Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

  The Importance of Breakfast Where are my breakfast lovers at?  🙋‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏼 As the name suggests, breakfast (or the first meal after you wake in the morning) breaks the fasting period that occurred throughout the night.  Despite the many benefits of starting your day with a nutritious meal, I've heard many convincing reasons for skipping breakfast:  Not feeling hungry Not having time Wanting more sleep  Can't tolerate food first thing in the morning Desire to lose weight The rest of the family skips breakfast  Having nothing to prepare Poor appetite  Having nothing to eat  Having no one to prepare breakfast There's been a considerable amount of research to try to answer the question "Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?" and while the results are mixed, there are many noticeable benefits for starting your day with a meal.  Eating regular meals and snacks - starting with breakfast - allows for more opportunities throughout th...

When an athlete consults with me on  daily/sport nutrition , it's becoming more of a regular occurrence to receive a "thank you" (along with a huge sigh of relief) when I tell an athlete that they are allowed to eat carbohydrates. Recently, I had an athlete tell me how happy she was that I told her that she could eat oatmeal for breakfast. She told me that she really missed having a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning before work (and after a workout) because she recently cut it out of her diet because she heard that oatmeal was unhealthy. Can you believe that......oatmeal is now considered unhealthy? Another case of nutrition quakery! Oats - from steel-cut to quick and rolled - are a form of complex carbohydrates. Which means they are far superior to their store-shelf counterparts...lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch.  Oats are rich in B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, iron, calcium and protein. Oats are low in salt, sugar and fat. Rich in b...

With all the focus on my 2nd book "The 365-day Running Journal" I feel I am overdue on posting a recipe from my first book " Essential Sports Nutrition. " Enjoy!  Cinnamon Quinoa Bowl Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Yield: 1 serving / Prep Time: ~5 minutes / Cook Time: ~10 minutes Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is often called an “ancient grain” when in actuality, it’s a seed. Rich in iron, manganese, magnesium, B-vitamins and fiber, quinoa is also complete protein which means it contains all essential amino acids. This delicious cinnamon quinoa bowl is sure to give you a feel-good boost before your upcoming competition or workout. And because cinnamon may help reduce inflammation and ease muscle soreness, I suggest to make an extra serving or two to enjoy as a post-workout snack. Ingredients 2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans 1½ teaspoons butter ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top Pinch salt 1 cup cooked quinoa 1½ tablespoon...

When writing my book Essential Sports Nutrition , it was important that I included a variety of recipes that everyone could enjoy - regardless of dietary preferences/restrictions. I couldn't think of a more athlete-friendly recipe than one that included oats and blueberries. I prefer this baked oatmeal served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or chilled (I’ll leave that up to you!). This oatmeal keeps well in the refrigerator so it's great to make in advance - make sure you plan for leftovers. It's perfect for a pre-workout snack or as part of your breakfast meal. Blueberry Baked Oatmeal  Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 Total Time: 60 minutes Yield: 15 servings INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup chopped pecans 2 cups old-fashioned oats 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 3/4 cups almond milk ⅓ cup maple syrup 2 large flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed + 6 tbsp water) 3 tablespoons coconut oil (measured dry, then melted) 2 teas...

Athletes love pancakes! Therefore, I knew that I needed a pancake recipe in my book  Essential Sports Nutrition . However, I didn't want just a simple pancake recipe. When I make pancakes, I typically keep it super simple (basic ingredients) or I use a box of Kodiak cakes  (which also works great for traveling) but I wanted something a bit more nutritionally complete to help meet the needs of an active individual. Joey mentioned to me about her sweet potato pancake recipe that included cottage cheese. At first I was skeptical.....I love cottage cheese but in pancakes??? But these pancakes came out amazingly well! Satisfying, protein-packed and a perfect option for an on-the-go snack or for breakfast. Enjoy! Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes Yield 10 (4 1/2 inch pancakes) Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Ingredients 2 sweet potatoes 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats 1 cup 2% cottage cheese (my favorite brand is Daisy Brand ) 2 large eggs 4 large egg whites 1 tsp b...

What's not to love about apple cinnamon oatmeal? The smell alone can make your tummy smile. Resorting to a package of apple cinnamon oatmeal may be more nutritious choice than an apple danish, but your best choice is making your own batch of apple cinnamon oatmeal from scratch (it's a lot easier than you think). Let's look inside the ingredient list of a store-bought package of apple cinnamon oatmeal: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, DEHYDRATED APPLES (TREATED WITH SODIUM SULFITE TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CINNAMON, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CITRIC ACID, GUAR GUM, MALIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*, CARAMEL COLOR.  One nutritional downfall with flavored instant oatmeal is the added sugar. But you'll also find added preservatives, coloring, artificial flavors and stabilizers - all of which shouldn't be in oatmeal. Although...

Let's talk about waffles. YUM. This perfectly portioned restaurant breakfast staple provides just enough nooks and crannies for your favorite sweet or savory toppings and goes great with any protein of your liking. What's not to love about waffles? Although convenient to purchase in the frozen section of your favorite grocery store, there's an art to making good waffles. (When I cook, I learn so much about food and it makes me appreciate what I put into my body.) Did you know that good waffles are not made from pancake batter!?!? Waffles are not just thick pancakes. Pancakes are floppy, soft and spongy whereas waffles are crisp on the outside and light on the inside. Waffles contain a bit more sugar and fat compared to pancakes to ensure the perfect consistency on the outside and inside. Knowing this fact makes me appreciate really good waffles! Now that I have my own waffle maker , I am enjoying the art of making really good waffles. I recently...

Over the past few weeks, Karel and I have been enjoying the occasional longish swim to start our Saturday morning. There's something about a long swim that revs up the appetite (not complaining). I remember back to my high school and college swimming days when that Saturday morning swim was complete it meant two things: 1) I could officially start my weekend. 2) Eat. All. The. Food! During our swim this past Saturday, the image of cinnamon rolls kept popping into my head. If you know me well, you know that I love cinnamon rolls because well, I love cinnamon and bread. Rather than heading to a bakery to buy a cinnamon roll, I decided to take my first attempt at making homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch. I found a recipe that was super easy to follow so after my recovery drink, I started baking (well, first I had to make a quick stop to the grocery when I realized we were out of flour!). Enjoy this tasty recipe! Super simple homemade cinnamon rolls        ...

If you are a breakfast lover, you probably scratch your head when you hear that some people just don't care for breakfast. For me and Karel, we couldn't imagine functioning, let alone surviving, the day without a morning meal after our early morning workout. Although there is great research explaining the benefits of  the morning meal, breakfast can be difficult for many reasons. While lack of time or appetite rank among the top two reasons why it can be a struggle to eat first thing in the morning, I find that many individuals suffer from breakfast burnout. Every morning it's the same thing for breakfast; eggs and toast, oatmeal, nuts and fruit or a smoothie. While your breakfast option may be working for you, overtime you feel less inspired and motivated by breakfast and you begin to not look forward to your morning meal. But despite needing a change, every breakfast recipe that you find on the internet appears too complicated and unappealing and thus you are back to...

I love breakfast.  There's something special about that first real meal of the day that helps to wake up my body and brain. I love starting my day with a happy and filled tummy. Plus, there's no denying that I love breakfast foods. Did someone say pancakes or french toast?? Yummo.   Although research doesn't clearly demonstrate that eating breakfast has a positive effect on weight maintenance or loss, there are still valid reasons why nutrition experts continue to highlight breakfast as the most important meal of the day.  Eating is all about personal preference but the timing of your meals may reflect your daily habits. Individuals who tend to skip breakfast are those who typically overeat in the evening or graze throughout the afternoon/evening. Additionally, if you didn't grow up eating breakfast, there's a good chance that as an adult you will not consider breakfast as an important or necessary meal.  While the debate ...

Yep, that's right. Tacos for breakfast. Or, as a recovery meal after a long workout. And maybe even for dinner too! There's no overthinking breakfast tacos. 1) Take your favorite omelet ingredients and scramble them all together in a skillet. 2) Stuff inside a taco (or two, or three). 3) Top with your favorite omelet/taco toppings - gauc, cheese, sour cream, salsa. 4) Yum ------------------ On Saturday afternoon, after a 4 hour ride, I was suddenly in the mood for something savory and crunchy. Although my post ride pancakes were super delish, tacos sounded amazingly awesome while watching the live stream of the Ironman 70.3 Ironman World Championship. I sauteed kale in a skillet and added mushrooms and onions. When my veggies were cooked, I scrambled together 2 eggs and combined with my sauteed veggies. I then took taco shells and slathered the inside with smashed avocado, sprinkled on the shredded cheese (so that it would melt on the shell when I added my hot ingredien...

I found this slide on the internet and I find it to be so true for athletes. We all want to maximize our performance and we can do so through training, rest and recovery and nutrition.  Athletes know the importance of good recovery nutrition after a workout as what we eat can help reduce muscle soreness, replenish muscle glycogen, reduce oxidative stress and support the immune system. Four to six weeks out from a key event and we certainly do not want to go into a workout with lingering fatigue and a tired, dehydrated and glycogen depleted body from poor recovery from a preceding workout.  Nutrient timing is an important topic as it is a strategy to help athletes consume a combination of macronutrients (typically protein and carbs) to help rebuild muscle tissue and to restock energy stores after a workout to ensure quick recovery and to keep the body in good health. Perhaps you know this time as the "window of opportunity" to optimize training-induced ada...

Karel and I had been dating for 9 months when our first Valentine's day occurred in 2007. There were cards, flowers and chocolates shared between the two of us but when it came time for dinner, neither of us wanted to deal with the hassle of eating out on this hallmark holiday.  Although my cooking skills (and food passion) had yet to blossom, I still enjoyed real food....especially breakfast options.  So, the tradition started.  Every year since our first Valentine's day together, I have prepared breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, french toast, crepes...you name it, I've prepared it over the past 9 years.  This year I made the most delicious pancakes with two extra ingredients to the standard easy pancake recipe and took a different spin on my omelet presentation by cutting a standard omelet into triangles for my a quesadilla-look.  Even if I created two easy options for our Valentine's "brinner" they were both prepared with love and fini...

Crêpes - very thin pancakes.  What a perfect post workout meal.   Depending on the filling, this is a perfect option for athletes/fitness enthusiasts who struggle with overeating/undereating post workout. Crepes are not too heavy or light so it fits the bill when it comes to a perfect carbohydrate-rich meal to go along with your recovery drink (or post-workout protein choice like yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese or lean meat). Plus, you can make these ahead of time, let them cool and the refrigerate them for easy prep after your workout.  Although crepes may not be typical in your cooking resume, they are super easy to make. Essentially, they are like thin pancakes, made with a runny/soupy batter.  Karel is all too familiar with crepes as they are very popular in Europe - much more so than traditional American pancakes.  During my long run yesterday, I had 10 running miles to create this delicious creation in my head. While running in on and...

Coconut pancakes with fruit topping 1/3 cup coconut flour 1 tbsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 4 eggs (2 whites, 2 whole) 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk (I used reduced fat organic milk but you can use almond milk) Seasonal fruit - I used raspberries and bananas Extra crunch - chopped nuts/seeds (I used  Veronica's Health Crunch Olive oil for cooking Maple syrup Serves 6-8 pancakes 1. Mix together the first 3 ingredients in medium size bowl.  2. In small bowl mix together milk and eggs.  3. Add the wet to the dry and whisk together (you need to use a whisk not a fork) until no clumps remain. If batter is too thick, add a little water or more milk. It shouldn't be runny off the whisk but should be a slow continuous drip.  4. On a medium size skillet on medium heat, lightly coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil.  5. Place ~1/4 cup batter to form a pancake, gently smooth out the pancake with the back of a spoon to make it a little thinner....