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With the 80-degree temperatures here lately, it’s been hard to muster enough motivation to cook the same ole’ winter foods. I definitely need some good summer time recipes (even though it’s only March) so please feel free to share if you have any! Anyway, I thought this would be an opportune time to talk about a few things I’ve wanted to post about since I started this blog.
 
By now, many of you have heard about Chia seeds.  It seems to be a bit of a trend lately and for good reason.  About 6 years ago, I use to eat 1 tbsp a day, and to be honest, I don’t remember noticing much of a difference.  And like many extra things we do, I forgot for a few days, and eventually, I just stopped taking it.  Well, recently a friend of mine drops off a 3lb bag of it for me, so I thought I would try it again. Thanks again Heather!
 
I thought, now that I’m so much more in tune with my body, I would do a 2-3 week chia seed experiment to see if I noticed any kind of difference.
 
When I used chia before, I would put some in a cup, add water, let it sit for about 5-10 min and once it was gel like, I would drink/eat it.  It didn’t taste bad, in fact, my 4 year old loves it (I think he just loves the texture) and has since he was 2, but it was harder to find the time to drink this in addition to my meals.  This time around, I’ve been adding it to my butternut squash soup or other foods.  It makes for a great thickener, so now my soups are super hearty.  When you mix the seeds with a liquid it expands within a few minutes hence the denseness.  But also, think about what that does in your tummy.  Yep, it helps to fill you up.  This also comes in handy for endurance sporting events.  Many ultra distance racers will use chia before or during a race.  If you’ve ever read Born to Run, which is a fantastic, motivating runner’s book, you will learn about how this seed was used long ago to help people stay hydrated and go for miles with little food in their stomachs.  It can also help stabilize blood sugars.  Oh, and I should mention, one of the biggest differences I noticed within just a day or two was well, um, it made me, well, even more regular.  There’s lots of fiber in those little things.
 
In addition, chia is very nutritious.   It is an excellent source of Omega-3, it’s loaded with antioxidants, it’s a good source of protein, and, it provides calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, zinc, and even boron (which helps the absorbing of calcium by the body).
 
Yay for chia seeds!  It’s also great as an egg substitute for those with egg allergies. Anyway, if you decide to try it, try for at least 2 tbsp per day to really feel a difference.  I would love to hear what you think!

And the more you buy, the more you save from amazon, so of course I went with the big bag but here’s a link to the 3lb bag at a great price!

Seriously though, 6 pounds of chia seed?

  • Steph - I love Chia! I especially love the thickness it adds to a smoothie and a little bit of that chewy crunch at the end. Yum!! I also adore your white chair! I want one! Cute kitty too:)ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Thanks Stephanie! Thanks for posting too! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • tutti - I recently got a bag just like that from Amazon.com Great deal and good stuff to have on hand!ReplyCancel

  • April Ledom - So you convinced mr to give chia a try. Bought some, tried it in water and the texture bothered me a bit. It was like a tasteless jelly. So I soaked them in organic blueberry juice the next day. That made a huge difference! Now it’s like blueberry jell-o. Yum.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - What a great idea! Glad you like it! I can totally tell a difference (the next day) when I don’t use that much chia seed. Lately I’ve been using about 4 (or more!) tbsp just because I’ve been liking it in my soups so much! I hope you like it too. Thanks for posting!ReplyCancel

  • Sophia Basurto - LOVE chia seeds – great post! I add some almond milk and cinnamon and make something similar to rice pudding. You could also add some honey to make it more like a dessert!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - What a fantastic idea!! I will be trying that very soon! Thanks Sophia and thanks for both of your posts!!! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Shana - Just read Born to Run and sure enough, went on Amazon and bought chia seeds immediately! I just started with a 1 lb bag but know I’ll be getting the 3-pounder soon! I came on here to search for what to do with them. Glad to have your blog as a resource! I’m going to try that almond milk-cinnamon business suggested in one of your comments.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Inspiring book, isn’t it? Ready to go run a 50k now?? 🙂 I hope you like the chia seeds. I use them religiously every day. I can tell if I ever skip a day, so I don’t! Hope you’re having a good summer so far!ReplyCancel

  • tiffany - What are your thoughts on eating chia seeds without soaking them first, are they harmful?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Tiffany! I don’t they are harmful because
      Of the amount of ALA, omega 3s and fiber. But, they do have phytic acid so just don’t go completely crazy with them. 😉ReplyCancel

So I promised a post on one of my favorite recovery (reward) foods for after a race, and this is it.  I love these amazing brownies!!  Add a little Artic Zero Vanilla Maple to the warm brownies, and oh my gosh!!!  Enough said?

My sweet husband is going to kill me for including him in the picture (he thought I was just taking a picture of the almond butte) but he deserves these brownies more than anyone.  Especially after all of his hard work and training for the half…NOT!  So not fair.  And he won’t even be sore tomorrow.  Anyway, back to the brownies.   The main ingredient is almond butter and my favorite one is the Roasted with Sea Salt from Trader Joe’s, of course!

Here’s everything you need:

  • 1 (16 ounce) jar creamy roasted almond butter
  • 2 organic eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups maple (grade B)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder
  • 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Here’s what you need to do:

 

1.  In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender (I’ve destroyed 2 hand blenders with the thickness of the almond butter) or just by hand (what I now prefer by default).
2.  Blend in eggs, then blend in maple and vanilla
3.  Blend in cacao, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips
4.  Grease a 9×13 inch glass baking dish
5.  Pour batter into dish
6.  Bake at 325° for 25-35 minutes

Cool, add to some Artic Zero or have alone and enjoy!  By the way, they store well in the freezer and just as good frozen (when you’re not patient enough to thaw:))

Hard to keep Tate away for these pictures…

He’s still not very good at hide-and-seek if you can’t tell.  Happy Sunday!

  • Pat - They look great, but will your mother in law eat them? What am I saying? Of course she would…ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Ha, I dont think these were Star’s very favorite. I think she liked the Thin Mints or chocolate macaroons better, but it’s hard to say. Pat, you should see her and Nick. They look AMAZING! I know Star has lost close to 20 lbs and I think Nick is around 25?? I’m so proud of them!ReplyCancel

  • Charissa - These look soooo good! Thinking about trying them this afternoon!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Thanks! They are!! I hope you like them! 🙂 BTW, you have a beautiful site Charissa. Looking forward to reading more!ReplyCancel

  • Marie Smith - Absolutely wonderful! My husband walked in while they were in the oven and said “Oh my gosh, I sure hope that’s paleo, because it smells DELICIOUS!”. He loved it, but more importantly, my son (ADHD/High-Functioning Autisum) LOVED them! We’ve been slowly converting him to paleo and so far seeing great results and changes for him! Thanks for this recipe, looking forward to trying more! I added a bit more cocoa and then thought it would be a good idea to add a splash of coconut milk (dont’ ask why, but they turned out great!). Thanks!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Aw Maris, that is GREAT! Just hearing that makes me want one!! I’ll have to try the extra cocoa and milk too! Thanks for your comment!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Love your husband’s comment Marie!! Made me smile. Makes healthy eating even more fun, doesn’t it?ReplyCancel

  • Ashlee Russ - I’m absolutely in love. I try to mix up the recipe by using organic peanut butter I buy from my local farmer’s market that makes these even more enjoyable than they already are. I’m going to cook these brownies from my kids next event at school. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m looking forward to trying more! I also added a bit of almond milk (Don’t ask why, haha!) and it made then even better. Gosh, I love these. 🙂ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Aw so great to hear it, Ashlee!! I love that you love them as much as we do. Thanks for letting me know it. So nice to hear!!ReplyCancel

I just can’t do it.  I’m totally short on time today. I have a super crazy next few days coming up, and I’m in charge of snacks for my daughter’s St. Patrick’s Day party today (really, a St. Patrick’s Day party?), and yet I just can’t go out and get some nasty green dyed, white gluten flour, processed sugar cookies or cupcakes.  Honestly, sometimes I wish I could…but it’s just not in me.  It would save me a heck of a lot of time and money!  So, 5 packs of strawberries, 2 honeydews, 4 green apples, 2 packs of dark chocolate chips and 2 greek yogurts later, I had a snack for the party.

By the way, it’s tough coming up with something healthy, and yet still a fun treat…oh, and something green!  I ended up dipping green apples into melted dark chocolate and honeydew melon balls with honey vanilla greek yogurt.  I also had strawberries dipped in dark chocolate with green sprinkles. They ended up looking very Christmasy, and a little gross to be honest.  After realizing how long it was going to take to dip one at a time (I didn’t have time to use my trusty mini crock pot in the classroom this time), I dumped all of the strawberries in the large pot of chocolate, stirred, and then poured them on parchment.  But, as nasty as they looked, the kids ate every last one of them.  They loved the apples, too.  The honeydew was a favorite with all of the adults and some of the kids.  I did forget to pass out the melons and yogurt at the beginning, so had the kids received this first versus the chocolate dipped treats, they may have all loved it.  Who knows!

You can get a plain greek yogurt and just add some vanilla and honey or buy one that is vanilla honey flavored.  It would also be good with a dash of cinnamon if you were dipping apples in the yogurt.  Either way, it’s a great snack any time!

From our little leprechaun, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

  • Jennifer Godfrey - These were fantastic! Thanks for sharing with us. The girls ate all of them- I then got out some strawberries to dip in the yogurt. Yummy! And that wasn’t even the chocolate covered stuff. They wanted to make sure “Ms. Landria would show me how to make it”! :). WAY better than the ice-cream truck- and they agreed!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - WAY better!! 🙂 Glad they loved it!ReplyCancel

While training for a race can be tough, sometimes we forget about one of the most important aspects of preparing for our race and that’s nutrition. We can be well trained, but have something that doesn’t necessarily agree with our bodies the day before, the morning before, or during the race, and it can really make a fun race, well, not so fun. For me, having a sensitive stomach, and eating paleo, it can be kind of tricky to find the right balance, but think I’ve finally figured out what works best for me.  Here’s what I like to do:

Two days before, in addition to what I typically eat, I’ll add some more carbs like roasted sweet potatoes or fruit at lunch or dinner.  I’ll also drink more water though out the day.

One day before, I’ll have another sweet potato with my breakfast, regular lunch, and then I’ll have some animal protein and veggies (that I know my body can digest well) the night before.

The morning of the race, I’ll eat my spinach salad with chicken sausage (my body is use to it, the evoo in it keeps me full, and it digests quickly). I may also add some, you guessed it, some sweet potatoes, and/or sometimes I’ll eat a gluten-free chia seed brown rice muffins depending on the distance of the race (usually if it’s a race 3 hours or over).

Okay, so you know I love my sweet potatoes (roasted with loads of celtic salt and cinnamon) but some good alternatives to get extra glycogen in your muscles could include:  rice, quinoa, bananas, corn tortillas, gluten free low sugar granola (like udi’s), Mary’s Gone Crackers (Publix or TJ’s), etc.  Don’t go crazy though; you don’t need a ridiculous amount since we are not carb loading like in the past.  We want to feel good, and light on race day, and have a quick recovery!  This is a similar meal plan to some ironman athletes and I’m not going even close to that distance so I feel fine with adding just a few extra carbs.  Also, be sure to test your food with exercise, and not the day before a race!

Now, during the race, if the race is over 90 minutes, I’ll bring some coconut water (be sure to test that on your tummy!) in a fuel belt, some raisins, or a Lara Bar in case I need a lift after an hour or so.  It does help and many times I’ll take it before I’m feeling tired.  If I am taking it because I feel like I need it, it may be a little too late.  I used to use GUs because I could digest them well, but don’t use those often as I prefer real food.

Ah, now to the fun stuff, post race. Make sure to eat something within 30 minutes, ideally. You need some protein, some recovery carbs (nothing with gluten), and plenty of water.  It really does make a difference!

One of mine and Scott’s favorite post workout meals is eggs, sausage, guacamole (just salt and lime juice and sometimes fresh cilantro if it’s around) and some toasted Food for Life Brown Rice bread.   It’s quick and easy and so so good! That brown rice bread tastes a little like cornbread, and it’s dense so it’s super satisfying.  Scott and Tate love this bread just with almond butter and honey too for lunches once in awhile.  You can get it at WF’s, TJ’s or Publix, but it’s the cheapest at TJ’s by far.  Store it in the freezer and then microwave it for 30 seconds, toast and devour!

And then there are some indulgences! One of my favorites is Artic Zero ice cream.  I love this stuff because one, eating a pint of ice cream is just, well, sometimes necessary, and two, I do it with a lot less guilt because there are only 150 calories in the whole thing!! But, it’s also a good recovery food because it has 3.4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, has only 5 grams of sugar per serving and it contains only natural ingredients.  Did I mention the 14 grams of whey protein…in ice cream! Awesome.  Now I have to admit, the Vanilla Maple is my all time favorite flavor, but I don’t trust myself to keep that around the house, hence the Peanut Butter Chocolate here.  You can get it at Whole Foods and some Publix’s carry it.  And at $4.59 a pint, it is a splurge.

I have one more fun recovery food but I’ll share that later this week. The recovery food…isn’t that what it’s all about??

Maybe they were so good because I didn’t have to make them, or maybe they were so good because my father-in-law is a great cook and he brought together some terrific flavors, but either way, these fish tacos were awesome!!  A little sweet, a little salty, and very tasty. And from what he said, they were easy to make!

Here’s what you need:

  • 6 (4-6oz) fillets tilapia
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 3/4 tsp celtic salt
  • 3/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic fresh garlic or garlic powder
  • dash of smoked Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour (optional)
  • small corn tortillas or iceburg lettuce for the “shells”
  • shredded lettuce, cilantro, guacamole, whatever you love

Here’s what you need to do:

Assemble marinade by combining lime juice, olive oil, honey, tabasco, salt, pepper, and garlic in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or shallow container with a lid. Add fish and marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from 30 minutes up to overnight.

When ready to cook, combine with a pinch of salt and pepper on a plate. Remove each fish fillet from the marinade and if you want, you can dredge lightly with the coconut flour on both sides.  Or, skip this part and just cook directly in the pan.  That’s what my father in law did and it turned out really well.  Not sure it needs the coconut flour but the kids might enjoy the little bit of crunch it would add.

Heat 1-2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter) in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Cook fillets for 3-4 minutes per side or until opaque and browned.  Add additional oil to the pan if necessary.

While tilapia is cooking, make honey-lime sauce by pouring leftover marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5-6 minutes until slightly reduced.

To serve, break fish into large pieces and serve in tortillas or lettuce wraps, add sauce, guacamole and other toppings, and enjoy!

  • Rob King - Made this today for lunch. Yum! Used Grouper as that is what WFM had fresh. Also used Agave vs Honey, no Tabasco (never been a fan), and no coconut flour. Very straight forward and no issues for someone who is new to cooking!. Thanks so much Lan!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Awesome, so glad y’all liked it Rob! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Jen - Hi Lan, I’m just wondering how many people this recipe is for? I’m assuming 1 tilapia filet per person? Thanks! Love your Blog!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey! Thanks so much Jen! I think it fed 4 adults and 2 kids but yes, 1 tilapia per person is probably a better measurement. Hope you like it!ReplyCancel