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Balsamic Sweet Fries (Makes 4 servings)

6 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8th’s (slice in half, then in half, then in half)

1 large bunch of asparagus, washed and ends trimmed

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 TBS grass-fed butter, melted

1 TBS honey

1 TBS fresh thyme, washed and chopped

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and coat veggies well.

Spread on a greased baking sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 30-40 minutes.

What are your favorite fries to make?

This is part of a Meatless Monday post with Tina Muir!

Don’t forget to check to see if you were my Soybu Giveaway winner HERE

My weekend involved racing, a new pair of running shoes and my two princesses.  What else would make me happy?

I ran Race 13.1’s first Richmond race.  It took place around the Richmond International Race track and it was TOUGH.  Hills… you know my treadmill never goes about .5% incline (that’s a “.” in front of the 5) and gravel… haven’t found that option on the ‘mill either.

If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you’ve come to know how fantastic I am at documenting races.  Here is my only picture.

The rest will be stolen from Jen.  So happy to have finally met her as we’ve been stalking each other (legally) online and at races for some time now.  She runs ZOOMA in 2 weeks so go check out her blog and wish her luck!

I stole this next picture from her instagram account.  Again, go give her some loving.  Here are all the 1st-4th place girls.

This was no PR.  In fact, the only PR that was set was the number of unlady-like words that went through my head throughout the entire course.  Maybe I’ll bump that incline up a little more before next year’s race.

What will the rest of the weekend consist of….

Now for the real important stuff… Congrats to my SOYBU Giveaway winner.

Andrea S. from @fitliferun

Even if you didn’t win, tell the hubby you did and order this awesomeness, which just happens to be the motto for Race 13.1.

Donations will also be accepted over here in the Moyer Household.

Happy Mother’s Day!

What’s on your agenda?

I have never been the sappy one, but I was completely sappy.  This was just the reminder I needed from her.  Year 2-3 has been extremely trying for us.

Temper tantrums

Potty training

Strong will

Fast run-away-from-you Legs

Canvas of a photograph courtesy of Karen Tribbey Photography

You name it, Gentry’s done it.

But what 2 year old hasn’t?  And what mom WISHES she could transport back to those 2 year old days?  Well, every one except my mom probably.  She receives daily “Was I like this” questions from me followed by “I’m sorry.”

THANKS MOM!

Payback is…

But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Courtesy of Karen Tribbey Photography

So in honor of all mothers out there… I have some healthy, unique Mother’s Day recipes to share.

Spicy Radish Nut Salad

Ingredients:

1 TBS chopped, peeled ginger

1/4 c creamy nut butter

1/4 c rice vinegar

2 TBS soy sauce (try Bragg’s Amino Acids)

2 TBS brown sugar (try coconut palm sugar)

1/4 c coconut oil

2 small cabbage, finely shredded

1 medium daikon radish, sliced into strips

1 c red radishes, sliced thin

handful of slivered nuts to top (use same as nut butter)

Place chopped cabbage, radishes and daikon in a bowl with the nuts.  Place the other ingredients in a food processor and blend.  Drizzle mixture on top of radishes and cabbage and mix to coat.  Garnish with more nuts.

Yellow Squash Hummus

2 small yellow squash, deseeded and chopped

juice from 1 lemon

3 TBS coconut oil

2 TBS garlic, minced

1 tsp of salt and pepper

1/2 c tahini

1 TBS of each: cumin, chili powder and turmeric

1/2 cup almond meal flour

Add all ingredients except tahini to a blender.  Mix well before adding in tahini.  Season to taste and pour into a bowl to dip with just about anything!

Be sure to check back on Mother’s Day to see who won my Soybu Giveaway!

I’m off tomorrow to Race 13.1!

I’m still trying to convince some friends to run… hint hint.

Race Week Tips

So, what should you be doing the week before a race.  Well, NOT what I’ve been doing, which includes pretzels

Yea, not as appealing as the other kind.  And GRIT.

Too many fun things are going on at my gym to sit around and taper!

Physically

For half marathons, you typically need to start tapering 2 weeks before.  I’d cut back to 66% of your weekly mileage that first week and 33% the week leading into it.  Don’t try anything new, stretch, rest but do shake those legs out on a few easy runs.

Nutritionally

Nutrition is more important for marathons, but here is a post I wrote about timing specific nutrients with half marathons.  Just remember, the whole carb loading theory doesn’t really apply to halfs and definitely should not be done the night before.  Who doesn’t love running with a little extra bloat?

HYDRATE. That is the single most important piece I can give you. Don’t go water boarding yourself, but keep that water bottle with you!

Mentally

Relax.  Yes, it’s hard to do that when you are chasing PRs, attempting your first go at 13 miles or just anxious for that post-race beer It’s more important that you get a good night sleep two nights out from the race.  So, no need to worry about tossing or turning the night before.  You can crash post race.

Mental training during the race is actually more important than the physical training.  Your mental limitations kick in WELL before your physical ones.  Some suggestions…

Sounds cliche, but write motivational phrases on your hand/watch/something you can easily see.  Write a few different ones to keep things fresh and more motivating.

Visualize why you’re running.  Kids, family members, a cause… those images can be a very powerful tool.

When all else fails, tune into Eminem

Fashionably

Always pay attention to the weather.  I’m a huge cold weather fan.  I love my skirt and compression sock combo.

However, the high on Saturday is in the 80s.  Really anything out of the 50s will start to mess with your pace, so my plan is to ditch the socks, even though I HATED doing that here.  Hot running is just not my thing.

Hoping to have a recap up early next week.  If you’re in Richmond and debating on doing it, just come out.  There’s a 5K and 10K too if 13 is not your thing.  Plus, you get to run around the race track.  When will you ever get to do that legally again?

And don’t forget to enter my SOYBU giveaway HERE!

What is your race week ritual?

Check out this 3 minute video about them.  Three things from this video

1.  Yes, you want the white pant girls’ derriere.  Snag and pair and you will!

2.  The yoga poses about 2 minutes in… I can only dream about ever getting my body into those positions.

3.  Love their story- finding THAT PANT that makes you feel as confident as you should.

I tried out the Lona Crop Amaryllis,

the Taylor Hoodie

 
Actually glad Justin cut my head out #bedhead

and the Graphic Tee Boardwalk.

Horrible lighting, but you get the point.

A few quick notes.

1.  The Lona Crops literally go with everything.  Yes, they look busy, but all my plain green, blue, purple tanks I usually pair with boring black pants go amazingly well with it.  I think Justin needs to buy me the remaining colors of these, what do you think?

SOURCE

SOURCE

2.  Only because it was getting to be 85 degrees outside did I finally decide to take off the Taylor Hoodie.  Remember that blankie you cuddled up with at night when you were Gentry’s age?  It’s now in the form of a hoodie.

SOURCE

3.  Loved the design of the graphic tee for days that were a little too cold for a razorback, but a little too warm for my hoodie.  Not to mention all the fun statements on them.

SOURCE

SOURCE

SOURCE

Now that you are clearing space in your closet, I have good news!  Soybu has offered to give one of my readers a free pair of the Lona Crops.  Now you can share in my obsession!  I thought I’d set this up to announce the winner on Mother’s Day, although you do not need to be a mother to enter.

Enter below… and sorry for the million ways to enter.  The more you do, the better the Mother’s Day you could have!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post will touch on the benefits of detoxifying your body, as well as healthy detox protocols.

How to know if you need to detox?

Simple answer- if you’re feeling YUCK.  You could probably benefit from one. The most common symptoms are chronic digestive complaints, joint problems, skin conditions, persistent allergies, frequent colds or flu, head and body aches, lethargy, weight gain, irritability and mental fog (SOURCE).  But I will have mental fog no matter what kind of detox I do (thank you Gentry and Sutton).

Why detox?

To clear the body of toxins, contaminants, and heavy metals that can accumulate in joints, organs, tissues, cells, and in the bloodstream. A true detox will not only take nutrition into account, but also the environment (household cleaners, packaging agents, OTC antibiotics, etc.).  The right kind of detox can even help improve mental and emotional clarity, reduce cravings, increase energy and balance blood sugar.

How to detox?

Juice Cleanse- There are many detox plans to choose from out there.  Juice cleanses have you drinking ONLY juice for a certain amount of days.  I’ve had several friends do this with success, but need to KEEP redoing it every few months.  Here’s my personal thoughts on these types of cleanses.  Your body has 4 “detox” pathways.  Three out of these four are protein-dependent, meaning when you don’t feed them the amino acids they need, they suppress.  Pure juice cleanses are generally low in protein… so while you are drinking healthy things, you’re really not detoxifying, you’re just eliminating 3 pathways.

AKA oops!

Not to mention fruits contain high amounts of fructose.  Fructose is sugar, and while fruit fructose is FAR better than this fructose

It is still fructose. A whole separate post can be devoted to this topic, but basically, the liver is the ONLY organ that can metabolize fructose in significant amounts.  When people consume high amounts of it, the liver can get overloaded and turn fructose into fat (SOURCE).  This doesn’t mean to avoid fruit… it’s a whole food and has many other GREAT nutrients for you.  It just kind of puts a buzz kill on the whole juice cleanse theory (in my opinion).

Detox Supplements- Many companies sell “Detox Phase” products.  While they all probably mean well, and can be a great asset to newbies, there is a much simpler (and cheaper) way to do this. I bet you can even guess what I’m going to say- EAT CLEAN.  By eating non-processed foods, your body will naturally rid itself of dietary toxins, it will start feeding the good bacteria in your body, which will in turn fight off the bad bacteria… and before you know it YOU’RE SAVED!

My Healthy Gut Group is learning about all sorts of toxins that can creep into your foods.  They’re learning what foods feed our good bacteria.   I emphasize the word FOOD in that sentence.  I’m not putting these ladies on a liquid cleanse, they’re eating REAL, regular meals.  By doing so, they’re ridding their bodies of these reasons for which you may be looking to detox.

One too many Cinco de Mayo Coronas?!

There are many other factors that can also lead to a need to detox- stress, lack of sleep, adrenal fatique, etc.  While nutrition can very much help MANY problems, it’s a bigger picture!

Ever had success with a detox?

Here’s what you need to make a dozen Sweet Yellow Muffins:

 
2 apples

2 squash

2 eggs

cinnamon (can be ground)

1.5 cups flour

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp baking powder

First step:  Preheat oven to 400F.  Chop the apples and add to a food processor.  Blend until smooth.

Add applesauce to a large bowl.

Next step:  Bring about 1 inch water to a boil.  Slice squash and  place in boiling water.  Cover and turn heat down to low.  Let cook for 10 minutes.

Step three: Drain squash and pour into colander.  Smash them and let sit for 10 minutes.

Step four:  Add all ingredients to the applesauce bowl and mix well.

Step five: Spray muffin tin and fill each 3/4 full with the mixture.  Let cook for 20 minutes.

The final product…

1 large (or 2 medium) cucumbers

1 stalk of asparagus

2 spring onions (from last week’s box), chopped finely

2 TBS melted coconut oil

1 inch of grated ginger

1.5 TBS Low-sodium tamari sauce

2 sweet potatoes, shaved and diced

1 TBS sesame seeds

1 tsp red pepper flakes

(I decided to add the sweet potatoes post picture).

Wash all your vegetables first.  Slice the ends off the cucumber(s) and put through a spiralizer or use a julienne knife to cut into noodles.  Take the cucumber “noodles” and place in a colander.  Squeeze the noodles to get extra liquid out.

In a large bowl, combine the onions, tamari, ginger, 1 TBS oil, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.  Mix.

Add the cucumbers and coat with the dressing.

In a large skillet, add 1 TBS oil and the sweet potatoes.  Cook until almost soft.

Add the asparagus to the sweet potatoes and cook until almost soft.  Finally, add the cucumber noodles and cook 1-2 more minutes.

Remove from heat and enjoy!