Monday Ramblings: Every Runner's Nightmare

It was a frosty 26° this morning and since I had done plenty yesterday, I wasn't going to work out today, or at least not do much. I still need to pace myself so I'll be well rested when I attempt that 11-miler later this month. Of course by the time I went out for a haircut and a few groceries, it was bright and sunny and high 50°s, so maybe I would get out there after all.

I was hungry when I got back from town, so decided to fix a small salad. That would have been fine if I hadn't just made the decision to get a run in. I usually run fasted in the morning and have my healthy smoothie after I'm home and finished stretching, so running with something in my stomach is new to me. Still, this was just salad, nothing heavy, so I didn't think it would be a big deal, so rather than put it off, I laced up my shoes and off I went.

It was a big deal.

Within minutes of hitting the street, I felt like I had to use the bathroom.  I debated turning around, but I need to get a 3-mile run in three times this week for a challenge, and I really wanted today's run to count as one of them.  The distance needs to be run in one activity and there is a time limit, so taking a break to use the facilities and go back out might have taken up too much time.  I'd either have to nix the whole thing, or start a new activity and start the three miles over.

On any other day, the little extra would have been no problem; I normally run a 5K or 10K  (3.1 and 6.2 miles), and occasionally a mile or two more, but I just wasn't into it today.  I had it in my head when I stepped out the door that I was going to do my 3 miles and be done with it.

It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon for a run, and other than worrying if I'd make it back to the bathroom in time, it might have been a good day for one of my longer runs.  Parts of me felt amazing, like I could go on forever, but other parts?  Let's just say that I was worried things might get a little messy (and because it was so nice out, I was wearing a short running skirt and short-sleeved shirt, and it's the one day I didn't have at least a handkerchief with me.  Hooooo boy).

I started talking to myself.  So ... speed up to get home quicker?  Or would that (gasp!) speed other things along too?  Maybe it would be better if I slowed down.  No, I just want to get home.  I opted to just maintain a steady pace, and pray.  It was touch and go for a bit, but I did manage to make it home without incident, and at a pretty good time for me while still keeping my heart rate on the low end.

To say I was relieved would be an understatement.  I'm normally prepared for just about anything that might come up, so I don't know why today was different.  I do know that I won't be going out for a run any time soon after eating a salad with kale in it.  I haven't eaten kale in a while, so I'm assuming that was what set things in motion, so to speak.

After a chilly start, it ended up being a pretty good day after all.  I took care of some errands, checked off one of the runs I need for the week, and grabbed some extra Vitamin D when romping in the yard with the pups.  Now I think I'll take their cue and jockey for a spot on the couch and find something to binge-watch.

~ Marie Anne

How I prepared my body to complete my accidental marathon, Part I - Fat Adaptation

If you haven't read my earlier post about how I completed a marathon I didn't know I was going to run, please do that first so that you have the background on how it came about, and understand why what I'm going to share today is so impactful.

So I completed a marathon the other day (I won't say I 'ran' a marathon, because much of it was at a walk, but I did complete the distance).  At 63 yrs old and still overweight (for now), with various injuries under my belt and at risk for more, completing even a half-marathon was only a dream.  

In recent years I'd been running off and on, sometimes doing between 3-6 mi almost daily at a slow run, but never really improving in speed, and it didn't help with weight loss.  They say you can't outrun a bad diet, and I'm here to tell you that is the absolute truth.  You could run a marathon every week, but if you suck in the nutrition department, you won't realize much benefit from it.

I don't know where it first started, but in following some running and general fitness blogs and podcasts, I landed on the term fat adapted, which in general means re-training your body to burn fat while exercising, and not to rely on carbs for energy. You've likely heard about carb-loading before a race (the traditional spaghetti supper the night before), and most people carry gels and/or carb-laden snacks for fuel during a race.  Until a few weeks ago, I was one of those people.  But the problem with relying on carbs for fuel is that your body will burn those up quickly and need refueling often if you're going any distance at all.  If you keep replenishing carbs as you burn them, guess what?  You never get into fat-burning mode, and if weight loss is your goal, you're probably not going to see much for positive results.  So you probably tell yourself you need to work longer and harder, and since you're still adding the wrong type of fuel, the cycle continues.  Sure, you're burning more calories, but only those you just added when you scarfed down that energy bar.

I've been pre-diabetic/insulin resistant for years, and a sugar/carb addict (yes, it IS a thing).  I've never been able to go a couple of hours without eating something, and the thought of working out before breakfast, or without at least some sort of bar or snack seemed unattainable to me.  Running on an empty stomach?  I'd never make it around the block!

But you know what?  Our bodies are amazing works of creation!  We're adaptable, and with minimal effort, they can be trained to do all sorts of things we didn't think we could do.  And honestly, I don't think we were originally designed to have to eat something every few hours, or require sugar for energy to carry us through a race.  Did our ancestors carry energy gels or Honey Stingers in the pockets of their leggings to get through a day's work plowing the fields, or stalking prey for hours to bring home dinner?

Hardly.  They ate real food, and I seriously doubt it was every few hours or full of carbs.  I could go on about this for pages, but I'll limit this post to just share what I've been doing, and point you to some good information from the experts out there. (I am not a medical professional in any capacity, nor do I have formal training in nutrition or fitness.  I just follow some professional, very knowledgeable people, and am living proof of the benefits of what they preach).

My usual routine of late is to have cup of black tea when I get up, then do a one or two mile walk (if barefoot), occasionally 2-3 miles at either a fast walk or walk/slow run (if wearing shoes). I'm an early riser, so all that takes place well before sunup at this time of year (and yes, I'm wearing appropriate safety gear).  When I get back home, I'll wait an hour and often two before fixing breakfast, which usually consists of a smoothie and a hard boiled egg.  (See what I put in my smoothie here).  My body has adapted to this just fine, and I haven't yet felt the urge to eat something before heading out the door.  Even if you don't work out every morning, you can still enjoy some of the benefits of fat adaptation by delaying your first meal and encouraging your body to be fueled by your fat reserves.

How this helped me get through my unplanned marathon 

I'd been following this morning routine for just a couple of months, and because I had been going such short distances (intentionally ... again, a topic for another post), I wasn't sure what I might need to carry me through whatever distance I ended up doing Saturday morning.  I had eaten a light dinner earlier than usual the night before (chicken vegetable soup with a homemade bone broth base, no rice or noodles, and a small bowl of salad greens), so when it was decided that a couple of us were going to be up very early to help a friend with his virtual marathon, I figured I'd better pad that a little, so I drank a small smoothie before bed.  I had peeled two hard boiled eggs to have ready for Saturday morning pre-run, but only ate one of them about 4:30am.  I loaded my camelbak with a small amount of water, and tucked a snack-sized baggie of mixed nuts, and a couple individual packets of trail mix (with the little M&M-like candies) between the bladder and case and called it good.  Oh, and I found a Honey Stinger Waffle in there from a previous run months ago! 

We set off Saturday morning around 6am or so,  and I didn't take in anything until I think around the 17-18 mi mark, which was hours later because we were going so slow.  I ate a handful of nuts then only because my legs started to cramp and I wasn't sure of the cause, because I'd never pushed my body that far and experienced that before.  The weather was perfect and I never did break a sweat since we were going so slow, so I don't know if I was lacking sodium, but whatever the reason, the nuts apparently helped, because that cramping sensation went away shortly afterwards. I never felt tired or that I couldn't finish because I'd run out of gas at any point during the 26.2 mi.  I was on my feet for probably 12 hrs before all was said and done, and still wasn't hungry!

Read that paragraph again.  An overweight, senior, pre-diabetic woman who has been prone to carb binges (and I mean REAL binges) for decades, completed 26.2 mi and a total of 12 hours on her feet on just a hard boiled egg pre-run, and a handful of mixed nuts halfway through, and never felt hungry or felt any loss of energy.  Meanwhile, my partners in crime had snacks at several intervals ... energy bars, granola bars, gummy bears, energy gels, etc.  I'm not bashing or shaming them; they gave their bodies what they needed, and it worked for them.

By working on the fat-adaptive approach recently, I had been training my body for this event without even knowing it. If my experience that day isn't testimony of what eating right and teaching your body to use proper fuel can do for you, I don't know what else would.

Now for acknowledgements - my biggest influence while following the fat-adaptive regimen has been Dr. Mark Cucuzzella - Physician, Professor of Medicine at WV University School of Medicine, Air Force reserve Lieutenant Colonel, owner of Two Rivers Treads, author of Run for Your Life, Executive Director of the Natural Running Center, race director, and competitive runner for over 35 years with 24 marathons completed in under 2:40.  (None of these are affiliate links; I'm not compensated in any way for sharing them).

In addition to the above, you can find a vast amount of nutrition, running, and general health information by searching Dr. Mark's name to find articles, blog posts, and podcasts where he has been a guest contributor.  Warning ... there are a lot of them, but all worth a read/listen. 

That's Part I of what got me through my first marathon experience.  Stay tuned for further installments on how good nutrition, and footwear (or lack thereof) made it all possible.

~ Marie Anne

Hump day ramblings, and tip of the day

Happy Hump Day! The day of the week hasn't really mattered for me for a good while since I'm retired, and I'm sure some of you who are out of work or working from home due to the COVID thing can relate, but I needed an opening, so there you have it.

Today's fun started off with a 3.2 mi slow run after my morning cup of black tea but before breakfast, keeping an eye on my heart rate (more on that in another post).  I wasn't shooting for any speed records, but although I had been walking/running anywhere from 3-6 mi almost daily, I've changed things up lately (more on that later too) and haven't run even 3 mi in a while so wanted to take it easy today.

After settling in for a few minutes, I blended a smoothie for breakfast, out of:

• Couple of ounces of almond and coconut milk (no added sugar)
• Few shakes of ground ginger and cinnamon
• About 3/4 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• Small handful of mixed salad greens
• Chunk of zucchini, avocado, and cauliflower
• A few frozen blueberries and strawberries

I got my fruits and veggies, (good) fat (from the avocado), and some of the protein there, and had a hard boiled egg for more protein, and to have just a little something to chew.  That's pretty much my standard breakfast on most days, although I do change it up once in a while.

Once the intense fog burned off, it turned out to be a beautifully sunny day, so I hitched up the dogs and got another half mile walk in, this time barefoot (that's one of those things I figured some of you might freak out about, but I promise, it's a good thing, and I'll relate more about that later too).

Lunch was a plain hamburger from grass-fed ground beef, cooked in my new mini air fryer along with some frozen mixed veggies, with a pat of butter (from grass-fed dairy cows).   There's not enough fat in that small amount of butter, so a small handful of mixed nuts rounded that out.  I'm not sure yet what dinner will be, but will likely include some of the remaining beef.

If I expounded on all of the 'why I'm doing this' things in this post, it would be pages and pages long, so I'm being considerate and making a list of topics for future posts.  I've added a half dozen things just while typing this one, so now to make sure I follow through.  I guess if you want to know the background on some of the oddball things I'm undertaking, you'll have to keep reading this blog.  😀

Now I'm enjoying a mug of green tea, and contemplating what to do with the rest of my day, which will probably include TV and a crochet hook at some point, and maybe just a little light weights to work on arms.

Tip of the Day:  

I eat a lot of mixed salad greens, and usually buy the large plastic containers of whatever is in season.  I find that, even though I pick through them to find the one with the latest date, some of the greens still get soggy and icky even after the first day.  Every time I use some, I shake the container to try to aerate it a little better, but had an a-ha moment the other day and decided to store it upside down.  Each time I use it now, I shake it a bit and alternate between putting it upside down and right side up.  So far, so good!

What good things are you doing for a better you today?

~ Marie Anne

Best Way to Eat Turmeric for Maximum Health Benefits

If you follow any natural health news at all, you've probably heard that turmeric provides many health benefits, the most notable being its anti-inflammatory properties. But did you know that how you ingest the bright yellow-orange spice is a big factor in how well it will work?  You will if you continue reading!

Whether you buy turmeric capsules or add the ground spice to a morning drink or sprinkle on food, its effectiveness isn't nearly as potent unless it is paired with - are you ready for this?  - fat!  Yes fat.  That thing that you were always taught made you fat, but probably have since learned isn't the case at all.  Our bodies needs a certain amount of good fat each day, and turmeric is fat soluble (meaning it is absorbed much more readily when combined with fat), so remember to marry the two for optimum health benefits.

So what are the best ways to incorporate fat and turmeric into your daily routine?  Natural Society has a list of several ways that you might try, but my favorite is to add it to avocado.  Avocado is full of good fat, and I try to eat it in some form at least a few times a week, and it's easy enough to sprinkle a small amount of turmeric on a slice before munching down.  Another yummy way to enjoy the fatty green fruit (nope, it's not a vegetable!) is to make avocado toast (mash ripe avocado, add a sprinkle of lemon or lime juice), so add a shake of turmeric to that or blend into your favorite guacamole recipe.

Turmeric is also thought to help with depression and high blood pressure, so it's definitely something we all should consider as a supplement, but as always, check with your doctor before taking anything new that might not be a smart idea in your particular case, or that might interfere with medications you are taking.

What other ideas do you have to add turmeric with fat to your healthy meal plan?

~ Marie Anne

Do I Need to Drain Cucumbers?

Because of their high water content, cucumbers are a great low-calorie vegetable to include in side dishes or eat as a healthy snack.  That same water can wreak havoc in a recipe, however.  So should you drain your cucumbers before you use them?  In depends on what you're using them for, and how quickly they will be eaten.

If you're going to just slice and eat your cucumbers as-is without adding anything else to them other than salt and pepper or vinegar, or tossing on top of a green salad that will be eaten quickly, then do just that - slice and eat.  Since they won't be sitting in any other ingredients that will get soggy from the extra water, there's no harm to be done.

If, however, you will be making a cucumber salad or anything where they will be combined with other ingredients in a sauce or dressing of any kind, you might want to drain them first.  If the dish won't be eaten within an hour or so, the water content of the cucumbers will drastically change the consistency of the dressing, making it appear curdled, or at least watered down.  It's not something I would find appealing, and certainly wouldn't want that unwelcome surprise if serving guests.  Cucumber sandwiches will also get soggy quickly, as the bread would soak up the water, so make sure to drain first before making finger sandwiches, or your appetizers won't be very appetizing.

So how do you drain cucumbers?  It's very simple.  Peel (if desired) and slice your cucumbers, then layer the slices in a colander, sprinkle salt over them, and let them sit.  You won't see the water come pouring out from the cucumber like you would when emptying a can of vegetables, but it will drain slowly - 20 to 30 minutes should be sufficient.  When done, you can layer the slices on a sheet of paper towels and pat lightly if you want.

Will adding salt to the cucumber alter the dish you're preparing?  Not significantly.  Most of the salt will drain out with the water, but I always taste-test as I'm cooking, so would know whether my cucumber salad needed less salt than usual.

Draining cucumbers does take a few minutes, but the process itself couldn't be easier.  If you set them up to drain while fixing the rest of your meal, it won't add any prep time at all other than the minute to peel and slice.

~ Marie Anne

MA's Cucumber Salad

Courtesy of Group-Ethnographies

I'm not much of a pickle eater, (except sweet gherkins), but I love cucumbers, especially when made into a cucumber salad.  I fell in love with this concoction a number of years ago when my former mother-in-law made it, and it quickly became a staple in my own home.    I probably don't make it exactly as she did, but her two sons who often ate it at my house swore that my version was better than their own mother's.  I don't know if that's true or not, but they couldn't get enough of it, often fighting over the last slices in the bowl, and I wasn't going to argue with them.

I'm no gourmet cook and don't measure things when I throw them together, so I'll give you the list of ingredients, and you can probably wing it as good as I can from there.

Sour cream
Mayonaise
Miracle Whip (generic is fine)
Cucumbers
Onion
Vinegar
Salt and pepper
Sugar

To make it, simply -

Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and Miracle Whip in a medium sized bowl in approximately equal amounts.  (Even if you hate Miracle Whip, trust me, mixed with the rest of the ingredients, it makes this dish).  I use the largest spoon in my silverware drawer and start with one heaping spoonful of each, then add more depending on how many/how large a cucumber I'll be adding.

Stir together until smooth (a wire whisk is handy at this point), then pour in just a tablespoon or two of vinegar.  Cut onion into chunks and add that to the bowl, then a pinch or two of sugar, just enough to offset the vinegar, but not make it too sweet.  Top off with salt and pepper to taste, and maybe garlic salt or whatever other seasonings you might like.

Peel a cucumber and cut in half, then into quarters, then into chunks.  (I like to cut mine into slightly thicker chunks rather than slicing thinly so that it doesn't get soggy too quickly).  Add the cucumber to the prepared dressing and toss to cover completely.  Serve immediately, or chill slightly to serve no more than an hour or two later.

If I'm making this for myself, I only use half of a large cucumber at a time, as leaving the cucumber to sit in the dressing for more than a few hours will water it down and make it soggy or appear curdled.  (Cucumbers have a very high water content which will break down the rest of the ingredients the longer it sits.  To combat that, you can drain the cucumbers first).  I'll eat half the cucumber, then cover the dressing and refrigerate to use for the other half the next day.  Leftover dressing will keep for at least 2-3 days in the fridge, so I add another dab of each ingredient if necessary to give me enough to cover the second piece of cucumber.

If you want to make this salad ahead but don't want to drain the cucumbers, make the dressing first and add the cucumber shortly before serving.

This is another of those foods that I think tastes better with onions in it, but I don't actually eat the onion (I don't mind onion flavor, but can't stand biting into one ... ick).  If you don't like onions either, try it anyway; I don't think this cucumber salad is as good without it.  Also, I don't like tomatoes, but my brother-in-law loved chopped tomatoes along with the cucumber in his.  The red 'maters added a nice pop of color to the dish too.

This is a quick throw-together side dish that can round out most any meal.  If you don't mind eating the peel on a cucumber, you can save a few seconds more by not peeling it first.  Play with this and tweak the ingredients to suit your own taste.  I'm sure it'll be a hit at your house too.

~ Marie Anne

Make Ahead Hamburgers Save Prep Time for a Quick Meal

(Courtesy of simplyscratch.com)

Since I live alone, I seldom cook a 'real' meal ... too much trouble for just one person.  Still, I'm trying to eat healthy, so I need to come up with ways to make things that I can throw together easily so that I don't end up eating something I shouldn't, just because it's convenient.

One of the ways I do that is by making individual hamburger patties and seasoning them before putting in the freezer.  Sometimes I'll take regular ground beef and form my own patties, but since coming back to NC, I've been finding pre-made fresh hamburger patties at the commissary in the 'manager's special' bin that are marked down,  so I grab them whenever I see them.

When I get home, I take each individual patty and season it with ground black pepper, onion salt, garlic salt and just a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, and then freeze them individually. By doing it that way, I can easily take out one burger at a time for lunch or dinner, and even if I forget to do it earlier in the day, it doesn't take much time to thaw a single hamburger as it would a whole package of ground beef.  If you're making your own patties, just put the ground beef in a large enough bowl that will allow you to season it all at once and then form the patties.

I was freezing them in small round plastic containers, but as often happens, some of mine seem to have disappeared, so until I buy more, I've been putting each patty in a sandwich bag, then putting all of those bags into a gallon sized freezer bag.  That way they are more protected from freezer burn, but still easy to take out and fix one at a time.  I can also reuse the larger bag since no food actually touches it.  I want to go back to packaging them with less waste, so I'm thinking about buying a hamburger press set which also has the container to freeze them in.

Tonight's dinner consisted of one such patty that I fried in a small skillet, topped with a sliced fresh mushroom, with a side of MA's Cucumber Salad.  It was very satisfying, and the burger took literally no prep time, and the salad only a minute or two to throw together.

I don't like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so anything I can do to cut down prep time and still eat healthy is a win.

~ Marie Anne

P.S.  Here's another tip on saving time and money by prepping vegetables ahead too!

Do You Waste Money Throwing Vegetables Away?

Spoiled vegetables tossed in the trash - I know I don't have the market on this wasteful behavior.  I have the best of intentions when I go to the grocery store and buy vegetables, yet often still end up throwing some away ... and I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes more gets tossed than eaten.  What a waste!

I'm getting better, though.  One thing that really helps me is to cut up the vegetables when I get home so they're handy to throw into a meal or grab a quick snack.  It only takes a minute or two, and I have a really big glass bowl with lid that will hold a whole head of chopped cauliflower and bunch of broccoli crowns.

I often make a 2-egg omelet of sorts for breakfast, and it's easy to grab a hunk of cauliflower and broccoli to chop into smaller pieces and scatter over the eggs as they cook, usually adding a chopped mushroom and bit of shredded cheddar cheese.  Yum!   The chopped vegetables also make it easier to toss into a stir-fry dish, making a healthy, tasty meal in minutes if you have pre-cooked chicken or beef on hand.

Watching TV and craving something crunchy?  Your bowl of chopped veggies will be sitting there, all ready and waiting.  Drizzle a little salad dressing over a small bowl of vegetables, or fix an easy dip with sour cream and herbs and spices.  It's a healthy way to get your crunch on without the carbs and processed junk in chips, pretzels, or popcorn.

If things are a bit crazy when you get home with the groceries, at least try to get the vegetables cut up before you go to bed that night.  Do it often enough and it will become a habit - a healthy one that you won't mind your kids picking up.

~ Marie Anne
 

Whole30 Compliant Applesauce Salad Dressing - For More Than Just Salads

Applesauce Salad Dressing
© Marie Anne St. Jean

I love to eat a big green lettuce salad with button mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese, and apple chunks, and usually had it with ranch dressing.  Since starting Whole30, I can't have the cheese, and I can't have my usual dressing. What to do?  I had almost two full heads of lettuce in the fridge that I didn't want to waste, and really needed it to add another vegetable to my rotation. I tried making a compliant Dump Ranch dressing and it didn't come out very well, or at least I didn't care for it. I thought it to be very bland, and almost bitter, and I needed something a little sweeter to dress my salad.

Realizing that unsweetened apple sauce is compliant on the Whole30 plan, I wondered if I could somehow use it to make a dressing that would satisfy me?  Apple chunks in my salad were sweet, so perhaps an applesauce dressing would do the trick.  Off to the interwebz to search!

I found this recipe for Awesome Applesauce Salad Dressing that looked pretty good, so decided to give it a shot.  I didn't have mint leaves, but didn't see where that would be a big deal.  The first time I made this, I couldn't get my jar of minced garlic open, so I substituted a compliant garlic powder instead, and it was fine.  I did use the minced garlic from a jar the other times I've made it, and it's amazing.  Dried basil got tossed into the mix instead of fresh, but it still worked.

After mixing the ingredients in the amounts listed, I found the apple cider vinegar to be a bit overpowering, so I added more applesauce, a little at a time, until I settled on a taste that was palatable to me.  If I had to guess, I'd say I ended up with more like 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce, but stayed with the amounts listed in the original recipe for the other liquid ingredients.  I also used my new stick immersion blender instead of dragging out the big one, and it worked fine.  Super easy cleanup? Bonus!

Since I couldn't wait to see how it worked on an actual green salad, I filled my bowl with torn iceberg lettuce and sliced a couple of good sized button mushrooms on top.  I decided to omit my usual apple chunks since I was using the applesauce dressing.

The verdict?  I loved it!  No, it wasn't the same as my apple and cheese-topped salad, but it was Whole30 compliant, and it was good.  I don't like tomatoes, so just the lettuce and mushrooms was fine with me, but you could add just about anything else you wanted to this and I'm sure the applesauce dressing would be just as tasty.   It still had a bit of a punch with the apple cider vinegar, but not so much as to make you pucker up.  I would imagine if you like any sort of vinaigrette, you would enjoy this applesauce dressing too.

As I dished out the rest of my meal, I had an a-ha moment.  What would the applesauce dressing taste like on my chicken breast and red potatoes?  Only one way to find out!  I drizzled the dressing lightly over the chicken and potatoes and put it in the microwave for just a few seconds so that the dressing wouldn't chill the rest, and called it good.

Chicken/veggie mix with applesauce dressing
© Marie Anne St. Jean

The whole thing was delicious!  I enjoyed it so much that I poured it over breakfast this morning too (which consisted of the leftover chicken, a couple of cubes of sweet potato, and some steamed broccoli ... who said breakfast had to be eggs?)

This applesauce salad dressing will be a staple in my kitchen for sure.  The majority of my meals end up being a mix and match stir-fry kinda thing from whatever I have in the fridge, and I think it will be tasty over both beef or pork as well as chicken, and most any vegetable.  I don't think I'll try it over eggs, but the boiled shrimp I'll be fixing in the next day or two will definitely get a drenching.

Since there is a good amount of olive oil in this dressing, it should count as a fat if I use enough of it over my meal, which is also a bonus for me.  I struggle with getting enough fat from regular foods, and didn't want to rely on my homemade clarified butter for every meal.

If you try my version of applesauce salad dressing, please let me know what you think!  I'd love to hear how it works out for others.

~ Marie Anne

Updating:  I've been using this applesauce salad dressing on EVERYTHING!  If I'm working out in the morning, I chop a hard boiled egg and add a little of this dressing and that gives me the little bit of protein and fat before I get on the treadmill.  I use it on salads (of course), and just about any meat and vegetables that I throw in the skillet to stir fry or make a hash, this applesauce salad dressing goes on top after I dish it up.  Since apples go well with pork, this dressing makes an AWESOME-SAUCE (see what I did there?) to go on pork chops as well.

Ghee, it's not so hard to make after all!

My biggest problem with the Whole30 program is still getting enough fat into my meals.  Sounds like a good problem to have, right?  But it's not.  I need GOOD fat, and there's only so much olive oil and coconut milk I can handle.  It's easy to add nuts to the mix and get the fat in there, but you're supposed to use nuts sparingly on the Whole30 plan, and I've been trying to stick to that.  I knew I needed butter to put on my potatoes and other vegetables, so that meant making my own ghee (also called clarified butter).

I'd have made it earlier this week when I started the plan, but I didn't have anything to strain the milk solids out of the butter with.  They say you can use cheesecloth, but I didn't have any, so I ordered some nut milk bags from amazon and they came in today.  I couldn't wait to rip open the box and put them to use.  I needed my ghee!

© Marie Anne St. Jean

The Whole30 book says to cube four sticks of butter, but I didn't see where it would make any difference how much you used because you're just melting the butter by itself, not adding anything else where a ratio of one ingredient to another might matter.  Not wanting to waste a whole pound of butter if I messed it up somehow, I decided to start with just two sticks.

So... here's how to make your own ghee.

Simply cut the butter into chunks and put into a small saucepan and melt it on medium/low heat, and don't stir it.  Once it melts down and starts simmering, white stuff will float to the top - that's the milk solids that you DON'T want, as they're not Whole30 compliant.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

After it's simmered for a bit, take a spoon and skim the white stuff off the top of the melted butter and discard it.  That should get rid of most of the milk solids, but you'll still need to strain it good to make sure you got it all.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

My nut milk bags were kinda stiff, so I had to think about how best to approach this step of the process.  I decided to try putting the empty bowl to catch the butter inside the nut milk bag and pour it through that way.  It was a bit tricky as it wanted to roll around on top of and off the side of the bag, but as soon as I poured it on top, I lightly pressed a spoon down over the bag to make a slight indentation, so that it would flow through that spot over the bowl.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

It might not have been the best solution, but it worked.  As fine a mesh as the bag was, it didn't seem like it caught much of anything, so I drained it through a second time.  It still didn't catch much, so I guess I must have done a good job when I first spooned out the solids.

After straining, I poured it into a glass measuring cup to make pouring easier, and put it into a large baby food jar to cool.  The two sticks of butter that I started with yielded slightly more than the baby food jar full.  I still needed to make something for dinner, so I used what little was left in the measuring cup, so I didn't need to scramble to find another jar.

Here's the clarified butter just after taking off the stove -

© Marie Anne St. Jean

And after it settled for just a few minutes.  You can see at the bottom of the jar that it's already starting to solidify.

© Marie Anne St. Jean

After more cooling and settling, into the fridge it goes, ready to add to my next meal!

© Marie Anne St. Jean

It really is as easy as that.

• Cut butter into chunks
• Melt and simmer slowly until white stuff appears
• Skim white stuff and discard
• Strain to get rid of more white stuff
• Pour into glass jar
• Allow to cool, then refrigerate

I'm so happy that it's such a simple process, because I doubt I'd make it the full 30 days of the Whole30 without it.  This solves a huge problem for me, and I can't wait to try ghee on my breakfast veggies in the morning!

~ Marie Anne

Dump Ranch Dressing, First Attempt

My stick blender arrived this morning so I immediately grabbed what I needed to make Dump Ranch dressing.  Without it, I've been having a hard time finding the fat required with my meals when following Whole30 so I've been anxious to try it.  This Dump Ranch recipe uses olive oil and coconut milk, both compliant fats on Whole30, so if I use this in salad or as a sauce over vegetables, I'll meet my fat requirements easily.

I didn't have everything on the ingredient list, so I modified mine just a bit.  I didn't have red wine vinegar and was afraid regular red cooking wine wouldn't be compliant, so I just omitted that.  My herbs were limited, so I just added what I had - a little oregano and basil.  The garlic and onion salts that I have on hand aren't compliant (both have other fillers in them - ugh), so I went with just salt and pepper, and a little chopped garlic.  Sigh - more things I'll have to add to my ever-growing shopping list.

My immersion blender didn't fit down into the neck of the jar that I had planned on storing the Dump Ranch in, so I used a large glass measuring cup, then poured the results into my jar when done.  No biggie, just means I had one extra thing to wash.  I chunked everything into the measuring cup and commenced to blending.  Everything whipped up just fine and looked great, so I did a taste test by dunking my finger in it.

Hmm ... kinda bland.  I added a little more garlic then grabbed an onion and cut a very small chunk, minced it, and tossed that in too.  Tasted again; still needed something.  Added more salt and pepper, and then it ended up too salty.  I poured just a tad more coconut milk into the mix and called it good.  It's not the tastiest thing I've ever made, but poured over other foods, it'll be fine. It'll sure beat the coconut  milk I added to my tea this morning.

I do miss the sweetness of a store-bought dressing, but maybe the red wine vinegar will help with that.  I probably won't miss it as much in my salad because I add apple to that, which will add quite a bit of sweetness.

All in all, I feel I've realized a modicum of success in my first attempt at making Dump Ranch dressing.  I expect I'll be experimenting with this basic recipe as I go along and will be sure to write about my successes (and failures).  I've never used fresh herbs much, but plan on seeing what I can find locally.  Maybe I'll even try growing my own.

Veggies will be on my plate with lunch, and salad is on the  menu with dinner tonight, and I can't wait to try this!

~ Marie Anne

Whole30 R1D1 Done!

Woo-hoo!  I completed Round 1, Day 1 of the Whole30 program, and lived to tell about it!  It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be.  I've done the (extreme) low-carb thing in the past and the first few days were pretty rough, but I didn't have any major issues yesterday at all.  My biggest fear was that I'd run out of energy, and I had a fitness goal to meet.  Thankfully, that never materialized.  I got two decent treadmill sessions in and logged a total of 83 active minutes, and managed to get almost 15,000 steps (6.2 miles) in before the day was done.  Go me!  I didn't feel overly tired or hungry at all, which really surprised me.  I know that can change drastically as I move forward with the program, but I'm ok with it.  I know this is where I'm meant to be right now, so I'm going to see it through.

I'm anxious to get my stick blender in today so that I can make some dump dressing and mayonnaise that I can use as my fat on vegetables and such.  Right now I'm struggling to get enough fat in my meals because I don't have the means to make my own ghee (clarified butter) yet either (my nutbags to strain the milk fat out of the butter will be here tomorrow, I think).  I'm using coconut milk and olive oil where I can, but don't really care for the taste of either of them plain, so I'm using them sparingly.  I've added a few nuts (pistachios, almonds, or walnuts) to round out my meals if I feel I haven't added enough fat elsewhere.  Nuts are supposed to be eaten in moderation, but are ok here and there, but I want to avoid using them as a crutch.

Breakfast this morning was a small hamburger patty fried in a little of the fatty solid of coconut milk, a two-egg omelet (frittata?) with a bit more coconut milk, fresh mushroom, and broccoli.  Extra broccoli on the side, a few almonds, and half of a fresh pear completed the meal, washed down by a cup of tea with a splash of coconut milk (which I don't care for, but wasn't really spit-it-out gross, so I'll suck it up).

The photo isn't pinterest-worthy, 
but the meal was tummy-worthy!
© Marie Anne St. Jean

I made country style pork ribs with roasted red potatoes yesterday for dinner, both with drizzled olive oil and chopped garlic, and there's enough left for at least one more meal, maybe two, accompanied by another vegetable, so the rest of today's fare will be a little easier to put together.  I'm going to try to do as much prep ahead of time as I can, especially cooking meat that will last for a few meals.  I can throw white or sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time, and that will help too.

So ... R1D1 is in the can, and I'm ready for day two food-wise, and will hit the treadmill for my first session shortly to take care of the fitness end of things.

~ Marie Anne

Whole30 Decision Time - I'm Going In!

After finding out about the Whole30 program, the other night, I knew this is what I needed to get my eating under control, as well as some health issues that I'm facing.  Anyone who knows me knows that when I decide I want to do something, I want to do it RIGHT NOW, in pretty much every area of my life.

Whole30 was no different, and once I read a little about it, I wanted to start right then, on January 1, to begin the New Year on the right foot.

After further exploring the program, I knew that it wasn't smart to tackle such a severely limited regimen without some prep work first, so I put my first idea on hold for a bit.  They actually recommend that you put a lot of thought into your start date so that you don't set yourself up for failure, so delaying my decision lined up with that.

But ... I'm ready now!  I'm going to start tomorrow morning, Monday, January 4, 2016.

Today I made my shopping list of foods that are compliant on Whole30 and off I went to Aldi, Sam's Club, and Walmart to pick up enough for at least the first few days of the program.  I don't normally buy much meat so just the big pack of hamburger and country pork ribs just about put me over my food budget for the month, and the $10 jar of almond butter almost made me cry, but all three of those things will last quite a while, so I just chucked it in the cart and moved on.

I already had eggs, oranges, lettuce, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and chicken at home that are compliant, so the only other things I bought today besides the meat and almond butter was coconut milk, white potatoes, pears, and a cucumber.  The apples and bananas at Walmart sucked and they didn't have any grapes, so I'll pick those up elsewhere this week.

Breakfast tomorrow will be interesting since I don't have any compliant breakfast meats, but I'll make do.  Omelette made with eggs, coconut milk, mushrooms, and broccoli sounds like a good start, and I might throw in a handful of ground beef with it.  I can mix up a sauce of some sort with the coconut milk and drizzle that over the egg to get more fat in, and have a pear or half an orange (I have to watch the citrus since my ph level was pretty high last week).  A splash of coconut milk in my (usually black) tea should complete the meal.

I'm not big on fixing fancy meals, so lunch and dinner will most likely just be a serving of meat with sweet or white potato, and other veggies with a compliant sauce or salad with dump ranch dressing.  I see a lot of repetition in my future, but I do that now anyway, so it's not a big deal.

So, I'm off and running, and ready to do this thing.  I'm determined to do the Whole30!

~ Marie Anne

New Year's Day and I've Already Failed?

I'm putting myself on report.  I just made a resolution yesterday and have already blown it within the first hours of New Year's Day.

Ok, maybe not a failure, but at least a setback.  And to be fair, I do have a valid reason.  A couple of them, actually.  Let me explain.

I blogged yesterday that while I've increased my walking/jogging mileage greatly in the last couple of months, the weight still wasn't coming off, so I was going to make a concerted effort to cut back on the junk food (easier said than done when you're a true carb addict, but I digress).  That part of my resolution still stands.

Later in the day I learned about the Whole30 program, which is much more strict and cuts out just about everything except fresh meat, fruits, and vegetables with no added anything.  Convinced that this is what I need to do, I went on record with a second blog post about Whole30 and was going to start it this morning.

After some voracious reading about the Whole30 plan last night, I realize that starting the full plan today isn't the best idea for me.  I have several foods in my house that I thought were on the Whole30 list of acceptable foods, but I was wrong.  Money is more than tight right now and I can't afford to not eat this food that I already have, at least the stuff that's barely been opened.  I'm still going to get rid of the true junk food (no candy, cookies, etc), but will finish eating the small amount of cheese I have, and the big bag of frozen breakfast sausage patties I just bought a few days ago.  I just can't afford to replace those items right now with something that is on the Whole30 list.

I thought the sausage patties were going to be ok, but the ingredient list does show a small amount of sugar.  The Whole30 plan doesn't allow for ANY cheating whatsoever, no matter how insignificant  you think it might be, so I'm doomed before I even start.  They recommend you plan ahead before starting the program, and get rid of things that aren't acceptable, and stock up on those that are so that you're ready to go on Day 1.  I'm not ready.  Rather than say I'm going to start today and then lie about it (which won't do ME any good, which is the goal here), I'm going to put it off for a few days.

So my new resolution is to avoid the really bad stuff altogether, but finish up some of the stuff that might not be so bad, yet isn't allowed on the Whole30 plan.  I might not wait until the whole bag of sausage and every loaf of bread is gone, but I'll see where it goes.  I won't have any extra money available until later in the month to stock up on the good stuff, but will be able to pick up a few necessary items in the next few days, so I'm going to do a modified plan for now and pick a firm start date when I reevaluate what I have in my cupboard and freezer.

I really want to follow the plan exactly as it's designed for the full 30 days, and if it takes pushing back Day 1 for several days or a week, so be it.  I don't want to set myself up for failure right out of the gate, and I want to be true to the Whole30 program's design.

I did throw away the rest of the chocolates I got yesterday, though.  Go me!
(I won't tell you how many were left, however).

~ Marie Anne

Is Whole30 for me?

I was chatting with friends in my Leap4Life Facebook group about changes we're hoping to make in 2016 to help us get/stay fit and healthy, and one friend mentioned that she's going to do Whole30 in January.  Not being familiar with it, I looked it up, and wow, what a program!  It's similar to a paleo diet, but even more strict and requires that you follow it religiously for a full 30 days, with NO cheating whatsoever, not even the tiniest little bit.

I've done the low-carb thing in the past and lost a lot of weight in a very short period with virtually no added activity, so I know this would work for me, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to tackle something with that many restrictions again.  Still, what I'm doing now (which is really nothing!) isn't working.  As a carb addict, I can't control myself and I have no one here to keep me accountable.  The dogs don't care if I sit and eat a whole package of cookies in one day.   I've increased my activity level considerably in the last few months, but it hasn't helped yet, and won't as long as I'm binging on junk in between walks.  I've got to kick the addiction, and the only way to do that is cold turkey.

Is this something I can stick with long-term?  I don't know, but the idea behind Whole30 is to severely limit the type of foods you eat for the full 30 days so that your body is starting with a clean slate, then you can reintroduce certain foods and see what you can tolerate.  It really does sound like a great plan and I think I've talked myself into trying it.  There are a few things I already know will be really difficult for me to give up (No cheese?  Yikes!), but if I just look at it for the short term, I think I can do it.  What's 30 days, right?

The other thing that I know I'll have trouble with isn't food related at all, but will still bug me - not being able to weigh myself until the 30 day period is over.  I always weigh myself first thing every morning and that will be a real change in my daily routine.  Still, if the program requires that I weigh myself the first day and not again until after 30 days, then I guess I'll just put the scale away.

If you want to see what it's all about, check out the Whole30 website. You can find the accompanying books that outline the plan as well as recipe books by following this link to Whole30 on amazon.

So I guess this blog post puts it on record, and I'm now accountable to all of you to at least try the Whole30 plan.  Wish me luck!

~ Marie Anne

Coconut Flour Lemon Bread Recipe – First Attempt

Finished Coconut Flour Lemon Bread
©Marie Anne St. Jean

I’m still trying to get back on the low-carb bandwagon, and have been researching alternatives to baking with white or wheat flower.  I found organic coconut flour at my local Mennonite/Amish market, so thought I’d give that a try.  I don’t know how coconut flour compares to regular flour in carb count, but it is gluten free and likely better for me in that regard, so I figured I’d give it a try.  Paleo is another new dietary regimen buzz word, and I guess coconut flour fits into that program also.

I’ve never used coconut flour (or any flour other than made from wheat), so I did a little research first to see how it compares to white flour when baking.  I’m glad I did, because I found that it reacts so much differently than regular flour, and requires more liquid than you would think.   I searched for bread recipes with coconut flour and found several, and they took between 6 and a full dozen eggs – yikes!  Most called for a sugar substitute as the sweetener, with some giving directions for using white sugar, but I decided to try honey instead and added a little lemon juice to liven things up a bit, thinking since honey is more liquid than sugar, I could use less eggs.

I think what I came up with worked out great.  Coconut flour isn’t going to give you a real bakery bread-like texture, but will result in something more akin to cornbread.  Think of it as banana bread without the bananas – it’s not sweet, but not like ‘real’ bread either. This isn’t something you can make sandwiches with, but it’ll taste good with a pot of beans, or with a little butter and honey or jam with your morning coffee or tea.

Since the trick to working with coconut flour is getting the ratio of flour to liquid correct, I was surprised that I nailed it on the first try.  Here’s my recipe, followed by notes of what I might change next time:

Ingredients for Coconut Flour Lemon Bread

¾ cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

5 eggs

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/3 cup honey

1 tbls lemon juice

Sift together coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a bowl.

Mix together eggs, butter, and honey in separate bowl until well blended.  (If the butter is lumpy, use a mixer on low for a minute or so, and break up lumps as much as possible).

Add sifted dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix well by hand (a heavy spatula worked well for me), adding lemon juice.  Batter will be thicker and less liquid than cake batter, but not as stiff as cookie batter (it will resemble cornbread batter at this point).

Spoon mixture into a greased loaf pan (it doesn't pour well) and bake at 350* for 40 minutes.  Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Mixture will resemble cornbread dough
©Marie Anne St. Jean

Notes: 

- I wasn’t sure how much honey would be needed as a sweetener, so I started with approximately 1/3 cup, but don’t think the result was quite sweet enough.  I’ll probably increase to ½ cup when I make this again.

- I also wasn’t sure how much lemon juice I should add, so I started with 1 tablespoon.  I didn’t really get the lemony flavor I desired, so will increase to 2 tablespoons the next time I make this recipe.

- Since bread made with coconut flour doesn’t really rise, it looked pretty skimpy in the loaf pan.  I think I’ll try using smaller loaf pans next time.  I might also increase the coconut flour to a full cup and add an extra egg, and increase the amount of honey and lemon by a small amount if using a regular sized loaf pan again.

Fresh out of the oven
©Marie Anne St. Jean

If you make coconut lemon bread using this recipe, please let me know how it turns out, and whether you tried any of the changes that I suggested.  I've already eaten half of this first loaf this afternoon, so I'll undoubtedly be trying the new variations soon, and will post my results again.

Now that I've tried coconut flour, I think I'll try making my own almond flour and see what I can do with that.

~ Marie Anne

(Yes, you can even buy organic coconut flour through amazon.com)

Another Low-Carb Trick - Cabbage for Lasagna Noodles

Photo by Eirik Newth

I made a post the other day about low-carb pizza crust made with cauliflower, and mentioned that now I needed to find a substitute for pasta.  Well Tay must have heard me, because she came up with a recipe to use cabbage in place of lasagna noodles.   I don't see how cabbage could work as a replacement for regular spaghetti, but lasagna works for me!

Her recipe doesn't include meat, but I would definitely add a layer of ground beef and sausage to make this more like a true lasagna.  I like my lasagna to have a thick layer of meat and honestly, the lasagna noodles are secondary to the meat and cheese, in my opinion.  Since both meat and cheese are ok to use while following a low-carb diet, I'm definitely putting this on my list to try soon.  I don't buy cabbage often, but I have a half head left from dinner the other night, but not sure I have any ground beef on hand, so it still might have to wait a few days.

I wonder how it would work with a layer of cauliflower in place of the lasagna noodles?  I'll give that a try too and report back!

What's your favorite part of homemade lasagna?

~ Marie Anne

Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Photo courtesy of Taylor Rios

I fell off the wagon so hard that I hurt myself, and it's been a struggle to get back on.  I really need to buckle down and do the low-carb thing again, as it's the only thing that works for me since I have a true carb addiction.  Some of the things I really miss when following a low-carb diet are bread, pasta, and pizza.  My friend Tay has come up with a low carb pizza crust made from cauliflower, so this might be just the thing to encourage me to keep at it.

It doesn't take many ingredients, but I'll have to remember to keep grated parmesan cheese on hand as I don't use that too often.  I haven't actually tried the cauliflower pizza crust yet, but I have done mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes and like that just fine, so I'm pretty sure I can take Tay's word on this one.

If you try out her recipe, please let me know how you liked it.

Now to find a good substitute for pasta ... still working on that one!

~ Marie Anne

Make Healthy Food Portions Easy to Grab

It's no secret that eating healthier foods is something we all should strive for, but it's so much easier to grab something pre-packaged.  The food industry's single serving sizes are easy to grab from the cupboard, but most contain preservatives and fillers that might not be the best choices, and they're usually more expensive too.

To combat that, instead of buying those higher priced items, take your cue from them and make healthier foods easier to grab when you're on the go.

Pre-cut veggies are great for a quick snack

Soon after I get home from the grocery store, I rinse my fresh broccoli and cauliflower, cut it up, and put in a large container to be ready for quick snacking.  Doing it all at once takes only a few minutes, and having the fresh vegetables ready to go makes it easier later when I want something to munch on, but don't feel like fixing anything. A small bowl of veggies with a bit of ranch dressing beats calorie-laden junk food any day.