Author: Laura Kump

I'm on a mission to reclaim my health. Life and a high stress job led me to forming many unhealthy habits, leaving me living in fear for my future self. Using a science based plan, I made small changes that have helped me achieve better health and fitness and put me on the path to meet my goals. As a certified health coach, I make healthy living accessible for all by keeping it simple. Many times health can feel overly complicated, but I've found ways to show people that small targeted changes can empower them to live healthier lifestyles. For instance, traffic light eating can totally change your lives. Knowledge is a super power and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Homemade Revisited

As I sit here watching the morning news, I’m reminded of why I prefer to make my food from scratch. This morning there are several recalls of food products. Some are more disturbing than others and should be a reminder as to why it is important to have control over what goes into your food. Apparently, there are golf ball pieces in packages of frozen hash browns, salmonella on chips and what the soup can says is not what was found inside. These issues serve as a stark reminder of why taking back control over our food sources is critical.

I work long hours and totally understand the appeal of purchasing frozen foods for ease of cooking. But when I hear of these types of situations, it increases my commitment to control as much as I can when it comes to my food. Hash browns, for instance, are merely made from potatoes, onions and peppers. Super easy to cook yourself and then freeze for later use. Doing this would avoid the large production plants in which ready made versions come from, in which we wonder this morning about the quality control. What else is in our food that we are totally unaware of!

Recently, I read about someone who found a bat inside a popular salad mix. I would literally die if I opened my bag of salad and found a dead bat! This morning, I’m hoping we all consider what we are buying for convenience that could possibly be replaced, like bagged salads, canned soups and frozen hash browns. All of these items are easy enough to assemble at home to avoid mass production assembly lines.

Here are my suggestions for making this type of change to your food pantry.

Canning Food

Items like soup that come in cans are generally filled with sodium and lord knows what else. Soup is such an easy meal to prepare at home, but not something you might have time for after a long day at work. Luckily soup is an easy to cook ahead store meal. You can purchase glass food storage jars and seal the soup for months in your pantry. Or, you can place it in freezer safe storage containers and store in your freezer. Making a large pot of soup on the weekend is super easy as it’s they kind of meal that can slow cook in the crockpot, or on the stove. Once cooked, you divide the soup into several glass jars, seal and store.

The process of canning is fairly simple. You fill a clean jar with prepared food, apply the flat lid and the threaded ring to the jar and submerge the filled jar in boiling water. The time for boiling depends on what you are canning and is the process that creates an airtight seal, keeping food safe for extended periods of time. These are the jars I purchased when I was canning tomatoes. This morning I went down the basement and brought them back up. I plan to wash, sterilize and prepare for use again.

Ball Pint Regular Mouth Jars and Lids BPA Free, 16 oz, Set of 12

DIY Prepared Frozen Food

Open your freezer and look at what types of frozen foods you are purchasing. Are there any, like the hash browns on recall, that you could possibly make yourself? Hash browns are a perfect example of an easy to make and freeze food. Cooking these at home and placing in freezer storage bags or containers when cooled give you homemade goodness ready to grab and heat. I took stock of my freezer this morning and I have lots of frozen organic vegetables and fruit for use in smoothies. I started purchasing them when I got tired of throwing out food that we didn’t eat fast enough. I also have baggies with cut up banana and fresh blueberries. This reminded me that I can purchase and freeze fresh vegetables to avoid waste. I just need to invest in some extra freezer storage bags to place them in. They may not store quite as long as the store brought variety, but I don’t need to store them long.

I have seen food storage machines at Costco in the past and am wondering if I should pick one up for freezing vegetables and fruits. I think this would help them maintain their crisp color and avoid any danger of freezer burn. This one looks affordable and might be an investment I make.

FoodSaver V2244 Vacuum Sealing System with Starter Kit

Thankfully, if I am the person putting the fruit and vegetables in the bag, I’d be completely sure there are no extra critters inside my bags!

Make Your Own Salad Bags

The reason most of us purchase ready made salad bags is convenience. I’ve had many a morning where I didn’t bring salad to work because I didn’t have time to wash, chop and assemble it. Food prep will avoid this, but once you wash salad it begins to go bad if you don’t eat it. I used to have a salad spinner that dried the salad after washing. I may have to dig that out of my basement as well. This way I would wash it, spin it, assemble it and store it. Purchasing the Romaine lettuce whole is also more cost effective. I could purchase my lettuce, wash and inspect, dry and assemble for the week in separate containers. The trims can be added as needed to ensure freshness. Most of the trims are easy enough to grab and go. This is the type of spinner I have and I think I’m going to see if it dries it enough to stay fresh for the week.

Westmark German Vegetable and Salad Spinner with Pouring Spout (Green)

I’m excited to get back to my routes and rethink some of my food preparation practices. I wish I had the time to grow my vegetables again, but I know I can’t maintain the garden properly. Making these simple changes will get me closer to that and hopefully avoid unknowingly eating items such as golf ball pieces in my food.

What are your thoughts on these recalls? Are you as sickened as I am? Will you give these types of suggestions a try? If you do, let me know how it works out for you.

Recipe Swaps

Coffee, the favorite drink of many. Some drink more than three cups of coffee per day. Many never stop to think about the chemicals, pesticides or other issues with consuming large amounts of coffee. The debate over coffee’s benefits are conflicting at best. Research shows it is beneficial to drink, but there are also studies that show it can be detrimental. For those reasons, I chose to spend some time revamping my daily coffee fix to ensure I am getting the most out of it.

Last year, there was a disturbing video on Facebook showing a little thought of issue with using a Keurig coffee maker. As I watched this video, I vowed to stop using my Keurig immediately. This machine, found in most homes and offices, has been shown to create mold. It makes perfect sense that this could happen as water just sits inside of the machine’s inner mechanisms. This dark environment is ripe for breeding mold. Additionally, the fact that this machine and the pods used cause damage to our planet are not lost on me either on this Earth Day. My husband and I when we used the Keurig always used the reusable attachment and did not purchase pods. It was not only better for our environment, but more cost effective.

Aside from mold, coffee is a crop that is known to be heavily sprayed with pesticides. Most people don’t stop to think about this when they are sipping up to six cups a day. My husband drinks 5 cups of coffee per day. If we didn’t purchase organic coffee, his exposure to pesticides would be extremely high. Though it may be more expensive to purchase organic coffee beans, I am asking today that you think about the long term effects of drinking cups of chemical laden coffee.

Finally, most people use coffee creamers in their daily coffee. I was a huge fan of french vanilla flavored creamer and thought nothing of adding it to my cup to make it light and sweet. Others use artificial sweeteners to avoid adding calories to their morning cup. Research has strongly linked these sweeteners to autoimmune diseases, as well as cancer.

With all these dangers lurking, you begin to wonder if your daily cup of coffee is even worth drinking. Then you read that coffee has many benefits to your health, plus you just plain love it. The simple solution here is to do a recipe swap and upgrade your coffee drink.

Here is how I updated my coffee routine to ensure I was getting the benefits of drinking coffee while limiting the dangers.

Change Your Pot

I stopped using the Keurig after watching the mold video. I definitely don’t want coffee laced with mold. Honestly, I was so grossed out I don’t think I’ll ever use one again. I immediately pulled out my old Faberware pot given to me 30 years ago when I got married. When it finally died a few months later and I began looking for a replacement. The newer Faberware pots did not have great reviews, so I decided not to spend the extra money to purchase one. I purchased a Presto pot and absolutely love it.

An added benefit to percolator coffee, aside from the fact that it’s a hearty cup, is that it is hot. I never felt the drip coffee pots, or Keurig made a hot enough cup. I often put it in the microwave for 30 seconds just to heat and you know how I feel about using the microwave. Here is the actual pot we purchased. We also bought one for all our family members over the past year in hopes they’d make the change. Not everyone has joined us on this journey, but we tried.

Presto 02811 12-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

My son purchased a French Press for his girlfriend. This is another great option for a healthier cup of coffee. This is a great option if you don’t drink a lot of coffee in one sitting. It wouldn’t be a good choice when you have a lot of company. Here’s the French Press I liked.

French Press Coffee & Tea Maker Complete Bundle | 34 Oz | Best Coffee Press Pot with Stainless Steel & Double German Glass

Change Your Coffee

I only purchase organic coffee at this point. My husband occasionally picks up coffee on sale which is not organic. I will drink it, but really try to limit my exposure to pesticides through coffee consumption. If you order coffee at Starbucks they have organic options. I’m betting you can request this when you go in for a cup as they do sell organic coffee beans. I’ve tried many different brands and have settled on one of these two options. Both are available through subscribe and save for further discounts.

Cafe Don Pablo Gourmet Coffee Medium-Dark Roast Whole Bean, Subtle Earth Organic, 2 Pound

I prefer to purchase whole beans for the freshest cup. I grind the beans on a weekly basis.

Bulletproof Whole Bean Coffee 12 oz.

This coffee is slightly more expensive so I only get one bag per month on subscription and fill in with the other less expensive option in between.

Change Your Recipe

I stopped using flavored creamers completely and will not use artificial sweeteners to replace it. I’ve written and shared about my switch to drinking superfood coffee. I only drink one cup per day and it’s very satisfying and has been said to improve your health. When intermittently fasting, this coffee, with its healthy fats is very satiating and provides a nice energy boost. Here is my recipe for coffee (based on bullet coffee):

Ingredients

1 cup brewed hot coffee
2 tbs collagen
1 tsp ghee (or Kerry gold unsalted butter)
1/2 tsp organic raw honey (optional)
5 drops of liquid stevia
dash cayenne pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, vanilla extract
1/2 tsp raw cacao
1 tbs brain octane oil (or coconut oil)

Directions

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend (hold the cover) until smooth for a refreshingly delicious frothy cup of coffee.

I played with this recipe for a bit until I got it the way I liked it. The first day I wasn’t sure about this whole concept, but gave it a week. I love it so much now that I can’t drink a regular cup anymore.

If you are a big coffee drinker, I hope you’ll spend some time reflecting and exploring. Read up on healthier options for your daily cup. If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Here’s the link to the collagen I use and the brain octane oil in the event you’d like to give those a try.

Bulletproof Upgraded Collagen Protein – Net Wt. 16 oz

Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil – 16 oz.

Snap Out of It

Well this has been a rough week for me when it comes to healthy eating. My birthday was Wednesday so there was some eating of cookies and cake during the day at work, followed by dinner out and some wine. Then Thursday was a late night at work so we ordered dinner in – Chinese food. Friday was a night out for dinner at a yearly PTA function which involved more wine and restaurant food. While I didn’t over eat at any of these events, my body is just not used to eating in this manner anymore. I’m feeling lousy because my eating routine is totally off kilter. I’ve been eating out, not home cooked, so I feel sluggish and tired. I feel like I’m full of salt, chemicals and wine. I need to snap out of this and get back on track, but I’m not feeling motivated right now to even move. My bed is so comfy and cozy and it’s cold and dark outside right now. I have a scheduled slow, long run today and I’ve yet to move. I feel like slapping myself and yelling, snap out of it girl.

I think I need to do some detoxing this week to get myself clean and restart my mojo. It’s so amazing how much difference a week of unhealthy choices can make on my overall feeling of health. I’m tired, bloated and totally lacking motivation. I feel myself struggling hard to get back on track. I know how easy it would be to just say forget it and continue on this path, but I just can’t let myself do it. I have got to get myself back on track and quickly. It seems to take me six months to lose 10 pounds, but I can put them back on in less than two weeks. Funny how life works sometimes, right.

I’m not a fan of pills and drinking powdered shakes when detoxing. I am a firm believer in nutrition and using the power found in food itself to get myself back on track. I am going to pull out a 10 day green smoothie cleanse I used a few months back and give that another round. Yes, this plan does involve drinking smoothies, but they are filled with delicious vegetables and super foods, not powders and expensive products.

10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse

This cleanse is super easy to follow. I do the modified version which involves drinking two green smoothies a day (breakfast & lunch) followed by a healthy dinner. There are options in the book for the modified version, as well as the full version. The full version involves drinking three smoothies and eating healthy snacks and drinking tea. I like to eat food and the thought of ten days without does not appeal to me. Doing the modified version and substituting breakfast and lunch are super easy for me because then I don’t have to worry about packing lunch. The author also hosts a free Facebook group, so you can go on and network with other people doing the cleanse. This book provides shopping lists, recipes, and detailed instructions for the 10-day cleanse, along with suggestions for getting the best results. It also offers advice on how to continue to lose weight and maintain good health afterwards. Easy and far less money than purchasing a program! Many programs will cost $200 or more to get started. This book is under $10. You know I’m going to say it, win – win.

This is just the jumpstart I need right now! How about you? Are you ready to do some internal cleansing? Do you want to jumpstart your spring healthy eating and just plain feel better? Then join me in doing the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse! I’m heading out to do my shopping after my run. I’m feeling better already and can’t wait to get some healthy food coursing through my body! If you are joining me, leave a comment below. I’d love to exchange recipes and good health with you.

Recipe Swap

Sunday sauce is a staple in this house. We love spaghetti and meatballs and afternoons spent together as a family. I’ve tried to find ways to update this comfort food without changing it too drastically. Yes, I have tried turkey meatballs and personally they are not my favorite recipe swap. I’ve also invested in a spiralizer and make zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash as options to replace the traditional spaghetti noodle. Both of these are good options for the meal, but I personally am not prevented from eating gluten for any health reasons and do prefer pasta with my Sunday meals most weeks. Below is my updated version of the traditional spaghetti and meatball dinner.

Bison is a great choice for your meatball dinner. My family can’t tell the difference when I use bison in place of beef. I can’t say the same about turkey meatballs. Grass-fed Bison is a low fat, low cholesterol meat with as many Omega-3s per serving as a serving of salmon. The taste, texture and color is the same as beef, but this meat packs a nice amount of iron as well. I order mine online, but am sure you can find bison in any store that has quality meats. The pricing is very similar to that of beef. Be sure to always buy grass fed, organic versions of any meats you eat.

Bison Meatballs

Ingredients

1 egg
1 pound ground bison
1/2 cup homemade gluten free bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
2 tbs water
Optional – I finely chop two kale leaves and mix in to sneak in a vegetable serving sometimes.

Directions

Combine all ingredients and form into small meatballs. Roll them firmly in your hand to ensure they hold together.
Place on tray and cook in oven for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees to brown.
Remove from oven and drop meatballs into your sauce.
Cook for at least 45 minutes, or however long you like your sauce to simmer.

Homemade Spaghetti

I do not have any gluten sensitivities, but I do try to limit my intake. When it comes to pasta, I really only eat it once per week. I prefer to make my own pasta and have an easy to use attachment for my Kitchen Aid that doesn’t require me to roll out the pasta. I simply drop it into the machine. You can substitute the all purpose flour for whole wheat and it comes out fine. You can also find many gluten free recipes, but they do require many ingredients. This is the actual recipe I use for my pasta. I prefer that I know exactly what is going into my pasta, all ingredients I can pronounce.

Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 flour 00
1/2 cup semolina flour
2 tablespoons water Add all ingredients to list

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine all flour and salt.
Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width.

The above directions are for those who do not have a pasta machine. I make mine right in my Kitchen Aid with the dough attachment so I don’t have to manually knead it. I let my dough rest covered for at least 30 minutes. I then roll into small balls and drop into my pasta cutting attachment. So simple, so delicious! Here is the attachment I use on my Kitchen Aid –

KitchenAid KSMPEXTA Gourmet Pasta Press Attachment with 6 Interchangeable Pasta Plates

The white attachment on this machine is the actual unit I have. I love it and it has made making homemade pasta so easy. It’s simple to use and clean. It comes with 6 blades for different shape pastas.

Homemade breadcrumbs – Gluten Free

Toast gluten free bread in oven on sheet tray. Remove, process in food processor. Season as you wish. I just use a slight amount of garlic, pepper, salt and Italian seasoning.

If you try the Bison as a healthier option, let me know how you like it. My family hasn’t noticed and my daughter is super picky! Please leave a comment if you have a different recipe swap for Sunday sauce. It’s one of our favorite meals so I’m always on the lookout for healthier versions.

Thursday Tips & Tricks

Snacking can be a recipe for disaster for me. I often crave chocolate and thought that if I ate a protein bar it would be a better choice for a snack. On days when I crave sweeter fare, I often grabbed a granola bar. While these are better choices, if you spend some time reading the ingredients on many of these bars, you often find a long list of items. Not all of these bars are healthy and many may contain processed foods and even fructose.

When I worked with a nutritionist during my last training cycle, she actually called out my habit of reaching for these bars. She made me realize there are many other healthier choices available to me. I began exploring with some of her recipes and even creating healthier versions at home.

This weeks tips is to try making your own bars and snacks at home for healthier versions. These are my two favorite recipes which are both super easy to make and delicious to eat.

HEALTHY 5-INGREDIENT GRANOLA BARS
Prep time 10 mins
Cook time 5 mins
Total time 15 mins

Ingredients
1 heaping cup packed medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup creamy salted natural sun butter or almond butter
1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
1 1/2 cups rolled gluten free oats
optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions

Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency.
Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl – set aside.
Warm maple syrup and sun butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily.
Press down firmly until uniformly flattened – I use something flat, like a drinking glass, to press down and really pack the bars, which helps them hold together better.
Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars (or 9 squares). Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn’t necessary.
Notes
*Although not ideal, if your dates don’t feel sticky and moist, you can soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain before processing. This will help them blend better and hold the bars together better. But ideally, you can find fresh, sticky moist dates.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 217 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 19 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 6 g

Author: Minimalist Baker

Pecan Butter Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

For the Pecan Butter

2 cups pecans
10 Deglet dates, pitted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Coating

2 tbs virgin coconut oil
3 tbs maple syrup
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the pecan butter: Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and roast in coven for 8 minutes, stir after 4 minutes. Allow pecans to cool completely.
In Vitamix or food processor, combine pecans, dates and cinnamon. Pulse or blend on high until smooth. Do not overprocess – should be thick.
Use your hands to roll the pecan butter into bite size balls. Place on baking sheet.
To make the coating: Place the oil in a small saucepan over low heat until melted, stir in the maple syrup and cocoa powder until smooth.
Drop one ball at a time in the chocolate coating, use a fork to lift out. Return to the baking sheet. Top each truffle with a pinch of salt.
Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes or until ready to eat.
Store in airtight container, lined with parchment paper, in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

These are super delicious and make a wonderful bite size afternoon snack!

Author: Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky

These chocolate bites and many other healthy recipes can be found in one of my favorite cookbooks. I highly recommend this book, even if you are not a runner. Easy to cook meals and snacks can be found inside the pages of this book.

Run Fast. Eat Slow.: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes

Do you have a favorite recipe to share? Please post it below in the comments. If you try these, please post your thoughts below. Enjoy!

Tuesday Training Tips

Work out Harder, Not Longer

This week’s tip is one I’m currently experimenting with and have included in my workout schedule. I have included three high intensity interval training sessions in my current workout rotation. One of the best parts has been that the workouts are considerably shorter – no more than 30 minutes.

For me, the HIIT sessions are running based, speed work sessions that I’ve been performing on the track. I am using a free APP to prompt me as I run. It tells me to run/walk, sprint at 80% and then either easy run, or walk to recover. I love it and feel like I’m improving my stamina. There are many known benefits of incorporating this type of workout in your weekly routines.

Increased Calorie Burn – research shows that performing high intensity interval training burns more calories in less time. My 30 minute session burns almost 500 calories. Studies have shown that a HIIT session can burn more calories than jogging on a treadmill for 60 minutes.

Improved Weight Loss – Studies report that 8 – 12 weeks of HIIT could result in reductions in body fat.

Challenging – Plateau Buster –This is not an easy workout and I definitely can’t hold a conversation through most of mine. But, because it’s short bursts, I’m working harder the entire workout and time flies by. I feel like these sessions have helped me push through my most recent plateau AND increased my motivation. You know I love win win situations.

Here’s how to incorporate the principles of HIIT into your current workout routine:

Warm up for at least 5 minutes

Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. This should be hard, think gasping for breath and feeling like you can’t possibly continue.

Recover for at least 1 minute, still moving at a slower pace.

Repeat the cycle at least 4 more times, increasing to 6-7 as you improve fitness.

Cool down for at least 5 minutes.

Allow recovery time between sessions, so limit HIIT to 2-3 times per week. This is not an every day event.

For my running routine, the warm-up is walking or a slow jog. This is followed by a cycle of comfortable run, full on sprint, comfortable run/easy jog. Cool down is a nice slow jog or walk, depending on the day. The app I used to get started with this was called Running for Weight Loss. I use the free version, but they offer a premium version of the app as well.

For biking or elliptical workouts, I just go fast and slower. On the elliptical an easy way to do is to alternate – one song easy effort, one song harder effort.

My favorite HIIT weight routine is Tabata. I haven’t done this in a while, but it was my favorite class at the gym. So much fun and time flies by.

If you are currently including this type of workout in your routine, please comment below. I’d love to hear what you are doing and how it’s going for you.

On the Road Again

Sometimes I feel like I’m always starting over with my running. I’ve had to overcome some serious injuries along this path, but I keep getting back out there. As you know this Christmas Eve I broke three toes. Not quite the present I hoped for, but you take what you get in this life. Even though I worked out over the winter these first days back out on the road reminded me just how daunting my new challenge really is. 26.2 miles – gulp!

This week, I started reflecting back on my running journey. When I was younger my dad and I used to run together and do some local fun runs. My training runs back then consisted of me running either on the track across from my house, or around Juniper Valley Park. I was blessed to live across the street from this beautiful park. At the time, I worked in the city and also did some fun runs with my work friends.

Fast forward far too many years to mention and I returned to running with the hope of losing weight. I was doing some walking, but always felt the pull to move my feet and run, so figured I’d go for it. I had no plans to do any races, but ended up signing up for one with my work friends. The running community is a beautiful one to be part of so I’ve continued doing races. To date I’ve completed many 5k, 10K, 15K and one half marathon. The half was my goal race last year and I thought that would be my distance limit. Why then do I now find myself signed up to run in the NYC Marathon?

I can’t even tell you why anyone would even want to run 26.2 miles. I’m not sure how I plan to do it, but do it I will. The real training plan starts June 12th, but the base building plan has already begun. With the arrival of warmer temperatures and healed toes, I’ve taken myself off the treadmill and put myself back outside. With my broken toes, I tried hard to maintain my base by using the elliptical and treadmill over the long winter months.

My first few outside runs have been challenging and disheartening anyway. I feel like I’m back to the beginning again and three mile runs have felt like marathons. Already I feel my negative self talk returning full force. As I’ve been out there I say mean stuff like, “Are you out of your mind? Three miles feels like this, imagine what 26.2 will feel like. Why do you have to do this anyway? You should forget about it.” Right now I’m procrastinating getting out to do my long run. Lord, I need to get CONTROL.

What do you do when you feel yourself giving in to fear of an upcoming challenge? Do you eat, drink or quit? Me, I definitely eat and indulge in some nice wine. I wallow in self pity for a bit and beat myself up with negative self talk. What I don’t do though, is quit. Once I’ve allowed myself to go through the process of eating, drinking and talking trash, I begin to claw my way back out and get busy.

This week has been about that – getting over it and getting serious. This goal is not going away and I fully plan to meet it. Here are a few of the ways I get myself back on track when fear of failure gets in my head:

Connect with People Who Share Your Goal

I reminded myself this week that I am NOT alone on this journey. I have a tribe of people who are supporting me. In addition to my family, I have running friends who will support me as I train for and run this race. I have a running club that I am part of and have started reaching out for support. They connected me with another group who consists of people also training to run the NYC Marathon this year.

I also have two running partners in crime who will toe the line with me this November.

10534645_899009690182769_7738830869866166531_n — Helen & I – Roosevelt Island 10K

12187987_728554383944340_9051102710924042981_o — Flo & I – Freshkill 10K

I also have my 2017 Run the Year teammates coming up to NYC so we can run this race together. We have in essence created our own tribe of strong women who will meet this goal.

Read, Read, Read

When I start feeling self doubt, I like to read motivational books, articles, quotes, basically anything I can. There are tons of books out there written by others who have walked our walk in life, whatever it may be. This week I reread my own blogs written to remind myself why I am on this path. These two in particular were most helpful –

I Got This

Declaring My Why

I also read a wonderful memoir that truly resonated with me.

Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run

In her memoir, Alexandra speaks to the journey through self doubt and hard work to meet her goal of running the London Marathon. I laughed out loud in some parts and strongly connected to her pain in others. A true journey of triumph and highly motivational to me and many others who have read it. Worthy of a read for anyone questioning their ability to meet their goals.

Get Started and Try Your Best

The hardest part of the journey is often getting started. Just lace up and get out there – take that first step. I’ve been using my week off to jump start my motivation. I’ve been able to get my runs in outside in the beautiful world. It’s refreshing to see the sights after a winter in the basement. It’s good for my soul to be out in nature and though it’s been hard this week, I know I’m making progress. Finally, in the words of William O’Brien –

Some say risk nothing, try only for the sure thing,
Others say nothing gambled nothing gained,
Go all out for your dream.
Life can be lived either way, but for me,
I’d rather try and fail, than never try at all, you see.

The sun is shining, it’s a beautiful day, I’ve bared my soul here and now feel ready to get out there and get it done. Enjoy this day and set yourself back on the path to meet your goal, whatever it may be.

Please take a moment to leave a comment. I’d love to hear about your goals and plans to meet them.

Recipe Swap

How many of you love pesto? I know I love it, but am not always a fan of the basil versions. I’ve experimented with many different pesto recipes and found that I prefer versions that don’t use basil leaves as the base. Here are two of my favorite pesto recipes, along with a new one I plan to try in the coming weeks. They are presented in order of preference with spinach always being my first choice. I love to use pesto as a spread for grilled chicken and on tasty panini sandwiches on my grill.

Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh spinach leaves, well-washed and stemmed
1⁄2 cup fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat leaf
1⁄2 cup walnuts or 1⁄2 cup pine nuts
1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into food processor and process to a fine paste.
Taste and adjust seasonings and transfer to a glass container and top with a thin coat of olive oil to prevent the top of the pesto from discoloring.
Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. (Food.com)

Avocado Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
1/2 large ripe avocado
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons water, plus more if necessary
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
sea salt & pepper

Instructions:

Add spinach, avocado, garlic, pine nuts and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse for 20 seconds or until pesto is chopped. Add in water and process again until completely smooth. You may need to add more water to get desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese. (Ambitious Kitchen)

This version uses no oil and it is super creamy and delicious and is a great substitute for mayonnaise. I also love it as a spread and dipping sauce.

Fresh Pea Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fine lemon zest
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Pulse peas, garlic, Parmesan, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. With machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until well combined. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve as a spread, on grilled fish, or over your choice of hot pasta. (Dr. Weil)

Just a note on the nuts. I have tried all different types of nuts in my pesto sauce. I’ve used pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pistachio, etc. I’ve found they all work well, so if you don’t have pine nuts no need to fret. I can’t wait to try the pea pesto as it sounds heavenly and just perfect for the upcoming fresh pea season.

I make my pesto in my blender to avoid investing in a food processor. This one works really well and is easy to use and clean.

What recipe swaps have you made? Please share your recipe below.

Thursday Tips & Tricks

Healthy living doesn’t have to be hard. When we make it complicated, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Let’s face it, most of us lead busy lifestyles and struggle to fit everything in as it is. We need to find ways to make it easier to meet our goal to live healthier, or we may end up failing. Every Thursday, I will share with you one tip, or trick I currently use to ensure that I keep my life simple.

I love to cook and want to eat healthy dinners, but I work a full time job that requires long hours. I’ve had to learn some new tricks to ensure I get healthy food on my plate each night. Realistically, I can’t walk in the door at 6:00 PM and start cooking a full meal as we would be eating dinner way too late. I need quick, healthy, home cooked meals on my plate in 30 minutes or less.

I want to eat home cooked food each night, but usually arrive home hungry. My meals need to be simple, quick and healthy because if they aren’t, I’m going to go down that rabbit hole of eating junk instead. Gone are the days of ordering dinner in each night, or picking something up on my way home. That only led to unwanted weight gain and feeling just plain lousy.

This week’s tip is to invest in a well made, easy to clean grill. If you live in a climate that allows outdoor barbecuing all year round, lucky you! If you don’t, and don’t mind standing outside in the freezing cold, or rain, more power to you. If you’re like me and prefer to cook inside, you should invest in an easy to clean indoor grill. This will become your most used kitchen tool, that will enable you to have a healthy dinner on your plate in 30 minutes or less.

I’ve tried so many different grills and the sticking point for me was always the clean up. I don’t want to eat fast and then struggle to clean the mess. I also don’t want something that spritzes up my kitchen, so prefer a closed grill. I want something compact, preferably portable, that comes apart for cleaning.

I have settled on the Optigrill for many reasons. First and foremost, the food tastes amazing and there is no more cutting into it to check it’s doneness. The machine has an automatic setting that tells you when your food is ready. No turning or bothering with it once it’s on the grill. Second, the whole grill comes apart and goes right in the dishwasher. No scrubbing at all and it comes out perfectly clean each time I use it. Third, if I forget to take something out, I can use the frozen setting and cook without defrosting. Great for quick hamburgers or turkey burgers. Finally, grilled vegetables or panini come out so good.

The possibilities for cooking on this grill, or any grill you own, are endless. Our favorites are grilled chicken and salad, or quinoa, or spinach, etc. Today, we had hamburger with lettuce, tomato and avocado and a side salad. Easy and on the plate in under 15 minutes. There’s also a fish setting that allows you to grill delicious tuna steak or salmon. I’m not a huge fan of fish, but it does come perfect anytime I’ve tried it. I’ve also never had a bad filet mignon grilled on it. Just set it and watch the color coding for the finish you want.

For all of these reasons and to ensure I can cook dinner without relying on a microwave oven, my tip is to make sure you have a working grill ready to use in your home. It may seem like an expensive investment, but I’ve had mine for 3 years and use it at least 4-5 nights a week to cook. It was worth every penny and I’ve certainly saved money not ordering in so much anymore. Here’s a link to see what the Optigrill looks like. (*I don’t work for Optigrill and was not paid to recommend it.)

T-fal GC722D53 1800W OptiGrill XL Stainless Steel Large Indoor Electric Grill with Removable and Dishwasher Safe Plates, Silver

What’s your tip for healthy eating during the week? Please consider leaving a comment below.

Tuesday Training Tips

As a new feature to this blog, each Tuesday I will share a quick training tip that has helped me stay on track. We all know there are a million excuses and reasons to skip a workout. For me, I have always been pretty steady with my workouts and rarely skip them. The first tip for my new Tuesday Training Tips post is to keep your workout routines interesting and fresh.

I have found that when I did the same routine over and over I would quickly burn out and lose interest and motivation. For example, if you currently run for every cardio workout, try adding in days where you do something different such as biking, hiking, swimming, elliptical, rowing or even walking fast. If you are training for a race, like I am, and don’t have the luxury of not doing a run, try mixing up the route you run or the tempo.

As you know, I am training to run my first marathon. My official run plan starts in June, but I am currently running to maintain my fitness. This winter I was using the treadmill most mornings, though I loathe it, because 5:00 AM is might dark, cold and desolate outside. I found that I quickly began to lose interest and motivation to even run. I realized it was because a) it is monotonous to run on a treadmill; and b) it was the same thing every day. In my quest to reenergize my routine, I began exploring ways to make this routine more interesting. Any of these ideas can apply to your current fitness routine and are easy and free to implement.

Schedule Different Routines

I found having a plan the easiest way to mix up the routines you follow. Get out your calendar and schedule your workouts to build in variety and keep in interesting. Below is a sample workout schedule that you could follow. Just substitute the workout listed for the routine you prefer.

Monday – Easy run 45 minutes
Tuesday – Yoga class online – 30 – 60 min
Wednesday – Tempo training run – 30 minutes
Thursday – Strength class online – 30 minutes
Friday – Easy run 45 minutes
Saturday – Lap swim 60 minutes
Sunday – Rest day – easy walk

Another version I personally followed when recovering from broken bones involved only strength workouts. These were streamed online and I used hand held weights. The same principles applied in that I scheduled the sessions to stay focused and engaged.

Monday – chest/triceps
Tuesday – legs
Wednesday – back/biceps
Thursday – active recover – yoga/pilates
Friday – shoulders
Saturday – full body
Sunday – REST – easy walk

Scheduling workouts like this keeps it very interesting. It also breaks them down into smaller, manageable parts.

Download an App

There are SO many free apps to choose from these days. I’m currently loving the Running for Weightloss App, which has a free version. I am in week 6 of using this app and it has really kept my interest on runs. The one I am using is an interval training program which includes a coach who speaks to me on runs. She tells me when to run, walk and sprint. I find I look forward to these runs and include them into my routine three times a week. I get a great workout and the session flies by.

Join a Club or Find a Friend

Everything in life is better with friends. For me, finding someone to run at 5:00 AM is pretty impossible. I joined an online running club and found many friends to network with. We keep each other motivated and yes, sometimes meet up in person at races to run. Just because you don’t have someone every day to workout with, don’t give up. Even if you have friends you can talk to about your workout routines, you’ll find your motivation will increase. My club is called the Sub30 Club and is offered through Runners World.

Vary Routine

If you are training for an upcoming goal race and need to just plain run, I’ve found the way to keep it interesting is to vary your routine. Again, a schedule and a plan are most helpful to keep yourself focused and to ensure you are training enough to meet your goals. When I trained for my first half marathon last year, I purchased a running plan. I couldn’t believe the difference the plan made in my motivation to get out there. I didn’t have a live coach pushing me along, it was just me and the road, but I was motivated and never skipped one planned run. I am obviously schedule driven, but I think changing up the routines was the true key to my success. Here is a sample week for my runs on the plan –

Monday – easy effort run 60 minutes
Tuesday – tempo run 45 minutes
Wednesday – easy effort run 60 minutes
Thursday – active recovery – walk/yoga/pilates
Friday – tempo run 45 minutes
Saturday – long run 90 minutes, easy effort
Sunday – REST – walk

The times increase over the course of 20 weeks for the long run. The shorter runs generally stayed in the same range. The plan I purchased was from Another Mother Runner. There are many free programs available online if you are looking for a plan and can’t afford to buy one.

Do Just a Little Bit Each Day

I love the concept of doing short workouts every day. It really makes it so accessible for anyone. Seriously, who can’t carve out 10 – 15 minutes a day. You may think it’s not enough and it may not be in the long run, but in the short run it will get you engaged and started. For me, I use this concept to get my strength training in when I’m training for a race. Running during training takes pretty much all my free time in the morning. There just isn’t enough time to do a 60 minute run and get in a proper strength training routine. My choice became either get no strength training, or add a little in each day and go for the compound effect. I chose the later and added 10 – 15 minutes to the end of each run. Here’s a sample of the add on to my current routine –

Monday – easy effort run 60 minutes/foam rolling 5 minutes/strength 10 minutes
Tuesday – tempo run 45 minutes/yoga burn 15 minutes
Wednesday – easy effort run 60 minutes/foam rolling 5 minutes/strength 10 minutes
Thursday – active recovery – yoga/pilates/walk
Friday – tempo run 45 minutes – strength 15 minutes
Saturday – long run 90 minutes – yoga burn 20 minutes
Sunday – REST

If I can’t fit the short add on into the routine in the morning, it is surely manageable to do at night. I am the queen of excuses at night, so I make sure to fit it in, but you can certainly see that doing 15 minutes of something at night is much less stressful than carving out 60 minutes after work.

My routines are all available online and were inexpensive to purchase. I use Yoga Burn, which is segmented into 15 minute segments. I purchased Danette May’s Fit for Life subscription and it includes workout calendars for the month. I just pick and choose the ones I wish to do for each day. They are all segmented into 8 – 10 minute workouts. Both of these are meant to be repeated three times, but for me I only really have time for one go around. As I said, it’s not my only routine and I’m using it as an add on. I’m also hoping for the compound effect and looking across the week rather than fitting it all in one session.

During the summer when I have more time, I will surely add more strength in, but if I want to stay in the game this works for me. What are your routines to keep yourself motivated to workout? I’d love to share some new ideas. Please leave your comment in the section below.

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