Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Overpronation, Procrastination, and WIAW

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Active.com is a great resource for runners.

 

I enjoy their weekly emails with tips on issues such as: how to fuel your body, preventing various injuries, and working out in sweltering heat.

 

Today’s email included an interesting article on overpronation.

Overpronation is when one’s ankles roll inward too much.

 

 

It is widely believed that this can lead to over-use type pain or injury (shin splints, joint pain).  Many people (myself included) get specially fitted for running shoes and/on inserts in hopes to correcting the “problem.”

 

Today’s article from Active asserts that corrections for over pronation should not always be made.  They say:

“…doing so can and often does result in one symptom going away and another, usually a more complicated one, developing elsewhere.”

 

Here’s what really resonated with me:

Often over pronation is the symptom of another problem.  Most common is a lack of normal ankle range of motion.  If the foot/ankle isn’t bending properly, the knee is restricted and can’t “travel forward enough for the body to move its center of mass over the foot.”

The result?  Overpronation.  That pronation causes the knee to drift to the midline, which means the hip turns excessively inward.  Snowball.

Correction through shoes and inserts either a) doesn’t work or b) makes the underlying cause worse because the overpronation “is a needed compensation for a lack of mobility elsewhere in the body. Taking this compensatory element away without first addressing and correcting the true underlying cause will inevitably force compensation (frequently accompanied by pain) in another part of the body.”

Source: http://bestrunningshoereport.com/

Source: http://bestrunningshoereport.com/

So what should you do?

See if you over pronate with a squat test.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and attempt a squat.  Are your knees bent 90 degrees or less?  Are your heels still on the ground?  Are your feet still forward (not turning outward)?

No?  If you can’t do the squat correctly, the article says your foot pronation is likely “due to inflexibility of your ankles and that is what should be corrected.”

Bottom line: Before you go out and buy special shoes or inserts, see a professional to have a complete evaluation (pelvis, hip, knee, ankle and foot) done by a professional.

On to my actual Wednesday eats in honor of WIAW.

1 day later than usual due to procrastination/over-sleepiness rather than the pursuit of true Wednesday eats.

Breakfast

Banana Green Smoothie

  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Maca
  • Banana
  • All-Bran (lots of it!)
  • Peanut butter
  • Spinach
  • Coconut milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • Water + ice, to taste

Lunch

Lightlife Buffalo “Chicken” wings, celery, and cucumber

Salt + Pepper Pop Chips – how did I wait so long to try these?!

Snacks

Kombucha, plum… and a BlackBerry

Similar to breakfast, but with a chocolate casein protein powder

Dinner

I made spaghetti squash and topped with tomatoes AND…

Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Creamy Avocado Sauce.

If you haven’t made this before, you are missing out on some serious creamy deliciousness.  Sooooo good.

My modifications:

  • Added red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, and red onion
  • Subbed 1 T of coconut milk for the EVOO
  • Used just 1 clove of garlic
***

Don’t forget to enter my Exceed earbud giveaway!  These are pretty awesome – I’ve never even felt like they were going to fall out.

 

It’s my birthday eve!!!  The bad part about being an adult is that I still have to work all day.

What do you think about pronation?

Do you over or under pronate?  Have you even been evaluated?

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

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How in the world was I exhausted at 10 pm last night?

I’m a night person!  Then I remembered I left the house at 730am to play in a softball tournament and only came home long enough to shower and shovel one of these in my mouth.

My team didn’t win the tournament, but the game we lost was one of the most memorable I’ve had.  We went into overtime and lost… but the adrenaline and the plays made by my team were over the top.

We were down by 5 with 2 outs.  One girl got hit in the nose with the ball, bled a lot, and then came back into the game to bat so we didn’t have to take an out for her spot in the lineup… and she got a great hit!  Sadly, we still lost by 1. 🙁

In keeping with my new weekly recap tradition, here’s was last week looked like:

Workout Recap (7/4-7/9)

  • Monday – Peachtree Road Race – 10K – 51:08 mins
  • Tuesday – Yoga for Runners, stationary bike 30 mins, 84 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Biceps/Back, 5K run, 84 push-ups
  • Thursday – Intervals (2 mile treadmill, 1 mile elliptical), 84 push-ups
  • Friday – Tris/Chest, P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
  • Saturday – 5 mile run (in 40 mins!!!)
  • Sunday – Softball tournament, 84 push-ups

NuNaturals was nice enough to send me some goodies to test out.

The package came with recipes, but I’ve had my eye on these Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies from Gracie @ Girl Meets Life.

It’s not often something so good for you tastes so decadent.

These are gluten-free and vegan.  The added bonus is that they are low-sugar.  If you omitted the chocolate chips, they would be sugar-free – you could do that and thrown in come walnuts for banana bread cookies.

NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia drops worked like a charm.  My cookies were appropriately sweet and I didn’t notice an aftertaste.

Coconut flour has been a recent addition to my pantry.  I’m loving it.  You have to be careful as it has a different feel than “regular” flour, but it adds a smooth, almost silky texture to baked goods.

Some benefits of coconut flour:

  • Good source of fiber – At 58% insoluble fiber, it has the highest percentage found in any flour
  • Guilt-free baking (nearly… the other ingredients are your business 😉 ) – Insoluble fiber means your body doesn’t digest it (translation: your body can’t derive calories from it); these fibers basically magic eraser their way through you intestines doing what fiber should do to keep your digestive system healthy
  • Gluten-free and hypoallergenic – Many people without a serious gluten allergy and moving towards a low-gluten diet.  Subbing coconut for some of your regular flour is another way to cut down on gluten intake.  For those that do have an allergy, you can use this with rice flour to improve textures.

Be warned that coconut flour is very dry and doesn’t bond well.  Remedy this by adding binders like bananas or eggs to your batter.  This can also be accounted for by using subbing in place of just 1/4 to 1/2 with a “regular flour.”
Keeping that in mind… welcome to cookies so silky and light you won’t be able to stop eating them.  Which is fine, as they are pure doughy deliciousness at only 86 calories a pop.

 

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium banana, well-mashed
  • 14 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid vanilla stevia
  • 1/2 T coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1 C unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious-style)
  • 1/3 C dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Set aside.  
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.  Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring as you go.  Fold in chocolate chips.
 
Scoop out 2 T of dough on lined baking sheet, pressing down lightly.
 
Bake for 25 mins, until cookies begin to brown.  Allow them to cool completely (they are crumbly!).
 
Makes 11 cookies.

Approximate nutritional info: 86 calories, 4.2g fat, 11.1g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 2.1g protein.

***

Important Announcement: it’s my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!!  Woot!

What is new to your kitchen as of late?

Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

By

Working out can actually help alleviate soreness.

DOMS soreness

That’s what “they” say anyway.  So I got up and ran a looooong 5K distance yesterday in hopes of working out some of that delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from Monday’s Peachtree Road Race.

Stats:

  • Distance – 3.14
  • Time – 25:31 mins
  • Pace – 8:06 mins

DOMS is the pain/stiffness you feel 1-2 days after a tough workout.  It refers to the little tears in the muscle rebuilding after you’ve broken them down – and it is an important part of the muscle-building process.  Light exercise, easy stretching, and massages are all good ways to alleviate DOMS.

Note: DOMS is not to be confused with injury or pain from doing too much too fast.  If you’re experiencing that soreness, you need to REST.

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The food you eat post-workout is also important.  Lots of nutrients are a must – I like to load up on protein, fruits, and veggies.

Peaches are all over my Peach State right now.  The season is ON and sweet, juicy peaches are everywhere.

Fun fact: after the July 4th Peachtree Road Race they hand out peaches in addition to the usual bananas and bagels.

For lunch I decided to use some of the peaches my grandfather gave me from his trees in a soup.  With a side of (not pictured) chicken.

This chilled gazpacho is a great light, summery started or side dish.  The serrano adds an unexpected bit of heat on the end of each crisp, sweet bite.

I didn’t add sugar/honey/agave, but you certainly could if you like a sweeter soup or your peaches aren’t as flavorful.  If you aren’t a fan of heat, reduce the amount of or leave out the serrano pepper.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

  • 1 large peach
  • 1/3 C cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 C yellow pepper, diced
  • 1/2 oz goat cheese
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced in half
  • 1/2 serrano pepper
  • 1/8 C cilantro
  • 1/4 C coconut milk (not canned – the So Delicious variety)
  • S+P, to taste

Combine sliced peaches, cucumber, yellow pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the goat cheese, vinegar, olive oil, a couple shakes of salt, and garlic clove.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the garlic from the mix and throw away.  Pour the remaining contents of the bowl into a blender and add serrano pepper, cilantro, and milk.  

Puree until smooth and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper;  you may also add agave or honey for a sweeter soup.  

Refrigerate until well-chilled, allowing flavors to combined (at least 2 hours).

Pour into 1-2 bowls and enjoy!

Makes ~1 cup.

***

A HUGE thank you to everyone for the comments you made in response to yesterday’s post.  You guys made my day so much better. 🙂

What do you do to recover after a hard workout?

Can You Hear Me Now?

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Have you guys been following the cell phone news?

 

They may cause brain cancer.

 

Lovely.  As someone who spent the better part of college with a phone glued to her ear, I’m not amused.

 

I turned to NPR (dork).  Apparently the culprit is the radio frequency electromagnetic fields cellphones give off.  They could be carcinogenic.  Could be.

Know what else could be carcinogenic?

  • Coffee
  • Pickled Vegetables
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Ultraviolet Rays
  • Talcum Powder
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy

 

Basically, I’m a goner.

 

Honestly, I don’t like talking the phone anymore.  Can you grow out of that? I use mine primarily to text and email.  And tweet.

___________________________________________________________________________________

In happier news, I’ve had a great time this week eating green foods!  Despite how it may look from the smorgasbord I posted yesterday…

 

1. Tami’s Green Gazpacho:

 

My modifications included the addition of 2 jalapenos, using a whole cup of  cilantro, and reducing the water by a cup.  I also bypassed the bread and topped it with Greek yogurt (which was amazing!).

Next time I’d reduce the salt a bit, but other than that it was a fantastic summer soup. The perfect cool lunch with insanely hot weather!

 

2. Salad… con mucho color.

 

I had some fresh mozzarella left over from my Peach Caprese Salad, so I used that to make this Spinach–Carrot–Tomato-Caprese-Salad.  With hummus.  And… an embarrassing item.

See the falafel-looking things?  Those are “Chicken Bites.”  They are made by a company called Happy Bites.  They make sneak veggies into their frozen kids snacks… yes, I’m almost 28 and I buy over-priced children’s foods. You can find them at Whole Paycheck Foods… the Veggie Tots are good too.

 

3. Averie’s Avocado Banana Ice Cream.

 

You guys know I love avocados in smoothies – it makes them deliciously creamy.  Why not in ice cream?  I trust Averie.

Did I mention it’s VEGAN ice cream?

I used So Delicious unsweetened vanilla coconut milk, omitted the sugar, added 1/2 a packet of Stevia, and used maybe 1/2 C of ice cubes.  My Magic Bullet blended it like a champ.  Then I threw it in my mini-ice cream maker.  And immediately devoured 1/2 of it.  Before dinner because I’m not a Happy Bite-eating kid.

***

I’m off for a morning run before A) it reaches 90 degrees and B) Souper Jenny’s Underground Supper Club tonight. It’s so underground that I don’t even know where it is or who the chef is yet!

Do you like to talk on the phone? Will you change your usage habits in light of the potential cancer-risk?


Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding

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Thursday has arrived!  That means it’s almost FRIDAY!!!  The short weeks always seem to be the longest.  Long weekend withdrawal.

Yesterday was a particularly random/funny “Top Searches” day for Sprint 2 the Table; therefore, I’m calling today…

Top Search Thursday!

  • Mexican baby shower games (Mexican-themed food.  Universal games.)
  • Chocolate pudding with beans and avocado (Beans?!  Ok, ok… I’d probably try it.  These bean brownies are my fav.)
  • How to make me mmm mmm mmm (Uhhhh… should I be concerned?)
  • Why does my smoothy separate? (Smoothie.  Try adding a sprinkle of guar gum.)
  • Wines of Lebanon (Thank you, F+W Festival!)
  • Remove bitter taste from tempeh (Boil it!)
  • Apple pie oatmeal creation (That was pretty tasty.)
  • Chipotle state location georgia (That is more Stacy‘s area of expertise.)
  • Sweet on you dark chocolate sea salt cookies (If someone made me these cookies, I’d certainly be sweet on them!)
  • Good morning peaches (Good Morning! Thanks for the lead-in to today’s post!)

 

Funny searches, good lead-ins for a dessert-like breakfast… it’s a good day!

__________________________________________________________________________________

A few months ago I made a Banana Cashew Chia Pudding (adapted from Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit) that was seriously reminiscent of actual banana pudding.

Since peaches are the theme lately, I decided to try out a Peach Chia Pudding.  I don’t even have the words to describe to you how delicious it was.  Tip: martini glasses amplify deliciousness.


First I tried it cold.  It was quite tasty.  Then I remembered Leanne’s suggestion to heat the banana version.  25 microwave seconds later I thought I was eating peach cobbler.

Chia seeds form a gel-like substance when soaked in liquid (hence the pudding), which is why this is such a great overnight breakfast.  In addition to making a fantastic pudding, they are a super food.

A few reasons Chi-chi-chi–chias rock:

  • Highest natural source Omega-3 available
  • Tons of fiber (7g per 2T)
  • Loaded with antooxidents, vitamins, and minerals
  • Provide lasting fullness/energy thanks to being slow-digesting
  • Hydrating – they can absorb 12x their weight in water!
  • May aid in muscle/tissue recovery

This pudding held me over until lunch (not an easy feat). I may eat this every day during peach season.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding

  • 1 medium peach, sliced
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1 T cashew butter
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, mash up peach slices until they are a chunky puree.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate over night (or at least 2-3 hours).

In the morning, uncover and stir.  Optional: microwave ~25 secs (I strongly recommend trying it hot!).

Note: If you aren’t using a vanilla-flavored milk, you may want to add vanilla extract.

***

I wonder if people think search terms I use are funny?

What are some of the funniest terms you’ve used/seen?

Do you like chia seeds?  How do you eat yours?

 

Avocado-Mango Soup

By

Warm weather is finally here to stay!  I complained all winter about the frigid temps… subsequently swearing not to complain about heat.  So I won’t.  (Someone please remind me of this in July.)

Unfortunately along with the heat has come some crazy storms.  No matter, I need to do a few treadmill runs to test my new kicks by Newton.

 

Newton Motion

Cool, huh?

Apparently these are also magic shoes – they supposedly help you to land midsole (thus alleviating some impact, reducing injury, and improving efficiency), and return energy back to you. From their website:

“When your midfoot/forefoot LANDS on the ground, the technology’s four external actuator lugs are pressed into hollow chambers inside the shoe’s midsole via an elastic membrane (ACTION). This movement absorbs shock.  As you LEVER inside the shoe, the lugs release their stored energy and propel you forward through a burst of energetic return (REACTION) from the Action/Reaction Technology™.”

I love new “toys.”  Happy 24:10 to me.

I’ll report back when I’ve formed an opinion. 🙂

In the spirit of warmth, I made the season’s first cold soup.

There’s nothing more refreshing than a fresh avocado.

Except when you blend it with mango and call it soup.

Mangoes, like avocados, can be frustrating to buy.  It seems like they are either hard as rocks or well past their prime.  The time is NOW to find some good ones!

Purchase them a bit on the firm side and let them finish ripening at home for a day or two.  If you need to stall the process, simply stick them in the fridge.  Works like a charm to extend the life of your fruit another couple of days.

When they are just right, use them for this delicious soup.  It’s crisp, refreshing, and has just a teensy kick from the jalapeno.  It is a great summer appetizer, or compliment to a quesadilla, grilled chicken, taco salad, or all of the above!

Best of all, it’s all natural, loaded with good fats, and will “fill you up without weighing you down” for dinner.

Avocado-Mango Soup

  • 1 medium avocado
  • 1 champagne mango
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • Juice from 1 small lime
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 6 T fresh cilantro
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • S+P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender (a Magic Bullet works perfectly!) and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust spices as needed.

Spoon into 2 bowls, garnish as desired, and enjoy!

Potential garnish: red pepper (pictured), salsa, toasted walnuts/almonds/etc, tomatoes, pineapple, coconut shreds, cotija… anything else you typically like with your Mexican food.

***

I’m curious about Vibrams…

Have you tried any “specialty” shoes?

Do you treat yourself with new gear after a run?  

Chocolate-Avocado Pudding

By

This week has my nerves a bit frayed.  

I’m in a funk.

I can’t shake this tired feeling.  My banana muffins turned out salty.  Stevie is turning into a terrorist.  My photos aren’t loading properly on Flickr.

*Whine*

Tonight I got through half an hour of P90X Yoga and hit the stop button.  Bah.

Funk = Comfort food.

So tonight I met a friend for some authentic tonkotsu ramen at Yakatori.  It was sheer deliciousness.

Creamy, rich, pork-y broth.  Fresh noodles.  Crispy cabbage bites.  Not too salty.

The service is friendly, the decor is simple, they don’t have forks, and most patrons are not native English-speakers.  Awesome.

This isn’t microwave ramen – you will wait for your food.  Totally worth it.  They bring out crisp, sesame-coated green beans for you to snack on.  If you’re in Atlanta (and you eat pork), it’s a must-try.  Warning: they only serve the ramen at dinner.

Continuing the comfort food, I made chocolate pudding.  With avocado.

If you don’t spill 1/2 the container of coconut butter (try cleaning that off the floor… epic FAIL), this literally takes just 2 mins to prepare.

You can’t taste the avocado – it only adds some good fat and creaminess.  I swear.  Crosses don’t count.

Mine – of course – included chili powder and cinnamon for a little Mexi-flare.  You can leave out one or both of these, but I strongly urge you to at least try the cinnamon.

Did I mention it has 16g of protein?!

Chocolate-Coconut Pudding

  • 1/2 avocado
  • 2 T cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • 2 T unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 1 T almond butter
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1/2 T coconut oil
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 packet Stevia
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional… I like all my food spicy!)

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

Devour.

***

Don’t cut your tongue licking the blades (that’s right… I deserve a Darwin Award.)

What is your favorite comfort food? 

Does it change seasonally?

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