Alternative Fuel Sources

 Are you a runner for which fuel sources like gels, Gu's and chews, just don't seem to do the trick. Do prepackaged fuel sources give you stomach distress or maybe you just don't like the taste or texture? Then check out my tips for alternative fuel sources. Some might be right in your cupboard!

Heathly Blueberry Muffins

A runner friend of mine brought me some blueberries from his own blueberry bush, so I decided to make some blueberry muffins. I searched for a healthier version of a blueberry muffin and came across this one. I've tweaked it a little and here's my version. Great for breakfast and/or pre-run fueling!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¾ cups plus 1 teaspoon white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• ½ cup honey 
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt* (Any fat percentage  even fat-free will work. Higher fat Greek yogurt will make a richer muffin. I used 2%.)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400° F. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ¾ cups of the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix them together with a whisk.

Combine the oil and honey in a medium bowl and beat together with a whisk. Next, beat in eggs. Then mix in  vanilla extract and yogurt .  

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a large spoon. A few lumps in the mixture is fine. Before adding the blueberries, place them in a bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour. This keeps the blueberries  from sinking to the bottom of the batter when baking.  Fold the flour-coated blueberries into the batter. The batter will be thick.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups. (I use paper muffin cups.) Evenly divide the batter between the dozen muffin cups Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins until golden (16 to 19 minutes). If a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, they're done.

Cool muffins on a cooling rack. 

Baked Berry Oatmeal

My running friend Cathy Jackson shared this simple to make Berry Baked Oatmeal recipe. It's the perfect breakfast or pre-run fueling for runners! 

Baked Berry Oatmeal 

1 hour - Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (I used canola oil)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cups Unsweetened Coconut Milk (I used 1% regular milk)
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Chopped Almonds
• Coconut Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In large bowl stir together rolled oats, steel cut oats, baking powder, salt & cinnamon, set aside.

In medium bowl combine brown sugar, honey, oil, applesauce, egg & milk.  Add to oat mixture & stir until combined.

Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish (a 9" x 13" glass baking dish works good too).  Top evenly with berries, chopped almonds & sprinkle lightly with coconut sugar.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until set and lightly browned.  

Serve warm -  top with Greek Yogurt and chopped almonds 

Potatoes: A Great Food for Runners!

Running and pasta are like Bert & Ernie, Yin & Yang, Lavern & Shirley, Thelma & Louise. That's all well and fine. Pasta is a great source of carbs for fueling your runs, but did you know that thepotato is a nutritious source of  carbohydrates, even more than rice or pasta? Yep, this often shunned veggie has gotten a bad wrap in the whole anti-carb movement. Like many foods, it's how you prepare it that makes or breaks the nutritional value of the spud. Cover it with butter, melted cheese, and bacon bits and you've created "food porn." Bake it and top it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and voilà, nutritious yumminess! Sport nutritionist Nancy Clark supports the spud too.  She shares that this super veggie is a great source of Vitamin C (gives 1/2 of your daily needs) and provides the potassium you'd lose in three hours of sweaty exercise. It's cousin the sweet potato provides even more health benefits!  A standard potato (like you'd get with a restaurant meal) contains around 200 calories. That's about the same as most sports bars. The spud makes a great pre-and post-run snack as well as a part of a meal. Pre-baked spuds that are sliced and refrigerated make great snacks before or after a run.  In her book, NancyClark's Food Guide for Marathoners, she gives some great ideas for potato toppers such as low-fat salad dressing; low-fat sour cream, chopped onion, and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese; cottage cheese and garlic powder; milk mashed into the potato; plain yogurt (I like using the Greek yogurt. It's very similar to sour cream); flavored vinegars; soy sauce; steamed veggies like broccoli; chopped jalapeno peppers; lentils or lentil soup (I like topping it with veggie chili or black beans); applesauce.  Worried about the potato being high on the Glycemic Index? Valid concern, but did you know that when you pair the spud with certain foods, it actually lowers its GI? Adding healthy fats to your spud such as olive oil, sour cream or avocados, will lower the GI. Increasing the acidity by adding vinegar, citrus or salsa lowers the GI of the spud too. Eating the potato with the skin on increased the fiber slowing digestion and lowering the GI. Oddly enough, cooking the potato, then cooling it before you eat it, lowers the GI. So, give the spud a try!!