Food and Fun at the Capitol 10K

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Placed 11th female overall!

This past Sunday I got my feet out on the street with about 25,000 other like-minded crazies to run the famous Capitol 10,000 in Austin, Texas. Now in its 35th year, this race is the largest 10k in Texas and the 5th in the nation.  Despite the hills, the heat and the humidity, there was plenty to be smiling about during the race including my Texas Beef Team cheering squad at mile 3 and an assortment of random sights — a guy jumping roadside on a big trampoline, a volunteer pushing bacon strips as ‘race fuel,’ and lots of interesting-to-say-the-least costumes.

Also keeping my mind off the pain during the tough 10k were the thoughts of post-race food! The party on Auditorium Shores had plenty of goodies, my favorite being the Eoni energy cakes and bars made from all natural ingredients (get them at HEB and Sprouts). While you shouldn’t pig out after a 10K, you definitely do need to take in some carbs and protein within 30 minutes to help recover. To get an idea of your energy expenditures, check out this article I wrote last year on Calories Burned Running a 10K.

A Sweet, Smoothie-licious Giveaway!

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Happy spring! Spring has symbolically been considered a time of renewal, so it’s definitely time to kick off the birth of this blog (and the start of smoothie season) with a sweet, sweet giveaway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delight as the making of your morning, post-workout or bedtime snack smoothie becomes even easier than ever imagined. One lucky winner will get to frappe frozen concoctions with the help of a Hamilton Beach Classic Blender and 2 coupons for make-at-home smoothie kits from Jamba Juice. Just imagine how awesome this stainless-steel blending bad-boy will look sitting atop your kitchen counter top!  We’ve gone even more bananas — four runners-up will also each receive 2 coupons for free Jamba Juice smoothie kits for flavorful, fat-free fun at home.  Read below for all the skinny on entering and good luck!

Giveaway:

  • One (1) person receives a Hamilton Beach Classic 12-speed Stainless Steel Blender model #52277 (ARV $60) and 2 coupons for free Jamba Juice smoothie kits (ARV $6.58).
  • Four (4) runners-up receive 2 coupons for free Jamba Juice smoothie kits (ARV $6.58).

Entry Dates:  March 20 – April 20, 2012, midnight.

Entry Methods: 

  1. Like The Fit Fork on Facebook  and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘liked’.  (Mandatory 1x entry)
  2. Follow @thefitfork on Twitter and post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘followed’. (Optional 1x entry)
  3. Subscribe to email list found on right sidebar of The Fit Fork where it says ‘enter your email address’ – don’t forget to confirm subscription email that comes via Feedburner. Post separately in ‘leave reply’ below that you ‘subscribed’. (Optional 1x entry)
  4. Post to ‘replies’ below with your favorite smoothie ingredient. (Optional daily entry
Note: Facebook ‘likes,’ Twitter ‘follows’ and email subscriptions will be cross-checked.
Giveaway open to U.S. entrants, 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by law. This Giveaway is brought to you by The Fit Fork and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. For complete giveaway rules please click HERE. 


Made-at-Home Smoothies– Give ‘Em a Whirl!

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Hurray! Tomorrow is the first official day of spring, the weather is beginning to warm up and it’s time to start enjoying a run, workout or just some well-deserved relaxation in the great outdoors. I don’t know about you, but sipping on – or  swigging down, as the case may be – a delicious smoothie is one of my favorite ways to recover from a hard workout or just treat myself to a healthy breakfast or midnight snack.

So, it’s no surprise for me to say that the friendly folks down at my nearby Jamba Juice refer to me by my favorite flavor profile –  “How are you today Ms. Mango Mantra® with Immunity and Whey Protein Boost?”  Sometimes I just can’t get down to the shop but need my smoothie fix to get through the day, so I was really excited to find out about the frozen smoothie kits from Jamba Juice that you can purchase at your local grocery store.  Before you head out to stock the freezer, remember to check out the Jamba Juice website to find a retail carrier in your area.  Each kit (found in the frozen food aisle) makes two smoothies each that are loaded with all-natural fruits (1 full serving of your daily requirement), fat-free yogurt, and a good-for-you antioxidant boost. Whipping up a batch is super easy – just add juice and blend!

Since I’m a an awesome ‘Jamba Juice Ambassador of Wow’, agreeing to try it out and then share my honest opinion with other enthusiasts of healthy blended beverages was a no-brainer.  I tried the Razzmatazz® and I would definitely give it a thumbs up – convenient, easy to make and super yummy. I also liked the fact that I had some control over the ingredients and whipped up my second round with my preferred flavor of protein powder and some freeze-dried acai berry – fancy, I know!

Give ‘em a whirl! Smoothie Kits from Jamba Juice come in these five fun flavors based on top-sellers in store:

Mango-a-go-go®

Razzmatazz®

Strawberries Wild®

Caribbean Passion®

Orange Dream Machine®

And, come back to The Fit Fork tomorrow to sign up for our very first giveaway. If you need a hint, all I can say is it’s one sweet prize!

cmp.ly/2/NKVbIV

Living Through (and Loving) the Deadlift

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The first time I saw this exercise, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be for me.  I mean some massive 250+ pound guy was lifting a bar with an insanely large amount of weight on it as his eyeballs bulged out and he made Neanderthal-like grunting noises.  Really, how could this help me keep my status as lean-mean running machine and bona fide girly-girl?

But, but then my friend Valerie Hunt, a personal training guru and POSE running coach at Fit and Fearless CrossFit, reminded me how I’m always whining and complaining about tired legs that couldn’t power up a hill during races and a sore back and midsection after long training runs. She encouraged me to give the deadlift another look, reminding me that – if performed correctly – the deadlift is really a whole-body exercise that engages the quads, glutes, lower back along with the abs, traps and upper back. Check out this diagram that shows all the muscles involved – amazing!

I’m not planning on transforming into a weight-lifting record-setter by any means; I just want to reap the benefits of explosive power and overall strength this functional move can bring to my running – and everything else!   Using a modest amount of weight, about 75% of my body weight, I’ve been doing five sets of five lifts once per week (which is perfect for beginners) and am looking forward to seeing the results of this functional exercise in a 10K race next weekend.

For more information and an example of safe and proper technique, please check out The Deadlift by Greg Glassman published in The CrossFit Journal.

Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

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In honor of National Potato Chip Day (March 14th), I have a salty celebration for the taste buds that won’t leave you with greasy fingers, a guilty conscience and, heaven forbid, clogged arteries. Thanks to the impressive nutritional powers of the sweet potato, this snappy snack food brings your body more fiber, vitamins and antioxidants and fewer carbohydrates than the lowly ole regular potato. This easy-peasy recipe for Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Chips is a real winner, there’s nothing better than homemade chips – except healthy homemade chips!

Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • Olive oil flavored baking spray
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 500º F. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
  • Wash and dry sweet potato. Leaving peel intact, slice sweet potato crosswise as thinly as possible (use a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor).
  • Arrange slices on prepared baking sheets, taking care not to overlap slices.  Spray lightly with baking spray. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper.
  • Bake in 500 °F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Chips will be done when crisp with lightly browned edges and orange centers. Length of baking will vary depending on how thinly potato was sliced. With the oven up this high, keep a close eye on the process.
  • Remove chips from oven and let cool.  If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.