3 Explore Cuisine product recipes

As promised in my last blog, here are three delicious recipes using Explore Cuisine products. 

PRODUCT OPTIONS
Bean Pastas: Organic adzuki bean spaghetti, organic black bean spaghetti, organic edamame and mung bean fettuccine, organic edamame spaghetti, organic soybean spaghetti.

Product Spotlight: Organic black bean spaghetti
Per 2 ounce dry serving:
215 calories
2g fat
23g carbohydrates
1267mg potassium
12g dietary fiber
4g sugar (natural)
25g protein
32% daily iron (based on 2000 calorie diet)
15% daily calcium (based on 2000 calorie diet)


Black Bean spaghetti with kale cilantro pesto
1 cup kale
1 cup cilantro
1/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1 garlic clove
1 small sweet banana pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
Pinch of salt
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil
1 box (8 ounce) Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti

1. Blend first 7 ingredients in food processor. Add cheese and slowly pour in olive oil.
2. Boil 8 cups of water and pour in Organic Black Bean Spaghetti. Cook for 8 minutes and drain.
3. Top spaghetti with pesto.
(recipe adapted from Explore Cuisine website)

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Pulse pastas: Organic chickpea fusilli, organic chickpea spaghetti, organic green lentil lasagna, organic green lentil penne, organic red lentil penne, organic red lentil spaghetti.


Product Spotlight: Organic Chickpea fusilli

Per 2 ounce dry serving:
200 calories
2.5g fat
35g carbohydrates
5g fiber
11g protein
15% iron
4% calcium

Organic Red Lentil Penne Mac n’ Cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1.5 cups 1 or 2% milk
2 cups shredded cheese (sharp cheddar)
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ tsp pepper
Pinch of salt
8 ounce organic red lentil penne (cooked)

1. Heat deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and onion and sauté until golden brown. Remove to plate on side.
2. In skillet, add butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. When butter melts, add flour and stir to combine with heat-resistant whisk until smooth (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Slowly add milk while whisking.
4. Bring milk to a bubble while stirring so that milk can thicken. Then stir in sharp shredded cheese, one handful at a time. Keep stirring. Add pepper and a pinch of salt.
5. Add cooked penne to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over into the sauce with a spatula.
6. Transfer penne and cheese mix to a baking dish and top with parmigiana cheese.
7. Place baking dish under hot broiler and brown the cheese. 

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Product Spotlight: Organic Red Lentil Penne

Per 2 ounce dry serving:
190 calories
1g fat
35g carbohydrates
3g fiber
11g protein
15% iron
2% calcium

Baby tomato, peptias and goat cheese chickpea fusilli 

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped baby tomatoes 

1 cup chopped white onion 

1 large garlic cloves (finely chopped)

8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

½ cup dry roasted pepitas 

½ cup chopped basil

Pinch of salt 

2 cups baby spinach

1 tbsp lemon juice

8 ounce Organic chickpea fusilli (cooked)

½ cup goat cheese (soft, crumbled)

1. In medium skillet, heat to medium heat and add olive oil chopped tomatoes, onion and mushrooms. Gently toss until soft and lightly brown (around 6-8 minutes). 

2. Add garlic, salt, pepitas, basil, lemon juice and spinach. Gently toss and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat. 

3. Add cooked pasta to veggie mix. 

4. Top with goat cheese.

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Food to Thrive Foundation

Explore Cuisine is committed to fair trade and sustainable living. Two percent of all Explore Cuisine worldwide proceeds go directly to the Food To Thrive Foundation, providing education, empowerment and advancement in farming programs to every Explore Cuisine team member. 

Explore Cuisine gluten-free pastas

Introducing Explore Cuisine:
A pasta for anyone.

For decades, pasta has ruled as the go-to comfort food for athletes. It’s quick, easy and a beloved source of carbs. However, pasta alternatives are slowly finding their way into the supermarkets and on the plates of many health conscious athletes.

Loaded with plant based protein, Explore Cuisine has taken a new delicious approach to traditional pasta. Integrating beans, peas, lentils, edamame and chickpeas into their line of products, Explore Cuisine has a pasta for everyone, without sacrificing taste, quality or nutritional value.

I found out about Explore Cuisine (formally called Explore Asia), as I received a bag of edamame pasta in my Ironman World Championship goodie swag bag (well more like two bags as Karel received a bag too). 

I was excited to try it out when we returned home from the big island.
I followed the directions and added in some veggies and sauce and violà - it tasted pretty good!

COOKING PREP
-Bring 8 ounce cups (2 liter) of water to boil. Add pasta.
-Reduce heat and simmer for 4-11 minutes (depending on the type of pasta).
-Strain.
-For a more al dente texture, rinse under cold water and then strain.

Recently, Ironman asked me if I wanted to write an article (with recipes) on the products and I couldn't turn down the delicious opportunity to get inside my kitchen and try new creations.

To help me out, Ironman sent me a box of products to use for my recipes.
Like all my Ironman articles, I received compensation to write the article expressing my thoughts and views but this time I was asked to feature Explore Cuisine products (which was really not all that hard - so yummy!).

AT A GLANCE
Explore Cuisine offers 5 different types of products: bean pastas, pulse (part of the legume family) pastas, rice noodles, rice pastas and soups. Each product is 100% Non-GMO, USDA Organic, Gluten-Free certified, low glycemic, kosher certified and vegan, high in protein and a good source of fiber and rich in iron and potassium.

Seriously – there is a pasta option for every athlete, no matter your dietary needs. Each product cooks similar to your usual pasta option – which means easy prep for the busy athlete in training.

In my next blog, I will share 3 absolutely amazing recipes - Karel, mom and neighbor tested...and Campy too!
 To get you started, visit your closest natural food store to pick up the following plant based pastas (if your store doesn't carry Explore Cuisine, you may be able to find another brand).
Organic black bean spaghetti
Organic Chickpea fusilli
Organic Red Lentil Penne

Here's a preview of one of my delicious recipes to get your mouth watering: 

 

How do I fuel if.....

Writing an article for a magazine usually goes like this....

I pitch a lot of articles to a magazine and a few (or one or none) gets selected OR a magazine reaches out to me with an article topic for me to write about.

Back in December, after I received confirmation that I would be writing three articles for Triathlete Magazine for the May (Fueling the Vegetarian athlete), June (Sport Nutrition - progressing from short to long course racing) and July (Common fueling mistakes) issues, I was asked to write a 2000-word, feature assignment for the March/April issue on "How do I fuel if...." with the following topics discussed:
-I don't have time to cook
-I'm trying to lose weight
-I'm (going) gluten-free
-I'm a female athlete
-I bonk in races

The article would include 5 different scenarios (each around 200-300 words or the equivalent of a short article) with specific advice, tips and suggestions for each topic, in addition to a sidebar of common-race day fueling mistakes. 

Not only was this the longest article I have ever written for print (essentially, 6 articles into one) but I had a two week turnaround with a very quick deadline as it was a last minute addition to the magazine.

While reading an article after it is completed is rewarding (and hopefully, it flows well and makes sense), the process of writing an article is not easy. And I think any writer can admit that sometimes words easily flow from the brain to the fingers to paper and viola, an article is written quickly but many times, writing an article is a tough process with a lot of mental struggles, either lack of creativity or difficulty getting anything done.

When I am about to write an article, I always do a lot of research before I start typing and this includes reading a lot of current scientific studies as well as learning/understanding what the masses (athletes) are doing, not doing or are most concerned about (or struggling with). There is a lot of thinking that goes into writing easy to read, easy to apply and easy to understand sentences. Finding a way to get 2000 words on to a blank piece of paper is not an easy process but I love the challenge of being a writer.
(If I didn't write, my brain would stay filled with words. Getting those thoughts on paper clears up my head).

While this article took a lot of time, energy and brain power, and several long days of locking myself in a room (with Campy - who is a professional napper) to work on this article, I loved the challenge of writing this feature article and I am really happy with how it turned out. 

I hope you enjoy the article and can take away something helpful from one or all six of my nutrition topics.

How to be a well-fueled machine
(2016 March/April issue)

If you need a more personalized approach with nutrition or have concerns about specific nutrition topics, be sure to reach out to professional who can help in your individual journey. 

Anytime Blueberry chia pancakes

Food Freedom. 

It's a beautiful thing. 

When you can eat what you want, when you want and feel better after you eat than before. 

Food freedom means not obsessing about the right time or the wrong time to eat something or having a permit as to the only time to eat something. 

Food freedom means removing the pressure to eat a certain way and not criticizing yourself for "messing up". It means not terming food or bashing the body but instead, enjoying the variety of foods that fuels your lifestyle and nourishes the body. 

I absolutely love pancakes and pizza and many other foods that perhaps, are on the off-limit food list for many people. Certainly I do not enjoy these foods on a daily basis for if I did, I would not yum over them when I occasionally have them. Also, there's a special way that I eat food - all kinds- in that I make sure that when I eat, I am accountable of what I put into my body and I always make sure I portion what I eat so that I feel better after I eat than before. 

There's no guilt, regret or uncomfortable feelings when I eat, regardless if it is a veggie filled salad or warm, fresh baguette.

Food freedom means enjoying pancakes on Monday morning just because it is Monday. Because pancakes taste great every day, why not eat them on a Monday? 

No long workout is needed to justify a pancake reward and by being in control of how my food is prepared, I have the opportunity to indulge and nourish my body, however I like, whenever I like.

It's a great feeling to have food freedom and to love food.  

I invite you to welcome food freedom into your life. To start loving cooking and meal time. 

Learn how to maintain a healthy relationship with food and the body so that you can let food enhance your life and not control your life. Create a diet so that the food you eat energizes your body so that you can work hard for your goals and dreams in life. 

Now, I can not promise you that my delicious "Anytime pancake" recipe will change your life but perhaps you can enjoy these scrumptious pancakes without worrying about calories, fat or carbs and just yum because well, they just taste good and make the tummy happy. 

For many people, accomplishing this may be a life changer. It is incredible special to be able to eat food and love the taste, smells and presentation. This doesn't happen overnight, especially in a very food and body image obsessed society.  But, this is something that is achievable but can be very difficult to achieve when numbers on on the mind (ex. weight, hours exercised, calories, fat, carbs, etc). I encourage you to work on this (or work with a professional who can help) because it is very necessary to develop peace with food and food freedom as you learn how to have a healthy relationship with food and the body. 

I hope you enjoy my latest creation which was fully enjoyed on Monday morning because well, anytime is a great time to enjoy pancakes. 

Anytime Blueberry Chia pancakes

1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (does not have to be GF)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp coconut (unsweetened, shredded)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
5 frozen strawberries (cooked in microwave for 20 seconds and then mashed to form a syrupy consistency)
1 egg
1/2 cup skim milk
Water to meet "pancake" consistency
Olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
2. Heat a non stick large frying pan to low/medium heat (in between). 

3. Drizzle a little olive oil to cover bottom of the pan (I typically use the cap of the olive oil)
4. Stir together all ingredients with a large fork. Add water in 1/4 cup amounts until you meet a pancake batter consistency (between slightly thick and not too runny)
5. Using 1/3rd measuring cup, slightly fill the cup until 3/4ths full. 

6. Pour batter on to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Flip and cook for 60-90 seconds.
7. Drizzle with (real) maple syrup and a dollop of butter. 

(Makes 7-8 pancakes)

Workouts fueled by patience and Trimarni blueberry coconut muffins

I knew it was going to be a tough weekend, mentally and physically. 

But through our "train smart" plan, I knew that the timing was right and that I was ready for this weekend's workouts (after a challenging week of training).

 I had worked really hard for several weeks in order to execute this weekend.

With our "train smart" approach to training, one of the most important characteristics that is required is patience.

With a masters degree in exercise physiology, I feel I have a good understanding of how to develop a practical and effective training plan. However, with so many variables to consider with training - intensity, frequency, duration, recovery - the athlete that wants to succeed must be patient with a well-formulated plan. 

This is also true for any individual who works hard for results. 

Karel and myself, along with our athletes, love to work hard. We are all very disciplined, we manage our time well to keep life balanced as age group triathletes/runners and we also are committed to our task in order to achieve our goals. However, the athlete who is patient through all phases in training will enjoy the journey from start the finish. And because there are always challenges within a journey, you do not only need to be patient but also very mindful of progress (which is not always told by a pace or speed).

As athletes, we all have goals. Typically, a long term goal is the driving force to maintain motivation to train hard for a specific amount of weeks/months. But even for the most hard working athlete, if he/she is hindered by impatience, that daily hard work ethic may not pay off. This may seem impossible because we have always been taught that hard work always pays off but progress requires a step by step process. And because we often thrive off instant gratification, it's very easy to fall short of your potential if you are not patient enough to wait for results to happen when they are suppose to happen. This means not getting frustrated if things are not happening right now, not setting too many goals at once that you feel overwhelmed by focusing on too much too soon and not constantly searching for a better, faster or easier way.

Training, exercising, racing or working toward a personal health, nutrition, fitness or life goal. 

Celebrate the milestones as you maintain patience throughout your journey.
-Is there something you can do now that you couldn't do before?
-Is there something that comes easier to you now than before?
-Is there something that you enjoy doing now that felt like a chore before? 
-Do you feel better than before? 
-Are you enjoying certain parts of your life more than before?

WEEKEND TRAINING

Saturday:

4 mile Run + 2 hr Bike + 1 hr T-RUN (7 miles)

(did the bike on the trainer to control my watts for the Z4/Z3 with our resistance controlled Cyclops fluid trainer)

4 miles (or 30 min) run up front. Just a comfy form focused run

Bike: 15-20 min steady then MS:

4 x 5 min @ FT (functional threshold) w/ 3 min EZ spin in between

10 min steady easy pace

MS2:

8 min @ Z4 + 12 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ,

10 min @ Z4 + 10 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ,

12 min @ Z4 + 8 min @ low Z3, 2 min EZ 

10 - 15 min SESP (steady effort still pushing) and then T-RUN.

15 min steady run. Walk a few minutes to stretch out.

Then 30 min of alternating: 5 min Strong/5 min steady

Stop and stretch. 

CD: EZ run to finish the workout.

Sunday

4:00hr Bike (84 miles) + 30 min T-Run (3.75 miles)

(biked with Karel. We rode out to Penny Farms in Florida and did 2 loops in Penny Farms on gently rolling hills for our main set)

Bike: 1st hr just ride 

MS: 8 min @ low Z4, 2 min EZ

12 min @ low Z4, 2 min EZ

16 min @ high Z3, 2 min EZ

24 min @ mid Z3, 2 min EZ

30 min SESP 

2 x 15 min @ high Z3/low Z4 w/ 4 min EZ in between

 Then SESP for the rest

T-RUN: 10 min EZ run, 3 x 5 min (descend 1-3) w/ 60 sec walk in between

5 min EZ CD.
(did the EZ run with Campy - who made me run a bit faster than I wanted! 7:44 min/mile pace for 1.44 miles with Campy. Then descend - 7:50 min/mile, 7:28 min/mile, 6:58 min/mile for the 5 minutes)

Blueberry coconut muffins

1 cup flour (I used Bobs Redmill gluten-free all purpose flour)

1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk (I used organic skim milk)
Unsweetened coconut shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non stick muffin pan with cooking spray (you will use 7 muffins tins)
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Lightly beat egg in small bowl then whisk in milk.
4. Stir in egg mixture into flour mixture. Then fold in blueberries.
5. Divide batter among 7 muffin tins (about 1/4 cup). Sprinkle with coconut shreds (about a tsp or two per muffin)
6. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until muffins are light brown on top or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutrition facts: (without added coconut)

Servings: 7 muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories: 114
Fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 23g carbohydrates
Sugar: 9g sugar
Fiber: 1.4g
Protein: 3g
Sodium: 136 mg

I feel ya Campy!!

Tomorrow is NO ALARM (no morning workout) Monday to give my body a huge thank you for the last few weeks of consistent "train smart" training!

Trimarni wheat and gluten free pancakes

It's National Pancake Day!!!

It was very important to me that my campers at the Trimarni endurance triathlon camp had food that would help their bodies stay nourished and fueled throughout camp. It was never even a thought to get lunches catered, to order pre-made meals from a restaurant/fast food establishment or to buy pre-made options at the grocery store. It gives me great joy to enjoy food around others and I wanted my campers to enjoy food that makes them yum, with their fellow campers (and new friends).

So, since I was providing food for the campers at the Trimarni camp for lunch on Day 1 and Day 2, I wanted to make sure that I could accommodate all dietary preferences that were listed on the camper questionnaire (provided pre-camp). As a dietitian who specializes in sport nutrition, it was important to me that I also provided food that would be easy to digest post workouts, would help with refueling and repairing post workout and would ensure happy tummies throughout our camp. My goal was not make the athletes eat like me (an almost 21-year lacto-ovo vegetarian) but instead, have a variety of real-food options so that each athlete could to be creative with their food choices to meet their individual needs and taste buds but also to eat food for fuel and for health to ensure consistent energy levels throughout camp.

Although Karel and I have never had any GI/nutritional issues with gluten, bread, whole grains and wheat (as they are all part of our daily diet), I decided to go with a gluten and wheat free flour from Bob's Red Mill which offered a variety of nutrients from blend of gluten-free flours to ensure that every camper could enjoy the pancakes. We did not have any vegans at our camp so the pancake recipe I used included milk and eggs.
Ingredients in the flour: Garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, white sorghum flour, fava bean flour.
Although the pancakes were the spotlight for our post long ride + interval run meal, each athlete used the pancakes as a base and dressed up their 2-3 serving pancakes with a variety of yummy toppings.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar (I used white sugar)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp iodized salt
1 1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Olive oil for cooking.

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
2. Warm milk for 30 seconds in microwave. Whisk milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract in small bowl.
3. Heat large skillet to medium heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. 

4. Pour milk mixture into flour (into the center) bowl and use a fork to stir until no clumps remain.
5. Use 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour batter onto skillet and with fork, gently spread the batter into a large circle (about 3-4 inches across).
6. After ~2 minutes, flip pancake and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes (add a little olive oil as needed to prevent sticking - around 1 tsp per 4 pancakes depending on size of skillet).
7. Serve with your choice of toppings. Enjoy!