10 Healthy Recipes for the 4th of July!

We'll be away for the 4th of July this year which poses its own challenges to staying low carb, but if you are looking for some fun and healthy eats for this summer holiday then check out the links below. I personally want to eat the macaroni salad and caprese grilled fillet mignon right now!

Buffalo Ranch Deviled Eggs

Low Carb Macaroni Salad

15 Minute Greek Cucumber Salad

Low Carb Peach Long Island Ice Tea

Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Kabobs 

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Sausage, Spinach and Cheese 

Caprese Grilled Fillet Mignon 

Mini Meatloaf Pepper Rings

Zucchini Tuna Cakes

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Memorial Day Recipes for the Low Carb/High Fat Lifestyle

   

 Memorial Day is right around the corner and soon Americans will be firing up the grill in anticipation of a three day weekend.  What better way to celebrate the unofficial start to summer than by barbecuing and cooking up some yummy treats?  Just because it is a holiday doesn't mean you have to stray off your eating plan.  Listed below are some fun low carb/high fat foods that everyone will enjoy.

If you make any of these I want to hear about it so leave a comment below.  While your cooking I'll be enjoying a locally brewed beer - my adopted home town does have 5 microbreweries after all.  

Creamy Lemon Ice Cream

Low Carb Spinach and Artichoke Dip Cauliflower Casserole 

Braided Garlic Breadsticks

Low Carb Almond Porridge 

Coconut Flour Chicken Tenders

Tomato, Avocado and Salami Bites

Artisan Grilled Chicken

Marinated Beef Kabobs 

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10 Tips to Surviving the Week Before Your First Half Marathon

So you're running your first half marathon.  Good for you for being only half crazy!  Ideally, you've put in some serious training over the last 3-4 months and you've followed your training plan to a T or modified it so it fits you to a T whichever the case may be.  Below on some last minute tips to help you survive the final week before the big day.

1.  Hydrate!

Aim for a gallon of water a day.  If you're worried about being up all night to use the bathroom then guzzle most of your water in the morning hours.  Add some Nuun Hydration Tablets so you get the electrolytes without the sugar.

2.  Check your gear. 

Make sure everything is in working order.  Ideally, everything you are using come race day has been broken in so there are no surprises.

3.  Pick Your Mantras.

You will be chanting them in your head, or out loud like a crazy person, when the going gets tough.  

4.  Set Your Playlist

The right music can inspire and motivate you right when you need it most.  Some of my favorite running songs are:

• Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
• Can't Stop Me Now - Queen
• I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphy's 
• Let's Go Crazy - Prince
• Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
• Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
• Stronger - Kanye West
• Work Bitch - Brittany Spears 

5.  Clip Your Toe Nails

This one should be a no brainer.  No one likes bloody socks during a race.  Clip those talons.  

6.  Protein Up!

The week before your big race your nutrition needs to be on point.  Ideally, you've been doing this all along with your training so there are no surprises on the big day that lands you in the long porta-potty lines doing a crazy dance.  Protein is important because it helps build and repair muscles.  Carbs are great for a quick burst of energy, but red meat will deliver the nutrients your body needs to feed those muscles that are deep down inside.  While your at it, add an egg a day, I prefer hard boiled, to clean out your liver.

7.  Rest

This is probably the most important step.  Don't overdue it.  You don't want to risk an injury or deplete yourself this close to reaching your goal.

8.  Make a Mental Plan

Think about how you are going to pace yourself.  Research and plan which water stops you are going to stop at and which ones you might even want to walk through.  For longer races, water stops often include fuel like Honey Stinger Chews.  It's a good idea to know which ones those are so you aren't making any unplanned stops and in the process add valuable seconds to your finish time.  

9.  Stick to Your Plan

This one goes back to #7.  Run when your plan says run, rest when it says rest and cross-train when it says, well you get the idea.  The last week before your race is not the time to start adding in extra runs.  

10.  Pack Your Bags

Dress rehearsal time!  Make sure you've picked out what you are going to wear from your socks to your headphones and that you have some experience using them.  Again, to avoid surprises on race day everything on your body should have been worn before.  

Put everything you are going to need for race day into your bag.  Pack extras!  For women, I suggest packing a few extra hair ties in case they break because who wants to deal with a sweaty mess of hair while you are trying to focus on your form?  After my 10 miler I had packed flip flops and my feet were so thankful especially since we had an hour car drive home.  

If you have any other tips to add, please share them below!  I've found that the best advice comes from other runner's mishaps because  it's the little things, like hair ties, that can make or break a race for you.

Race Night Rituals

 ***UPDATE******

I've since run this race finishing it in 1:47.  I couldn't have enjoyed it more!  You can read my write up of it HERE.  

This post contains affiliate links.

In less than 13 hours I'll be standing at the starting line of my longest race to date  - the North Shore 10 Miler in Ipswich, MA.  My training plan calls for 11-12 so I'll be hitting the treadmill nice and early so I can get a solid mile in at minimum before I leave for the coast.

Although my goal race isn't for another 3 weeks, a lot of preparation has gone into this race as well.  I started my Half Marathon training back on February 1 keeping in mind that I would be training for this race in the process.  This 10 miler is a "training race" for me.  It will allow me to test my pre-fuel, fueling and recovery process.  Also, I will be running in new shoes so it will allow me to test those as well.  Not to mention the new calf sleeves (for compression), socks that prevent blisters and my new sparkle skirt although I don't think it will be warm enough to test out that one.  Boo.

In the week leading up to this race I've been working hard to make sure my nutrition is on point, lots of water, a New Nuun Active: Hydrating Electrolyte Tablets, Citrus Berry Mix, Box of 4 Tubes  every day and tons of protein and veggies.  The 2 days prior I bumped up my carb intake too even though my body isn't a fan and doesn't always like to absorb it.  I eat the healthier carbs like quinoa.

Cardio the day before the race. For me not my dog.

Since this race is on the coast and cell reception is likely to be spotty I got some assistance from my wonderful husband to download songs for a new playlist.  I'm hoping 2 hours is long enough.  Let's face it if it's not than I'll just listen to myself cry my way to the finish line.  I'd really like to finish around 1:45.

In case you are curious, my run will start with the song "Misirlou" from the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack and will continue to be fun but low key for the first 45 minutes.  Then halfway through around mile 5 Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."  Yes, I think of Shaun of the Dead every time I hear it which makes me laugh.  Finally, a little GNR to get me through the last push with "Welcome to the Jungle."  I'll know I am taking too long if I hear Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."  Here's hoping this extra mental motivation will work!

My pre-race fuel and my recovery drink are both from Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer, Acai Berry, Tub, 19oz   I'll be fueling up around mile 5 with my gummy Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews, Fruit Smoothie, 1.8 Ounce (Pack of 12)  and Nuun will be in my hydration pack.

As you can see, I like to be prepared.  Here's hoping all of these pre-race rituals will pay off!

Good night!

10 (Low Carb, Gluten Free) St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Save your carbs for more beer by cooking up some of these recipes for St. Patrick's Day!  Slainte!  

Keto Reuben Casserole 

Traditional Irish Bacon, Cabbage and Parsley Sauce

Luck of the Irish Skewers:  These would be fun for the kids!  

Paleo Friendly Corned Beef and Cabbage

Low Carb Corned Beef Hash 

Bangers and Mash 

Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew

Irish Soda Bread

Creamy Reuben Soup

Reuben Salad 

Low Carb Italian, Chinese and Mexican Recipe Roundup!

As you can tell by glancing at this month's menu, my crock pot will be getting a workout!  February kicked off my half marathon training and I just barely had the time let alone energy to make dinner every night or even every other night.  Not good for me as an athlete because if dinner wasn't ready after a run then I was tempted to grab something quick and easy, and not necessarily healthy just to refuel my body.

I don't have a link for my corned beef recipe because, well, it's in my head.  It's the same one I've been using for years and I don't know measurements and such plus it is not quite low-carb.  But what are holidays if not a good time to cheat (with limits)?

Low Carb Italian Dinners

• Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken 
• Chicken Parmesan
• Lasagna in a Bowl - Single serve recipe

Low Carb Mexican Food

• Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas 
• Mini Tex-Mex Chicken and Cheese Pies
• Southwest Beef and Bean Casserole



Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Low Carb Chinese Food

• Slow Cooker Paleo Sesame Chicken
• Crockpot Beef and Broccoli 

American Low Carb Food

• Knock Your Socks Off Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage
• Texas Slow Cooker Beef Chili
• Cheese-Filled Mini Meatloaf
• Cheeseburger Soup

St. Patrick's Day Dinner (March 17)

• Corned Beef
• Low Carb Shephard's Pie 

Easter Dinner (March 27)

• (Really Freaking Good) Umami Roast Beef Dinner
• Honey Glazed Baby Carrots (Higher carb because of the carrots and honey)

Cheese-Filled Mini Meatloaf

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Bulletproof Tea (or Coffee) and Why I Love It!

I decided to try bulletproof tea (coffee hurts my stomach) about 5 weeks ago when I did an egg fast diet for a week.  It was a suggestion as part of the diet and I wanted to do everything it entailed to experience its full effect.  I was a skeptic about bulletproof anything for a long time, but after my first sip I was a believer.

Some of the benefits of bulletproof tea/coffee:

• It keeps you fuller longer.  
• It allows you to feel full, yet remain in a fasted state for a longer amount of time.  It doesn't affect your fasting metabolism.  This is especially important if you practice intermittent fasting.

Some of the benefits of drinking green tea:

• Lowers cholesterol
• Increases blood flow
• Prevents high blood pressure
• Prevents congestive heart failure 
• Blocks the formation of plaques that are linked to Alzheimer's.  

My bulletproof green tea recipe:

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of steeped green tea (I honestly use a generic brand)
• 1 tablespoon of grass-fed butter (I use Finlandia), softened 
• 1 tablespoon or more of coconut oil (I prefer this over MCT oil)
• Few sprinkles of Pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of Stevia

Directions

Simply mix all of the above ingredients in the blender for at least 30 seconds and then serve hot in your favorite mug.  

Feel free to adjust the above ingredients based on taste.  I find I don't have time to measure everything out in the morning so I just eyeball it and I've learned how to adjust it based on my personal preference.  

The reason I prefer coconut oil over MCT oil is simply because I believe the coconut oil makes this drink nice and frothy.  I find the MCT oil just lets the butter fall to the bottom like a glob and then you miss out on all the fat content of the butter (remember fat is good for you).