Pasta, my popular go-to super food made hundreds of different ways
Bacon – a super food only because it’s a super big hit with the taste buds
Recently, Daphne, my 7-year-old daughter, asked me to name my favorite food. Without giving my answer much thought, I replied, “pasta.” I turned the question around, asking Daphne what she likes to eat best. “Bacon,” she said. I immediately asked if I could change my answer, as I was reminded how much I love bacon, too.
But meat of the pig is an indulgence, not my everyday life- and exercise-fuel. To keep me running strong—whether on the road or doing errands—I turn time and time again to these five foods.
Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt is as close to dessert as you’ll find in a super food
1. Greek yogurt. Packing twice the protein-punch as regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is delightfully thick yet creamy smooth. There are days I have to stop myself from eating it morning, noon, and night: a hearty helping of vanilla flavor in my morning smoothie; a few spoonfuls of vanilla (again) with granola for a snack; plain flavor mixed with some fresh herbs and spices as a topping for grilled chicken. While training for the Vancouver Marathon, my go-to recovery meal after weekend long runs was two slices of homemade French toast with some maple syrup and a heaping spoonful of vanilla Chobani.
Fresh or frozen champagne mangoes are nutritious and delicious
2. Mango. I eat this vitamin-packed tropical fruit both fresh (yum: the mere thought is making me drool on my keyboard) and frozen. Trader Joe’s frozen chunks are a key ingredient to my daily smoothie. When champagne mangoes were in season this spring, I chopped them up over Greek yogurt and sprinkled it with shredded unsweetened coconut. Almost as tasty as ice cream (almost).
Kale is probably so hard to chew because it’s packed with nutrients
3. Dark, leafy greens. When you meet me at a race expo or mother runner party, let me know if I have kale or spinach stuck in my teeth: I eat them so often it’s amazing I haven’t sprouted a fuzzy white tail. Spinach is another key component of my, you guessed it, morning smoothie. (What can I say: I’m a creature of habit when it comes to the first meal of the day!) And I love the hearty crunch, robust taste, and nutrient-dense quality of kale. Every other week or so I splurge on a Bistro Kale Salad from Trader Joe’s. No fuss, just lots of chewing.
4. KIND bars: When my good friend Stacey told me she gets free KIND bars where she works, I seriously considered getting an office job. These bars of nutty goodness are sweetened with honey and are available in a seemingly endless choice of flavors. (Psst: They are in our swag bags of our Mother Runner parties. My faves are Almond Coconut —the perfect blend of sweet and savory for a mid-afternoon snack—and Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt. More tasty than a candy bar, and offering up the health benefits of nuts, like omega-3 fatty acids.
Pick your flavor – KIND has a variety of yummy flavors, all great for sustaining mother runners
5. Pasta: Yeah, it all comes back to pasta. As my family would tell you, it’s my go-to thing to make for dinner, whether I’m in carb-loading mode or not. (I just try to eat more modest portion sizes when I’m not staring down a double-digit run or race the next a.m.) I have a variety of recipes in my repertoire, including this simple, hearty one with white beans and broccoli rabe; baked pasta; and all’amatriciana, which makes this the perfect marriage for me and Daphne—it’s pasta + bacon.
The best of both worlds – pasta and bacon
At least one member of my family has a shirt that he proudly wears (and wore yesterday) that declares I Heart Bacon.
I totally agree with Greek yogurt, mango and kale! I don’t know where kale was when I was growing up but it’s one of my favorite vegetables. Want to try a great kale recipe? Look at this one with tahini dressing from vegetarian times. (http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/crunchy-green-tahini-salad/). It’s delicious.
Can you give us your smoothie recipe?
here’s my morning smoothie recipe
some strawberries and blueberries
a seed (either chia seed or flax seed)
1/2 of an avacado
1 banana
big handful of greens (usally swiss chard, or kale or spinach)
enough water to get the immersion blender going
Thanks for asking, Kathy. (It’s also in Train Like a Mother.)
Knudsen Pineapple-Coconut Juice; vanilla Greek yogurt; shredded coconut; vanilla whey protein powder; old-fashioned oats; a splash of milk; one banana; frozen pineapple tidbits; frozen mango chunks; and spinach
So glad to see kale on your list since it’s huge on mine and has been for over a year now. My problem – I cannot for the life of me chew it properly (my husband calls it my “go-to Heimlich food”) so I solved the issue by adding a cup to a cup and a half to my morning smoothie. Delicious when added to berries (unlike spinach, to my mind) and packed with nutrients. A way to eat my kale and drink it, too!
I like Kind, but Larabars are good too. Larabar has started making a cappuccino flavor. That is heavenly (and contains the running caffeine kick too).
Bacon is an everyday thing for me at breakfast….pasta not so much. it’s the give and take of eating Paleo!! ;)
If you like Kind bars you might also enjoy Picky Bars. They are a great recovery food because they have the 4:1 ratio of carbs/ protein– made by athletes, for athletes. Yum.
Also, a nice option that uses both spinach and pasta is to fill a bowl with spinach, microwave it for 45 seconds (plain!) and then put it under whatever pasta you are eating. Instant, easy way to get plenty of spinach. Sometimes I resort to doing this with mac & cheese when I don’t want to make “adult” food. (and throw on a few cherry tomatoes.) Bon appetit!
thanks for the link to the broccoli rabe pasta recipe! just got a bunch of broccoli rabe from our farmers’ market & was looking for ideas.
I must try the cappuccino Larabar! I love them. Buy them at Costco but haven’t seen the cappuccino. Rut roh! :)
While traveling to the Newport Marathon last weekend, I stopped in Portland, OR and had lunch at the Radio Room — Mac & Cheese made-to-order with asparagus, mushrooms, and bacon in it. Best pre-race day lunch ever! Portland knows how to cook. I’ll definitely consider participating in more running events around there.