Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

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...

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...

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 cy...

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 pl...

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 ...

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 ea...