Walnut Flax Pancakes

Do not fear the flax! These pancakes are nutty, hearty and super flavorful. To make a quick sugar-free syrup I put 1/4 cup of chopped frozen cherries in the microwave for 2 minutes. The result was a thick and rich cherry sauce. Of course, these would be great with honey as well...

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup flax
1 egg
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients except walnuts in a large bowl. Heat a skillet to medium and mist with cooking spray. Pour in approximately 1/3 cup of batter, and sprinkle with about 2 tbsp walnuts. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, then flip. Serve warm.

Marinara Sauce

Store-bought spaghetti sauce, while quick and easy, contains sugar along with a plethora of other additives. My zone-friendly marinara sauce is perfect with meatballs or on pizza and is super easy to make.

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
15oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat a small pot to medium heat, pour in olive oil, then add onions. Season with salt and pepper and then cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (do not drain the can all the way), basil and vinegar. Cook another 10 minutes.

*If you want a thicker sauce, add 2-3 tbsp tomato paste.

Salad Dressing

Salad dressings typically have a lot of sugar in them, thus creating a higher carb content. By making your own dressing you can control what goes in it and switch it up according to your mood.


1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp minced chives
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk the first four ingredients together, then slowly whisk in olive oil. You can substitute chives for any fresh herb you like and can also switch the balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar.

If you would rather purchase your salad dressing, try this option from Annie's. It is delicious and completely sugar free. (Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing)

Brisket

Brisket is typically made with loads of sugar-enriched ketchup, but this version is sugar-free and delicious. The apple cider vinegar makes the brisket taste like East-coast southern barbecue.

2lb beef brisket

salt and pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

15oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 large onion, quartered

1 cup water/broth

Heat a large covered skillet to medium-high. Season brisket with salt and pepper, place in the skillet (mist with olive oil spray) and brown each side. Add the remaining ingredients, then place in a 325 degree oven. Cook 2.5 to 3 hours.

Going Sugar Free

As Americans, our diets are rampant with additives, hormones and chemicals that have affected our bodies in ways we are just beginning to understand. One way to control what goes in and out of your body is to cook everything yourself, from scratch, as much as possible. While the notion of 'cooking from scratch' indicates a level of expertise beyond most peoples grasp, this website has shown, I believe, that the image of the elderly woman covered in flour, sweating in the kitchen is anachronistic. The key to becoming master of your dietary destiny is to be aware and vigilant as to what you are eating.

Sugar is a naturally occurring substance, yet it a pervasive part of the obesity problem in this country. Sugar, in all its variant forms, is included in packaged foods that might not seem so obvious. Thus, experiment, for a week, a month, a day, to go without consuming sugar. Now, I will preface this by saying that I do not suggest you forgo the sugars that are natural in raw fruits or vegetables, but to eliminate sugar from the other parts of your diet. Salad dressings, yogurt, alcoholic beverages all include sugar. This experiment will not only cut calories and carbs, it will also test your dependency on sugar.

The key to this experiment is to carefully read labels and be aware of sugar's many names. This article in Delicious Living outlines not only the negative affects of sugar on the body, but also provides a list of not-so-obvious names that might appear on a label.

All this week I will be providing recipes and alternatives to packaged foods we rely on that contain sugar. The week before the Red Hills Triathlon I went sugar-free as an experiment and I felt stronger during our workouts and less hungry between meals. This might be the step that will move you from a dieting plateau or increase your potential as an athlete.

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

2-3 cups spaghetti squash

1/2 onion, sliced

1 jar roasted red peppers
1/2 cup broth

1/8 cup feta cheese

salt and pepper

Heat a small sauce pan to medium-high and mist with cooking spray. Add onions and roasted red peppers and saute 3-4 minutes. Pour in broth and cook another 5 minutes. Put into a blender and add feta cheese. Puree until smooth, then season to taste with salt and/or pepper. Serve over spaghetti squash.

Pho Bo (Beef Soup)

Typically Pho Bo is a noodle-based soup, but we replaced the noodles with meaty, thinly sliced shitake mushrooms. This recipe looks complicated, but it is really easy. Don't forgo the broth; adding the flavors of the onion, ginger and cloves is absolutely necessary.

Broth:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp peeled ginger root
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp salt

Heat all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes, then strain back into pot.

8oz shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 lb beef sirloin, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Broth (recipe above)

Put mushrooms, fish sauce and onions into hot broth. Simmer, then add beef about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with:
beans sprouts
jalapenos
lime
cilantro

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is the perfect zone dish because the sauce is filled with low-carb veggies.

1 lb chicken breasts
2 tbsp almond flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp thyme
15oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp capers
salt and pepper

Dredge chicken breasts in almond flour mixed with salt and pepper. Spray a large pan with cooking spray, then brown the chicken on eat side, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add bell peppers and onions and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook about 10 minutes, then pour in capers, tomatoes, white wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add chicken back into sauce and cook 15-20 minutes.

Green Bean Curry

You could make this dish with any type of bean, but pole beans are in season right now.

2-3 cups pole beans
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sriracha
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 green onions, minced

Cut or snap the end off the pole beans. Heat a large skillet to medium-high and mist with cooking spray and cook 2-3 minutes. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the green onions) in a magic bullet or whisk in a small bowl, then pour over green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer 5-10 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half. Serve topped with green onions.

Broccoli Satay

1 onion, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp ponzu
1/2 tbsp sriracha

Heat a large skillet to medium-high and mist with cooking spray. Add broccoli and onions, and stir-fry 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients and pour over veggies. Cook until sauce is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.

1.25 cups broccoli is 1 carb block

Spaghetti Squash and Pepper Medley

Spaghetti squash is not just a great substitute for pasta, it makes an awesome side.

2-3 cup spaghetti squash
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
8oz grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet to medium high and mist with cooking spray. Add the pepper, onions and cherry tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are just starting to burst, about 8 minutes. Pour in the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, then toss with spaghetti squash.

Turkey and Spinach Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp each:
salt
red pepper flakes
onion powder
black pepper
1 egg
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/3 cup flax meal
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/8 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped


Heat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let sit at least 15 minutes. Place a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet pan and spray with cooking spray. Roll out meatballs, about 1 inch, and place on cooling rack. Cook 10-15 minutes, then flip them over and cook another 5-8 minutes. Serve with marinara on spaghetti squash.

Pre-Event Nutrition

Optimize race performance by eating well the day before and the morning of your competition. Training time is over. Technical workouts are done. Relax, double-check your gear, trust your training, and concentrate on the event. One area you can focus on preparing is your food and water intake.

As the event approaches you need to taper the intake of unnecessary race nutrients such as fat, protein, and fiber. These are dead weight and not ready sources of fuel on race day. You need fuel from carbohydrates stored properly in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. This can be done by replacing protein and fat blocks with low-glycemic index carbs the day before event. See below for suggested intake based on a Saturday event.

Thursday –

• Start drinking more water in order to hydrate at a cellular level (sip throughout the day, not large volumes at once)
• Small increase of salt intake with meals
• Substitute one protein block with a carb at each meal

Example: chicken breast (lean), sweet potato, tomatoes, little olive oil/butter


Friday –

• Keep hydrating as described before
• Limit your fat blocks to about half normal
• Substitute an additional protein block with a low fiber carb

Example: chicken breast (lean), sweet potato, tomatoes, very little olive oil/butter


Friday night –

• Maintain slow, steady hydration
• Maintain small additional salt
• Almost all carbs (mixture low/high glycemic index)
• Very little fat, protein, fiber (limit to one block of each, NO TVP)

Example: 1 block lean chicken, white pasta (not whole grain), small amount of spinach, sweet potatoes

Saturday morning –

• All carbs at this meal, no fiber or fat, and very little protein (use powder)
  
• Slow fluid intake. Stop hydrating two hours before the race, then consume 6-8 ounces just before the horn sounds (this minimizes the need for mid-event bio breaks)
  

Example: oatmeal, banana, white bagel, Boost, Ensure (not all of these, just a couple)
***Consume this meal two to four hours before your event in order to properly digest. The closer to event, the smaller the meal should be. Do not overload or get too hungry.

Additional suggestions:

• Bring a small item with you in case of hunger before event start such as banana or Ensure
• Nothing new on race day!!! If you have never eaten TVP, do not start the night before
• Try to complete bodily functions before leaving your house (another reason to get up early)
• If you are accustomed to it, use a small amount of coffee as an intestinal motivator… not for energy
• Relax and enjoy those pre-race feelings!