and mushrooms sauteed in olive oil until vegetables were soft and sweet potato/rutabaga started to brown. After the vegetables were cooked, we scrambled 6 eggs (for serving 2 people) and poured them on top, flipping and stirring the mixture until the eggs were cooked. For some extra flavor, you can add hot sauce or salsa on top. And as always, served ...

Started day 8 with a terrible headache - I blame the bipolar weather swings we have been experiencing in Texas lately. I also haven't been sleeping very well, but I remember this happening at the beginning of my first Whole30 as well, so I'm hopeful that will change within the next week. The first time around it was about two weeks of poor sleep, followed by sleeping better than I ever have.  After waking up with a headache, I quickly got the coffee brewing and drank a bunch of water, hoping the headache could have been due to dehydration.  Breakfast: lots of water, cup of coffee, broccoli and mushroom omelet, side of sauteed spinach and kale. For the omelet: steamed the broccoli and mushrooms in a microwave veggie steamer. Scrambled three eggs and cooked in an omelet pan on the stove. Added the vegetables and folded the egg pancake in half. Topped with salsa - Pace brand has a few salsas that comply with Whole30 guidelines.  For the sweet potatoes: Sau...

Day 7 and I felt like I had the energy to get out of bed in the morning, then looked out the window and wanted to crawl right back in. It was cold, raining, and gloomy all day, perfect weather for a double run day...

The Whole30 day to day timeline describes days 6 and 7 as "I just want a nap," and this is exactly how I felt today. For me the wanting a nap phase was days 5 and 6, most accurately described as tiredness with a side of cranky. The crankiness may also be due to the struggle to get motivated at work after the holidays, but nonetheless cranky and tired are not a fun combination. Since tiredness started a day early for me, hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow and skip to the predicted "boundless energy" phase.  Breakfast: piece of the same quiche as yesterday, half an avocado, cup of coffee.  Post-swim: piece of a homemade energy bar. This recipe is similar to the Sweet Potato and Egg Muffins but is made even easier by baking in a pan rather than having to scoop into individual muffin cups.

Today's post is short, since day 5 ended up being full of leftovers for meals. It was also the first Monday back at work since before the holidays, I was a much bigger fan of the two day work week of last week.  Breakfast: Piece of quiche (shredded rutabaga, shredded sweet potato, kale, mushroom, and egg), half an avocado, and a cup of liquid gold, aka coffee Lunch: Vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots), half a chicken breast, half a sweet potato with olive oil and hot sauce Pre-workout snack: handful of mixed nuts and raisins Dinner: Leftover spaghetti squash "pasta," see post from day 4 .  Summary of day 5: Felt good most of the day until I came home early from work and laid down for what I thought was going to be a 15 minute nap....it ended up being an hour long nap, oops. Apparently I'm still adjusting and my body needed the extra rest!

Day 4 and the energy rollercoaster from the first three days is gone! No wave of tiredness midmorning and afternoon, an no headaches. I didn't feel extremely energized yet, but it was nice to be on a more even keel and headache free. Today's challenge was to come up with a nutrition strategy for a long run.  The run was only 1 hour and 40 minutes, which I can make it through without taking any extra energy source with me, but practicing race nutrition more often during training last year made a big difference in how my stomach acted on race day. Plus, I have been enjoying experimenting in the kitchen, it's like having a lab at home!

Day 3 was a fun and challenging day for a few reasons - I went into work for a few hours for day two of the top speed test that I wrote about yesterday (these tests are fun, so it didn't feel like work on a Saturday!), and it was also the first long workout day on this Whole30 cycle. Normally I use standard sports nutrition, mostly Powerbar gels, when I do my longer workouts.  For today's long bike ride, I had to get a little more creative.... I started the day with another piece of breakfast quiche, half an avocado, and since I knew I would be having a late lunch I also added in some sweet potato hash. To make the hash, I simply threw sweet potato shreds, collard greens, onions, and mushrooms in a skillet with coconut oil and cooked until the vegetables were soft and the sweet potato shreds were beginning to brown.  After getting home from work, I needed to have a quick lunch so that I could get on the bike as soon as possible. We each had a sweet potato with coconut ...

Day two started out with another breakfast quiche and half an avocado with a cup of coffee. Boring and routine I know, but with work plus two a day workouts a pre-prepared breakfast is a huge help for saving time. After a morning swim I also ate one of my sweet potato and egg muffins, plus a banana, and another cup of coffee. Today was a busy day at work - we had an athlete fly in to do a top speed test on our treadmill, so a lunch was also the same as day 1. As a side note, here is what the videos we put together from a sprint test look like:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dohEIe_yyiw . Pretty cool and always makes for a fun day at work! After enjoying an afternoon run, we had a healthy version of bangers and mash for dinner. According to the Whole30 guidelines, white or red potatoes aren't allowed. This is not because of any issues with them, but simply because of the psychological association many people have with these types of potatoes and french fries, potato chips, etc...

One of my goals for this Whole30 is to experiment with pre- and post-workout foods, as well as nutrition to use during long workouts. Especially for longer Ironman training sessions these extra calories are extremely necessary. My first workout food experiment was sweet potato and egg "muffins." Note, these are not an attempt to recreate a muffin, or to make a dessert, they are simply carbohydrate and protein packaged in a form that is quick and easy to take on the go.  Sweet Potato and Egg Muffins Yield: 12 muffins Ingredients 2 large baked sweet potatoes 5 eggs 1 Tablespoon coconut oil Cinnamon to taste (I used ~1 Tablespoon) Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth 3. Place cupcake liners into muffin tins, or grease the tins with coconut oil 4. Spoon the batter into the liners - should make 12, with the batter close to the top of each liner 5. Bake for ~1 hour...

After a busy 10 days of holiday travel and food, I'm definitely ready to get back to basics with food and commit to another Whole30. To prepare, Andy and I prepped a bunch of food on New Years day. We baked 10 sweet potatoes, grilled 10 chicken breasts, made a breakfast quiche, and chopped up a bunch of vegetables for ease of use the rest of the week. Our first Whole30 we struggled at managing time the first two weeks while attempting to create meals with no processed items. Eventually, we figured out that we could make our lives much easier by prepping as much food as possible on our days off from work, a trick that will make this Whole30 much easier than the first! Even though we have food prep worked out, another challenge this time around will be managing caloric intake while deep in Ironman training. Last year when we did Whole30 I was recovering from an injury and my activity was limited to some swimming and physical therapy. Since Andy and I are both training for Ironman Te...

2013 was a great year that began with a Whole30 for the month of January. My husband Andy and I both felt great and for the most part kept eating the same way for the rest of the year. Since my last Ironman in November I've allowed myself to stray a little bit and have some foods in my diet every once in awhile that I had cut out, with the exception of wheat which I have cut out permanently. After this stretch, and the holidays, we decided it's time to do another Whole30 to start the year off right.  Andy will be racing his first marathon and Ironman this year, and I am geared up for my first full season of racing as a professional triathlete, so in addition to training, nutrition will be a big focus. I'll be blogging here daily about our meals and second journey through the Whole30! Have a happy and healthy 2014!