Nacho Fries with Goat Cheese

Quick and Easy Meal!

Nachos are often a go-to "quick" food for those who eat gluten free, as there is a wide selection of GF corn chips. Personally, I'm a bit tired of nachos, and I find that the chips don't really fill me up. 

Recently, I've started making "nacho-fries." Basically, I put the same toppings that I would put onto nachos (olives, hot peppers, bell peppers, green onions, red onions, goat cheese) onto potato fries. I bake the fries until they are brown before adding on the toppings. While "fries" don't exactly sound healthy, you can cut up potatoes yourself, or bake fries that are on the less-greasy side. Just add a ton of healthy toppings!

Learning to Run

It’s been a month since my friend, Andrea, and I decided to train for a 10 mile race this summer. Neither of us are runners, and we have much to learn!

So far, we go to the gym three times per week, stretch/tone before & after our workouts, and jog on the treadmill. Canada is quite icy/slushy in February, and I can’t wait to get outside. However, the treadmill is helping me keep a steady pace until Spring. Having healthy snacks that are high in protein/carbs are necessary to combat my low blood sugar (see the Almond “Bounce” ball review below).

I’ve been consulting a variety of friends who are regular runners, and mixing their expert advice with internet info. Here are two of the most useful (paraphrased) tips so far:

From “M”
- Increase your running time SLOWLY - more so for your joints than for your lung capacity
[I made the mistake of increasing my time from 20 minutes to 45 minutes within two days and suffered a few days of leg pain]

From “Alex”
- His favorite tip: Make an iPod playlist of both fast & slow music. High-energy “exercise” music isn’t ideal for long runs.

__________________________

Songs from my own running playlist:

“Get Some” – Lykke Li
“Bigger than Love” – Benjamin Gibbard
“Lisztomania” – Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix
“The Theory of Relativity” – Stars
“Paper Planes” – M.I.A.
“Dancing Shoes” – Arctic Monkeys
“Black, Black Heart” – David Usher
“Terrible Angels”  – Charlotte Gainsbourg
"Hold Me" - Yoko Ono
“Ne Me Jugez Pas” – Sawt El Atlas
“We Go Together” - Grease
“Rococo” – Arcade Fire
“Cecilia” – Simon & Garfunkel
“Escape Velocity” – Chemical Brothers
“Deny, Deny, Deny” – Joel Plasket
“Maneater” – Nelly Furtado
“Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) – “Regina Spektor”
“Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes
“Day to Day” – Amy Millan
“Numa Numa” - Ozone
“Life in Technicolor II” – Coldplay
“Windsurfing Nation” – Broken Social Scene
“Yer So Bad” – Tom Petty
“Never Give Up on the Good Times” – Spice Girls
“Fanfare Macvara” – Figli Di Madre Ignota
“Finding Something New to Do” – Hellogoodbye
“She Wolf” – Shakira
“Magdalena” – Brandon Flowers
“Straight to Hell” – Lily Allen Ft. Mick Jones
“Cemetery Gates” – The Smiths
“4 Minutes” - Madonna
“Move Over” – Janis Joplin
“Zeye Meyel” – Nass Marrakech
“What  You Waiting For” – Gwen Stefani
“Can’t Buy Me Love” – The Beatles
“Never Ever (All Stars Remix)” – All Saints
“Run On” - Moby
“You are a Tourist (The 2 Bears Remix) – Death Cab for Cutie
“Hey Ya” - Outkast
“Heartlines” – Florence and the Machine

"Almond Protein Hit" Bounce Energy Ball

After my run on Monday, I tried an "Almond Protein Hit" Bounce Energy Ball for the first time. It was so good - I've been carrying around the empty wrapper in my bag for four days in order to blog about it!

As I mentioned in my last post, my doctor recommended that I take in more protein and carbs to slow my super-fast digestion. Before this, I'd been suspicious of protein bars (remember the movie Mean Girls? Lindsay Lohan secretly tries to make Rachel McAdams gain weight using protein bars).  However, in moderation, protein bars can be handy and healthy. Each Bounce ball has 12g of protein and 210 calories.

It was delicious! The almond is like a thicker version of peanut butter, as it is mixed with whey protein. Not only does it taste amazing, but it's gluten-free, free of artificial preservatives, and GMO free.

Ingredients:

Almonds, Brown Rice Syrup, Frutrim (Grape Juice, Pear Juice, Brown Rice Starch), Whey Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Hydrolysate), Rice Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Crisps (Whey Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Sunflower Lecithin), Brown Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Natural Vanilla Extract, Guar Gum, Sea Salt, Natural Almond Flavour, Mixed Tocopherols. No Artificial Preservatives. Contains: Almods and Products Derived from Milk. May Contain Eggs, Peanuts, Soy, Sesame Seeds, and Tree Nuts.

Only question: Why does it taste like cherries? I was surprised that cherries were not on the ingredient list.

The bars retail at $2.49 - a bit expensive compared to other health bars, but I'm going to purchase one a week until I try MORE flavours!

[A COMMENTER NOTIFIED ME THAT NOT ALL FLAVOURS ARE GLUTEN FREE, SO CHECK THE PACKAGE BEFORE EATING]

- Cashew and Pecan Delight

- Coconut Macadamia Protein Bliss

- Fudgie Walnut Treat

- Peanut Protein Blast

- Spirulina and Ginseng Kick

Learn more about Bounce products at: http://www.bouncefoods.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=7

A Little Bit MORE Healthy

My last blog post was over a year ago. I logged on for the first time in a long time and wondered "why am I not doing this any more?" The page had over 100 views last month from strangers who stumbled across it - so I may as well post something new.


I've tried many new gluten-free products that I can't wait to review, but I am  also blogging about my new quest to be a "little bit" more healthy - RUNNING!

In addition to celiac disease, I've been diagnosed with hypoglycaemia  (which means that I have to pay close attention to the sugars in my diet because my body processes them too quickly). This includes eating complex carbohydrates and protein, which made me think "That's what runners eat, I should start running." This summer, my friend and I will be running a TEN MILE race, and I will be blogging about the training/diet involved as someone with  health restraints.