Carboloading Clean Style

I hope everyone is getting through this  June challenge without too much of a sweat. 

I must admit, on schedule, I had a total sugar withdrawl meltdown five days in. Not sure what it is about that five day mark but it always seems to throw me for a loop. But just like most rough patches, it passed and I must say I feel wonderful. My muscles are looking more defined and I feel energized throughout the day.

I have a race this Sunday, the New Paltz Half Marathon and boy am I excited. I did this race last year and PR’d with 01:54:33. It is a gorgeous, flat course that used to be a rail road track. They have since fashioned it into a trail and I have done many a training run on the course when the hubby and I retreat from the city to be in nature. I have yet to do the same race twice, but this is one I will try to do every year. It is a small group, I believe last year had just over 500 runners with positive vibes and smiles all through the course. There really isn’t much of a competitive spirit like oh so many races I have done in the past. And while I have to head straight to work after I get that medal, I am thrilled to do this race again. To run in one of my favorite places in the world is a privleage and hardly a chore.

I have been training for this half a bit differently than previous ones. I have focused more on cross training and yoga in the past few months and made sure to get in a minimum of 3 runs a week, sometimes more. I haven’t done the tried and true, tempo run, speed work, long run routine. Instead, I’ve just run as far as I felt I could handle which some days was 3, others was 7-10. I’ve decided to try this training method to see how it stands up to the 4-5 run a week, structured plan. We’ll see how it goes.

Now, the tricky issue I have been facing the last couple of days is how on earth do I carboload when I am eating clean and omitting flour? I don’t go crazy with carboloading, except for marathons, but I absolutely think it makes a huge difference for racing when you slowly increase your carbohydrate intake days leading to the race. 

Even if you are not eating clean, I find that runners fill themselves up with way too much flour before a race and it is even suggested that you carboload so much before a marathon that you will gain 2-4 pounds. This time around, I am going to try some techniques that keep me away from the flour and to add unrefined, clean and healthy carbs to my carboloading plan.

Potatoes, Sweet or White: Oh how I love thee potato, let me count the ways. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are a great way to add carbohydrates to your diet whether you are eating clean or not. Having too much fiber is a no-no before a race (potential stomach problems — no one wants to be the person ruining the port-o-potty, so if you can, take off those skins, where the high amount of fiber live. Have it any way you’d like. I love a good sweet potato fry! Skin the sweet potato, chop it finely lengthwise, let dry completely and sprinkle with olive oil (or coconut oil) salt/pepper and cornstarch, which will make them crispy and leave in the oven at 375 for 40 mins tossing once. 

Corn: Have you had any corn on the cob this season yet? If not, don’t walk RUN to your nearest produce shop and grab some. Nothing beats good corn. Another plus? It is a staple at any good BBQ. When I know I am restricting my diet, I often bring foods to a BBQ as a gift/to make sure I have something to eat. Why not bring a mess of corn? Shuck the corn completely but keep the outside, the green leaves, on. Sprinkle with Old Bay (thank me later) and grill with the leaves covering that gorgeous corn. Ah, carboloading in Summer is glorious

Peas: It is a little cloudy, deary and chilly here in NYC today. I am not complaining, it gives me the perfect excuse to make my favorite Split Pea Soup in the slow cooker. You might have seen in the vitamin aisle, pea protein being offered as a healthier alternative to the dairy rice protein powders. This is because one cup of peas has approximately 38 GRAMS of protein. Who knew!? Those little guys pack a punch, but note that they are high in fiber as well, so best to have the peas sparingly your last few days

Juice: Juicing will be your best friend during carboloading. The actual function of a juicer is to take the fiber out of the fruit and leave the nectar of the gods. Fruit has a ton of carbohydrates, specifically apples, pears and peaches, all amazing juice candidates. If you don’t want to bother with the juicer, no problem, just be sure to peal the fruit, where, again, the fiber hangs out

I will be taking my own advice and enjoying this carb filled goodies while keeping up my clean diet. I am planning on taking my first, well deserved cheat day the Saturday before. Beer has great carbs, I think it’s necessary for my training that I have one or two.

 

June “Clean Eating” Challenge: What do I eat!?

Since my last post, I have received some great feedback on people interested in my June Challenge. Which makes me ecstatically happy!

The first and most frequently asked question is, “what the heck can I eat?” I know limited your intake of processed foods, sugar and flour seems like you are left with no options, but it is not true in the least! You can still enjoy the foods you love, just perhaps prepared in a different way.

With Summer unofficially here, fruits and veggies are in season, grill are out, fresh light food is easy to come by. All you have to do is omit the junk.

So, I thought I’d help all of you out by offering up some clean and delicious recipes and snack ideas. I promise you it is not as hard as you think and you will feel and see the rewards even in one month:

Breakfast

Oatmeal: I usually make a cup of organic quick oats with fat free milk, a few shakes of cinnamon, a bit of vanilla extract and fill that bad boy up with banana and berries. This keeps you full for a LONG time. I usually don’t feel like I need to eat again for at least 4 hours.

Eggs: Anyway you want ’em. Have some eggs! Full of protein, it will keep you plugging along through your day. If you want to get fancy, add a bit of cheese and heaping amounts of veggies. I personally love spinach and tomatoes. And keep those egg yokes in!

Greek Yogurt: 0% plain greek yogurt has about as much protein as an egg and with 0% fat, how can you go wrong? Some don’t love how tart the yogurt is, so try sweetening it up with some homemade fruit puree ( add some very ripe fruit to a food processor with a bit of coconut water to get it moving ) vanilla extract, cinnamon and other spices.

Lunch

Grilled Chicken and Veggies: This is self explanatory and it doesn’t have to be chicken. I personally am getting a bit tired of the same ol’ chicken, but it is crucially important to maintain high amount of protein this month, especially if you are exercising frequently. Add what ever protein of your choosing. This is an easy meal to throw together at the beginning of the week and split it up for lunch.

Soup: I know, soup in summer? Am I nuts? Maybe, but I love me a good soup any time of year. It is filling and unless you are eating it outside at noon in July, you won’t suffer. Add a salad and make it an extra hearty meal. Try using your slow cooker for the soups. It is a time saver and don’t we all want to save time? I love this Split Pea Soup Recipe.

PB&B: While I am omitting flour and some of you are planning to as well, you can still have bread. What? Game changer? Thought so. If you are new to this clean eating this, Ezikiel Bread will be your best friend. It is bread made out of sprouted grains. Some find it a little to hearty for their tastes but I love it, especially with some all natural nut butter. You can find Eziekel Bread in the frozen section of your health food store. I add sliced bananas to this for some added protein and as an athlete and runner, bananas keep me going. Ezikiel Bread also makes wraps and english muffins. All wonderful!

Dinner

Kabobs: The other night I made some kabobs with beef marinated in clean BBQ sauce, peppers, tomatoes and onion. Since we unfortunately dont’ have a grill nor the outdoor space to put one, I threw them in the oven for a half an hour and it was AWESOME. The perfect Summer dinner

Roasted Sausage and Veggies: Sausage is tricky to find clean. You really gotta read the ingredients, they love putting sugar in there. It is available though, I opt for the chicken sausages to make it leaner. Chop up whatever veggies you enjoy and some chopped potatoes, sprinkle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and let the magic happen in the oven for about 45 mins.

Stir Fry: This is my go to meal when I’m low on time. Grab some beef stir fry strips at the market and some broccoli and bok choy. Mince 3 cloves of garlic, heat some oil in a pan, throw in the garlic and cook the beef about 2 mins. Set the beef aside, add some minced shallots and cook down your veggies so the bok choy are slighted wilted and the broccoli is still crisp. Add reduced sodium soy sauce, throw the beef back in, top with some fresh ground ginger and you are good to go! You can serve with brown rice or, if you have some time, try this fantastic Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Snacks

Nuts, any nuts!

Raisins

Rice cakes with nut butter

Veggies and Hummus

LaraBars

As we all continue on this journey, I’ll be here to help. Just send me an email with any questions and keep checking the blog for helpful tips and receipes. You can do it!!!

And just a reminder, I’m still hoping for some more donations for my GoFundMe account to get me started on my yoga teacher training/fitness training journey. Any help and love you can send me would be greatly appreciated!

Namaste!

The Epic Fail

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore — and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over — like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” – Langston Hughes

Not to brag but I typed that quote from memory.

And then promptly checked Google to make sure I was right.

One of my proudest accomplishments in life has been student directing my high school’s staged reading of Loraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun. Ms. Hansberry chose the name of Langston Hughes popular poem and it holds a place on the page in front of the historic play.

My high school, while diverse, had its issues when it came being inclusive. Being the orchestra geek that I was, I spent most of my lunches, free periods and after schools in the music wing, practicing, socializing with my fellow nerds. Directly outside the door my safe creative haven was the door to the school’s blackbox theater, complete with black concrete walls a small stage and perfect space for an intimate actor/audience experience. Everyday I would see, whom I thought to be, hip seniors who seemed to be attached at the hip appearing from those theater doors after an assumed long rehearsal. They often spent time outside the orchestra doors running lines and practicing even after their rehearsal. One day, I, with fierce resistance, was dragged to a show after my own practice and was amazed by the talent of my peers that I had seen so regularly. I was fascinated and began dreaming of being a part of this crazy cool group of people.

By the end of the semester, I noticed a few auditions signs posted for “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” by Celeste Raspanti, a love story with the backdrop of the Holocaust. I encourage everyone to read it. It’s some deep shit.

The same friend who dragged me to the first show insisted we audition. I said no but told her I would still go with her to support. There, at the open audition, was a senior, Julie, I had seen in the previous show giving great feedback and words of encouragement. It seemed safe, so I thought why not give it a shot. It apparently went well enough for me to have gotten a role, a very small role, I think was Child Number 4, or something like that. She was the best director I’ve had to this day.

From then on, I was lucky enough to have been chosen for principal female roles for the next three years of my High School experience. Two plays a year, from Neil Simon to Shakespeare, I loved trying on these characters and studying remarkable works of literature. But I hardly felt at home in the Theater Department. 

There was a Theater Club that was unofficially tied to the department, I had friends there, though most of whom I am not sure if we would have been without the common interest of theater. There was a lot of jealousy and confusion as to why I, someone who jumped into acting, like, yesterday, got a lead role over someone who went to theater camp for 4 years. I honestly didn’t know. I looked up to those girls and thought they could act my ass under a table any day. Over the years I was able to drag at least one other minority into the club, but I was mostly the only one and I only went when the music wing was closed and I didn’t want to spend lunch alone. While I spent my first 10 years in a town where I was the only black female in school, this wasn’t particularly odd, except it specifically bothered me immensely that no shows written by black playwrights were ever considered. Even more so that A Raisin in the Sun is required reading in the 9th grade. I made it my mission early in my “theater career” to change this and to be as awesome as the student director, Julie Miller (oddly enough Matisyahu’s sister!) that inspired me to keep acting and maybe, indirectly, make the Arts my life. 

After an extremely bumpy road, it happened. I was asked to direct a Raisin in the Sun. Only one white person came to audition, which was disappointing. I didn’t want to create lines of division since my intention had been all along to be more inclusive. We had dozens of immensely talented actors audition for us. It was uplifting. I was bringing the first play written by a black person, let alone female to my 2,000 plus student body. When I saw my little ones up there performing, energized by the crowd and moving seamlessly through their blocking, my heart grew. And when they acknowledged me for nurturing “my baby” a show I had worked tirelessly to put on… well, I can’t really explain that kind of happiness only to say I tear up now just remembering. 

I tell you this story because I have been thinking a lot about failure recently. 

I often think about when people “peak”. For some, it’s when they are 80 years old completing their 50th marathon. Others it hits at 15 and putters out slowly and painfully (yes, I’m talking about Justin Bieber). Did I peak? I’ve had many successes under my belt in my short 26 years of life, most recently a marathon. I have plans, ideas, goals for the future that are so completely different from what I have been doing with my life I feel as though it’s silly to even ponder. I find myself planning, researching, praying for a new plan, a new direction that will lead me to the peak of my success, but am immediately turned away by fear and doubt. 

I worry if I will fail at my training, my friendships, my soon to be marriage. I worry if I will fail at being a mom, a caretaker to my sexy cats and a provider for myself, my family and the world around me. 

These are relatively new thoughts for me, I believe a symptom of post marathon blues. 

The aspect of running I love most is how it is goal oriented. Even from when you first decide to lace up and hit the road, you are working up your millage, speed, endurance , one day at a time. First weeks it’s a half a mile, then a mile… so on and so forth. Then when one decides to train for a race, you have a calendar and plan for the next 4 weeks to 4 months of your life. You see the path ahead, you check epic runs and speedwork off your list and reward yourself for keeping up. The result? A damn ridiculous sense of self worth and accomplishment that cannot be described in words. 

During my training I ran into a couple of people who had completed a marathon with little to no training. I thought, wow, they missed out on the experience of growing, getting better, seeing results and accomplishing something you put your all into. When you inevitably “fail” or rather fall of your training schedule or can’t do your long run, many of us can spiral off the deep end immediately thinking you will fail at the whole process. I can attest to this feeling. The pressure of accomplishing such a feat as running 26.2 miles can be daunting and even nauseating. 

But I did it, didn’t I?

I sure as shit did. 

I say all this to others feeling like they are failing at their current weight loss/fitness goals, career goals, life goals, anything. It’s a terrible thing to fear, failure. It will happen to us all at one point or another. So yeah, just jump and try and reach your goals.

Yup, its that simple. That’s at least what all of health articles I’ve been seeing recently.

Let go of all the meat, become a vegan! Quit your job and start your own business. Piece of cake! Sell all of your belongings and travel the world. Yes! I’ll take the next available flight out!

No.

This shit pisses me off. 

It’s not realistic, it’s not even fathomable to the average Joe or even elite James (I dunno, James sounds elite). I sincerely admire people who can do any of those things. It is a courage I one day hope to find, but for now, I am stuck hear with my fear of failure.

But I have decided to chip away at it, slowly but surely. The dream is to be my own boss, to start my own business. To create a career and life that makes me want to jump out of bed each more and Salute the Sun for all of the joy life has brought me. To be the best damn wife I can be and to value myself and my relationships with others as they deserve. 

This blog is about health, running, yoga, juice, good clean food, all that good stuff. I am really quite excellent at feeding my body good stuff, exercising an hour a day, six days a week. But what I have noticed, with so many of my health freaks, is that we get so caught up in feeding the body what it needs, we forget about our minds, that terrible place where fear creeps in and takes charge. We compare ourselves to others and think we are not good enough. But, we will all fall, crash, burn and fail. From the ashes of failure emerges a lesson, one that will not be forgotten because it is learned the hard way. 

So yeah, our dreams may hit a snag. They may even, fester, crust, stink, sag and/or explode. That’s just a hiccup in the road, I have to keep telling myself and, in turn, you. Your dreams are waiting, ripe for the pickin’.

Go get ’em

Things I love: Juicing!

I’ve been keeping a secret.

For the past two months, I have been a juicing fiend, making 8-13 juices a week and no less than one a day.

Hi. My name is Sarah and I’m a juicaholic.

In this safe place I’d like to call Juicers Annonoymous, I’ll share my successful and not so successful recipes. The extreme benefits and the thing to be careful of.

2013 was the year of the Juice, specifically green juice. The Joe Cross documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead became huge here in the States, probably thanks no doubt to it being available on Netflix. Juice shops started popping up everywhere here in NYC and for about $9 a juice you could get up to three pounds of vegetables/fruits to power you through your day.

Goodbye smoothies, hello juice!

Since intensifying my yoga practice about 6 months ago, I started feeling the urge to power up after on of my exhausting Vinyasa flows. However, I found myself feeling weighed down if I ate something too heavy yet completely empty if I didn’t have enough. It was an annoying stomach/mind/body battle.

Luckily, around the corner from my workplace we have a small vegan juice Juice Generation, which, if you haven’t been to I highly recommend. I started buying smoothies there, feeling guilty every time since I have one every morning from breakfast and cost me an eighth of the price to make.

One day, waiting on the very typical long line, I heard almost everyone order a Juice. Hmm, maybe I’ll give it a go. I’ve had green juices before from groceries and I’d be lying if I said I was a fan. I imagine it is what eating a freshly cut law tastes like. However, they had so many options, many with some kind of fruit in it, which was a welcome surprise.

Long story short, I started getting a juice about 3-4 times a week.

I immediately felt a difference in my skin, hair, nails and surprisingly it calmed my late day hunger cravings. I even started liking the lawn tasting juices! There was one casualty to it, my wallet.

At seven to nine bucks a juice I was going broke but what is a girl to do? Casually looking at juicers I noticed they were way out of my price range. Seeing as most of my money goes to bills, fitness, wedding, in the order, I didn’t have $300 laying around to drop on a shiny new juicer, but after doing some research, I found a couple of juicers for $100. With that handy dandy Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon hanging out in my inbox for months, I headed over and purchased a Cusinart juice extractor.

It only took a day for the juicer to pay for itself. I started juicing several juices a day, I couldn’t stop!

My favorite part of the weekend was post run on Saturday heading to the local farmers market and getting all kinds of goodies (CHEAP) and trying all kinds of new fruits and vegetables. Purple carrots (sweeter than regular carrots and perfect in juices), persimmon ( a winter fruit that tastes delightful with carrots!) and quince ( tastes like a pear/apple hybrid ).

Saturday afternoons are spent juicing for the next 3-4 days, about 8 juices, I find that getting them all done at once saves more time, cleaning is the only part of this that is a pain in the ass.

Runners, athletes and cough potatoes alike can reap the benefits of juicing. Juicing provides the body with concentrated nutrients directly into the blood stream. Think about all of the nutrients and vitamins you are consuming with just a couple of gulps! Most of my juices have at least a half pound of leafy greens each.

Even though I love my veggies now, I’ve always had a hard time getting the recommended 5 serving of vegetables a day. Juicing has given me the extra boost I need for running, refreshment from a sweat filled yoga class and a needed boost from a weekend of not so healthy eating.

Here are some tips for healthy and happy juicing!

Buying a Juicer: Its not as bad as you think, I bought mind for $80 and that wasn’t with any of the crazy New Years sales. All the big department stores are having sales and have many different shapes and sizes. Be sure to do your research first and check out customer reviews. There are some pretty bad ones out there, but they are easy to avoid with bit of studying on your end. If you have the money to get a cold-pressed juicer, usually around the $300 mark, great, but if you can’t don’t let it deter you! The New York Times Article written earlier this year debunks the theory that you can only have cold pressed juices. Don’t let that hold you back. Get what you can afford now, if you stick with it, start putting aside some money, like me, aside every month to treat yourself to one down the line.

Utilize your Farmers Markets! You will be shocked on how little you spend on fruits and vegetables in order to make these fantastic juices. Yes, you will see many articles saying you should only purchase and juice organic fruits and vegetables, and while I suppose that is ideal, all fruits and vegetables have some sort of pesticide in them. I don’t stick to this rule, I just make sure I wash all of my produce thoroughly Farmers markets are the best and most cost effective place to get your weekly produce. You’re helping your local farms and getting delicious and fresh produce. Don’t know if you have a farmers market near by? Google your town/city and “farmers market” and  you will surely find something, its usual on weekends.

Buy Seasonal: So, those plump and wonderful berries aren’t in season yet, but there are plenty of other great veggies in season. Carrots, beets and turnips are wonderful to juice and are in season. I used to hate beets and I still don’t care for them much but, they are my favorite juice base right now, just be prepared for pink hands for the rest of the day!

Prep: If you aren’t like me and decide to run as fast as you can to your juicer directly after you Farmers Market trip, be sure to wash all of your produce and prep it for juicing. This usually just means cutting in 2 inch pieces. Its a huge time saver your will thank me for later.

Mason Jars: Stock up on mason jars so you can make and store your juices. If you have them available to you in the fridge at all times, you are more likely to grab one instead of taking your machine out, juicing and having to clean, it can be a 30 min process.

Now, aren’t you excited to get started?!

Here are some of my easy yet wonderful juice recipes:

The Best Green Juice:

8 Stalks Kale leaves ( get rid of the stem)

3 handfuls spinach

1 cup cut pineapple

1 apple

5 sprigs of mint

Best Carrot Juice:

5 carrots

1 apple

1/2 thumb size of ginger root

Got a recipe you want to fill me in on? Let me know!

Happy juicing!