Eating to Run? Or Running to Eat? Maybe both. =P

Hi all! I'm currently training for the following.

1) May 1- Big Sur Relay (about 5 miles split amongst 5 of us)

2) August 27- Giant's Race Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

Am I excited? Yes
Am I a little nervous? A smidge...ok yes.  
Am I ready? For the Big Sur Relay- for the most part, yes.  For the Half Marathon- hell to the NO.

More importantly, am I still hungry? DAMN RIGHT I AM!  I'm even hungrier now because I'm burning more calories.  But I have found that the fuel that my body needs should be wholesome and nutritious to keep me running mile after mile....after mile.

Have a peek at some of my "training food," which I've discovered is really delicious.  

1) The "PBBBH"  (Peanut Butter, Banana, Blueberry, and Honey) Sandwich

I just ate this today before a 5 mile run along with some cantaloupe on the side.  It kept me energized throughout the whole run. 

Super simple to make and delicious to scarf down.  I usually have the PB Banana and honey but I added blueberries and fell in love with it, and yes- that is multi-grain bread.  Next time I think I will try it with almond butter. 

2)  "Chicken Salad" recipe (that I tweaked from Runner's Magazine)

The original recipe is in "Runner's Magazine" but I worked with what I had in my kitchen and it turned out to be fantastic.  This was my post-run meal and it was fresh and tasty. The buttery avocados, fresh mozzarella, and crunchy almonds just killed me- in a good way.

First, I made the dressing (which actually serves 4) : Shake in a tupperware: 2 tbsps of lemon juice, 1 cup of Silk's Organic No Sugar Soymilk, some fresh thyme, and 1/2 tsp of salt. 

Next, put in a bowl 2 cups of Romaine lettuce, 1/2 a tomato chopped, half a cup of shredded chicken breast, some alfalfa sprouts, a slice of fresh mozzarella and mix with a couple tablespoons of the dressing. 

Lastly, top it with a couple slices of avocado and a handful of chopped almonds and you're ready to chow down! My table was a mess after prepping but it was SO worth the taste. 

The following were some other random yummy and healthy meals that I've digested.

"Pesto Chicken Sandwich with Fruit", Kaiser Vallejo Cafeteria

"Spinach Cranberry Salad, Creamy Garlic Scalloped Potatos, Mixed Veggies, and Beef," Trader Joe's

(I took the pic late hehe)

1/2 a Fuji Apple, Homemade "Pompano Sinigang" with Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe's

"Fruit Salad and 1/2 Farmer's Chicken Salad Sandwich on Organic Whole Wheat," Anderson Bakery, Concord - Absolutely scrumptious.

These foods are definitely giving me a lot of energy but (ahem) a little more gas than usual. I blame it on the fiber.  Overall, eating healthier choices has actually been very enjoyable, although I've had the previous notion that healthy foods compromised taste.  Through these meals, I have learned that there is a myriad of healthy foods that taste delicious based on the way they are prepared.  I like to mix and match different foods and create new recipes so if anyone has any favorite healthy recipes to share, you know who to tell. =P

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OK- let's take a break from the rabbit food.  Just because I'm eating healthier doesn't mean that I'm going to cut out the yummy food adventures.  I just had a field day at Boiling Crab in Sacramento last night.   

Quick review: the Sacramento location is bigger than the SJ one; the wait time was an hour, and the food was still on point.  The service was....ok, granted it was crazy busy on a Friday night and the kitchen had a couple of malfunctions with the catfish fryer, resulting in 2 baskets of catfish brought out 30 min late.  However, the workers were very pleasant and did I mention the food was fantastic?  I guess it was because I've been craving the lime-drenched shrimp in the shebang sauce, crispy fresh catfish, and addicting sweet potato and cajun style fries. 

 2 lbs of SHRIMP in the SHEBANG sauce & SWEET POTATO FRIES

 Mid-grubbing- I was counting the shrimps I had eaten so far- I think I was at a dozen.

 Gotta have the FRIED CATFISH and CAJUN FRIES.

Food coma the whole way home.  I'll definitely be back.

The next blog is going to be the process of making homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese vanilla frosting.  You'll definitely want to see/eat that.  Till then-  HAPPY EATING!