Carbs, Fat, Protein? (For Runners)

Carbs, Fat, Protein? How much? Why? Where? for Runners.

I found this useful guide on: http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/incredible-weight-loss-myths-exposed. Please keep note that this is just a general guide for runners.

CARBS
How Much: 50 to 55 percent of total calories
Why You Need It: The body prefers carbs as the main fuel source when you run, so they should be the cornerstone of a runner's diet.
Where To Get It: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils are rich in complex carbs and fiber (both slow digestion and supply a steady stream of energy), as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that speed recovery and protect against diseases.

FAT
How Much: 25 to 30 percent of total calories
Why You Need It: You need this nutrient to absorb fat-soluble vitamins; foods high in fat also keep you satisfied, so you eat less.
Where To Get It: Nuts, seeds, and avocados are rich in heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Olive oil contains oleic acid, and may help suppress your appetite. Other healthy choices include canola, grapeseed, flaxseed, and hempseed oils.

PROTEIN
How Much: 15 to 25 percent of total calories
Why You Need It: Protein speeds muscle repair and recovery. High-protein foods are satisfying and take longer to digest.
Where To Get It: Cuts of beef and pork labeled "loin" and skinless poultry have a healthy protein-to-fat ratio. Fatty fish are rich in omega-3s. Tofu is a lean protein source, while low-fat dairy like milk and yogurt provide calcium. Eggs are loaded with vitamins A, K, and D.

Rocco's Fettuccine Alfredo

Rocco's Fettuccine Alfredo

Chef and triathlete Rocco DiSpirito fuels up on a healthier version of this creamy Italian classic.

Rocco's Fettuccine Alfredo
DiSpirito's latest cookbook, Now Eat This!, transforms heart-stopping dishes like this pasta, traditionally laden with heavy cream, butter, and cheese. Here, he re-creates the sauce's velvety texture with Greek yogurt and chicken broth.
8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup 5 percent Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine; cook according to package directions.
While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.
Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.
Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese until melted. Remove pan from heat.
Whisk in yogurt until smooth.
Toss fettuccine with Alfredo sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with remaining cheese. Serves four.
CALORIES PER SERVING: 336
CARBS: 47 G
PROTEIN: 18 G
FAT: 10 G

Bye Bye Vitamix

Today is a sad, sad day. It's the day that I realized I can no longer be spoiled with life's little luxuries. Living on your own is tough... especially without a Vitamix, lol. I know this sounds so silly, and it is. However, I tried to make my protein ice cream and couldn't.

A while ago my mom bought a banana ice cream maker called Yonana's. Was the BEST THING EVER, at the time. This was until I realized ANY blender could do what this machine did, blend frozen banana's into ice cream. So since buying the Vitamix we (my mom and I) have had no use for the Yonana's. The Vitamix blended banana's AND protein powder... which is something that the Yonana's couldn't do.

Now, living on my own my mom sent me on my way with the Yonana's. No Vitamix. :( So here is a picture of my attempt at Vanilla protein banana ice cream.

Notice all the powder? It was soooo hard trying to mix my own protein into the concoction - and it was actually a good forearm workout, lol. Still the ice cream tasted a little grainy. I am still actually trying to finish it, something I had no trouble doing in the past.

So if any of you want to buy me a Vitamix... I would gladly accept, or even a Ninja, I'm not picky ;)

* Thanks for letting me vent.

15 Delicious Food Swaps To Make Healthy Eating Easier

When it comes to eating healthier food, making the switch from eating processed food for dishes can be really hard to do. The processed foods are meant to taste so delicious that you can never give them up, stimulating your taste buds with tons of sugar, salt, and fat. But with the right strategy, you can swap in whole, healthy ingredients that will taste so good you won’t even miss your old foods. Here are 15 of my favorite food swaps that helped me adjust to healthy eating.

Spaghetti Squash for White Noodles

A great way to get a veggie into your spaghetti and meatball dish is to substitute spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash. All you have to do is cut your squash in half, scrape out the seeds, roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, and the noodles will fall out when you scrape with a fork. While 100% whole wheat pasta is fine, if you’re trying to lose weight, spaghetti squash is the perfect sub in this dish.

Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream, Heavy Cream, Mayo

For you foodies out there, nonfat greek yogurt is a miracle. It’s relatively high in protein, low in calories, and tastes almost exactly like sour cream on top of tacos and chili. Mix in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley and celery seed to make a ranch dip that is to die for. Add honey and frozen fruit for a sweet treat that tastes like ice cream. You can even sub it for cream in most sauce recipes, like alfredo.

Spinach For Cheese

A great way to get your spinach in your meals is to sub it in where you once put cheese. While it obviously doesn’t have the same flavor, it does have the same consistency as cheese when it’s wilted. Use it in omelets, pastas, lasagna, and I even grind mine up in a food processor and add it to burgers or meatballs.

Cauliflower For Pizza Crust, Rice, Mashed Potatoes

Cauliflower is so good for you, but alone can be hard to stomach when you’re used to processed foods. When I first started eating better, mashed cauliflower was one of my first tries, and I could not believe how much it reminded me of mashed potatoes. I would even say now that I like it better. Since that time, I’ve discovered that you can also “rice” cauliflower (using a cheese grater or shredding blade on your food processor) and sub it for rice in everything from sweet and sour chicken to Sushi Zero One. I’ve even discovered how to make pizza crust and breadsticks (pictured) with it. YUM. Again, nothing wrong with brown rice but this is a good one for getting in more veggies and lowering calories for weight loss.

Banana For Sweetener, Ice Cream

Did you know that if you puree a banana and freeze it, it has the consistency of ice cream? You can also mash it and sub it for sugar and oil in recipes for cookies and other baked items. Personally, I will eat a banana as-is when I’m craving any sweets, and it always does the trick.

Eggplant For Lasagna Noodles

Eggplant, when sliced, can make a great substitute in lasagna for noodles. The texture is similar to lasagna noodles and the flavor is even better if you ask me.

Edamame For Chips

Instead of eating potato chips the next time you have a salty craving, try steaming some edamame with a little sprinkle of sea salt and chile powder. Edamame is high in complete protein but also has the healthy properties of a green vegetable.

Nuts and Seeds For Croutons

Next time you make a salad, instead of croutons, try a handful of pine nuts, walnuts, sliced almonds, or pumpkin seeds. These heart healthy fats will satisfy your crunch craving without adding empty calories.

Black Beans For Flour

Pureed black beans can be subbed out for white flour in baking recipes, like in the pictured black bean brownies. Black beans are high in protein, fiber, and taste compared to white flour which is calorie dense and nutrient sparse.

Brown Rice Cereal For Breading

Just a couple of weeks ago I happened on this recipe for chicken strips. My kids have hated every breading substitute I’ve tried in the past 5 years, but they gobbled up these chicken nuggets “breaded” in crushed brown rice cereal. Brilliant!

Quinoa For Pasta

Quinoa is a whole grain that is also relatively high in protein. When cooked up it is fluffy and nutty, an amazing sub in your pasta recipes. Here is how to make fluffy quinoa everytime.

Coconut Milk For Whipped Cream or Cream

Full fat coconut milk in a can has the same consistency as Cool Whip. Add a little honey, cinnamon, vanilla, etc. for flavor and serve! Way better than the processed stuff, which can contain trans fats.

Lettuce Leaves For Tortillas or Wraps

Using any sort of head lettuce (go for darker varieties for the best nutrition) as a wrap or in place of a tortilla is a superb way to get more greens in while cutting calories if you’re trying to lose weight. My favorite is to use a collard green leaf and wrap meat, veggies, and avocado up like a burrito.

Mashed Avocado For Mayo

Using mashed avocado in tuna, chicken, crab, or shrimp salad instead of mayo will give you more fiber, nutrients, and healthy fats than mayonnaise. In my opinion, it tastes way better too. Add a splash of lime juice for even more flavor.

Popcorn Kernels For Microwave Popcorn

Back in the olden days we used to air-pop our own popcorn. Now, popcorn comes in a microwaveable bag and is slathered in tons of butter, oils, and salt. We love to pop our own organic corn kernels over a campfire or stove, then add a touch of melted butter or olive oil and sea salt. It’s more fun than just pressing buttons on a microwave.

Mint Protein Bars

Here is my recipe for my mint protein bars. (Sorry Melissa not really chocolate mint).

3 scoops of ALLMAX Mint Chocolate Isoflex protein powder
1 1/4 cup of oats
1/4 cup of Walden Farm's Maple Syrup (contains sucralose)
1/4 cup Almond Milk
1/4 tsp of Mint Extract

Bake for 20 minutes at 350

*I planned on adding cocoa to it to make it more of a mint chocolate protein bar, but realized I haven't moved all of my baking ingredients yet. :( (However if you were to try it I would only add 1 tbsp of cocoa)

Flatbread Spicy Pizza

Hey Peeps!!! How is everyone out there in cyber world? Over here I'm great. Just moved into my own place, finally moved Tex in and getting all settled. I think that people have been waiting for me to create/ update this blog for a long time. As many of you know I am a pretty big cooker. I love trying new things and mixing it up, the only catch is everything I cook is... HEALTHY! Yup healthy and (for most of what I make) delicious. I have already had 4 people ask me for the recipe of the flatbread pizza I just made. So here it is...

1 slice of flat bread

1 slice of kraft low fat cheese (yes, processed cheese) (only 35 cals)
1/2 a green pepper
1 strip of pinapple cut into chunks
2 tbsp of hummus (I used store bought-this time)
2 hot peppers
8 small slices of tomatoes
and squirts of hot sauce

** I posted a picture of the flat bread I used because I think it's amazing.
- Bought it at Nutrition House in Heartland.

and that's it! I baked it for about 15 minutes at 350 and it was spicy and delicious!


Pita Pizza plus Nutritional Values

Mmmmm....

I was craving pizza so bad today, I just hate how bad it is for you. I've seen pit pizzas before but never really tried to make my own (in fear of it not being as good). Today I tried.

I used Haddad Bakery Protein Pita Bread (only 50 cals per 1/2), Unico Pizza Sauce (garlic and basil flavor), and Kraft Singles Fat Free Swiss. I never realized how much sodium is in this cheese. It is processed (sorry for those who don't eat processed foods), but still 290mg for a 30 cal slice. :O Pooey! If any of you know healthier cheese alternatives let me know please.

Here are my 2 pizza's I made (I only used 1/2 the pita as a crust):


Spinach and Tuna


Nutritional Values: (per pizza without fruit/ veggies)
Calories: 95
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 565 :/ (way too much)
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fiber: 5.5g
Sugar: 2g


Pineapple and Green Peppers

Protein: 11g

Enjoy!!!