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Being born and raised in Southern California I’ve never experienced a ‘white Christmas.’ But I’m a warm weather girl through and through, so I’ll happily miss out on that experience. I just can’t relate to someone blissfully standing outside looking up at snow gingerly falling down… they often do a slow spin, smiling up at the tiny white dusting. Not for me… wait, not for me unless those little white flakes are actually CHEESE.
Yes. These are the kind of things I think about – I imagine cheese raining down from the sky and I dance around. It’s silly because snow can’t be cheese… right?
Well… it’s Christmas time and miracles do happen… so maybe it can! If you believe – anything is possible!
And I believe.
So, I made a Christmas Tree Cheese Platter with Real California Dairy. And even though it doesn’t snow in my lil’ corner of California – I found a way to make some ‘snow’ out of one of my favorite cheeses!
Note – this can be a small appetizer or huge centerpiece. Make it according to your needs and the number of guests you’re serving. These are the ingredients you’ll need – but amounts are up to you.
Ingredients:
Broccoli – chopped
Real California Sharp Cheddar – cut into small cubes
Real California Monterey Jack – cut into small cubes
Real California Cotija cheese (may be located near the refrigerated Hispanic foods)
Crackers or chips
Grape Tomatoes, Carrots or Bell Peppers
Enjoy!
Tip: Get extra so you can refill the tree as your guests start chopping away at it.
California is home to more than 1,300 dairy farms and 99% of those are family owned. Remember to look for the Real California Milk seal when shopping for holiday recipes for your family and friends.
RER: On second thought… I’m a little worried about getting it out of my hair…
This post is sponsored by Real California Dairy. All opinions are my own. #savortheseason #CADairy #Holidairy
The post Christmas Tree Cheese Platter–Easy Appetizer and Centerpiece with Real California Dairy appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.
I made this super creamy and delicious steel cut oats recipe for a friend last weekend and they raved about it. I was kind of surprised because it’s just my ol’ go-to way to cook steel cut oats. But I have updated this easy recipe a bit over time and this method makes super thick, creamy oats with a touch of sweetness. And it’s easy!
If you’re not familiar – steel cut oats are made from the whole oat groat. It’s called steel cut because of how the groat is chopped up into tiny pieces. They look smaller than regular oats – but take a lot longer to cook. The result is a chewier texture and nuttier flavor. I love it!
But again – they take a lot longer than regular oatmeal. Cooking steel cut oats on the stove-top takes about 1 hour. And I’m not in the business of standing at the stove top for an hour in the morning! So I like making them in a rice cooker. This way I can put everything in there… go run… and then come home to a warm bowl of oatmeal. (And then you have leftovers for tomorrow’s breakfast!)
I make them with Real California Milk so they’re super creamy. Milk adds a good amount of protein. The combo of whole grains and protein adds up to keep you full longer. And recent studies suggest that it’s important to get enough protein at each meal – basically spread out your intake throughout the day. One cup of milk has about 9 grams of protein. Plus there’s just something comforting about a warm bowl of oatmeal that’s so satisfying.
Note: I have this rice cooker. It doesn’t have a porridge setting so I use the brown rice option.
Ingredients:
When that’s done:
Directions:
Mix oats, milk, water and salt in rice cooker pot.
Place in rice cooker and set according to your machine. Choose the porridge setting if you have it OR the brown rice setting.
When it’s done – stir it and add the banana (chop or smash it with a fork first) and cinnamon.
It’s done! Top with your favorite oatmeal toppings like nuts, nut butter, dried fruit, chia seeds, honey, etc.
Enjoy!
Portion out the leftovers in separate containers for a fast grab and go breakfast for tomorrow.
*Look for the Real California Milk seal when you’re shopping for dairy.
The seal means it’s made with Real California Milk – from dairy farms all around the state.
Want more?
Since you have breakfast prepped for a few days now… how about planning out your snacks too?
Snacks are an important part of healthy menu planning and this post has a variety ideas to get ya going. And it’s a mix of salty and sweet snack options so there’s something for everyone.
6 Healthy Protein Snack Box ideas
or try these
5 Fast and Healthy Smoothie Recipes – one for every day of the week!
RER: I had these steel cut oats and topped it with more banana, cranberries and almond butter. Soooo good!!
This post is in partnership with Real California Milk. All opinions are my own.
The post Easy Steel Cut Oats in the Rice Cooker Recipe appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.
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Special thanks to Jenny Craig for their sponsorship of this post.
I finally stopped moving long enough to write a blog post tonight. And, while there’s a ton to share, it seems like most things I have going on begin with the letter P. So, I figured that was a perfect place to start.
It’s that time of year. There are so many holiday parties popping up, and I feel like I’m rushing from place to place, and juggling my calendar. When you’re on a healthy eating program, holiday parties are a bit tricky. While we can all admit that parties are about celebrating, about the people, and something you don’t want to miss, the platters of decadent dishes can be a little bit hard to deal with.
Yes, I can splurge… but I splurge where I want to splurge, and not because it’s Tuesday. Last week, I went to the Denver Bloggers Club’s holiday party at the Cherry Cricket in Denver. The Cherry Cricket is a highly renowned burger joint in the Mile High City, and the food that they presented that night did NOT disappoint.
Burger samples, fried mac and cheese and more, I was also extremely pleased to see a crudité plate and a beautiful salad. I piled up a plate of veggies, and enjoyed them while everyone gnawed on the cheese-loaded appetizers and burgers.
In that same party scenario, I find it to be important to be part of what’s going on. While I’m eating veggies in this example, I also have a glass of rosé in my hand. I want to feel social. I want to feel part of the party, and I want to participate!
I was able to forego the appetizers, brownies, and milkshakes… but I didn’t want to miss out on a glass of wine. I could have said no, but I don’t have to every single time.
I prefer to splurge on those things I really love, and not just to splurge for the sake of splurging. One glass of wine doesn’t break my progress, and participating brings me joy!
The same thing happened on Saturday night when I was baking cookies. I wanted to participate, and I ate 2 cookies (plus some broken snowflakes.) It’s all part of the season… and there’s definitely an opportunity to “participate” every single day, which is exactly why I pick and choose.
I’m keeping my food prep on track, and making sure that I have a full fridge of snacks on hand at all times. My salad game remains strong, and is honestly one of the meals I know I would miss frequently if I didn’t prep them. Who has time to make a salad every day after all?
Between parties and holiday shopping adventures, having something quick to grab-and-go has been brilliant this season, and I highly recommend it.
I love Harry & David’s seasonal pears, and ordered myself a box using a Groupon I spotted a few weeks back. They’re also selling these at Trader Joe’s. Get yourself some pears; They’re AMAZING and a great snack!
I’m pleased to share that after about 10 trips to the post office, all of my packages have been shipped for the holidays! None of my family lives in Colorado, which means that I travel for the season shipping presents ahead of my arrival.
The USPS is always rockin’ this time of year, so I’ve leaned on the flat rate boxes (and shipping labels) that they offer. The less time I need to stand in that long line, the better. I hope you’ve fared well at the post office or (even better) don’t have to ship anything at all!
Last week, I did something I haven’t done in months. I picked up a set of knitting needles! Not only have a failed completely in love with the Isaac Mizrahi yarn at Michaels, but I also have been keeping myself busy every night knitting up a storm! I’m three scarves in and have my eyes on hats, a fancy cowl, and more scarves as the season continues.
It pairs lovely with your favorite podcast or your favorite show on Netflix. As a bonus, yo
ur hands stay busy, keeping your hands out of the cookie jar. Trust me, it works.
I’m working on a holiday plan for next week. Like I mention earlier, I want to participate, but I’d like to pick and choose where. My sister-in-law Beth is ready for me to show up with a cooler in my suitcase. I’m planning to pack my Jenny Craig food and bring it with me to Memphis, and I’m planning on having Jenny Craig food for breakfast and lunch, and snacking on my typical shake and anytime bar.
I’m expecting to enjoy dinner with my family. I’ll only be home three nights, but two evenings are big traditional meals in our family. Rather than enjoy the pasta on the italian meal night, I’ll have carrot spirals. Rather than doing the backstroke in the mashed potatoes and gravy on our “thanksgiving dinner” night, and am planning to lobby for some steamed green beans and a colorful salad that night to fill my plate.
I’m only home for three days, and I’m hopeful that my planning will make this all work just fine.
Ok, I had to look that one up, but I wanted to keep the “P” theme going.
The weather has been really gorgeous here in Colorado, in the upper 50s every day, which has me walking (ahem, perambulating) around my favorite lake as much as humanly possible.
With that, another part of the holiday planning involves me planning to get a little physical while I’m home for the holidays. A little activity always helps offset a little extra calories here and there, and honestly, it’s great for the soul during the holidays. Great way to clear your mind, get out of the house, and get some fresh air. Near my brother’s house, there’s some great walking trails and (weather permitting) I’d like to get out and perambulate a little…
I figured out a way to turn the Jenny Craig Chicken Ranch Melt into a pizza, and it’s been my go-to for creating recipes ever since. By now, you’ve seen my Rainbow Flatbread Pizza that I posted last week. Wait until you see what I’ve cooked up with the Ranch Melt next…
I started the month thinking that I might be fighting a weight loss plateau, but that’s definitely not a thing. On the same week I started worrying about this P word, I lost -2.1 lbs. So, I’m moving in the right direction! Excited to see how the rest of this month goes.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Jenny Craig; however, all of the opinions and comments about the program are exclusively my own and do not necessarily represent that of the brand.
December: Brought to You By the Letter “P” originally appeared on No Thanks to Cake on 12/17/2018, which is not permitted to be copied on other sites without written permission from the original author.
Today I’m asking Coach Nate from The Run Experience what’s the top secret magic pill we can do to prevent running injuries!
He shares what all runners should be doing on a regular basis – and it only takes 10 minutes – which I love since I’m obsessed with my timer cube and stretching for 10 minute increments. It’s very realistic advice – so you can fit it to your life now. Plus he names the 4 moves you can start with when you’re cross-training at home.
In case you’re new here…
I’m Monica, founder of RunEatRepeat.com – a site I started to document my running and weight loss journey. After being overweight most of my life I started walking for exercise and eventually took up running. Now I’ve run over 50 half marathons, 30 marathons, lost weight and have become a holistic health coach. Welcome to the show!
Follow @RunEatRepeat on instagram and check out RunEatRepeat.com for recipes, training plans, random life updates and more!
Before we talk to Coach Nate – let’s warm up!
Warm Up:
And several times a week I’ll hear a particularly awesome episode of a show. If I can I stop and screenshot it so I can tell someone about it later. And now I’m telling someone… you!
My recent favorite is kinda funny because it’s a business type podcasts but I took something different from it
And this weekend I was listening to The Amy Porterfield podcast – she covers online marketing. I go through phases of listening to different topics obsessively and haven’t been into this one lately but I’m glad I did.
The Amy Porterfield podcast 238 with Seth Godin. The title is Success Secrets to Serving the Smallest Viable Market with Seth Godin. Amy Porterfield is interviewing him about his new book – This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You See. Seth Godin has a podcast too and he’s written a few very successful books on business and marketing. I think I’ve hear about him from other podcasts and tried to check out his show but he talks kinda slow to listen to while running.
They were talking about how to get and connect with customers. Even though I usually don’t listen to this show I’ve been very curious about Seth Godin and I was hoping he talked a little faster in interview format so I listened on a run this weekend. I liked what they were talking about – instead of always focusing on more content, more people – focus on the people you have and what they want. I love that because I like you – and I’d rather make episodes on topics you want to hear instead of changing it to get more people.
But something he said really hit me – but not about business.
We’re always trying to avoid a “No” because we take it personally. And he was talking about marketing but it hit me about relationships.
I’ve been in situations where I’ve been happy keeping it casual because I don’t want to commit to one person or feel like I’m backing them into a corner and risk them going away. I keep it in a maybe / in between situation because it’s safer on some level. But that’s not better.
If you ask someone something and they say ‘Maybe’ it takes the pressure off. They’ve given you an answer that doesn’t really mean anything. So now what?
But a ‘No’ is good because it’s clear – what you’re offering is not for this person. Good! Now you are clear that you should move on to something (or someone) else.
This can apply to relationships and dating – but also friendships or running buddies. If you keep asking someone to run with you and they say ‘maybe…’ or ‘later…’ – you’re just waiting. Ask a more specific question and pin it down. If it’s a no or a not now – find another running buddy.
And if you’re dating someone and they’re giving you a maybe – make it a yes or no and if it’s a no – move on.
Now… let’s get to the main event!
Running Coach Nate Helming – co founder of the Run Experience head coach.
Nate Helming – Head Running Coach and Co-founder of The Run Experience. Coach Nate is a very talented athlete who struggled with aches and pains while training for races and triathlons. That inspired a shift in his focus to helping other runners and triathletes train hard and avoid injuries. His certifications include: USA Triathlon I, CPR/First Aide, Cross Fit I, CrossFit Mobility, CrossFit Endurance, Carl Paoli’s Free Style connections.
Nate Helming is based in San Francisco and in addition to coaching runners and triathletes of all levels, he trains Olympic level cyclists, professional triathletes, elite mountain bikers, and national-level ultra runners on strength and mobility. Nate has traveled around the world to speak about better strength training for endurance athletes, and regularly publishes videos and articles on how runners can do it better!
You can follow him and other running coaches on The Run Experience.
– 10 Minutes of ‘poking around your body’
– Nate suggests Netflix and Mobilize aka use your TV time to foam roll (or use a wine bottle!), stretch and check in with your body. This is a great time to find out if there are any areas that need extra rest or attention.
– Instead of running more and more miles – use extra time to incorporate stretching, mobility and strength training.
– There are so many things you can do at home to support and further your training.
– The first 4 moves runners should start with when they’re starting a cross-training plan at home.
The Run Experience is a website, social media and YouTube channel with videos and training plans for runners of all levels.
You can get more info and links to The Run Experience and their Youtube Channel on Run Eat Repeat.com
Awards:
I’m going to give a shout out to my favorite must have running items to have at home.
1. Foam Roller – I have a big dense long foam roller like this one: High Density Foam Roller in grey or black
And I have a smaller blue bumpy one: Rollga Foam Roller with bumps
2. Time Cube – there are different options. I recently got one that has a 10 minute interval – perfect for the 10 minute check in with your body AND 10 minutes of post-run stretching.
I have this one – The Miracle Time Cube Timer. They have different time intervals on the cube so make sure you’re getting the one with 10 minutes.
3. Yoga mat – preferably a thick one. I also really want a wide one. I want a ridiculously wide big yoga mat!
Check out this one – super wide yoga mat for people like Shaq and Monica.
Close:
Thank you for listening! Make sure you’re subscribed to the show so new episodes show up right away!
If you want to get me a gift – don’t, because that’s not my love language. But words of affirmation are so reviewing the show or telling someone about it would mean the world to me!
Tag @RunEatRepeat and tell me what you’re doing while listening… like Kristen who was listening on her 5 mile run this morning.
The post How to Prevent Running Injuries with The Run Experience’s Coach Nate Helming appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.
Over time, a number of studies have been performed on human subjects to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet on type I...
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