Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Food, Reviews and Giveaway

Food! It’s why some of us run, right? It’s what fuels us, comfort us, lets us be creative and contributes to those large amounts of waste we leave behind.

Being a running and poop blog, I don’t talk much about food. I do, however, eat pretty regularly. You may not know this, but I LOVE to cook. 95% of our meals come from me and are home made and fresh. We rarely go out to eat and I don't cook anything out of a box or can. There may be the occasional frozen pizza, but I steer pretty clear of frozen stuff too. Ken doesn’t cook. When we first dated he had  steady diet of orange Gatorade (he thought it was a health drink), frozen burritos, Stouffer’s French bread pizza and Stouffer's lasagna. He turned his ass around. The guy hasn’t eaten dessert in over two years!

Ken and I grew up differently. In his house there was a meal for every night of the week, e.g., Friday = hotdogs, Monday = spaghetti. Spam was a regular staple.  My parents were pretty experimental. It was all about opening our minds and giving us the experiences so we could make informed decisions (so I joined a cult and got pregnant at 15 – JK). They had a garden where they grew pot all of our fresh fruits and veggies. My mom canned all of our tomatoes and made home made jam. If there was a health food trend, they got on that bandwagon pretty quickly. Falafel? We were eating that before it was cool, like in the early 80s. There were sprouting broccoli plants on the counter (once I thought they were chocolate cupcakes and took a bite). You would never find a sugar cereal or Twinkie in our house. I used to have to go to Stacy Evan’s house where she had a drawer full of Hostess cupcakes, dingdongs and zingers. Imagine having a drawer where you could go anytime, day or night, and grab a tasty treat. That seemed like heaven to me at the time.

Anyway…fast forward to today. I mostly cook out of Cooking Light magazine and I love Allrecipes. I don’t repeat many recipes unless they are really, really good. This year for the first time we joined a local CSA and will get fresh fruits and veggies from an organic farm in Boulder for the next 20 weeks!! If you want to find a CSA in  your area, click HERE.

Don’t get me wrong – I still eat like crap sometimes and my nightstand drawer is full of Dots. Oh, and I love wine (probably not in the “healthy” quantity either). Everything in moderation, right?

So…for some reviews. These products were sent to me to discuss/review.

Cheribundi Cherry Drink*:

This stuff rocks. My mom buys tart cherries in the summer and freezes them so we have fresh cherry pie all year long. The Cheribundi tastes like liquid tart cherry pie. No joke. Each 8 oz bottle is packed with 50 cherries (.5 pound). Where the heck do they find all these cherries? I hope they don’t pop them all.  It is also full of some good nutrition including antioxidants. One 8 oz serving packs 32 grams of carbs, good news for us runners. It’s also good for gout and arthritis. Drawbacks? Lots of sugar (28 g) and pricey - $9.99 for 4-8oz bottles. Ouch. If you have the chance, give it a try. The taste is exceptional!!

P1060446

Newest GU flavor – mandarin orange*:

I think this stuff just hit the shelves. I tried one on my run a couple of weeks ago. It has a light and pleasant flavor. Not too thick, sticky or sweet (that’s what she said). I do love me some mandarin oranges, so this was a good flavor for me. And thanks to GU and Outside PR for letting me taste test this one and for the box of amazing Gus, Brew and Chomps.

P1060449

Lara Bars – new flavors*:

In July, some new Lara Bar flaves will be available: carrot cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate chip brownie  and peanut butter chocolate chip. Lara Bar sent me some samples this week. I’ve only tried the cookie dough, and it is TASTY! I am a huge fan of these bars. Simple, basic and few ingredients that come together to create a great tasting and healthy product. I try to eat foods made up of five or less ingredients that I can pronounce. These bars fit the bill. I love how they use dates as a natural sweetener and for texture and volume. They make for an easy on-the-go breakfast or a post meal treat. They are also gluten, soy and dairy free if you care about that stuff (I don’t). Typically these bars have 230 calories, 26 g of carbs, and lots of potassium and fiber. And, they are affordable – in my grocery store they are about $1.00 per bar or sometimes on sale for $.88.

So…GIVEAWAY! Become a follower and give me your best healthy cooking tip or tell me how early food experiences influenced how you eat today. I’ll choose the most creative/interesting comment in a few days and will send the winner the following:

  • Chocolate chip brownie Lara Bar
  • Strawberry Watermelon GU Recovery Brew
  • Orange GU Chomps
  • Mint chocolate GU
  • Chocolate outrage GU
  • Blueberry GU Octane

Good luck!

*These items were sent to me free of charge from GU, Cheribundi and Lara Bar. I paid nothin’ for them. The giveaway items were also sent at no cost to me.

52 comments:

  1. I am a new follower/blogger! I really like to know what the ingrediants are, so if I see a label with a bunch of stuff I dont know how to say.... I put it back on the shelf. I have a Favorite side dish to share... I love mixing cooked basmati brown rice and quinoa together with chopped spinach, bell peppers, english cucumber, and tomatos together with some EVOO and a little sea salt. Mix it up real good, put in a baking dish and cover with foil, bake on 350 for about 20 min. Serve with a protien, I really love grilled Mahi with this. And I ALWAYS sprinkle crumbled feta on top as a treat! This dish has everything you need the night before a long run!!! LOVE IT!!!

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  2. I think that reading labels is super important, I really try hard to pick items with few ingredients (like you mentioned), and to keep my sodium down. Swapping out whole grains, adding veggies to some higher calorie dishes to keep my serving size down (i.e. if I make enchiladas I'll have a small portion over a huge bed of baby spinach).

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  3. it doesn't surprise me at all that you eat/cook so healthy...it shows!!

    my early food experiences made me addicted to ice cream. i grew up having it every single night before bed w/ my dad and sisters. now i can't bring it into the house or i'll eat it all in one sitting.

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  4. I'm not entering but I thought I would pass this along. The first time I made my wife pancakes, she asked me where the box was. Yeah, I do it from scratch!

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  5. Oh where to start. First thanks for giving me the confidence to openly talk about my poopscapades encountered during my marathons. Second, thanks for the laughs - I really enjoy reading your stuff and it seems I am not alone.

    I grew up eating at the concession stand at the ballpark, Pizza Inn, or spaghettios. As a result I was a fat kid. The influence is simple - Now that I am the Dad I get to be the boss and my kids will never, ever, eat the way I did growing up. If I am in the kitchen, which is nearly every night cause I love to cook, my daughter is on the counter with me (she's four). She is involved in our healthy cooking and she and I love it! Mom gets a break and we all get a healthy dinner. Ironic part is we made fallafel and organic hummus last night.

    So my healthy cooking tip for you: Make it fun and you'll stick with it involve your kids so you can pass it on.

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  6. Oh boy. I think I am your Stacy Evans right here. A fridge full of hostess cupcakes, Suzie Q's, twinkies, fruit loops and honeycomb cereal. My mom was not a very good cook. She tried but we lived on boxed mac-n-cheese, microwaved french fries (omg ick right?) and the topper? We lived across the street from a killer hard core Italian pizza joint (on the east coast, where they do pizza right).

    Which leads me to how I am today. A super duper healthy vegetarian with a minor candy/sugar addiction. Your dots in the nightstand = my hot tomales in cupboard.

    So onto healthy eating right? Oh and I'm already a follower. :-)

    My two year old peanut is a picky eater. So I try to cook well for her but I also have to "hide" stuff. So when I make her muffins, I often add either canned pumpkin OR pureed baby food (like carrots) to get SOME sort of vegetable in her.

    For the hubby and I, I am very basic, fresh veggie stir-fries with just a little peanut-oil and lots of garlic. I guess I am not very creative! ha

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  7. Of course I would love to enter..I have been wondering about the new Gu flavor and tasted Gu Chomps for the first time the other day. I think your poopcapades are hilarious...One, becasue I have a running buddy that has frequent issues with this and we are always "on the prowl" for bathrooms for her..We always joke that "you can't trust a fart"...Two, because I am a nurse and it seems like we are surrounded by "stool"...I swear, it is the only time in your life when someone will cheer if you go poop or pass gas!!

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  8. I was actually surprised how much I liked the Cheribundi :) I grew up in the same kind of house as you!!

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  9. I love Larabars and am excited for your giveaway. Being a former chubby kid, I grew up in a household where sauce came from a jar and fast food was eaten multiple times during the week. Once I learned more about nutrition, exercise and cooking I really took a liking to cooking up my own dishes that are healthy and delicious! My boyfriend, who was raised on his (very Italian) mother's cooking, even loves my food because he says it tastes good and makes him feel good. I especially enjoy making unique pizzas (chicken pesto w/fontina cheese) and using ricotta cheese in meals, as a dessert or for breakfast with different toppings. I don't have a particular amazing recipe to share but I do get a lot of ideas from eatbetteramerica.com Hopefully this site is one you haven't seen before and can begin to use regularly!

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  10. My healthy eating came about 2 years ago when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. We both began to learn about what different ingredients can do to our bodies and how they are related to cancer and other diseases. So we decided together that we were going to clean up what we put in our mouths. Part of that included me having to learn how to cook. As a 20 something year old, I sucked at cooking. Sucked is probably an understatement! It was really bad, even the dog wouldn’t touch it. Now I not only plan my meals in advance but they taste good too. I pick meals that have lots of veggies and protein.

    Some of the biggest changes that we have made include cutting out high fructose corn syrup, no soda, organic milk, after school snacks for my daughter have changed to choices like apples, yogurt, or the occasional kids Zbar (this are made by Cliff), I have included flax seeds and chia seeds in most recipes as well. Regular smoothies with fruit, chia seeds, protein powder, and kale are a must too.

    I am happy to note that my mom has been cancer free since. :)

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  11. My house was similar to your hubby's... My mom attempted to cook but rarely was anything green involved. We used a lot of frozen items. When I went to college, all I ate was frozen food. My girlfriends were shocked. I loooved stouffer's french bread pizzas, frozen dinner meals and the frozen breakfast stuff! Yuum!! As I grew older and worked in some really nice restaurants, I started to realize maybe I could make good stuff on my own. Now I cook pretty much every night. My bf has no idea how to cook. So he's always amazed at what I come up with. I'm trying to incorporate more lean proteins and veggies. Rachael Ray (sad, I know) helped me learn how to cook better. I would DVR her show and some of her tips (while she's damn annoying) were great! Now I DVR her show and just run through to the end to see if I like what she's making or not.

    I've been reading your blog for just a bit now (couple of weeks) and I love it (flattery works as creative, right?)! Seriously though. I'm trying to get myself back into running a lot after a break and your blog is quite helpful in getting me to WANT to run again. Thanks!!

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  12. I follow you!
    My son is a picky eater. He would eat only pizza, vanilla milk, and cookies/sugar stuff. So a month ago I started to tell him that he can eat all the chips, cookies, etc that he wants, but he has to earn them by eating fruits and veggies. An orange = 2 mini chocolate chip cookies; a large banana = 2 small lollipops, you get the picture. Well, it has been only a month and my boy is now saying that he likes oranges (and other fruits and veggies) and actually wants them regardless of whether he gets junk food as a reward.

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  13. I am a follower
    When I was younger it was a basically fend for yourself around dinner time ordeal. My mom tried for awhile to cook dinner and to get the family together for a family dinner every night but between me and my sister being involved in pretty much every sport and extra curriculur activity we just never were home at the same time. Soo she gave up and I cant recall what foods influenced the way I eat today.. I used to HATE broccoli cause I didn't know how to eat it. haha I didn't know if you were supposed to eat just the top or the whole thing, so I stayed clear of it... Well today I love steamed veggies and especially broccoli!! I've always had the idea that "I can eat whatever I want as long as I run".. Well sure enough eating frozen pizzas, mac and cheese, fast food and all the not so good stuff will make your tummy upsettt! lol.Soo I cut out fast food, and limit myself to frozen pizzas. I don't eat too healthy now seeing as how its really expensive and I am a poor college kid. But I do buy more apples, oranges, bananas, I Loove cereal and eat it prolly 2-3 times a day.. I also eat alot of spagetti and pasta. I loove chicken too!! Also along with being broke and can't afford to go out and buy alot of fancy grocerys to make amazing meals, I also can't cook! Soo that kinda makes for an interesting time when I try to make myself dinner. It usually consists of alot of spagetti, mac and cheese.. and occasionally I'll get fancy and try and be the cook that I am not.. but I usually end up burning something so I do my best to steer clear of cooking out side of my norm! haha

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  14. I'm already a follower of your blog and you make me laugh. I love reading about your running adventures.

    On to healthy eating. Well about three years ago I started doing Weight Watchers and fell in love with how easy it was to lose weight but still eat some of my favorite foods. The hardest thing was giving up Pepsi's. I got pregnant with my second daughter and found out I had Gestational Diabetes so I really had to start living the health lifestyle. I love the fact that I can use Splenda instead of sugar and the hubs has no idea.

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  15. We've been trying to change our diets and move completely away from all processed foods. We get as many fruits and veggies as we can from the farmers market, as well as our meats. Our bread from Great Harvest and have a garden our of own sprouting.

    I learned last summer when we had an overwhelming amount of zucchini in our garden that it's an awesome substitute in baking for oil and eggs. Zucchini brownies...mouthwatering good. It hads tons of moisture and an extra serving of veggies. Can't even taste it!

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  16. i am a follower and i love larabars, they are the only bars i will eat b/c they taste like real food, not crap. i love that they have like 3 ingredients that you can read.

    as for a healthy cooking tip. i just learned that you can buy organic popcorn kernals, get a paper lunch bag, fill it with about 1/2 cup or less of kernals and stick in microwave....a great easy healthy snack to bring along to the beach or a road trip.

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  17. I grew up in an overweight family. It wasn't that we ate unhealthy food - just the opposite - we grew up eating fruits, veggies, un-fried food. It was that we loved our carbs and we loved massive quantities of food. I found myself weighing in at 320 lbs on July 6th of last year and decided to do something about it. I went to the South Beach diet and to exercise. I took up running in January and I am training for my first half marathon (8/1). I now just eat a healthy portion of food and the right kind of carbs. I've lost 102.6 lbs as of Memorial Day. I still have another 40+ lbs to go, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. =)

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  18. I'm a follower.

    My food habits have changed a lot over the past 5 years. When I was a little kid, my (very over-worked) mom would send me to the bus stop with a pop tart wrapped in a napkin and a diet coke. Lunch was a couple of bucks, which I of course spent on chicken nuggets and ice cream bars. Chips, candy, sugary drinks were everywhere in our house. As I got into high school, I stopped eating breakfast, and would eat soft pretzels and nachos for lunch. Dinner was whatever mom cooked, plus some ice cream or chips or whatever was laying around at night.

    Imagine trying to recover from THAT food-childhood.

    About 5 years ago, I started making tiny changes. Breakfast was a big tiny change. Toast because granola bars became cereal. Healthy lunches came next. No more juice boxes and fruit rollups. Salads or sandwiches and fruit. I'm STILL, to this day, trying to make changes and not fall into the traps I learned. Adding veggies to my diet has been a huge deal. Taking out some of the carbs and cheese has been another. Cooking for myself - and stepping outside the 4 recipes I know how to make - has made a big difference. But I'm starting to finally look at food as fuel, not something delicious to stuff my piehole with while I'm reading or watching TV.

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  19. I'm in the UK so don't know if I'm allowed to enter your giveaway, but I'd love to if it's possible. I've never even tried Gu yet lol!
    My upbringing involved very healthy eating at home, with me being spoilt rotten by grandma, grandad and aunt on weekend visits and fed cakes and candy as if they were going out of fashion. I felt very loved those weekends as I missed love and affection at home.
    Unfortunately that led to me linking sweet foods to love, and the rest is history. I've spent a long time in therapy, only to find out taking control of the binging, and exercising instead is what I needed all along. Starting to run in January is one of THE best things I've ever done, it's made me see how strong I really am, and I'll never go back.

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  20. Well let's see, my Grandpa took me to McDonald's every Monday when he did his banking, and Koolaid, hot dogs and boxed mac & cheese were staples in my diet. Sooo I had pretty bad habits growing up. I carried those with me for too long before I finally realized (as a severely overweight teenager) that it was time to change and I had to take control of my life.

    It's still been a roller coaster ride, but I feel like I've finally figured things out in recent years and aim to put healthy things in my body ... with the occasional glas (box) of wine.

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  21. I am already a follower!
    I grew up with hotdogs being the main ingredient to most dishes and pizza night being the favorite day of the week. Get this, we ate lots of Beanie Weinies (baked beans and hot dogs) and Shit on a Shingle. According to my mother, ketchup was a food group.There was always some Kraft singles in the cheese drawer and food was looked at as a reward.

    Now, after years of breaking old habits, I am gluten, casein, and egg free and feel fantastic. We have food intolerances that run in our family. Three of my four boys and I all are on this diet. It affects our behavior and emotions profoundly. Food is powerful!
    My favorite food for running fuel is potato salad. I use red and gold potatoes, peas, onions, apple cider vinegar, rosemary and dill and a two second pour of oil. You can not mess up potato salad! Its wonderful too because you can eat it cold!

    I think that my early eating habits have given me a basis for comparison. I know how I feel when I eat a clean diet and when I just eat empty calories. I love that I know from experience that I am feeing my kiddos healthfully and I can empathize when they are acting up from food intolerance.
    GU is gluten and casein and egg free! The only one I can't have is the recovery brew but my husband loved that one :)

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  22. I make giant salads every day as an appetizer course--with greens, garbananzos/beans, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, green onions, and any other veggies. ANd now we always make our own dressing--with olive or sesame oil and balsamic or rice vinegar plus some pepper and a few assorted spices. It's a huge step up from bottled ranch dressing!!

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  23. My mom loved to cook, and was good at it. She made pretty healthy meals and changed it up. So after I got married I felt pretty confident in the kitchen, even if I didn't have much experience, because I'd seen my mom do it so much. I love to cook, try new things, and read blogs and google random ingredients for recipes. I love learning about new veggies or combinations of foods, substitutions you can use to be healthier, and additions you can make!

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  24. I have a Cooking Light cookbook, and I love it! I am trying to help my family eat healthier but my husband is a junk food and candy fanatic. We'll get there eventually though. (I'm not commenting to enter, just to comment.)

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  25. MF, just lost my whole post!!!!

    Buy organic on manager special or store brand organic to save money was the gist.

    Damn, it was a good one too about small boobs and groping...

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  26. I'm not an especially good cook, to be honest. I do my best to eat fruits and veggies, but I maintain my weight through portion control and an "everything in moderation" attitude, rather than trying to go organic or vegetarian. I was definitely raised in a household full of Koolaid and Twinkies, but my mom made a home-cooked meal every night, too. Lots of meat and potatoes dinners with a roll or bread, a cheese-covered vegetable and dessert, of course! Hence my keep it simple approach as an adult.
    I'm a newbie follower and already a big fan of the poopscapades found on your blog - thanks for the giggles! :-)

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  27. In all honestly, you need to take the time and learn to cook food properly. I hated soooo many foods growing up only to love them now, because my mom was over cooking everything. Once you know how to cook, the options are endless.

    and don't be afraid to try new things.

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  28. I'm a follower! Here's my food history/situation...I'm a vegetarian living in southwest Kansas, the middle of beef country. My husband's grandpa is a rancher. Our county has the highest density of feedlots in the country (or something like that. There's a lot of them anyway. Trust me. I can smell them. And hear the baby cows crying when they're weaned.) My natural tendency is to eat pretty healthy, but I also have a total sweet tooth and think life without ice cream is not worth living. I'm married to a country boy raised on farm food (my mother in law doesn't believe in using spices and thinks vegetables can only be served out of a can and doused with at least one stick of butter..or as she calls it, oleo). My husband also has the eating habits of a three year old and would live on pepsi and twinkies if I'd let him. Add into the mix a picky 7 year old who refuses to eat fruits or vegetables and a 20 month old who thankfully eats fruits and vegetables but also has junk food radar and can spot a dropped dorito from a mile away. My father eats anything and his years as a runner are the only thing keeping him from obesity. Whenever he had to babysit me, the first thing he did was load me in the car and take me to dairy queen. Hence, the ice cream love. My junk food loving mother has pre-diabetes and keeps trying the atkins diet to keep her sugar under control. Then she gets sick of it and goes out for donuts. Add that all up, and you get me.

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  29. Holy poop!
    We were separated at birth.
    My husband says "If you EVER make me eat Ragu or boxed mashed potatoes - I'm gone!"
    Sounds like a little issue with his mommy if you ask me.
    I love to cook - but you knew this.
    I just found out that our community garden ordered too many plants! Guess where I'm headed??? That's right - to steal the rest!

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  30. I am a follower! My story is not very interesting, but I grew up in a family of 6 (two parents/4 kids) and I remember every night eating as fast I could so I would get leftovers. So yeah. That influenced me because I still eat fast and don't want to share food. I need to work on that!

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  31. I'm already a follower.

    Growing up, we always had frozen treats in the house and ate them after +/- every meal. To fill the void, I love eating frozen fruit. It's cold, chewable, and super flavorful! And if I don't feel like chewing, I just whip up a nice smoothie. So refreshing!

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  32. yummmmm food. I grew in a house very similar to yours where my parents cooked every night something different. Nothing junk around... we were allowed ONE soda a week. When I moved out I completely turned into an OREO whore... LOL

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  33. I'm a follower.
    When I was a kid, my mom used to put carrots in my lunch all the time. That used to really piss me off because all the other kids had chips and cookies, and I wanted some! However, in my house there was no junk food (unless you count Goldfish). My parents had struggled with their weight their entire lives and they wanted better for us. The also understood that the genes in our family were not in our favor. None of us are small people. As much as I used to resent the healthy food in my lunch, I am so thankful now that my parents tried to keep my brother and I healthy. In the end, because we've always struggled with weight, we've always been concious of what we're eating. My fiance, on the other hand, albeit much skinnier, does not eat as healthy as I do. So in a way, my extra weight is a mixed blessing. It forces me to stay on track in terms of exercising and eating.

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  34. Duh, follower.
    I'm Italian and grew up eating a lot of food. Though sometimes Italians get a bad rap for eating too many carbs, drinking too much wine (what?!?) or plowing through red meat like no tomorrow, I was raised to eat wholesome fresh food. It was shameful if we didn't have some Mediterranean flair to our meals.
    Now I add that same idea to most my meals, filled with healthy fats (olive oils and avocados) and whole grains (pasta, ok maybe some sourdough, can't go without that.) and always fresh but flavorful. I wouldn't dream of frying something that would taste better sauteed or grilled. I can't stand things that come out pre-packaged (excuse me, did you know they have mashed potatoes from a fuggin box?!?) or canned (unless it's beans or artichoke hearts, we have to compromise somewhere) and a little wine never hurt. Ok, it does sometimes, but like you said, moderation! Food makes me happy, fresh food makes me even happier.

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  35. I'm a follower and the best way to eat heathy is to be a purist. There is no need to slather sauces, breading, and other things on what the earth gives us. Also, don't eat alone - it's a recipe for disaster.

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  36. My mom is a huge believer in the idea that what you eat in your childhood is what you will eat for the rest of you life.

    When I was 6 I went through a huge spaghetti and meatball phase, it was the only thing I would eat for lunch for about 6 months. So, because my mom wanted me to eat healthy, she would make her own meatballs. Inside each meatball was a baby carrot-and I had no idea!

    Secret ingredients like that popped up in my food throughout my childhood, and I'd like to think that's why I eat pretty healthily to this day.

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  37. I was raised much like your husband... except we ate mac n cheese, chicken, and sgetti like every day of the week... not all on the same day ofcourse. i eat whatever and dont really think about it... i run to keep healthy and other than that, i'm not too worried.. <3

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  38. You've given me the guilts. I cook for the family only 3 nights a week and my Mum cooks for all of us on Wednesdays. On the other 3 nights there's usually enough left-overs for 2 of the nights and Sunday we have take-out. Not great but it works for me.

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  39. Follower! I love to cook as well and make our own dough with my bread maker - pita, italian, etc. and freeze extras so that we don't have to ingest all those preservatives. I found a recipe for tortillas that I'm going to try soon. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  40. Growing up, we always sat down and ate dinner together as a family - my mother cooked every night! Going out to eat was a treat and a special occasion. This has instilled in me the need to cook a healthy dinner as often as possible and I try to limit my eating out, even though I live in NYC.

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  41. I am a follower. I love to cook healthy foods for my family and also belong to a CSA. Picking up my first share of the season tonight.

    I grew up in the midwest and let me tell you, food was NOT creative or even remotely healthy. Think white stuff (no, not cocaine) and lots of it. Also, my mom thought that foods out of a can were the bomb, so we had lots of that on the table. I can remember a family favorite (for everyone but me) called "western burger." It was some sort of ground beef concoction that made me gag. The funny thing is that my best friend would always want to come for dinner whenever we had it. I think all this influenced me to be an adult who loves healthy, fresh foods and innovative recipes!

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  42. I'm a follower. I had horrible eating habits as a kid and in college, but it didn't matter because I was so active. Now I realize how important the food is as fuel for my running, and I think it's fun to re-make something I love in the restaurant that is very not healthy, into something that tastes just as good at home, but is good for you as well. Reading ingredient lists while grocery shopping has made a HUGE difference.

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  43. I am a follower!

    As a child I had pretty great eating habits. Everyhting in Moderation with basic following of the Canadian food guide...lots of fruits and veggies, protien some carb etc..

    When I got to university it ALL went down from there....or should I say UP from there...40lbs up...After I finished my masters and started working I new a needed a change in Lifestyle...For me the biggest changes were: Eating Locally grown foods, Portion Sizes (following what an acutal serving is) and finally that some days we all indulge...and I can't keep beating myself up for that...it means that the next food choice I make needs to be healthy...it won't ruin my diet to have ice cream one night...but how much and how many times...After I let go of that guilt I have been able to keep those 40lbs off! Woot Woot!

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  44. What a great topic. Diet has been a huge area of research for me since I started running.

    My best advice so far has been switching to whole grains! LOVE LOVE whole wheat pasta, and now I only bake using wheat flour.

    Another staple in my cupboard is olive oil! And to think that growing up it was NEVER in our home. Now it's my main "fat" to use in cooking.

    Also knowing that the right fats are good for me has been a tremendous learning experience.

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  45. I can honestly say I got my bad eating habits from my mom. She usually eats one large meal - no breakfast - paying no mind to the calories or fat content. I've been up and down the scale now more because I keep going back to bad habits. My training for races helps out so much. I'm hoping to get back on track for Oct. marathon.

    My fav thing to make is Pita Pizza. Make a personal pan pizza using whole wheat pita bread and choice of toppings. I use my cake pans to bake the pizza at 325 degrees for 20-25 mins depending on amount of toppings. Yuummmm!

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  46. My early food experiences included a mother who did not know how to be healthy. Up and down the scale with Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, etc. And when I was starting to get chubby in 5th grade, she started weighing my food on one of those little scales. But then I'd come home from school to an empty house and eat microwaved Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls (12 seconds is the perfect ooze time without burning, FYI)

    Now that I have daughters, I want them to understand that what they put in their bodies matters to their overall health. So we made the kitchen mostly organic about 3 yrs ago, and we try to snack on fruits and veggies and homemade granola bars, and steer clear of soda. Our carbs are whole grains or straight out of the ground, like rice and potatoes. And once a week, they devour a pizza, because life is meant to be fun.

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  47. OK, my unique healthy cooking suggestion is quite literally an ass-backwards cooking suggestion... it's a poopgestion which is the very end of the cooking process if you ask me.

    When it's time to drop a deuce, you should stand on the toilet and squat instead of sit. (Take pants completely off, put seat up if you like, but then consider putting shoes on so you don't slip!) and squat/hover over the bowl as you pinch one off. You basically want your knees pressed against your chest. You will pass much more this way in a single squatting than in a single sitting. True story. Squatting instead of sitting aligns your colon properly over your rectum and VOILA! Poop magic.

    This is a healthy cooking tip because a) that cooked food has to go somewhere and b) you'll bm's will be so volumnious (especially once you start doing this regularly - pun intended) that you'll have tons-o-room for MORE of those fabulously healthy home cooked meals!

    Try it and report back!

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  48. When I am cooking I try to make everything as colorful as possible. My husband is a huge beef lover, however, I am not. Whenever we have burgers I love using ground turkey. The bad thing about this is that it dries out so easily! So, to help make it "colorful" I always add some form of vegetable to it. Sometimes I will add a can of mild green chilis (with juice) so it will give it more juice. I hardly ever put breadcrumbs in my burger meat. If it's not green chilis I am using sun dried tomatoes, onions.. etc. Love it. I love summer time!

    Also, what I like to do during the summer is eat corn! The only thing I hate is that that awesome corn isn't in season all year long. I always buy in bulk and I will cook/grill ears of corn and they they are done I cut off all the corn from the ear and I put it in freezer bags and freeze them so we have "fresh" corn as long as possible. I guess it's healthy food storage!

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  49. My early experiences with food and eating were really backwards as are so many people's today. I lived to eat. That led me to where I am now and the journey I am on now. I've done a 180 and am learning to eat to live. Unique and interesting, maybe not, but it is powerful to say that you have to eat to live not live to eat! Christina from http://mommaof3ontherun.blogspot.com/

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  50. My mom says she used to cook all the time, but I don't remember it. I remember the countless number of spaghetti-os and beef-a-roni, which I will NOT touch with a 10 foot pole or feed to me children. I try to use fresh fruits and veggies and have even tried to look into vegan cooking, but hubs said NO WAY. So, it's a constant battle between healthy and something the hubs will eat.

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  51. This is very interesting ideal and really helpful information. Thanks!
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