More Run Fast Eat Slow recipes - Yummy carbs!

I can't believe it. We are now under 4 weeks away from the start of our first Trimarni camp of 2017 in Clermont, FL, which means that we will be racing our first triathlon of the season (Olympic distance) in just 4 weeks! And then three weeks later, Karel and I will be returning back to Florida to race the Ironman Haines City 70.3 event as our first endurance event of 2017.

To keep us well fueled, healthy and happy, I have been keeping our house filled with carbohydrates. In addition to making sure that our fridge always has some type of cooked grain/rice/potato assortment in it, I've been making good use of my Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook as there are so many delicious recipes that are perfect for helping us meet our daily carb intake. Plus, we love carbs so it's not that difficult for me to get excited to make something new.

I tried out two new recipes from the cookbook and I think you will just love them. Of course, I had to make another loaf of the banana bread.

Enjoy!

(All recipes are from the cookbook. However, the ingredients listed are with my modifications.)

We love having muffins in our house - homemade, that is. I love that this recipe includes zucchini and carrots to bump up the nutritional value of each muffin. The chocolate chips and walnuts give it a nice texture (and yummy taste) and the muffins are not too dense - just moist enough to yum with every bite. 

Superhero muffinsPg. 42


INGREDIENTS

2 cups gluten free flour (or almond meal)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 zucchini)
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 carrots)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups (I sprayed the tin with non stick sprayed and ended up with 17 muffins instead of 12 as I filled each 3/4th full instead of to the brim).
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, walnuts and chocolate chips.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, zucchini, carrots, oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. The batter will be thick.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each about 3/4th full. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. About 25-30 minutes.

Let's get real. Pancakes are amazing. I can't imagine my life without pancakes. My dad loved pancakes so every time I eat one, I think of him.
Pancakes taste great after a hard or long workout but they are also amazingly good for brinner or for breakfast, on a recovery day. I love pancakes as they provide a great source of carbohydrates and a fluffy base to dress up with yogurt, syrup, butter, nut butter, berries and anything that your taste-buds desire.
Having pancakes pre-made is such a great feeling when you finish a long or hard workout and you know that homemade pancakes are ready for you and you don't have to spend 20+ minutes mixing together ingredients and flipping pancakes on a skillet.
These pancakes came out really fluffy and they offer a nice pumpkin taste that isn't too overpowering. This recipe made ~23 pancakes so I kept about 15 in the fridge and froze the rest. 

TEFF PUMPKIN PANCAKES
Pg. 44

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups teff flour 
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp nutmeg (it called for pumpkin spice but I used nutmeg)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cups milk (it also called for 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt but I left that out as I didn't have any - still turned out ok!)
2 tbsp sugar (It called for 2 tbsp honey but I used sugar instead)
(it called for currants or raisins but I left those out since I wanted to make these plain - more fun for dressing up later!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the teff flour, baking powder, nutmeg/pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, milk, (yogurt if using) and sugar (or honey). Pour over the dry mixture and stir until just combined. 

3. Fold in the currants/raisins if using.
4. Heat a stove-top griddle or skillet over medium-low heat (I used two skillets so that I could make more at the same time). Use oil for brushing the pan.
5. Ladle a heaping spoonful of the batter into the hot pain. Cook the pancakes on one side until the bottom starts to brown, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side until nicely browned and cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Continue with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with oil as needed.
(The book recommends to place the pancakes in the toaster to reheat from the freezer - great idea!) 

We are just loving this banana bread recipe - it's oh-so-good. I prefer my bananas on the yellow side but now, it makes me excited to see my bananas get brown spots as I have a recipe to use them for! 

For the recipe: banana bread. 

In this recent creation (picture above), I used walnuts and raisins and it was so good! 

Joy to carbs

I can't believe that in today's society, I have to put on a game face and boxing gloves when it comes to talking about carbohydrates.

As a sport RD, it just boggles my mind that I have to convince athletes to consume carbohydrates in the diet (and before, during and after workouts) in order to improve performance, support the immune system and to keep an athlete strong and healthy.

It takes a lot of extra effort to encourage athletes to consume carbs (and sport nutrition) when they are seeking body composition changes but since the "experts" are giving unhealthy and unnecessary advice, then I guess it's my job to not only provide realistic, practical and safe nutrition advice but also lead by example.

(As always, with experience as a clinical RD, working inpatient in the hospital, I treat every athlete as an individual and never do I overlook clinical/personal issues when it comes to tweaking the diet. Thus, another reason why I am not a fan of mass marketed diets/diet cults)

As a health conscious, active individual, you'll never see a day in my life without carbs.
No way, never.
Thanks to carbs, I sleep well, my gut is happy, my blood sugar is stable, I think clearly, I have lots of energy, my workouts are great, I recover quickly, I always have a great relationship with food and I rarely experience cravings. 

Oh, don't even try to ask Karel to give up bread for even a day. It ain't happening.

And because Karel loves his European treats and I love Karel, by default, I love European treats too! 

So I bring you Joy to Carbs.
Oh how we love carbs! 

Fresh baguette dusted with coarse salt, local black bean hummus and trail mix from Swamp Rabbit Cafe.

So easy, so delicious, so inexpensive, so nourishing. Beans, rice and roasted veggies. 

Fresh bread (Great Harvest Bread) with argula, tomatoes, spicy mustard, avocado, onion and homemade egg salad w/ vegenaise (thanks Trimarni athlete Kristen for making this delicious meal for us!) and a side of cucumbers (because they wouldn't fit in my sandwich).

Eggplant pizzas (eggplant drizzled with olive oil, topped with fresh tomatoes cooked on non stick pan sprayed with cooking spray cooked at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until firm, then topped with fresh basil and spicy Cabot cheese). Homemade cabbage with caraway seeds (Karel special!) and roasted tempeh. 

Warm crunchy oatmeal, enjoyed while Campy watches for squirrels.
Oats (typically 1/2 cup), frozen berries, chia seeds (2 spoonfuls), cinnamon (love it!), a little dark chocolate, nuts (ex. walnuts, pecans - spoonful, chopped), banana slices and milk. Cooked and topped with a little granola. 

Quinoa with steamed veggies topped with cheese and a side of cooked tempeh.

Trimarni office snacks for a busy day of working for me and Karel!
Saltine crackers (a great snack option for athletes in the 48 hours before the race!), hummus, raw veggies, grapes and dates...and mint Dove dark chocolate.

Crumbled tempeh, mixed veggies (leeks, peppers, mushrooms, corn), fresh basil, quinoa.