Running Mama Cooks

These yummy squares are so easy to make, and super nutritious. They are the perfect pre or post workout snack. They are inspired by Larabars, which are my new favorite bars. They are really delicious, and only have 2-4 ingredients depending on the flavor. They fit in very nicely with my quest to eat much cleaner.

I have discovered that making my own version works out just as nicely. I like being able to experiment with different flavors and they are super fresh. This is one version, but I have also made them with dried cherries and cocoa almonds.

Hope you try this out and enjoy them as much as we do!

Apricot Date Nut Squares

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
10 dried apricots
1 tbs chia seeds

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until they come together to form a large ball. Place ball on Saran wrap and press into a large square. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. After an hour or so, cut into squares or bars.

And on a different note, Happy first birthday to my sweet, funny, adorable little momma's boy Finn!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We started our celebration today at the Firecracker 4 miler in Cranford, NJ. Since this was my first 4 mile race it was an automatic PR, a definite plus! And to top it off I was able to run with Kathy. We are such a perfect running match, so I was really looking forward to this one! Zach and Finn also raced :)

It was a great race, despite the hot and humid weather. It was a big crowd and the course was really nice, going in and out and Nomahegan park. I did a lot of my marathon training at this park, and it holds a special place in my heart.

Kathy and I ran very steady pace and finished in 42:49. I was aiming for under 43 minutes, so I was very pleased.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 10:24
Mile 2 - 10:21
Mile 3 - 11:00
Mile 4 - 10:35


With my macho man

Lately I have been doing a lot of cross training along with running and have discovered that I really enjoy spinning and lap swimming. Believe it or not I am actually finding that since I started running less and cross training more, that my running is improving a lot!

Naturally, this has made me interested in triathlons. First step - Hillsborough YMCA's mini triathlon last Friday. It was an all indoor event that has given me the opportunity to see how I could perform in all 3 events back to back. Granted indoor swimming, running and biking is a different ball game than outdoors, but it was a great preview. I have since signed up for the Born to Tri Sprint Distance triathlon on August 6th. I am excited and nervous (especially for the open water swim!!)

The mini tri was the perfect training opportunity and a TON of fun! I finished in the middle of the pack, and I am pleased with that. I was particularly happy about how strong I felt during the run. I started off on the conservative side since I didn't know how I would feel but ended up running the last mile at a 9 min pace, SUPER speedy for me!

1/4 mile swim - 10:23
10 mile bike - 17:18
3 mile run - 30:38

Total time: 58:18

Yesterday morning I ran the Pan Classic 10k in Madison, NJ. It was a brutally hot morning and the start time was 11:00. Needless to say this race was not pretty, not at all. Actually, I think it was probably the worse race I have ever run. That being said, I am trying to focus on the fact that I finished and not that I added 5 minutes onto my last 10k time.

The race itself was pretty disorganized and I knew when we were waiting for the start that it wasn't going to be a good one. The late start time and hot temps are not a good combination for me. Plus, between my teaching schedule and the kids I have not had many opportunities to run outside in the heat.

I made a crucial mistake in the beginning and went out way too fast. I felt pretty good at first and ran a 10 minute mile. At the end of mile 1 there was a killer hill. I powered up it. I probably would have been better off taking it easy because I hit the wall soon after that. There was barely any shade and it was at least 85 at this point. At a mile and a half, the runners doing the 5k turned off, and many of the 10k runners decided to turn off as well. I let my ego get in the way and kept going on the 10k route.

At this point I knew there would be walking involved so I started running 4 minutes, walking 1 minute, so on and so forth. That lasted for about a mile until I was walking longer than 1 minute at a time. For the last 2 miles I was just surviving since every time I ran I felt like I was going to throw it. It was frustrating since my legs wanted to go but my stomach wasn't cooperating.

I finished around 1:16. I was disappointed because I thought I might have a shot at a PR since I have been running pretty fast (for me) lately. I am trying to focus on the fact that I didn't give up and finished the race, and not let this experience shake my confidence.

Trudging towards the finish

Finally there!!

If you told me a year ago I would be making curry, I would have probably laughed at you. But here I am, loving this dish! Really flavorful and super healthy, this is a great meal. Plus you can use any veggies you have in the fridge. I blogged about this when I made it with chicken a few months ago. It was good with chicken but I actually like it even better with lentils. The possibilities and combinations are endless!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does! Even the baby loved it, although my picky big girl would not give it a chance.

Lentils Curry

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried lentils
3 carrots chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 large zucchini, cut into half moons
1/2 large summer squash, cut into half moons
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion small dice
1 large sweet potato med dice
vegetable oil
1 small can diced tomatoes
2 cups veg/ck broth
turmeric
cumin
corriander
garahm masala
grated ginger
(or a premixed curry powder & masala powder)

Directions:

Any of the ingredients and portions can be changed to whatever you want

heat oil
add onion and sweat it before adding garlic, ginger and dry spices to taste
cook til very fragrant (about 30-60 sec)
add tomatoes cook for 60 sec
add broth
add lentils, veggies and potatoes
bring to a boil then simmer and cover til cooked through about 45 mins

serve with rice, quinoa, cous cous, pita bread, etc

ZACH'S RATING - ****

It's a miracle, a cooking related post!! I actually have been making variations of these burgers for awhile, but finally got around to blogging about them. Tonight I really love how they came out, so moist and flavorful, plus full of veggies.

These are a staple for us for a few reasons. They are tasty, healthy and convenient. I usually make them in the afternoon and cook two burgers for Cecily and Finn around 5pm. Then when I get home from my classes at night, I pop the rest in for Zach and me. Works out great for nights that I teach so I only have to prepare one meal even though the kids eat first.

Veggie Turkey Burgers
A Running Mama Cooks Original

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 med carrots, grated
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 large zucchini, grated
1/2 large summer squash, grated
1/4 cup grated Italian blend cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients and form into 6 burgers. Place burgers on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with cheese and serve on whole wheat english muffins.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

Wow, I did even better than I thought I would!! Total weight loss = 4.5 lbs!

But more importantly I feel like it has put me on the right track. I have explored healthy food options that I probably would not have thought about before and feel like I can continue to eat this way for the most part. I feel better and more energetic.

It was a nice change from counting weight watchers points for weight loss. Don't get me wrong, I think weight watchers is awesome (and I lost 25 lbs on it between January and April!) but the more I do it, the more I find ways to "cheat" it by eating low point junk. This cleanse has opened my eyes to how much sugar I was consuming and has allowed me to feel satisfied by fruit and nuts instead of M&Ms and twizzlers.

I will admit that I wasn't perfect...I did start drinking coconut water which has sugar and a little bit of lite raspberry and walnut salad dressing too. But overall, I kept my sugar intake super low and my artificial sweeteners intake to zero.

Going forward I plan on adding agave syrup back into my diet because I love it in oatmeal and tea, and might indulge a bit on dessert on Sundays (If you know my Italian family, you know its really really hard to resist!) but I am leaving refined sugar and processed food behind. As I continue to explore clean eating, I hope to have some good new recipes to share!