When More is Simpler (November Update)

More with Less is the title of a cookbook. Sometimes simplicity does mean doing more with less. On the flip side,  sometimes having more is simpler. Take for instance, this past weekend. I traveled for three days, and each of those three days, I was in a different place. I had a small suitcase set out for packing, but I quickly realized that the space was limiting. I asked my husband for the bigger suitcase and just started throwing stuff in. More space meant less need to make decisions. Win.

When I initially checked the forecast, I thought it would be cold. When I checked it again, it looked warmer. I just added t-shirts to the stack of long sleeves already in the suitcase. More options meant less need to buy or borrow new clothes on the trip. It also allowed me to feel more comfortable in the variable temperatures I experienced.

I took a lot of snacks with me. I accepted more snacks from my mom and dad when I stopped by their house. Did I really need all those snacks? I did not think so. Did things work out where I ate most of the snacks? Yes. Although granola bars and other snacks do not a good diet make, they did help assuage my hunger when I lacked other options.

Do I always want to overpack for trips? No. Lots of times, this incurs extra fees and extra responsibilities. In the case of this trip, having more simplified my life and gave me a better trip, and I am grateful for it!

The Latest in Healthy Treats

 I am not going to jump on the "sugar is bad" train. It is good, at least it tastes good. Not always does it make me feel, good, though. Therefore, I like to keep some naturally sweet, and/or less sweet treats on hand for when I want something fun to eat, but maybe not something that will bring on a crash afterward. These snacks fit the bill!

Peanut butter protein balls (Natalie's Health)

No bake, and chock full of healthy ingredients! I substituted honey for the maple syrup, but otherwise made the recipe as is.

Protein cookie dough (Eating Bird Food)

I changed this one up a bit, using unflavored protein powder plus 2 t vanilla, substituting peanut butter for almond butter, omitting coconut sugar, and using regular chocolate chips. Not super sweet, but I cut it into rectangles after refrigerating and it was kind of like less sweet chocolate chip cookie dough Lara bars.

3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies (Bucket List Tummy)

Whir two bananas and 1/4 c peanut butter in the blender. (I thawed some frozen bananas, drained them of the liquid, and used the Magic Bullet for blending.) Add to 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal. Form into balls. Squish and bake at 350 for 11-14 minutes. Simple, easy, and surprisingly satisfying!

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What are your favorite not too sweet treats? 

Please share in the comments section!

The Best Snack Ever

You all know I like oatmeal, and chocolate, and nighttime snack. But I've got a new recipe for you, one I've been making every week since we got that 50 pound bag of black beans. Simple, satisfying, sweet, but sugar free? This snack checks all the boxes. Don't knock it until you try it. Fudgy. Chocolate-y. Just right!

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's Flourless Chocolate Blender Muffins)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c cooked black beans

1/3 c old-fashioned or quick oats

2/3 c unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c peanut butter

1 t vanilla

3/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/8 t baking soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups. (I prefer to use coconut oil.)

2. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until mostly smooth. (There may be some lack of uniformity.)

3. Divide into 10 muffin cups and bake 20 minutes.

4. Remove muffin tins from the oven and let cool on baking racks.

5. Remove muffins and refrigerate until ready to eat.

*These muffins can also be frozen and thawed for later enjoyment.

Dispelling the Myths: Runners Can Eat Whatever They Want.

Runners can eat whatever they want. 

You run a lot. 

That's how you stay so thin. 

False. False. False. If running a half-marathon taught me anything (it taught me a lot of things), it taught me even more the importance of nutrition. And I'm talking eating right, eating a lot, and eating to run, not running to eat.

I found out very quickly that running made me, hungry very hungry. I sometimes tried to practice "self-control," but then I kept reading about how running can damage your hormones, lower your immunity, create injury, etc. if I didn't eat right. So I ate. A lot. Like handfuls of granola and nuts after my morning bowl of oatmeal. Like lots of red meat. (Thanks to reading Run Fast, Eat Slow.) Like protein bars and gels, which I know can "make you fat," (but they didn't-they gave me energy). I decided that even if I did eat so much I gained weight, I'd rather gain weight and run than not run and not gain weight. (Running is good for my mental health, I've found.)

I wanted to eat sugar, but it seemed to lower my immunity and made me feel yucky. So I turned to whole food and more savory stuff. I sometimes wanted to skip carbs, but that didn't work so well, so I added in more carbs. I often stayed up late eating a big nighttime snack to make sure my belly was full and ready to run the next morning. I found out the hard way that I needed to stay on top of my long run hunger (e.g. eat on a schedule/before I was hungry) to avoid an all out binge. I ate when I didn't want to and sometimes to the point of feeling overfull, because I knew I needed it. And on the day I ran my half-marathon, I ate more than I think I've ever eaten before, but I did it because my body kept telling me it was hungry, so I knew I needed the fuel.

Can runners eat whatever they want? I'd argue not. Does running make you thin? I'd argue no in that case, too. In fact, my predisposition to being thin makes me a worse runner in some ways because I have less muscle and no fat stores to use as a reserve for days of extra miles.

So let's dispel the myth that most runners run to eat. Maybe some do. I don't. I eat to run. Extra hunger and the chance to indulge is maybe nice sometimes, but overall, running is about taking better care of myself. And that means eating better. Sometimes more. Sometimes less, but more focused on nutrients and having good energy overall. Otherwise my running is not going to get better. And I, as long as the Lord allows, want to keep progressing in this sport if I can.

Essentials for Travel

I am newly back from a trip to see my little (big) brother for Thanksgiving. This is the first trip I've taken out-of-state since I moved back to Arizona, and it was an adventure! (Recaps to come.) As I took this trip, I realized some ways that travel has changed for me, for the better. So I thought I would share some of the essentials that made this go-round one of the best trips yet.

1) Papaya enzymes: My mom turned me on to these, and they work! They help combat stomach distress, especially nausea when chewed. When sucked on like a lozenge, they help relieve sinus pressure, aka the painful ear popping that occurs as the plane takes off and lands. These are the tablets we buy.

2) Comfortable shoes: You never know how far you will need to walk (or run) to catch the plane. Plus, I like to walk through the larger airports as a way to pass time and to get some exercise. This trip, I wore Fila Trail Day Hikers like these.

3) An empty water bottle: You can't take water through airport security, but you can take an empty bottle. (This is another trick I learned from Mom.) Once through security, fill up the bottle at the nearest water fountain or bottle filling station. (More and more airports have those now.) Voila! "Free" water. 

*I confess that I bought one water bottle on this trip, but that was out of duress because I couldn't find a water fountain close to my gate.

4) A zip-up jacket: Airport gates vary in temperature from hot to cold. The airplanes themselves are cold. I recommend a lightweight zip-up jacket for temperature control. Why zip-up? Because it's awkward to try to wrestle a sweatshirt over your head when in close proximity to others. Also, pulling one shirt over your head can lead to, ahem, wardrobe malfunctions.

5) Snacks: Airport food is expensive! And you never know what you'll find. I like to bring granola bars, whole apples, nuts, and carrot sticks for starters. The food needs to be sturdy since it will jostle around as you walk (or run, see number two!) to your next gate. The food also needs to be non-perishable, which these snacks are. In a pinch, they can stand in for a meal, or at least tide you over until you find "real" food.

6) An ergonomic backpack: I have a High Sierra backpack like this one, and I use it as my personal carry-on item. It not only holds a lot, but doesn't hurt me due to the padded straps and backs. When needed, it carries my laptop in the inside compartment. The padded back can also act as a headrest for napping. I have had these backpack since graduate school, and it's still going strong!

I am not a travel expert by any means, so please share your travel essentials with me in the comments section below.

Bingeing?

(A "normal" nighttime snack of avocado pudding, almonds, leftover pancakes, and an apple)

I've been a night-eater since, I don't know, seventh or eight grade. And my mom always eats a bowl of cereal before she goes to bed. I've been reading a lot about bingeing at night, though. (See ImmaEatThat and In It For the Long Run.) And I started to get concerned. I even freaked myself out that I had Night Eating Syndrome. But that's not in the DSM, and I don't have all the symptoms, so I decided to give that idea a rest.

But I still eat a LOT at night. And lately, it's been even more. Not eating enough at lunch probably has something to do with it, but I always seem busy and preoccupied, so satisfying lunches don't really seem to happen. I don't feel super hungry during the day (even though I definitely eat three meals), and then I'm SUPER hungry at snack time. I've been fighting the hunger, trying to portion out my food, limiting myself, etc., but it never seems to work.

So you know what? I'm giving in. A few nights back, for example, I had quite a few tortilla chips with crunchy peanut butter after my initial snack of toast, apples, peanut butter, and a bowl cake (aka mug cake). I tried to hold back, but I was hungry, and if I'm hungry, I don't sleep. I wanted to sleep. And guess what? I woke up hungry after eating all that, so I guess my body needed the fuel.

I struggle mega-big-time with self acceptance, and for me, this night-eating seems to be part of life's journey. It's about accepting my body, honoring its needs, and being okay if I sometimes eat more than I probably "should." Maybe eventually my hunger and eating will even out, but for now, this is what it is (no labels), and I accept it.

Also, a big shout out to My Uncommon Everyday for her Day in the Life post about her nighttime snack. She's honoring her hunger and her body, too.