Buffalo Chicken Meatballs & Girls on the run

The other day I volunteered to be a “running buddy” for a program called Girls on the run.  I wanted to share this in a post because I think it’s a great program that more people should get involved in. Basically it was a program started to boost young girls self esteem and also train them to run a 5k race.  I think it just sends such a great message to get yourself active, but also to be confident in yourself, which can sometimes be hard in those awkward 5th-6th grade years.  Definitely check out the link and see if there is a program in your area, and I would encourage everyone to be a buddy runner!

My little girl, Lucy, was no beginner.  This was her 4th Girls on the run race, but crossing the finish line still made her smile and feel proud of herself, which was a great thing to be a part of :)  I had fun chatting with her along the way and keeping her moving when I thought she needed some encouragement!

Now for the tasty part of the post…

These meatballs were really good, and such a great alternative to chicken wings.  Did you know that only three Wegmans frozen chicken wings contain 880 mg sodium?? Just, THREE!  To put this in perspective, you want your daily sodium intake less then 2,300 mg, but most people actually fall into the category (due to age, gender, disease, etc.) of less then 1,500 mg per day.  That means, if you are in the 1,500 mg category.. just 6 chicken wings will put you well over the edge for the day.  So please, sub this recipe for the frozen wings.  It’s literally almost as easy as throwing them into the oven, but you’re doing your heart a HUGE favor.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I didn’t alter the recipe so as always I will link you right over to the blog I got the recipe from.  Her recipes are really good, so definitely poke around on her site.

I unfortunately realized too late that I am definitely not a fan of Gorgonzola cheese which is a large part of the side dish you see on my plate, but feel free to make it if you enjoy it!

 

Buffalo Half Marathon

On Thursday I’m going to have two recipes for you, promise!  But for today’s post I’m just going to do a quick recap of the half marathon I ran yesterday.  My knees feel as though someone took a sledge hammer to them so standing up to cook in the kitchen is not an option!

So, since this is a food blog, here was the night before the race meal…

As you can see, I definitely used this meal as an excuse to carb-load!  Although, it was full of nutrients and fiber too in addition to the carb’s.  Needless to say, I went to bed feeling very full and happy.  5 AM came before I knew it, and this was breakfast…

The muffin is my peanut butter-banana muffins, I baked up a batch last night because they are by far my favorite muffins and I knew they’d be good fuel.  Wondering what to have before a workout?  When in doubt, always a banana.  They contain carbohydrate and the electrolytes that you lose during a strenuous workout (ie. potassium).

As soon as the gun went off at 7 AM, I felt good.  I thankfully had no nausea or serious pain (besides my ankle, later in the race).  My personal goal was 2:05, my running buddy’s/hunnie’s was 2:00 so he was really pushing the pace with me.  At some points, I wanted to reach over and smack him for having such long legs, at most points, I loved that he was challenging me.  We ended up crossing the finish line with a time of 2:01:25.  Dan could have totally done it under 2:00 but he stayed with me despite telling him (more then once) to stop talking to me or I would vomit on him.  All in all, I know that I pushed my body as physically as hard as I could, and under 2 hours is a lifetime goal of mine, so there’s still time for that! :)

Do you have any memorable race stories??

23.5 Hours- You DO have time

Today in class my professor shared this video with us and I really liked it and wanted to pass it along.  It’s also always nice to hear from a doctor that supports our profession.  I hope you watch it, and feel inspired!: 23 and 1/2 hours

Did you know it’s better to be fit and overweight then skinny and not fit?  Exercise is so beneficial to us, it’s really more like a natural medicine.  From personal experience, it improves my mood, releases worries and tension, and overall makes me happier.  Now that I’m into week 3 of training runs, I can’t explain it any other way then saying that my cardiovascular system just feels stronger.  I wake up energized, and have given up coffee completely!  For me running is my happy place, but like the video says, even if you are walking, it’s still helping.  Not to mention all the other choices you have like biking, swimming, dancing, sports with friends, etc.

One useful suggestion I have for you is to literally schedule it into your planner like it’s part of your job.  I will write “8 am- run ___ miles.”  I believe it really helps form the commitment, and also gives it the same importance as everything else in your crazy life.

If you need some inspiration, my 60-something year old professor (pushing 70) runs 6 miles every morning.  Not only did he raise his HDL’s (your “good” cholesterol) by almost 20 points, and got rid of his hypertension, but lets be honest, he kicks ass to be doing that at his age.  So get your tush off the couch and treat your body well! :)

Zumba

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday with people you love.

This post is going to be about Zumba!!  I have to admit I was very skeptical at first glance of the DVD box with half-naked girls drenched in sweat.  But.. despite the apprehension, I performed it in front of my entire family tonight and had a BLAST!  For those of you who don’t know what it is, here is a little description from the zumba website:

“Zumba classes feature exotic rhythms set to high-energy Latin and international beats. Before participants know it, they’re getting fit and their energy levels are soaring! There’s no other fitness class like a Zumba Fitness-Party. It’s easy to do, effective and totally exhilarating, often building a deep-rooted community among returning students.”

It was interesting to read that Zumba was discovered by accident.  An aerobic instructor, Alberto “Beto” Perez, forgot his music for class one day and improvised with the Latin music in his backpack that he had grown up listening to.  From that one class, it became a huge hit and expanded from there.

As a disclaimer: I am a runner.  Coordination and flexibility is not my thing at all (I look like gumby having a seizure), but this was SO fun! It was more like a night out of dancing and I highly recommend you all try it in the privacy of your home, or if you don’t have a Wii, sign up for a class at your local gym to give it a try.

Here is a link to find an instructor near you: http://www.zumba.com/en-US/instructors/search/

Depending on the scientific body making the recommendation, physical activity recommendations vary.  The consensus is that you want to have at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most days of the week.  Moderate intensity means you can’t carry on a conversation, but you aren’t dying in pain either.  Zumba is a great way to get this into your weekly routine without even leaving your house in these cold winter months.

Good luck!

*I was not paid to endorse Zumba in any way, this post is purely based off my personal experience with it :)