Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Next to flowers and jewelry, chocolate is a staple gift on Valentine's Day. Although much of Valentine's day is all about marketing (if you love someone/something - say it daily), chocolate has history as a love food.  According to a Smithsonian article , "passion for chocolate is well-rooted in Mesoamerican history. It was a highly-prized luxury item among Mayan and Aztec upper class elites, who were known to savor a drink that combined roasted cacao beans with cornmeal, vanilla, honey and chilies. Cacao beans were as valuable a commodity as gold, and gold, and were even used to pay taxes levied by Aztec rulers. By the early 1600s, the vogue for chocolate had swept across Europe. In London, chocolate houses began to rival coffee houses as social gathering spots. One shop opened on Gracechurch Street in 1657 advertising chocolate as “a West Indian drink (which) cures and preserves the body of many diseases." In France, Madame de Sevigne wrote about eno...

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...

Karel and I were set-up by mutual friends on a group bike ride in May 2006. I stood Karel up for a few weeks because I was really nervous to do the group ride so I kept making excuses as to why I couldn't meet him. But on my 24th birthday (5/31), I decided it was time....not only would I meet Karel for the first time but I would face my fears and do the group ride. After I said hello to Karel at the beginning of the ride, I felt a little less nervous but that good feeling didn't last long. I got dropped on the warm-up of the 3-mile loop course and I was so frustrated with my poor bike skills and a fitness level that wouldn't let me ride "fast" with everyone else. I had tears in my eyes as I was riding by myself on the other side of the road (in the opposite direction of the group) watching them go by and seeing Karel have so much fun attacking the group and pulling everyone along. I wanted so badly to be able to enjoy the ride with everyone else and I also ...

Strawberry chocolate ginger smoothie Ingredients 30g  protein powder  (grams are protein amount. Vegan, soy or whey protein are fine). 1/2 tsp chopped ginger 1 large celery stick (chopped) 5 baby carrots 1/2 cup organic soy milk (or your choice of milk) Dash of cinnamon 5 coffee beans (optional) 1 square dark chocolate (I used  Ghirardelli 86% Cacao ) 4 pineapple chunks 4 large strawberries 1/2 banana 1 tbsp chia seeds 3/4 cup water 1 cup ice cubes 1. Place ingredients in blender (except protein) and blend until ice is crushed.  2. Add protein powder and blend until you reach your consistency needs (the longer you blend, the more volume you will make for a thicker smoothie).  3. Optional - top with a little granola for a crunch in your glass. Serves 2 people (16 ounces each person) I recommend to treat this as a "meal" per person. This is a great way to recover from a workout or to just enjoy a smoothie as a balanced, wholesome meal, f...

1. My family and Karel's family 2. Karel 3. My furry family (Campy, Smudla and Madison) 4. Animals and all creatures 5. Public speaking and changing lifestyles 6. Writing 7. Laughing and smiling 8. Positive people 9. Kind people 10. Passionate, inspiring and hard working individuals 11. Helping others 12. Traveling to new places 13. Local brick-oven pizza 14. Coffee and pastries in Europe 15. Water 16. Swimming 17. Biking 18. Triathlons 19. The Ironman distance triathlon 20. Challenging myself 21. Overcoming obstacles 22. Learning 23. Dreaming big 24. Sleep 25. Trail mix 26. Berries 27. My body and all it allows me to do 28. The human body in motion 29. The athletes that I coach 30. The athletes and fitness enthusiasts that I work with on nutrition 31. Changing lifestyles one bite and workout at a time.  32. Being able to call myself a registered dietitian 33. Nature 34. Real food 35. Taking pictures of foo...