I am not sure how it seems like the older my kids get, the pickier they become.  Sure, Jon has to follow a gluten-free diet so he doesn’t always have all of the options of a teen who doesn’t follow the gluten-free diet, but he has plenty of choices.  Jon says he gets tired of eating the same things all of the time, and I do get that.  However, gluten-free donuts would get boring if he ate them everyday, too. 

Being the loving mom that I am, I have tried to mix things up a bit for him.  Gluten-free pancakes and gluten-free breakfast sandwiches are just a couple of the recent meal options.  This week, in an effort to change things up a little, I made French toast with Udi’s White Sandwich Bread.

Weekday Morning French Toast

• 3 slices Udi’s White Sandwich Bread
• 1 egg
• Splash 1% milk or non-dairy milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• Aunt Jemima or Maple Syrup
• Pam or butter for the pan

1.  Mix egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon together in a wide bowl.

2.  If your bread is cold from the refrigerator or freezer, warm slightly in the microwave to a little warmer than room temperature.  This seems to help the bread properly absorb the egg mixture and cook more evenly.

3. Heat pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or melt a pat of butter to cover the bottom of the pan.

4.  Once pan is hot, dunk bread in egg mixture and place in pan.  Check after 4-6 minutes, flip and cook until done. 

5.  Plate, drizzle syrup and enjoy!

I used butter in my pan, as Jon needs all the calories he can get and he likes the taste of it.  I also made 3 pieces of French toast, as the Udi’s bread is a little on the small side.  If I was to make this recipe for more than 1 person, I would adjust the ingredients accordingly. 

All together this meal took me less than 15 minutes from start to finish to prepare and Jon really enjoyed it.  My next experiment will be making a bigger batch and freezing the leftovers or keeping them in the refrigerator for the next morning.

Would you like to have more hours in the day?  I sure would!  While there is nothing I can do to give you more hours in the day, I do want to share a new protein shake, Evolve, for women that is packed full of vitamins and easy to grab and go.   Refueling on the run saves time that we often scramble to find to properly refuel.

More about the Evolve shakes:

110 calories, 12g protein, 14g carbs, 3g fat, and 5g fiber.

EvolveTM…At a Glance:

 

•                  Naturally flavored, 110-calorie protein shake

•                  Olivia Munn’s go-to beverage when she’s on the go

•                  12 grams of high quality protein

•                  Includes Tonalin® CLA which helps reduce body fat

•                  Sweetened with stevia, monk fruit and cane sugar

•                  20 vitamins and minerals

•                  Excellent source of fiber

•                  Gluten and lactose-free

•                  Shaped by Muscle Milk

•                  Available in five flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla Crème, Strawberry, Mixed Berry and Café Latte

•                  Available at Target, GNC, Amazon, CVS, Gelsons, Albertsons, and a ton of other retailers.

I received both the Chocolate and Vanilla Crème versions to sample.  Both flavors were tasty, though I prefer the chocolate.  As I have mentioned in the past, I like to start the refueling process within 30-45 minutes of completing my run or workout and these shakes make it easy to do so. I look forward to trying the Café Latte version soon!  Make sure to visit the Evolve website to see a complete list of retailers.

*These shakes were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

I had an unintentional few days of silence last week.  My thoughts were (and still are) with those affected by the Boston Marathon Bombings and like many in the US, I was following the coverage of the apprehension of the suspected bombers.  I am back now, though, and ready to start a new week! 

Yesterday I ran my 12th half marathon – the Earth Day Half Challenge.  I ran this race for the first time last year and was thrilled to be running it again this year.  It was chillier than we would have liked at the starting line, but turned out to be a pleasant day for a run once we got going. 

I ran this race with my friend Brandie (in the pink on the left).  Unfortunately she wasn’t feeling well and had a rough race, but finished strong! 

Tuesday – Taco salads with blue corn tortilla chips

Wednesday – Lasagna Roll Ups and salad

Thursday – Leftovers

Friday – Make your own pizza and salad

Saturday – Take-out

Week in Review

Review: Katz Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix

Review: Evol Gluten-Free Burritos

Review: Pistachio Chewy Bites

Review: Blue Monkey Coconut Chips & Water

Have a great week!

Kim

When I was growing up I really disliked all things coconut.  I may even go as far to say that I hated coconut, though I don’t like to use the word “hate”.  As we grow, our tastes change, just as our bodies do.  Along with coconut, I didn’t like peanut butter or hamburgers.  I was an odd bird who preferred jelly and butter (don’t knock it until you try it) sandwiches or toast or McDonald’s Fish Sandwiches.  Once I discovered the Girl Scouts and their Samoa (Carmel DeLite) cookies, all bets were off.  If you know the cookie, you know that coconut is one of the main ingredients.  I began to make exceptions and if coconut came in the form of a Samoa, it was all right in my book.

Blue Monkey has just introduced new Coconut Chips snack to their line-up.  The naturally gluten-free, sweet, crunchy chips are packed with fiber and are reminiscent of that now off limits Girl Scout cookie.

More about Blue Monkey Coconut Chips:

Nearly 50% of Americans snack at least two times a day, almost double those who snacked in 2010, according to California Snacks and Snack Food Stats. Designed to offer an alternative to typical snacking fare, family-owned Blue Monkey™ Coconut Collection introduces coconut chips, a delicious snack with a punch of dietary health.

Available in unsweetened, ginger and wasabi flavors, the Blue Monkey Coconut Chips are a great source of heart-healthy fiber (packing in a solid seven grams per serving!), 100% natural, baked free of preservatives, and lightly sweetened with coconut nectar sugar and non-GMO cane sugar.

The chips are made from the nutrient-rich copra, or meat of the coconut. The meat is sliced out of mature coconuts grown in Thailand and the Philippines and then gently baked to bring out its natural sweetness and turn it from white to golden brown.

“Coconut meat is often called the king of foods,” shared Simon Ginsberg, Blue Monkey founder. “With its wonderful texture and rich nutritional makeup, we couldn’t agree more.”

Salty, sweet, crispy, and luscious with coconut fat, Blue Monkey Coconut Chips are great on their own or eaten alongside a meal. Pair with some cold grilled chicken and fresh and raw veggies, mix them into a salad or trail mix, or sprinkle the chips on top of yogurt, ice cream, cereal and oatmeal or savory dishes like coconut curry or coconut-almond green beans. The coconut chips are also great for enhancing baked goods.

I opened the bag of Coconut Chips not knowing what to think.  I instantly fell in love!  The thin, crisp pieces of coconut are amazing!  Each piece is crisp with a sweet crunch and instantly brought me back to the days of the Girl Scout Samoas, though there is no caramel or chocolate.

I also sampled the Blue Monkey Coconut Water and Coconut Water with Pulp.

I loved the Pure Coconut Water, but was not a fan of the Coconut Water with Pulp.  The flavor was good, but I couldn’t get past the thick pulp.  I am sure there is someone out there who will love this!  Coconut water is great for hydration, especially during the hot and humid summers we have here in Ohio.

The Blue Monkey Coconut Chips are packed in a 1.4oz recyclable bag and will be available at natural and mainstream markets nationwide throughout the U.S. and Canada and online at Amazon.com for an SRP of $2.89 this spring.

Do you like coconut water?

*These samples were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

I had plans for a post today, but like many other bloggers, I don’t feel that anything is more important than keeping those affected by the tragedy at the Boston Marathon in our thoughts and prayers. 

Today, I will run, because it is what I do, how I process, how I cope. 

Tomorrow is Tax Day – have you done your taxes yet?  We finished ours this weekend – the latest we have ever completed them!  April 15th also happens to be the day that Jon was due, but he was a little late.  Our baby turns 17 later this week!  This was our bouncing baby boy back in the day…

Jon was roughly 5-6 months old in this photo. 

Tuesday – Mexican pizzas, corn and salad

Wednesday – Spaghetti with marinara and salad

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner and fruit salad

Friday – Make your own pizza and salad

Saturday – Turkey burgers w/ avocado, sweet potato puffs and salad

Week in Review:

National Grilled Cheese Day

Review: Sambazon Superfood Smoothies & Fruit Juice

Review: New Pure Bar Products

Batch Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta

Review: Barbara’s Honest O’s cereal

How to start the gluten-free diet today

Have a great week!

Kim

Who doesn’t like a cheesy, gooey grilled cheese sandwich?  You may choose to stick with the childhood favorite basic version or venture into more gourmet versions.  There is no better way to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day – April 12th – so here was my lunch:

I had plans to make a Caprese Style Grilled Cheese sandwich, but the basil I bought yesterday had other ideas.  Fortunately I had the ingredients on hand to make a quick change and tossed together a Grilled Turkey & Cheese sandwich using GO Veggie Mexican Style Shreds.

I spread some non-dairy butter spread on my gluten-free bread (Rudi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain), placed the first piece into the pan and quickly assembled the sandwich so it would get hot and melty on the inside. 

Just a little messy…those stray pieces of cheese got crispy and were a nice bonus treat!

The sandwich took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. 

Do you see that melty, gooey cheese?  This was one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I have had in a long time!  More about GO Veggie Mexican Style Shreds:

Allergen Information:
THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT CONTAIN MILK, EGGS, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, FISH, SHELLFISH, WHEAT, SOY

Ingredients: WATER, CANOLA OIL,* CORNSTARCH,* VEGETABLE GLYCERINE,* ARROWROOT STARCH,* TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, PEA PROTEIN,* SALT, NATURAL VEGAN FLAVORS,* RICE MALTODEXTRIN,* LACTIC ACID (NON-DAIRY), SUNFLOWER LECITHIN,* XANTHAN GUM,* ANNATTO* (COLOR), POWDERED CELLULOSE* ADDED TO PREVENT CAKING. *NON-GMO

If you are looking for a more grown up grilled cheese, check out the recipe for the Caprese Style Grilled Cheese, doesn’t it look awesome?

(source)

So, do I have you drooling yet?  Perhaps a little Friday night grilled cheese action?  GO Veggie Cheese can found in many stores across the US. 

Do you like grilled cheese?  What is your favorite grilled cheese sandwich recipe?

*The samples of GO Veggie Cheese were sent to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

It is always hard for me to figure out meals and fueling when I have evening workout classes.  The classes always seem to fall around 6:30, so for me I would have to eat dinner at 4:30ish if I wanted to eat before or wait until after 8 PM.  I have found on days where my run or workout falls in that time frame it is better for me to eat smaller meals through the afternoon and evening as opposed to one large meal. 

Sambazon makes a variety of juices and smoothies made from superfoods that energize the body and soul.  I picked up the Sambazon Acai Superfood Juice Blend and Blended Breakfast Smoothie when I was grocery shopping Wednesday and knew they would be perfect for one of those smaller meals. 

Acai with Blueberry + Pomegranate Superfood Juice Blend – Organic and non-GMO ingredients provide health antioxidants.

Blended Breakfast Strawberry + Banana + Chia + Ancient Grains – A combination of non-GMO soy milk, acai berries, chia, quinoa and amaranth that provides omega-3s, 4g fiber and 6g protein. 

More about Sambazon:

(source)

I loved the flavors of the juice blend!  The blended breakfast was filling and kept me full for several hours, allowing me to power through my workout and prepare my post-workout meal.  I was concerned about how I would like the texture, but it was just as smooth as could be.  I plan on keeping some of these on hand for future mini-meals.

There are several other varieties of the superfood juices and smoothies (Acai Berry + Chocolate, Chocolate + Almond + Coconut Milk, Kale + Ginger) that I am interested in trying that my grocery store didn’t carry.  I am planning on trying another store to see if I can find them.  Samabazon products can be found in stores across the US.

Have you tried any of the Sambazon products?  Which have you tried or would like to try most?

*These products were provided to me free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

I am thrilled to share with you guys that I have been selected to participate in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program!  What does that mean?  I am going to tell you!  For the next 6 months I will be using 2 new devices to track and share my health and fitness journey.  What is my journey?  My goal is to continue to live a healthy gluten-free lifestyle, be active in the running community (coach MIT ) and grow my personal training business.  The devices I am trying out are the Motoroloa Droid RAZR HD and FitBit One.

My devices arrived early on Monday ready for me to start using.

I have been having a great time learning my new devices!  Today I will share a little about The FitBit One, as it is a pretty cool device:

THE ONE™ WIRELESS ACTIVITY & SLEEP TRACKER

If you want to turn fitness into a lifestyle, the One™ is for you. For starters, it never rests. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. Come nightfall, it measures your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you in the morning. The One™ motivates you to reach your goals by bringing greater fitness into your life – seamlessly, socially, 24 hours a day.

I am most interested in the sleep tracking, as I wake frequently at night and am curious to see how much I really do wake up.  I will also be using the activity tracker, but won’t be tracking calories/weight, as those are areas that can be troublesome with my eating disorder history and struggle.  Check out one of the nights I have tracked so far:

Woah!  This particular night was not a good night for me.  I remember waking frequently, which probably had something to do with iced tea being consumed at a meeting I went to for dinner. It will be interesting to see how this changes over time – for better or worse.

I’ll be sharing more about these devices more frequently on my Twitter feed and later this month here on my blog.  Has anyone used either of these devices?  What are your thoughts?

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Half marathon #11 is in the bag! This race also happened to be the first of 6 half marathons that I have on my race schedule this year.  Xenia, Ohio is roughly an hour and 20 minutes away from Fleet Feet Columbus, where I met up with 5 Run DMC girls to head out. 

Steph, Me, Steph, Melissa, Tara and Laurie before the race

We arrived in Xenia about 6:45 AM, just in time for packet pick-up to begin at 7 AM.  I have a habit of arriving early every place I go.  I would rather sit around and wait as opposed to freaking out that I am late.  I was starving as we drove to Xenia, but knew if I ate that early, my whole race plan would be off.  As the saying goes, “Nothing new on race day!”

Packet pick-up went smoothly.  There wasn’t really a line and being that this was a smaller race, we were able to park in the parking lot right across from the YMCA where the race started and finished.  I finally broke into my Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (the Fruit Smoothie flavor rocks!).   The chews are labeled gluten-free and are kind to my belly, so they are my go-to pre-race food. 

Run DMC is a local running group formed from members of the online Daily Mile website that live in the Columbus and surrounding areas.  I can’t put into words just how awesome this group of runners is.  We had 39+ runners run the race on Sunday and many other members who came out to support the team. 

Before we knew it, we were off!  The temps were warmer than we were acclimated to – approximately 54 when we started as opposed to temps below freezing.   We have had an unseasonably cold “spring” and just the day before we were running in winter gear, including gloves!  I knew I had to average an 8:22 pace per mile to hit my goal of running a sub-1:50 half marathon.  The first few miles were 8:13, 8:16 and 8:19, so I had a few seconds “in the bank”, though I don’t like to depend on that to hit my goal. 

Miles 4, 5 and 6 were decent.  Had I known what was coming, I probably would have slowed down a touch, as those miles were run at 8:19, 8:15, 8:12.  The wind was picking up a little and there were some gradual hills.  The race map and elevation profile shows this fairly well, though I am not going to lie, I never really felt like we went downhill in this race.  Maybe it was the higher winds towards the end of the race, but the last half of this race was tough.

Miles 7, 8 and 9 seemed like they were never going to end.  I was running with Peter along the bike path and I said, “This has got to be the world’s longest hill!”  It just never seemed to let up.  It didn’t look intimidating, but it sure felt like it.  I expected that once we hit the crest we would get a little relief, however as we turned the corner, we turned into a wall of wind that wouldn’t quit.  These miles started to get a little slower…8:16, 8:24, 8:23. 

Miles 10 and 11 were the toughest of the entire race.  I had a cramp in the arch of my right foot – plantar fasciitis rearing its ugly head.  I also had a cramp on my left side, kind of where my intestine is.  Yeah, that.  This forced me to slow momentarily and make some quick decisions.  Do I throw in the towel, continue on, but slower and try again in 2 weeks at my next half marathon?  Or, do I suck it up and pray the cramps would subside because doing so for 2.1 more miles was better than having to run hard again in 2 weeks for my next half.  I opted for #2 and by the grace of God my cramps disappeared and I ran like hell.  Miles 10 and 11 were run at 8:22 and 8:29.  Here is a picture taken by Don Miller, fellow Run DMC runner and photog.  I am pretty miserable at this point and was only laughing at something Don said.  Took my mind off of the struggle for the time being, though.

The last 2.1 miles of the race were still tough, but at least my cramps were gone.  Somehow my brain was able to do the math and I knew that if I could hold my pace at 8:22ish or below, I would still hit my goal.  It wasn’t pretty and I had to keep repeating to myself that in 20 minutes I could puke, poop, walk, cry, etc.  Just keep running!  As I came down the street to the finish line, I knew I had it!  Official time was 1:49:18!  I did it!! PR (personal record) by 3 min EXACTLY and I was able to run sub-1:50! Phew! I came in 6th of 56 in my age group! I am looking forward to not "racing" a race again until fall and running my next 2 half marathons for fun!

There were many others in our group who ran great races with either distance PRs (first half or full marathons) and some who had bad races.  We all have good days and we all have bad days.  Each race is a learning experience and the end of a journey.  Take what information you have from each one and apply it to your future training.  What worked and what didn’t work.  

Monday morning my body was (and still is) pretty sore.  My calves seem to be worse than the rest.  After speaking with my sports doctor when I went in for my ART appointment, it is most likely due to my focusing more on mid-foot striking as opposed to heel striking.  Lots of stretching, ice and foam rolling for me!