Mom-Approved Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops Recipe (Good for Grownups, Too)

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Whew, it’s crazy time! Just got back from a beach vacation with just enough turn-around time to accomplish 7 loads of laundry, take the kids to the dentist and restock my pantry for the hungry boys I’m leaving behind. Oh, where am I going?  To the Pacific Northwest, where I will run on a Nuun Hydration sponsored team in the Hood to Coast Relay; you might have heard me mention that before! If you didn’t it’s just a little 198 mile jaunt from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon that I split up with 11 other teammates No biggie!

Needless to say, I’m so pooped I could pop . . . literally!  I’m leaving behind some homemade Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops for the kiddos as my way of saying “remember your dear old mother as she’s hauling butt down a mountain.” If you’re as old as me, you probably remember similar frozen confections hawked by that famous Huxtable in the 1980s. Back in the day, my brother and I convinced my mom (aka “the sugar sheriff) to hook us up with these tasty treats because they “contained wholesome milk and all the goodness of pudding frozen on a stick.”  In my version, I’ve added whey protein powder to round them out nutritionally, an “ah-ha” discovery from the recent extraction of oldest son’s wisdom teeth. Enjoy!

Chocolate Protein Pudding Pops Recipe

  • 1 box (4-serving size) instant pudding, chocolate
  • 2 cups fat free milk or milk alternative
  • 1 scoop whey protein powder, chocolate
  • 1 cup fat free non-dairy whipped topping

In medium bowl, whisk together pudding mix and protein powder until combined. Whisk in milk until smooth. Pour approximately ¼ of mixture into another bowl; fold in whipped topping until combined with pudding mixture.  Fill frozen pop molds about 2/3s full of pudding and top off remaining space with the pudding-whipped topping mixture. Add stick tops to the molds and set in freezer overnight.  Makes about 6 pops, depending on mold size.

Note: You can use any type of molds you like, even empty yogurt cups with wooden sticks. However, I double love this fun star-shaped set by Tovolo:

 

Also, don’t forget to stock up on your Nuun Hydration tablets, summer is still going strong and you need to drink lots!  In the promo box, type in “bloggerslovenuun” for a 15% discount off your total order.

Will Yasso’s 800s Help Lasso Goal Marathon Time?

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Valerie Hunt, Bart Yasso and Jennifer Fisher (me)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a marathon coming up at the beginning of December, the Dallas Marathon.  I’ve run plenty of these races and trained using a variety of different plans. From high mileage to low mileage, heavy cross-training to just winging it, it seems that each philosophy has its own merits and misgivings. Plus, when you look at all the other things that go into marathon training, it can easily make your head spin. VO2 max, lactate threshold, nutrition issues and more, I need a nap just thinking about it.

However you plan to train, there’s a simple way to gauge your improvements and see if you’re on target to nail that special goal time. The method is called “Yasso’s 800s,” a workout popularized by Bart Yasso, aka the ‘Mayor of Running” or ‘Chief Running Officer’ of Runner’s World.  The idea is to run a progression of ½ mile intervals once a week, tacking on an extra interval each and every week until a total of ten 800s in one workout session is reached. Of course, you’ll still need to put in all the other hard work required for a marathon, including that beloved weekly long run. I’m going to give the Yasso 800s a try and see how close they predict my actual time, you should try it too!  Here’s the rundown on how to get it done;

  • About two months away from the marathon, head out to the track and run four 800s with a rest in between each that is equal to the last 800 run. Work as hard as you can, but remember that the goal is to keep each interval at an even pace. Don’t blast through the first and slow down in the last.
  •  Assuming the intervals were run evenly (within a few seconds at most), the average 800 meter time will convert into your predicted marathon time. For example, if you run 3:05 minutes for an 800, then your predicted time will be 3:05 hours for the marathon.
  •   Each week, add one additional repetition to the workout until you reach a total of ten 800s.  The first few repeats will feel relatively easy; the later ones will get harder and harder to complete.  If you can finish them all at the same pace, the theory is that you’ll be strong enough to rock the marathon at the converted time.  As the marathon approaches, give yourself a 10 day to 2 week break from this workout to rest and recover.

If you’ve tried this before, drop me a note in the comments and let me know how it worked for you. What was your 800 meter time and what was your marathon time?

Best Beef Cut? Try Asian Flair Flat Iron Steak Recipe

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Move over tenderloin, my new favorite cut of beef is the ‘Flat Iron,’ also known as the ‘Top Blade.’ Thanks to the Texas Beef Council for making the suggestion! Cut from the shoulder of a cow, this juicy, well-marbled steak is rectangular in shape and uniformly thick, making it an ideal hunk of beef to toss on the grill. Sometimes, you’ll get one that looks as if it has almost been sliced and separated down the center. This is because a tough piece of connective tissue that runs through the middle is removed by the butcher before it is packaged up. A pesky but a small flaw I can certainly overlook, especially considering the flatiron is one of the tenderest cuts of beef around (second to only tenderloin), meets governmental standards for “lean protein” and is relatively economical compared to some of the premium grilling steaks found at the meat counter.

Every week the family has been enjoying this steak in some easy-to-prepare form or fashion. While you can serve with brown rice and veggies, we enjoyed the sliced steak served with “pajeon,” a delicious scallion pancake that my neighbor brought over.  The recipe on this traditional Korean side dish is coming soon! Paleo Diet friends, just toss sliced some of this meat sliced finely on a bed of greens and you’ll be more than satisfied.

 Asian Flair Flat Iron Steak Recipe

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1.5lb (approximate) flat iron steak
  • Garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place steak and marinade in a zip-top bag and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Grill flatiron steak on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. Medium-rare will read 125 F degrees on the meat thermometer and feature a pink center. If you like your steak a bit more done, aim for medium at 130 F degrees. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.

Flat Iron Nutritional Information

 

McD’s in the Athlete’s Village? Try No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe for Olympic-Sized Snacking

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Over the last couple months, I’ve developed an Olympic-sized appetite which I am attributing to my twice-a-day workout schedule. Run in the morning; CrossFit in the late afternoon.  Today, mindlessly influenced by the fact that there is a McDonald’s in the Athlete’s Village at the London Olympics, I headed on over to my local golden arches for lunch. No, I didn’t woof down a gut-busting Big Mac, fry and milkshake meal and I hope our USA athletes aren’t either! I responsibly ate the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken which is actually quite good with a roasted corn, tomato and black bean salsa and sprinkling of cheese and tortilla chips. However, with only 290 calories (yet supplying a decent 27 gram serving of protein), I was fiercely famished a few hours later.

Today, to address the needs of my rumbling stomach, I whipped up a batch of No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars. Ready in no time, my afternoon treat was ready just in time to kick back on the couch and enjoy seeing the women’s marathon. Sadly, I realized that my favorite event isn’t until Sunday, August 5th.   Oh well, table tennis and badminton will have to do today!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Protein Bars Recipe

  • 2 cups minute oatmeal
  • 4 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (my 4 scoops measured 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon stevia sugar substitute
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Line loaf pan with plastic wrap. In large bowl, add oatmeal, protein powder, flaxseed and stevia; mix these dry ingredients together until well-combined. Next, add peanut butter and water; knead with clean hands until incorporated (you can try to use a spoon, but my wooden one busted right in half). Sprinkle in chocolate chips, knead a bit more. Press mixture into prepared loaf pan and firm up in freezer for 20 minutes. Pull mixture out of pan by plastic wrap; slice into 12 equal sized pieces. Store in the refrigerator.  Serves 12.

Nutritional info (per serving): calories 221, total fat 10g, sodium 99mg, potassium 94 mg, total carb 22g, dietary fiber 3g, sugars 10g,  protein 11.g 

Will Exercise for Smoothies, Jamba Juice Inspired Workout

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All these smoothies are for me, mwha-ha-ha!

You all know how I love my Jamba Juice and today I really earned one of their delicious, nutritious smoothies. So in hopes of inspiring others to work out hard and ‘live fruitfully,’ I want to share an exercise routine I put together, inspired by my favorite smoothie shop, Jamba Juice. Modeled after CrossFit-style workouts, this series of five functional exercises provides a full-body blast, engaging arms, legs, core and the cardiovascular system all at once.  So, let’s get started . . . . give me a “J” . . . .give me an “A.”

 

 

JENNIFER’S JAMBA WOD (Work Out of the Day)

Jump onto 20” to 24” box x 20

Air squats x 20

Mile run (at 80% effort or better)

Burpees with full push-up x 20

Alternating arm kettle bell swing x 20 (10 each side)

And, now for the fun part – repeat three times and then rehydrate with a smoothie! Feel free to post your final time to the notes; I’ll give you a virtual high five . . . and a Jamba Juice smoothie recommendation!  You know they have a dizzying array of flavors; sometimes it takes me 10 minutes just to make up my mind!  Right now I in love with the Fruit Refreshers, a slushy-like drink made with yummy fruits and coconut water which so tastefully replaces electrolytes lost out sweating in the sun. Try the Tropical Mango, Watermelon Splash or Strawberry Lemonade.

Oh, and hello! I’m a featured ambassador for Jamba Juice, check me out!

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