Mamas In Training

My New Diet

How many people have a New Year's Diet?  Too many to count.  In fact, the resolution of a "new diet" is rather boring and even dreadful to hear.  Well, this year I must be counted in those numbers.  I have been mandated to go on a low cholesterol diet by my physician. 

Last month I went in for my yearly physical and blood work, including a cholesterol test.  Since I'm now over 30, I thought I had better start getting these tests.  I don't know if I have ever previously had a cholesterol test.  My total cholesterol level is hovering above 200, but the kicker is that my HDL, or good cholesterol, is 28 (it should be over 40).

My new diet isn't just a diet to loose weight or a fad diet, this is a diet to help me live a longer, happier, healthier life!  I guess that could be said of all diet plans.  What I need to do is incorporate foods containing omega-3 fatty acids and foods such as salmon, dark leafy greens, walnuts, just to name a few.  The good news is that these foods will also fight the LDL, or bad cholesterol.

So, if anyone has any good suggestions and/or recipes to help me with my new diet, please let me know!  I'll be going back for another test in a few months, and if the level isn't lower, guess it will be time to start meds.  Let's hope the diet alone works.

Tanya, Utah

New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping

How many times have I said my “New Year’s Resolution” was going to be working out more, eating better, losing weight? And come February, usually that resolution has smoked me instead of me smoking it. Why? I think we’re used to setting goals that are unattainable, and impractical. For those of us with families, kids, jobs, etc. it’s usually easier said than done to “hit the gym 5 times a week”, or “not drink soda for 3 months”. Come on, I’m human. By the time I get home from work, pick the kids up from the sitter and have two seconds to think about dinner, my thoughts usually veer to…..drive through or microwave? The last thing I want to think about is a mess in the kitchen when I have laundry to get to.

So, my New Year’s Resolution worth keeping this year is planning out my meals for the week. If my husband and I do a little planning, dinner isn’t a big deal by the time we get home because we already know what we’re having. And we are good at the game of divide and conquer. One can get the kids settled and throw in a load of laundry (usually me), and one can get dinner ready (usually him). But at least it’s a healthy meal, and not McDonald’s or a corndog. And I am one of the lucky ones whose kids will eat just about anything you put in front of them (I actually had to tell my daughter today that she had to eat some of her other food for lunch and not just her broccoli). So, if we plan, we can keep our meals healthy, which is almost impossible without planning. And if we plan for the majority of the week, I won’t feel like a horrible mom if I decide to hit the drive through on Thursday night as a treat for the kids so I can watch Grey’s Anatomy without doing dishes! With planning comes healthier eating, spending less on fast food, and a happier mama!

Kim

,

Arizona

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

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