Raw Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Smoothie

Here’s how you satisfy that chocolate craving on a raw vegan diet. In general when it comes to smoothies I don’t measure anything so feel free to adjust as needed to your own personal tastes.

Ingredients:
Frozen Blueberries
Banana (1-2)
Hemp Seeds (3 Tbsp)
Cacao Powder (1-2 Tbsp)
Almond Butter
Flax Meal
Flax Seed Oil
Water (or Almond Milk)
Maca Powder (optional)

 

 

I always start with the blueberries and hemp seeds. Then add some water (or almond milk)  up to the top of the blueberries.  If you’re not going for 100% raw…. unsweetened store bought almond milk will make it more creamy.

 

 

 

 

Next add the raw almond butter. I used Trader Joes brand for this smoothie. Whether or not their Raw Almond Butter is actually raw is debatable. ….but it’s definitely affordable. Again if you’re not concerned with being raw but want a healthy vegan smoothie…. natural unsalted peanut butter is a yummy option and kids love it too.

I usually add 2 bananas however if you are using almond milk instead of water one banana should be enough.

 

 

 

 

Next add the raw cacao powder. I prefer the Navitas Naturals brand. I like chocolate… and usually use 2 Tbsp. Too much cacao can sometimes be bitter so don’t go too crazy with it.

 

 

 

 

The flax meal and flax oil add some great fiber as well as naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids.

The maca powder is optional. It has a sweet taste and lots of great health benefits.

 

 

 

 

You don’t need a fancy blender for this one. I make all my smoothies with a $15 blender from Target.

Top off with water or almond milk, blend, and enjoy!

Pineapple With A Kick

Here is a quick and super easy to prepare snack.

What you need:
1 Pineapple
Chili Powder
Maple Syrup

All you need to do is cut up a pineapple into chunks. If you don’t know how to cut a pineapple check out this video. Then just add chili powder and maple syrup to taste. It’s up you how spicy or sweet you want it.

How to Make a Nutrient / Calorie Dense Salad

As an athlete I’m always looking to get the most calories and nutrients out of every meal. Typical salad greens although high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients generally don’t have enough calories to get me through the day. So here is a great way to super charge your greens.

Ingredients

1 head of romaine lettuce
1 hass avocado
a splash of apple cider vinegar
5 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast (not brewers yeast)
a generous amount of dulse flakes (to taste)
a whole bunch of raw sunflower seeds
2 Tablespoons of raw shelled hemp seeds
Braggs liquid aminos (to taste)

other suggestions:
baby spinach
red and green bell peppers
baby bella mushrooms

Cut and wash one head of romaine lettuce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next take one avocado and cut it in half. With a sharp knife, holding the avocado in one hand, make multiple slices through it without slicing through the skin. Be careful not to slice through and cut your hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Put the romaine, avocado, apple cider vinegar, and nutritional yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir until it becomes creamy and all of the lettuce is coated.

 

 

 

Finally add in the dulse flakes, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and Braggs liquid aminos. Mix it all up and enjoy!

Nutritional Info:

Romaine Lettuce – 106 calories, 21g carbs, 8g protein, 2g fat
Hass Avocado – 227 calories, 12g carbs, 3g protein, 21g fat
Apple Cider Vinegar – 0 calories, 0g carbs, og protein, og fat
Nut. Yeast – 150 calories, 12.5g carbs, 22.5g protein, 2.5g fat
Dulse Flakes – 24 calories, 3g carbs, 3g protein, 0g fat
Raw Sunflower Seeds – 190 calories, 8g carbs, 8g protein, 16g fat
Hemp Seeds – 160 calories, 7g carbs, 11g protein, 9.8g fat
Braggs Liquid Aminos – 0 calories, og carbs, og protein, 0g fat

Total: 857 calories, 63.5g carbs, 55.5g protein, 51.3g fat

“Almost Raw” Sweet Potato Pasta

Here is a simple, quick, and yummy alternative to your typical pasta.

Ingredients:
1 raw sweet potato
marinara sauce (your favorite brand/flavor)
raw pine nuts
nutritional yeast (Kal or Red Star are best)

First spiral slice a raw (uncooked) sweet potato. For this you will need a spiral slicer… I recommend this one. Next add your spaghetti sauce, pine nuts, and nutritional yeast (amount depends on your preference). Grab a fork and enjoy!

What’s New For 2012

I have lots of new and great things happening this year. It’s been over a year since my last post…. so this is long over do.

First off… I have started a new triathlon training group here in central Massachusetts called Mass Tri. We had our first meeting this past weekend and it’s off to a great start. One of the things I came up with to keep everyone in the group motivated through the cold winter months is a new challenge. I call it The Mass Tri 140.6 Fitness Challenge. Starting February 6th anyone taking part will try to finish an Ironman distance (140.6 miles) over a 4 week span. There are 4 different suggested training plans to choose from to get everyone moving in the right direction.

Second…. I registered for the Mountain Running National Championships at Mount Washington. This is a mountain like no other. I have biked up it twice but this will be the first time racing up it on foot.

Also…. about 6 weeks ago I started to transition to more of a raw food diet. Eating a totally raw vegan diet is something that I have aspired to do for some time. This transition is definitely going to be a work in progress but I hope to be at least 90% raw by the time the mountain running series starts in May. I am now even toying with the idea of fruitarianism. We’ll see how far I can take it.

I’m looking forward to making 2012 a great year. ….and posting more blogs soon.

Vegan Gluten-free Doughnuts

Warning!!! Extreme Vegan Junk Food Alert!!!! For my birthday this year, my mom made me a special treat…. vegan gluten-free doughnuts. After posting a picture of these on twitter….. I received quite a few requests for the recipe. So, here you go. She found the recipe in the September issue of “Rachel Ray Magazine” and veganized it. She found the donut pans online at Target. Enjoy!!!!

Banana Doughnuts with Banana Frosting

Makes 1 dozen:

1 1/4 cups of gluten free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of Ener-G egg replacer,mixed with 4 tablespoons of water
1 3/4 cups of mashed ripe bananas (about  4 bananas)
4 teaspoons  pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of vegetable chortening at room temperature
2 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease 2 non stick, 6 count doughnut pans.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar,egg substitute mix, 1 1/4 cups mashed bananas, 2 teaspoons vanilla and oil.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.  Spoon the batter

about 3/4 full into the prepared pans.  Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes: let cool completely on rack.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the shortening, confections sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup  bananas, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and the lemon juice.  Glaze the doughnuts with the frosting.

The Year I Became A Triathlete

2010 began my second year of competitive running. My goals for the year were to complete the USATF New England Mountain Running Circuit and to make my debut in the world of multisport. I discovered a friendly group of people to train with at Triumph Triathlon of Boston. They are a wonderful community of athletes from newbies to experts.

Mountain Running

The season started off great…. At the Wachusett Mountain Race, I managed to take 7min 21sec off my time from the previous year. Followed by my first 10 mile race at Pack Monadnock.

On June 13^th I competed in my very first duathlon, taking home a 1^st place overall finish. It was a small race called The Great Duathlon, put on by the local Boys and Girls Club. My partner Heather also competed in this event. Although it was her 2^nd duathlon…. this time she was 6 months pregnant.

Two weeks later I returned to the mountain circuit to what I consider one of the hardest races in the series…. the Cranmore Hill Climb. Even with the challenge of a 2262 ft. elevation gain in 7.12 miles, I took 9min 45sec off my time from 2009. Little did I know that would be the last mountain race for me in 2010. The day before the next event at Loon Mountain, I sustained a severe sprain to my first metatarsal on my right foot. Not only was I bummed out…. now I was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to run in my first triathlon in just 2 weeks. I took it easy, sticking mostly to swimming, until the race.

Massachusetts State Triathlon

Race day came and I felt like crap. My foot had almost fully recovered. It was pre-race jitters and lack sleep from the night before…. but nothing was going to stop me. It was a well run race put on by Max Performance. I had a lot of fun despite some nagging foot pain by the end of the run. I finished with a time of 1:19:16 placing 30^th overall and 4^th in my age group.

Westborough Sprint Triathlon

One month later I competed in my 2^nd triathlon. The Westborough Sprint Triathlon put on by Sun Multisport. This was another well organized race… and I’m looking forward to doing it again in 2011. This time I felt great. My Swim times had been improving, I was doing more training on the bike, and my foot was in great shape. The weather was perfect and I was ready to race. The .25 mile swim was pretty chaotic, but I was happy with my time. The bike and the run went perfect. I was very happy with a 20.7 mph avg on the 14 mile course, and the couple guys that managed to pass me…. I picked back off on the run.

The rest of the year I spent mostly running, picking up 4 new PRs and mentally preparing myself for a great 2011 season. My new son Liam was born in September. He joined me in his stroller for my last race of the year, at the Ric Buxton Memorial 5k. We finished 12th overall with a time of 21:11.

December at Walden

It’s only December and I’m already getting impatient to start open water swimming again. So… I looked through my training log to see how long I have to wait. My first ows last spring was May 5th at Walden Pond….. well I have about 4½ months to go.

If I was to create a top ten list of favorite places, Walden would definitely be on there. So, why wait until spring. Just because the water is freezing cold doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the rest of the park. For those who don’t know, The Walden Pond State Reservation offers a great network of trails that connect to other conservation land like Adams Woods in Lincoln, MA.

I decided to go for an easy pace trail run around the pond. I only came across a few other people walking on the pond loop trail, quite a difference from about four months ago. Even with no leaves on the trees and the temperature in the 20s…. It was a great run!

First Post!

Wow! First post on a new blog. Lots of great things to come. Everything from race reports, to training, to yummy vegan (gf) recipes.