It’s been a challenging few years. I’ve been in survival mode for most of it, making sharing my life on this blog difficult. But a new chapter is upon me and suddenly blogging feels right. I’m ready to share, to be an open book, and to ditch the ideas of perfection, ideals, and “shoulds”. The perfect time will never come, no circumstances will ever be ideal in every way, and I will always be “under construction”. There is no better time than the present. 

Big changes since we last met, my friends…

1. Instead of sitting in a classroom learning about nutrition and exercise, I am finally out practicing it. I am working as a dietitian and personal trainer at a fitness center and also for a private practice dietitian in sports nutrition, weight-loss, and media. 2. I became an aunt! My sister gave me this wonderful gift- my nephew Waylon. 3. JWD and I are engaged! I am over the moon excited and the wedding journey has only just begun.

4. Therapy- lots of therapy I told you I am “under construction”. People treat therapy like it’s a bad word. I think that is nonsense. Since when is wanting to improve yourself a bad thing? We are all a work in progress. Everyone needs a good therapist. It’s life-changing

My dream is for Running on Sunshine to be a place to share my nutrition and fitness know-how with you, a place for you to turn to for the truth about the latest health craze, and a place to share my day-to-day craziness laced with my personal healthy living tips for mind, body, and soul.

With that, let’s get reacquainted. Here is a look at my Monday… I started my post-vaca Monday (just got home from a week at the beach!) bright and early with a green juice, egg + egg white on an english muffin, and melon before heading out for an early nutrition client. After my client I got some work done at a coffee shop. After another appointment, I headed home for lunch.Leftover tofu taco salad, lemon La Croix, and the last of this yummy snack I posted on instagram today.

My afternoon included a meeting with the dietitian I work for, and a nutrition client at the gym. I snacked on a rice cake topped with the most incredible coconut cinnamon almond butter I made on Sunday and sliced strawberries and a Luna protein bar in between meetings. 

I ended the day with my favorite hot yoga class. This class makes Mondays so much more bearable. It is my religion. I have cried, laughed, bit the dust, and mastered poses I thought were impossible on my mat in this class. Please do me a favor and dedicate an hour of your Mondays to something that feeds your soul in this way!  

I was a sweaty, blissful mess after class. Post-yoga, I took a much-needed shower and threw together dinner with JWD.

Roasted sweet potato fries, tempeh, salad, and sriracha for dipping.

Then  I curled up with a new book, The Fire Starter Sessions, for a little wind down time before bed. I’ll leave you with this great quote from my book: It’s good to be back! Thanks for reading

Brrrr! Looks like soups, hot tea, and steel cut oats will be on the menu for a bit longer. Here’s another recipe with a spicy kick to keep you warm…

You already know that plants make up the majority of my meals. People ask “Don’t you miss eating meat? Isn’t it hard to not eat it?”. I think this is funny because it turns my style of eating into a punishing diet- the complete opposite of what it actually is I choose to eat what I eat because it makes me feel great, it fuels my workouts, and it’s yummy! If meat sounds good, I eat it (like turkey on Thanksgiving).

However there is one meat meal that I don’t necessarily miss, but I miss the idea of- buffalo wings. I am a hot sauce junky! I love the combo of the fiery sauce, crunchy celery, and cool dressing for dipping. When I saw several Buffalo Cauliflower Wing recipes circulating Pinterest, I knew I had to try them and… OH. EM. GEE. This recipe is amazing. To push it completely over the top, I whipped up cool and creamy yogurt dipping sauce. Yum!

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower

Batter:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional; sub an additional 1/4 cup flour if you don’t use it)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup plain unsweetened soymilk (or any milk)

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Pepper Hot Sauce)
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp vinegar (red wine or apple cider)
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or butter), melted
• Red pepper flakes for extra heat

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 450*F.
• Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
• Whisk all batter ingredients together in a medium bowl.
• Add cauliflower to batter and toss until evenly coated.
• Place cauliflower on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or on a wire rack stacked on top of a cookie sheet (I used a wire rack to allow the excess batter to drip off the cauliflower pieces).
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• While the cauliflower is baking, combine the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Carefully transfer baked cauliflower into the sauce bowl and gently toss until evenly coated.
• Return cauliflower to wire rack/cookie sheet and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is crispy.

Lean & Clean Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 T vinegar (red wine or apple cider)
• 1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
• juice of 1/2 a lemon + zest
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup soft cheese crumbles (goat cheese, blue cheese) (optional)

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients and blend with a food processor, blender, or immersion blender.

Thanks for reading

Easy Weekday Steel-Cut Oats

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups steel cut oats, dry
• 5 cups water
• 5 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk)

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in crockpot, set crockpot on high.
• Cook for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the oats thicken. I like to leave them a little soupy because they will thicken even more as they cool.
• Divide oats into microwaveable containers, cool, and refrigerate.
• When you’re ready to eat, add a splash of milk or water and microwave for 2-3 minutes. Add toppings and enjoy!

Thanks for reading

I meet many people that have no idea what a registered dietitian is or does. In short, a dietitian is a food and nutrition expert, the food and nutrition expert. It’s a long and challenging road to becoming an RD. First, you get a bachelor’s degree in nutrition. Then you apply to an (unpaid) internship program, an application process that is extremely competitive (~50% match rate nationwide) and matches you with only one program. Internship programs vary depending on their strengths and emphases, but they all have minimum requirements that must be met. It is similar to clinical rotations for medical students- interns spend their days working under the supervision of dietitians in various settings. My internship program at Saint Louis University was 10 months of working in a new site every 2 weeks by day and taking graduate classes by night. I was in a program that emphasized physical performance/sports nutrition, so many of my rotations focused on athletes, gyms, and wellness. However. I also paid my dues working in hospitals and foodservice. The best way I can describe my internship experience is that it was the “best worst year of my life.” The learning curve was very steep, but rewarding. Every single day was a new experience full of new information to learn!

After graduating from an internship, you are eligible to sit for the national registration exam. If you pass, you can finally call yourself a registered dietitian. I studied and studied for my exam. It was the type of exam that when I clicked “submit” after the last question, I was 50/50 on whether I passed. When the woman handed me my results (after the computer stopped working, the power went out, and the printer took 10 minutes to reboot…) and I saw “Congratulations, you passed”, the most incredible feelings of relief/achievement/happiness flooded over me. I can honestly say I put my blood, sweat, and (a lot of) tears into earning those two letters- RD. Our trip to Colorado was a great way to celebrate To maintain RD status, dietitians are required to accumulate continuing education hours throughout their career to stay fresh on the ever-changing area of nutrition. 

I tell you all of this so you can understand what separates a registered dietitian from a nutritionist. Anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”. This label tells you absolutely nothing about the person’s expertise. If someone calls themselves a registered dietitian, you can rest assured they successfully completed the rigorous credentialing process I described above. They really are the nutrition experts!

If you are looking for credible nutrition advice, it’s best to get it from a registered dietitian. If someone calls themselves a nutritionist, be sure to investigate their education and credentials before taking the advice. Like I said, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Traditionally registered dietitians use the “RD” credential, but recently a new credential option was introduced for dietitians to use “RDN” which means “registered dietitian nutritionist”. So look for the RD or the RDN- they mean the same thing! And remember that every dietitian is a nutritionist, but not every nutritionist is a dietitian!

I celebrated National RD Day with a fun stability ball workout, play in the kitchen, and an insightful chat with my favorite RD.

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings recipe will be up on the blog soon!

Thanks for reading

People ask this question A LOT. Countless carb-phobic diet books and so-called “experts” have villainized the poor fruit group, convincing people that fruit is the sugar-laden diet enemy. New research pointing a blaming finger at fructose has also created confusion and caused many to shy away from trusty apples and bananas. You may have read the New York Times article “Is Sugar Toxic?”. This article and the research behind it warns of the health hazards of sugar, particularly a carbohydrate called fructose. Let’s clear up the confusion and tear this myth down once and for all!

As much as I hate the term “natural sugar”, I think it’s fitting in the case of fruit. Fruit does have naturally occurring sugar, primarily fructose (often nicknamed “fruit sugar”). When “fruit sugar” is eaten in its whole food form along with all of the glorious health benefits of fruit, it is perfectly healthy! Fruits are chockfull of vitamins and antioxidants that nourish your body, prevent disease, preserve your youth, and make your hair, skin, and eyes shine. They are also packed with fiber which keeps you satisfied and slows the absorption of those natural sugars.

We run into trouble with fructose when we eat this “natural sugar” in very unnatural ways. Because fructose is the sweetest of the simple carbohydrates (smarty pants Mother Nature wants to increase the allure of nutrient-packed fruits!), it has been kidnapped by the food industry and artificially added to countless processed foods. You’ll find it in soda, fat-free “diet” foods that are pumped full of sugar to make up for the lackluster fat-free flavor, packaged foods like cookies, pop-tarts, crackers, cereal, and pastries. It’s even in unsuspecting places like ketchup, sauces, salty snacks, bread, yogurt, and peanut butter. Most of these foods are empty calories. Unlike fruit, the sugars don’t come naturally wrapped up in a healthful bundle of nutrients. Because added sugar is in so many food products and in places it doesn’t need to be (ahem, peanut butter), we end up overdosing on it. THESE are the foods that warrant sugar stress, NOT whole fruits!

You are not going to overdose on sugars by eating a few pieces of fruit each day, so eat up! The more variety of color you eat,  the more variety of nutrients you’ll get. The issue with fruit is rarely too much and almost always not enough. Aim for 2-4 servings of fruit every day!

Thanks for reading

Whether or not you spent Thursday with someone else’s heart in mind, the first heart you should be caring for is your own!

Heart disease is serious business. It’s the leading cause of death in Americans. The good news is that most heart conditions (even if you have a family history) are preventable and food and fitness are your most effective arsenal.

One of my favorite heart-smart foods: beets! …Wait! Don’t close your browser yet. I know what you’re thinking: “This chick is a crazy freak of nature vegetable worshipper! If she thinks she’s going to convince me to eat beets, she’s out of her flippin’ mind!” Most people who tell me they despise beets are only acquainted with the gelatinous canned version of beets. They were forced to eat them as a child and still have nightmares of their mother dumping the cylindrical jelly glob out of the can and slicing it into circles of disgustingness (this is a real description from one of my clients ).

{Boulder, CO farmers market}

Beets are rich in nitrates which lower blood pressure and in turn protect your heart. Newer research boasts the benefit of beets for exercise. Nitrates reduce the amount of oxygen that is required during exercise which improves exercise performance.

When I think of beets, I imagine the vibrant red root vegetable roasted up with olive oil and spices or peeled, steamed and blended into a smoothie. Yep, you read that right- a smoothie!

Heart-beet Smoothie

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sliced cooked beets

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries

• ¼ cup plain non- or low-fat yogurt

• ¼ cup orange juice

• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

• 1 tsp honey (optional)

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute or until a smooth consistency is achieved. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Still not a fan of beets? No worries, nitrates are found in many other veggies including leafy greens like kale and spinach, lettuce, parsley, and celery.

Now, go do something for YOUR heart today: take a walk, eat a beet, have a salad.

Thanks for reading

Chocolately Millet Granola

adapted from Oh She Glows Lightened Up Summer Granola

Ingredients:

Dry

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup uncooked millet
• 2 T ground flaxseed
• 2 T chia seeds
• 1/2 cup dried fruit
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t cinnamon
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Wet

• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 T unsweetened applesauce
• 3 T peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 t vanilla extract

How-to:

• Preheat oven to 325*F
• Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Combine wet ingredients in a saucepan and heat on low, stirring constantly, allowing the mixture to come to a simmer. 
• Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir… and stir, and stir, and stir until thoroughly combined. 
• Spread granola evenly onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. 
• Allow granola to cool and then break apart into clusters. 

Thanks for reading

As I write this, most Americans have already set up their day to eat like a pyramid. They rushed out the door with a measly 100 calorie granola bar in their hand or , worse, rushed out with no intentions of eating breakfast at all! Their briefcase was not equipped with a midmorning snack and lunch was quickly nibbled at their desk. Now they are arriving home totally ravenous, causing them to demolish a bag of chips during dinner prep before inhaling a hefty meal and following up with an impressive primetime TV snack fest.

They’ve eaten like a pyramid- the bulk of their calories fall at the end of the day. This pattern sets you up for failure no matter what your health goals. Eating like a pyramid can lead to poor quality sleep, eating more empty calories, and low energy levels.

So, I’m asking you to invert the pyramid! Eat the bulk of your calories in the first half of your day and taper as the day goes on. Start with a hearty breakfast, a balanced lunch, a healthy snack or two, and a smaller dinner (maybe just one helping instead of two or three?). Relative to your daily calorie needs, your day should look a little something like this:

Easiest ways to invert the pyramid:

1. Bulk up your breakfast. Add some fruit and yogurt to that cereal or pair your eggs with some avocado and whole grain toast. 
2. Fill half your dinner plate with veggies. Load pasta and rice dishes with vegetables or serve a salad with dinner every night.

Need more proof?

Are you trying to lose or maintain your weight? Research shows dieters who eat breakfast are more likely to lose and maintain a healthy weight compared to those who skip the most important meal of the day.

Are you an athlete? Elite athletes eat a whopping 20% of their daily calories at their first meal of the day!

I suggest this tip to my clients of all types and it’s usually the first place we start when revamping their diets. I challenge you to refresh your health tomorrow by turning that pyramid upside-down!

Thanks for reading

JWD and I are running a half-marathon that is less than 10 weeks away. We have some pretty lofty time goals , but our main goal is to train and race injury free. Although I want to train for a race, I don’t want to give up my other workouts, so we are following what I call a minimalist training plan. The plan is to only do three runs per week and continue our weekly strength training sessions and yoga practice. Here’s a look at our running schedule:

based on 
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/first-half-marathon-training-plan?page=single

The key to minimalist training is making every running workout count, so there are pace goals associated with each run on the plan (check out the link above). I’m excited to get started!

Has anyone else tried a “minimalist” approach to race training?

Thanks for reading

This is no good because it turns out chronic stress is bad news. It wreaks havoc on our bodies. One of the biggest bummers about chronic stress is a nasty little hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is one of our “fight or flight” hormones. It is released during stressful situations to prepare the body to fight or flee. Since today’s stressful situations are more likely to be a meeting with your boss or an overdue bill and not a run-in with a mountain lion, cortisol release doesn’t always serve us well. Cortisol is all fine and good when stress is low and it is operating normally. But when stress is chronic, cortisol is elevated constantly which leaves your body totally outta whack.

A few of the harmful effects of chronically elevated cortisol:

• Encourages fat to accumulate in your tummy area
• Spikes hunger and cravings for high-calorie foods
• Causes digestive problems
• Weakens the immune system
• Leads to whole body inflammation (inflamm = diseases)
• Disrupts sleep and causes chronic fatigue and depression symptoms

In short, our crazy stressed out lives are making us fat, sick, and unhealthy! Since life’s stressors, whatever yours may be, probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, we need to do a few things alleviate our bodies from the destruction of stress.

Two Steps to Stress Less:

• Master stress management

  • This can mean different things to different people, so find what works for you. I’ll give you a few research-supported stress management ideas: deep breathing is the easiest way to lower the stress response in your body. Take a few minutes during particularly stressful parts of your day to take deep inhales and exhales. Trust me, it works! Exercise is also a proven stress management tactic, as well as meditation and yoga. Find what helps you keep your cool and do it!

• Anti-inflammatory nutrition

  • That’s right, food can help you stress less! Like I said, chronic stress creates overall inflammation in the body. Inflammation is linked to a host of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and digestive diseases. By swapping pro-inflammatory foods for anti-inflammatory foods, you can help your body beat stress.

• Pro-inflammatory (stressful) Foods:

  • low fiber carbohydrates (think “simple sugar” processed foods)
  • saturated fat
  • trans fat
  • caffeine
  • alcohol

• Anti-inflammatory (calming) Foods:

  • high fiber carbohydrates (whole grains)
  • whole plant foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and beans)
  • omega-3 fats (walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, salmon)

So what the heck should you do? Here’s how I manage my stress…

Yoga and deep breathing

Try it: close your eyes and inhale to the count of 4, hold for a sec, then exhale to the count of 6 and hold for a sec. Do this 5 times for instant stress relief!

This is where I transport myself when I breathe deep

And gobs of anti-inflamm grub

Don’t let stress hold you back from being the healthiest you you can be! I’m going to state the obvious, but it must be said: you only get ONE body to live in, so take care of it for goodness sake!

Now go take 5 deep breaths, eat some walnuts, put a couple cucumber slices over your eyes, and relax. It just might save your life

Thanks for reading