Banana Bliss

Banana bread is probably one of this most popular foods for the home baker to make. In fact, I can remember baking off multiple variations of this quick bread at a very young age. To achieve true banana bliss there are a few factors to take into consideration including texture, moisture level, appearance, and most importantly; taste. These critical bread traits are much easier to get when using typical ingredients such as wheat four, butter, and sea level. I know this because these things are what made my bread so delicious ( and good vanilla) when working in a bakery in Florida. Here in Boulder we have altitude as a training tool, but when it comes to baking it is definitely something that is working against us. It is certainly not the end of the world but really a matter of adjustment in leavening ingredients as well as baking time.

With out trying to sacrifice any of the desirable characteristics above, I have been trying for some time (and believe that I have achieved) a banana bread with a desirable nutrient profile for athletes, fitness enthusiastists, and overall health conscious individuals. There is nice distribution of macronutrients in this recipes which allows for a lower glycemic response. This is good for everyone and not just athletes because by eating low GI foods, we keep our insulin levels down and become more metabolically efficient. There is new research and sports nutrition coming out soon. Look for more on this topic in Dr. Krista Austin's new sports nutrition book this summer!

It may be somewhat difficult to find quinoa flakes and or flour, but it usually can be found at health food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Sunflower Market. The higher cost of these products are worth the nutritional punch it provides. Quinoa is an ancient grain that is also a complete protein. This means that it has all of the essential amino acids and this is very unique for a grain. By using the quinoa flour, it allows for a higher good quality protein.

I was looking for this bread to be gluten free, dairy free, not to high in sugar, and relativity high in protein. quinoa flour us awesome because it yields a Here is what I came up up with. I hope you enjoy it as mush as I do!

Banana Quinoa Bread

1.5 c. quinoa flour
1.5 c. Quinoa flakes or oatmeal
1 c. agave nectar or natural sugar
2. t. baking soda
3 t. baking powder
1.5 t. salt
3 c. very ripe mashed bananas
6 eggs, beaten


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 6-8 (depending on size) mini loaf pans. Combine all ingredients until well beaten. Fill each pan halfway full and place all pans on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Carefully take out each loaf and wrap the bread in plastic wrap tightly so that it does not dry out. If you are not at higher altitudes above 6000 ft., it may not be a problem.



Nutrition
(Facts will vary slightly depending on how full you give your pans)

Serving 1/2 Mini Loaf
Calories: 240 grams
Carbs: 42 grams
Protein: 9 grams
Fat: 4.5 grams
Fiber: 10 grams

What we think, we become ~Buddha

As a teacher I am constantly trying to draw parallels to what I am talking about in class so that I can hopefully provide relevance to what the students are doing in their other core classes. When people ask me what I teach, I tell them Family and Consumer Sciences and quickly follow with " You know, Home Ec". I believe we all try to to defend and support our roles no matter what they are in life. As a life skills and culinary teacher, I believes there are many connections to what I teach and how it will matter in real life.

This semester I have intent to introduce a unique and or bizarre food for my catering students to learn about. This idea actually dawned on me when I was shopping in Whole foods and saw "Buddha Hand" on sale in the produce section. I have no idea what it was but assumed it was a some sort or citrus fruit based on the fast that it was placed near the lemons and its thick course flesh resembled that of an orange or lemon. Contrary to lemons however, this freakish fruit had finger like projections that made it look like a deformed claw. I impulsively purchased it deciding that I would figure out later how I would use it in class.

After a decent amount of research on the Internet, I found that the Buddha Hand is used as a gift in offerings during times of prayer in some Buddhist practices. Because the fruit also known as fingered citron looks like a hand with fingers closed it is symbolic for prayer In China and Japan the fruit is used as a fragrance for rooms and clothing because of it's powerful zest. It seems because this fruit is mainly just a hunk of zest, it can really only be used where is lemon zest or other citrus zest is used in recipes. More details can be found here.

I decided to candy my Buddha hand so I made a simple syrup. There are a few other recipes out there but I guess I pretty much made my own up. The candies can be eaten alone, put in desserts, or sprinkled over your favorite salad. My class consensus when mixed but I never take to heart the palate of 14-18 year old.



Candied Buddha's Hand

2 cups chopped Buddha's Hand
2 cups water
2 cups Cane Sugar
1 Cup Cane Sugar for tossing

Dice the Buddha Hand Fruit into even sized pieces. You may choose to cube the pieces or make long strips. Depending on the size of fruit you make get anywhere to 2 cups to 3 cups. My fruit yielded 2 cups so I kept the ratio of sugar and water the same. First cover the cut fruit with water and bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 1-15 minutes. Then stain fruit. Bring 2 cups of sugar and water to a boil and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Then add the fruit and bring back to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. This may take 1 to 1.5 hours. It's important to stir the mix especially towards the end where the bottom of the pan could burn when the syrup get thick.

Once the fruit mixture is very thick and the liquid is almost completely absorbed pour it into a large bowl or dish that contains the remaining cup of sugar. Using a whisk mix the sugar and candied fruit until it is completely coated. Then pour it into a strainer to shake out the remaining sugar.

Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Gratitude

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” -Margaret Cousins

It seems as though I have been struggling to get this site to look the way I want it to for quite some time. After fussing with another template, I finally gave up and found this one. It turns out I actually really like it so far and hope it works out.

Now that we are a couple weeks into 2010, I guess it's my turn to reflect at the past year and start to set some solid goals for the next.

There is one huge goal in the distance which is a successful race day at Kona in October but I believe that the true accomplishment will be the journey getting to the start line healthy and ready to have a great experience. I have really been trying to work on a lot of things in my life both in sport as well as other areas. A common practice that I follow everyday is to try and list the people and things that I am thankful for and appreciate in my life. This is a huge help during times of frustration and doubt.

As I look forward to 2010, I can't help but be thankful for so much. It has set me up for a great new year where I hope to accomplish even more goals and positive experiences. I would like to especially thank my family, my wonderful new Colorado family, and friends that check up on me from afar. I have a good job where I can encourage teens to do their best and learn life skills. It also lends me to train enough to make my body strong to compete.

2010 here I come! More to follow....

Post Ironman Sickness and The Paleo Diet

During those 4 and 5 hour bike over the course of my Ironman training; I would think of a lot of things to write about. However, most of those great ideas have been forgotten along with the many other random thoughts that go through one's head being on the bike that long. I always plan on being "stupid" during heavy training as it's hard for me to focus on a particular task or concentrate on something that requires me to stay still for very long. I had until recently attributed these "traits" of mine from working out a lot in general. An over abundance or exercise if you will. Now, I believe it was due largely to my diet.

In July, I went home to visit my family and like every time I go, it ends up being Tour De Gorge. I allow myself to eat all the crap that I normally try only to consume in extreme moderation. After feeling glutinous and lethargic by the end of the week, I decided to try the Paleo Diet. This is a program developed by CSU Professor Loren Cordain. I have known about it for years and even tried it a couple times but I just was never in the in the right place to be consistent and make the nutrition program work for me.

The basis of the diet is simple yet extremely complicated at the same time. Here are the basics:

• No grains, dairy, legumes, and refined or processed foods. Alcohol and caffeine in moderation or not at all.
• Try to consume grass-fed meat when possible.
• Eat lots of fruits vegetables
• Eat nuts, seeds in moderation
• Eat eggs, lean meat, fish, and poultry

While a very restrictive diet, there are some exceptions for times of heavy exercise. This includes higher glycemic carbs before, during, and after exercise. Good Post exercise foods are sweet potatoes, dates, and fruit juice-whey based smoothies.

Overall, this diet has allowed me to lean down somewhat, increase my energy levels, and I believe it has aided me in better race performance. However, if you do not time your eating well before during, and after exercise it can leave you with just the opposite results causing low energy and fatigue. This is due to the low to medium carbohydrate amount in the bulk of the diet.

Now that the race is over, I have tried to become creative with the diet because there is much less demand for those "better tasting" sugary drinks, and high GI carbs like sweet potatoes, dried fruit, etc. I was able to have more cheat meals training 20 plus hours a week and never had to worry about cravings which I must say have decreased a lot having a grain free diet. So, this absence of training and need for high caloric intake (as well as more time) has led me to my new hobby or experimenting with alternative "paleo friendly" flours. The two that I am currently working with are almond flour and coconut four. My inspiration solely came from stumbling across the blog Elana's Pantry. All of her recipes use almond flour in place of the typical wheat flour. While almond four is more expensive and a bit harder to find, it has many nutritive qualities that make it advantages for even the non-wheatard. For one, the glycemic load is moderate causing a small response in the amount of insulin that is released in our bloodstream. Also, it is a good source of protein. That is all I will say about that for now. My goal is to adopt and create new recipes using almond flour that can be craved and enjoyed by all.

The second flour I have tried is coconut flour. The best source on learning about and using this high fiber, low fat flour is The Coconut Flour Cookbook. It has everything from cakes to meatloaf all using coconut flour at the wheat flour replacement.

If I still have your attention after that long bout, then what I am basically trying to say is that this entry is my segway to what this blog is about. My desire to educate and introduce healthy, nutrient foods and recipes to be enjoyed by athletes and non-athletes alike. All of which are striving for optimal health!

Those wondering about the Post Ironman sickness part of the title... Well, my consolation prize for a big race was catching the worst case of the flu (perhaps swine??) and then having it turn into bronchitis. Maybe it was a blessing in disguse because it forced me not to train. Let me tell you though; it was awful to get through!!

Ironman Wisconsin

Ironman Wisconsin 2009

If someone told me a year ago this was going to be the year I did Ironman, I would not have believed it. I had just moved to Boulder last summer and didn't have a pot to piss in. I would take 2009 to do "cheap" races and check out the ultra running scene. I told myself after deciding not to compete in Clearwater 70.3 Worlds last fall and doing the less expensive Moab Ultimate XC 50k trail run instead. My plan was going well until I developed some tendonitis during a 5 hour trail run with a friend on one of the sections of the Colorado trail in late May. As much as I was liking the long distance trail running I freaked about the possibility of getting further injured if I continued to run strictly ultras. During the short amount of time that I had this injury, I began to start swimming again. After about a week I was able to bike pain free. 3 weeks later I was running again and found myself triathlon training. While out on an easy getting back into it run, the idea of Ironman popped in my head. Knowing that almost all of these races fill up in hours if not minutes, I would have to wait over a year to compete in one. I knew it would be a long shot but I was able to have a good friend pull some strings and she got me a slot to Ironman Wisconsin for 2009! A couple days later I got the word that I was able to register and pulled the trigger. From that day on, I had been training to the best of my ability with thehelp of my wonderful coach Lauren Smith. All of this prepared me to get to the starting line of my first full Ironman race.

Airport

If anyone knows my racing history, it usually involves some pre-race issues including forgeting my timing chip, ripped wetsuits, and zippers breaking off my front zip tri-suit minutes before the race start. Just like my other big races, Ironman provided to be no exception.

It started on Thursday on my way to the airport. I was flying out of Colorado Springs in effort to save $200.00 on a plane ticket. Thinking I was totally on top of things, I got to the counter and realized I booked my ticket for Friday the 11th instead of the 10th! I started to freak but told myself to stay calm. The woman at the desk told me there would be a $150.00 flight change and I was willing to pay it because I had to be there Thursday night! On top of that, the airline was not excepting my bike coupon for a $125.00 fee waive ( perhaps I'm sounding cheap but this stuff adds up!!) So, I did pay the stinking bike fee but the woman forgot to charge for the flight change. Hopefully, US Air will reimburse me for the bike charge. I had to tell myself to focus on the race and not let anything get in my way...

Ironman Expo and Registration

I am so glad that I decided stay away from the race hotel and expo area. I love triathlon and triahtletes but sometimes they can drive me nuts! "what's your PR? ..."how many Ironman's have you done?" blah, blah, blah!!!! After waiting in line forever to get my race packet I was sooo happy to get back to the wonderful home of Barb Karlen, my friend Casey's great aunt!

Barb Karlen

As mentioned above, Barb is my friend Casey's Aunt. She was a wonderful hostess and treated me like a family member. She even had a plethora of of fresh fruits and veggies for me which was perfectly Paleo diet friendly! I know staying there aided in great sleep and minimal pre race anxiety.

Period

Sorry to gross you out guys but ladies you can truly relate to this! I will keep this simple and brief. The night before the race I got my period. I wasn't going to let it freak me out but I did have to text my coach to get some positive reassurance that I wasn't going to have a busted race because Aunt Flow wanted to do Ironman too!

The Race (finally)

One the greatest parts (and biggest fears) for first time IM triathletes is the mass start swim with over 2200 athletes. Even more so for us mid to back packer swimmers. The biggest reason I never got to the starting line at IM Lake Placid in 2005 was the fact that I believed I couldn't do the swim. I most likely could have but I freaked the night before and had a full blown panic attack. This time however, things were different. I had a healthy amount of nerves and actually felt good to be at the start treading water along side a couple thousand swimmers. In all honesty, that swim was my longest this year. I did a few Masters workouts that were a bit over an hour but I never swam a straight 2.4 miles in my life. I guess I had the mindset that when you train for a marathon you don't have to run the full 26.2 in training. Anyway, first lap was chaotic as my pack got around the first bout to turn left it was like hundreds of cattle trying to get through a small gate. Appropriately enough, swimmers started treading water as there was a complete standstill while making a mooing noise... Now I know why they call it Ironman Moo!!!
The second lap was decent and I feel that the joy and encouragement of getting that far pushed me through the second and out of the water.
Swim time: 1:15:25 This is decent for me....

The first transition was lengthy because it involved running and twisting up a parking garage and in to the changing room. Despite the time involved it was sort of a fun process.

There's not too much to say about the bike. When I was living in Florida my bike was a lot stronger but spending so much time running this year has taken away from it. My main goal was to be super conservative on he first loop. It's always so hard when people start passing you that you know you can hang with. It payed off though, the second loop felt relatively easy on this super duper rolley hill course.

Hitting T2 was nice and all I could think about was eating my chocolate Power Bar on the last ten miles of the bike. Funny how something so icky can be ultra appealing after 7 hours. As I started my run I noticed that my glutes were so tight that it felt as though someone had wrapped duct tape around my ass. I had a similar experience to this back in 2007 when I did Musselman in Geneva, NY where the bike course was also rolling hills. At this point I had to give myself a little pep talk that the gluts and hammys would stretch out the more I ran and especially when I hit some of the uphills. Sure enough, they started to loosen up but only after about 45 minutes of pain. At about mile 2 I attempted to reach down to tighten my way too tight running shoes and almost fell over because I couldn't stretch down that far!

After getting through the pain of my ass, ( literally) and accepting the fact that I was going to have lost a toe nail and wicked blisters; my stride picked up. I dealt with the discomfort that I feel I am fairly good at doing and ran my marathon. Passing one person after another, I knew that I could keep this up. I felt great until about mile 23 when Aunt Flow and her baggage caught me ( cramps). Knowing there was only 3 miles left I was really using all my mental energy not to slow down too much. Playing off as a purist, I did not race with a watch and had to ask a few people about the total time (OK, I forgot my watch at home). Therefore, I knew I. Those last few miles that I was in the high 10:30's range.

It has been my dream to get to Kona since I was a kid. I even named my dog Kona who I had to put to sleep this summer! Running with all this pain I looked over around mile 24 and saw a golden Retriever that looked identical to Kona!! Red hair, a bit bulky and the same face. At the expense of sounding cheesy, I knew it was a sign! I stopped my bitchin and finished strong. Taking that turn to the final stretch was one of the greatest moments of my life!!! Christi was there to give me my metal. What a great friend!
I did it! Now I can fill in my damn tattoo and head to Kona next year!!!

Cheers.

Bike 5:41:19
Run 3:30 :25

Total time 10:39:49