Your New Spring Tradition: Pumped-Up Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

The Pumpkin Bunny just hopped into town, slid down my chimney, and left me with a basket of these delicious, healthy muffins. Okay, it wasn’t really a hare that cared, it was me – I made the muffins. I was just trying to pass blame on my seasonal food confusion; I mean, most people think pumpkin is for Thanksgiving and the cooler fall months. But, the Big Orange Gourd is honored every month of the year at my house, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin smoothies, baked pumpkin donuts and pumpkin ice cream. You get the idea! Today, it’s all about Pumped-Up Pumpkin Muffins.

The original version of this recipe has been in the family since I was in 4^th grade and played a pilgrim at Curry Elementary School (shout out Tempe, AZ). My mom and I made these little moist muffins every year . . . that is, during Thanksgiving. Now I stock up on cans of pumpkin like some sort of insane survivalist at the end of November, so I can keep the pumpkin muffin love going on all year long.

I’ve tweaked this recipe every which way possible over the years. This version is perhaps the best, without sacrificing the taste I so fondly remember while costumed in a pint-sized Puritan outfit. One main thing is I’ve cut the sugar. I distinctly remember my granola mom always exclaiming, “Good grief, one and a half cups of sugar! We’ll just omit a little.” I swap out for an equivalent-measure sugar substitute (like Splenda) and I think it works just fine. I’ve also gone to egg whites and snuck in a little whole wheat flour. Oh, and the protein powder! That’s to keep my boys sustained a little longer into the morning. It’s a favorite breakfast to pack for after eldest son’s cross country practice.

Pumped-Up Pumpkin Muffins

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup protein powder
1 cup sugar substitute (cup-for-cup baking type like Splenda)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 cup pureed pumpkin (1/2 can)

In large bowl, mix together flour, protein powder, Splenda, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Next, beat in oil, egg whites, water and pumpkin until mixture well combined. Place paper or foil liners in muffin tins and fill each 2/3 full. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes in center rack of oven (or 15-20 minutes if using mini muffin tins). Makes 18 full-sized muffins.

Power Up Morning with Chocolate – Strawberry Protein ‘Donut Holes’ Recipe

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

The Baked Banana Protein Donut Holes were such a hit last week that I just had to play around with another recipe. Hmm, though, what to put in them this time? Well, if you know me, you know that was a no-brainer – chocolate. Please, please give me a chocolate-induced serotonin surge to go along with my runner’s high. If it’s true that “everything’s a little better with chocolate” then these little bite-sized morsels are sure to get your neurotransmitters all a twitter. I think they make you run faster, too!

Friends who follow a gluten-free or Paleo diet get a green light on these miniature munchies; that’s because they’re made with low-carb, gluten-free coconut flour and no sugar. If you don’t have a fancy-schmancy donut hole machine, you can easily substitute mini-muffin tins in the oven. Also, if you don’t want to make strawberry puree (eg: throwing strawberries in a blender), you can use all-natural strawberry applesauce instead.

Since they’re not messy or sticky, some friends and I are planning to toss a couple batches in zip-top bag as one of our “fuel sources” for the American River 50 Mile Run out in California next month. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Strawberry Protein Donut Holes Recipe

1/3 cup liquid egg white
4 ounces strawberry puree (or if lazy, strawberry applesauce)
1 tablespoons almond milk
¼ cup protein powder (I used 3Fuel)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Stevia sweetener

In medium bowl, mix together egg whites, strawberries and almond milk. In another bowl, mix together all the remaining dry ingredients except the powdered sugar. Once well-combined, mix dry ingredients in to “wet” ingredients, stirring well.

Preheat donut hole maker machine and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions (the Bella maker says cook for 5 minutes but I think that’s too much). You can also bake at 350 in the oven using mini muffin tins; bake for approximately 10 minutes or until centers pull clean with a toothpick. While still warm, sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Makes 16.

Nutrition information (per 1 ball) 20 calories, 2g protein, 0.5 sat. fat, 0.0g trans fat, 5mg sodium, 2.5 g total carbs, 0.25g sugar, .75g fiber

STUFF YOU NEED!

3Fuel is a great protein powder supplement for endurance athletes; there’s some good stuff in there and it’s backed by the latest research on nutrition for sports performance. You can save 10% on 3Fuel Nutritional Shake by using code 3FHUNT at checkout.

Swim – Bike – Run! Win a $100 Gift Card Giveaway for Triathlon Gear

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Triathlon season is just around the corner, are you diving into your training headfirst? Swimming, cycling and running, it’s not hard for me to say which part of this trifecta of endurance sports I like best – that’s running. Natch! Of course, I’ll admit right here and now that I’ve never actually done and entire triathlon and that’s because I’m too chicken to do the swim portion. Yeah, that’s right, scared. I was traumatized by childhood diving lessons and now as a grown woman, I don’t like (make that won’t) dive in or turn my head under water. Don’t ask; I’m working through it.

Anyway, I do enjoy being the runner on a triathlon relay team. It’s fun to cheer on everyone in the first two events and the blast through the crowd with fresh legs! On May 27th, I’ll be lacing up my running shoes to run on a relay team once again in the Capital of Texas Triathlon here in Austin. It’s a fun event that happens in and around Ladybird Lake with the spectacular downtown Austin skyline as a backdrop. Plus, the post-race festival is pretty cool in that weird and wonderful way that is the ATX. You should come!

To celebrate swimming, cycling and running, I’m giving away a $100 gift card to Orca.com. The winner can treat herself (or himself) to a new running top, cycle shorts or swim gear. Or, put the gift card toward a new, shiny wetsuit. It’s your choice!

To enter the sweepstakes, just enter through the easy Rafflecopter app below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On your Mark, Get Set, Press – Deadlift – Box Jump! CrossFit Open 13.2 Workout

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Am I going to the CrossFit Games in 2013? Uh, no. But, just because I’m not going to compete to be the “fittest woman on earth,” doesn’t mean I can’t follow along with some of the workouts being dished out in the Open Competition which started last week. In fact, when I scale the weight-lifting elements down a bit, these WODs become a useful cross-training tool in my quest to become the “fastest woman on earth,” or maybe we should make that, “the speediest old lady in the neighborhood.”

So, I headed down to Fit & Fearless CrossFit to give WOD 13.2 an “unofficial” shot. This classic CrossFit triplet features shoulder to overhead, deadlifts and box jumps. Because the weights and time cap are moderate, this workout is focuses more on pure work capacity and pushing through the discomfort rather than raw strength or technical prowess. That being said, I still decided to cut the weight by more than one-half so I would not kill myself and have fresh enough legs to race a 5k this weekend! I scored 290 with my weight Rx’d down, compare that to Iceland Annie who scored a legit 361! Okay, I can run faster than her. Maybe.
Here’s the 13.2 WOD:

Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 10 minutes (first weight male, second female):

5 Shoulder to overhead, 115 / 75 lbs
10 Deadlift, 115 / 75 lbs
15 Box jump, 24 / 20 inch

So, if you’re looking for a little more information on how to perfect these moves, just get started, or tweak them to meet your fitness goals, here are some resources:

The deadlift builds strength in your legs, hips and back, perfect muscles to target for runners! An intermediate goal for women is to be able to lift 120 percent of body weight, that’s about my limit. However, some of these competitive CrossFit gals, can lift 160 to 200 percent bodyweight! In the video above, CrossFit coach Valerie shows a modified Band Resistance Dead Lifts for beginners. Or, you can check out an earlier post I did on Dead Lifts that even has a really cool diagram of all the muscled used in the move.

The box jump is an explosive move of plyometric power. If done right, box jumps can improve your running power by strengthening quads, hamstrings, gluts and calves. If done wrong, well, see my bleeding knees below! Carl Paoli (from GymnasticsWOD.com) and Kelley Starrett (from MobilityWOD.com) give their tips on how to tackle a box jump with the best body position possible. Check out their helpful tips on perfecting the box jump. The key take-away for me is to remember to fully extend the hips at the top of the box and then land with feet fairy close together to prevent a “torque dump.”

Oops, box jumps gone bad!

Technically, a shoulder-to-overhead could be one of three overhead lifts, the strict press, the push press or the jerk press. Even though it seems like you only need strong shoulders to succeed here, you actually use your entire body, including a lot of core, to get the bar up overhead in a fully-extended position. And, I could go on all day about how improving my core strength has helped my performance (and recovery) in running. The Tabata Times has a good explanation of these shoulder-to-overhead lifts and how to perform them properly.

So, have you done the 13.2 WOD yet? What was your score? If not, do you use any of these moves (deadlift, press, or box jump) in your training? Let me know in the comments ! Hint — get to the comments by clicking the little “speech bubble’ at top of post.

Baked Banana Protein Donut Holes – Eat a Whole Bunch!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

These bite-sized Banana Protein Donut Holes are the perfect way to start the day. Or, pack them in a zip-top baggie and toss in your gym bag to enjoy after a workout. Real (fried) donut holes were invented back in the 1950s by a frugal guy who was just trying to use up all the dough. These healthier donut holes were invented when I just “had” to buy a cake ball machine, as silly as that sounds. But sucking the badness (and sneaking in some protein) isn’t silly at all; it’s smart eating! Did you know that a traditional glazed donut hole has about 55 calories, which might not sound too bad – but most of those calories come from fat and sugar.

I’ve put protein powder in my donuts many times with great success; everyone in the family loves my recipes for Pumpkin Protein Donuts and Chocolate Protein Donuts. This time I decided to use coconut flour and almond milk so they pass the test with my Gluten-Free and Paleo Diet friends. If you don’t have an official cake pop or donut hole maker, you can easily adapt this recipe to work in mini muffin tins.

Banana Protein Donut Holes Recipe

1/3 liquid egg white
½ small banana, mashed
2 tablespoons almond milk
4 tablespoons protein powder (I used 3Fuel)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Stevia sweetener
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

In medium bowl, mix together egg whites, banana and almond milk. In another bowl, mix together all the remaining dry ingredients except the powdered sugar. Once well-combined, mix dry ingredients in to “wet” ingredients, stirring well.

Preheat donut hole maker machine and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions (the Bella maker says cook for 5 minutes). You can also bake at 350 in the oven using mini muffin tins; bake for approximately 10 minutes or until centers pull clean with a toothpick. While still warm, sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Makes 12.