My second gluten-free cookie recipe of the week, albeit a bit late. My mother has been making these cookies since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. She’s still making them and they’re still delicious. I recently brought them to a social event and a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless for her own protection) ate five.
Melt together:
1/2 bar parafin wax*
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
In a large bowl, mix together:
4-5 cups corn flakes
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Mix all ingredients together and drop on waxed paper. Let cool before places in container
* if you can’t find wax bars, use about 1/3 cup of the granules
This is one of those recipes that you can play with a little. If you like a more chocolate/peanut butter flavour, add more of those ingredients.
RunPhones are an interesting development in the listening/exercising world. The headphones in a sweatband have been developed by a doctor so that the runner can clearly hear their music device as well as external noise such as traffic, pedestrians, or charging dogs.
What’s a person who doesn’t listen to music while running doing testing the RunPhones? I am an addicted podcast listener! In addition to listening to Mark and Ray on The Running Show, I also listen to two other marathon shows as well as a dozen CBC podcasts. Lots of material for my marathon training (aiming for the Hamilton Road2Hope) and walking the dog!
The summer version of the RunPhone that I used during my marathon training was quite comfortable. There was absolutely no setup or technical stuff to do, simply plug the cord into your ipod or mp3 player and away you go. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound. They were much better than my headphones that I normally use. The attached cord is an excellent length, 120 cm (4 ft) long, which enables you to easily carry your mp3 player in your hand, tuck it in a belt, or in a pocket. The wicking material really helped keep the sweat out of my eyes as I ramped up my long runs to 32 km over the past few weeks.
I was concerned about the cleanliness of the band after a few speed sessions and tempo runs in the Muskoka heat which made the band quite wet, but the actual speakers can be easily removed and the band washed. It only took me a minute to take out the speakers. Putting the speakers back in after washing is a breeze as they are colour coded for the left and right sides.
I can attest to the fact that the RunPhones accomplish the original purpose; being able to listen to your music (or podcasts) and hearing external, surrounding sound. I have used both ear buds and the external headphones over many years and the RunPhones are superior to both. They allowed me to hear everything I wanted to, and everything I needed to.
Sometimes dedicated readers ask me where I get my ideas for blog posts. This week, I had a look at my little stockpile of pictures and realized that the follow-up to last week’s breakfast extravaganza would be….gluten-free cookie week! How’s that for a theme?
We’ll kick it off with gluten-free coconut cookies. My mother found this recipe next to the bin of coconut flour at the Bulk Barn so I don’t really know how to credit it. Suffice it to say that they were delicious. If you haven’t tried coconut flour, it’s really quite delicious and hard to tell the difference from gluten-full flour.
Ingredients
4 eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tbsps sugar
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
½ cup melted butter
¾ cup sifted coconut flour
2 tsps ground cinnamon
½ cup sweetened coconut (optional – my mother’s addition)
Directions
Combine eggs, sugar (reserve 1 tbsp of sugar), vanilla and butter. Mix well. Stir in coconut flour. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow it to thicken. Combine cinnamon with 1 tbsp sugar. Form dough into 1-1/2” balls and roll in cinnamon mixture, coating thoroughly. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Flatten ball to a diameter of about 2”. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Mum theorized that shredded orange peel might also be a tasty add-on.
**Do you know any cookie recipes (gluten-free or not) that iRun readers would enjoy? Send them in to webeditor@irun.ca for a chance to win fabulous prizes. (Gratitude is a prize, right? No? How about a nice smile?)**
I know I go on about this every year, but I just can’t help myself. I love fall running. I will try to keep the gushing to a minimum this year but seriously, I love fall running. Lovelovelove.
I know it isn’t technically fall yet – we still have two and a half weeks to go according to the calendar – but the weather is very fall-like. And I love how the fall weather affects my running.
First of all, I feel faster all of a sudden. I don’t have to chew the air, which helps a lot with that breathing-thing; somehow it seems like there is more oxygen available to me with every breath. The same perceived-effort level yields faster times on my regular routes – and the sweat can actually evaporate a little instead of running down my skin, pooling around my eyes right before running into them, and soaking my clothes.
Secondly, I don’t feel sick all the time like I do in the summer. Whenever I run in the heat and humidity, my stomach always feels a little “off” – like if I sip just a little too much sports drink or do something crazy like accelerate, I just might find the road in front of me becomes a little more colourful. Magically, this is not the case when the air cools down.
And finally, it is just more invigorating! Instead of feeling exhausted and run-down after a run, I just feel more awake, alive and enthusiastic! The Runner’s High comes much more easily in the fall.
Since I could go on and on, I will stop there and leave you a chance to contribute – do you like running in the fall? Why? Please share in the comments below!
I can’t remember where I originally found this recipe but I think it was an all-breakfast website. I’m one of those people who can easily eat the same thing for breakfast every day for six months in a row. For the last few years, oatmeal is usually my pick.
Ingredients
– 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
– 2 tbsp chopped dried dates
– 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
– 1 banana
– 1/2 cup vanilla-flavoured Greek yogurt
– 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1. Combine the oats, dates and walnuts in your favourite breakfast bowl and add water. I usually add slightly more than 1/2 cup but it really depends on your preferred oatmeal consistency. (Most places suggest cooking oats with a 2:1 water/oats ratio).
2. Microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir. Microwave for additional time until oatmeal reaches your preferred consistency.
3. Top oatmeal with a dollop of yogurt and sliced banana. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
**I hope you enjoyed breakfast week here at What’s Cookin’, iRunNation? Stay tuned for more themed weeks. Do you have a suggestion for a theme or a recipe you’d like to contribute? E-mail us at webeditor@irun.ca. All reasonable suggestions considered (We’re not green peas week, I can tell you that right now – I hate those). If you want to be the first to know when a new recipe comes out, follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite.**
I’ve recently started reading a bunch of new health/fitness blogs and one of my favourites of the bunch is “Oh She Glows” by Angela Liddon. She includes a bit of everything on her blog: breakfasts, lunches, dinners and the most delectable-looking treats I’ve ever seen. Everything is vegan and lot is also gluten-free. This recipe falls into both categories. You can find the original link here.
So pretty you almost don't want to eat it!
Yield: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry quinoa
1 pint strawberries, sliced (2.5-3 cups)
16 oz. fresh blueberries (1.5-2 cups)
1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced (I used fresh peaches instead)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (or lemon might work!)
Pinch of kosher salt (I left this out)
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.
4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time. Serves 2-3 as a main or 4-6 as a side. Or if you are reeeeally hungry 2 people!
**I hope you’re enjoying breakfast week so far on What’s Cookin’, iRunNation. If you have an awesome breakfast recipe to share, it’s not too late! Send it in to webeditor@irun.ca.**
I first tried these eggs at Elbow’s house. We were having a brunch and as the host, she was handling the main dish. (I was handling the scones because no matter what the occasion, I am expected to bring scones). I couldn’t believe how delicious they were for so little investment in terms of either time or effort. My basil plants had been threatening to take over my little balcony garden so I went outside with some scissors and decimated them. I made some pesto and then froze the rest and spent the rest of the day alternately repeating “I’m so domestic!” and “Martha Stewart had better watch out!” to Mr. Shuffler.
Frozen basil leaves!
Where were we? Oh yeah, eggs. Essentially, you start with your basic scrambled eggs recipe: 2-3 eggs, whisked together, maybe add a little milk if you feel like it. Start cooking the eggs and when they’re about 3/4 of the way there, add in about a tablespoon of pesto and 2 tablespoons of feta. Or thereabouts. Elbows’ version also had sun-dried tomatoes. Voila! Gourmet breakfast in the same time it takes to make eggs. Here’s the pesto recipe I used:
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I omitted this)
METHOD
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
There are times when you run a race to bust your butt and see just how fast you can go. Then there are races you do because they are just too darned cool to miss.
Enter exhibit A: The Chocolate Race. I was headed to Port Dalhousie to chat with some people doing the race for an upcoming issue of iRun, and I figured, heck, while I am there, why don’t I run? After hearing the reports of hot, humid weather last year, I decided to register for the 10K with the goal of running a bit, eating a lot, and generally enjoying myself.
When the day dawned windy, but cool and cloudy, I was relieved to say the least. I figured I could still do what I had set out to, but maybe keep up a faster pace than originally planned. When the race started it quickly became apparent that no one had seeded themselves correctly. I had misjudged how big the crowd was and when I saw how many people were behind me, I thought, “Uh-oh, I am going to get trampled.” It turned out that was not the case, and despite being probably about a third of the way from the front, I was passing people from the get-go.
The course was beautiful, but a little narrow in places. When a course is wide, you have time to judge how fast other runners are going as you approach them, and all the time in the world to decide if you should tuck in behind them for a while or pass right away. I learned quickly that this isn’t the case on a narrow path – you have to decide: pass at the first clear moment, or be prepared to slow down until it is safe to pass again. On a hotter day I would have done a lot more tucking in and waiting, but given the picture-perfect weather, I found myself passing a lot, which meant I reached the 2K marker way sooner than expected. I still felt good, however, so I stuck with it. I developed a nasty side stitch, so I skipped the chocolate (chocolate dipped marshmallows and strawberries) at 2.5K, figuring I would catch it on the way back at 7.5K.
I didn’t end up catching it at 7.5K either, though, because by the time I got back my stitch was an 8.5/10 on the stitch-o-meter, and the station was so clogged with people that I joined several other runners in running off course and behind the chocolate tables to get through. I was still on a blistering (for me) pace, so I decided to delay my chocolate-gratification until the end. Given that I have a “delicate” stomach to begin with, it is probably better that way, if you know what I mean.
But I digress – I had to walk a little more than I would like in that 8th kilometre, given that I just couldn’t shake the stitch, but since I didn’t have a particular time in mind, that was okay with me. I ran the last kilometre and stopped my Garmin in – wait, what?
I did a double-take. Not only had I finished faster than I had ever run 10K before, I finished faster than I thought possible at this particular stage of my training. A PB by 4 minutes and 40 seconds. I checked to make sure I had, indeed, run 10K, and Garmin said, “Hey, would I lie to you?”
I guess it just goes to show that when I truly am relaxed, I really can surprise myself!
And yes, I had chocolate at the finish:
Yes, all that chocolatey goodness is sitting on my notebook - the very notebook which contains all of the sacred iRun statements collected yesterday!
I am happy to be involved with the 2011 Toronto Women’s Run Series through the series sponsor and my personal sponsor, Mizuno. I cannot help but think of the dedication to training and nutrition that the participating runners place into their race preparation. The race events vary between 5k to 10k and depending on the day, the race may be run in high heat conditions so replacing electrolytes is very important and hydration is essential.
Without enough fluids we can quickly become dehydrated resulting in muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness, fainting and irritability, just to list a few of the possible symptoms. While exercising or when involved in sports, we can sweat approximately 2 litres of water per hour, so consuming water or sports drinks is highly suggested by physicians and health pros.
I do not drink nearly enough water, favouring sports drinks because of my need for flavour.
After researching hydration alternatives that compliment daily water intake I discovered many of my favourite fruits offer surprising hydration benefits. I recently began increasing my fruit intake in order to add variety to my daily hydration regime.
Summer offers a variety of fruits to choose from; my favourites, which are all high in water content, are listed below.
Watermelon: A light refreshing summer favourite, watermelons are low in calories. They are also high in Vitamin A and beta-carotene. This fruit also contains water, approximately 140 grams per serving.
Strawberries: This delicious fruit contains a high water content and are very high in Vitamin C. A cup of strawberries has approximately 138 grams of water.
Mangoes: Mangoes are packed with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. In fact, just half of a mango has over 100 percent of the recommended daily dosage of Vitamin A as beta-carotene. Not only are they high in Vitamins A and C but they also contain approximately 134 grams of water.
Peaches: Peaches are low in calories and a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and fibre. They hold approximately 87 grams of water per peach.
Grapefruit: This fruit contains large amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and lycopene. This delicious fruit also contains approximately 116 grams of water.
It is very important to drink water and other fluids on hot summer training days, but you can also stay cool with the tasty and nutritious, thirst-quenching fruits outlines above. Be sure to also include an appropriate multi-vitamin in your nutrition regime. I currently incorporate the easy to take Multibionta multi-vitamin with probiotic in my personal daily diet.
In addition, you can wear cooling and or breathable training attire aides with keeping cool and reducing sweat. For this reason I love my Quickdry Plus Mizuno gear.
Be sure to speak with your family physician or a dietician before changing your diet and/or incorporating new foods into your diet prior to starting a fitness or training regime.
Happy training!
Tania Archer
Lifestyle Athlete
Elite Sprinter, Canadian Olympic Team Trialist
Mizuno Brand Ambassador
Esteem Team Athlete Role Model
Back in August 2009, Mr. Shuffler and I spent three weeks in Spain. Lesson #1: Don’t visit southern Spain in August. Its nickname is the “frying pan” of Spain. We had many culinary adventures on this trip (did you know that “boquerones” in Spanish means “sardines”?) but one of our favourite takeaways was gazpacho, a cold tomato-based soup originally developed in Andalusia. I think we must have eaten this stuff every other day and it was delicious. Cool, refreshing, relatively healthy – the perfect way to deal with 45 degree temperatures. We still like to whip up a batch in July/August when the idea of turning on the stove to make dinner seems insane. We found the original recipe here; in our version, we left out the bread crumbs.
Ingredients
8 cups cold water
8 large tomatoes – peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 (1 pound) loaf stale French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/8 tablespoon salt
Directions
Combine water, tomatoes, bread, and oil in a large stock pot. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender, blend onion, garlic, cucumber, and green pepper to a paste. Stir into the stock pot.
Using a hand mixer, blend until ingredients have a watery, pinkish consistency. Alternatively, process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add vinegar, and season with salt. Serves 6-8
I am happy to be involved with the 
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