There are many excuses for skipping meals. Perhaps you don’t have time, don’t make the time or simply forgot (the latter of which I find quite perplexing because I never forgotten a meal in my life!). More than likely, however, you have skipped meals to avoid unnecessary calories, save up for a meal you haven’t yet eaten or gain reprieve from one you already have.

My recommendation is to think twice before you skip your next meal. It may be wreaking havoc upon your system, especially if you are abstaining in hopes of losing weight.

Metabolic Roller Coaster

When you skip a meal, your body wonders why it’s not getting any food and goes into starvation mode, thus slowing down your metabolism. If your metabolism slows down, you’ll have a harder time burning off whatever calories you eat later. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of skipping a meal in the first?

A complication, over time, is that elevated fasting glucose levels and delayed insulin responses can lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Another adverse side effect of skipping meals is hunger! If your tummy is empty and growling, you’re much more apt to make poor food decisions, such as  grabbing a bag of chips or sneaking a bite of leftover chocolate cake in the break room. A balanced meal is a far wiser choice.

Breakfast

After a good night of sleep, your body is deprived of nutrients and its metabolism has naturally slowed down. Breakfast picks it back up again! If you miss morning nutrients, your body will start the day in an energy lull, which can negatively affect your alertness and concentration. If you mask that hunger with four cups of coffee, you’ll only exacerbate the problem.

Many of people have said to me, “When I eat breakfast, it only makes me hungrier in the morning. If I skip it altogether, I don’t want to eat anything until lunchtime.” That may sound like a weight-loss, calorie-and-time-saving feat, but it’s still doesn’t circumvent metabolic mess-ups!

Mornings are a crazy time for everyone, so get up a few minutes earlier and make the time for a balanced breakfast to start your day. With protein in the mix, you’re far less likely to get a case of the late morning munchies. Not to mention, there’s nothing wrong with a mid-morning (healthy!) snack anyway.

Play it safe

Eat balanced meals and don’t skip them. Your blood sugar levels will thank you by providing a more consistent energy supply to fuel your day.

P.S. Your pancreas appreciates it, too, as it will not have to work in overdrive to produce insulin.

Image courtesy of Hungry Girl.

Share/Bookmark

From the moment we exit the womb, we are taught to strive for the best and reach for the stars. Whether it’s making good grades, being accepted by a great college, climbing the corporate ladder or winning a sport championship, winning is where it’s at.

However, there are occasional moments when we are reminded that winning or losing pales in comparison to how we play the game.

One such moment happened to me recently.

I am on the board of directors for the Treasure Valley Girls on the Run chapter. GOTR is an organization that teaches young girls to celebrate their unique talents as a means of building self-esteem. Each GOTR season culminates in a 5K walk/run, an event in which this celebration of self stands prominent.

A few weekends ago, I was the official GOTR photographer at the Hornet Run, a 5K event in East Boise. What a treat to observe 300+ girls rounding the corner to the finish line, all through a close-up lens. I observed dads running proudly with their daughters and moms (often!) working to keep up with the girls they treasured so mightily. Others held hands with best friends as they mustered the energy to sprint those last fifty yards. Not even my ocean of tears could keep pace with the sea of pink!

Towards the very end of the race, as the runners thinned out and the sweepers approached, along came an adorable child from Hidden Springs, surrounded on all sides by other site members and coaches. This wasn’t a completely healthy and ordinary girl. In fact, she is extraordinary — she has Down’s Syndrome.

Coming in nearly last was the last worry on her mind. In fact, she wore a smile on her face that no one could have erased. I looked in her eyes – with tears streaming down my face – to see an unmistakable feeling of joy and pride. That expression will forever be imprinted in my memory.

Her coach told me she was an amazing girl. “It was such a pleasure to have her in our group this season. The running never seemed to faze her and she never complained. It was also incredible to watch the other girls interact with her — always supportive and encouraging. As we trained for the 5K, she would often pick different girls to run a lap with her and none of them ever turned her down regardless of their goal that day.”

Despite competitive instincts and the desire to achieve, I hope we can all learn a lesson from this special child. Whether it’s running a 5K or going through the motions of the everyday life, enjoying the ride and embracing the present moment can pave the way to happiness. Being number one could never trump this far more noble goal.

Share/Bookmark

Just the other day, Luke told me that his last day of the Veggie Challenge was his favorite CBC (Community Based Curriculum) day ever – even better than all the Jumptime classes. I knew that was saying a lot and I couldn’t have agreed more – parents and children had a wonderful time at Peaceful Belly Farm.

The farm is aptly named. Peaceful was the first word that came to mind as I drove up and saw beautiful rows of vegetables packed beneath a glorious backdrop of rolling hills. I was ready to be a farmer from the word go, and I think many of the children felt similarly.

Upon arriving, we spent the first few hours harvesting vegetables for our dinner, led by Peaceful Belly’s lady-in-charge, Josie Erskine. Not only is she a farming extraordinaire, but she was amazing with the children as they listened and followed her lead intently.

First, the group harvested asparagus. From a personal perspective, I’ll forever be reluctant to eat store-bought asparagus after tasting the vegetable immediately after being picked. Josie shared with us that the flavor of asparagus changes within five minutes of harvest. I now know this for a fact!

Immediately after we picked two buckets of this wonderful vegetable, we cut off the ends and immediately placed it in water.

Next we picked lettuce….

Washed the lettuce…

And the boys were in charge of spinning the lettuce before storing it in the refrigerator.

The children then got to go for a truck ride to harvest baby turnips and green garlic (more on this later!).

Last on the harvest list was picking rhubarb – and the children got to dip it in sugar and taste it immediately upon picking it.

I am sad to say I have no photos from the actual dinner preparation as things got a bit more hectic than we had expected, thanks in part to a delayed yeast reaction and flour shortage. Nothing like planning an entire dinner around pizza and not having functional dough for the task at hand. (Though I have committed the recipe to memory and even shared it last week in my blog post, my brain mysteriously doubled the amount of water needed, thus throwing off the entire dough-making, kneading and rising process. Not to mention, the local market had no flour so we had to send one of my course helpers, Alicia, to a local pizza joint to buy back-up dough! At least we had a few laughs over this “minor” mishap).

The children were incredibly helpful at prepping all of the wonderful vegetables and fruit, a task which took the better part part of an hour (along with help from some nice moms!).

Josie also shared with us a wonderful recipe for green garlic pesto that we used as a pizza topping. None of us had even heard of green garlic before this evening, but it was love at first bite! Though I don’t think she measured anything, I can tell you that she combined the green garlic, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, walnuts and olive to create this sensation that made pizza taste like a million dollars!

When parents and children started to arrive, the children started rolling out pizza dough (thanks to guidance from my husband, Rob) and creating pizzas. Concurrent with all the excitement and activity, a spring thunderstorm came upon us – making the evening all the more memorable!

Though we made a traditional red sauce/mozzarella pizza for the younger children, the rest of our pizza creations were loaded with vegetables. My personal favorite was pesto with squash, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, mozzarella and ricotta.

We also made baked ratatouille, based on this recipe found at VMAC & Cheese, which was gobbled up in a matter of minutes.

And due to popular demand, we made a last minute bowl of pasta, mixed with leftover veggies and pesto.

For dessert (darn I wish I had a photo!), we made a delicious rhubarb crisp, loosely based on this recipe found at Taste of Home. Many thanks to Autumn’s mom Sidra for jumping in to help us on this one – as the rest of us raced around the kitchen preparing and baking pizzas, serving salads and taking orders from the children, who did a magnificent job waiting on the guests at our dinner party.

And speaking of Autumn, my favorite quote of the night was when she told her mom , “I don’t think I want to be a waitress when I grow up.”

Many thanks to Alicia and Alyssa who helped me throughout the entire course. The Veggie Challenge was much more enjoyable with your company.

Josie and Clay Erskine – your farm rocks! Thanks for sharing the delicious produce and your wonderful facility with the children and their families. It’s a night I’ll always remember – despite the botched pizza dough, lightening and thunder!

And last but certainly not least, I appreciate the seven children for taking the Veggie Challenge. It goes without saying that you passed the course with flying colors!

Share/Bookmark

There are so many benefits to eating healthy, whole foods that it’s hard to find a reason not to eat them. They contain nutrients, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, iron and pretty much everything else that’s good for you. When in doubt about what to eat, go whole!

So why?

No processed worries

Many processed foods contain sugar, additives, preservatives and artificial colors – many of which contain little, if any, nutrient value. When something comes straight from the ground to the grocery shelves, there’s no need to worry about unhealthy things being added to them. Recent research by Stanford University has shown that trace amounts of pesticides in conventional whole foods do not pose any health concerns and are, in fact, as healthy as organic foods.

No fast food side affects

Fast foods tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt, substances which are known to be additive. And guess what? Many of these foods are high in calories, too. Have you ever heard of someone gaining weight from eating too much broccoli and cauliflower?

No sugar crashes

Sure, fruits contain natural sugars, and some of them have higher glycemic indexes that others. But fruits also contain fiber, which offsets the rise in blood sugar and subsequent release of insulin.

And vegetables? These do nothing but fuel your day in a positive way, without any worries about late morning or early afternoon crashes.

No budget worries

Especially if you buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, you won’t break the bank by filling your body with wholesome food. Buying in bulk is another way to save money on wholesome foods.

No rise in cholesterol levels

Whole foods contain no “bad” fats that might otherwise play havoc on your cardiovascular system.

No confusing labels 

Ever notice that items in the produce section do not contain food labels? When foods are really good for you, there’s no need to place a warning or make some confusing health claim. The foods speak for themselves.

And they taste great, too

If you haven’t found a way to prepare Brussels sprouts, okra or asparagus in a way you or a family member likes, keep trying. They’re too good to turn down. Just ask the kids in who took my Veggie Challenge class!

Image courtesy of The Telegraph.

Share/Bookmark

Are you ready to take the challenge and prove to yourself and your parents that you can eat – and actually like – vegetables? During this course, we’ll jazz up the old routine by learning how to cook traditional vegetables in new and different ways. We’ll even experiment with some mystery vegetables you may have never tasted before. 

Week Five:

There’s nothing quite like pizza to excite a group a kids – even pizza of the vegetable variety!

To allow for time to rise, I prepared pizza dough before everyone arrived (recipe below). As always, the children were ready to get to work when the class began.

To add a bit of order to the madness, we created stations for the children to create their own pizzas.

The first station was the cheese grating station. Miss Kate was very diligent in helping get our parmesan and mozzarella cheeses ready for pizza action.

Another set of stations was for pizza rolling. I was quite impressed by the ability of first through third graders to roll, stretch and shape their own dough. It took me a long time to figure out this technique, and they did quite well on their first try.

The rest of the stations were devoted to prepping vegetables. We had a variety to choose from: cherry tomatoes, asparagus, spinach, yellow pepper, carrots, onion and mushrooms. The mushrooms were the least popular item on the ingredients list.

Taegan was so excited about the onion that he kept asking me to chop some for him to eat raw.

Lucy also sautéed a lot of spinach, as this was the most highly requested ingredient on the list.

After prepping was complete, it was time to assemble the pizzas. Some children used a pesto base, as Luke did below, while others used a traditional tomato sauce or olive oil. We used mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses on top.

Ava used a traditional red sauce on her creation.

Emme did an amazing job!

Lucy and Autumn compiled some delicious pies.

Here we see the finished products of Luke and Taegan, but as usual, they were nowhere to be found. (Then we threatened to eat their pizzas, and suddenly they returned again).

The pizza was so popular, we’re bringing it back for the grand finale – dinner for parents in week 6. So stay tuned for the full menu of activities and food.

Pizza dough (enough for 2-3 kids’ sized pizzas)

• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one package)
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 tsp sugar (separated)
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• drizzle of olive oil

Combine water, yeast, and 1 tsp of sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until bubbly. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt and remaining 2 tsp of sugar and mix. Add the water/yeast mixture and knead. I prefer to use the knead attachment to my Kitchen Aid mixer and it makes the experience much more enjoyable. A food processor works pretty well, too.

Drizzle olive oil in a bowl and add dough. Make sure the dough is fully coated, then place a towel on top and let rise 1 – 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.

Then the dough is ready to roll!

Share/Bookmark

One of the best ways, in my opinion, to improve your health and well-being is to learn how to cook. In fact, that’s why I wrote a book about it.

After all, how can you possibly count calories or grams of fat if someone else is always making meals for you? Buying and preparing your own food is one sure way to manage the addition of additives, preservatives, sugar, gluten or anything else you might want to eliminate or reduce in your diet.

Another bonus to cooking at home is planning and preparing meals which meet your family’s approval, thus saving money and reducing waste. If you buy and use whole foods that are in season, you’ll likely save time, too.

If you are overwhelmed at the thought of boiling water, worry no more! There are numerous resources to walk you through the learning process, including  websites and food blogs with recipes, helpful how-tos and videos. There are wonderful shows on television, and better yet, live classes in your local community. Cooking magazines are entertaining and informative while books offer never-ending ideas.

Others of you may enjoy cooking but lack the time to slice, dice and sauté. Or maybe you want to avoid the kitchen altogether, preferring instead to thwart responsibility  on someone else.

EAT IN NOT OUT helps take a beginner chef through nutrition basics, stocking the cupboard and learning the cooking language. It also provides a more experienced cook helpful hints and refreshers, such as easy pick-me-ups to transform meals, making the cooking process less stressful and more enjoyable.

There are myriad resources which can help transform cooking from a dreaded burden to one worth savoring – alongside family and friends.

You don’t have to take my word for it – just do it.  Learn how to cook and you won’t regret it!

Photo courtesy of babble.com.

Share/Bookmark

For six weeks, I am teaching a course at Anser Charter School in Boise called the Great Veggie Challenge for students in grades 1-3. The course description starts by saying:

Are you ready to take the challenge and prove to yourself and your parents that you can eat – and actually like – vegetables? During this course, we’ll jazz up the old routine by learning how to cook traditional vegetables in new and different ways. We’ll even experiment with some mystery vegetables you may have never tasted before. 

Week Four:

Today, my impressive team of vegetable chefs worked with me to make eggplant parmesan, quite a challenge for the allotted 1 hour 45 minutes that we have for the class. I am always amazed at everyone’s willingness to chop, grate, mix, sauté and grind pepper(!), so fortunately we accomplished the task with a few minutes to spare.

We created our eggplant parmesan by combining sauce, cheeses and the eggplant. However, we decided to put our students to the taste test by making two different versions of the dish: a lighter, healthy version and a more traditional one.

For the tomato sauce:

• 3-4 gloves of garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 28 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1-2 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the garlic and shallots in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low while eggplant is being prepared.

For the eggplant:

Slice 3 medium-sized eggplants about 1/4″ thick. Sprinkle salt on each side of the eggplant and place in a colander for 1/2 – 2 hours to remove moisture and bitter flavor. Rinse.

For the healthier version:

Place about half the eggplant on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil on top. Season with salt (sparingly) and pepper. Flip over eggplant repeat. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-24 minutes. About halfway through baking time, remove from oven and turn eggplant over to other side.

For the traditional version:

Set up three stations: flour seasoned with salt and pepper, (2) eggs, and panko crumbs (use fresh bread crumbs if you prefer). Cover each slice of eggplant in the flour, dip in eggs, then cover in breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, heat olive or canola oil in a skillet (enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Cook breaded eggplant in oil until browned, about five minutes per side. You will likely have to add more oil throughout the cooking as the bread crumbs soak it up!

For the cheese:

We grated parmesan (not sure how much because the kids kept grating even after we’d had enough!) and thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 smaller balls).

To assemble the eggplant parmesan:

Place enough sauce to cover the bottom of a baking dish. Add one layer of eggplant. Add layer of mozzarella cheese and cover with grated parmesan. Then add sauce to cover. Add another layer of eggplant, cheese and sauce.

Note: For the “healthier” version, we also added about a tablespoon of ricotta cheese to each cheese layer. Though I am not a fan of non-fat cheeses, we actually used this for our ricotta and it tasted fine.

To bake:

Bake dishes for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees, until bubbly and slightly browned on the top.

And the results are:

We sampled the traditional version first and almost everyone gave it the big thumbs up. (One student did not particularly like the texture and taste of eggplant, but she was a great sport by trying it anyway).

Then the healthier version was ready about ten minutes later. When I took it out of the oven, I wasn’t particularly optimistic. It looked a little soggy as I am very entrenched in the old way of preparing this dish. Lo and behold, we all the second version better. Because the eggplant wasn’t as firm and dry as the breaded version, it almost tasted like pasta. We all thought the baked eggplant parmesan tasted like lasagna.

For our asparagus snack:

I knew the kiddos would be hungry by the time the main dish was ready, so we made an asparagus snack in the interim. We prepared the asparagus by snapping off the less tender ends, then adding olive oil, soy sauce and a clove of garlic. After mixing thoroughly, the asparagus was spread on a baking sheet and roasted for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

After removing the asparagus from the oven, we then re-mixed them with the marinade and served. The kids gave this appetizer a big thumbs up!

 Special thanks:

A special thanks to all the children who eagerly cleaned up all the dishes when we were finished!

 And dried things off in style…

Share/Bookmark

Most of us are creatures of habit, whether it pertains to drinking, exercising, reading, watching TV, cleaning or sleeping – and many others. Think about it! If it is feels good, satisfies our needs and feels comfortable, why not do it again?

Diet and eating are no exception to the rule. My spouse eats a piece of toast every single morning of his life. I want a cup of coffee when I crawl out of bed each day and there’s nothing better than a cold beer after a day of skiing, long run or lengthy tennis match. My child wants dessert every night after dinner without fail (can’t imagine where he got that one!).

What are your dietary habits? Which ones do you want to keep? Which ones would you like to break like to break?

Here are a few ideas to kickstart healthy habits that stick.

Increase your awareness. Don’t just walk through the motions. Take notice of what you eat or drink automatically, without hesitation. Keeping a healthy living journal is a good way start.

Tweak the routine. Another reason you sometimes eat without thinking is due to  daily rituals that create and sustain those patterns. If you grab snacks or meals on the go, sit down and take a time-out instead. If you eat second helpings of food at night, wait twenty minutes after round one. If you eat dessert after dinner each evening, go for a walk instead.

Know your weaknesses. Is your biggest temptation a slice of hot apple pie or a big bowl of chips? Maybe it’s a caramel Frappuccino on the way to work. Identify what you want to cut back or eliminate from your diet, so you know where to focus your efforts.

Beware of addictions. Caffeine, sugar, salt and alcohol are addictive, thus making habits much more challenging to overcome. Try cutting back – without cutting out – to see if you safely manage addictions. If that doesn’t work, then cold turkey may be your only option.

Try substitutions. If you like sugary cereal for breakfast, try shredded wheat with a little stevia on top. If you like sweets after every meal, eat more fruit. If chips are your go-to snack, experiment with almonds instead. Substitute with something that’s fulfilling but better for you.

Take small steps. You aren’t going to turn bad habits upside down overnight. And that’s ok. Little steps go a long way in developing good habits that stick. So take your time.

Think long-term. There’s a reason fad diets are fads. They work in the short-term without producing lasting, positive effects. If you make changes for the better slowly and sensibly, then you’ll be much happier with the results.

Eat mindfully. Another great way to kick a bad habit is to slow down, enjoy and appreciate what you’re eating. Remove distractions and savor each bite!

Photo courtesy of Meditate Be Here Now.

Share/Bookmark

At long last, I am excited to announce the release of my new book, Heart and Sole: How 26 Ran A Marathon (And You Can, Too). This Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.,  I will be at Shu’s Idaho Running Company to share my love for running and to sign copies of the book.

Heart and Sole depicts the true, inspirational stories of 26 men and women who successfully completed their first marathon. The rookie marathoners turn their dreams into a reality by losing weight, managing illnesses and juggling crazy schedules. Heart and Sole also includes a wealth of my helpful how-tos, based on my experience of running sixteen marathons, including Boston. Heart and Sole takes readers from start to finish along their marathon journey, so they’ll be pumped up and prepared for running 26.2 miles. The spirit of Heart and Sole reflects the camaraderie and resolve prevalent among the running community.

Heart and Sole is endorsed by the First Lady of Idaho, Lori Otter; Heather Hill, Director of the St. Luke’s Fitness Celebration; Jeffrey V. Ulmer, Executive Director for the City of Trees Marathon; and Andrija Barker, Five-time fastest Idahoan female and Women’s Fitness Celebration (5k) champion. The book also received praise from Bill Rogers, four-time winner of the Boston and New York City Marathons.

The book is available in both print and eBook formats at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Share/Bookmark

Are you ready to take the challenge and prove to yourself and your parents that you can eat – and actually like – vegetables? During this course, we’ll jazz up the old routine by learning how to cook traditional vegetables in new and different ways. We’ll even experiment with some mystery vegetables you may have never tasted before. 

Week Three

Week number three was a blast! We went on a field trip to two local organic grocers – Boise Co-op and Whole Foods – to see what we could learn about vegetables that we didn’t already know.

At the Boise Co-op, we learned about where local produce is sourced, what vegetables are in season when and how different vegetables are grown. We also got to sample some unusual-looking-rarely-used-in-everyday-cooking vegetables. Specifically, we tried sunchokes (yum!), watermelon radishes (a little spicy for the little ones) and celery root (also well-received).

As you can see from the photo below, the children were eager-as-always to sample new and interesting foods! 

Henly greeted us with enthusiasm at Whole Foods, kicking off the tour in in the produce section. Below he is quizzing the children on their veggie knowledge.

The children then got to view a whole salmon close-up by the gentleman who was later described as, “Dude, you rock.”

Though the kids might have stayed the rest of the afternoon, if allowed, we finished up the tour at the juice bar, where they got to sample two smoothies. I have never seen anyone quite as excited as these children to try a very green-looking combination of spirulina, kale, apple juice, strawberries and bananas.

Many thanks to our local markets for making the afternoon so special!

Share/Bookmark