I scream! You scream! We ALL scream for ice cream!!

Can you hear the jingle from the ice cream truck? Summertime is coming and that means its time for sweet and delicious frozen treats! But, of course, we athletes do like to keep things healthy - for the most part :-)  So, here are three easy-peasy and totally delicious "ice-cream" recipes. All you need is a blender and a freezer! 

Hazelnut Dark Chocolate 
(approx. 12 ½-cup servings)

• ½ cup blanched hazelnuts
• ½ cup pitted dates
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt*
• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 cups 1% chocolate milk*
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chunks

1. In a blender or food processor, puree hazelnuts, dates, salt, and cocoa powder until a chunky paste forms.
2. With blender running, slowly add yogurt, protein powder, and chocolate milk until everything is combined; stop blender.
3. Add dark chocolate chunks and pulse.

Peanut Butter and Honey
(approx. 8 ½-cup servings)

• 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot starch
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ½ cup lowfat plain Greek yogurt*
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• ½ frozen banana
• 1 ½ tablespoons peanut butter
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

1. In a sauce pot over medium heat, whisk arrowroot starch and unsweetened almond milk for 2 minutes or until thick; set aside.
2. In blender or food processor, puree yogurt and protein powder until smooth; blend in banana, peanut butter, honey, and unsweetened almond milk mixture.
3. Stir in peanuts and sea salt.

Avocado Toasted Coconut
(approx. 8 ½-cup servings)

• 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot starch
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 ½ teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ can full-fat coconut milk**
• 1 avocado, peeled and seeded
• ¼ cup toasted coconut
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

1. In a sauce pot over medium heat, whisk the arrowroot starch with the unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil and the honey. Once the honey has been incorporated and the mixture is thickened, transfer the liquid into the blender.
2. Add the coconut milk and blend on high until frothy.  Add the avocado and continue blending until smooth and thick.
3. Stir in the toasted coconut and sea salt.

Couple of notes: 
You'll put ice cream mixture in small bread pans or muffin tins to freeze. Scoop out like regular ice cream -- or heck, dig your spoon right in!
If you can't do dairy: You can replace chocolate milk with chocolate unsweetened almond milk. And replace yogurt with regular unsweetened almond milk.
​If you want to cut fat and calories: You can replace regular coconut milk with the same amount of low fat coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk. Lower fat options will end up less creamy and more icy. 

​It IS possible to eat real food while working out! 


Try this homemade "gu" recipe inspired by Run Fast Eat Slow for your next long run/ride: 
•1/2-3/4 c cooked sweet potato 
•1/2 c dates, no pits
•2 T nut butter
•1 t chia seeds
•1/2 t cinnamon
•1/4 t sea salt 
•Optional 1-2 T cocoa powder or 1/2 to 1 T fresh grated ginger
•Water as needed for desired consistency

Blend all in food processor and eat from a reusable pouch such as @rei Coghlan’s squeeze pack (6 oz).  

On a long run, I take a few squeezes every 40-60 min, more frequently as I go longer, always sipping water as I eat.


You can freeze extra in the tubes and defrost in the fridge the night before you run.

Steelhead Coaching stole the show on this one!! We can't wait to try it out! 

Do you eat the same way on days you train or workout super hard or long and days you rest and take it easy? 
Sure, you want to always keep the quality of your diet primo but should you eat more or less depending on how active you are or focus on different foods? 
Probably, yes. Make sure you give your body the fuel it needs to work hard and recover after tough sessions, this might mean more calories and more energy-dense carbohydrates. On rest and recovery days focus on filling up on nutrient rich foods like fruits and veggies and lean proteins to restore and get strong! 
You may notice you feel EXTRA hungry on rest days. That's legit! Remember to hydrate as well as you would on training days. Feed your hunger but try not to over-do it with ALL the snacks. Eat well-rounded healthy meals and give your body what it needs to get ready for tomorrow. Here's a fave recovery day meal of mine from EatingWell magazine.  NOTE to lazy cooks like me: I use Annie's "Green Goddess Dressing" instead of making my own. 
Reach out with any questions on how to adjust your nutrition plan to your training plan :-)


Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas and Greens
Ingredients

• • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided, plus a pinch
  • 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
  • ⅓ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh chives and/or dill, plus more for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 10 cups chopped kale
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1¼ pounds wild salmon, cut into 4 portions

Directions

1. Position racks in upper third and middle of oven; preheat to 425°F.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, paprika and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Very thoroughly pat chickpeas dry, then toss with the paprika mixture. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the chickpeas on the upper rack, stirring twice, for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, puree buttermilk, mayonnaise, herbs, ¼ teaspoon pepper and garlic powder in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add kale and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add water and continue cooking until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in a pinch of salt.
5. Remove the chickpeas from the oven and push them to one side of the pan. Place salmon on the other side and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.
6. Drizzle the reserved dressing on the salmon, garnish with more herbs, if desired, and serve with the kale and chickpeas.

Thanks to Steelhead Coaching for this awesome recipe! Be sure to check them out!

If you know me  - you know how much I LOVE pizza. There's a tradition amongst my crew to gather the evening before events for what we call simply "pre-race pizza". Occasionally, this also becomes post-race pizza. And because I can't always wait for these special occasions I'm often whipping up these easy pita pies whenever I feel like it! No race needed. Super fast to prepare, perfect for quick lunches and they are darn good anytime! Try this...
​
Grab yourself some whole grain pitas, they come in various sizes so you can go small for snacks and bigger for main meals. 
Decide what toppings you're in mood for today. Some of my favorite combos are...
Margarita: mozzerella cheese, sliced tomatoes, italian herbs and fresh basil.
Country style: thin sliced salami, roasted red peppers, feta and spinach
Fancy pants: sliced pears, blue cheese and bacon crumbles
Olive bar: sometimes I'll fill a tub of goodies from the olive bar at the grocery, sliced it all up, top with shredded cheese and call it YUM! 
You can cook these in the oven at about 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes or use a toaster over or even a grill. Easy peasy! Give it a try and share your pita-pizza ideas! 

From Remy Maguire, USA Triathlon and Precision Nutrition certified coach. Reach out to Remy for a free 15-minute nutrition planning consult or to learn more about her coaching services.

Thanks to Steelhead Coaching for this delicious recipe!

​Ahhhh, Spring is here! It's time to get outside and play! It's also a great time to switch things up in the kitchen again. It's so easy to get into a rut (which we triathletes often call a routine:-) ) but our bodies need variety in what we eat. Try to vary your protein, fat and carb sources frequently. The change of season ushers in lots of fresh produce and it feels good to eat lighter and tangier foods like this incredible vegetarian lentil salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c small French lentils
1 med carrot, finely diced
1/2 sm onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2 med red bell peppers
Lemon vinaigrette (see below)
2 tsps mint, chopped
3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs: parsley, marjoram or cilantro, thyme
pepper
sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar to taste
8 oz feta cheese
olive oil, for garnish

Instructions
Rinse lentils, cover generously w/ water, bring to boil w/ the carrot, onion, bay leaf, garlic and salt. Simmer about 20-25 min until tender, just a little firm and drain.

While lentils cooking, roast peppers over a flame until they are evenly charred, and put them in a covered bowl to steam for 10 min or so; then scrape off the charred skins with a knife. Do not rinse. Slit them open, remove veins and seeds, and cut into squares.

Prepare vinaigrette (see below) and fold into the warm lentils. Add mint, herbs, and most of the peppers. Season w/ freshly ground pepper and salt, if needed. Before serving, add vinegar to brighten the
flavors. Crumble feta and add to lentils. Garnish with remaining peppers and drizzle some olive oil over the surface.

Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
juice and peel of one large lemon
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
6-8 tbsp virgin olive oil

Instructions
Slice two wide strips of lemon peel into narrow slivers. Put 3 tbsp lemon juice in a bowl w/ peel, paprika, cayenne, garlic, and salt. Whisk in 6 tbsp of olive oil to taste. Adjust lemon or olive oil for
tartness.

(This recipe is from the fabulous vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco called Greens.)

Steelhead Coaching is based in Portland, OR. ​

Get your breakfast quinoa on with this week's Fuel Up Friday. It is less about the recipe and more about idea inspiring! Thank you for the tips Vámonos Coaching!!

This is more of a pro tip with quinoa in mind. This will have you prepping delicious and filling breakfasts in 5 minutes or less! Assuming you already have a cooked batch of plain quinoa stored in your refrigerator, it’ll just be a matter of heating up a serving of quinoa and topping up however you’d like! (((Quinoa is super simple to make. Think making rice:1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, cook until water is absorbed)))

Possible topping combinations to try out:
-Almond milk, blueberries, sliced almonds, sliced banana, and honey
-Almond butter, banana, and cacao nibs
-Almond milk, sliced strawberries, and chia seeds
-Almond milk, blueberries, and peaches

Just heat up the quinoa, top up, and enjoy! 

Vámonos,
Ramon