Pre-run foods: the best and the worst

As a runner, I often need to think about the foods I eat before a run. Luckily I've been blessed with a pretty strong stomach that lets me eat almost anything as close as 30 minutes before running - I know other people aren't so lucky! But there are some meals I've eaten that even my stomach of steel can't handle... Here's a look at some of the best and worst of my pre-run foods!

The best

Oatmeal



Bagel, banana and soy nut butter



Sandwich



Granola bar and dried fruit



Banana and Greek yogurt



The worst

Sushi - two words... sushi burps.



Subway - this lunch left me with onion breath from the sub + gas from the diet Coke. Not ideal for a run!



Anything made with beans - again, gas and bloating. Yuck!



Salads - way too much fibre for my stomach to handle while running!



Soup - too sloshy in my stomach!



But my #1 worst food to eat before running is...


Source

Nothing at all! I know everyone is different, but for me personally, I absolutely must eat before running. If I don't, I have absolutely no energy, I get shaky, I can't concentrate, my stomach starts grumbling, and I just want to stop running. I'd take sushi burps over that any day. ;)

What are your best pre-workout foods? The worst?

Are you able to workout on an empty stomach?

Cajun tofu bowl

Ever since reading Fried Green Tomatoes last summer, I've had this obsession with the South. It conjures up images of childhoods spent playing at the river, evenings of sitting on the porch telling stories, and cobblestone streets filled with the sounds of jazz music. I've never been to the South, so these images are based entirely on books and movies and I'm sure they're a bit outdated, but oh well, it still makes me want to visit the South!

Source

I've also become really interested in Southern cuisine. Collard greens, baked beans, sweet potatoes, shrimp, okra... that's what sparked me try try making my first jambalaya for Mardi Gras! This week I got another craving for a taste of the South, so I made this fast and easy dinner. I'm sure it would have Idgie and Ruth (from Fried Green Tomatoes) rolling over in their graves - but hey, I never claimed it's authentic. I can assure you it's tasty though!



Cajun tofu bowl
Serves 1

- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 block of tofu, cubed
- 1/4 cup sliced onion
- 1/2 cup mixed chopped sweet peppers
- 1/4 cup corn kernels
- 5-6 pieces of okra, sliced
- 1 fresh tomato, diced
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 cup of cooked millet



First start off by cooking your millet according the package directions. While it's cooking, prepare and chop your ingredients.

Then heat up 1 tsp olive oil in a pan and pan fry the tofu until it is browned on both sides.



Add another tsp of oil and add your onions to the pan. Saute for about 2 minutes, then add your peppers, corn, and okra. Continue to cook until the peppers soften, then add in the diced tomato and seasoning. I picked up this blend at the grocery store to use in my jambalaya a few weeks ago and I'm hooked on it!



Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then serve over your cooked millet.



Is there any culture that you're really fascinated with?

What's your favourite Southern dish or food?

WIAW #29: Chelsea's day off

Anyone else get the movie reference in my title? Anyone? Anyone?

If not, you have some serious movie watching to do! ;) But in the meantime I'll try to entertain you with my What I Ate Wednesday recap of yesterday's eats.



My class was yet again cancelled and replaced by an online lecture (seriously why do I even pay to take that class?), so instead of sitting at a desk at 8:30 am yesterday morning, I was at home in my PJs enjoying breakfast. Not a bad trade off, I guess!

For my breakfast I had pumpkin oatmeal cooked with milk, chia seeds, banana, pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. I topped it all off with granola, raisins, dried fig, banana, and soy nut butter.



We've been blessed with beautiful weather here all week so I was excited to another outdoor run! I wanted to try a new route this time, so I drove to the park I usually run to from my house and decided to use it as a starting point.



I ran south along the river for 2 miles, which flew by because I was so engrossed in checking out the new scenery. Seriously, if your running motivation is ever lagging, just find a new route - it makes such a difference! In my last two minutes, I noticed that I might be able to make a sub 35 minute 4 miles, so I started sprinting to make it. But I missed by just a hair!!!



Oh well, that gives me something to work towards next time!

After stretching and a shower I made myself this lunch with an egg on its last day before expiry. Usually I don't like letting my foods get so close to their best before dates, but I'm really not a big egg eater so I find it hard to eat them all in time. This meal might have changed my mind about eggs though - I loved it!

1 whole egg + 1/4 cup egg whites, bulgur, steamed kale, tomato, avocado, green onion, nutritional yeast, and salsa



I spent my whole afternoon at my apartment doing school work, and I started getting really antsy because I hate being cooped up indoors for so long! So I took a study break to make Cheryl's homemade Clif bars and had one as a snack, naturally. These will be great to take to campus to get my through my afternoon classes!



After getting through some more readings, I made a summery dinner to go along with the almost summer-like weather! I grilled up some chicken, sweet pepper, red onion and pineapple kebabs brushed with a glaze of Thai sweet chili sauce, lime juice and honey - this was really good! I served the kebabs with some brown rice.



Later I met up with Meg to get Starbucks and go for a walk downtown - I was itching to move my legs after spending the majority of my day (except for my run) indoors! When I got home I had a snack of cottage cheese, Oikos 2% vanilla Greek yogurt, Bran flakes, granola, and blueberries.



Then I spent way too much time writing up this post and didn't get to crawl into bed until the late hour of 11 pm. I know, I'm such an old lady! Luckily I slept soundly until 6:45 this morning, so I'm feeling nice and awake for my day of classes ahead of me. Hope you all have a great Wednesday! :)

Are you a big egg lover?

What meal reminds you of summer?