Post-Baby Racing

 

Sorry for going MIA….things have been busy around here. Even though I’m a few weeks late I do want to write about my first race post baby.

Originally, I had signed up for a half-marathon training group that started at the beginning of February. Obviously that didn’t pan out, and I was totally ok with that. I moved into the 10k group and that’s going well. The thing is, it’s not that I wasn’t physically ready, it was more that I just wasn’t mentally ready to devote that much time away from my baby to be successful. Also, the sleep deprivation was killing me.

Anyway, at exactly 2 months post-partum I ran my first 5k race. This is the 3rd year I’ve run either the Frosty 5 or Chilly Half. I wasn’t about to miss it! My sister decided at the last minute to run it with me, and I’m glad she did. Although I had been running for 5 weeks by the time we did the race, I wanted to be realistic and get the best time that post-baby me could get.

It was a great sunny day and not too cold. Since I didn’t train hardcore, I wasn’t nervous because I had no expectations. It was really nice just to run a race just for fun. I spent alot of time just looking around at other people, especially the elite runners who were already on their way back after like 5 minutes into the course.

We didn’t push it because I wanted to make sure I could finish without walking. What I’ve realized about post-partum fitness is that muscles remember, but cardiovascular fitness REALLY doesn’t. It’s been really frustrating because my legs want to go further but my lungs are holding me back.

In the end we came in just over 30 minutes, which I think is ok for a first time out. It’s already been two weeks since then and I’m running faster already. It’s time for me to really  buckle down and commit to training for the Ottawa half….and I truly feel ready now!

Vegan Baking

I have a confession to make: I broke my vow to give up sugar.

It was bound to happen. After having to give up all dairy, I was seriously feeling deprived. It’s not as simple as just using lactose-free products, it turns out that the intolerance babies have is to milk protein, which remains in ANY dairy product. This includes butter, goats milk, sheeps milk and the list goes on. The good news about this is that it forces me to stop eating processed food because almost everything has milk protein in it.

After about a week of feeling pretty sorry for myself, I decided to look through some of the vegan cookbooks I have, because paying $4 for a cupcake at the local vegan bakery was not sustainable. I decided to start with chocolate chip cookies from the book “Babycakes” by Erin McKenna. Babycakes is a famous vegan bakery that originally opened in NYC.

The cookies turned out pretty good, even though in my sleep deprived state I dumped coconut flour into the bowl instead of what the recipe called for. I managed to get most of it out because I hadn’t sifted the ingredients yet. BAKING FAIL.

While I wouldn’t call these health food exactly, they are an excellent alternative to cookies made with butter or shortening. Coconut oil is great for your metabolism and is heart-healthy.  I used agave in place of the evaporated cane juice- although it’s still sugar, it doesn’t cause your blood sugar to spike rapidly like refined sugar does. When substituting agave in recipes, make sure you use about 3/4 of what’s called for- its sweeter.

Chocolate Chip Cookies- from Babycakes by Erin McKenna

You can find these ingredients at your local health food store.

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 6 Tablespoons homemade applesauce or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking sode
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven the 325 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed through the dough.

Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Spaghetti Squash

I’ve always liked spaghetti squash. It doesn’t have the mushy texture that turns me off of other squashes, and although its not going to fool you into thinking its pasta, its a good alternative.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, 0.4 gram of fat, 1 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrate (4 g as sugar) and 2.2 g of fiber.

Pretty great, considering one cup of pasta can set you back about 220 calories!

I like to prepare mine with zucchini and pasta sauce and (previously) cheese on top. Last night I used some Daiya as a cheese substitute. I had never bought Daiya before because faux- anything turns me off and frankly makes me want to gag a little. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I had suspected for awhile that Anneliese was intolerant to the dairy in my diet, and had been reducing it- but yesterday the lactation consultant confirmed my suspicions. Its amazing what even one day has done- she’s MUCH happier today and I’m hoping things will only improve.

Anyways, back to the squash.

First, poke the squash all over and put it on a cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for 1 hour (adjust based on the size of your squash) at 350.

Once its cooked and has cooled a little, cut it in half. Don’t burn yourself! Silicone oven mitts are great for this.

On the inside there is a little bit of seeds and mushy part you don’t want to eat. Scoop it out with a spoon.

Then, using a fork, scrape out the inside of the squash. It will naturally separate into ‘spaghetti’ like strands.

Reheat it with pasta sauce and whatever else you like with spaghetti- you could add meatballs and/or any vegetables you want. Eat as many bowls as you like!

Good Food: Hemp Hearts

Its been quite a busy little day over here. Anneliese had her hearing tested this morning (passed perfectly!). Then we made the journey to Starsky to get our Paczki- If I’m going to eat 3 billion calories of fried dough they better be authentically made by Polish grandmas. After that we stopped in at Costco for some random items, but while there I found these:

Hemp Hearts! I stopped buying them because they are so expensive and come in a teeny tiny bag at the grocery store. So when I saw this giant bag I was SO excited. In 3 tbsp, hemp seeds contain:

• 170 calories
• 10 grams of polyunsaturated fats- both Omega 3 and 6
• 3 grams fibre
• 10 grams of protein!!!
• 30% RDV of both iron and thiamine
• 15% folate
• 70% magnesium

Hemp contains all the amino acids, including GLA which is rare.  Hemp has a higher concentration of Omega 3- even higher than walnuts!

I love hemp seeds because its an easy way to “healthify” a fast meal. For example, today I had a bowl of vegetable soup, which on it’s own is really not enough. I threw the hemp seeds in there and quickly added enough protein for a complete meal.

Hemp is suitable for those allergic to nuts and seeds, as well as those on a gluten free diet. There are no known allergies to hemp. The seeds are similar to a sesame seed and have a pleasant mild taste.

I guess I should qualify all this by saying the hemp you eat is not the same as the hemp used for ‘medicinal’ purposes. C. sativa subsp. indica is the variety of the plant used for drugs, the variety we eat does not contain THC.

I hope I’ve convinced you to try something new, and good for you!

Sugar Free Challenge

I’ve been trying to kick sugar for approximately 6 weeks now. (Not a coincidence)

I finally have come to the conclusion that I’m going to do this for Lent- I’m giving up dessert.

I can’t say I’m giving up sugar because as much as I try not to, I do eat processed food from time to time, and there’s usually added sugar in almost everything. Here is my plan:

• No dessert for all of lent
• Choose no added sugar products, or choose the product with the lowest sugar content
• No artificial sweeteners (this is a given, I never eat these anyway)
• Use natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, in recipes that absolutely need it
• No sugary beverages (hot chocolate, juice) I don’t drink pop, but thats out too

Why am I trying to kick my sugar habit? Because it’s a habit. Before I was pregnant, I never had a problem with sugar. I would have sweets in the house for weeks, and never even thought about them. I did enjoy the occasional dessert but usually on special occasions. I wasn’t a slave to sugar. My name is Emilie and I am a sugar addict.

“Refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no proteins, no fats, no enzymes, only empty calories. What happens when you eat a refined carbohydrate like sugar? Your body must borrow vital nutrients from healthy cells to metabolize the incomplete food. Calcium,                      potassium and magnesium are taken from various parts of the body to make use of the sugar. Many times, so  much calcium is used to neutralize the effects of sugar that the bones become osteoporotic due to the withdrawn calcium.”

When I eat sugar, I feel great for a bit, but inevitably my blood sugar crashes and I end up feeling worse than before. Combine that with lack of sleep and it makes it pretty difficult to get through the day.

My plan? As of Wednesday we won’t have any desserts in the house for me to snack on. I already prepare all of my food, so I don’t need to worry too much about how much sugar I’m taking in from other sources. When a craving hits I plan to combat it with whole fruit…..and distraction.

Wish me luck….

Cooking Ahead

Lately, I’ve been loving the idea of taking an afternoon and prepping and/or cooking a bunch of meals to be reheated or thrown in the crockpot later. (I LOVE the slowcooker). While I didn’t quite get there today, I did make some quick breakfast sandwiches.

I have always eaten breakfast. I can’t start my day without eating, its just not right. Its especially important now that I am the food source for another little being, and I wake up STARVING every day. Problem is, her needs are attended to before mine, and its hard to get something to eat for at least 45 minutes after waking up.

My other issue is that I prefer to eat eggs for breakfast…. I dont like cereal in the morning and smoothies leave me hungry within an hour. Making eggs requires a) time and b) two hands over the stove. Both things that I don’t have, because I am usually by myself in the morning. The solution? Frozen breakfast sandwiches.

This literally took me 15 minutes. I toasted the whole grain english muffins and used my microwave egg cooker to steam one egg for each sandwich, popped it on the bread and into the bag, and done! Now I can just heat it up and eat it with one hand in the morning. Seems like a no-brainer but it took me 6 weeks to come up with this. Bonus: each sandwich cost approx. 50 cents.

I hope to write another post in the future about bulk cooking ahead…. stay tuned.

On a sad note, I had 6k on the schedule for this afternoon. But instead, this happened:

OOPS.

Life Lessons

Since becoming a mom, I’ve learned so much. Obviously I’ve learned a ton about taking care of a baby, but there are a lot of life lessons along the way.

I have always been a planner personality. I like to plan ahead and I’m obsessed with scheduling. When I made schedules while working in store I would spend hours of my own time perfecting them. I loved it. In my current job I still spend an inordinate amount of time on my Outlook calendar. It’s sick.

With an infant there is no schedule. Don’t even try. This is a lesson it’s taken me 6 weeks to fully absorb. When we brought her home, I expected her to eat, nap and repeat every three hours like clockwork. She actually did this for a couple days, which fooled me. But I’ve now come to realize you can’t schedule a baby.

This makes it really hard for me to follow my colour coded, date organized training plan. (which I highlight and put a sticker on each completed workout. Seriously) I’m not sure this is bad thing. Its good for me to go with the flow a little more. If I plan to go to the grocery store in the morning, its not the end of the world if I don’t make it there until the afternoon.

The unknowns of parenthood have been giving me a lot of anxiety over the past 6 weeks….when will she wake up? Will she ever stop crying and go back to sleep? Is she sick? Is she getting enough to eat?

I’m sure there is some larger lesson to be learned from all of this, but what I’ve learned so far is just to let go and not to worry about things I can’t control! Fitting in exercise when I can is good practice for when I go back to work- it’s going to be crazy.

People are right when they say having children makes you a better person.