Athlete's Plate - January 27, 2011



A quick announcement that ch-ch-changes are coming.  The look and feel of this blog will be changing in a major way in the very near future but do not worry as you will be able to still find me through the http://www.baha703ironman.com/ URL as well as the new one (not releasing the name yet.)  It is going to highlight my true passions which are cooking and eating as well as training and racing.  I am so excited and doing my best to not reveal anything but you will love it to.

I received a preview shot last night and I am in LOVE with the look of it.  It is incredible and I am forever in debt to the designer (will be revealed with new site.)  My gratitude to you (designer) is not enough to say THANK YOU.  You are doing an awesome and speedy job.  Color me excited.
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This weeks Athlete's Plate is brought to you in honor of John from Training Smoker fame.  John is pure inspiration.  He was a 1 pack a day smoker who has done 2 marathons, 2 half-Ironman races, a century and is registered for Ironman Florida this year.

Reading through John's blog I found the following little tidbits about him:
1- He has an awesome tattoo of a tree on his shoulder.
2- The Matrix is one of his favorite movies.
3- He has been blogging since September 2008
4- Nelly and Andre 3000 are two of his favorite artists.
5- Training Log is the most use label on his blog.
6- He is a top Health Blogger on Wellsphere.
7- Ran the Resolution Run on New Year's Day and PR'd it.  It was a 5k that he ran in 24:42 and finished 4th in his age group.

Breakfast - Appalachian State Oatmeal with Apples and Ironman Florida Orange Juice

(went to Appalachian State and is going to be racing Ironman Florida this year)

(pic courtesy of howstuffworks.com)

Ingredients: 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant), 1 cup Vanilla HoneyMilk, 2 medium apples - cored and peeled and diced, 1/2 cup crushed walnuts, 2 Tablespoons agave syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon Servings: 4

Directions:
1- Cook oatmeal per package directions.
2- Stir in the apples pieces, 3/4 of the nuts, cinnamon and agave syrup.
3- Distribute oats among four bowls. Top with milk and remaining walnuts

A favorite of mine is to add in 1tbs of dark chocolate chips.  The chips will melt in the hot oatmeal and just about every spoonful will have chocolate on it and what a great treat.

AM Snack - Balance Energy Bars

(he has a tattoo of the word Balance on his chest)



(pic courtesy of enlightenedcooking.com)

Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats, 3-4 oz molasses, 2-3 T oil (olive or vegetable), 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped, 1/3 cup almond meal, 2 servings whey protein powder, 1-2 tbs peanut butter, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 9x13 baking pan
Servings: 12
Directions:
1- Toast the oats in the oven for a while, ~10 minutes. This is a good way to preheat the oven (350 degrees) and you might as well use the baking pan for this step.
2- Combine the molasses and oil in a mixing bowl. Stir until smooth
3- Add oats, cranberries, peanut butter and stir
4- In a separate bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients
5- Add dry ingredients, stir everything up.
6- Transfer the mix to greased 9x13 baking pan
7- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes. When it smells good, it is good.
8- Remove, let it cool… cut into pieces

Lunch - Radio Radicchio Salad

(Music Industry Studies major at Appalachian State)

(pic courtesy of myrecipe.com)

Ingredients: 1 head of radicchio (chopped), 1 bunch of baby spinach, 1/2c of strawberries (sliced), 1/2c of almonds (chopped), 1/2c of baby portabella mushrooms (sliced), 1/2 red onion (chopped), 1/3c dried cranberries, 1 1/2c of pitted dates, 2 whole grain rolls, 3tbs balsamic vinegar, 6tbs olive oil

Servings: 2

Directions:

1- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss.

2- Serve with whole grain roll on the side

Optional:

1- Add in shaved Parmesan cheese

2- Add in 4oz of grilled chicken breast sliced

PM Snack - Pink's Raise Your 'Ade Smoothie

(Pink is one of his favorite artists)

(Lindsay at Chasing The Kenyans has a video)

(pic courtesy of whymilk.com)

Ingredients: 1 bottle of the newly created Strawberry Banana HoneyMilk, 1 1/2c frozen strawberries, 2 bananas, 1 1/2 tsp honey, 2 tbs peanut butter (if using fresh strawberries then add ice)
Servings: 2
Directions:
1- Combine all ingredients in a blender and whip to a consistency of your liking
 

Dinner - Whole Wheat Pasta with When Harry Met Sally Sauce

(WHMS is one of his favorite movies)

(I have been to Katz's deli more times than I can remember when I lived in NYC - where famous scene was filmed)

(this sauce - we call it gravy - will make you scream like Sally it's so good)

(pic courtesy of thehautekitchen.com)



Ingredients: 1box of Barila Plus Whole Wheat Penne, 1c portabella mushrooms (sliced), 1c Japanese eggplant (sliced), 1/2 yellow squash (sliced), 1/2 zucchini (sliced), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), 1 small yellow onion (diced), 1 carrot, 1/2tbs honey, 1 28oz jar of crushed tomatoes, 1 8oz can of tomato paste, red pepper flakes, bunch of fresh basil, fresh oregano, 1tbs olive oil

Servings: 4

Directions:

1- In large non-stick plan heat oil and add in garlic and onion.

2- After 5 minutes add in mushroom, zucchini, squash and eggplant

3- While cooking crush the tomatoes in your hand over the pan so that they drip into pan

4- Add in tomato paste

5- Stir so that tomato paste becomes part of sauce

6- Add in carrot whole (make sure to wash it)

7- Add in honey and stir

8- Add in oregano and basil

9- Let cook for about an hour covered.  This will help reduce the juice from the tomatoes and thicken.

10- When it get close to the consistency you like bring water to a boil.

11- Once water is boiling add in pasta

12- When pasta is done, drain in colander

13- Pour about 1/2c of pasta water into gravy (red sauce) and stir to combine.

 

Serve and enjoy.

 

If you want meat you can add in pancetta that has been cut thick and chopped into small pieces.  Or you can add in ground turkey or chicken as well.


John - I hope you enjoyed the menu and that the memories I pulled from came back.  It was a lot of fun going through your blog and you are an inspiration.

Please nominate another blogger by Monday and email me at jbaha14 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Food and You - A Sound Relationship?

Before I go on about my relationship with food let me say that I am not a registered dietician or a nutritionist.  All the following verbiage is my opinion and not to be taken as fact.  If you have questions regarding diet and nutrition please contact your doctor.

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My relationship with food has changed quite a bit over the past 37 years (yes I am 37 years of age) and I don't know if this relationship will ever be status quo.  I enjoy eating.  I have a passion for cooking.  I love the idea of creating a meal that is both healthy and nutritious but also delicious.

This wasn't always the case.  Food used to be something that I had to eat.  Food used to be something that I craved and would always give into those cravings.  As my training has changed and my body composition has changed so has my relationship with food.  Today I will say that my relationship is on solid footing but we are still getting to learn about each other.

Let's start with the fact that I have moved to a plant-based diet.  I am not a vegan and will probably never be one because I drink HoneyMilk and well that's milk.  That will prevent me from being vegan even if I switch all my bread intake to vegan bread.  All that being said the switch to a plant-based diet has been incredible for me.  I did not make this switch because I watched a documentary or I am a PETA activist.  In fact I made this switch as a way to test how my body responded to the elimination of meat.  No other reasons were involved.

In the 1.5 months that I have not had an ounce of meat I have lost 6 lbs.  I am faster, stronger, leaner and have more energy.  I don't have cravings like I used to.  I don't crash the way I did.  My body has responded to this change.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not a reformed meat eater.  I do not profess that you should drop the knife and discard meat.  I am just saying that it works for me.  If you are eating meat, and this goes for all food, please make sure you are eating in proper portions.  That is the biggest obstacle most people face.

So my relationship with food is now viewed as a fuel for my training and racing.  Nutrition is no longer a word that I am scared of because it always sounded so hard.  The switch was easy.  The hardest part was the time it took for the first two or three visits to the grocery store.  I spent hours reading labels, but now I know what I want and I can get through the store in 30 minutes.

Does this mean that my relationship won't change?  Of course not.  Today I learned about Heme Iron.  I had no clue what that was but a friend let me know that it is found in meat and that I might want to consider eating 6-8oz of red meat a week.  I haven't had red meat in about a year so that isn't going to happen, but there must be other ways to get Heme Iron into my system.  As it turns out if you are eating the proper way (6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables and lots of different sources) then your body is capable of abosorbing nonheme iron and it seems converting it into heme iron.  Nonheme iron absorption is significantly influenced by various food components. Meat proteins and vitamin C will improve the absorption of nonheme iron. Tannins, calcium, polyphenols, and phytates, can decrease absorption of nonheme iron.  Some proteins found in soybeans also inhibit nonheme iron absorption. It is most important to include foods that enhance nonheme iron absorption when daily iron intake is less than recommended, when iron losses are high (which may occur with heavy menstrual losses), when iron requirements are high (as in pregnancy), and when only vegetarian nonheme sources of iron are consumed.

So it seems that I don't have to eat meat to get my heme iron so long as I continue to eat vitamin C, which is found in oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe, papaya, kiwi, cauliflower and kale.  There is no reason  for me to eat meat to get my iron.  Just a little research proved that I am getting enough vitamin C to help in the absorption of nonheme iron.

Food is my friend and I embrace food.  I don't look at food as anything more than another apparatus on my way to greatness in marathon and triathlon training and racing.  It is no different than my garmin watch or my Specialized bike.  Without those two items my training would be almost impossible.  Without the proper diet and nutrition training and racing would be impossible.

I am still tweaking and changing until I find that right combination, but I have to say I hope that never happens.  I enjoy playing with my food.  Playing with it in a way that it keeps my creativity in the kitchen flowing.  Creativity in the kitchen keeps Karen and myself happy.

For example, last night I made potstickers.  You may recall them from the Athlete's Plate for Beth.  This time instead of just black beans and garbanzo beans I threw spinach and sweet potatoes into the food processor as well.  Lots of vitamins and nutrients added.  I then boiled them for a minute and into the pan they went.  They got very crispy and tasted even better than the first trial.

What is your relationship with food?  Do you view it as a way to cope with terrible weather?  A way to get through a stressed relationship?  A way to handle boredom?  Is food the fuel for your training and racing and another facet to reaching greatness?

Here is a pic of those potstickers from last night along with a spinach salad that consisted of spinach, mushrooms, green onions and tomatoes.  For dessert we had No Cream Almond/Vanilla Ice Cream with granola and dark chocolate chips

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Week In Review - 1/23/2011

What a great week this past week was.  Training was spot on although one day I had physically crashed (more on that in a bit.)  First group run for Marathon Makeover, Wedding Anniversary and a house showing.
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Training:
What a great training week.  It was last Sunday that I had a 3:00 trainer ride followed by a 30 minute run and both of those were preceeded by a 3200y swim.  Needless to say Sunday was a long tiring day, but I loved it just the same.

Problem came on Monday when the body just did not want to perform.  I forced myself out of bed and through the swim at which point I convinced myself to get home and take a nap for one hour otherwise the day would be pointless.  The nap was my carrot and it proved to be the perfect elixir as after that 1 hour I was fully charged.

On Tuesday I was crushing my TTs.  It felt so good to post 3 sub-7:00 miles with times of 6:58, 6:55 and 6:45.  I was so fired up after that last mile I fist pumped jumped up and down and noticed traffic in front of me and laughed even harder.

Today I had another 3 hours bike ride with a 30 minute run and all that was proceeded by a 2350y swim.  So in looking at my numbers from today compared to last Sunday and all disciplines were faster.  So exciting.

Here are the weeks numbers along with January to date:
January 1-23
Swim: 25,450 yards in 10:16:45 or a pace of 2:25/200y which includes rest time.
Bike: 298.3 miles in 17:42:45 or a pace of 16.84 mph (all but one ride on the trainer)
Run: 92.04 miles in 12:15:09 or a pace of 7:59/mile
Calories burned: 32,487
 January 17-23
Swim: 8,300 yards in 3:16:44 or a pace of 2:22/200y which includes rest time
Bike: 100.99 miles in 6:00:09 or a pace of 16.82 mph (all on the trainer) --  couldn't find that .01 miles?
Run: 27.04 miles in 3:35:57 or a pace of 7:59/mile
Calories burned: 9,546

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Marathon Makeover - 1st Group Run

We had our first group run on Saturday morning and it was awesome.  After watching a presentation on gear and the importance of shoes and socks plus all the fun stuff like nip guards, body glide, sports bras we set out to run/walk our first mile. 

At the 0.5 mile marker one of the participants said 'That was the fastest 1/2 mile ever'  I was so fired up and started high-fiving and cheering for everybody.  I ran hard to get to the leaders and be at the Mile 1 marker to cheer everybody on when they got there.  I high-fived each person and as the finsih line grew so did the cheers from the group and the high-fives were everywhere.  It was really moving.

We had one new person join the group on Saturday and I fielded a call today about another person joining the group.  Great great morning.

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Our Anniversary
Yesterday Karen and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary and it was just a perfect day all around.  We started with the group run and Karen was the anchor of the run, meaning that this was a no drop run and Karen worked with those in the back of the pack and I led the group.  It was so much fun to be working as a team on something we are both so passionate about.

After that we went out on a run.  Karen ran 10 miles and I ran 12 which totaled 22 and that just happens to be our wedding day.  We didn't plan it it just worked out that way.  And while we didn't run it together as soon as I saw here when she got to the car it was perfect.  Just happy for her to put in 10.

Finished with the run and we went to go get our Anniversary gift.  We got ourselves a lot of pyrex for food storage.  Going to a more plant based diet and cooking just about everyday and there are leftovers all the time and I just about ripped the cabinets off the wall when I couldn't find a lid for the 100th time.  I had had enough and so we decided to get ourselves some pyrex.  Great gift to ourselves.

Brunch was up next.  We went tl LePeep which we go to just about every weekend.  We had egg whites filled with spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and feta.  I got fruit and Karen had rustic potatoes.

Then last night we decided on Sauce on the Square in McKinney, Texas.  If you read the post from yesterday I mentioned us fighting about where to eat.  Well, it kinda happened.  Karen mentioned a seafood place in Plano, TX but I quickly shot it down and onto Sauce we went.

When we got there the place was packed and there was a 1h15m wait, but you could eat outside right away.  It was chilly but we decided to eat outside.  We started off with the best dish they serve which is polenta with mushrooms sauteed in a reduced balsamic vinegar syrup.  We then split a salad that was HUGE.  We finally had a green pizza for dinner.  The base is pesto, and it has mushrooms, artichokes, and red onions.  If that wasn't enough they gave us a free dessert which wound up being espresso bread pudding and Mexican vanilla ice cream.  We each had a glass of wine and man alive we were smiling from ear to ear.

An absolutely perfect day with the love of my life and no other person I would have rather shared that perfect day with.

 Plus we had a showing today.  We got rid of our last realtors and put the house on the market with a new realtor as of Friday and had a showing this afternoon.


Because we sat outside they gave us blankets.....perfect!

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And we are ending the weekend with some football on the couch and I am going to go cook up some football food that will be pita nachos, individual pita pizzas, and bean/cheese quesadillas.  Maybe I'll make some polenta with mushrooms and balsamic syrup as a surprise for Karen.



Skies are blue and smiles are a plenty.

Hope you had a great week and that your week coming up is even better.

Happy Anniversary To My Wife

(Not our actual rings)



Dear Karen -

It was one year ago that we decided to get married.  Prior to saying I do we dated first long distance (New York to Dallas), then we dated in very close proximity (I moved to Dallas and had an apt next door to you), then we bought a house and then we got married.

Through each of those steps I knew you were the woman that was right for me.  The woman that would provide me with support and strength.  The woman that would provide laughter and reality.  The woman that would speak the truth and hold me accountable.  You were the right woman for me.

Life was bleakest when I met you.  I was coming off a time when I was going through a divorce and you walked me through the maze that was life then and I knew that I could grow old with you.  I knew that you would be the person that would wake up in 50 years and look me in the eye and just laugh without saying a word.  I just knew it.

Today I am waking up and saying Happy Anniversary.  I am waking up and eating breakfast with you before we go do our passion (running) even though we won't do it together you will be running with me.  Today once my run is over I will reach for my phone and call you to see how your run went and to make sure that you enjoyed the sun on your face and the wind at your back.

Tonight we will go out to dinner.  We won't agree on a place and we will get angry at each other, but then we will eat together and it will all be forgotten.  Tonight while sharing a dessert I will look into your eyes and know that love does exist and that the woman I decided to spend the rest of my life with is sitting in front of me.

In this crazy world of laptops, BlackBerry's, iPhones, etc I was able to swim through that sea and find you.  I found you and I am never letting go.

I love you more today than I did yesterday and tomorrow I will love you more than today.

Always kiss me goodnight and all the days worries and issues will evaporate.

  

 

 

 

 

 

I Love You !!!!!

Me Stylish and Versatile? Hmmmm......

Crazy enough  I got nominated twice for the stylish and versatile blogger award.  You are supposed to write 7 things about yourself, so this meant I needed 14 things.  Then you are supposed to link back to those that nominated you.  So Jen at From Fat To Finish Line and Julie from Hotlegs Runner here is your mention, but since we all follow each other on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Stumble Upon, Digg, Carrier Pigeon I'm not sure you are going to learn much about me that you don't already know.  That is the beauty of having these two people as terrific friends even though we have never actually used the phone to talk or shaken hands.  They are my friends and I will do anything to help them out no matter what it is.  Thanks to you both and onto this whole stylish (does lycra and spandex count as stylish) and versatile (I do swim, bike, run, cook) thing.

1- I have SUAR stickers on my laptop and Xterra.  The Xterra is the official vehicle of Team Baha.

 

2- As a kid a snack consisted of saltine crackers with either butter or mayonaisse on them.

3- I don't understand lazy.  I get being tired but I don't get lazy.



4- I have 120 page views all time from South Korea.  Really?  What are they looking for?

5- I am a fan of Che Gueverra and want to travel to Cuba, but with our system I have to visit Adena from She Said I Need A Goal first.

6- Speaking of Adena she has a great blog post on Wednesday's called So I Was...check it out.  Mandy from Caratunk Girl has Mutley Monday and the Athlete's Plate comes out on Thursdays.  We are looking for somebody else to fill in Tuesday and Friday.

• Mutley Monday by Mandy
• Tuesday ????
• So I Was Wednesday by Adena
• The Athlete's Plate Thursday by me
• Friday ????

Any takers?

7- If my remote broke I would beg that the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3 work or do what I had to to make sure they worked.  If they worked I would still be able to watch CNN (201), NFL (212), MLB (213), FoodTV (231), Cooking Channel (232)

8- I tend to be the happiest in the kitchen/grocery store or out training.  Those are my passions.

9- I love answering the question of 'Are You Crazy?' when I tell somebody that I ran x miles, or rode x miles or swam x miles and I am now eating a plant based diet.  Love it.  My response had been to try to explain it but now I say to them 'What's crazy is sitting on the couch eating fatty foods and knowing that I am eating my life away.  That to me is crazy.  What do you do to stay active?'

10- I need lists for everything.  I am typing this from a list.

11- I eat PB&J with sliced bananas daily (not Sat or Sun) and re-use the ziploc bags I put them in.  Those ziploc bags that don't get re-used are in the Xterra or my backpack for later use.

12- I hate socks.  Just hate them.  I live in Texas and thankfully don't have much need for them because it is hot here most of the time.  Today it is 23 degrees so I have socks on and don't like them.

13- Bought a shirt before I moved to Texas that says adorkable.  I bought it to make Karen laugh and she did since this is how I used to look.

14- Proud of my sister who wants to lose 60 lbs this year.  She is well on her way with losing 5.5 lbs to date.  Go sis!!!!!


15- Because none of this blogging, training, racing, cooking, etc would be possible if it weren't for my wife I want to say Happy Anniversary to you.  The best year of my life just passed and the best year is on the dawn of starting tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will celebrate our 1 year anniversary and I couldn't be prouder to call you my wife, my best friend, my partner, my rock, my therapist, my love.  You are why I do what I do and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I love you.


I am supposed to nominate 15 others but there are too many people and I don't want to leave anybody out so with that being said feel free to do this yourself and email met at jbaha14 [at] gmail [dot] com so that I can check it out.

Thank you for reading.

SMILES!!!!!

Athlete's Plate - 1/20/2011

I would like to thank Rita Barry of Fitblogger for designing the logo for The Athlete's Plate.  The gold wings represent quite a bit to me.  They represent the gold wings for Boston as well as the headdress that the Greeks wore when they won the Gold Medals as well as the winner of Kona. 

Fitblogger was also kind of enough to post my menus on a weekly basis.  Thank you very much to Rita.

In addition to a new logo I have also created a new Facebook page for The Athlete's Plate.  Click here and be taken to the Facebook page.  Here I will be posting more often on all things related to diet and nutrition and also the menu from the week will be there as well.

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Now onto this week's menu.  Last week's menu was designed for CAUTION: Redhead Running.   This menu has become the number one post of all time here at Life Of An Aspiring Triathlete.  As of right now that menu has been viewed 338 times and leads the menu for SUAR by 5 page views.

Red nominated Sarah from Running Into The Sun.  I wasn't following Sarah before the nomination but I this is why I went to the nominee platform.  I get to find new bloggers and learn more stories.

The first thing I noticed about Sarah's blog was the header.  Right there in the middle of the NYC Marathon is Sarah with a SMILE!!!!  I have a saying that everybody should run with a smile because you never know where the cameras might be and it also helps you through the tough miles.  Sarah smiles and there is a great pic being taken.

Here are a few things I found out about Sarah and some of them might actually be included in the menu:

1- The woman is a runner and is a fast runner.  How fast?  How about a 3:45 marathon time in 2009

2- She is a foodie at heart and has a food blog (Una Buona Forchetta) that I hope she will update more often now.

3- She likes the movie Ratatouille and that happens to be one of my favorites as well.

4- She sings Opera.

5- Office Space is one of her favorite movies.

6- Started her blog back in March of 2007.

7- Has 381 posts since she started.

Breakfast: Kitty Litter Granola

(she loves her cats)

(pic courtesy of tomatointribeca.wordpress.com)



Ingredients: 1 bosc pear, 1 pink lady apple, 1c rolled oats, 2tbs flax seeds, 1/3c dried cranberries, 1/3c dried blueberries, 1/3c raisins, 1/4c almonds, 2tbs honey, 2tsp cinnamon, 2tbs pumpkin seeds, 1/2c cereal (CheeriO's), 1 cup of greek yogurt

Servings: depends on how you plan on eating eat.

Directions: 
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2- Dice pear and apple and put into a bowl.
3- In same bowl add in all ingredients except for dried fruit, and yogurt.  Mix well.
4- Spray baking pan with non-stick spray and spread mixture evenly.
5- Bake for 1 hours.  Stir mixture halfway through cooking process.
6- After baking remove from oven and let cool.  Once down to room temp add in dried fruit and mix well.
7- Once ready spoon over the greek yogurt and you are readty to roll.

I would eat this after a workout as the protein in the greek yogurt will help you in recovery.

AM Snack - Peanut Butter Patties

(she loves the Girl Scout Cookie version)

(pic courtesy of Playground Kitchen)



Ingredients: 1 Fudgy Peanut Butter VitaTop, 1tbs peanut butter, 1/2 banana

Servings: 1

Directions:

1- Heat up VitaTop according to directions and cut in half.

2- Spread peanut butter on one slice of the VitaTop.

3- Slice banana and place slices on top of peanut butter.

4- Place other half and form a 'cookie'

I was turned onto VitaTops by Hungry Girl and it is a great product.  I had been making these with thin whole wheat sandwich bread and this is much better.

Lunch - Black Bean Burger on Run for the 'rolls' and Sweet Potato Fries

(she claims to have gained weight possibly from a black bean burger in 2007)

(Run for the Rolls is a 1-mile run she truly enjoys)

(pic courtesy of Behind The Skillet)





Ingredients: 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained), 4 garlic cloves, 1/2c mushsrooms (chopped), 1/2c whole wheat pancake mix, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 head of bib lettuce, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 1/2" thick red onion slice, mustard, olive oil

Servings: 4

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2- Cut sweet potatoes into half so you end up with 4 halves.

3- Take 3 of the halves and cut length wise into fry style

4- Sprinkle with pepper and place on baking dish (spray with cooking spray) and into oven for 25-30 minutes.

5- In food processor add in beans and garlic.  Begin blending and slowly adding oil until well blended.

6- Cut 1 of the sweet potatoes in half and then shred.  Wrap in paper towels and squeeze to get rid of excess water.

7- Add shredded sweet potatoes, mushrooms and pancake mix to black bean mixture.  Mix well in bowl.

8- Divide up mixture into 4's and then form patties and set aside.

9- Put 1tbs of olive oil into frying pan and when hot add in black bean patties.  Put stove top on medium-low heat.

10- Once patties begin to set flip to cook on other side.

11- While patties and potatoes are cooking assemble bib lettuce with tomatoe, onion and mustard inside one side.

12- Once patties are done cooking place on side of bib lettuce with the other ingredients then top with other piece of bib lettuce.

13- Take fries out of oven and place next to burger and enjoy

PM Snack - Towpath Trail Mix

(a 20 mile trail she runs when in the Cleveland area)

(pic courtesy of wfcblog)

Ingredients: 1/4c chocolate candies, 1/4c raisins, 1/4c dried cranberries, 1/4c dried blueberries, 1/4c dried pomegranete, 1/4c dry roasted almonds, 1/4c dry no-salt peanuts, 1/4c pecans, 2tbs flax seed, 1/4c pumpkin seeds

Servings: 1

Directions:

1- Mix all together and eat.

Dinner - Pizza and Beer

(she is a beer aficionado and loves pizza)



(pic courtesy of Me)

Ingredients: 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained), 4 cloves garlic, 1 roma tomatoe, 1/2c mushrooms (sliced), 1/4 yellow squash sliced, 1/4 zucchinni sliced, 1/4 red pepper, 1/4 green pepper (pepper just need to be cut from entire pepper and only need one side), 1/2" thick red onion slice, vegan mozerrella cheese, 1 boboli whole wheat crust, olive oil
Servings: 8 slices
Directions:
1- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place pizza stone in oven so it heats up with oven.
2- Place all the vegetables (except tomatoes) on a panini maker and grill.  If you don't have a panini press then use grill pan.  No grill pan then add 1tbs olive oil to non-stick pan and cook all veggies until soft.
3- While veggies cook place beans and garlic in food processor and blend.  While blending add in olive oil to create a black bean hummus (paste)
4- Spread black bean paste on crust and drizzle olive oil on top.
5- Cut up veggies and mix.  Once mixed place over top of the black bean paste.
6- Top with tomatoes.
7- Top with vegan cheese
8- Take pizza stone out of oven and place pizza on top.
8- Place in oven for 15-20 minutes
9- Remove from oven with cheese melted and use pizza cutter to cut into 8 slices.
10- Serve with your favorite beer.

Dessert - Key Lime Pie Smoothie

(she also loves ice cream)
(recipe adapted from Hungry Girl)

Ingredients: 1c Vanilla HoneyMilk, 1/2c lime sorbet, 4tbs fresh pineapple chunks (canned is ok as well), 2tbs sugar free vanilla syrup, 3 k ey limes juiced, 10-12 ice cubes, homemade granola from up top, Whipped HoneyMilk, 2tbs sugar substitute
Servings: 2
Directions:
Create the Whipped Cream-
1- Get two glass bowls with the smaller one having ice in it.
2- Place 1/2c HoneyMilk into top bowl with 2tbs sugar substitute (I used Splenda with Fiber)
3- Start to whip on low and gradually increase speed until peaks are formed.  Will take longer than using heavy cream because there is not as much fat in HoneyMilk.
Create the Smoothie-
1- Place all the remaining ingredients except for granola in blender
2- Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly combined

Pour smoothie into glass, top with whipped HoneyMilk and then top with granola.

========================
Sarah - I hope you enjoyed the menu in your honor.  If you create any of the dishes please post pictures and your thougths on Facebook and leave comments here.

Your blog is great and keep up the running.  You are an inspiration to many.

Lastly, it is your turn to nominate another blogger.  If you can email me by Monday I would greatly appreciate it.

Is There A Competitor In You?

Last night, like any other night, I was contemplating life and the meaning behind it and what I could do to change myself to make the people around me better.  I got to thinking about the Biggest  Loser episode and I quickly sent myself an email titled 'Is There A Competitor In You?'  That was the entire email and when I woke up this morning and saw the BlackBerry flashing I looked at the email and on to the pool I went.

I kept thinking about the episode from last night and it dawned on me that I am a competitor.  I compete at just about anything.  I love watching competition and not just for winners and losers, but for the act of pushing yourself to be better.  Better than yourself.  Better than your opponent.  Just better.

I am not a quitter.  I don't know what that word means.  To  me the word quit is worse than any four letter word that George Carlin ever used.  It goes hand in hand with can't.  As Coach C pointed out during mile 20 of the Dallas White Rock Marathon....'THIS IS WHERE WE SAY WE CAN.  THOSE THAT CAN DO AND THOSE THAT CAN'T DROP OUT'  Was she kidding me with those words?  Out came The Fighter and I'm not taking about Marky Mark.  No way was I stopping.  No way was I quitting.  No way, no way, no way!

Do you have a competitor in you?  One who sets goals that are on the edge of your fingertips and will strive and do whatever it takes to get to that goal, grip it and then find the next just out of reach goal?  Are you capable of pushing yourself for one more step?  One more mile?  One more flip turn?  Are you willing to try to get to the next level?  When you set goals are they the ones you know you can achieve or are they the type that you question yourself about repeatedly until you get there?

For me nothing is impossible.  I have had this mindset my whole life.  I have always thought that with work all successes can be achieved and why limit myself.  As an adult you fall into these routines and you begin to accept them, but once you do you realize that there is no getting better and there is just status quo.  Who wants to be status quo?  Don't you want to be better than that even if it is just for yourself?

Competition brings out the best in all.  It brings out the best in you and allows you to see that you can accomplish anything and allows you to push others to be better today than they were yesterday.

As an example of how much I love competition I was once caught watching a double dutch competition on ESPN (maybe it was The Ocho) and yelling at the TV for the girls to go, go, go.  I was caught on the treadmill during the NYC Marathon yelling at Paula Radcliffe to kick it in and go, go, go.  I have been seen running around the house self-high fiving myself because of a great play that the athlete just did not give up on.  Anybody remember Don Beebe chasing down Leon Lett?  Don did not give up and he pushed himself to catch Leon and did.  What do you think that did for his teams morale at that moment (I know they lost, but for a moment everybody thought anything was possible.)

Challenge yourself to be better and you will end up pushing others to be better.  That is the beauty of competition.  As you improve so do others.

The Mentalist (Not A TV Show Review)

For any and all of you doing any type of training, whether it is a 5K or an Iron-distance event the hardest part of the training is the mental game.  The mind is usually ready to quit way before the body and thus it becomes a matter of fighting that mindset.  You are struggling up a hill and the mind says quit and walk, but you don't.  You are coughing up a lung because you just swallowed a gallon of water in the pool and the mind says quit but you don't.  The wind is howling and practically blowing you backwards on your bike and the mind says quit but you don't.

Welcome to the 4th part of training for a triathlon.  You will get in the water at 5am, you will be in the saddle for 3 hours, you will run intervals and tempos and in each one of those instances you are training your mind.  You are fighting back those quit words and can't words.  You CAN and you WILL do it.  You will erase those thoughts of doubt and push on.  Maybe not the fastest day you ever had, but you still did it and that is the accomplishment you take away.  You just beat your mind and now you have something stored in your memory bank for the next time it is hard.

This happened to me this morning.  I had an epic training day yesterday (click here to read about it.)  This morning that alarm went off at 4:18a as usual and I just lay there.  I could not move.  My mind told me to sleep in and I started re-arranging my day all over the place.  Finally I said you have got to do this.  You need to get going.  Out of bed and into the kitchen for some toast and coffee.  Sat on the couch to enjoy it and practically fell asleep again.  Up and out the door and in the water.

I had every excuse in the book to not do the complete swim.  Come back later.  Do only half.  You name it and I came up with it.  Finally I said to myself if you get the swim done you can go home and sleep for an hour.  There was my carrot and what I think is the best way to get through these types of sessions.  Small goals.  Break it down for yourself into something manageable and you will get through it all.

I managed to have a great swim session.  It was a ladder down starting from 600y and had fast sets of 25 in between.  For example, swim 600y (:50 RI) then 6x25 fast with (:20 RI) then 500y (:50 RI) then 5x25 and so on all the way down to 100y.  The 600 and 500 were slightly slower than 2:00/100y.  But then I set my small goal and wound up swimming faster and faster even though the yards were piling up.  My final 100y swim was done in 1:53 which is awesome for me and left me with a feeling of OH YEAH!!!!!  I self high-fived myself and swung that arm around and patted myself on the back.

That mental game was there.  I played it, set my attack procedure and won.  I beat the mind.  I came home and crashed for an hour.  Woke up and crushed some work that needed to be done.  Cranked out this post and onto lunch and a meeting.  I am picking up steam and all because I won today.  I beat the mind and am closing in on my degree as a Mentalist.  I will not be stopped today.  The momentum is there and when I get home from my meeting I will hit the gym for strength and then the trainer for a one hour ride.  Let's do this!

Are you enrolling in The School for the Mentalist today?

I did it! I did it!

Today was going to be an epic training day and of course there were two one big football game that I had to watch.

My training called for a full SBR today.  3400y of swimming, 3 hours on the bike and a 30 minute run.  This was going to be the mother of all training.  Added all up we were looking at about 5 hours of training today and this is on the heels of one of the biggest days of my life.

This morning the alarm went off at 4:18am as usual.  As usual I hit snooze until Karen said to me are you getting up to go swimming.  She had a running date with her friend at 7:30am.  So with that little nudge I got up and got myself ready to hit the water.  Toast with some peanut butter and coffee and out the door to the gym.  The parking lot had a total of 5 cars.  Do people not work out on Sunday at 5am?

Before I hit the water I have a visit to the toilet.  Get in the water and it is cold but quickly warms up during my 400y warm-up.  After 400y the stomach says its time for the bathroom.  Out of the water and freezing run to the bathroom.  This doesn't happen just this time, it happens a total of 4x.  4x in an 1.5 hours.  I believe all the fruits and vegetables that I have been consuming since switching to a plant based diet finally revolted.

All in all the swim was awesome.  I had that 400y warm-up, then a ton of drills followed by a main set of 10x100s and 10x50s.  The 100s went very well and I was at a pace of 1:57 to 2:04 which I was very proud of.  Each of the 50s were less than 1:00.  My cool-down was to be 400y but I only did 200y because I had to get home for Karen.  Well I got home late but you know all those trips to the hopper were the cause and that was not something I could help.

Spent the morning with chico having breakfast and grocery shopping and then during lunch he practically fell asleep at the table.  I put him down for a nap, Karen came home from her run and I was on the trainer.

Perfect timing for the trainer because that first football I had no interest in and figured I could use turnovers or 3 and outs for a timing of sprints or hill climbs.

The first hour went by so fast and I was feeling strong.  I had planned to do some sprints for 1 minutes followed by standing climbs, then seated climbs then flats and recovery and back and forth and kept changing it up.  The 2nd hour was just as good.  I looked at my distance at the 1:45 mark to compare to my earlier ride in the week and I was almost 4 miles past that and feeling strong.  The third hour kicked in and again I felt great until the 2:38 mark.  My legs started to feel like concrete all of a sudden.  At this point Karen and Chico woke up from their nap to find me pouring sweat and spitting and grimacing and cussing under my breathe.  I was thinking to myself this is the hardest thing I have ever done and not from a leg strength stand point but from a mental standpoint.  I had checked out of the football game so much earlier that the only thing getting me through were articles sent to me by BDD, Emails from Carrot, Comments from Jon and Patrick's blog about his epic ride.  I want to ride like these guys and they all have pushed me to get better.  I kept on pushing and pushing and pushing.  When that clock on the Cateye struck 3:00 I jumped off and got my sneakers on, switched shirts from the sweaty soaking mess and out the door for a 30 minute run.  I did three hours on the trainer and I am fired up about that.  The mind was stronger than the legs today and kept on pushing me.

Out on the road and it took about 20 steps before my legs were comfortable at my pace.  I looked down and I was at a pace of 8:09, but no distance.  I thought I had hit the start button but must have forgotten.  I had to do 30 minutes and had already run nearly a full mile so my first thought was to go 24 minutes and that would certainly be 30 minutes.  I hit the start button (again) and got going.  The pace was great.  I never felt fatigue in my legs, no soreness and my breathing was spot on.

By the way I am a mouth breather, so I catch a lot of flies when I run.  Recently I started using the term sopapilla cheesecake to regulate my breathing.  Sopapilla on the way in and cheesecake on the way out.  If I can get that then I know I am going to fast.  So sopapilla cheesecake was going perfectly.  I was on fire and I wound up running 27 minutes and I know for a fact that I was passed my 30 minutes total.

All in all I got in 3.9 miles in that time for a pace of 8:24/mile and that was my finishing time for the marathon.  I am excited about that because I know I could have held that pace for another 2 plus miles and then negative split the back 6.5 miles.  What that means to me is that I am in great shape for the run off the bike.

When I got home I saw the mileage on the cateye and it totaled out to 46.5 miles.  I was thrilled because I know that I will get those 56 miles in 3 hours or less because I did a lot of climbing on the trainer and never kept it in a spot where I could turn the crank at a pace of 18-19mph.  The last time I did a 3 hour ride outdoors I covered approximately 54 miles in that time and I am much more prepared now than then.

One issue I faced was during the end of the run I got hungry.  Jon had given me advice to work on my nutrition on the bike and I have been.  Today I took 3 Powerbar Energy Gels at the 30 minute mark, then a honey stinger at the 1 hr mark, gels again at 1:30, then honey stinger at 2:00 and 2:30.  At the 3:00 mark I took more gels and ran.  The issue I believe is I ran without a gel flask.  Had I had my gel flask I believe that my hunger would not have been there.  This seemed to work but will still be a work in progress.  The best part is I get to do it again next Sunday.  Now I have a 46.5 mile base to compare it to I am going to beat that number for sure.

Here are some numbers to chew on for the month of January so far, then broken down by week:

January 1-16
Swim: 17,159 yards in 7:00:01 or a pace of 2:27/200y which includes rest time
Bike: 197.31 miles in 11:42:36 or a pace of 16.85 mph (all but one ride on the trainer)
Run: 65 miles in 8:39:12 or a pace of 7:59/mile
Calories burned:  22,941

January 1-8
Swim: 6,050 yards in 2:30:45 or a pace of 2:30/200y which includes rest time
Bike: 68.97 miles in 4:17:36 or a pace of 16.06 mph (all but one ride on the trainer)
Run: 36.74 miles in 4:52:27 or a pace of 7:59/mile
Calories burned: 9,846
January 9-16
Swim: 11,100 yards in 4:29:17 or a pace of 2:26/200y which includes rest time
Bike: 128.34 miles in 7:25:00 or a pace of 17.30 mph (all on the trainer)
Run: 28.26 miles in 3:46:45 or a pace of 8:01/mile
Calories burned: 13,095

My training is in high gear with the first two weeks of January totaling over 25 hours already.  I am at a perfect spot in my training and have my eyes set on a goal time that I was told to keep to myself by my coach but you can figure out what it is based on my splits so far.

===================

Thank you to everybody for your kind words on my post from yesterday.  I have fielded one call from a woman who will most likely be joining as well as already having another sign-up.  I believe that the team will be at 20 people when all is said and done for North Dallas.  Great, great start for this venture which will only keep getting bigger, better and stronger.

We Are Officially Official

I cannot say it enough....I am humbled by the turnout.  I am proud of the group that showed up.  I am ecstatic for the notion that this group is putting their faith and trust in me.  I am blessed to have the ability to work with each of them and guide them to their goals.

If you are new to my blog then you are asking yourself what it is I am talking about.  I am talking about Marathon Makeover North Dallas.  This is a 40 week program that helps regular people do the extraordinary -- train for and complete a marathon.  I began the process of getting this program to North Dallas back in September.  Since the day I signed the papers to form my LLC and get this going I have been marketing the program in the area and holding my breathe because I did not know what to expect.  I did not care if 1 person showed up or 100.  All I cared about was being able to give back to the running community that has helped me through weight gain and change, through divorce, through training struggles and successes.  That running community has developed into a triathlon community but either way it is still a community that I am apart of and one that I have been looking to give back to.

Today was the first ever kick-off day for Marathon Makeover here in North Dallas.  It was a resounding success.  I met with a group of people and spoke to them for about 45 minutes.  The group totaled about 15 or so and to a person they all signed up.  I have a group that consists of 13 soon to be MARATHONERS.  Each of them has their own story to tell and I cannot wait to get started to hear their story.  They know all about me now as I rambled on about how I got involved in running and triathlon.  Over the next 40 weeks little pieces of them will show and I will take it all in and love every minute of it.

Today I went out on a L.I.M.B. and a funny thing happened.  I was inspired and motivated by the group.  They want to be lead by me and have me believe in them.  It just so happened that from the meeting I went on a 10 mile run through the city of Coppell and wound up running at a 7:40/mile pace for my long run when coach wanted me at 7:50-8:00/mile but I could not help but go faster because I was so inspired and motivated by this group.

It is going to be such a great year and I am so happy about this being the first ever Marathon Makeover of North Dallas team.  Go Team Baha!

For those of you that are in North Dallas and reading this blog our registration will be open until February 19th.  Our first group 1 mile run will be on Saturday, January 22nd at 8am.  Come out and find out what we are all about and join a group of smiling faces who are embarking on a journey that will lead them to find out about themselves, removing the word can't from their vocabulary, discovering how gorgeous Dallas is at 6am and seeing the sun rise and so much more.

If you are not in North Dallas or an area that has a local team you can join our online program and train with Ada Wong who is a marathoner and a reality tv show star (legal reasons I can't say which one but take a guess.)

To all of you that commented on my post yesterday....Thank You.  Many of the comments centered on how lucky the group that showed up would be to have me as their Team Leader/Coach/Mentor but the reality is that I am the lucky one to have them in my life.

Keep Smiling!!!!!

Nervous, Excited....Both? Neither?

If you are a follower then you know that I started a couch to marathon program here in the North Dallas area called Marathon Makeover North Dallas.  This is a 40 week program that helps ordinary people do the extraordinary - train for and complete a marathon.

Well it is kick-off eve which means that tomorrow I will be staring into the face of strangers who will be looking to me for answers.  Answers to questions I may have never thought of.  Answers to concerns about issues I never dreamt of or even knew existed.  How will I go about giving them an answer?

Am I nervous about this kick-off meeting?  Yes I am but not in the way you may think.  I am not nervous about public speaking.  It's in my nature.  It's something I'm good at.  I can stand in a room of people and talk that isn't the problem.  The problem is about the things I can't control.  Such as I printed up and made 75 copies of the registration form....is that enough?  I had a dream that 300 people showed up.  I have the DVD player in the car and I know it works, but will it work tomorrow?  I have my signs ready to put outside of the Coppell Family YMCA but will I forget the stakes to put them into the ground?  These are the things that make me nervous.  I am a planner. I write down things and scratch them off when they are complete.  My list is written and scratched off but I'll go through it one more time.  Make me feel better.

I am excited about seeing these new faces.  I love meeting new people and hearing their stories.  I love seeing their facial expressions when telling a story whether its smiles or tears.  I truly enjoy knowing that I am going to help these people change their lives for the better.  Of course some that show up won't register for the program but they will have been affected by a room full of people looking to help themselves, for that I have no doubt.

2011 has been a great year already and we are only two weeks into it.  Tomorrow will mark the mid-way point of January and it will be the first ever kick-off meeting for Marathon Makeover North Dallas.  Registrants will be the first ever participants of the MMND program.  They will have done something that nobody else has ever done and that is become a member of Team Baha and MMND.  They will also embark on their journey to join an elite group.  A group that included names like Shalene, Kara, Meb, Beth (SUAR), EMZ, and so many other blogging buddies plus my wife BUTt it is limited to the fact that only 1% of the WORLD'S population has run a marathon.  That is elite company right there.

I am also excited about the fact that I have begun the process of building a network that will help these participants over the next 40 weeks and beyond.  I have partnered with North Dallas Nutrition, Dr Goodman of Spring Valley Sports and Spinal Care, Vicky Sheahan of C-Prime.  HoneyMilk is the official recovery drink of Marathon Makeover nationally along with Ada Wong as the National Spokesperson and Online Team Leader. 

There is a lot of momentum and a lot of excitement.  2011 is great and only getting better.

Thank you to our partners and thank you for reading/following my blog.  I will post tomorrow what the 2011 team looks like, and have pictures as well.

 

Athlete's Plate - January 13, 2011

Athlete's Plate - January 13, 2011

One announcement before we get into today's menu.  The announcement is Happy 5th Birthday to you Chico.  Being your step-father is challenging, enlightening, motivating, inspiring but most of all it is FUN.  Thank you and Happy Birthday.  Now don't go getting punished today ok?

=========================

Today's menu is in honor of Morgan over at CAUTION: Redhead Running.  Don't know her?  Well where have you been?  She has 430 followers and when I tell you I laughed at the blog and laughed even harder at the email exchange after I am not lying.  She signed her email to me with Red, and so I replied to her email with my own signature (Sh*t Brown Eyes and Hair!)

So let's discuss a few of the items I found out about Red:

1- Once fell out of a window.  True story.  Click here and read Rixi's #1 thing about Morgan.

2- Has a cell phone but I'm not sure if she knows how to operate it.

3- Started her blog 19 days prior to her first half-marathon and we are now coming up on her 2 yr anniversary

4- Loves Rider sandals.

5- This menu will not include broccoli, coffee, tomatoes or bacon (not my doing on the meat.)

6- She grew up on a pig farm....now you know why she won't eat bacon.

7- The Da Vinci Code is one of her favorite books

8- Moved from Orlando to Michigan in 2010

9- Wants to run 1,000 miles in 2011

10- Wants to BQ in 2011

Pre-Workout Breakfast - Good In Bed Bagel

(a favorite book of her)

pic courtesy of ingestiondigest.com

Ingredients: 1 Thin Whole Wheat Bagel, 1tbs chocolate-hazelnut spread, 1tbs peanut butter

Servings: 1

Directions:

1- Toast bagel

2- Spread chocolate-hazelnut spread on one side and peanut butter on the other

3- Serve with OJ (no coffee for Morgan)

This is to be eaten prior to working out in the morning

Post Workout Breakfast - Boom Boom Pow Pancakes

(one of her 20 favorite running songs)

pic courtesy of ireallylikefood.com

Ingredients: 1c whole wheat flour, 2tsp baking powder, 2tbs wheat germ, 2tbs ground flax seed, 1/4c egg substitute, 2tbs unsweetened applesauce, 1c Vanilla HoneyMilk, 1/4c dried cranberries, 1oz walnuts chopped, 1 banana sliced, cooking spray

Servings: 4-6 pancakes

Directions:

1- Put dry ingredients into bowl and mix thoroughly

2- Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly

3- Add in cranberries, walnuts and banana and mix thoroughly

4- Heat up pan with cooking spray

5- Cook over low heat so the pancakes don't cook to fast and burn

6- Serve with more fruit and sugar free syrup

AM Snack - Pink Flamingo Smoothie

(do I need to explain the pink?)

pic courtesy of sheknows.com

Ingredients: 1 bottle of Vanilla HoneyMilk, 1oz strawberries (about 6), 1 banana, 2tbs ground flax, 1tbs Peanut Butter

Servings: 1

Directions:

1- Combine all ingredients in a blender (use ice if you want it thicker or frozen strawberries) and whip smooth

Lunch - Run Friendly Farfalle

(she runs in a group 2-3x per week plus it adds in some green)

Pic courtesy of robynwebb.com



Indgredients: 1c of dry farfalle, 5 stalks of broccoli rabe, 2 tbs olive oil, 20 pine nuts

Servings: 1

Directions:

1- Bring water to a boil to cook pasta

2- Heat up 1tbs olive oil and once hot saute broccoli rabe

3- In same pan toast pine nuts (be careful as they will burn quickly.  Just looking to extract oils)

4- Combine broccoli rabe and pine nuts and set aside

5- Cook pasta to your desired consistency.

6- Drain pasta and combine with broccoli rabe, pine nuts

7- Add olive oil over the top

8- Add shaved parmesan (optional)

PM Snack - Chewybaca Cranberry Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

(Star Wars is one of her favorite movies)



pic courtesy of Reader's Digest

Ingredients: 1/2c whole wheat flour, 2tbs ground flax, 2tbs wheat germ, 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2c peanut butter, 1/3c honey, 1/2c egg substitute, 2c old-fashioned rolled oats, 1c dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped almonds, 1/2c dark chocolate chips
Servings: 24 bars
Directions:
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, flax, wheat germ, cinnamon)
3- Combine peanut butter, egg substitute and honey until well combined
4- Combine wet and dry and fold together
5- Add in oats, cranberries, almonds and chocolate chips
6- Place in 9x13 baking dish and in oven
7- Cook for 20 - 25 minutes
8- Let cool then cut into squares

Dinner - Trash Talk Tofu Tacos

(she loves passing guys during a run)



pic courtesy of sunset.com

Ingredients: 12oz of firmly packed tofu, 2tbs soy sauce, 1tbs lime juice, 1tbs chili powder, 1tbs cumin, 1tbs paprika, 1tbs garlic powder, 1/4tbs cayenne, 1 bag of slaw (dry), 8 corn or whole wheat tortillas
Servings: 8
Directions:
1- Rinse tofu, drain for about 5 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1-inch cubes and lightly blot with more paper towels.
2- Mix soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne. Add tofu and mix gently to coat cubes completely. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3- In separate bowl mix cabbage with vinegar.
4- Heat non-sticking pan and place tofu in pan. Turn as needed to brown tofu on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to a serving platter. Place cabbage mixture alongside.
5- Heat tortillas in a microwave oven at full power until hot and steamy, ~30 seconds. Wrap in a towel. Serve with tofu and cabbage, salsa, and sour cream.
6- Eat taco style, filling tortillas as desired.

Red - I hope you enjoy the menu and found it to your style and creativity.  Please send me an email by Monday with your nomination for the next Athlete's Plate.