Guest Post: Simple Flourless Cookies

Alooooha! Here is my first ever guest post from a fellow Cleveland blogger: Katie over at Healthy Heddleston. She is a registered dietician and has lots and lots of GF recipes to share. Enjoy!

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Simple Flourless Cookies

Hi Everyone! I’m Katie from Healthy Heddleston! While Becca is off enjoying the Maui sunshine (so jealous), I’m here to provide you with a quick and simple cookie recipe!

Ingredients

·      1 cup creamy peanut butter

·      1.5 cups quick oats

·      1 cup brown sugar

·      1 teaspoon baking soda

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

·      1 whole egg

·      1 egg white

·      1 cup chocolate chips – can be semi-sweet or milk chocolate

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.     Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.

3.     Stir in chocolate chips.

4.     Bake for 10-12 minutes.

That’s it! Told you they were quick and simple! Recipe makes 24 cookies.

So while we are enjoying our yummy cookies, I hope you are having fun seeing your family, splashing in the water, and soaking up the sun! Thanks for having me Becca!

Marathon Monday: Training Week #2

For some reason I cannot take a screen shot of my running schedule for the week, so I'll just write it out:

Monday: Rest or crosstrain
Tuesday: 30 min run 3min/walk 2min
Wednesday: 5 mile run
Thursday: 35 min run 3min/walk 2min
Friday: Rest or crosstrain
Saturday: 9 miles
Sunday: Rest

Our first week of training on Maui (yep, loving it!) was absolutely divine as far as winter running goes! We decided to forego our 800s on Thursday to go to my mom's spin class instead...holy wow! I forgot how tough her classes were. It ended up being a great stand-in for the 800s.

Our crosstraining day consisted of a private 2-hour yoga class and then a hike along Waihe'e ridge, which was basically a vertical incline for the first quarter mile and then a very steady uphill the rest of the way. No complaints though, it was beautiful. We finished just before it started to rain, but waterfalls were still going off. It was really incredible...I can't believe I never did that hike when I lived here.

Our pace run was really challenging. We held about a 10:15/mile for the first 4 miles, the last was the most challenging because of a huge headwind and a long hill to finish on. The hills here are nothing to underestimate, it's definitely a reality check compared to flat Cleveland.

Our first long run on Saturday was also challenging and hilly, but very rewarding as there was a jump in the ocean as soon as we finished. We did a run 4 minutes/ walk 1 minute cycle, which was absolutely my savior. Those rests were totally needed! With some maple syrup water and some of Angela's raw energy cookie bites we were well fueled for the first 8 miles of marathon training.

Sorry Cleveland...I don't miss you at all.

Marathon Monday: Training Week #1

Today, my friends, is the day that Brandon and I officially begin our marathon training! The picture above is our first week of training. Nothing too difficult, except our first 8 mile run since last August. Other than that, you already know my run/walk plan and how to do a tempo run and a Yasso 800. I'm so excited to officially log some miles toward my next marathon! 

We're being completely spoiled for the first two weeks of training, given that we're on Maui right now visiting my parents. Beautiful 70+ degree weather. Runs along the beach. Breezy, fresh ocean air. Sunlight!

As soon as we return to Cleveland, it's going to be back to winter workouts and training in below freezing temperatures, snow and darkness. I'm okay with that though. This is the first race I'll be training through the winter for and it'll only make me stronger. Running in a few feet of snow is not only great cardio, it's like a strength workout too! So the long runs toward the end will not be so daunting; since we were out in the cold, dead of winter, dredging through the snow!

Since the  Monday is generally a rest day, but it's the first day of training, we are going to a yoga class with my mom and then going for a hike in the West Maui mountains. We will also be continuing our daily morning yoga practice on most days...OUTSIDE because the air is crisp and warm and beautiful. Maybe even on the beach.

I hope you guys enjoy some of the guest posts that I have coming in the next two weeks, I'll check back next Monday to let you know how our first week of training went! I'll leave you with some fun Maui pictures that my dad has taken:

Kealia Pond at sunset

my baby sister, fingerpainting

Peace, Love & Bagels,

Fun Things Friday + Argentine Lentil Stew

First, I'm slacking on procrastinating lately and have only found a few fun things to share with you this week. My thoughts are totally and completely on my upcoming vacation on Maui to visit my family. It's been two years since I've been home, so I'm waaaay overdue for some Hawaiian sun, beaches and FAMILY. I won't be going completely radio (uh, er...internet) silent but I will have a few people guest posting as well.

So on this lovely snowy Friday, I leave you with a few fun things, and a recipe re-post (I posted it on my old blog forever ago, so now you can have it here on PL&B!)

Just in case you wanted to let someone know how awesome they are

secrets

this video is why I want to be a high school math teacher:

well, that and the best pickup line ever:

"Can I be your derivative?....So I can be tangent to your curves!"

and now, a recipe for Argentine Lentil Stew

from allrecipes.com 

• ingredients: 
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1 quart water
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 medium apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce (or a mixture of ketchup and worchestershire sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
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• method:
• Place the lentils and water in a large pot, and mix in the vegetable bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
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• Stir the tomatoes, onion, carrot, apple, peas, garlic, olive oil, barbecue sauce, and paprika into the pot. Continue to simmer 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

• My thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this soup was!! First of all, I NEVER have good luck with lentils, but I diligently cooked them long enough this time and it worked out alright! 
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• And what's with the apples and the barbecue sauce?!? It gave the soup a sweet and savory flavor. It was delicious and packs a nutritional punch. Best of all, it's incredibly easy! Except for lentil cooking time you basically just throw everything in a pot and go.
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• On another note, this soup is best enjoyed with a glass of my Gascon Malbec (my favorite!!)
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• What is your go-to wine for dinner? And are there any weird ingredients you've included in a recipe that just made the dish? I'd love to hear about them!
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• Peace, Love & Bagels,
• Becca (blogger is driving me nuts today and won't place any picture where I want them to go, so no fun signature to close today's post [sadface])
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Anatomy of a Training Run

Anatomy of a Training Run: the Tempo Run

When I trained for my first half marathon, I followed a training plan that I got from the Smart Coach tool at runnersworld.com. If you're not used to running lingo, those training plans can look like Chinese. 

At least that's what I thought when I saw "tempo" workouts on the plan. They looked something like this:

5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 9:17; Cool

wtf?!? (yep, I'm using texting abbrevs even though I have a full keyboard and all ten fingers at my disposal)

According to Running Times Magazine, Jack Daniels (hahaha, what a name!) popularized the tempo run and defines it as such: "A tempo run is nothing more than 20 minutes of steady running at threshold pace." Basically, you're running for extended mileage (3+ miles, depending on what you're training for) at a pace that is right at your anaerobic threshold (holy college flashback, batman!) which is the threshold where lactic acid starts to accumulate in your blood because you're exhaling more oxygen than you're taking in. Anaerobic = the way your cells metabolizes energy without oxygen. For most people, that  is the pace that corresponds to about 90% of your max heart rate, or a pace that is 25-30 seconds/mile slower than your current 5k race pace. Well, unless you're like me and like to leisurely jog a 5k.

So your tempo run is higher intensity exercise over a longer distance (in relation to speedwork and long, easy runs). Back to my "smart coach"...

5 mi, inc warm, 3 mi @ 9:17, cool just means to run a total of 5 miles, which include 3 miles at my anaerobic threshold pace (or 9:17 according to smart coach) plus a warmup and cooldown for about a mile each.

The tempo runs don't have to be that specific though. For me, it's going to be all about perceived exertion. My training plan says things like "5 mile pace" which will translate into running 5 miles at a "comfortably hard" pace - one that can be maintained for an hour. Maintaining your pace over the course of the mileage is the ticket here, which is where my trusty Garmin will come in. (I love you Garmin!)

Some benefits of tempo running are:

• helps improving speed (over any distance, not just marathons)
• trains your body to sustain speeds over longer distances

And here's why it works (directly from Runner's World):

"Tempo running improves a crucial physiological variable for running success: our metabolic fitness.Tempo runs do just that by teaching the body to use oxygen for metabolism more efficiently.The better trained you become, the higher you push your "threshold," meaning your muscles become better at using [lactic acid byproducts]. The result is less-acidic muscles (that is, muscles that haven't reached their new "threshold"), so they keep on contracting, letting you run farther and faster."

So, get a couple tempo runs into your training regimen and you're likely to see an improvement not only in your race time, but your overall fitness. I'm down with that!

How long do you run your tempo runs and at what pace? Do you enjoy doing them?

Peace, love & bagels,