Yes, I am a nerd.  A data nerd, that is.  While I am not a big fan of math, I am a fan of numbers as a way to track progress or motivate myself.  This is one of the reasons I use Daily Mile to track my runs,  My workout data is logged and stored on the website for me to look back at in the future.  This is extremely helpful, especially if I am struggling with my training.

The Fitbit One also tracks daily activity in addition to workouts, making it a great tool to help motivate or do cool things like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And finally, this:

(source)

So not only are the infographics motivating, this last one shows my daily activity and highlights 2 inactive days.  Rest is just as important as my other workouts…runs and strength training.  Not enough rest can inhibit recovery and can lead to overtraining, which carries a whole host of issues.  So even though I may be taking 1-2 “rest” days per week with my training program, being overly active in other parts of my life on those rest days can hinder recovery, too. 

You can create your own infographic at Notch.me (Fitbit, RunKeeper, BodyMedia, UP by Jawbone) or many other websites described here.  If you do create one, I would love to see it!  Leave a comment and share the link below!

*Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device, FitBit One, Verizon Gift Card and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the products.

I am a little behind on my blog reading, but I try to play catch up when I can.  I pick up pieces of information through my reading and then share the good (or bad) stuff with you guys.  Over the past couple of weeks I have heard quite a few bits of information, so I am going to consolidate them all into one post.

P.F. Chang’s added a new dish to their Summer Menu that also happens to be on the gluten-free menu.  GF Summer Vegetable Quinoa “Fried Rice” sounds fantastic!  The dish is made of wok-toasted quinoa with sunburst squash, mango, tomatoes and snow peas, topped with a sunny-side egg.  There also a couple of new dishes added back in March 2013 and a new-ish dessert that I haven’t noticed on the menu before.  In addition to the infamous delectable Chocolate Dome, there is also a GF Chocolate Torte Sweet Treat.  Sounds like an outing to P.F. Chang’s is in order!

Cheesecake Factory has offered gluten-free options in the past, but after I had two bad experiences a couple of years back, I haven’t gone back.  Now it is rumored that Cheesecake Factory will be offering a gluten-free menu with over 70 items to choose from in the near future.  If this does come to fruition, I hope that they do it right, educating staff on procedures to keep cross-contamination to a minimum. 

King’s Island has many gluten-free options available that are sure to please kids and adults alike! 

Dunkin’ Donuts is taking their gluten-free donut and blueberry muffins nationwide!  These products are manufactured in a gluten-free facility and are certified gluten-free.  It doesn’t get much safer than that when it comes to avoiding cross-contamination.  Are these products junk food?  Absolutely.  Am I recommending you eat them on a regular basis?  Absolutely not.  It is great to have yet another option available. 

Last, but not least, I am bumming that I can’t find a few of my new favorite gluten-free foods locally.  I think we have been spoiled in the past with so many different local stores offering amazing gluten-free product selections.  When I can’t find a new-ish product that I am looking for, it is hard not to get frustrated.  Some of those products I am on the local hunt for include:

• Larabar ALT – Larabar + protein = win-win!
• Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels = heaven on a plate.

Sure I could order these products online, but I prefer to avoid paying a shipping cost when possible. Are there gluten-free products you have been on the hunt for and can’t find? Please let me know and I will do what I can to help you try to locate them.

Last Friday we went to King’s Island for Aaron’s yearly company picnic.  Last year was the first time I noticed the theme park offering a decent gluten-free option for patrons – gluten-free pizza.  When planning for the trip this year, I knew I had a higher mileage weekend coming up, so I packed my lunch to make sure I could get the nutrients I needed, but sure wish I would have known about these new options:

The Coney Potato Works located in the Coney Mall section of the park has the following gluten-free options:

• Fresh-cut Thick Fries
• Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders
• Gluten-Free Corn Dogs
• Gluten-Free Soft Serve Ice Cream
• Gluten-Free Beer

I have to be honest, I was bummed that I had finished eating lunch only 30 minutes before spotting this.  I ran up to the counter to verify the entire place was gluten-free and may have done a little dance when the employee behind the counter confirmed that yes, everything was gluten-free.  This is awesome news and I hope that this is a permanent addition to the gluten-free options at the park. 

Weekly Plan

Monday – Grilled chicken fettuccine Alfredo, broccoli and salad

Tuesday – Pulled pork tacos, black beans and salad

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday – Burgers on the grills, sweet potato puffs or baked beans and salad

Friday – Make your own pizza and salad

Saturday – Take-out

Weekly Recap

Don’t forget to enter to win a bundle of Glutino gluten-free goods!

Need workout motivation?  See how I stay motivated.

Dunkin’ Donuts to offer gluten-free donuts and muffins nationwide

Have you tried the new Vanilla Chex?  Check out my review!

Have you heard?  Gluten-free Goldfish from Pepperidge Farm!  We found and sampled the Buffalo Wing variety.

Have a great week!

Kim

I have some great news to share with you guys and a special surprise below.  First things first.  Glutino is a strong advocate of the non-GMO movement supporting Proposition 37 in California and the Non-GMO Labeling Act in Washington.  Twelve Glutino products are currently Non-GMO Project Verified and they are working towards making as many of the Glutino products as possible Non-GMO Project Verified.

(source)

• Glutino Non-GMO Project Verified products:
• Glutino^® Gluten-free Apple Breakfast Bars
• Glutino^® Gluten-free Blueberry Breakfast Bars
• Glutino^® Gluten-free Cherry Breakfast Bars
• Glutino^® Gluten-free Strawberry Breakfast Bars
• Gluten Free Pantry^® All-Purpose Flour
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Brown Rice Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Chocolate Chip Cookie & Cake Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Decadent Chocolate Cake Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Muffin & Scone Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix
• Gluten Free Pantry^® Perfect Pie Crust

We are big Glutino fans in this house!  Jon single-handedly devoured a box of Strawberry Breakfast Bars in one day this week!  They were one of the first brands I depended on when I began the gluten-free diet over 7 years ago.  When times get tough, the Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix makes it all better!

Now for the fun part!  Glutino has graciously offered to give 3 lucky readers each a package with a box of Glutino GF Strawberry Breakfast Bars and Gluten-Free Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookie & Cake Mix.  All you have to do to enter is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below. Continue reading →

It can be hard to stay motivated.  Motivation is necessary for many aspects of our daily lives from faithfully following the gluten-free diet to staying fit.  We are lucky to have some great resources right at our fingertips these days with our smartphones.  I have been experimenting with the Motorola Razr HD and will share some of the ways I stay motivated below.

The most obvious way the Razr HD can help motivate me to get moving is music.  Whether I am listening to my latest playlist creation, IHeartRadio or Pandora, music gets me moving!

I have been known to play the 80s station on Pandora for my clients during their workouts.  Focusing on music, songs from the past or playing a little “Name That Tune” is a great way to make your workout pass quickly!

Just because I am a personal trainer doesn’t mean I work out all day, every day.  I don’t work out when I train my clients – my focus is on them.  Often times when it comes time for me to work out, I want a great workout without having to put much thought into it.  This is where fitness apps like Fitness Buddy come in handy.

Fitness Buddy has built-in workouts or allows you to create your own from a bank of exercises.  The free version of this app has over 300 exercises, while the paid version has over 1700 exercises!  I tried the free version first, and quickly upgraded to the paid version.

There are also several accessories for the Razr HD to help you stay motivated.  One of the coolest accessories I have been eyeing is the Motorola SF600 Bluetooth® Stereo Headset.  I can’t tell you how many times I have yanked the headphones out of my ears while working out or got tangled in the wires of my headphones.  I would love wireless headphones!  New accessories = more motivation!

*Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device, FitBit One, Verizon Gift Card and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the products.

Good morning blog land!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I just got back from a humid run with Melissa and am ready to start my day.  I finally located the brand new Pillsbury Gluten-Free Refrigerated Doughs at Giant Eagle last week after a little hunt.  Not all Giant Eagle stores have the products on their shelves yet, so I had to hit a couple stores before I finally found them.  In the Columbus area: 650 North State Street in Westerville did not have the products yet, but I did speak with the manager and she was going to see about getting the products in soon.  The Polaris Giant Eagle at 55 Meadow Park Drive did have all 3 products.

You can read my review of the cookies here.  Watch for the reviews of the pizza and pie doughs later this week.

Weekly Menu

Monday – Quinoa Mac & Cheese, peas and salad

Tuesday – Easy Enchilada Bake, corn and salad

Wednesday – BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches, Boulder Canyon Kettle Chips and salad

Thursday – Make your own pizza and salad (Using the Pillsbury GF Dough)

Friday – Take out

Saturday – Burgers on the grill, baked potato packets and salad

Weekly Recap

Perdue Simply Smart Gluten-Free Breaded Chicken Tenders

Wellaby’s Mini Cheese Crackers

Chex adds a new variety to their gluten-free cereal line-up!

Nature’s Path Chia Plus Waffles

For the love of Brooks – My love affair with my running shoes.

Have a great week!

Kim

Once I find a running shoe that I like, I am fiercely loyal to that brand.  If you are a runner, you are well aware that proper running shoes are very important pieces to running pain and injury free.  It took me a while to find the right shoes, but when I did, there was no turning back.  I had originally been in the wrong shoe, a stability shoe, when I didn’t need that much support.  Turns out I needed to be in a neutral shoe, but had problems finding one to fit all of my needs.  Unfortunately my feet are high maintenance when it comes to running shoes.

I started wearing the Brooks Glycerin 8 a couple of years back and quickly fell in love.  I quickly adjusted to the shoe and finally felt like I was “home”. 

I had these in pink/white and the blue/yellow shown above. 

When the Glycerin 9 debuted, I ran right out and bought a pair.  I loved the new color combination, black with a teal blue, only they didn’t work for my feet.  The toe box seemed a little more narrow and my right foot seemed unhappy.  Since the right foot is my problem foot, I returned the Glycerin 9 and went on the hunt to stock up on the Glycerin 8s. 

It was such a shame to return these beauties! 

I heard about the Glycerin 10 before it was available and I had my heart set on the grey/hot pink.  I began stalking Fleet Feet before the shoe was released and when they did get it in stock, they only had the blue model.  Of course I asked them to order in a grey/pink pair for me. 

Aren’t they pretty?

I never thought I would find another shoe that worked as good as the Glycerin 8s did for me, but I was wrong.  The Glycerin 10s were even better!  It seems that Brooks returned the toe box back to the wider version that it was (or close to it) in the Glycerin 8 model.  The ride was soft and comfortable and provided just the right amount of support for my persnickety feet.  Over the course of a year I have had 3-4 pair (only 1 blue) and was ready to go on the hunt to stock up in case the Glycerin 11s, due out at the beginning of June, didn’t work for me. 

A friend sent me a picture of the new Glycerin 11s before they were available and I fell in love.  How could I not love a shoe that looks like this?

The stalking began again and I noticed one Sunday in late May that the shoe was on the shelf!  Bonus! I tried the shoe on and haven’t taken it off since.  Okay, well maybe I have taken them off to shower and I do have 100+ miles left on one pair of my Glycerin 10s, so I do occasionally run in them, but I don’t want to wear them anymore! 

The Glycerin 11s seem so much lighter than the 10s, but they aren’t.  Both the 10s and the 11s weigh 9.6 ounces.  More about the Glycerin 11:

Think of the Glycerin 11 as your foot’s butler, catering to your every want and need with plush, conformable comfort in every step. The luxury begins with an ultra-comfortable upper that uses innovative 3D Fit Print overlays to create structure and reduce weight. We’ve also removed the mid-foot shank to optimize ground contact for a transition that puts the "oo" in smooth. Finished with fresh colors and hot looks, Mr. Belvedere’s got nothing on this shoe.

The best way to describe running in the Brooks Glycerin 11 is “effortless”. 

What shoe do you run/walk/workout in?  Are you loyal to one brand?

We have been enjoying Chex gluten-free varieties for several years now.  I was sad to see the Strawberry variety was discontinued a year or so ago.  Now there is a new Chex cereal in town…

Vanilla Chex!  I am already dreaming up different breakfast cereal combinations…Cinnamon + Vanilla Chex like a Snickerdoodle cookie, Chocolate + Vanilla Chex like a chocolate vanilla swirl bowl of ice cream and Apple Cinnamon + Vanilla Chex like apple pie with vanilla ice cream!

I have heard reports of the Vanilla Chex already being spotted in grocery stores across the US.  Have you spotted or tried the new Vanilla Chex?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

One of my favorite ways to eat waffles is smeared with nut butter and fruit preserves or pumpkin butter and then topped with seasonal fruit.  Sure, warm butter and maple syrup is tasty, but my heart belongs to creamy almond butter, Trader Joe’s Roasted Creamy with Sea Salt, to be exact.  When I first began the gluten-free diet over seven years ago there was one gluten-free waffle on the market, Van’s Natural Foods, in three different varieties (Plain, Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry).  Over the past few years we have seen several other gluten-free waffles make their way into the grocery store freezers, including Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Waffles.

There are three different varieties of gluten-free waffles from Nature’s Path:

• Buckwheat Wildberry
• Homestyle
• Chia Plus

I picked up the Chia Plus frozen waffles at the store the other day and couldn’t wait to try them.  I fell in love with the Buckwheat Wildberry waffles several years ago, so I hoped the Chia Plus would measure up. 

These waffles smelled so good while they were toasting that Jon wandered into the kitchen to ask what I was making.  In addition to being gluten-free, these waffles are also vegan.  Check out the list of ingredients:

I was so excited to dig in once the waffles were done toasting I forgot to snap a photo!  Bad food blogger!  The waffles were every bit as good, if not better, than I expected them to be.  They were the perfect base for my simple peanut butter and strawberry preserves toppings.  Now that I picked up some more berries at the store, I hope to add them to the waffles tomorrow!

Which gluten-free frozen waffle is your favorite or do you prefer to make them from scratch?

First week of summer vacation is in the books!  Well, three days to be exact.  Last day of school was last Tuesday.  We went to the pool on Wednesday and got the sunburn out of the way.  Thursday we went to see the movie, “Epic”.  I really liked it, but Hannah said it was a typical kids’ movie and it was too predictable.  She is at that age where she is really between kid movies and the PG-13 movies.  The weekend looked a lot like this:

Weekly Menu

Monday – Rotisserie chicken, baked potato, roasted broccoli and salad

Tuesday – Taco salad w/ blue tortilla chips

Wednesday – Thai Chile salmon, coconut baked brown rice, zucchini and salad

Thursday – BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, Boulder Canyon potato chips and salad

Friday – Make your own pizza and salad

Saturday – Graduation party

Weekly Recap

Don’t forget to enter the Boulder Canyon giveaway to win a free bag of chips!

Rudi’s Gluten-Free launches a Facebook recipe contest!

Red Apple Lipstick voted best GF cosmetics brand by GFREEK!

Blue Ice Vodka is the first to carry the gluten-free label!

Have a great week!

Kim