Road Trip Snacks and REI Finds

I picked up my new running fuel belt from REI. I ordered it online from their clearance website. I'm a bit disappointed at how large it is. I thought it was smaller. :(

I tried it on last night and it fits, I didn't bump my elbows when I moved my arms like I was running. It just felt big and bulky. I might keep it for Trail Running. But I can't see myself really using it for my regular runs. Perhaps it will come in handy for Hood to Coast.

While I was at REI, I also bought some Cliff's "Gu" packs and some Sharkies. I've never tried either but will try them on the Shamrock Run next week if I need a boost of energy.

ROAD TRIP!
I'm going to pack some healthy snacks for tomorrow's road trip. Thankfully a friend is house-sitting/kitty-sitting for us this weekend. One less thing to worry about!

Michael and I are going to Bend tomorrow with our friends who have a timeshare. The weekend will be fun-filled with snowshoeing, hiking, and (much needed) massages! I can't wait. Bend is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland so I want to bring some healthy munchies. So far I have:
1. Granola (apple and cinnamon flavored "lite" granola from Fred Meyer's organic bulk section)
2. Trader Joe's Pretzels
3. Apples (I have an assorted array of apples that I will slice tomorrow before we leave)
4. Cheese (I will cube some Colby Jack for easy snacking)
5. Girl Scout Thin Mints (Okay, I know they aren't healthy but they are coming with us anyways!!)

Hopefully this will prevent us from wanting to stop somewhere convenient for snacks!!

QUESTION: What is your favorite snacking food? Is it healthy?

Thursday's Breakfast

When I lived alone, I used to make protein shakes for breakfast almost every day. It was fast and easy and they tasted great. This morning I decided to make myself one for breakfast.

I used my handy Magic Bullet (love it). I chopped half the apple, skins and all, used a scoop of oatmeal and half a serving of the Aria protein shake powder, water and the entire banana. I added 2 frozen strawberries for a little flavor and blended it up! In the past, I also added yogurt to make it creamier. I didn't do that this morning and wished I'd had. I sliced the rest of the apple and used a teeny bit of Trader Joe's Peanut Butter too. Calories for breakfast were around 300.

UPDATE: It's 10:00am now and I'm still feeling full from my protein shake breakfast. In a little bit I will have my AM snack of Anjou pear.

The Secret to Losing Weight:
"Food is energy. If we want to lose weight, there are only two ways to do it. We have to decrease the energy flowing into our body OR increase the energy flowing out. [pg107, Mindful Eating]" It's as simple as that. It's so simple, yet we make it so hard!

I really love the book Mindful Eating. I'm half way through the book and can't stress how useful it is. This next part I'm going to discuss is shocking but so OBVIOUS.

Why is America fat? The answer is: CONVENIENCE! Back "in the old days" people had to work for their food. They had to work in the fields, pick the produce themselves, farm the land, etc. They expelled the calories they replaced. "Mindful Eating" has a fantastic chart on WHY WE ARE FAT:

MORE ENERGY IN
*More concentrated calories
*Cheap, calorie rich food
*Larger portion sizes
*Eating mindlessly (tv watching, in front of computer, driving)
*Grazing

LESS ENERGY OUT
*Less work to obtain food
*Labor (and calorie) saving devices
*Sedentary lifestyles
*No exercise (driving instead of walking, etc)
*No gym/recess at school

Basically, we aren't working for our calories anymore.

QUESTION: Are you lazy? Do you drive places where you could walk instead? Do you drive around parking lots forever trying to find a "good spot" close in, or just park and walk?

Peanut Butter

For two years, I stopped eating peanut butter. I know it must sound like I cut a lot of things out of my diet for 2 years while I was losing weight. I really didn't, I just cut out a few things I knew I couldn't eat in moderation. I had to retrain my brain to make good choices, learn portion sizes, and decide WHICH calories I wanted to eat.

Peanut butter is pretty high in calories. For 2 years, it was all about the numbers. Did I want to eat 200 calories in peanut butter? Or perhaps "spend" that 200 calories somewhere else? But in denying myself peanut butter, I was also denying my body good fat, protein, and fiber!

Peanut butter is an excellent fuel food. When I started my running routine, I started reading and researching what I should be eating. I wanted to have energy and stamina. Over and over again, I read peanut butter was the secret! It's so filling too! So eat a serving size (2 tablespoons) of peanut butter on some crackers, or fruit (apples and bananas are yummy) before working out and see the difference!

I prefer Skippy Natural peanut butter to the others out there I've tried. The Boy likes Jif and spreads it on tortilla chips (eeew). Recently I picked up the TJ's brand. Not sure if I like it yet--it's a little creamier than I'm used to.

Trader Joe's Goodies

I made a trip to Trader Joe's today to get some goodies. To the right, are two different Indian food dinners that I will take to work this week for lunches. I am really excited to try them! The calories are comparable to Lean Cuisines. I will post an update on how they taste.

I also picked up some Greek style yogurt. I prefer the Greek yogurt to Yoplait/Dannon/et al. Greek Yogurt can sometimes be higher in calories but it's healthier because it has half the sugars of regular yogurts.

The above dressing is excellent! My favorite thing to do is steam cauliflower and put the Goddess dressing on it. Mmm tasty and healthy!

2/16/10 UPDATE: I had the Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala for lunch today. It's amazing! So good I want to go get 10 more. :)

Pre-Swim Breakfast

Yesterday's vigorous workout has me very sore today. I did weights and boy my upper body is letting me know. Hopefully swimming today (and sitting in the hot tub afterward) will remedy that. For breakfast today, I had a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal with nonfat milk. It isn't my favorite cereal but it's ok. I plan on making a trip to Trader Joe's today to get a few new items. I also had an english muffin with Indonesian Cinnamon and a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. Not only is cinnamon very tasty, it's really healthy too! http://www.thehealthysnacksblog.com/2007/11/12/the-top-5-health-benefits-of-cinnamon/


Calories for breakfast: 329

After swimming, I will have a Luna protein bar. The mini sticks are only 80 calories and very tasty! I keep a few in my car for after working out. I've tried almost all of the protein bars out there and only Luna Bars taste good!