Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pretzels - Creations

This recipe never gets old....Enjoy my previous Halloween post (and recipe)..



One word: YUM!
I made these on Fri for Laura's Halloween Party and then again on Sat for Shawn's party. Pics of our costumes will be posted tomorrow.

I couldn't decide what to make for Laura's party. I had a zillion ideas but pretzels came to mind while I was at swim practice at 6am Fri morning. I had heard of chocolate dipped pretzels for the winter holidays, but I decided to do my own Halloween/black and orange spin on this easy recipe.
Athletes are pretty familiar with pretzels and they seem to be a staple in the taper-diet of an Ironman athlete. Not sure if it is the salt or the carbs, but I must say that pretzels do make a yummy snack. Although pretzels do make a healthy snack compared to many chips which are high in fat or sodium, the calories in pretzels can add up as you reach in the bag and before you know it, you've been snacking for more than 10 minutes. Here's the nutrition facts for the pretzels I used in this recipe:
Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme PretzelsServing Size: 3 pretzels
Calories: 120
Total fat: 1g
Sodium: 120mg
Carbohydrate: 24g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: less than 1g
Protein: 3g
Ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, water, canola oil, salt, malt, yeast, soda.

It's been a while since I've been to a mall but isn't it hard to resistant the delicious smell of Auntie Anne's Pretzels? It doesn't matter where you are in the mall, the fresh dough and strong cinnamon flavor are overpowering. I'm sure it takes a lot of willpower to resist the temptation of that little kiosk right near the food court. You may as well plan for a meal if you consider choosing one of the Auntie Anne's pretzels for a snack.

Nutrition of Auntie Anne's Pretzels:
Cinnamon sugar pretzel: 470 calories, 12g fat, 7g saturated fat, 400mg sodium, 84g carb, 29g sugar, 8g protein
Garlic pretzel: 350 calories, 5g fat, 3g saturated fat, 990mg sodium, 65g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 10g sugar, 8g protein
Jumbo pretzel dog: 610 calories, 29g fat, 13g saturated fat, 1g trans fat, 1150mg sodium, 67g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 10g sugars, 19g protein
Original pretzel: 340 calories, 5g fat, 3g saturated fat, 1060 mg sodium, 63g carbohydrate, 9g sugar, 8g protein
Party pretzels (12 pretzels): 2140 calories, 32g fat, 18g saturated fat, .5g trans fat, 6150mg sodium, 405g carbs, 61g sugar, 49g protein

Trick or TREAT!

I am not one to repeat articles or repeat blogs. However, I wrote this blog in 2009 and I would like to re-post it for my new readers. In anticipation for this upcoming holiday (and for the holidays in Nov and Dec), I'd like for you to please keep in mind my philosophy of having a healthy relationship with food as you read this article.


I'm not a parent (only a doggy parent) so it is unlikely that there will be Halloween candy in our place on October 31st. I do not work in an office so I am pretty sure that I will not be indulging in the office candy bowl at 10am and 3pm everyday. Lastly, I am not a big fan of the selection of candy at Halloween so there will be no tootsie rolls, lollipops or butterfingers in our place.
I am not anti-Halloween Candy. I am just not ok with people going with the all-or-nothing approach when it comes to sweet treats. You eat something you normally don't eat and you feel guilty. Then you say "who cares" and you overindulge. Or, on the other hand you say "no-that food will make me fat" and you stick to a super-strict diet until the day when you just can't continue eating only low calorie, fat-free foods. Even worse, you crash diet and compulsive exercise in order to get to x-weight by x-holiday in order to eat whatever and however much you want.
I think it good to be concerned about what you put in your body and how you take care of your body but this one body needs to be taken care of 365 days a year...forever long you want to live (yes-in many ways you are in control of your future health).
Speaking of health and unhealthy foods, isn't is amazing how many organic and "healthy" items are claimed to provide health benefits but the sugar and/or fat content is no better than a candy bar?
Ex. Greenwise Market Organic Cranberry Juice 8 oz. - 140 calories, 35 g sugar.
Ex. 37 Reese's Pieces - 140 calories, 16g sugar.
Some of my favorite memories are from Halloween. I have always been a big fan of dressing up and playing make-believe and most of all, being creative with costumes. It's been many years since I have dressed up for trick-or-treating and a few years since I have attended a Halloween party but as a young child, I would count down the days until Halloween night. I love this holiday!
I never want to take away the enjoyment of Halloween from my kids and I don't think you should either. If we all had a balanced and portioned controlled eating plan for most days of the year, what is one night of candy? Additionally, all that candy can be spread out for weeks and weeks and you never have to worry about not having a sweet treat one or two times per week.
However, it seems as though times have changed since I was young. I remember rushing home from my 2 hour swim practice in order to get ready for trick-or-treating. Now, many children get off the couch from playing on their Wii or computer and huff and puff when walking up and down hills or stairs. It is no shock that many American children are overweight and even obese. According to statistics from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), the prevalence of obesity obesity has increased from 5% (1976-1980) to 12.4% (2003-2006) in children 2-5 years old. For children 6-11 years old, obesity has increased from 6.5% to 17%. For children 12-19, prevalence has increased from 5-17%. I always ask myself are children eating too much unhealthy food which encourages a sedentary lifestyle with lack of energy or are children living a sedentary lifestyle due to lack of motivation, enjoyment for in-home mindless "activities" (tv, video games, etc.) and a concurrent desire to eat unhealthy food because they are bored? Just something to think about since I am sure it is just as hard to motivate an overweight child to put down the video games and get more active as it is so encourage a child to eat healthy foods when his/her favorite dinner is pizza, chicken wings and coke.
On the topic of overweight children, rather than running or walking all over the neighborhood, children are now riding electronic scooters to cover more ground with minimal calorie burn. I saw this on the Today show this morning:
"Electric Razor Scooters, $150-$260 (or average eBay price $68)
Kids over eight can get around their neighborhood in style with these electric scooters. All you need to do is plug 'em in and let 'em rip."
I remember competing with my brother as to which one of us can get the most candy by covering as much as we could in our neighborhood. Thinking back, I would rush home from my 2 hour swim practice, my brother would barely make it home in time for trick-or-treating from his 2-3 hour gymnastics practice and we both still had the energy to run around the neighborhood with our friends. Maybe our sports trained us to be better trick-or-treaters :)
All kidding aside, I have one major point to this blog that we can all relate to;
1) If you live a healthy and balanced lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating, on most days of the week (5 at the minimum) you can enjoy a sweet treat every now and then, and not sabotage your body composition goals. 1 tootsie roll will not make you fat, so don't tell yourself you "feel fat" by eating one. However, 5 candy bars (even if they are bite sized) in one sitting (on an empty stomach because you wanted to "save" your calories) may encourage a shift in blood sugar, which may encourage an uncomfortable feeling the next morning when you attempt to wake up for a workout (but you missed because you were too stuffed from late night candy eating). However, waking up for the workout may be another topic. That overindulge of candy may cause you to change your perspective on healthy meal planning and snacking on the day after you "cheated" on your diet plan. For the next three days you may find yourself avoiding snacks, skiping breakfast, sticking to a 1000 calorie diet, exercising compulsively and not eating after 7pm. I'm sure this sounds extreme but just think of the last time when you felt you fell off your healthy eating plan. If your eating plan is reasonable, there is no reason to fall off anything. However, if your eating plan is strict, tasteless and too complicated it is likely that you will feel cheated on every day of the week. I really don't like that word "cheated" because it is such a harsh word to use when you are talking about your eating or your food choices.
Think of when a person would use the word cheated: "Hello Mr. Smith, your son was caught cheating on a test. I'm divorcing from my husband/wife because he/she is cheating. I was disqualified from a race because I cheated.
Always realize that your eating choices are lifelong eating choices. So, in addition to not using the word "cheated" when you choose to indulge on some sweet treats around the Halloween holiday (or any holiday), be sure to recognize the importance of being a good role model for your children and friends and for taking care of yourself by living a healthy and balanced life.
Enjoy a sweet treat (or two) this Halloween!
A little reference for all those trick-or-treaters and candy eaters:
(popular Halloween Candy - nutrition facts from Calorieking.com)
1. Tootsie Roll - 50 calories, 7g sugar
2. Hershey kisses - 1 oz. 153 calories, 8.7g fat, 5.8g sat. fat, 14.5g sugar
3. Nerds - 1 box (1.7oz). 188 calories, 43.9g sugar
4. Air head - 2 bars. 120 calories, 1g fat, 26g sugar
5. Candy - 1 serving (22 pieces). 140 calories, 28g sugar
6. Snickers Bar - 280 calories, 14g fat, 5g sat. fat, 30g sugar
7. Baby Ruth fun size - 100 calories, 4.5g fat, 2.5g sat. fat, 11g sugar
8. Reese peanut butter cup snack size - 90 calories, 5g fat, 2g sat. fat, 8g sugar
9. Reese's pieces - 1 serving (50 pieces). 190 calories, 9.1g fat, 7.3g sat. fat, 221.8g sugar.
10. Milky Way fun size - 75 calories, 3g fat, 2g sat.fat, 10g sugar.
11. M&M's - 1 package (1.7oz) - 240 calories, 10g fat, 6g sat. fat, 31g sugar
12. Dum Dum - 25.5 calories, 5g sugar
13. Blow Pop - 62 calories, 5.4g sugar
14. Twizzlers - 1 serving (4 pieces) - 150 calories, 1g fat, 18g sugar
15. Smarties - 25 calories, 6.2g sugar
16. Kit Kat snack - 73 calories, 3.7g fat, 2.3g sat. fat, 7.3g sugar
17. Twix fun size - 80 calories, 4g fat, 1.5g sat. fat, 8g sugar

Ideas for too much Halloween candy in the house:
1) Donate candy (ex. Ronald McDonald house or hospital) - a little candy for a person is a sweet treat. Too much candy is unhealthy. For everyone 1 piece of candy that your child wants to keep, they must donate 2-3 pieces.
2) Make a Halloween house out of candy and graham crackers (like a gingerbread house)
3) Give away candy as a present - I'm not a big fan of giving others food that you are avoiding (seems silly to me, as if you are avoiding the poison but offering it to others). However, making a gift bag for your child's teacher, piano teacher, sports instructor, mailman/woman, etc. would be a special treat. Here's what to do for a healthy twist, have your child put 3-4 candy bars/pieces in a baggie and for each baggie let your child pick out 1 piece of fruit to put with the candy (etc. banana, pear, apple, kiwi, orange, etc.) and put it in a brown bag and let him/her color the bag before giving it away.
4) Bake/cook with chocolate - if you have chocolate candy, freeze it and use it for a recipe. Get your children involved in the kitchen. Since the candy is likely loaded with sugar, find healthy and low calorie recipes (ex. http://www.fatfree.com/cgi-bin/recipes.cgi) to incorporate the candy into the recipe (ex. chocolate pieces in my muffin recipe or fruit salad w/ chocolate covered raisins or yogurt w/ Reese's pieces on top). Or, find ways to incorporate pieces of candy with healthy food (fruit, yogurt and a few pieces of candy corn)
5) Teach your children about ingredients in candy - children are our future and if you are concerned about your own health it is likely that you are concerned about your child's health. Look up the ingredients in a Milky Way Bar (google would be the easist) and teach your children about the importance of making healthy food choices. What is saturated fat? Why are there so many ingredients in an Air Head bar? Ex. Choose raisins over chocolate covered raisins. Dark chocolate over a snickers bar. Dum-Dum lollipop over a jawbreaker.

"wrap"ing up with exercise - Creations

I just L-O-V-E the off-season. I have so much fun exercising and mixing in lots of different activities into my routine.
Last week, Karel asked if I would run with him twice during the week. WHAT???!??! a run with my cycling hubby? How could I pass that up?
Without sounding too bitter...Karel's first run in 365 days blew me away. Not sure if I was more surprised that I could average 7:30 min/miles for the 3.12 mile run at 5pm on a sunday evening or that Karel could pace me for a sub 7 min mile for the last mile. Yes-Karel is athletically gifted and we can all be jealous of him...errrrr
A few days later we went for another run and average 8 min/miles. We were just chatting away around 7pm on a Tuesday evening. Such fun running with Karel but this week was a no-evening run week. Karel is gearing up for his last race of the season this weekend - the Florida Road Race State Championships. Karel's season ended about a month ago so this race will be for fun. I sure have missed the cycling races but I know there will be plenty more next season.

So while Karel is enjoying his off-season in the weight room, Mountain biking and fixed-gear riding (and occasionally running) I am enjoying my off-season riding with Karel on the weekends (we typically do around 3 - 3 1/2 hours sat and/or sun). Because we both train for different sports, we both really look forward to the off-season to spend some time together doing what we love....keeping our bodies moving and enjoying the outdoors.

Also on my off-season exercise plan (it isn't really a plan, it's more like a non-structured variation from my typical "training" schedule) is at least 2 days of strength training (I won't let myself do less since strength training is a priority for me during my off-season to work on my weaknesses and build on my strengths), stretching every day and rolling on the tennis ball and core exercise (almost every week day). I've fallen in love with the elliptical as well as water jogging. I like to run at least once a week and for 2-3 times a week, I love water jogging and using the elliptical. I love it all and don't miss the repetition of swim-bike-run which I stick with for almost 3/4ths of the year. Also on my off-season routine (which will carry through all winter) is LOTS of swimming. I try to swim 3 days a week (or 3 days a week every other week so that I still give myself an off day on Mon at least twice a month) which includes at least 30 min of continuous swimming for 1 workout, a speed workout of around 4000 yrds and a distance swim of around 5000 yrds (which I will continue to build on throughout the winter, until I get to around 7000-7500 yrds).

Although I love just exercising and keeping my body moving, I know that exercise in the off-season will ultimately translate to a healthy mind and body in the base and build part of my season. I really do love my body and I believe this is the time to take care of it and just have fun being an active individual. I have plenty of time next year to call myself a triathlete.

Tuna Burger and stir-fry salad w/ pears - Creations

Although most of my meals are vegetarian for both Karel and myself, I like to be a little creative with my non-vegetarian meals. Because Karel isn't a vegetarian, it's really important that I give him some type of fish-meal at least twice a week. Tuna is really simple for me since I don't have to do much cooking with a can of tuna packed in water.

Karel just loves it when I make him tuna salad. Although I didn't do it in this recipe, I often make a tofu/egg salad for myself and then add the tuna for Karel. I never feel as if I go out of my way to make vegetarian meals because the foundation of both Karel and my diet is plant-based. Therefore, by focusing on the wholesome ingredients first and foremost, I find it rather easy to add in other macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein) to balance out the meal depending on our workout intensity and duration for the day.

This recipe can be made hot or cold. I like to have a variety of flavors, textures and temperatures when I plan and prepare a dinner meal. I find that many athletes struggle with late night snacking due to late night cravings. Although I believe that late night snacking can be solved by eating more balanced meals/snacks throughout the day, as well as not going long hours between meals (2-3 hours), eating a small protein or fiber snack about 15-30 min prior to meals and eating a filling and balanced breakfast......I have noticed that with myself, I rarely crave food after dinner because of my variety of foods in my dinner meal. If you suffer from after-dinner snacking (there is nothing wrong with having a small snack after dinner however, it is important to get in tune with your body and to recognize the difference between real hunger and really bored) I recommend trying the tips I mentioned above and then trying to have a piece of fruit or glass of milk (in addition to a big glass of water) around 30-40 min after dinner. Because many people suffer from habitual snacking after dinner, it may be hard to go cold-turkey on your evening snack. Therefore, a piece of fruit is really helpful to start. If you do need a snack for the calories because you struggled properly fueling during the day and at dinner (ex. evening workout, big workout that morning, etc.) I recommend having a snack of protein and carbs such as fruit w/ cottage cheese, milk or yogurt w/ fruit or string cheese and fruit. If you find that fruit snack helps with your evening cravings, try to incorporate some of your favorite evening snacks into your dinner. Have you ever tried topping a salad with granola and having a glass of milk with dinner? Have you ever tried crumbling chips or crackers on your veggie stir-fry or on couscous?

Happy Anniversary!!

Life is worth sharing....and living to the fullest!




























No Marriage is Perfect. Certainly, we have our ups and downs just like everyone else. But at the end of the day, I couldn't imagine spending forever with anyone else. I have truly married my best friend.
This morning Karel texted me as he was leaving the Y (strength training) and about to head to the beach to MTB. His text just made me smile...
"Congratulations, you just reached the 2 year marker in this mega ironman. There will be ups and downs but I know you will make it. I love you!"

Karel always know how to say the right thing...at the right time. As the most caring, thoughtful, smart and athletic person I know, my life has been filled with so many enjoyable experiences and I am so grateful that I have him in my life. He has challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and has supported me in all of my crazy adventures. He lets me be me and helps me work on my weaknesses as an individual. I just love him for that. I know we have an exciting life ahead of us and I look forward to every new day.

Happy 2 year anniversary Karel! Can't wait to spend forever with you!

Keeping it simple - Sweet potato and Tofu - Creations

Sometimes I like to keep my meals quick and simple. I like to rotate my vegetarian protein every few days so I typically do a few tofu meals, followed by a few quinoa or bean-based meals and then a few egg meals. Sometimes I will add cottage cheese to my salads or sometimes I will add vegetarian crumbles/meat to my stir-fry dishes. However, I never feel deprived, hungry or full when filling up my plate with delicious and wholesome foods with little to no ingredients. However, if I am feeling the need for a crunch, I like to top my salads w/ some type of cracker or chip. In my eyes there are no bad foods so long as you prioritize a plant-based diet. I think it is important that we all recognize that it is ok to have "food weakness's" and that we all have at least 1 trigger food. For me it is cereal so I don't buy cereals that I would have a tendency to indulge in. For Karel, it is ice cream....well, anything sweet (although I am not quite sure where it goes when he eats sugary treats??).
It is important that we recognize these trigger foods and allow ourselves to be "OK" with eating them. Nothing is going to happen to you if you eat an occasional bowl of cereal at 10pm at night or if you once in a while eat chips with your sandwich at lunch. However, by creating a habit of eating cereal at 10pm every night or justifying your meal or snack indulges by your exercise routine or emotions/stress levels, it is likely that you are going to see this habit as a bad thing...likely causing you to feel guilty when you try to let the habit become an occasional indulgence. This will likely be a hard cycle to break but overtime, increasing your intake of wholesome foods and finding a way to incorporate your favorite foods into your diet (on occasion) or in a meal is an excellent start. If you are struggling to change dietary habits, try finding a replacement rather than just eliminating your favorite foods. If you are a lover of cereal, start choosing a plain "cheerios" or a puff cereal. You know the cereal is there if you crave it but it is likely that you won't overindulge when eating out of boredom. If you love chips, try choosing a baked chip or whole wheat cracker. And when trying to incorporate your favorites into a meal..think about balance. Have a bowl of fruit with cereal on top. Have a big salad w/ a side of pizza. Have a veggie stir fry with a protein choice and a few chips/crackers on the side. Have a bowl of veggies and tofu topped with pasta.
Remember - we aim for progress, not perfection.

Although sweet potatoes are super heart-healthy and a perfect way to end the day after a tough morning workout, there are plenty of ways to indulge in your meal without feeling guilty about what you are eating.

The other day I was stumped what to make for dinner so Karel suggested that I make a sweet potato. As you all know, me and Outback Sweet Potatoes are a perfect pair on the day before a race. Every time I eat a sweet potato I just feel good inside. It is comfort to me on the day before a race and it is comfort to me without a race.

Nutrition facts for a sweet potato:
(from foodreference.com)
weet Potato Nutrition Facts
(for one medium size sweet potato)
Calories 130
Fat 0.39 g
Protein 2.15 g
Net Carbs 31.56 g
Dietary Fiber 3.9 g (about as much in a bowl of oatmeal!)
Calcium 28.6 mg
Sodium 16.9 mg
Potassium 265.2 mg
Folate 18.2 mcg
Vitamin C 29.51 mg (almost 1/3 the recommended amount)
Vitamin A 26081.9 IU (around 2x the recommended amount)

Source: US Department of Agriculture

There are so many ways to sweeten up a wholesome sweet potato. If you want a little butter and cinnamon, go ahead and enjoy it! In the scheme of things, a tbsp of butter, on top of a super-food like a sweet potato, is certainly nothing to worry about. I would rather you choose butter over spray butter and enjoy every bite of it!

More so-dress up your sweet potato! How about nuts, granola, raisins, cinnamon and/or yogurt?

Wanna make tofu a little more appetizing? After you cook the tofu in olive oil and add optional paprika (for browning) crumble a little feta cheese in the tofu after you finished cooking. It tastes just like pasta noodles!

Plant-based diet

As a vegetarian, it would seem logical that I would choose a plant-based diet. However, as a vegetarian athlete, it is important that I have a variety of foods in my diet to fuel my workouts and my lifestyle. More importantly, as a wife, doggy and cat mommy, daughter and sister, it is important that I give my body the best source of foods possible in order to live a long, active and healthy life. For me personally, I don't buy organic but maybe I will in the future. I stick to a budget with my groceries and I like to shop around. We are all different and we all have different nutrient needs. More so, we all live in different areas of the US/World and we all have different habits based on our culture and upbringing.
Having said that, I have spent the last few years working with athletes and fitness enthusiast on the daily diet, training nutrition and racing nutrition. Alongside working with athletes, I have also spent many years trying to understand my own dietary needs in order to feel the best possible on a day-to-day basis. I believe that we should all eat the same diet throughout the year, regardless if it is during the training season or the off-season. It is very important to me that I understand how to eat to maintain my weight with "regular" exercise and that I also understand how to eat in an effort to fuel my IM training. Although we should all eat similar foods (male, female, fitness enthusiast, triathlete, runner, cyclist) we are all going to have different nutrient needs. Therefore, while our macronutrient distributions may differ (carbs, protein, fat) and we may prioritize nutrient timing, there is absolutely no reason why we all shouldn't emphasize fruits and veggies, as well as wholesome foods with little to no ingredients.

One of the best ways to increase satiety (the feeling of fullness) is to consume foods that promote fullness. However, it is first important that we recognize why we are eating and to identify the cues of hunger versus boredom or cravings. With myself included, I have worked with so many athletes on reducing their intake of processed foods (including "diet" and "sports" foods/drinks) and have noticed so many amazing results. I believe that there is a strong correlation with the increase in obesity as it relates to the increase of processed food. Considering that as a processed food becomes "healthier" (this is not my idea of healthy but according to the consumer, a well-marketed food with a fancy label may seem healthy), the calories may go down but the ingredients go up. My favorite example is the Special K protein bar which contains over 60 ingredients. Just thinking about your daily diet, wouldn't you rather eat 60 different types of foods than 60 ingredients in 1 bar?

As you work on developing a healthy relationship with food, I hope that we can all realize that a plant-based diet does not mean you have an eating disorder or that you are on a diet. Alongside a plant-based diet, it is important that you balance your fruits and veggies with fiber-rich grains, healthy fats and quality protein (low fat dairy, lean meats and vegetarian protein). Understanding that you don't "fail" if you eat a granola bar or that cookies, ice cream and cereal are "off limit" because they contain ingredients, it will be only a matter of weeks (or days) before there is a shift in blood, brain and body chemistry and you see food differently. Cravings go down (or away) and your food preferences shift to foods that are natural and fresh. Although I can't explain the exact science behind it, I strongly believe that the brain craves processed food and that the body doesn't recognize fullness or satisfaction from foods containing a hefty amount of ingredients.

Theme Meal - At least I didn't serve Tofu

I really needed a good night of sleep to reflect on the past few weeks. This was probably one of the most exhausting non-triathlon related things that I have ever done..both mentally and physically.
A theme meal was the big project for my food service rotation. I have a bunch of other assignments and projects for this rotation but planning, preparing and serving a meal was the spotlight of this rotation. I spent the first 5 weeks of this rotation learning how the food service system works in the nursing home and familiarizing myself with equipment as well as ordering and preparing food in the most cost effective and safe manner. I still have 5 weeks to go to soak up as much information as I can but at half way, I feel really good as a dietetic intern, trying to learn how to be a dietary manager. I am certain that a dietary manager is not in my future as a career choice, but I am trying to make the most of it because I know that every part of this internship is valuable now and in the future. Becoming a registered dietitian is no joke and I can't wait to put all of my experiences and knowledge to good use in about 7 months!!

The concept of my "farm to table" theme came to me while I was in my community nutrition rotation. My preceptor at the time (who is now my mentor and friend) shared a similar passion with me which included fresh and wholesome foods. Rather than using the word "healthy" (which is often overused in our society) when talking about nutritious recipes or foods, we tried to replace the word with something more descriptive and specific. We would often say "powerful" nutrition because we both felt as if wholesome food...straight from the earth...is the most powerful food source that you can put into your body. Of course, there are lots of other products on the market that I eat on a daily/weekly basis that contain ingredients, but overall, I feel as if fruits and veggies are the most effective food sources to living a long and healthy life.

Of course, having a healthy relationship with food is the first start of having a healthy diet. Once I learned to stop seeing food as good or bad, I began to see food in a new light. Rather, I looked at foods as fuel to keep me going on a daily basis. I saw food as fuel for my workouts and for my every day activities. Fuel that wouldn't run out in an effort to keep me healthy, strong and happy for the rest of my life. I have never once saw my diet as temporary and I couldn't imagine eating any other way...for the rest of my life. There are no off-limit foods and because of that, I never feel deprived with a plant-based diet. There's always a time for everything..just not all at one time.

Creating a menu that would please the employees at the nursing home was no easy task. Prefacing that everyone at the nursing home is super nice and thoughtful (that includes the administrative staff, the residents, the kitchen staff and the nurses), I have observed many dietary choices that aren't the most heart-healthy options to encouraging a long and healthy life. Sadly, I don't have much of a say as a dietetic intern, especially when it comes to changing the menu for the residents or encouraging the staff to bring their lunch or choose non-fried options. I would certainly not be nice to someone because of how they eat but in my heart, I always want to inspire and motivate others to adopt more heart-healthy habits. As we all know, living a healthy life doesn't not happen over night. I can easily think back to my chicken finger + ranch dressing non-vegetarian days as a young kid, followed by my teenage vegetarian years which included a diet filled with shortbread girl scout cookies, air head candy, cheeze-its, Dr. Pepper, bagel bites, Ranch Doritos, midnight waffle house outings with friends and weekend McDonalds Cinnamon rolls. Oh, I can't forget Thursday school pizza, dipped in ranch dressing.

Having been a lacto-ovo vegetarian since the age of around 11 or 12 (because of animal reasons), my meat-free life has not always been a priority on my list of daily to-do's. Going strong as a vegetarian for the past 16 or 17 years, I am 100% that I will not eat meat or fish for the rest of my life. Now, more than ever, I feel young, healthy and clean and I believe that my diet supports my love for living life to the fullest. However, that is me and I believe in my heart that my role in life is to not persuade others to change dietary habits. Knowing that education is not the key in changing life-long unhealthy habits, I believe that the best thing I can do for others is to motivate and inspire.

My goal for my theme meal was not to educate. Certainly, we all know what to do to lose weight and increase activity but for whatever reason, it is easier said than done. While I was in the dietary office on Thurs, giving myself a well-needed yogurt and fruit break, I heard a nurse talking to another nurse about wanting/needing to lose 20 lbs. Hoping that the nurse would be excited about my meal, she passed on the salad and turkey burger and choose chips, salsa and cookies for her lunch. It was not my role to tell her what she should be eating but I felt as if at least I provide the option for her. I hope that when she is ready, she will have a few recipes in mind for a new start to living the rest of her life.

A day before the employee banquet and my theme meal, I heard that many people were hesitant about my meal. The administrator (who is really nice and allowed me to prepare the meal for their banquet) was also nervous about my meal because she was worried that the employees would not like it. She told the dietary manager that she needed to have another option for the employees so she suggested fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans. I was nearly in tears (although trying to stay strong as I anticipated many set backs in my "healthy" menu) when I heard that there was going to be another food choice at the banquet. All my hard work, time and effort to give the employees just one meal, on one day, that perhaps would open their eyes to a new way of eating and all of that would be thrown down the drain because of "another option". The day before the banquet, I told the administrator that I wouldn't carry on with my menu (even though I had already spent about 5 hours of planning and about 6 hours of prep work) because if you provide others with a non-healthy alternative, it is likely that the healthy option would be overlooked. Even if we all love living a healthy life, we all know that if pizza and salad is served over salad, pizza would be the first thing on our minds (and oh boy..do I love pizza!).
After expressing my thoughts about this meal and my passion for healthy living, the administrator told me that I could keep my menu and that the employees could tough it out for one day. I was thrilled but still extremely nervous and overwhelmed.

To sum up the event, I have never been so exhausted. Of course, with the stress of not knowing if the staff would even eat my meal, I have never worked so hard to prepare a meal for 60 people.
I made homemade mango salsa (spicy w/ jalapeno and non-spicy w/o jalapeno) which went along with original Sun Chips.
I made chocolate chip cookies, as well as raisin cookies from scratch.
I made a strawberry, mandarin and walnut salad and I cut up the fixings for the burgers.
Although the turkey burgers required minimal work (baked in the convention oven and then placed in a little chicken stock to maintain moistness..I wanted to grill them but because of lack of time, this was the only option), the turkey burgers and whole wheat buns were certainly something different for the employees at the nursing home.
It took a lot of hours to prepare this meal and I am really happy with how it turned out. I will admit that I have never been so nervous in my life. However, I didn't want to compromise my beliefs and I would not have felt right putting my heart and soul into this meal and not feeling good about what I was serving to others. Aside from meat and fish, I will never prepare a recipe that I won't eat myself. If the food is good enough to provide to others, there is no reason why I can't eat it myself.

Overall, I would say that most of the employees enjoyed the meal. Not sure if they will continue eating like they did at the banquet but I did receive a lot of comments that I did a great job preparing the meal and that the food was delicious and excellent. I was on the serving line for the meal and I couldn't believe how many people loved my salsa. I was quite surprised that the salad ran out by the end of the banquet.

Of course, I wasn't surprised by the comments I heard. I didn't take them to heart and I kept my mouth shut, but I just wanted others to try something new for only one day (or one meal). Again, my goal wasn't to educate but rather to inspire. If I could open up one mind, I guess I would feel like I accomplished something.

Here are some comments I heard...
"What's all this...healthy stuff?"
"Oh, I don't do healthy food"
"What kind of burger is that? That's the only meat you have? Are you serious that is the only meat you are serving?"
"I don't want a salad"
"Oh.. today we are eating healthy"
"Oh alright, I'll try it" (of course, several plates still had salad and burgers on them when the banquet was over..but at least they tried them)

On the bright side, I did have several people who came up to me wanting recipes and thanking me for preparing a healthy meal. I felt like everyone appreciated my effort in preparing this meal but I think only a handful really left the meal feeling like they did something great for their body.

Well, I guess I will leave you with pics of my Farm To Table Theme Meal. I will post recipes tomorrow...Without a doubt, I'm sure you all will LOVE them!
Thanks for your support.

6 quarts Mango Salsa





96 Homemade Cookies





60 Turkey Burgers



Salad and burger fixings




Condiments and Cookies
(it took a long time to put the cookies in bags, as well as the mustard, ketchup and mayo in little containers as well as the salad dressings)


The Final Product

Almost ready

Well, tomorrow is my big theme day meal. I will be serving food to 60 employees for the monthly employee banquet at the Lakeside Nursing Home. I could not be more nervous about serving my "Farm to Table" selections to individuals who don't quite appreciate the benefits of healthy eating. Everyone at the facility is super nice but the rumor around the halls is that many of the employees are not too excited about trying my meal.
This leaves me a little sad about tomorrow but I'm hoping for the best. I really compromised with my menu and I believe that the employees are really going to enjoy some, if not all, of my items.
For the menu:
Turkey Burger on Whole Wheat Bun
Sun Chips
Homemade Mango Salsa
Walnut, Mandarin and Strawberry Salad
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I spent several hours in the kitchen preparing my homemade salsa and cookies. The cookies came out fantastic! So moist and yummy. I will be posting the recipes to my items (with pics) after tomorrow. While I was spooning the cookies onto the baking sheet, an employee asked me if I made the cookies from scratch. I said yes and she was impressed. In my mind, I thought to myself "how else would I make cookies?". I guess I am just so use to making my meals from wholesome foods that I didn't even consider using a cookie dough mix.
The salsa is super spicy which I am a bit nervous about. I tried to de-spice the jalepeno peppers with a little vinegar and sugar but I will likely pick out some of the peppers so that it isn't too hot. I LOVED my hot mango salsa but just to be on the safe side, I decided (last minute) to make a non-jalepeno mango salsa. I decided on sun chips because they don't have a lot of ingredients and I want the employees to enjoy the salsa with something crunchy and familiar.
I'm most worried about the salad because I don't know how it will go over with the staff. I decided to take the word "turkey" off my menu because I am also worried that "turkey burgers" may deter people from even trying it.

I was a little creative with my theme meal and I made several cut-outs of fruits from construction papers and put tips on healthy eating all over them.

My goal tomorrow is to give the employees something delicious....perhaps, maybe even open some eyes to how wonderful "healthy" eating can be. Although I am sad that many people are not too excited about me preparing the foods for the October Employee Banquet, I look forward to the opportunity to share my passion for healthy eating and to show people that you can take any favorite food and make it heart-healthy. I am very passionate about the way I eat which reflects the way that I live. I try to live life to the fullest and I know I couldn't do so without putting wholesome and healthy food in my body.

Alfalfa Sprouts, Tofu Salad - Creations

Based on the name, I don't think my salad could be any more "vegetarian". I don't know why alfalfa sprouts and tofu get a bad reputation...as if only vegetarians can enjoy two amazing foods which contain great nutrients?!?!?
Did you know that 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts contains 3g protein?
Or that 1 cup contains 25% of your daily intake of vitamin C?
I just love fruits and veggies.....there is so much goodness found in food straight from the earth. For me, personally, I know that my body loves food that contains little to no ingredients. Because of my plant-based diet (which is balanced with whole grains, healthy carbs, healthy fats, and quality protein), I experience very little sweet cravings and feel really in-tune with my appetite and every day nutrient needs. Even when I do enjoy something that is not in my typical diet, it is really easy to quickly feel satisfied. I can't say that my current daily diet happened overnight, but with meals like tonight....I can't help but love the food that I put inside my body. And Karel enjoyed the salad as well!
Enjoy!

Amelia Island Half Ironman - Spectating

A BIG congrats goes out to ALL of the olympic distance and half ironman athletes on Sunday. What a fantastic event with such a beautiful day. I recommend this event to any newbie triathlete or a triathlete seeking a beautiful course...and a run course that has a lot of shade!

To all of the locals, it was great seeing so many smiling faces and such great performances.
Congrats to Katrine for placing 3rd place overall female and to her hubby, who placed 7th overall male. What a team! You both really raced hard and left it all out on the course!
Congrats to Doris for racing strong despite a tummy ache the night before.
Congrats to Rachel and Tyler for racing in their first ever Olympic Distance triathlon!
Congrats to our good friend David in the Olympic distance...thanks for managing one of the best resorts in Florida...Ponte Vedra Lodge!
Congrats to Hilary H. for having a PR in the Olympic distance, along with a 10K PR!
Congrats to Susan Haag for being an unbelievable endurance athlete...also, I'm glad you think my husband has a cute accent. :)
Congrats to Campy's 2nd mommy (Laura) for beating Lupus and showing people than anything is possible. Laura-you are an inspiration to many and I love being able to count on you to give Campy a great home when we are away for a day or for a week. I'm so glad Campy has his best bud (Beethoven), you and Patrick to give him love while we are away at a cycling event or triathlon/Ironman.
Although my hubby needs no congrats, I am so happy that I can spend much of a weekend day, at a triathlon, with my hubby and enjoy every moment of it and never feel bored or hear a complaint. It was actually his idea to spend the weekend in Amelia and I am so happy that he talked me into it and allowed me to relax my mind for a few days.

Enjoy the pics!
































What a weekend....