Pre Long Run Pizza Party

We train to prepare for races, and part of this is establishing a routine we feel confident in implementing before the race. I make pizza, or we go out for pizza, almost every Saturday night in prep for my long runs. Pizza is my carb of choice the night before a race! Here is my go-to recipe... but feel free to add any of your favorite toppings!

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 cups greek yogurt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Any toppings/sauces/cheeses you desire! I stick to margarita style with red sauce, mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes.

Coaching: Preheat oven to 450. Combine all ingredients, on a floured surface, separate into 2 balls of dough and flatten with your fingers, flip over to get both sides well floured. Transfer each pizza to it's on baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Press to thin out the crust (I like mine thin and crispy). Bake for 5minutes. Pull out the partially cooked pizzas and add your toppings, pop back in the over for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is browning and bubbly. Then go get some sleep before your big long run!

Carrot Cake with a Kick

Everyone needs dessert, especially athletes after a long week of training! Carrot cake has traditionally been one of my sweet tooth cravings... so I set out to make one that meets the taste and nutrition requirements of an athlete. You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

• 8oz can crushed pineapple (drained and pressed to remove excess moisture)
• 1.5 cups finely shredded carrots (about 3 whole carrots)
• ½ cup golden or normal raisins
• ¼ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup coconut
   
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup unbleached white flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup truvia brown sugar (or ¾ cup brown sugar)
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

• ¼ cup greek yogurt cream cheese (or regular)
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

Optional: Sprinkle ¼ cup crushed walnuts and a ¼ cup toasted coconut flakes over top the cake.

Coaching: Preheat oven to 350. Grate the carrots and place pineapple, carrots, raisins, walnuts, and coconut in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly until well combined. Fold in the carrot mixture. Spray a small cake pan, and pour in batter. Bake 35-45minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

For the icing, combine all ingredients and beat with whisk or electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Put in the fridge as the cake cools. Ice the cake, sprinkle with optional toppings, and keep in the fridge until eaten!

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

A simple and delicious twist on Pad Thai that brings a whole new flavor to your weekly meals. The best part about this recipe is that you just use what veggies you have, so it always tastes different and doesn’t add an extra trip to the grocery store.

4 cups cooked spaghetti squash
2 chicken breasts, or 2 boneless pork chops, or 4 chicken tenders, or extra firm tofu (drained)
Veggie assortment as much or as little as you want (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, peppers, cabbage,  onion, etc)
2 eggs
1inch Ginger root minced (or 1 tablespoon ground ginger spice)
1 clove garlic minced

Sauce
1 tablespoon Peanut butter (or alternative nut butter if necessary)
1 tablespoon Soy sauce (I use Braggs Aminos)
2 tablespoons Fish sauce
1 tablespoon Honey
1 tablespoon water to thin

Garnish with a pinch of red pepper flakes, crushed peanuts, cilantro, spring onion etc

Coaching: Cook the spaghetti squash. Slice horizontally into 3, add a few spoons of water to the bottom ofa cookie tray, and place in the oven for 30minutes at 400.  Deseed and scrape out of skins using a fork to separate once cooled enough to handle. While the squash is cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30seconds. Stir vigorously with a fork to incorporate everything into a smooth mixture. Add chicken or tofu to a medium hot large skillet or wok and cook in oil for 3minutes each side or until cooked. Remove the protein and set aside. Throw in veggie assortment to the pan and turn down the heat (you may need a little oil or water to keep it from sticking).  Sautee veggies, and then remove to the plate with the protein. Next, scramble your eggs, then set aside. Lastly, add the ginger root and garlic to the pan with a little oil for 30seconds, add the spaghetti squash tendrils and sauce and cook for 3minutes until warm and the squash is a glowing yellow. Toss all the cooked ingredients from the side into the pan and combine. Serve with any of the garnishes you desire. *Serves 2

Crushing the Competition Coffee Cake Muffins

Looks can be deceiving, while coffee cake sounds innocent, these muffins will fuel you as you wake up and conquer the day!

Dry
1 ½ Cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Wet
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup truvia (or 2/3 cup sugar or other sweetener)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup greek yogurt
½ cup chopped pecans

TOPPING
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons oats
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Coaching: Preheat oven to 375, line muffin tin with liners and spray. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller, separate bowl, then mix into the dry, being sure to combine but not over stir! Divide batter into the 12 muffin cups. Mix topping ingredients together and divide over top of the muffins. Bake 16-18min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Speedy Stuffed Squash

For a cold day, this tasty dinner is so easy and quick, that you will want to make it part of your weekly meal plan.

1 acorn, butternut, or kombocha squash cut in half and de-seeded
Brussell Sprouts (diced)
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of pumpkin seeds

Topping:
Balsamic glaze
Salt & Pepper

Coaching: Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the bottom of each half of squash. Fill with ingredients. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425 for 45minutes covered in foil, then uncover for the remaining 15-30minutes. Cool 5min before serving.

Butternut Squash "Pasta"

A fantastic cold weather meal. Every runner loves the idea pasta, but this is a lower carb alternative full of nutrition that will help you recover and be ready to get running tomorrow. Sweet and satisfying with the perfect spiciness to perk up the tastebuds… You won’t regret trying this dish!

• 1 small butternut squash (spirialized)
• 1 cup Mushrooms (sliced)
• Small Onion (diced)
• 2 cloves Garlic (diced)
• 4 Tablespoons Oil or chicken stock
• 1/2 pound Bulk Sausage (cooked)
• large handful fresh Parsley
• Red Pepper Flakes to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Parmigiano Cheese

Peel squash and scrape out seeds. Spirialize and place on a foil lined baking tray. Spray with oil and preheat oven to 450. Add cooked sausage, onion, garlic, oil or chicken stock, to skillet and cook until aromatic. Add mushrooms, parsley, and seasonings. Cover. Bake squash for 15min and then add to skillet. Toss with cheese and serve!

Pumpkin Scones

I love scones. A little sweet, but not too indulgent, it is the perfect snack with my morning coffee or post dinner tea. I haven’t found the perfect scone here in Colorado… So I set out to make the scone I was dreaming of… and this is exactly my idea of the perfect scone. Enjoy!

Dry:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon salt

Wet:

• ¼ cup truvia sweetener (or ½ cup brown sugar)
• ½ cup lightly softened butter
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Mix ins:
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup crushed walnuts or pecans
• Glaze:
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Coaching: In a large bowl, using a fork, mix all dry ingredients together, add in wet ingredients, lastly toss the mix ins and stir a few more times. Chill for 15minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough in small dollops, about the size of a golf ball, onto the cookie sheet with 2inches between each scone. Bake on middle/top rack for 12minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. While cooking, combine glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan, on low melt the butter while stirring constantly. Turn off burner, but leave the pan on the stove to stay warm until you can pour over scones once they come out of the oven. Cool glazed scones for 10minutes before tasting!

Banana Bread Breakfast Bites

I like bananas, but only for about one day when the ripeness is just perfect. No brown spots, but no greenness, and as you know, this is a very fleeting time frame. Thus, using up those overly ripened bananas is a necessity… and this is the perfect recipe! Optimal pre workout fuel with the natural sugars of the banana and dates and the slower releasing carbs from the oats. Fuel and conquer!

• 1 ripe banana
• 4 medjool dates, pitted
• ¼ cup coconut flour (or any flour)
• ½ cup oats (gluten free if desired)
• 3 tablespoons dark choc chips

Coaching: Process dates and banana on high until mixed thoroughly. Add flour and oats and process again. Sprinkle in the choc chips and pulse a few times, and add a little more oats if you need to firm up the batter. Roll into balls and pop in the fridge!

Guacamole Bison Burgers

So darn good. I might just make these again today even though I just tried this recipe out a few days ago. Perfect for summer meals with flavorful veggies, colorful sides, and packed with protein and iron.

• 1lb ground bison (or lean beef)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 diced garlic cloves
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sliced tomato
• Chopped avocado
• Sliced onion
• Olive oil
• Honey

Coaching: In a cast iron skillet or fry pan, add a little olive oil to med heat. Toss in the onions and cook for 5min. Add 1 tablespoon honey and cook while stirring for 3minutes. Take out of pan and place in a bowl. Combine all the burger ingredients in a bowl. Slice your tomato, chop the avocado, and then make 8 patties out of the meet. On four of them, place a slice of the tomato and the divide the avocado. Cover with the remaining four patties. You now have four burgers stuffed with tomato and avocado. Using the same pan as your onions, cook on the stove top on med high. Drain the pan and flip after 3-4min. Cook another 2-3min or until done to your taste.

Top the burgers with your onions and serve with your favorite condiments and sides.

Champion Corn Chowder

My husband grew up with traditional comfort foods of America. Nothing wrong with that, but now I have to find ways to make them, but make them healthy and wholesome. This corn chowder was a winner. Made with bone broth, packed with veggies, and satisfyingly filling with protein and flavor. You’re bound to conquer your next run like a champ after this meal.

2 cups bone broth (put bones from 1 rotisserie chicken in a crock pot. Cover by 2in with water, add himilayan salt and a spoonful of vinegar and cook on low for 12hrs. Save liquid, discard bones, and you have your broth full of minerals!

• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1 small potato
• 10oz frozen corn (or 3 fresh cobs)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup shredded chicken
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Coaching: Add carrots, celery, onion, and bell pepper to a medium sized pot. Cook on medium heat for 4min using a few spoons of the broth to keep it from sticking. Add potato, corn, and rest of the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 4min (until potato is soft). Mix milk and flour together and then pour into the pot. Add spices and meat, cook another 4min, stirring constantly as soup thickens. Pour half into a blender and blend for 30sec, add back to the pot and serve!