High Maintenance Thanksgiving begins!!

So tomorrow we leave for Dallas for thanksgiving and this year its a little tricky! I have to bring a cooler in the car so I can bring all my gluten free food. I've had to email my mom several time (poor mom) asking her to save all the food labels on the things she is cooking or what other people are bringing JUST so I can read the ingredient list to make sure there is no gluten. We've basically just singled out my meal. Instead of stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I will enjoy a sweet potato, spinach salad, turkey (without the gravy), and my brown rice bread! No pumpkin pie for me but at least my mom did by some Nana's cookies and coconut milk Yogurt. Now this doesn't seem to bad, but here's the tricky part. Because my gut is healing on a gluten free diet, I'm not supposed to have dairy for at least 7 months and I need to back down on soy products so that I don't form an allergy there too! Geeze, what the heck is left!?! Well, I found some products (of course not the cheapest) that keep me quite satisfied! First of all, the Wild Wood Art Cafe here in Austin has saved my life (okay just exaggerating but they are DARN GOOD). They bake everything Gluten free and a lot of other things dairy free. I go in an order a lot for less than I would at the grocery store. So good. My favorites are their brown rice bread (hot out of the oven), dairy free (DF) and gluten free (GF) pumpkin muffins and banana nut muffins, and they even have amazing DF and GF granola and cranberry bread! James likes these more than regular muffins! Other staples I found are below.





All these are dairy free and gluten free. There is a GOD! Now I am praying to win the lottery so we buy in bulk, ha!

Happy thanksgiving!
LC

I always thought I have been good with rules and plans until I received a good kick in arse 10 days ago. The point of the off-season is to obviously take some time off and come out of it feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to go again. My off-season looked somewhat like this.

Oct 7- Offseason begins
Oct 8-13 In Kona on my feet most of the day working.
oct 14-21 Training hard with Terenzo
Oct 21-28 Relaxing.
Oct 29 Go time

So all things listed, I had 13 days off before I started solid training again. Why? Because I had a stupid idea that doing Ironman New Zealand would be a great way to start the season. Get in some nice base work for 09. If I didn't receive a Kona slot, I wouldn't care, as it would be great volume/strength work that would support the speed I would like to have the remainder of 09. The thing with Ironman is that I always have seemed to be behind the power curve. Even when i was 19 and had a solid day, I still was going way too hard. The point is, I wasn't recovered from 08 and since my ego wasn't going to put a hault to my training, my immune system was.

Last Thursday I woke up feeling horrible. I knew there was no way I would even attempt to do the usually run it off session I would do. I sat and did nothing until Sunday. Ironman had me feeling very worried because March is just around the corner! I laced up the shoes and went out the door planning to run 10 miles. 5 miles later it was all she wrote. Later that night....symptoms became worse. I finally have come around today after 10 days forced rest. REST UP!

Probably a blessing in disguise!

JC

Laptop Lunch Ideas

Looks good, huh?!

Okay so I know some of us don't really have a sit down 9 to 5 job but I found this website advertised on a health forum and thought it was definitely a good share! It has great lunch combo ideas for traveling, work, school, etc. I also love that it promotes waste free lunches for schools, meaning no more throwing away tons of plastic baggies and paper sacks and therefore also spending less. I guess Oprah already found this because the site lists it in her O magazine so watch out because for some reason whatever Oprah likes, the world must follow!! Ha ha!

Check it out at www.laptoplunches.com.

LC

To die for!

Who knew that something made without dairy, gluten, eggs, refined sugar, and hydrogenated oils could taste SO SO GOOD!!!

Best find of the week is definitely Nana's Cookie Company. Our favorite one is the Nana Banana Bars but they several of kinds of snack bar, cookies, cookie bites (with fiber!) that are pure, wholesome, and actually VERY tasty.

I found these at our local health food store (central market) but I am pretty sure they are carried at the regular grocery.

Great Snack: Nana's banana bar with almond butter on top!!

P.S.
I've been writing boring recipe posts because James is still not 100% better and therefore he thinks his training is not something worth talking about until he's back in the saddle, which hopefully will be soon!!

Cheers,
LC

Sweat it out

Today my household (meaning my dog and husband) came down with a little cold/flu. My remedy is of course to SWEAT it out with hot and spicy soups. My favorite recipe is from Thai Kitchen. Its a great Tom Yum recipe. I add extra spicy hot and sour seasoning as well as chopped bean sprouts and carrots. Its great to sweat out that cold. Well, at least my husband feels better. The dog didn't get any Tom Yum, just some chicken broth on her dog food. That should help, right? HA HA!
Enjoy!!



Tom Yum Hot & Sour Soup

This is one of Thailand’s most famous soups. Some say it helps cure colds.
(Serves 4)

12 oz. chicken,
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 pieces fresh lemongrass (tender bottom 2/3 inch of stalk only)
2-3 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1” piece fresh galangal (Thai ginger) or Chinese ginger,
sliced and bruised
2 Tbs. sugar
1/4 cup chopped bean sprouts (semi cooked)
1/4 cup chopped carrots

2 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste
1 (15 oz.) can straw mushrooms, drained
Optional- spicy hot and sour seasoning

Bone and skin the chicken; cut into large pieces. In a large pot, combine the stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add roasted red chili paste and stir well to incorporate. Add the mushrooms and the chicken and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is cooked. Remove lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal from soup before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

And yes its GLUTEN FREE. Woo-hoo!


LC

I have WHAT?!!

Yes, thats right, gluten is no longer my friend and being a nutritionist, it really is eye opening. Call it what you like, gluten sensitivity, Celiac disease, etc. but I have just learned that I am part of this clan. I am some what relieved because all my symptoms that have been developing over the past 2-3 years are now being resolved, slowly, but surely! The past month has been the worst and I won't even get into all gross symptoms and signs. A lot of them are digestive, but others include fatigue, weight gain or loss (i lost way more than I ever needed!!), low bone density, irritability and mood swings (poor James), and eczema (still itching). BUT a new day and a new pantry full of gluten free foods are here! Its a new challenge I plan to conquer and I am so thankful to have a husband who is joining me by my side! I made him eat all my favorite glutenous foods (GO Lean waffles, Kashi cereal, whole wheat pasta, and even my falafel). The good news is that my Greek yogurt, Luna bars, cliff bars, and even oats are tolerable for me. Dairy is even settling better now that my tummy is getting rid of gluten. Today was the 2nd day of gluten free and I think I actually absorbed some nutrients because I had ENERGY and my stomach was some about 80% better. I felt good and on my way to feeling great- see below! Sadie was little Camera shy!


P.S.
Blood test is next and then another trip to the doctor. BOO!!

LC

Miles to the Gallon

Kind of cool. This is how many miles to the gallon my body gets.

42 miles per gallon

Created by The Car Connection