I have learned to really enjoy cooking over the past few years.  I used not to enjoy it because I wasn’t very good at it.  I have invested in some good books and classes to help.  However, the one thing that has helped more than anything is just getting in the kitchen and cooking.

I took a class on “Saving Summer” at Williams-Sonoma last Saturday. One thing the instructor said that stuck with me is that “cooking should be fun.”  She is so right!  And, to make cooking more fun, it helps to have the right tools.  Yes, you do not need a tool for every job, and a lot of tools can multi-task.   But, occasionally treating yourself to a new cooking tool can give some incentive to get in the kitchen.  That cooking tool could be a class, or an actual piece of equipment.  One of the tasks I do not like, and am not good at, is hulling strawberries and tomatoes.

During the class, the instructor used this Strawberry Huller to hull the tomatoes.

The people around me kept saying, “I just do that with a pairing knife.”  And, yes, I know you can do it with a pairing knife.  I’m just not comfortable doing it with a pairing knife (I have visions of the knife slipping and hitting my thumb).  I decided that if that cute little tool would help me in the kitchen (and save more of the fruit), then that would be a good addition to my kitchen.  And, when I made grilled tomatoes last night, I got a little excited to use the new huller for the first time.  It worked like a charm!

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen, pick a couple of things you can do to help.  It could be taking some beginner cooking classes, or buying some beginner cooking books.  Or, one of the most helpful books I have in my kitchen is The Well Tooled Kitchen. If I don’t know what that tool is called for in a recipe, I can look in that book and find it.

Cooking is a way to take care of yourself and those around you.  It allows you to control what goes into a dish, and to modify recipes to suit your tastes.  Cooking is an art form – a way to express yourself.  But, it is an art form accessible to everyone – including you.

I’m intolerant to cow’s milk and the products made from cow’s milk.  Unfortunately, that includes ice cream.  I have not really been impressed by the alternatives until recently.  I stumbled on La Loo’s goat milk ice cream and frozen yogurt.  I seem to tolerate goat milk just fine, which makes these an option.  One of my favorite treats is chocolate-covered cherries.  The first flavor of La Loo’s I tried was Cherries Tuilerie Frozen Yogurt.  It is a mix of vanilla yogurt, cherries, and dark chocolate.  Yum!

Today, I picked up another carton of Cherries Tuilerie Frozen Yogurt and a carton of Deep Chocolate ice cream.  I can’t wait to give the Deep Chocolate a try.  They also have ice cream sandwiches.  I hope my local Whole Foods has them soon.

If you are looking for an alternative to cow milk ice cream or frozen yogurt, you might want to give this one a try.

*I did not receive compensation of any kind for this post.

John, my husband and I, have been enjoying Meatless Mondays.  We take turns picking dinners during the week, and taking turns on Mondays always produces a surprise.  I’ve found some amazing recipes on the Meatless Monday website including Lemon Mint Qunioa Salad.  We have pulled out our favorite vegetarian cookbooks including Deborah Madison’s great Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Quick-Fix Vegetarian is another favorite.   And, I’m still craving the watermelon salad from Runner’s world.

We went to a friend’s house on July 5.  She said, “You’re still doing Meatless Mondays, right?  I hope so, because I fixed vegetarian.”  She had some great dishes that have inspired me to continue playing around with my own recipes.  We have also discovered a new to us grain – teff – which makes a great breakfast.

I’m looking forward to next Monday to see what lands on the table.  John made pasta with a tomato sauce including sundried tomatoes and goat milk feta.  I’ll have to see what I can find to top that. . . .

John, my husband, and I have been enjoying Meatless Mondays.  We have some favorite vegetarian recipes, and are having fun finding some new ones.  I thought I’d share a couple with you.

First, I made Lemon Mint Quinoa Salad last night.  Rather than just the white quinoa, I used white, red, and black.  It was very colorful.  One of the keys (we learned the hard way) is to rinse the quinoa for a couple of minutes in a sieve.  This removes the bitter outer coating called saponins.  You’ll know if you don’t rinse long enough.

The second recipe is one John found in this month’s Runner’s World – Watermelon Salad.  One of my favorite things about summer is watermelon.  Neither of us thought the salad would be filling, but were we wrong!  I’ve shared this recipe with several others and everyone is craving it.

Let me know if you give them a try!

Several of my RD and foodie friends have been talking about the “Meatless Monday” movement.  This is a movement started by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to promote a reduction in meat consumption to improve public health and the health of the planet.   Reducing meat consumption can help lower your risk for several diseases including some cancers, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.  It also helps the planet by reducing the need to produce, process, and transport meat to stores.

What’s involved in “meatless Mondays”?  Simple, not eating meat on Monday.  The John Hopkins group has established a website where you can find recipes to help you go meatless on Monday.  You can also sign a pledge and sign up to receive weekly newsletters to help you have a meatless Monday.

I’ve signed the pledge and am looking at recipes for Monday.  I should also add it to my calendar to remind me until it becomes a habit.

Here’s to going meatless on Mondays!

There are two very important members of my marathon training village I forgot to mention in my last list.

First is Gabriel Brooks.  He is an amazing PT and my body mechanic.  Any time my body breaks, Gabriel is the one to pick up the pieces and put me back together.  When I was running 15 miles a couple of months ago, I heard a “pop” and felt a horrible pain in my right knee at about mile 13.  I walked then ran it in.  Then, was in pain after finishing 3 miles.  I emailed Gabriel.  He fit me into his busy schedule and did a video analysis of my running gait.  I knew my gait was less than perfect, and the video showed it was worse than I thought.  Gabriel gave me a few exercises, made a shoe suggestion, and things to watch when I run.  Like Tonja, Gabriel knows my body.  He is also an athlete and understands what I’m trying to accomplish.  I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be running in Paris if it weren’t for Gabriel.  Gabriel works in the Sports Medicine clinic at Texas Childrens Hospital.

The other member I forgot is Trigger Point.  I guess this isn’t a member, but a tool.  I use their tools after my long runs to help speed recovery.  A day doesn’t go by that I’m not using one or more of their tools right now.  They are helping my body recover from the last run and be ready for the next.  For example, one area Gabriel identified as a problem is the knots in my calves.  I use the Trigger Point tools to really get in there and work them out.  The balls are much better than tennis balls and the rollers much better than foam rollers because they have solid cores.  That means the outside gives a bit, but the core is there to allow you to really get into a knot and work it out.

The more I think about all the people it takes to get me to a marathon, the more I am glad to be surrounded by them and the tools they provide.  I can’t do it alone because . . .it takes a village.

I ran my first two marathons in 2001 – Houston in January and Marine Corps in October.  At this point, I was a novice runner.  I been running under a year.  I remember the training being a challenge, and each race was a challenge for different reasons.  But, I also remember the thrill of coming across the finish lines.  Now, nine years later, I’m training for the Paris marathon.  What a difference nine years makes.

I like to think of myself as an independent person.  However, I’m not sure if it is that I’m a more advanced runner, or understand my body better, but I’ve discovered that marathon training takes a village.  First, I have my husband who will be running the race as well.  He supports me in every way.  Then, come my training buddies – Theresa, Moya, and Jen.  Theresa and I got to know each other when training for Houston almost ten years ago.  We finished Houston, and she talked me into running Marine Corps.  We have forged a strong friendship over countless miles on the road.  She has been doing my long runs with me.  I’m not sure where I’d be without her.  She told me that someone asked her what race she was training for.  When she responded “Paris” the person got all excited for her.  She had to tell them that she wasn’t running it, but a friend was.  It is a true friend who will run 15, 18, and over 20 miles with you when she isn’t going to run the marathon herself.

Training also takes nutrition.  Luckily, since I’m a sports dietitian I have that kind of covered.  However, I use Infinit* as my sports drink.  I use and recommend Infinit because you can custom mix your sports drink including how strong you want the flavor.  I placed an order earlier this month and their usually speedy service was a bit delayed.  I emailed and got a response back from Laurie Walter.  We emailed back and forth.  I explained about having two long runs left and needing to test my new mixture before Paris (I added caffeine – first time to try it).  Lauire understood and upgraded the shipping so I could have it for my run this weekend.  Laurie and the Infinit gang are now a part of my marathon training village.

Taking care of my body and all of its various parts has also become critical.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m older or if I’m more aware of my body, but massage has become another key piece of my training.  I have a fabulous massage therapist, Tonja Samford, who I’ve used for eight or nine years now.  I think she knows my body better than I do.  I’ve learned the importance of pre- and post-run massages to prepare and recover.  A post-run massage has become part of the reason for finishing these last few long runs.  Tonja is  a member of my marathon training village.

Another group of members of this village are all of my non-training, non-running friends who are lending their support.  It is exciting when they ask about how training is coming, and express excitement about the upcoming run.

The final, and in some ways most inspiring members of my marathon training village, are those who have donated to my Challenged Athletes Foundation Race for a Reason.  This is the first time I have raised money for an organization.  The encouragement and financial outpouring is exciting to see.  I know that each step I will take in the Paris marathon will benefit those who, due to physical disabilities, face greater challenges that I do in being physically active.  To all of you, I say “Thanks!”

Actually, to my entire marathon training village, I say “Thanks!”

The next time you take on an endeavor, be it physical or other, think about the your village who helps you get there.

*If you would like to try Infinit, enter “penny” in the Special Codes area for a 10% discount on your orders.  I do receive a small referral fee when you use this code.

Last year, I was contacted by a great running coach, Lowell Ladd, about one of his clients.  This particular client is training for his first marathon and writing a book about it.  He wants nutrition counseling. . . .can I help?  Of course!  I talked with Tom Coyne and we got started with his nutrition planning.  He has a group of 12 friends who are training to run the Paris Marathon in April, 2010.   They have a fun blog called 26.1 To Go.  I love the tag line for the blog, “The quest to solve the greatest mystery in sports: Where the hell is everybody running to?”

Then, I started thinking. . .when am I going to have a business excuse to go to Paris?  Then, I thought some more. . . when I am going to have such a great excuse to, um, run the Paris Marathon?  It only took a few minutes to go from thinking about running it to being a registered participant, to thinking “what the heck have I just done!”

I ran both the Houston and Marine Corps marathons in 2001.  My reasons for running Paris are many: because it is there and I can go, because it would be “fun,” to see how my training and nutrition have changed now that I’m a sports dietitian.

I began training a few months ago and training has been going well.  It has reminded me of a lot of the issues that my clients face when training for and racing a distance event.  However, now that I really understand how to fuel before, during, and after my training has been much smoother.

We are a month out from the race.  I’m filled with a mix of excitement and fear.  At this point you start to wonder and worry about every little ache, pain, and/or tinge.  “Was that a real pain?”  “How is that going to affect my run?”

I’ve also decided to dedicate this run to help those who have a hard time being physically active – those with disabilities.  I’m raising money for Challenged Athletes Foundation.  If you’d like to help CAF “provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics” you can make a donation by clicking here.

In the mean time, I’ll keep training and planning.  And, dreaming of running through the streets of Paris.

. . . Then it probably is.  Celebrety trainer Jillian Michaels is facing, to date, three lawsuits based on her supplements.  On the package of one product, Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control™, it states “Two Capsules Before Main Meals And You Lose Weight. . .That’s It.”  Really?  All I have to do to lose weight is take two of these pills before my main meals?  Sign me up!

Then, I look a little closer at the label and find this:  WARNING:This product contains a significantly potent xanthine (i.e., caffeine and caffeine-like stimulants) mixture of about 100 mg per regular 2-MetaCap serving. Consult your physician before use if you are sensitive to stimulants. Do not exceed suggested daily serving. Not for use by individuals under the age of 18 years. Do not use if pregnant or nursing.

A Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine in an 8.2 oz can.  A cup of coffee has between 80 and 135 mg of caffeine.  If you take six capsules of the supplement, you’ll be consuming 300 mg of caffiene – about the same as three cups of coffee.  Not necessarily an issue, unless you are sensitive to or avoid caffeine.

This supplement also contains guarana extract, cocoa seed extract and ginger root powder.  These are intended to suppress your appetite.  Guarana is claimed to help with weight loss, but the research has not show this to be true.  Also, those with a heart condition, high blood pressure, or anxiety disorders (among others) should not consume guarana due to the high caffeine content.  When you stop using guarana, you can experience withdrawal symptoms like those when you are addicted to caffeine.  It just keeps getting better.

I could go on, but am going to stop here.  What’s the moral of the story?  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  If you are looking at a pill, supplement, or anything you put into your body do some research and be comfortable with it.

If losing weight was easy, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic.  Losing weight takes work.  Keeping weight off takes work.  If you are struggling with your weight, find a healthy way to do it.  Find a Registered Dietitian and someone to help you find a way to burn calories you enjoy.  It can be done, and done without pills that promise outrageous claims.

There are a few new products on the market I wanted to share with you. I like to have the occasional sandwich, but don’t necessarily like a lot of bread. Orowheat has come out with a line of sandwich thins. They come in mult-grain, whole wheat, and honey wheat. For about 100 calories and 5 grams of fiber per bun (top and bottom) these are hard to beat.

Another RD friend of mine suggested PopChips! These are potato chips that are not fried or baked – they are popped. Apparently, they apply heat and pressure to the potato slices and they pop. I don’t really care how they are made, they are YUMMY! At about 120 calories per tasty serving, these are another product that is hard to beat. They really do taste good (not like eating baked chips).

Freeze-dried fruit (particularly apples & pears) have quickly become one of my favorite treats. They are sweet and crispy with minimal calories – about 35 per serving. One of my favorites is Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps. They come in both individual servings (great to keep in the car or desk) and larger bags. I’m reaching for these when I need something sweet in the afternoon.

I hope you enjoy these new items.