Blueberry & cream cheese stuffed french toast

 For over 2 weeks, I had most of my meals prepared by Karel's mom.

And we only ate out five times in the 3.5 weeks throughout our time in Austria and Czech.

I can't tell you how many new foods I tried or how many times I yummed.

It's very common that eating outside of your home environment, whether for a work conference, an event, vacation or celebration, can make you feel a lack of control, thus making you think you are doing something wrong.

I also hear individuals talking about how they feel after eating when traveling, using words like gross, fat, heavy, bloated and uncomfortable.

After extended periods of eating outside of the home environment, it's common that individuals will say things like "I need to cleanse" or "I need to get back on track" or "I'm going to be really good for the next 4 weeks" or "I need to diet".

There can be an immediate need to gain control and in the mind, the "best" option is to be extreme and restrictive with eating choices in order to feel better again.

I understand that sometimes we have great eating intentions and try to make good eating decisions in certain situations but hunger, wanting to please others, peer pressure, lack of variety or minimal available food options can lead to eating choices that are not nutritious, performance enhancing or comfortable in the belly.

I think it's normal to very occasionally eat too much or to indulge too much as that is simply being human.
Life will still go on, you'll digest the food and you'll be ok. 

Many times, the vast freedom of not eating on a set schedule and having a too many food options that are not normally in your daily diet can make you feel as if the eating that occurred while on vacation was bad and in order to be good again, drastic measures need to occur.

I can't speak for every situation but I will encourage you to think about your eating choices when you travel.

First off, I don't believe that you should ever eat something that makes you feel physically bad inside.
This extends beyond clinical issues or a food intolerance or allergy.

You do not have to eat something just to please someone else.
You do not have to eat something just because everyone else is eating it.
You do not have to eat something just because you feel you  need to clean your plate.
You do not have to eat something just because you are on vacation or traveling. 

You are allowed to say no to food.

However, sometimes, it is good to say yes.

Broaden your taste buds, try new things, indulge yourself and get inspired by new creations.

Don't eat on a routine, eat only familiar foods, bring all your "good" foods with you in Tupperware containers, eat only the foods that have a specific calorie count or eat alone for fear of eating food prepared by someone else. 

If "healthy" eating takes up way too much space in your life, meaningful life experiences will be missed because of extreme thoughts about food and the body.

As I return home from 3.5 weeks of eating a lot of bread (every day), eating dessert at least once a day, having lunch as my biggest meal every day and trying a lot of new creations, I feel just as healthy now, as when I left for Europe.

As I mentioned, not every traveling experience is the same but I feel that sometimes, we all need these eating experiences to break out of the normal routine and appreciate (or at least try), a new style of eating. 

My biggest take away during my 3.5 weeks in Europe was not thinking about food as being only healthy or performance enhancing. While I feel these are two important reasons as to why we should select the foods that we eat, I also felt a tremendous amount of joy by just eating.....for pleasure and not just for "nutrition". 

Not even 24 hours have passed since I arrived back to Greenville, SC and I have already caught myself wanting to go back to my normal routine - making a smoothie as a meal, eating peanut butter from the jar, preparing a hearty salad for my lunch, etc.


It's so easy to make food/meals quick, easy and tasteless or feel uninspired by food, stuck in a food rut.

While there is nothing wrong with the foods I mentioned, I was so inspired by my trip to Europe that I really want to continue to try new things when it comes to food and eating.

Even though nothing was wrong with my previous eating habits, my eating in Europe was such a pleasurable experience and it reminded me how much I love to yum over food. 

It also showed me that even as a board certified sport dietitian who spends every day helping athletes with body composition goals, health and performance, I spend a lot of time talking about health, nutrition and performance but not nearly enough time encouraging athletes to simply eat for pleasure.

Sadly, in our body obsessed society, I believe that our culture has lost the need to eat for pleasure as it's easy to assume that only those who eat for pleasure will eat "too much" or eat "unhealthy or will not lose weight or will gain too much weight.

Is it not possible to eat for pleasure and still reach and maintain health and performance goals?
I believe it is possible.

Grateful for our amazing neighbor Joey, who took care of our cats, fish and house while we were away, she made sure we had a delicious breakfast for our first meal home, which could be quickly prepared on the morning after returning home from 24-hours of traveling.

Not only was this meal super scrumptious, but it prompted me to write this blog.

You can't ask for a better meal to practice your "eating for pleasure" skills.

I believe this meal is healthy and performance enhancing but I have no doubt that you will yum over every bite, thus feeling great pleasure when eating it.

And no, you do not have to wait for your next long ride or run to "deserve" to eat this meal after your workout is complete.

You are allowed to eat this meal for breakfast, any day of the week.

Enjoy!

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients 
(2 servings)

1 egg
1/4 cup 1% milk
1/4 tsp sugar

Butter (about 1 tbsp for skillet)

4 slices bread
Blueberries (handful)
Cream cheese (to your liking)

Maple Syrup (to your liking)

 (I didn't have the ingredient list, only the steps for prep, so I reached out to Joey so that I could share this creation with you)



1. Whisk together eggs, milk and sugar. 

2. Make sandwiches - spread soft cream cheese on both sides of bread, add blueberries and press bread together (seal the sides the best you can).
3. Heat skillet to medium heat and then add butter to coat pan. 

4. Dip sandwich in egg mixture and cook on both sides until golden brown.
5. Top with warm syrup.

YUM!

Smashed apple and cream cheese stuffed pumpkin spiced crepes

Crêpes - very thin pancakes. 

What a perfect post workout meal.  

Depending on the filling, this is a perfect option for athletes/fitness enthusiasts who struggle with overeating/undereating post workout. Crepes are not too heavy or light so it fits the bill when it comes to a perfect carbohydrate-rich meal to go along with your recovery drink (or post-workout protein choice like yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese or lean meat).

Plus, you can make these ahead of time, let them cool and the refrigerate them for easy prep after your workout. 

Although crepes may not be typical in your cooking resume, they are super easy to make. Essentially, they are like thin pancakes, made with a runny/soupy batter. 

Karel is all too familiar with crepes as they are very popular in Europe - much more so than traditional American pancakes. 

During my long run yesterday, I had 10 running miles to create this delicious creation in my head. While running in on and off cold drizzling rain, running up and down the hilly streets in and around downtown Greenville and then finishing with 6 powerful, light on the feet strides up our hill outside our home (with Karel after he finished his 14-mile run), I had a quick epson salt bath and with compression on, it was time to get busy in my kitchen. 

The first step was to make pumpkin pie spice:

This recipe below makes 2 1/3 tbsp.

If you love this spice, double the recipe for ~1/4 cup. 

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Mix together the above ingredients.

(if you are a baker, you likely have the following spices in your cabinet. However, not only do these spices come with great health benefits but they add a punch of flavor to any meal. Consider incorporating spices into your favorite meals and snacks. Just keep in mind that most spices go a long way so start with a pinch...unless you love cinnamon like me, then go to town with the shaker!

Now to make the crepes.

CrepesMakes 6-7 large crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1-2 tsp pumpkin spice (you can omit this if you want)

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch or two of salt

1. Mix ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk until batter is soupy.

2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat (but not too hot) and add a little olive oil or cooking spray for each (side) of the crepes.

3. Use a 1/4 - 1/3 cup (depending on the size of your skillet) to scoop batter on to warm pan. Lift the pan up and gently roll batter into a larger, thin pancake. 

4. Cook for 2 minutes on one side, then flip with spatula and cook other side for 30-60 seconds.

5. Taste your first crepe - add more pumpkin spice to your liking.

And for the filling.

Smashed apple and cream cheese filling

2 apples - pealed and then chopped

2-4 tbsp whipped plain cream cheese

Cinnamon

Honey

1. Heat chopped apples in microwave bowl for 1 minutes until soft. Mash with a spoon. 

2. Add cream cheese, a drizzle of honey and dash of cinnamon and stir until combined. 

3. Heat in microwave for 10-20 seconds until warm and soft. 

4. Spoon a little of the mixture onto the far end of one crepe and then roll the crepe toward you. 

5. Sprinkle with a little more pumpkin spice on top and enjoy!

Other filling options: 

Raspberry jam and hazelnut spread

Smashed bananas and nut butter

Yogurt and fresh peaches

Smashed sweet potato, honey and chopped walnuts

Greek yogurt and pistachios
Applesauce, cinnamon and honey

Can you make pancakes from this recipe?
Absolutely!

A basic pancake recipe will include the following:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter or oil
1 large egg

So just omit the water from the crepes and add the baking powder, sugar and butter/oil and you will be all set for a delicious pancake meal.