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Recipes for Travel

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Before your next trip to the airport, try one, or more of these great travel safe recipes to mitigate the negative effects of airport/airplane food.

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Veggie Wraps:
***You can add/sub any vegetables you want, this is just one of my favorites***
– For the wrap use Brown Rice tortilla, Ezekiel, or Nori paper
– Fresh spinach & arugula (I like to chop it) the arugula gives it a nice “spice”
– Sliced red bell pepper (this gives it a fresh crunch with each bite)
– Sprouts (I used sunflower sprouts) these are LOADED w/nutrients
– 2-3 Slices avocado
– 2Tbsp Grandma’s Hummus or your favorite kind (be sure it is made with olive oil vs. canola oil)
– 4oz sliced chicken, beef, or AppleGate Organics deli meat

Add as much spinach and veggies as you like to this. Seriously, you’re not going to eat too many vegetables. Wrap it up in aluminum foil and keep in the fridge until just before you leave. If you are using an animal based protein source be sure to eat it within 3hrs to prevent if from spoiling. I suggest you don’t add tomatoes or anything with a high water volume. It can cause your wrap to get soggy and the juices tend to run everywhere (I speak from experience here).

Egg muffins:
These little protein bullets are great, the recipe is simple, and they travel well. Click here for the recipe

Oatmeal Pancakes:
Ingredients:
• ½ cup Organic Whole Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 4 Whole Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
• 10-15 drops Liquid Stevia (I use NuStevia brand as I’ve found it to have the least amount of aftertaste…) OR 2 packets Truvia/Xylitol
• 1 tbsp melted Coconut Oil
• Nonstick Cooking Spray (I use Spectrum brand Coconut Oil Spray)

Directions:
• Best if you can begin with room temperature eggs…
• Whisk eggs together and break apart the yolk.
• In same bowl, whisk in Vanilla, Stevia, Coconut Oil and Cinnamon
• Stir in Oats and pour mixture into a nonstick skillet – sprayed with nonstick cooking spray…
• Let cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes and flip… Cook for 1-2 minutes on other side…
• Remove from skillet and let cool…
• Once cooled, cut into squares or like a pizza; place in Tupperware or plastic baggies and store in fridge for easy grab and go each morning…

***The above recipe makes 1 serving. I like to make 7 on a Sunday and keep in the freezer to easily grab and go each morning. I will simply set one baggie in the fridge the night before I will need it.

Alix’s Oatmeal:
Click here for the recipe
**Note: she has this as a “pre-race” meal, but it works great for travel as well**

Trail Mix:
For this you will need:
– Unsweetened dried tart cherries (double check when you buy these as most companies add sugar)
– Sprouted pecans
– Sprouted Almonds

Put 2Tbsp of each in a snack sized zip-lock bag. I suggest you store these in the fridge to increase the freshness. This is a great snack for anytime really. As always feel free to substitute any nuts or seeds you like, but still keep it to 2Tbsp of each. I suggest you use sprouted nuts & seeds as regular raw or roasted nuts & seeds contain phytates that can block absorption of nutrients and leach nutrients from your body.

Nut Butters & Veggies or Fruit:
– 1 packet Justin’s Almond, Cashew, or Pecan Butter
– 1 sliced apple or 10-15 baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced bell pepper

Time saver tip: If you don’t have time to chop the vegetables you can buy them pre-chopped at any grocery store. You can get them in the party platters or single serve

Protein Shake:
– 1 serving grass-fed whey protein
o Teras Whey
o Reserveage Organics
o Naked Whey
– Optional 1Tbsp organic cacao powder (I use Navitas Naturals)
– 2Tbsp ground chia powder (I use Navitas Naturals)

Put all ingredients in a small/thin shaker. Once you get on the plane ask the attendant to fill the shaker to your desired lever with water. You know what to do from here. You can also have a Kind Bar (5g sugar or less) or a packet of nut butter with this to further increase satiety.

Healthy Eating on a Plane:

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Have you have ever been stuck in an airport, hungry, with no option for food except a large pretzel or fast food? How about on a long flight with no “healthy” food options? Well I have your answer in this quick tip video. Watch the video here.

My Oceanside Ironman 70.3 Race Week Meal Plan

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5 days until it’s go time! So here is what I am fueling on this week and why.

Monday: 3-24-14

Breakfast:
Super Mo Shake

Lunch:
Spinach & Kale Salad
Artichoke hearts
shredded beets
sliced strawberries
1 can Wild Planet Sardines in Olive Oil
1Tbsp Upgraded Brain Octane (I use this a “salad dressing”, it enhances the flavors of food. So good!)
Pink Himalayan Salt
1 piece 80% dark chocolate

Snack:
Well… 2 pieces dark chocolate 🙂

Dinner:
Chicken Salad with Hummus from True Foods Kitchen (this is a Dr. Andrew Weil inspired restaurant. Another VERY good/clean food spot in Dallas).

Tuesday

Breakfast:
Super Mo Shake

11:30:
Took a Vespa Power to keep me in fat burning mode while I shoot “how to” videos for www.livestrong.com

Lunch:
5oz grilled chicken
1 cup couscous w/feta & spinach
2 dolma wraps (these little gems are delicious)
handful black kalamata olives (for some good fats)

Dinner:
Grilled chicken salad w/dates (got this from Origin Kitchen. Super clean food!)
2 bacon wrapped quail legs (needed a little fat)

Wednesday: 3-26-14 TRAVEL DAY
**Started today with 5 drops Oil of Oregano in 20oz of water** Oil of Oregano is very good for boosting immune function and you need this when flying on a congested plane.
***Travel Tip** Anytime you fly you get dehydrated from time spent in a pressurized cabin. I drink 24-30oz of water on the plane with a little sea salt added. The salt enhances water absorption

Breakfast: **Started today with 5 drops Oil of Oregano in 4oz of water**
Spinach & Egg Scramble
1 cup sweet potato/pumpkin seed hash

Lunch: During the flight to San Diego
1 Epic Bison Bar . Why this bar? Click on the bar and you will see Bison, Turkey, & Beef bars. This company created basically a “better beef jerky” that is sourced from grass-fed animals. It’s a great source of protein when traveling, especially in airports & planes, because airplane/airport proteins are not good quality
1 Packet Artisana Cacao Bliss . Why this? Coconut butter is a great source of healthy medium chain triglycerides (a type of fat) that acts like a carbohydrate in your body. It provides great nutrition and stable energy. Coconut oil is also anti-microbial & anti-bacterial, again, perfect for travel.
2 squares of 80% dark chocolate w/expresso beans. Why this? Why the hell not?

Dinner:
Ahi Tuna Tartar
Spinach Salad
3 slices of a veggie pizza

Thursday: 3-27-14

Breakfast:
Spinach & egg scramble
1 large banana
1 cup coffee w/almond milk

Lunch:
Poached Salmon on 2 pieces sourdough bread
2 slices tomato
small spinach salad

Snack:
Vespa Power (to enhance fat burn)

Dinner:
1 Whole Sushi Roll
Shrimp Pad Thai
Seaweed Salad

Friday:
Super Mo Shake

Lunch: at a cool coffee shop in Encinidas (Ipe Coffee)
3 pastured eggs steamed
1/2 avocado
2 pieces sourdough bread
Almond milk latte

Snack:
1 serving dark chocolate
1 Vespa Power

Dinner: Ate at 5:30 to allow for plenty of time to digest
5oz filet (this is LOADED with iron which helps increase oxygen transport to working muscles)
1 large sweet potato no skin. Topped with 1Tbsp coconut oil (coconut oil aids in the absorption of nutrients)
1 cup roasted asparagus & brussels sprouts (locally grown here in So Cal, had to eat these 🙂 ).

RACE DAY!!

Breakfast: 2hrs prior to my start
2 hardboiled eggs
1 large sweet potato with no skin & 1Tbsp coconut oil
1tsp cinnamon (adding cinnamon to a carb slows down the release of insulin)

45 minutes prior:
1 Vespa Power
5 MAP Amino Acids
8oz water

10 minutes before start:
1 gel
1 salt tab
water

Go Time!

Coach Mo’s Pre- Race Week Food Log Part 1

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You will notice in this week’s food log there is not a ton of “variety”. Now is not the time to try new foods that you aren’t sure work with your digestive system. Stick to high quality foods/ingredients and get creative AFTER the race.

Monday 3-17-14

Breakfast:
Super Mo Shake. See recipe here.
Why this shake? It is full of anti-inflammatory ingredients, and is very easy to digest. The last thing you want the 2 weeks leading up to a big race is heavy foods that don’t digest well.

Lunch:
Spinach Salad w/Sardines & Strawberries: Don’t make that face! It’s really good!
5 cups organic spinach
1/2 cup shredded beets (to build red blood cells)
artichoke hearts (anti-inflammatory)
organic strawberries (vitamin-C)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “this” brand (around 2Tbsp, I don’t measure 🙂 )
1 pack Wild Planet Sardines in EVOO (these babies are FULL of heart healthy & anti-inflammatory omega-3 FA’s)
Couple dashes Himalayan Pink Salt
Why this salad? It is full of healing foods with vitamin, mineral & anti-inflammatory ingredients.

Afternoon Snack:
1 serving Dark chocolate with sea salt. I LOVE this brand.
Why dark chocolate? Always choose at least 70% cacao. The darker the better. Great source of iron, magnesium, and even calcium.

Dinner:
Nori Avocado & Kale Egg Wraps with Rosemary Hash:
Eggs for dinner?? Uumm Yes!
Check out the recipe here.
Why this meal? Nori is packed with energy boosting iron and the pastured eggs are loaded with easily digested protein for rebuilding muscle. Iron is often deficient in most endurance athletes due to sweating and can lead to fatigue among other things.

Tuesday 3-18-14

Breakfast:
Super Mo Shake

Lunch:
Same Salad as Monday

Afternoon Snack:
Same Dark Chocolate

Dinner:
Asparagus & Watercress Soup with 2 Nori Egg Wraps

Wednesday 3-19-14

Breakfast:
2 Nori Wraps with 1 cup Rosemary Hash. This is good stuff people!

Lunch:
Blood Orange Salad with 5oz wild caught salmon:
Check out the recipe here.
Why this meal? Blood oranges are loaded with vitamin-C and are a very easily absorbed source of carbohydrate energy. Be sure to choose WILD salmon vs farm raised salmon. Farm raised salmon is typically higher in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids

Afternoon Snack:
1 serving (1/4 cup) toasted pumpkin seeds

Dinner:
6oz baked Cod
Roasted Asparagus
Sweet Potato Bites (about 1 cup)
Dessert :-). 1 cup raw chocolate pudding w/coconut whip cream

Thursday: 3-20-14

EXACT Same as Wednesday for breakfast-afternoon snack

Dinner:
Mixed Green Salad with 5oz grass-fed burger patty
Why this meal? if you eat GRASS-FED beef it is full of good omega-3 fats and is loaded with iron. I have a race tomorrow night so I want to be sure my energy stores are topped off and red blood cell count is high for oxygen delivery.

Friday: 3-21-14
Breakfast:
Nori Egg Wrap with Rosemary Hash

Lunch: Had a lunch meeting at a local restaurant HG Sply. All locally sourced meats and vegetables 🙂
Duck Confit
Roasted brussels sprouts
Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Sweet potato hash
1 egg sunny side up

Ran a 5k at 6:30. No snack, still full from lunch

Post race:
5 MAP Amino Acids
Dinner: got home late so I made the Super Mo shake. If you get home late but still need to fuel, a shake is the best option in my opinion. The last thing you need late at night is your body trying to digest a meal that you probably didn’t chew well. A shake is already broken down.

Saturday: 3-22-14

Breakfast:
Super Mo Shake

Lunch: another meeting at HG Sply
Duck Confit
Roasted brussels sprouts
Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Sweet potato hash
1 egg sunny side up

Dinner: I have a sprint distance triathlon tomorrow morning. My pre-race meal is usually a grass-fed burger with sweet potato fries or a 4oz grass-fed filet with a sweet potato and ghee butter. NOTE: The beef NEEDS TO BE GRASS-FED. Eating a beef patty loads your body with heme iron which enhances oxygen to working muscles.
Grass-fed burger with avocado & sweet potato fries.
*** I also ate this at 6pm to be sure it is all digested by bed at 9:30 ***

Sunday: 3-23-14 RACE DAY

Breakfast:
Bullet Proof Coffee
6MAP Aminos
2 Salt Tabs
1 water bottle with chloroxygen

Lunch:
3 eggs
1/2 avocado
1.5 cups sweet potato hash

Dinner:
Wild Salmon Salad with lots of greens.

Benefits of Eating Oysters

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One thing comes to mind when I see the photo above.  Spring time in Louisiana sitting on my river dock listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn while drinking a cold beer, or two, and wake boarding.  Man those were fun days.. Anyway, the point of this post isn’t to relive my college days, rather, I NEED to tell you about one of the most nutrient packed super foods on the planet.  That’s right,oysters.. A super food…  Here’s why.

  1. Zinc – there is not a food on the planet that packs more zinc per ounce than a serving of oysters.  6 medium oysters contain 76.7 mg of zinc. If you are an athlete and beat up your body on a daily basis and expect to perform strong on race day this is of particular importance, as zinc is crucial for tissue repair and growth.  Often times doctors, the good ones that is, will prescribe zinc to patients pre & post op to speed recovery after surgery.  Zinc also strengthens your immune system.
  2. The Iron increases energy by transporting oxygen to individual cells. 6 medium oysters gives you 31% of your daily Iron requirement.
  3. Omega-3′s, potassium and magnesium which help fight inflammation, provide electrolytes for proper muscular contraction and support cardiac function.  Oh! And a diet rich in Omega-3 and magnesium have shown to dramatically decrease risk for cardiovascular disease and mitigate inflammation.

Some people have an aversion to eating raw oysters and I get that.  Luckily there is more than one way to skin this cat.  There are plenty of great recipes for grilling oysters.  Below are two links to super tasty grilled oyster recipes.  I suggest pairing them with some sautéed oyster mushrooms and Kale. Then you will have one Super Food stacked meal.  One note, be sure you are using a clarified butter like Purity Farms Ghee butter for grilling to avoid any oxidation of fats.

Charbroiled Oysters recipe

Grilled Oysters recipe