FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Official Running

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A few weeks ago, I searched for a night-time run and found that the Richard’s Run for Life 5k was about to take place.  Val and I signed up even though we knew we wouldn’t have much time to continue with our run training apps before the 4th.

Being the best and most supportive friend ever, Val suggested we order FoodFash shirts, as long as they were bright colors.  I whooped up a couple on Spreadshirt before heading to LA and, thankfully, they arrived two days before the race.

We planned a meeting spot in case we separated by the end of the run, but just before mile two we found each other and ran together the rest of the way.  We only walked for three short intervals (a minute or less) – which was impressive to both of us since the last time either of us ran was earlier in October.

 Even though there was plenty of food after the race, the lines were entirely too long for our hunger level.  We walked over to one of our favorites, The Laughing Cat, to reward our bellies with carb loaded Italian.

Oh, and a pitcher of sangria!

I ordered the mussels.  They were soaked in the best marinara in town and topped with the freshest of basil.  Even though these mussels were mammoth in size (typically not my style), the flavor and texture were similar to smaller mussels, so I didn’t mind.

I probably would have been fine with bread and mussels, but I am still partially off the non-dairy wagon and wanted to indulge in pasta from my favorite Italian joint.  So glad I did!

We most definitely celebrated burning 300 calories by consuming 1000, but it made for a super fun Friday night!

What do you like to eat after a race?

A Couple Things

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Sooo…. The storms last night were out of control.  It took me over an hour to drive to Whole Foods, which is only 4.7 miles from my house.  I tried to outsmart the commuter crowd by taking back roads, but due to extreme flooding (there was a car window deep in water!) all navigable roads were jam packed.  I called my mom to pass the time and she texted me this picture of how terrible Tampa looked from across the bay.  Creepy skies.

Needless to say, I wasn’t able to finish Day 3 of the 5k Program like I had anticipated.  But I was able to buy a ton of fresh fruit at Whole Foods.  I had decided earlier on in the day to try eating two apples and a grapefruit in between meals to keep ravenous hunger away.

Today, I felt abnormally energized after work (thanks fruit!) and rushed home to tackle Day 3, which ended up being the easiest thus far.  And I wasn’t disappointed with any of the songs on the Day 3 playlist either!

I’m really, really, really excited for Week 2, Day 1 because after Week 2, Day 1, the workouts intensify each time and no longer repeat themselves. Plus, I’m impatient and would like to rush ahead to the point where I’m ready to start the 10k Program!

Have you implemented any fresh fruit rules for yourself lately?

Day Two – Chhheeeckkkk!

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I’ve always been a more energetic afternoon exerciser than morning exerciser, but man oh man was Day 2 easier than Day 1.  It could have been that I was fueled by a terrible workday, but in choosing to focus on the positive, I’m going to “blame” the good workout on pancakes and a kickin’ playlist.

Songs 5 through 8 were new to me, which kept me interested today.  But… I’m not certain that new CYHSY, Sleeping Bag, or this particular Generationals song were cardio appropriate.

As far as the pancakes go, they were the bomb.com!  I thought of Joy the Baker’s “bananas should always be bread” quote as I was whooping these up. And not that I completely agree (because I like bananas just fine alone), but I do think that breakfast baked goods should always be made with bananas.  Close enough, right?

FoodFash Banana Chia Buckwheat Pancakes (yields 8 pancakes)

3/4 cup of buckwheat pancake mix

1/2 cup of almond milk

1 egg

2 bananas, smooshed

3 tablespoons of chia seeds

2 tablespoons maple syrup

The chia seeds reminded me of poppy seeds and gave the pancakes a nice texture, while the banana gave the pancakes oomph and added to the slight sweetness of the maple syrup.  I brought two with me to work this morning and left the remaining six in the freezer for breakfast throughout the week.  I haven’t even eaten dinner yet and I’m already pumped for breakfast tomorrow – looks like these pancakes will be added to the regular breakfast rotation!

Have you had any success with preparing breakfasts ahead of time?

Back To It

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I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of replacement headphones all week with the goal of getting back into a workout routine this weekend.  I am determined to be as obsessed with running as I was when I lived Dallas.  As a tribute/motivator, I created a playlist similar to what I would have ran to during that time.

I charged the headphones, imported the playlist into the Personal Running Trainer app, and prepared a pre-running snack: a dab of peanut butter, a smaller dab of jelly, and a teaspoon of…  wait for it…  BEE POLLEN!  My friend Adam told me about the uber long list of bee pollen health benefits earlier in the week and ever since I’ve been upping my daily intake.

The snack, playlist, and running app worked together seamlessly to keep me motivated during the entire 45 minute trek.  I was really pleased with the app minus one thing – nothing signaled mid-way through the workout that I should turn around (next time I’ll pay attention to what song hits around 20 min).

When I got home, I made another new-to-me breakfast.  Check back tomorrow for the recipe!

Do you use apps to assist with your workouts?