Mamas In Training

Gotta Have It Brownie

So, it's the last day of the month and we've been focusing on mama fuel.  We've learned what other mamas are eating, drinking, and consuming for training and racing benefits.  I must admit that I still sneak in dessert quite often, and in that regard,  I just have to share this recipe for my absolute favorite brownie.  Um...not a good fuel food.  This is not for a serious mama in training!  Thanks everyone, Tanya.

Mix together:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

Stir in:

4 eggs

1 ½ cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups chopped nuts

Stir; pour into greased, 1-inch deep baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until done.  Cover with 1 lb. mini marshmallows; bake for 3 minutes. 

Frosting:

1 2/3 cup powdered sugar

½ cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

1/3 cup canned evaporated milk

Good 'ol Cheerios

You know, a small bowl of Cheerios is a must for me each morning before a workout.  Not a large bowl, but a good fistful with milk and sometimes a banana.  I make sure I get up early enough to eat and wait about 15 minutes before I begin my workouts.  I don't feel faint this way.  I know some women cannot eat anything before a morning workout, but I've found Cheerios aren't too heavy and actually help fuel my workout.  Cheerios aren't just for toddlers.

Heather, mom of 4, Utah

Black Bean Taco

I love black beans, refried beans, and any "bean" that is not a vegetable.  I make my family have black bean tacos about once a week.  It's so easy, this is all there is to it.

Heat a can of black beans and a can of refried beans on the stovetop.  Warm a Mission whole wheat toritlla in the microwave.  Top tortilla with both beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and low-fat sour cream.  Walaa, a tasty, filling dinner in less than 5 minutes.  Look at all the good stuff (fuel) here.

Jennifer, mom of 5, Utah

Easy Steaks

Brown rice and steak.  A perfect pre-race dinner for those who can't handle pasta.  This one only takes about 20 minutes to cook.  Be sure and start the rice before you grill the steaks.

1/2 cup steak sauce

3 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp grated ginger

Grated peel and juice of 1 lime

4 (12 oz. each) steaks, 3/4 inch thick

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Mix steak sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, lime peel and juice.  Remove 1/2 cup of the steak sauce mixture to serve with steak.  Grill steaks 4 to 6 minutes on eahc side or until cooked through, brushing frequently with remaining steak sauce mixture.  Serve with brown rice.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is very delicious and a great source of protein.  I now have a pre-race routine:  dinner of pork tenderloin, a large baked potato, and green beans.  Not to mention the potato is loaded with carbs.  And this doesn't leave a heavy feeling in my stomach the next morning before the race.

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup pineapple juice

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl whisk together the honey and lemon juice.  Brush the prok with half the marinade.  Place the pork in the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes or tuntil 160 degrees in the thickest part of the meat.  Baste with the remaining marinade several times during roasting.  Remove from oven, cover and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, half the pineapple juice, and the apple rounds.  cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened, about 15 minutes.  Remove the apples and set aside.  Add the remaining pineapple juice to the pan the reduce heat to low.  Simmer until slightly thickened, abuot 5 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the apples, drizzling the sauce over both.

Christine, mom of 3, Utah

Energy Gels

So, I'm participating in my first post-baby triathlon on Saturday (my third triathlon total).  I am still such a novice, but just have fun training and experiencing race day jitters.  Three friends will also be participating, so we should have a good time.  While we are talking about mama fuel this month, I wanted to bring up energy gels.  I have yet to actually try one; just the thought of swallowing "goo" is enough to make me sick.  My husband just ran the Provo Half and used the PowerGel vanilla.  He does not like the Clif Shot Bloks but says the Clif Shot gel is ok.  Another friend told me NOT to use the Hammer Gel.  Has anyone tried the Jelly Belly Sport Beans?  I know I should have have something mid-race to keep me fueled, but am nervous about all of them since I have great gag reflexes.  I actually prefer just a cold drink of water.  But, I'll have some sore of energy gel with me on Saturday.  I'll let you know which one and how it turned out.

Tanya

Do You Like Spinach?

The Trimble ladies, scattered all over Utah County, have concocted a sweet, healthy, spinach smoothie.  Admittedly, I was skeptical at first and especially nervous after reading the ingredient list.  But, these ladies swear by this smoothie, so let's all give it a try.

1 cup orange juice

3 cups spinach

1 cup kale

1/2 banana

Handful of frozen fruit

Ice cubes, enough to make it "icy"

Squeeze of lemon juice

Pour all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth.

A Healthy Dessert

I am a self-proclaimed Food Network fanatic.  I'm always searching their website for recipes and have the TV on this channel often times just for background noise.  I'm also a self-proclaimed dessert addict.  This summer I decided to search for healthier desserts (is that an oxy-moron) because despite running/walking/jogging my tail off, I wasn't loosing the inches.  Anyway, one night a couple of months ago I was washing the dinner dishes and a beautiful picture of delectable nectarines caught my eye.  The end result is my new favorite dessert.

Grilled Summer Fruit

6 firm but ripe necatarines, apricots, or peaches (or a mixture of each), halved and pitted

3 firm but ripe black plums, halved and pitted

Nonstick spray

6 metal skewers

3 tbsp sugar

Spray the grill with nonstick spray and heat the grill to medium high.  Thread 1 piece of fruit on each of 6 skewers so that the cut sides line up and lay flat.  Sprinkle the sugar over the cut sides of the fruit.  Let stand until the sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes.  Place the fruit skewers on the grill cut side down.  Grill the fruit until it is heated through and carmelized, about 5 minutes.  Transfer 1 fruit skewer to each plate and serve.  Delicious with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Heather, mom of two, Sandy

Smart Snacking

Knowing what I should be eating has never been a problem. Acting on that knowledge was an altogether different story and a few years ago, I finally found out why. I wasn’t snacking. I was firmly rooted in the 3-meals-a-day mentality…working in a busy office can do that to you. After a good breakfast (around 6a) by 10a, my stomach would growl, by noon I was ravenous and lunch time became about one thing – fast food. The same pattern plagued me in the afternoon and by dinner the story was the same. It’s not that I didn’t understand that I should be snacking (or that McFood is wrong on so many levels), I simply didn’t know what I should be snacking on – I either under or over did it with the snacks (both options can cause havoc on your appetite and mood.)

A few years ago I worked with a trainer that got me on a 6-meals-a-day plan – the key was snacking. Here are few of my favorite mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks:

• String Cheese, 6-Whole Wheat Crackers & Fruit (I usually have an apple, orange or banana. If I’m not in the mood for the sweetness of fruit, I’ll have veggies like carrots, red bell peppers or cucumbers instead.)

• Vanilla Yogurt & Fruit

• ½ Drinkable Yogurt/Smoothie & 6-Whole Wheat Pretzels (I love the Stonyfield Farms yogurt smoothies)

• Apple with 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (I swear by this snack – something about the fruit/protein combination fills me right up for hours, I use this snack a lot in the afternoons for a sweet treat.)

• ½ Odwalla Carrot Bar (If I need to replace breakfast or lunch, I eat the whole bar.)

Admittedly there isn’t a lot of variety here – but let’s be honest, it’s the routines that we adopt that make our healthy pursuits successful. If your shopping cart includes a big package of string cheese, yogurt, nuts, fruits and veggies, and whole wheat crackers and pretzels then you can arrange these items in nutritious ways that will keep your snacking on track.

Erin

Gotta Have Salmon

Salmon...you either love it or you hate it.  Reason to love it:  the fish is high in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, or the good fats which reduce inflammation in our bodies - inflammation that can lead to heart diesase, diabetes, arthritis, to name a few.  Also has Vitamin D, B12, B6 and magnesium.  Click here to read more about this great food.  Sesame Ginger Salmon with a side of brown rice is my favorite post-race dinner because the salmon is easy on my still-recovering stomach, and the brown rice is full of other great things.  Of course, I down recovery juices and drinks all day, but this is a great meal.  **Paul, a guest papa from Washington**

4 Halibut steaks

1 tomato, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

Fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Brown rice, cooked

Line a baking sheet with a 2 foot-long sheet of parchment paper so that one end is hanging over the edge of the sheet.  Place halibut steaks on paper; top each steak with a tomato, onion, ginger, and a dash of sesame mixture.  Fold long sheet of parchment paper back over the top of the halibut, and seal edges together to create a "steam oven".  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until done.  Serve with brown rice.