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
My friend Anne tweeted about this recipe and included a picture so I bullied her asked her nicely if she could submit it to What’s Cookin’, iRunNation? This dish seems perfect for after a pre-supper run.
**If you’d like to see more of Anne’s yummy recipes, follow her on Twitter @eclectic_cook. If you’d like to know when a new recipe goes up on What’s Cookin’, iRunNation?, follow me @Shufflersunite. And if you’d like to earn my undying gratitude, as Anne has now done, submit your favourite recipe to the webeditor@irun.ca.**
Ingredients:
Filled pasta (I used PC brand pumpkin triangoli, but any filled pasta with a squash, mushroom or cheese filling would work well)
Butter (~1 tbsp per serving)
Mushrooms (2 large button mushrooms per serving)
Pine nuts (a small handful for 2 servings)
Fresh Basil (~2-3 leaves per serving)
Powdered sage (a sprinkling over it all, optional)
Salt, pepper to taste
Directions:
Boil the pasta according to directions on the package. As the water comes to a boil, prepare ingredients. While it cooks, make the sauce.
Slice the mushroms finely. Chop the pine nuts coarsely. Slice the basil into thin strips. In a frying pan on medium heat, cook the butter, mushrooms and pine nuts for about 2 minutes. Add the basil and sage and heat for another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and toss with cooked pasta until evenly covered.
Note: The package of triangoli has directions for a similar sauce made with fresh sage, but since the only ingredient they listed that I had in stock was butter, I improvised. I’m sure similar nutty ingredients and spices would turn out pretty well.
Last night I ran the 15K at A Midsummer Night’s Run in Toronto. Like the name implies, it is an evening race, themed around A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Those who know me know that I don’t do well at evening running. Add to that the fact that [heat + humidity = my Kryptonite], I knew even as I signed my waiver back in March, I wasn’t doing this race for anything more than the fun of it. That being the case, I decided to try something new: running in a costume.
Now, I haven’t read A Midsummer Night’s Dream since high school, so I didn’t remember much about the story. I remembered that all of the mortal characters start out in love with the wrong people, and that unlike in Macbeth where everyone dies, everyone in this play ends up sleeping with everyone else (the subtle difference between Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies). So upon reviewing some online notes on it, I determined there were a few choices: lords and ladies, fairies, or a donkey. I went with fairy – along with probably 95% of all of the costumed-runners – how creative.
I conscripted my mother with her sewing machine, and we armed ourselves with some old curtains, coat hangers, pantyhose, spray paint, and a few bits and bobs from the dollar store. I thought the result was pretty good, and as I added a few final touches (feathered eyelashes and a ton of glitter hairspray), I toyed with the idea that I might actually be a contender in the costume contest. Alas, it was not to be – there were so many great costumes!
As I was building my costume, I contemplated whether I would actually be able to run in it. I had horrifying visions of chafed armpits from the straps that held my wings. But in the end I decided to go for it, and it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I tossed my headpiece off within 100m of the start – I knew it just wasn’t going to stay. I also lost my feathered eyelashes – the left came off before the first kilometre was over, the right lasted until I was doused with water by a volunteer around 12K. The rest, however, went very well. My biggest issue was continually bonking wings with my co-fairy, Tanya, and finding that my arms were very hot – old curtains may look light and airy, but they’re really not great technical gear. The best part: no wing-chafing!
A few notes on the event:
I loved it! The theme was threaded through the entire event with great attention to detail – from the ever-so-slightly edited quote from the play on the t-shirts, to the “Lords” and “Ladies” change tents, to the volunteer t-shirts that said “Mortal” instead of “Volunteer.” The atmosphere was light hearted, owing partially to all of the costumed folk milling around. At the end of the race, volunteers handed out prefilled stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic, and the medals were big and beautiful. Of course, the on-site BBQ by Dangerous Dan’s and beer garden by Steam Whistle were a nice touch.
The 15K course was almost completely flat, with a lovely view of the Toronto skyline at dusk. I wasn’t thrilled with the gravel portion of the trail, but it wasn’t for very long. It was really interesting to run as night was falling.
The whole day was very well organized. We parked at the recommended event parking lot for a $10 donation to Sick Kids, and didn’t have to wait for the shuttle bus at the beginning or the end. The volunteers – mostly youth – were positively fantastic; they were enthusiastic, friendly, and tireless.
Overall, I was very impressed. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun event, or if you want to torture yourself with an evening run in the heat.
This recipe was submitted by iRun reader Jen. She sent along a link to the original recipe and made the following suggestion:
This salad was very tasty, except that the bread was a bit soggy. I would suggest trying to cut the bread thickly and preferably use bread that isn’t very fresh so that it will be drier.
6 slices of Italian bread, cut into thickly
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used garlic-infused oil)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons drained and chopped capers
3 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoons dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
200 g mini fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half
1 can(s) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium fennel bulb, cored, very thinly sliced, plus fronds for garnish
2 stalk celery, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Directions
Preheat outdoor grill for direct grilling on medium.
Brush bread slices with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill 5 to 6 minutes or until dark golden brown, turning over once. Cool slightly; cut into 3/4-inch cubes.
In large bowl, whisk vinegar, capers, mustard, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add remaining oil in slow, steady stream, whisking to blend.
To vinaigrette, add bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, beans, fennel, celery, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, tossing. Garnish with fennel fronds.
**Have you ever thought to yourself, “Gee, I’d really like to start a food blog but I don’t I’d have the time to update often and then I’d feel really guilty about that and then I wouldn’t update because of all the oppressive guilt about how long it had been since I last updated so I guess I’d better not start a food blog?” Liberate yourself from blog-related anxiety and take the plunge! Submit a recipe to What’s Cookin’, iRunNation? We accept any frequency of submission: daily, weekly, monthly or any time at all! It’s the power of collective blogging and it’s awesome.**
BackJoy is an orthotic seat that is easily transportable and simple to get accustomed to. I sit in front of the computer for most of my work day, and have found that BackJoy has made a big difference in improving my posture, back ache, and leg fatigue. When I first tried BackJoy, I instantly became aware of my posture, and how much I tend to slump in my chair as the day wears on. The device is comfortable, thin, and acts as a gentle reminder to sit ‘properly’.
I have especially noticed a difference in leg fatigue and back ache after hard training sessions or long runs. Not only have I been training for fall races, but I have been crossing that with triathlon training this summer. Before Backjoy, I had noticed that after these tough training sessions, not only do I have a backache, but my legs tend to feel cramped and restless. Sitting at my desk for most of the day after challenging training sessions just compounded the matter.
With BackJoy, I sit upright comfortably. It provides support to my lower back and I find that I no longer cross my legs (which has helped with the leg issues!)
I would recommend BackJoy to any runner that has a desk job, or finds themselves on the road for long durations. If I know I’m going to be in the car for more than an hour – I bring BackJoy! It has made such a difference, without being a large or awkward device.
By Autumn Gardner, iRun Gear Team Tester
For more information on BackJoy, please visit their website at www.backjoy.com
I am happy to be involved with the 
This recipe was submitted by iRun reader Jen. She sent along a link to the 
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