Anytime Meal

Ron comes home from a long workout and heads to the kitchen to refuel. It's usually always eggs, avocado and green chile sauce. Sometimes he eats that on whole-wheat toast other times he just chops it all up. Well, I didn't want to miss out so after my next bike ride, I came home and made my own yummy creation (minus the green chile sauce, but I could substitute salsa instead). He's pretty smart... it's filling, it's yummy and good for you too. My recommendation - make your own similar healthy, protein-packed meal for breakfast, post-workout, whenever. Enjoy!

Action Item: Take time to eat a meal if you are hungry. Snacking and grazing will only lead to overeating. If you really only have time to "grab" something, make sure it's appropriate - hydrate well, and pick items such as nuts, cheese, carrot sticks and hummus or a piece of fruit.

For Further Reading: What to Eat Before and After a Workout from Fitness Magazine and The Many Health Benefits of Avocado from Mercola.com.

Seriously?

I read yesterday that Taco Bell was rolling out it's new waffle taco breakfast (link to the article is below). Seriously? These "foods" are completely unnecessary in my opinion, and probably yours if you are reading this. If you are even considering eating the waffle taco breakfast (or anything similar), please choose not to if you value your health. Not just because of the high fat content and the unnecessary calories, but I can only imagine the added ingredients to make it salty and addictive. In the time it takes to drive to a fast food restaurant and wait in line, I'm pretty certain you could toast some bread, add peanut butter and grab a banana for the road! It costs less, it's healthier and there's no wasted wrappers and containers. Win, win, win, win and win. OK, I went a little too far, but I've very passionate about skipping fast food restaurants completely and especially for the meal that sets the tone for the rest of your day!

In the coming days, I'll talk more about healthy meal options. If you have a favorite quick & healthy breakfast or lunch, email me at foodsthatfuelus@yahoo.com.


Action Item: If you eat at fast food restaurants regularly, try cutting back a little each week. Find other convenient ways to eat. Making your lunch in the morning will take extra time, but consider that if you make your lunch you could have time to sit quietly in the sun while enjoying a lunch that fuels you for the afternoon. If you run to Burger King, you're probably in a car, in traffic, waiting in line and rushing. Choose health.

For Further Reading: Taco Bell Rolls Out Waffle Taco Breakfast (If you really want to see what this "breakfast" looks like!) Check out Taco Bell's Ingredient Statement if you want to see what's in their food. I'm not picking on Taco Bell (I was gained my freshmen 15 by eating Taco Bell); I feel the same about most fast food restaurants. I'm sure you can now also find other restaurants nutritional info online.

And remember, there are still a few days left in National Nutrition Month. A great time for you to start or reinforce some healthy eating habits. Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website for more tips and advice: www.eatright.org.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Here's a recipe I pulled from Runner's World in 2011. Tried them for the first time this morning! My reaction is mixed. First of all, I had to change some ingredients based on what I had in the house, and of course I always add a personal touch. Be that good or bad. So as I mentioned, my reaction is mixed, but I will definitely make these again and try to follow the recipe exactly. OK, except maybe for the vegetable oil. The texture of the muffins is great, but there's not tons of taste. Knowing these muffins are packed with nutrients though makes it even more appealing for me. The mild taste makes them very versatile; I could eat them for breakfast (and I did), eat them post-exercise (which I might in a little while) or they'd be great in my son's lunch or easy to eat on a road trip. Filling and good and healthy!

 

"These are the lightest, fluffiest, easiest whole-grain muffins—ever," promises Bittman. Using sweet potato adds moisture and nutrients, such as beta-carotene.

Sweet Potato Muffins
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (preferably pastry flour)
3/4 cup sugar (I tried mostly honey and some brown sugar, still didn't equal 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used applesauce)
1 cup pureed or mashed cooked sweet potato
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used coconut milk mixed with a little Greek yogurt)

Our batch was very dry so we added extra applesauce and milk at the end.

• Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups or add paper liners.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
• In a bowl, whisk butter, oil, sweet potato, egg, and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into the dry; stir until just combined.
• Fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Banana Nut Variation Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup. Replace sweet potato with 1 cup mashed, very ripe banana; add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the batter.

Pumpkin Coconut Variation Replace sweet potato with 1 cup canned pumpkin; add 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut to the batter.

CALORIES PER MUFFIN: 248

CARBS: 37 G

FIBER: 3 G

PROTEIN: 4 G

FAT: 9 G

MARK BITTMAN may not be sure which marathon he's running next (he'll either tackle November's Philadelphia Marathon or December's Palm Beaches Marathon Festival), but he is sure about one thing: his training. "I'm doing a long run, speedwork, and tempo run every week," says Bittman, author of The Food Matters Cookbook. "And I'm following hard weeks with easier ones." For more, go to markbittman.com

 

Start Your Day with Vitamin C

 

 

To start your morning off right, whip up a quick, healthy Orange Julius-like drink with your breakfast!

 

My sister put this bug in my ear the last time she visited. I had some leftover mandarines that we weren't eating. She told me to put them in a blender with milk to make an Orange Julius. I had thought about it often, but just once again found myself with extra mandarines. I peeled several and added vanilla coconut milk and ice. Yummy! No sugar and didn't need to add vanilla because it was in the milk. Great addition to breakfast, especially since you get all of the fiber from the mandarin this way and not just the juice. Thanks, sis.




Action Item: Try this with clementines, oranges, nectarines, etc!

 

For Further Reading: Benefits of Oranges

Sweet snack

I often (and I mean often) eat vanilla yogurt with frozen wild blueberries. So delicious. You might like it for the same reasons that I do - it's filling, visually appealing, tasty and sweet, has a nice texture with the frozen blueberries, and it's good for you! There are, as always, a few things to remember.

Yogurt: Many brands have LOTS of sugar. Eat plain if you can and sweeten it with a natural sweetener such as honey. Or make your own! I started making yogurt after learning how to from a friend in Boston. I use agave nectar (still reading more about this) to sweeten mine and add a little vanilla. This way you have control of the sugar levels. Plain yogurt may be sweet enough for you with the added fruit. Some people also prefer soy yogurt, kefir or other options.

Blueberries: I prefer frozen because of the texture, and wild because they are smaller and tastier. But use your fruit of choice!

For us, this is a good addition to breakfast or a post-workout snack. Yogurt, with live and active cultures, helps maintain balance in your intestines. In other words, eating yogurt on a regular basis may help your intestines stay happy. And who doesn't want that?


Action Item: If you currently eat yogurt, especially yogurt with fruit in it, check the sugar levels. You might be surprised. If the sugar content is low, make sure it's not artificial sweetener (unless of course, you have diabetes or otherwise need some artificial sweetener in your diet).

Further reading:
1) What are Probiotics?
2) Make Homemade Yogurt - (I bought a small appliance that keeps the yogurt "cooking" at the right temperature, but it uses small containers which can be bothersome to empty and clean. I'm definitely going to try this method. My friend, who told me about making my own, kept hers warm overnight on her radiator!)