Blissful Thinking

This is a funny story. I discovered these date, nut and chocolate confections called Bliss Balls at the local Whole Foods and my husband and I became addicted to them. Pretty soon I’m bringing home four packages of 8 Bliss Balls (which really are blissful) and we’re popping them a couple times a day. Luckily (we justified) they’re relatively healthy (dairy free, wheat free, mostly raw, mostly sugar free) and they pack a great carb punch for post workout (or pre, or in-between) snacks. The only problem was, as with any addiction, it can get a little pricey. So, when I found out they were locally made by New World Natural Foods, I e-mailed them to see if I could buy them ‘direct’ or even ‘in bulk’. I sheepishly added in my e-mail that the reason I am eating so many is that I am training for Ironman Canada.

I immediately got a response from the company who not only told me that I could buy direct, but also that they would be interested in sponsoring me!

So, the following week we picked up some organic granola, organic almond butter, assorted chocolate Bliss Balls, and assorted Live Bars. It took less than a week to give away everything to the hungry athletes around me. I didn’t want to go back to them too soon but now I’m in withdrawal. Probably a good thing, as I’ve been cutting back my workouts due to leftover fatigue from the Half Iron race and I wouldn’t want to turn into a ‘bliss ball’ myself!

My husband and I pondered some of the fun things you could do with a “Bliss Ball” sponsorship, but now that we have a baby we decided it would have to remain clean cut and thought “Powered by Pure Bliss” might be a good slogan for a bike jersey. We’re open to suggestions from the wider triathlon community out there!

For now, New World Natural Foods are available across Canada, but their stuff is SO good, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before it breaks into the US market. In the meantime, if you are in Canada, you can find them at Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Sweet Cherubim bakery (Vancouver) and other retailers. It’s worth the journey!

Nutrition During Training

Every athlete knows that the keys to recovery are rest, and proper nutrition. And, I’d hazard a guess that every new parent spends time contemplating when, if ever, they’ll be able to sleep peacefully through the entire night, again. So with little control over the rest side of the equation, the least I can do is nail the nutrition angle.

I know everyone says “moderation” is the key. But, I don’t do well with moderation. I try, but I just find that I gravitate to the extremes in most things that I do. For example, I just made batch “healthy” cookies (see recipe on this blog December 7). But, I pretty much sustained myself on them for half of the day. Also, lately I’ve had a craving for dark chocolate come out of nowhere. My husband has competition for the chocolate in the house whereas it used to sit untouched, exactly where and how he left it. So, I definitely have some work to do.

On the plus side, I do know what I should be doing and I am getting better in some areas. One of these areas is protein. Being a near vegetarian, a nursing mother and an athlete makes demands on a person’s body for protein. With the longer distance runs and rides, the last thing I want to do is to start tearing down my own muscle because I’m not taking in enough. I already drink about 4 cups of organic soy milk a day, which is fortified with calcium and vitamins, but I’m also making a conscious effort to eat tofu, legumes, eggs or fish every day at lunch. In the mornings I make a smoothie with banana, frozen berries and soy milk and now I’m adding a scoop of whey protein powder (26g of protein) into the blend.

On the vegetable and fruit side of things, I’ve been receiving a weekly delivery of organic produce and this forces me to prepare and eat more greens. It also provides variety so that I don’t slide into a fruit rut. For example, this week we got green peas in the pods (snap peas) and red kale. Normally I might not think to buy these items.

The other aspect of nutrition during training is what to consume during the workout itself. This takes practice, practice, practice. I’m currently practicing with grape Cytomax powder in my water and Carboom energy gels. This almost got me through the last 2 and ¾ hour run but by the 2 hour mark my quads were seizing up. My theory is that I was dehydrated, so I’m going to refill my water bottle more next time and see if that helps. Another term for ‘practice’ is ‘trial and error’.

The main challenge for me is finding the time and energy to make nutritious choices, especially when instant-gratification alternatives are on hand. Dark chocolate aside, you won’t find any pre-packaged, highly processed or junk food in our house. Almost everything is organic and as unrefined as we can get. So, even if I turn into a cookie monster for a few hours, at least they are home made and organic cookies and at least I know that tomorrow, I’ll be left with the kale and the peas to eat.

Aaron and Vanessa’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I suspect these are more Vanessa’s, but I know Aaron enjoys eating them (as do we). Perhaps these are what fuel Aaron on his solidly sub-3 hour marathons. Aaron also publishes a great running newsletter, check out his website at http://www.keepingyourunning.com/

Oven: 350°F
Mix together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl:

1 egg plus 1 egg white (extra egg white is optional)
¼ cup nut butter
1/3 cup apple sauce (non sweetened)
1 tsp, vanilla

Option: use some iron-rich molasses in place of some of the sugar, below

Add and mix dry ingredients:
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
2.5 cups whole or quick oats (or combo of)
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup raisins (optional)

If mixture is too dry and won't stick, add more apple sauce, egg whites or some soy/rice milk.

Spoon into balls (I use an ice cream scoop and make giant cookies) and flatten slightly with a fork. For extra decadence, put a square of dark chocolate on top of each one.

Bake for 10 minutes for smaller ones and 15 for larger ones. Cool on a rack.