Good afternoon!
Thanks for all your comments about Shop 4 A Cause 2! It is so nice to have such amazing support. This morning I baked my little heart out trying to get caught up on orders. I feel a bit frantic today with everything I need to get done. Yesterday put me out of a day’s work so I am playing the catch up game. I just need to take a deep breath and do one thing at a time. I have a tendency to overwhelm myself when I think of everything at once! It is in my personality to stress when I feel out of control, but I am trying to re-frame my approach and be calm and centered. Om.
I took Tuesday and Wednesday off exercise, so today I decided to squeeze in a much needed endorphin rush in the form of a short outdoor run. I filled up my Camelbak and prepared for the HEAT! I don’t know if I have said this, but I LOVE, love, love my Camelbak (1.5 litre). I don’t know how I survived the past 2 summers of running without water! I was always very hesitant to purchase one because I heard that they jiggled around a lot, but I don’t find that is the case. The only thing I had to get used to was the extra weight on my back.
I am still debating whether I will wear the Camelbak for my half marathon this Sunday. The weather is supposed to be very hot and sunny so I am thinking of taking it and filling it with energy juice. In my last two half marathons, I found that the water stations were not as frequent as I wanted them to be. In Sunday’s race I will have to claim that I ‘ran out of water’ so I can make a pit stop at the firefighter’s water station. :kissing: Did I mention this race is all women and has chocolate and firefighters at water stations? Umm yea. Don’t be surprised if my finishing time is 6 hours…
Today’s run (the last run before the half marathon this Sunday!)
- Distance: 3.23 miles
- Time: 29:07 mins
- Pace: 9:01 min/mile
- Ascent: 389 feet
I came home hungry for lunch!
For some reason I was craving zucchinis…
Into the frying pan they went along with 1/2 tbsp EVOO, sea salt, and ground black pepper!
Confession: Back in my eating disorder days, I would NEVER use oil in any of my cooking. I was so scared of oil…no terrified of it. My fat and caloric intake were dangerously low for a long time.
When I started the recovery process, I tried to get over this fear and I started using healthy fats in small quantities. Little by little I grew to love healthy fats from chia seeds, nuts, and oils. I also started calling fat PHAT to make it more endearing and less scary. :tongue:
I must say that a bit of olive oil added to a dish makes the food taste SO much better. A little fat also helps with the absorption of many vitamins too! It’s a win, win. It just took me 20 some odd years to catch on…Better late than never, right?
After about 5-10 minutes of frying, I covered the zucchini in about 3/4 cup of President’s Choice Organic Pasta Sauce and seasoned more. Sooooooo good.
I had it with a huge white roll with Earth Balance.
I never thought I would say this, but I MUCH prefer whole grain bread to white bread. White bread just seems so flavourless compared to bread with whole grains, seeds, etc. It also lacks texture and crunch in a huge way!
It was still good, don’t get me wrong! :biggrin:
Dessert was an organic Gala apple with cashew nut butter. Mmmmm.
Cashew butter rules.
I’m off to try to get caught up. I might not have time tonight for a post, but I will try my best. If not, I will see you in the morning. I also tried uploading my video and it got to 95% and then had an error. I think it is too long still so I need to cut it down more…haha. Enjoy your Thursday (can’t believe it is already Thursday!).
{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }
I love fats. I think healthy fats are so tasty. I have to say that avocado is my fave!
I used to avoid fats, too. But I think fat-free cooking doesn’t leave me satisfied. A little fat isn’t going to kill you or make you fat or jack up your cholesterol. In moderation, it’s actually part of a balanced diet!
a little fat makes everything better…it’s good for so many things, but i find that a little goes a long way in creating MENTAL satiety as well since it adds such great dimension of flavor too! i think i need to try cashew butter soon…it sounds amazing!
I wish they called the good fats something else…it can really mess with your brain! I love the healthy fats too and have really enjoyed incorporating coconut into my diet the past year. I never used to like avocados either but love them. I love zucc but I think I burnt Chris out on it…we ate it quite a lot last summer! hehehe
hurray for healthy fats! they are such an integral part of the human diet…avoiding them is just unnatural! :) i’ve never tried cashew butter…but i love cashews and i love nut butters, so i’m thinking i should go out and find some!
This week sounds like it’s been very hectic for you! I don’t know how you keep going. It must be all that good food! ;-)
You’re missing out on all the zucchini skin goodness :(
I was just going to mention that too. Why do you skin your zucchini? I think mine would completely fall apart if it weren’t for the skin, but maybe I like it over-cooked :)
No reason…sometimes I do sometimes I don’t depending on my mood. :)
I’m glad someone asked about that because I was wondering the same thing! I’ve never peeled a zucchini before. Looks just like cucumber without the peel!
fire fighters and chocolate!! now thats my kind of race!
ya u would for sure bring the camelback! its gonna be a hot one on sunday! good luck, angela! u will rock it!
I think fats are my favorite macronutrient! I eat so much peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower seed butter, couldn’t live without it :-)
have you seen any of the news recently about studies that are starting to show that saturated fat isn’t actually linked to heart disease and may be good for you? it was really interesting to me…some experts are starting to say that fat found in meat, butter, etc. is actually good for you as well. of course, you wouldn’t eat those anyway, but I’m interested to hear if you have any thoughts on that or have heard anything similar.
I haven’t seen any studies myself, but I do remember in my nutrition courses they told us that sat fat was WAY over blown and it is mainly trans fat to be worried about.
I def. went through a “fat free phase” too. My skin was bad and I was cranky :( Life is definitely better (and I’m a lot healthier) with FAT err phat ;)
And I agree on grainy vs. white bread. I don’t get it! It’s like people are afraid of flavors…
Healthy fats really add good flavor, and taste so good! I’m glad they’re in my life:)
I love the combination of zucchini + tomatoes + italian herbs! I know people would look at me funny if i used a camelbak for my runs since they are only a few miles now, but I’m slow and I get thirsty! lol. Do they make a mini-camelbak for fun runners?
I’m not sure if they have one smaller than mine 1.5 litre…mine is quite small in my opinion. Its worth checking I guess!
Gosh I love zuchinni… I’m loving it roasted right now!
I’m the same in that I get super stressed when I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’ve learned to just write down what I need to do and start checking it off, one at a time. It helps (for the most part) but I’ve still got some learnin’ to do!
I was also terrified to use oil until only this past year and you’re right, it DOES make things taste so much better! When I first started losing weight and started tracking my food I realized that I had between 0-10g per day of fat in my diet! Once I upped that I started losing weight! Go figure!
It took me a while to not be afraid of fat too. I grew up during the “fat is horrible for you” era of the 80s and 90s, when Snackwell’s cookies were king, so it took a while to reverse that mindset for me. But now I embrace healthy fats!! Had a big scoop of avocado on my salad, along with nuts for lunch today! :-)
I took my Camelbak on my half marathon last Sunday. I went back and forth about it for a long time but I am so glad I went with it. I’ve actually used it on all three halfs that I’ve run. It’s nice to be able to drink when I need to and not have to worry about the crowds at the slow downs at the water stations or choking – I’ll admit, I haven’t mastered drinking out of a cup while running!
IM SOLD! hehe
I love zukes too, had them roasted for dinner tonight:)
You should totally take water with you for the half-marathon if its going to be very warm. It was very hot in the UK at the weekend after such a cold winter, and someone died doing the Edinburgh marathon:(
Do you peel your zucchini? No need to peel it, the skin is soft enough and not bitter like cucumbers.
Sometimes I do, sometimes not…depends on my mood. I like it both ways.
I love me some healthy fats! haha Even just a small amount makes a meal so much more satisfying! Oh – and firefighters and chocolate…sign me up! haha
I have thought about getting a camelback but I don’t think I would like the weight on my back. It never gets too hot here and I’m not above 4 miles yet, so I don’t think its time for me to get one.
I love phat! I generally stick to olive oil and after learning about all of its health beneifts, I refuse to be scared of it! It is important to keep it in moderation, though, just like all things.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a peeled zucchini before, lol. Your lunch looks great, especially the bread with buttah. I like all kinds of bread; white, whole grain, gluten-free– I’m totally obssessed. :lol:
Jenn
I’m totally with you on white bread just being more BORING than whole grain. There just isn’t that much going on with white taste-wise that i find interesting. I always opt for whole grain when it’s an option (which thankfully, is most of the time!). I just love all the textures and flavors that you get with whole grain breads. And seeds. I adore seedy breads (not seedy bars though…lol).
your race sounds fun!!! LOL
my fave good fat by far is the avacado!! mmmm..heaven on earth.
I had zucchini with tomato sauce for lunch today too! How ironic. It is was o so delicious.
I used to be scared of cooking with fats too. I’m so glad I learned my lesson. They do make food so much more satisfying.
A race with firemen and chocolate? I’m no runner but I would sign up for that one!
I used to avoid fats like the plague too and it made me so unhealthy. Now I can’t go a day without nuts or avocados!
Yay, I have a zucchini in my fridge right now…sounds like the perfect meal for dinner!
I also used to be afraid of fats but learned via a nutrition course in college that they are great for you if you choose the right ones.
I agree EVOO makes things taste so much better!
I also STRESSSSS when I’m overwhelmed and am working on taking one thing at a time. Om is right!
I used to have the same fat phobia before I turned into “the healthier me”. Now I absolutely love almonds and walnuts, (and nut butters too!!) and can’t believe I deprived myself of them all for so long!
Good luck with getting caught up on everything…. you DID manage to raise an unbelievable amount of money yesterday, so I’m sure you can do it! :)
Congrats on the auction, what a fabulous job! Good luck with your race on Sunday sounds like you are having quite the heat wave! Where did you get your adorable spoons…the red and yellow ones. They are freaking awesome.
Some are from Crate and Barrel and some are from this outlet kitchen store in FL (can’t remember the name!)
oooh I love zucchini – but I noticed that you took the skin off? I normally leave it on :)
looks yummy but how does that fill you up after running three miles – veggies really are mostly water – ?
I avoided fats too for a long time… now I try to incoporate fats like nuts, seeds and avocados and full fat yogurts sometimes……. but oils and butter are still difficult for me altough I know how important they are for health …. I know I have to overcome my fat-phobia… I will work on it
Greets from Vienna
It took me a really long time to get over fearing putting fat on my food too! I was convinced even the tiniest splash would be the downfall and pack on the pounds. It wasnt until I started eating fat (a lot of it, too) that I actually started losiing flab and gaining muscle. And zuch+olive oil=MMMmM!!!
Hi, if you do have problems with your camel bak sloshing, once you’ve filled it, turn it upside down and suck the extra air out. This makes the bladder collapse on it self and no more slosh. :)
I too was afraid of fats back when I was on Weight Watchers. Fat was the enemy.
…now Weight Watchers is the enemy hehehehe. ….shhhhhh
Cashew butter is one butter I have not tried yet! I will have to pick some up!