erica sara (formely erica miss america)

Baked Eggs, Guardian Angels & Love Notes

2012-11-28T11:53:00.001-05:00

I just sat for 15 minutes trying to write something cute leading me into my new recipes for Baked Eggs. Then I realized there's nothing cute about them, they're just delicious and that's that. And I have a whole lot of work to get back to right now so why not just post the recipe and let you form your own anecdotes, right?

Basically, I'm addicted to Baked Eggs and have been making them this week in attempt to act somewhat civilized while working like a madwoman. Seems a lot healthier than cookie dough for breakfast. And so versatile- basically throw whatever you have in your fridge in the baking dish, add some eggs and bake. Fabulous. So here were my concoctions this week.

Baked Eggs with Potato (or Butternut Squash) & Cheese
makes 1 serving

Butter
Thin slices of Potatoes &/or Butternut Squash, enough to cover bottom of your baking dish with 2 layers
1 Piece of Cheese
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Milk (of your choice. I used almond milk. You can use soy, or cream, or actual milk, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter your ramekin or small baking dish. Layer your potatoes and/or butternut squash on the bottom. Place in oven for 10 minutes to precook since they'll take longer to cook than the eggs.
Remove the first layer from the over, place a piece of cheese on top & then the whole eggs, taking care not to break the yellows. Pour the milk on top and place back in oven for 20-25 minutes until yolks are baked to the consistency of your liking.
Throw on a dash of salt, some freshly cracked black pepper and fresh herbs. Devour.

... and then get back to work!

That's basically what my life looks like these days. Eat, drink coffee, work, repeat. But I'm seriously grateful; no complaints here! I've always said the best part of what I do is getting to interact with my customers (really need a new word for them since I feel like they're more than just customers to me. Any ideas?) and I'm finding that during the holiday season, the stories I hear are even more heart warming. Here's a perfect example. This is a charm bracelet I just created for a woman who won a giveaway but wanted to gift her prize to a friend who is in serious need of a guardian angel right now.

I'm just so honored that she trusted me to create something so special. And then the Love Notes I'm receiving! Ahhhh LOVE!

Well, not Love Notes to me per se, although those would be lovely too. I'm referring to my new collection, called Love Notes, where I engrave your sweet scribbles on charms to wear close to your heart. I hosted a slumber party for a 5 year old boy last week so that he could go to the Thanksgiving Day parade and we created a Love Note charm for his mom.

This is Mac's Love Note to his mom. How freaking adorable? I wish you could've seen her face when he gave it to her! Definitely my favorite gift idea for the holiday season and beyond! Every time I receive another Love Note order, I imagine that whomever receives the piece I engrave will have the same look on their face when they open it. Yes, I'm corny. I can handle that ;)

Back to work I go. I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season! And let me know if you make the baked eggs and any new combinations you think of. I'm always game for some new flavors.

Be Amazing

2012-11-27T07:58:00.002-05:00

Grateful Weekend

2012-11-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I spent the morning doing this...

... then spent some time with friends before heading back to my apartment to work, work, work. Tis the season I guess ;) Working hard to get everything up & ready on ESD in time for gift giving and this busy holiday shopping weekend.

Honestly? I've never been a big fan of Black Friday. Something about spending Thanksgiving be grateful for all that we have followed by a day of trampling each other in stores & fighting over the last $99 TV makes my stomach churn. But I do understand that folks expect some kind of amazing discount and or deal the weekend after Thanksgiving so I've put some thought into what I might offer this holiday weekend.

And here's what I came up with. Grateful Weekend. I'll be offering free 1st class shipping in the US on my website from now through Monday because I'm grateful to have you as my customers and I'm grateful to be working my ass off right now. That's a good sign, right? But instead of discounts on jewelry, I'd like to take the $ that you might have saved and donate it to some good causes. As I've mentioned before, I'm still donating a portion of proceeds from all Race Jewelry purchases to Sandy relief efforts retroactive since the storm and through the holiday season. I'm also excited to launch the new Awareness Collection, an idea I've been working on for months so that more donation based gift giving would be available on my site in time for the holidays. The Awareness Collection and donation program will continue throughout the year and I'm hoping that the assortment will continue to grow.

Also, here's a look at my Holiday Look Book that includes the new Love Note & Awareness Collections, as well as other great gift ideas!

Philadelphia Marathon 2012 in Pictures

2012-11-19T23:25:00.001-05:00

Not much time to write a full post about my weekend in Philly since Thanksgiving is just a few days away & I still don't have all my new holiday gift items on the site yet. So just going to post the slideshow of the pics I took at the race and hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed cheering.

Also, a major shout out to the Philadelphia Marathon for not only opening up the field for displaced NYCM runners but welcoming them with a beautiful heart and open arms. The special announcements were awesome and when they played Sinatra's New York, my friends & I couldn't help but belt out the words with pride.

If you find yourself in a pic, please feel free to grab it at a keepsake. Congrats to all those who pounded the pavement for 13.1 or 26.2 miles! Hope you enjoyed every step of the way!

Monday Mantra

2012-11-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

Infuse Your Mood

2012-11-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

I suppose one of the perks of having a blog is constant offers to try products for free. I rarely accept these products, not because they aren't enticing, but because I've got my hands full and often times, they aren't actually products I might buy for myself even if I do enjoy them for free. I'm not the type to tell you to go out & try something that I'm not likely to buy. But when I was contacted by Sun Chlorella to try their 100% Natural Eleuthero Infuse Your Mood Tea and write a review, I jumped at the chance. I LOVE tea.

If you follow my instagram feed, you know I adore my morning coffee. There's nothing like waking up in the morning, sitting with a hot cup of coffee and getting ready to start my day. It's a ritual I truly love. But once I finish my morning cup, I steer clear of caffeine for the remainder of my day as I already have major trouble sleeping, and I take tea breaks. Maybe the only thing more relaxing than my morning cup of coffee is my afternoon & evening cups of tea. When I'm stressed & need a breather, I heat some water, sit on my couch and drink a cup of tea with my eyes closed. I have a huge tea collection- green, chamomile, ginger, cocoa spice, etc... and am always excited to try new flavors.

The offer to try Infuse Your Mood tea couldn't have come at a better moment. I was juggling work, marathon training & attempting to date... pulling all nighters to get it all done, and feeling incredibly stressed. According to their website:

Infuse Your Mood Tea is a 100% natural, caffeine-free beverage that contains Eleuthero, an herb that is proven to give one’s body a natural boost, decrease stress and supports your body’s fight against the ill-effects of modern living – without dangerous side effects.

Hello? Yes Please.

I have to say I love this tea. It became my evening ritual to stop working, make a cup & meditate to transition to evening as an end to my work day. When you work for yourself and are often isolated, rituals like this come in handy and having a new tea specifically for this reason made it an easy ritual to keep. A few days after I started drinking it, a friend called me to chat and was feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious. We talked about how she could cope with everything, I tried to be a good friend, and then later in the week, I dropped of a few packets of the tea for her to try. Her response "Thank You. I love this... it's perfect. Just what I needed."

The flavor reminds me of a subtle green tea; lovely & calming are the words that come to mind. I finished the box pretty quickly and just placed an order for another two boxes (Free shipping on their website? Score!) I should note that I've never bought tea online until now. I live very close to Fairway, Trader Joe's & gazillion gourmet food stores packed with tea... but I love this tea. As I head into holiday season and business is crazier than before, I'll be drinking it nightly to help keep me calm and focused.

Have you tried Infuse Your Mood tea? Do you love it as much as I do? Any evening rituals or methods you use to transition from your work day to evening? I'd love to hear any ideas so leave some ink & tell me about them :)

NYCM After Sandy. Yes, Another Opinion.

2012-10-31T22:03:00.000-04:00

I woke up yesterday morning with a heavy & sad heart. A day after super storm Sandy pummeled NYC, I felt like my city had been attacked. Yes, Sandy was different than 9-11. We had warning, it was a natural disaster, we knew it was coming, we could take cover and save lives if not material objects. But in the hours and day since the storm passed, the city has come together once again just like it did after 9-11. This city never ceases to amaze me and I am so proud to call myself a NYer.

I was talking to my mom on the phone and she asked me if I'd heard from friends. My answer? Yes, they are my NYC family, of course I've heard from them. From the moment the storm began, the texts, phone calls & emails were flying back and forth. We checked on each other every few hours, making sure everything was ok, that everyone was safe. "Hey, hanging in there?" "Checking in, you ok? You have power?" "What's going on by you. You okay?" non stop....Even those who were away on vacation took the time to text, to make sure everyone was ok. Here in NYC, we take care of each other. Most of us live here, away from parents and possibly even brothers & sisters. We consider each other family and I am so incredibly grateful to have such a large family here in NYC.

And then the topic of the NYC Marathon came up and I must admit, I felt torn. There have been so many opinions expressed and I found myself uncertain about how I felt. How will we get to the start line? Will the course be impacted? What about all the runners who can't make it? Should the city spend energy & time devoted to a race when so many people needed their help? Lots of questions. Maybe not enough answers. But at the end of the day, the race will go on and I will be running it.

I'm going to have faith in the city & it's leaders. I have to believe that if the marathon were going to be detrimental to the city and the disaster victims, they would make the decision to call off the race. But the city is supporting it and therefore I will run it. This race is estimated to generate more than $300 million for the city and from what I understand, it's money the city could use right about now. I also have to believe that this is not a greedy decision made by New York Road Runners. Although I'm not Mary's hugest fan and don't love where she's taken NYRR, it really bothers me to see so many lashing out at her over this race. It seems like just another excuse to pick on the woman. She was hired to lead an organization and plan a race and she has the city's support to keep that race on Sunday's schedule. I'm trying to believe that she's just doing her job to the best of her ability.

As per NYRR's facebook page, "The Marathon has always been a special day for New Yorkers as a symbol of the vitality and resiliency of this City" and I have to agree. I read a comment from someone who argued to cancel the race because it would be like throwing a party in a suffering city. But I do not see this race as a party. A runner for years, I first started racing with the goal of one day running NYCM to prove to myself that I was strong enough to do it. At the time, my life was falling apart and I needed something to keep me going, to prove to myself that I could handle anything. I started with half marathons, then the Philadelphia Marathon as my first, always with the goal of NYC in my mind. Through these last few years of running, training & racing, I have found more strength than I ever thought was possible. I'm part of a beautiful running community, many members of whom make up that NYC family I mentioned above. I found the courage to start my own business and the running community has supported it and helped it grow into something I could never have imagined. So on Sunday, when I run 26.2 miles through the streets of NYC, I won't be throwing a party but will be reflecting on how far I've come. For me, this race will be a symbol of my vitality and resilience.

There are many negative comments about the race floating around social media right now and I'm doing my best to tune them out. The city has decided, the race is on and us runners have a few days left before we take it on. We need your support. Just about each of us out there have a story, a reason why this race is important to and why we are still running it. I cannot speak for others but I do believe that running this race shows the city & the world that we are strong & resilient. As per a friend's text tonight "his race is by no means a party for many of us but has been a healing process and a way to honor loved ones." I mean absolutely no disrespect to those who have been impacted by Sandy and am aware of their struggle & the road ahead. Running this race does not erase that. I've contacted my local shelter to help, I've cooked meals and offered a warm bed to friends without electricity, and I'm doing my best to do my part. I am also donating a portion of proceeds from ESD NYCM Race Bling to Sandy relief efforts, retroactive to Monday & through the holiday season. And yes, I'm running NYCM because it is important to me and because the city has given me the okay to do so.

So on Sunday, please come out & support us runners and the city. Running this race does not mean that we disrespect those impacted by Sandy. We are just trying to follow through on our hard work. The excitement you see coming from us right now does not mean we aren't aware of the situation in NYC but it's what we need to do to get through this race and we need your support.

Road to the Finish Line

2012-10-25T08:46:00.000-04:00

10 days until the New York City Marathon! I'm wavering between excited & scared sh*tless! How is it possible that the 16 weeks of training flew by and now the signs along the course are up, the finish line seating is built, and as I ran my 5+ miler in Central Park last night, crews were building fences for the race?!? Just 4 more runs before I hit the streets for 26.2 miles of NYC parties. Insane!

This video has been floating around the wondering world of the web this morning and it's an amazing view of the race. A view of what we have to look forward of on November 4th!

NYCM... less than 2 weeks to go!

2012-10-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

Less than 2 weeks to go until the NYC Marathon, my favorite holiday of the year!!! I'm getting psyched. Freaked, but psyched. Just to get us all a little more psyched, here are my almost 1,000 pics from last years race!

Gone Fishing

2012-10-03T14:22:00.001-04:00

Hi peeps! How's it going? So... I've obviously been MIA. Not even a Monday Mantra to pretend that I've still been blogging. Life & work have just been a wee bit too hectic these days and something had to give. Actually, many things had to give, and blogging's just been the tip of the iceberg.

But since I've given myself a break from extraneous activities, my brain is feeling fresh and I'm ready to start blogging again. I think. I've missed writing, mainly because it's how I keep track of my progress, or sometimes lack there of. Always fun to browse back a year later to read what I'd felt or thought during different points of my life. So stay tuned for some posts starting tomorrow, which by the way is the ONE MONTH COUNTDOWN TO THE NYC MARATHON!!! Not that I'm counting ;)

Monday Mantra

2012-09-10T08:21:00.001-04:00

Monday Mantra

2012-09-03T10:17:00.001-04:00

Monday Mantra

2012-08-27T08:15:00.000-04:00

Monday Mantra

2012-08-20T08:13:00.001-04:00

Chocolate Milkshake... Sort Of

2012-08-17T11:41:00.002-04:00

I began this week the way I begin most weeks. I woke up Monday morning, made coffee and walked with my mug to the water to watch the sunrise and meditate. Then I pulled out my notebook and wrote my goals for the week. The list was long but I was excited to tackle it all and now that it's Friday, I can look back on my list to see what I've accomplished. I'm proud to admit I've completed roughly 30% of my list. Ha! Yes, proud & laughing. One of the items on my list was to give myself a break and remember I'm human, I can only do so much. It seems that at least I accomplished that. This week felt good & calm, something I haven't felt in a while, which I guess you wouldn't know because I haven't been blogging. And I haven't been blogging because I've been insane... but working on not being that insane busy person anymore no matter how much is on my plate. Vicious cycle.

Another item on my list was to blog three times this week: my Monday Mantra, an update on my running & a recipe. Monday Mantra: check. My running post: nope, oh well. My recipe post: was going to blow it off in favor of other pressing matters, but I've passed a new favorite recipe on to a few friends this week and decided I really want to share it with you as well. Nothing complicated, just me new favorite greens shake that tastes a whole lot like a Chocolate Milkshake.

I started making this recipe about two weeks ago as a way to add more greens to my menu and as a quick way to get calories in after a run. Now I'm completely addicted and crave it everyday. So here it is... enjoy!

2 Cups of Spinach
1 Cup of Almond Milk (or whatever sort of milk you desire)
1/2 Banana
1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Protein Powder (optional; I've been adding when I'm using this as a complete meal on the go)

Blend & drink while it knocks your socks offf!

And now I can cross another thing off my list ;)

Monday Mantra

2012-08-13T07:40:00.000-04:00

Monday Mantra

2012-08-06T12:16:00.001-04:00

Monday Mantra

2012-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

100 Days to Go!

2012-07-27T12:45:00.000-04:00

Wow... 100 days to go until the NYC Marathon. How is that even possible?

I realized the other day that I have yet to post my training schedule and I'd love to... the minute I actually finish putting it together. Yes, it's true. I'm a bit behind and haven't fully ironed out my training schedule. I'm using one of the Furman Less-Is-More plans, which includes 3 days of running, 3 days of cross training & 1 rest day and I'm feeling really good about it. The three runs consist of speed or hill work (or sometimes a combo of both), a tempo run, and then a long run. For cross training I've been doing hot yoga, spinning, elliptical, strength training, and even a bit of swimming. I'm seriously enjoying a training schedule in which I feel like my training is coming along, and still get to participate in my favorite non-running workouts as well. Good stuff!

But like I said, the entire plan still isn't complete because I'm planning on modifying some of the long runs to go a bit longer, or to include races such as the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half in September, or the Fifth Avenue Mile. So instead of posting the entire plan at once, I think I'll post one week at a time and take it from there. This week's plan was as follows:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday

Cross-train 30 – 45 min.	Key Run #1	Cross-train 30 – 45 min.	Key Run #2	Off	Key Run #3	Cross-train 30 – 45 min.

Swim, Yoga	10-20 minute warm-up 12x400m (90 sec. RI) 10 minute cool-down	Elliptical, Core	1 mile easy	Rest	Distance: 12 miles	Cross Training TBD
			4 mile run @ Tempo pace 1 mile easy		Pace: PMP + 45 sec./mile

But it's going more like this...

Swim	10-20 minute warm-up 12x400m (90 sec. RI) 10 minute cool-down	Hot Yoga		4 mile run @ Tempo pace 1 mile easy		Distance: 12 miles
			COCKTAILS		REST	Pace: PMP + 45 sec./mile

It's been one of those crazy busy weeks so I'm just trying to fit things in as best I can. Monday's swim was great but hard- I forgot how tough swimming can be! Tuesday's speed workout went well enough but I did have to take it inside to the treadie because I had plans that night and it was still 90+ degrees when I needed to fit my workout in. I ended up running just over 6 miles. Wednesday's Elliptical + Core workout turned into hot yoga when I realized my legs were TIRED after 4 straight days of hard workouts (Saturday was a 10.5 miler, Sunday was pilates & spin) and last night, Thursday, I felt like going out instead of my tempo run so now I'll run my tempo tonight, make Saturday a rest day, and long run on Sunday. I think that's a good plan, right?

But seriously, 100 days to go? Marathon season for me is about running, training, but also about designing! I've been working on some new ideas for this year's NYC Marathon race bling and have 2 that I love but I'm having trouble deciding which one is my favorite. Any chance you'd like to help? Head over to my facebook page for a peak at the 2 designs I've come up with and help me decide which to offer on my site! You may even just win a necklace ;)

Now back to training.... I'm hoping tonight's tempo run is a good one and this whole confidence thing I've got going at the moment continues. Will keep you posted. In the meantime, how's your training going? Any new training tips out there?

Monday Mantra

2012-07-23T07:26:00.002-04:00

Packing in the Protein

2012-07-19T10:32:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, I blogged about some of my initial marathon training nutrition dilemmas and how I planned to address them. So far so good, for the most part. I stuck to the plan that day and was not only was my belly satisfied, but I rocked my speed workout that night. I had my pasta salad with tons of veggies for lunch, made banana chocolate chip ice cream in my Vitamix for dessert, and had plenty of energy for my workout. But when I got home from the gym, there was no amount of food that could satiate me. I ate dinner, drank lots of water and tried to ignore the runger only to find myself in bed with a jar of peanut butter & a spoon a few hours later.

I guess this is my next training challenge: RUNGER. Training has only just begun and I'm already hungry all time. This isn't a new experience and I'm sure the runners out there can relate. So what's the solution? I know that if I add more food to my meal structure, there's a good chance I'll gain weight which I'd like to avoid. And PLEASE do not tell me that if I'm hungry I need to listen to my body and eat more. I have studied nutrition, have spoken to doctors, am at a healthy weight and during training, I track my intake to make sure I'm eating more than enough calories and am getting all of my nutrients. I do not starve myself at all and sometimes, no matter how much I eat, I just can't get full. I also know that in the past, when I've consumed entire boxes of gluten free mac n cheese after a long run, all I did was gain weight during training which made training even more difficult. Imagine carrying a 10 pound dumbell on your next long run. Yeah, exactly.

So again, what's the solution? What can I add to my food intake to help fill me up without packing on extra pounds? Protein perhaps? Since protein is said to help control hunger, I thought I'd give it a try and have begun experimenting with protein powders. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. I've always been one to eat only "real" unprocessed food and know that I already consume more than enough protein through food. But if I wanted to see if I could find a way to make those daily green smoothies even more filling, or if pancakes could keep me satisfied for longer than just the hour after breakfast.

Call it perfect timing but just as all of this was going through my brain, I got this email from Vega:
" I was wondering if you would be interested in reviewing or collaborating on content our newly branded Vega Energizing Smoothie. It’s a great On-the-Go smoothie options with two servings of veggies 10 g of complete, plant-based protein, 5 g of fiber and 1 g of Omega-3. If you haven’t heard of Vega, we are a nutritional company based on using plant-based products for optimal nutrition and health. Check us out online!"
Ok, why not right? I replied with my info and a few days later, I received an assortment of Vega flavors

Included in the samples were Vanilla, Chocolate, Berry, Tropical & Plain. That day, I added the vanilla to my smoothie and I thought it was pretty good. The smoothie was a whole lot of kale, the Vanilla Vega powder, a half a banana and almond milk. I gulped it down, enjoyed it, and was pretty full for a few hours after. The next day I made the same smoothie but used the Chocolate flavor and enjoyed it even more. I love Chocolate so DUH and it tasted a little less artificial than the Vanilla. To be fair, I am one of those people who can pick out flavors in my foods like you wouldn't believe. Bake a cake with all different spices and I'll name them. Cook a meal with a mix of fresh herbs and I'll identify them too. I have a pretty discerning palate so I could easily taste the powder in my shakes and did think they were a little artificial in flavor. For that reason, I really didn't care for the berry or tropical flavor.

Green Smoothie with Kale, Vega, & Almond Milk

That being said, they did accomplish my goal of keeping me full for longer periods of time. I do like that they are vegan since I'm trying to cut back on dairy (it makes my skin breakout) so I would probably buy but only in the chocolate flavor as that was my favorite.

Have you tried Vega? What are your thoughts? Do you use supplements during your training or any other methods to curb your RUNGER? I'd love to hear suggestions!

NYCM Nutrition & Socca for Breakfast

2012-07-17T09:16:00.001-04:00

As of yesterday, I am officially in NYC Marathon Training. Feels good and although I thought I'd lost my mojo a few weeks ago, it's back and I'm ready to take it on. I've spent the past few weeks getting into training shape: adding spin to my schedule, stretching & foam rolling every day, strengthening my core with plankaday & other workouts, and focusing on my nutrition.

The nutrition part is the hardest because I LOVE FOOD. When I trained for the Philly Half a few years ago, I was vegan and mostly raw and in the best shape of my life. But I was always hungry and couldn't keep on weight. By the time I was training for the Philly Marathon two years ago, I was no longer raw and was a vegetarian, no longer vegan. I ended up gaining a lot more weight than I'd anticipated because I was always rungry and would lay in bed with an entire pot of mac n cheese after my long runs. I didn't even bother to spoon it into a bowl. By the time I got to training for last year's NYCM, I was still vegetarian but was eating a much healthier diet. And then injury struck and I could barely run let alone workout. My diet went to sh*t. (Side note: I despise the word "diet" since it's come to mean restrictions and I'm not into that. If you can think of a better word, would love to hear it). I started eating a whole lot of meat, tons of cheese, and drinking a whole lot of wine & cocktails. I stopped juicing as much, stopped eating my giant delicious salads every day, and relied on convenience food. I'm pretty sure that eating that way for almost 10 months has taken it's toll on me and could be in part to blame for my recent crappy race performances.

Now that NYCM training is under way, I'm taking on my nutrition as well. I want to kick some major tush in November and am planning on putting my all into my workouts. But I've learned that I'm wasting my all if I don't eat right and get the fuel I need to energize and to recover. So this morning, I woke up at my usual 6 am and instead of hanging in bed and being lazy, I threw on a tank and skirt, my handy fedora, and headed to the water with a cup of coffee, a pen & a notebook in hand. I sat here and wrote my nutrition challenges and possible solutions, my "nutrition training plan".


My view this morning as I wrote my nutrition training plan for NYCM

I identified time & energy as my biggest challenge. I love what I do but running my own business takes a lot out of me and when I find myself still working at 9pm, sometimes it's just easier to order sushi than to make myself a salad or a piece of fish. So I've decided to tackle this problem first. I've made a list of some basic ideas that should be easy enough to follow.

Flavor themes for each week: buy a bunch of fresh ingredients that all go together and then make a list of recipes that use the ingredients. This should cut down on shopping time and if I take a half hour to prep all the ingredients at once, I will also save prep time later. For example, this morning I picked up eggs, black beans, avocados, cilantro, salsa, green peppers and some other veggies. I've cut up the veggies and placed them in individual containers so I can have on hand. Breakfasts this week will include the Socca breakfast I'll chat about in a bit that uses some of these ingredients. For lunch, I'll saute some of the veggies with garlic and toss them with pasta to fuel for tonight's speed work. And for dinner, gazpacho using the veggies again with a piece of steamed fish. Tomorrow, I'll be out most of the day so I'll make the same breakfast before I leave, will combine the beans with salsa & cilantro & avocado to toss over greens for lunch on the go, and will eat out with friends for dinner. See? Same ingredients in different ways saves money, time & brain cells!
Prep ahead: I've already touched on this above but it's worth saying again. I find it easier to eat a home prepared meal when my ingredients are ready to be tossed together. I used to spend an hour every Sunday evening prepping all of my veggies for the first half of the week so I could toss different salads or pasta dishes together pretty quickly. I'm going to try to start doing this again. I'm also prepping some other foods like socca batter, or batches of quinoa that can be used to tie meals together. Having cold quinoa in my fridge is perfect to use for breakfast (think quinoa, almond milk, some fresh fruit & a dash of cinnamon), lunch or dinner (think quinoa tossed with fresh or sauteed veggies & fresh herbs).

This brings me to today's recipe: Socca for breakfast with beans, avocado, eggs, cilantro & salsa. YUM. I've written about socca in the past but haven't made it in a while since it seemed like too much work. All of the heating the pan and baking each piece individually took too many steps and it didn't seem worth the time. But the other day I had a moment of genius and thought "why can't I just make it like a regular pancake". I tried it a week or so ago and it totally work. Genius! This opens up a whole new world of recipes!

Now in case this is the first time you're hearing of socca, a little explanation:
It's a thin crepe made from naturally gluten free chickpea flour and it's what I consider a perfect food- easy to make, yummy, versatile and naturally gluten free and nutritious. A basic socca recipe involves making a batter of chickpea flour, water and oil and then letting it rest for a bit before pouring it into a hot skillet and broiling each crepe one at a time. You can add different herbs to the batter to season, and can serve cut into wedges ala pita triangle, as a wrap, or as a base for individual pizzas.

Socca pizza I made a few weeks ago. Sauteed some spinach & mushrooms with garlic, threw on the socca & added a bit of goat cheese & freshly cracked pepper. Delicious!

And in keeping with my NYCM Nutrition Plan, I can make a batch of the batter ahead, keep it in my fridge, and use a scoop at a time to cook like a pancake as needed. AWESOME. Last night I made a batch of batter and this morning it was ready for me to use.

Socca Recipe
1 cup of Chickpea Flour
1 cup + 2 tbsp of Water
1 tbsp of Olive Oil (I used Art of Oil Tuscan Herb oil this time but you can use plain or your favorite flavor)
1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Add any additional seasonings you'd like (chopped herbs, etc...) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Like I said, I stick in the fridge and use as needed.

When you're ready to make your socca, heat up a frying pan and spray with just a bit of oil to make non stick. Add 1/4 cup to the pan and spread to form a pancake shape. Cook until the edges start looking dry and bubbles form on the surface. Flip, cook another minute or 2.. and it's ready to eat!

Socca with Eggs, Black Beans, Avocado, Salsa & Cilantro

I'm going to keep identifying my nutrition challenges and create solutions as training progresses. I'll do my best to share them with you but could use any ideas you might have as well. What are your training nutrition challenges & solutions?

Monday Mantra

2012-07-16T10:26:00.002-04:00

photo credit LV RUNS NYC

Monday Mantra

2012-07-09T08:16:00.002-04:00

NYC Tri 2012

2012-07-08T19:13:00.000-04:00

I love a good race and if I'm not racing it, I'm usually there to spectate and to cheer my friends on. So this morning was the perfect opportunity to wake up at the crack of dawn (is 5am the crack of dawn?) and head to the Hudson to cheer on some amazing athletes at the NYC Triathlon. I got my own workout chasing the competitors around from the swim, to the bike transition, across 72nd street, up a hill (which I climbed in sandals like a dumbass and also slid down on my butt) and then close to the finish line. Wanna see some pics? Here's just a few... or 700+ in a slideshow. Feel free to grab any of you or your friends but if you use in a post or something, I'd appreciate some credit. Thanks! And congrats to all the finishers who rocked it today, whether at the NYC Tri or somewhere else. You continue to be an inspiration to so many so keep on keeping on!