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pizza cheese

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Jen

I started my morning off with a smoothie that I basically just threw together because I was so hungry!

I added the following:

  • 5 ice cubes
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen cherries
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 2 tbsp hemp protein powder
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • squirt of agave

This basically tasted like a Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie!  I couldn’t taste the hemp powder or the blueberries, but they were in there to give me an extra boost of protein and antioxidants!  It was delicious.

I love smoothies, but I find that for breakfast they only hold me over for a few hours.  I think that my body craves food more in the morning…I am never as hungry at night.  Plus, I workout in the mornings which definitely makes me hungrier.  I guess that is a good thing since it gets my metabolism going!

Check out this article about Superfoods for women from Health.com!  Their top ten list contains the following:

  • Wild Alaskan Salmon
  • Wild Blueberries
  • Oats
  • Broccoli
  • Walnuts
  • Avocados
  • Red Beans
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Olive Oil
  • Dark Chocolate!!!

Other winners were almonds, beef, green tea, kefir, lentils, low-fat milk, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, raisins, soybeans, spinach, sweet potatoes, tart cherries and tomatoes.

It is amazing to me how many of those superfoods I get into my diet!  Yay me. 🙂  And, I’m sure that plenty of other women eat a lot of those foods as well.  I make a great dish with quinoa, pumpkin seeds, spinach, tomatoes and golden raisins!  I guess i’ll have to make that again soon, since it is packed with superfoods!

Before leaving for work this morning I toasted up 2 slices of Millet toast and brought some raw almond butter just in case.  And what do you know?  I was hungry around 10:30!  I ate about 1.5 slices with my almond butter and that kept my hunger off until almost 2, where I ate some leftover Spicy Thai Salad from last night – still delicious!

Avocados do not keep well after they have been opened up, but I stored my leftover dressing in a jar with a slice of lemon which definitely kept it from browning too much.  The top layer did brown, but I just scooped it off!  Mmmm…I love avocados. 🙂

Back up for a second to talk about Trader Joes Raw Almond Butter.  It is amazing!  For some reason, it tastes better to me than anything else I have tried – and trust me, I have tried many nut butters!  I get the chunky version and there are huge chunks of almonds in it!!!

Mid-afternoon I snacked on an Attune Chocolate Bar.  The nice people at Attune sent me some of their chocolate bars to try.  I am going to review the bars in more depth later after I try the other 2 I have because the idea behind the bar intrigues me.

From the Attune website:

“Attune® is the powerhouse probiotic bar that tastes absolutely amazing. And it helps you feel amazing. That means a digestive system that works like it should. And an immune system that puts up a good defense. Get Alive Inside™ with just one Attune bar every day.”

I tried the Chocolate Crisp bar, which tasted good.  Kind of like a Nestle Crunch bar.

I did not absolutely love it, but it was a nice treat with only 90 calories.  Apparently the bars contain more probiotics than yogurt, which ultimately will keep your digestive system in track.  More to come once I try the other bars!

Tonight was an easy 5 mile run!  Between my run and dinner, I sipped on a coconut water to replenish and hold me over for dinner.

For dinner, I whipped up a fancy cashew “pizza cheese” to eat with our lettuce wraps.  I am loving the ChoosingRaw.com recipes that Gena has, so this week is a variety from their, including the pizza cheese.

Cashew Ricotta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Basil (aka Italian Pizza Cheese!)

from ChoosingRaw.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked for two hours or more
  • Juice of one lemon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp white miso (optional) – I did not use this
  • 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped – I used golden sundried tomatoes
  • ¼ cup basil

Directions:

  1. Throw nuts in a food processor and process till ground well.
  2. Add salt, lemon juice, miso if using.
  3. Scrape sides of bowl and run processor again, this time drizzling some water in. Keep doing this until the cheese reaches the consistency you like (similar to ricotta).
  4. Add tomatoes and basil and pulse until they are well combined into the cheese.
  5. Serve as you like!

I followed Gena’s directions exactly, and my “cheese” came out looking just like hers does!  Fluffy and creamy with a consistency similar to ricotta.

Nut spreads, cheese and pate’s are really big in the raw food world because it gives some flavor to your dish.  Some people do not love the texture, but personally I love them!  I do not love meat, so sauces and spreads (such as hummus, guacamole, and nut cheeses) kind of act like my meat, if you know what I mean?!

I spread my Cashew pizza cheese in cabbage tacos and topped them with shredded carrots and slices of tomatoes.  They were delicious!

I love the raw idea, but I am still craving some cooked foods!  But, like everyone says, start out slow with any kind of diet change.  If you try to change everything at once, you will just end up failing!  Small steps towards a healthy lifestyle are definitely the way to go.  It took me a few years to really get into the healthy, all-natural way of eating.  But, now that I am here, I would never even dream of going back!  The candy and cookies and chips that I ate all the time in college are not even appealing to me anymore.  I am healthier and happier than I have ever been before!

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Filed under: Eating Laps, Recipes, Running Laps | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

spicy thai salad

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Jen

To eat raw means to eat foods that are not refined or processed; they are in their natural state.  When you cook food above 130°F, the vitamins and photonutrients are damaged or destroyed.  Above 118°F, the enzymes are killed, therefore raw foodists do not cook their food beyond 118°F.  This does not mean that you need to only eat salads!  You still have so many different options!  I am very interested in the raw food lifestyle and have been doing a lot of research on it, so you will definitely be hearing more about it from me!  I will try to post all of my recipes to give you ideas and show you that you can do so many things while eating raw.

The enzymes in food help to digest the food that you just ate.  If we destroy those enzymes, then our body has to work harder to digest your meal.  By eating fresh raw food, your body does not have to do as much work because the enzymes immediately spring into action and aid in digestion.  This causes your energy to increase, since your body is not using up your energy on digestion.  Eating fresh, raw fruits and veggies will increase the vitamins and micronutrients in your diet and you’ll notice a difference in your energy levels immediately!

I have been eating about 50-75% raw over the past 4 days and honestly, I already feel a difference!  I feel like I have more energy, but more importantly I do not feel tired or sick after I eat.  I, like many other women today, have some digestion issues, and eating more raw food seems to help because fruits and vegetables digest so quickly.  I will get into this more in future posts!
I definitely do not plan on eating 100% raw, but I do want to work more raw foods into my life and my diet.  I already love to eat healthy, so this really should not be a problem for me at home.  Dinners will most likely continue to be cooked for my husband! 🙂  So far, I like the way my body feels when I eat raw, but I’ll continue to keep you updated!  Like I have said before, everyone feels differently!  The key and most important thing here is to eat healthy!!!
I spiced up my juice at breakfast this morning and added lemon to the mix!  This made it sweet and tangy, I loved it!  In to my juicer went a small apple, a small pear, a carrot, 2 celery stalks and 1/2 a lemon, skin and all!
Yum!
I also munched on a piece of Millet toast with Blueberry Superfruit Jam and some ground flax seeds.
Did you know that flax seed is one of the greatest sources of essential fatty acids?  Flax seeds are made up of 1/3 oil, protein and mucilage.  They are high in protein which is easily digested because the seeds and oil contains all of the amino acids needed to build a strong body.  The fiber in flax acts as a broom and sweeps the colon of toxic material and waste.  It is a gentle non-irratating laxative which is perfect for someone with a sensitive stomach.  Just a fun fact. 🙂
I snacked on a banana with peanut butter mid morning, and then had a great salad for lunch!
My salad was on a bed of romaine.  It contained grape tomatoes, orange pepper, bean sprouts, walnuts and goldenberries!  I forgot my dressing, so a poured a little pomegranate juice in the mix!  It was actually pretty good!
Goldenberries are a sweet and tangy dried berry – yum!  They look kind of like a plump raisin.  But, they are nothing like a raisin!  They have high amounts of carotene and bioflavonoids (vitamin P), which are nutrients studies have shown to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity (among many other benefits).  They are also an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and contain a good amount of dietary fiber and protein.
I did my workout after work today, which included some speedwork on the treadmill and then some weights!
Back & Biceps
  • Seated Row (3 sets of 12, 40 lb weight)
  • Lateral Pulldown (3 sets of 12, 50 lb weight)
  • Back extension (3 sets of 10, 10 lb weight)
  • 21’s (3 sets, 18 lb bar)
  • Rope Pressdowns (3 sets of 12, 40 lb weight)
  • Hammer Curls (3 sets of 12, 7.5 lb weights)
  • Dumbbell Fly ( 3 sets of 12, 7.5 lb weights)

It was a great workout, but I was ready for dinner!!

Dinner tonight was also a salad, but was much more fun than lunch!  We had a Spicy Thai Salad which I found a recipe for from Gena on ChoosingRaw.com.
It looks like your basic salad until you add the delicious dressing!
There is a bed of romaine mixed with sweet basil leaves.  On top we added carrot sticks, red pepper, cabbage, bean sprouts and about 1/2 of an avocado.
Then comes the dressing!  It was a great mix of spices, herbs and an avocado.

Spicy Thai Salad Dressing
makes almost 2 cups!
  • 1 Avocado
  • 1/2 cup water
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • ¼ cup basil
  • ¼ tsp salt (or more)
  • 2 dates
  • Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 inch ginger for heat
Blend all ingredients in a food processor on high and adjust seasoning to taste.  Here is what you get:
It is a little sweet, which a hint of spice.  I would definitely make this again.  It would be a great dip for veggies too!
And my salad post dressing – much better!
We served this with some toasted whole grain bread, but it would be great on it’s own as well.

Filed under: Eating Laps, Recipes, Running Laps | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

rainy day treats

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Jen

I had a date with Emily tonight at our favorite Boston tea shop, Tealuxe!  We love to meet there to just chat and drink tea.  Since I knew that I would be eating a late dinner tonight, I snacked on some medjool dates with peanut butter before leaving the office.

The nice people over at Crazy Richard’s sent me some peanut butter to sample, so I decided to try out the creamy pb today!  Overall, it tasted delicious, I mean I do love peanut butter.  It is made with one ingredient: peanuts, which I love!  I hate when extra oils and sugars are added to the nut butters.  It doesn’t enhance the flavor (unless, of course it is a flavored nut butter to which they add other natural products)!  This tasted like freshly crushed peanuts.  However, I was disappointed in a few things: the peanut butter was extremely runny, which made it hard to work with and they roast their peanuts before turning it into peanut butter which means it’s not raw.  Oh well, still just peanuts and delicious!

Medjool dates are the king of dates!  They used to be considered a delicacy and only served to royalty, but in recent years they have become more widely available.  They are plump, sweet dates that can be eaten alone or added to baked goods in place of sugar.  I use them in smoothies, cookies and love to eat them plain or with peanut butter.  A great, healthy snack!

After Tealuxe, I came home to make a quick salad for dinner which I topped with grape tomatoes, 1/2 an orange pepper and the rest of our sweet potatoes.

My salad was dressed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dulse flakes.

Once again, I was craving something sweet after my meal, so I whipped up some banana soft serve topped with homemade chocolate sauce (a mixture of cacao powder and raw agave) and cacao nibs.  YUM!

If you are sensitive to dairy, definitely give this ‘ice cream’ a try!  It is delicious!  It actually has the texture and sweetness of softserve, without the artificial taste.

Banana Soft Serve

from ChoosingRaw.com

Take 2 frozen bananas and mix them in a food processor…

…until it creates a smooth, soft serve texture about 5 minutes.  You may have to stop every once in awhile to scrape down the sides, but the bananas will get light, fluffy and smooth.

Serve in a bowl alone, or with chocolate sauce!

It really looks like soft serve!  And, had the same texture as well.

Raw Chocolate Sauce

Mix 2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar with 1 tablespoon of cacao powder.

This made more than enough chocolate sauce.  I could have cut the recipe in half.

Drizzle over your softserve and top with cacao nibs!

A simple, satisfying and delicious dessert (or fun snack!) that is completely dairy free and raw!

Filed under: Eating Laps, Recipes, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | 9 Comments »

a raw day

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Jen

I cracked myself up with the title of my post today. 🙂  I woke up to pouring rain in Boston!  I am happy for rain, instead of snow here in the city, but it is not looking good for skiing since they are having lots of rain up north as well. 😦  The temperature, however was over 40°F so it was not raw outside, but lots of my eats today will be raw!

I took a rest day today.  My legs and body are tired and sore from my first full week of weight training, and from my fun winter activities over the weekend.

So, I started my day with toast and a smoothie!  My toast was Millet bread from Food for Life.  I love this bread.


It is perfect for anyone with a gluten allergy, and for folks in need of a change!  It is light and slighty sweet due to being sweetened by fruit.  The list of ingredients is very short, compared to other store-bought bread which has a list a mile long!


I normally eat Food for Life’s Ezekiel bread, which is sprouted whole grain bread.  The Millet bread definitely feels lighter, and more delicious!

On top of my millet toast, I spread some Crofter’s Superfruit jam that the company sent me to try.  Each jar of their organic superfruit jams are apparently stuffed with 1 pound of premium organic fruit, sweetened with fair trade sugar and contain one-third less sugar than normal jams.  I tried out the North America jam today which is wild cranberries and blueberries blended with red grapes and morello cherries.


This jam was definitely delicious!  I really like blueberry jam, so this was perfect.  It was packed with real chunks of fruit, which I also loved.  My one concern is the sugar.  Even though the jam is made from fair trade sugar, it is still sugar!  I prefer my jam without any added sugar, because I like the natural tartness of the berries.  But, I do think that with all of the tart superfruits added, the jam would be too tart for most without the added sugar.  Luckily, it does contain much less sugar than the normal jam on the store shelves today, so it is definitely an upgrade!  Plus, it tastes a heck of a lot better!

It was perfect spread on my millet bread!

Now, my toast was not raw, but the second part of my breakfast was!  I have to say, 2 days of eating mainly raw foods has already helped me to feel better!  I do not expect to always be able to eat completely raw because I love some foods, like toast and oatmeal and yams and stuffed peppers, and when going out to dinner it may be harder to do so, but I am experimenting with the way my body feels.  This is important to me, just as it is important for others to eat the foods that make them feel best!  I find that when I eat certain foods, my body feels better than when I eat others due to the way it processes and digests the types of foods.  Other people might not suffer from the same problems, which is great!  You should eat what is best for you, and not be persuaded to eat as someone else does.  So, for the next few weeks I plan to experiment with raw foods, with removing cow’s milk dairy from my diet and with combining different types of foods, which I’ll explain in more detail in later posts.

Part two of breakfast was a (raw) Chocolate Strawberry-Banana power smoothie!

To the mix, I added the following:

  • 1 banana
  • 2/3 cup frozen strawberries
  • 2 tbsp hemp protein powder
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 tbsp cacao nibs (for the texture)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • squirt of agave (to add sweetness to the raw cacao powder)


I also added some ice and blended all the above ingredients together!


Yum!  This smoothie was just right, not to chocolaty at all.  I love using the raw cacao powder with just a squirt of agave because it gives it the perfect amount of sweetness.

I also like to use a protein powder in my smoothies to give me some extra protein in the mornings, especially after a hard workout to fuel my muscles.  There are a lot of protein powders on the market today with many fillers in them.  I prefer a more natural plant-based form of protein, such as hemp protein powder.  Others prefer brown rice protein powder instead.

Hemp protein powder is literally hemp seeds ground into a powder, nothing else is added to it.  The two turnoffs to some people are that both the seeds and powder have a nutty taste to them and the powder is green, but when added to smoothies like mine this morning you can hardly even tell!  Hemp is packed with protein, along with all the 20 essential amino acids that are used in the human body.  It also has the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 in a healthy 3:1 ratio, and a lot fiber.  Two tablespoons provides 8 grams of fiber!  It’s a perfect, and healthy way to add more protein to your diet.

As I was making my lettuce wraps for dinner last night, I made sure to pack up lunch for today!  This way, I can make my morning as stress free as possible.  So, lunch was lettuce wraps with guacamole and a small side of sweet potatoes.

I was much better at wrapping them up for lunch, than I was for dinner last night!  Delicious meal that left me feeling more energized, instead of exhausted after eating a heavy lunch!

My sweet treat after lunch was a mug of Cacao Berry tea and a chocolate macaroon.  Normally I do not eat anything sweet after lunch, but with the rain today I was really craving some tea and chocolate! 🙂

The Cacao Berry tea is a superberry tea from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea to support breast cancer research.  It is top-tier Sencha green tea with rooibos, cacao, raspberries and dark chocolate.  It is definitely delicious.  You can taste the chocolate and the berries – yum!

Each tea bag is a pyramid to allow the leaves to expand more for a better steep, and they are 100% biodegradable!!

Back to work to enjoy my tea!

Filed under: Eating Laps, Recipes | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

healthy & fitness laps of the week – stress & stretch!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Jen

Healthy Lap of the Week – Reduce Stress!

This is definitely something that I need to work on, so I thought it would be a good tip this week!  There are many different factors that cause us to get stressed, but there are also many things that we can do to help combat our stressors.  Try to think positive.  Instead of getting frustrated on your drive to work because that person cut you off, take a deep breath and keep on driving.  Is it really worth it to be stressed about that?  I try to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing something that relaxes me, such as reading a book before going to bed, taking a bath, going for a run, attending a yoga class, etc.  When I do this, it definitely works as a stress relief, but the point is that I need to do them more often!  Being less stressed will help you to become a much happier person!

Fitness Lap of the Week – Make sure to S-T-R-E-T-C-H

Stretching is good for all of us, whether we are athletes or not!  It is the key to injury prevention and overall flexibility.  It has been shown that athletes who are more flexible tend to have fewer problems with muscle strains and cramping.  It has also been shown that flexibility can prevent overall muscle soreness.  By trying to remain flexible throughout our lives, it will ultimately put less stress on our bodies because we will have more movement throughout.  Stretching can be done before or after you exercise, but be sure to have warm muscles before doing so.  Yoga classes are great for stretching, and will help you become more flexible over time!  I find that I get very stiff from sitting at a computer all day, so I try to get up every so often and walk around to help stretch out.  Instead of just sitting at home and watching TV at night, plop down on the floor for 10-20 minutes and do a little stretching!

Filed under: Laps of the Week | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

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