Fall Spiced Oats

Ahhhhh Fall. The leaves turn beautiful shades of orange and red. The air is crisp but not too cold. Now put this feeling into a breakfast (or snack) and you have Fall Spiced Oats. These oats are finished with Pumpkin yogurt, crunchy granola, and a sprinkle of Fall happiness.

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Mango-Kale Salad Wrap

Maybe I’ve been living under a rock my whole life, but I’ve just recently discovered that salad wraps are a thing. I was just wandering around the mall when I saw a cute little cafe called Freshii in the corner and decided to drop by. And my life changed. You’re telling me that I can have a salad but… Not a salad??! My mind was blown. I ordered the Metaboost wrap and it was so good that I went home and remade it! It tasted too good to be healthy. Without further rambling, this is how I remade the Freshii wrap:

Kale & Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl

I know, I know, Buddha bowls are all the rage right now. But for a good reason! Roasted or sauteed vegetables over a bed of rice, draped in a creamy sauce. They simply are the best. This version has kale, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and onions but you can add different veggies to spice it up. My personal favorite is brussel sprouts and baby potatoes.

Easy Peasy Kale Chips

Never buy Kale Chips! Always make them yourself because not only are they 10 times more delicious, but they are also cheaper. Kale Chips are easy to make and require no cooking skills whatsoever. I only included a Turkish-spice recipe but you can add or subtract to make different Kale Chip variations. This recipe was adapted from the minimalist baker.

Before baking….

….and after baking

Quinoa-Kale Salad

I recently went to a weeklong running camp, where we had delicious food prepared for us daily (currently jealous of my former self). There, our cook made an amazing quinoa salad that was both tasty and healthy. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain this recipe (tragic). Despite this, I was craving this salad so much that I just attempted to recreate it. My results were nothing like the green heavy salad that was my inspiration, but I liked my version even better than the first! It’s packed with protein and veggies, and has the perfect balance of sweet/sour/bitter/salty/nuttiness. And it’s super filling! One of my favorite things about salad is that it’s so customizable, so the following recipe is totally a suggestion and substituting ingredients and changing ratios is always welcome.

My Peanut Butter Obsession

I have a slight obsession with peanut butter. Okay, maybe a BIG obsession with peanut butter. From my pen name (peanutbutterrunner) to the pantry filled with peanut butter goods, this staple occupies my life. Which is odd because I am allergic to every other nut (but more on that later).

Hydration is Key

Here’s what happened when I started to drink 70 oz of water a day:

A few weeks ago my running was feeling off and my legs felt weak trying to hit times that I had hit easily a week ago. It was frustrating as you can imagine, and I decided to see if it was because of hydration issues. Spoiler: It was. I bought giant 50 oz water bottles and tried to drink those over the course of the day resulting in a lot of unexpected benefits.

This is your staple summer smoothie

In the summer nobody wants to do a lot of work to make food or drinks, so why put that much effort into a smoothie? It’s hot and honestly you just want a quick smoothie. Well here is the solution; literally a minimal ingredient smoothie that took me two minutes and is delicious. Remember, emphasis on simple.

Blueberry Chia Pancakes

I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that pancakes by far are the greatest breakfast food. But, we also know that pancakes can be filled with lots of unnecessary sugar and all that jazz. Here is a healthy pancake recipe that doesn’t sacrifice taste and can justify grabbing an extra helping.

Eat to run

Food in my opinion is one of the most important parts of maintaining performance and making sure your body stays properly fueled. I’m not talking about counting calories and a restrictive diet, I believe in eating nourishing, wholesome foods to help your body build muscle and recover properly. I used to not eat so great but a couple of years ago I really wanted to take my running seriously and changed the whole way I approached my diet. At first I thought that I just wanted to get lean because skinny=fast but I ended up eating too few calories and dropping a whole bunch of weight in a short amount of time. After going through some articles and listening to some dietitian lectures, I realized that getting to race weight isn’t the primary goal; it is eating right so that our body feels nourished. Today I eat a lot of organic and protein rich food that help me be a healthier and fitter runner without obsessing over calories or anything like that. Female runners are more susceptible to getting eating disorders and anemia (iron deficiency) so it is always important to assess what you eat and make sure you are getting enough of the good stuff (veggies, chicken, lots of whole grain, even PB :), etc.) Below is the master list that I use to brainstorm grocery shopping and what I plan to eat for lunch/dinner during the week. Take a peek and gain some ideas: