Why Not Boston: Summer Cooking

As I mentioned in the gazpacho recipe post, I recently made my web show debut on Why Not Boston, the "funny little web show" co-hosted by my friend Trish and her friend Lex! In it, I talk about healthy recipes that you can bring to a summer BBQ or potluck. The episode has gone live, so here for your viewing pleasure, is my segment:


If you like what you see, be sure to check out the full episode over at Why Not Boston today!

Summer in the City Gazpacho

One of the challenges of eating healthy in the summer is going to cookouts or BBQs; burgers and hot dogs, creamy potato salad and coleslaw... it's so delicious but can be hard to eat in moderation when everyone is piling their plates and going back for seconds. My solution to a situation like this is to bring a healthy dish. That way you know that there will be at least one thing that you can eat without the standard cookout calories. And what's even better? Bringing a healthy dish that will impress the other attendees! I was recently asked by Why Not Boston to share one of these very recipes, so here it is, my favorite gazpacho recipe (adapted from this epicurious recipe):

Kat's Summer in the City Gazpacho

• 3 1/2 cups (or more) tomato juice
• 8 plum tomatoes, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed for the fresh lemon juice
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño chili (more or less depending on how much spice you want - be careful when chopping, wash hands immediately after and do not touch your face or eyes)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• hot sauce, to taste

The great thing about a dish like gazpacho is you can alter it to meet your needs - use this as a template but feel free to add or subtract to your liking!

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and red and green bell peppers in a bowl. Transfer half that mixture to another bowl, add one cup tomato juice, and blend (either with your immersion blender or in an actual blender). To the intact veggie mixture add the onion, cilantro, lemon juice, green onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Transfer about a cup or more of that mixture to the blender or bowl that you're using to immersion blend, add remaining tomato juice, and blend. Combine remaining bowl of veggies with blended veggies. If you prefer a more blended soup, continue blending until desired consistency is reached. If you're ok with it a little chunky (or when you've blended to your heart's desire) place in fridge for 2 or more hours. Serve with hot sauce and if you want to fancy it up a bit, top with some sliced avocado and grilled shrimp.

From Pyramid to Plate

You may have heard that in the world of trying to get people to eat healthy it's out with the pyramid, in with the plate. The food pyramid was never incredibly user-friendly, so the new plate is designed to be a bit easier to figure out - sort of like those plates you can get that are portioned out for a main dish and sides (watch the market for these, I'm sure some innovative nutritionist is already working on getting new ones out there!). Here is the video that the White House put out in order to explain the new system to consumers:

And here are a couple of articles about the change over:
The official site from the USDA
From Hungry For Change
From Boston.com

What do you think? Will people start eating healthier with this new, colorful guide? Is it just more of the same old that people will continue to ignore?

Schroeder Sibling Swim Off: RESULTS!

Wow, what an incredibly active Memorial Day weekend! I'm sure you've all been sitting at the edge of your seat, waiting for me to unveil the results of the Schroeder Sibling Swim Off. There were some technical difficulties, but all of the glitches seem to have been worked out so that I can now present to you SCHROEDER SIBLING SWIM OFF: THE MOVIE!

As you undoubtedly just sat through and saw, I was the winner, although I only won by about 10 seconds (or approximately 1/2 pool length). It occurred to me as we got towards the end that there was a good chance that we might tie which hadn't even crossed my mind previously, and I'm glad I was able to pull it off in the end - partly because it would've been pretty anti-climactic to have a tie (and partly because winning feels soooo good!). Of course, the original goal of the swim off was to get both of us into the pool and training on a regular basis. Bragging rights are just an added bonus of fitness!

The focus of the weekend was on the swim off to such a degree that I hadn't put much thought into the half marathon that we'd signed up for the next day. In the car on the way there, Erik asked if we should be betting on the run like we did the swim off. I've never in my life ran faster than him so I declined... and then came across the finish line 7 minutes ahead of him, with a PR time of 2:00:34. It just goes to show, a little motivation can carry you a long way!

Back in the Saddle Again

I've been having a tough time convincing myself to get out on my bike recently. It's been pretty chilly and wet and I've had odd pockets of time where other potential riding buddies were not available. I struck out on my own for a quick 12 mile ride and then waited for my triathlon team's annual training weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

If you think it's a good idea to start the season with one short ride and then a long, extremely hilly ride, think again! While it did show a fair amount of optimism on my part, Saturday's 66 mile ride reminded me of several things which all boil down to the same lesson: the best way to get something done without feeling ill affects is to ease into it. That lesson manifested itself in two places. The first, as you might expect, was that my legs and my sit bones were super sore the next day and I biked slower than I would have liked during the ride. The second was with my nutrition. As you might imagine, I tend to think of myself as a person who listens to her body and has a pretty good idea of what to put into it and when. However, it had been longer than I'd like to admit since I had gone on a ride of that distance and length and elevation gain. So after eating a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, during the entire six hours that we were out on our bikes, I ate a Clif bar and a Luna protein bar. Some people, in the same circumstances, would have been fine. But I was out of practice with what my body needs under those circumstances and ended up not feeling as good as I might have if I'd brought along some whole foods (banana, nuts, crackers) or had stopped for a small meal in addition to the bars that I ate. I just didn't put the right amount of the right things into my body.

Looking good despite not feeling great after biking 66 miles in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (my Co-Membership Director Bernadette is pictured here with me on the right)

I should add that I still had a ridiculously fun time on that ride - I got to know five of my teammates really well (while the other 35 teammates were off climbing other mountains at other distances) and saw some beautiful scenery. But if I had put in a couple more rides ahead of time, I would've had a better idea what to expect from my body that day. I think this lesson applies to a lot of aspects of eating and working out; want to stop being a vegetarian? If you start by one day eating a bacon cheeseburger, you'll probably make yourself sick. Want to run a 10K? If you start by running that distance you'll probably do yourself more harm than good in your training process (and could injure yourself early on). So, try new things, but give yourself time to adapt and let your body learn to love eating healthy and being active.

Enrich Your Life

Have you ever looked at a food product in the grocery store and wondered just what that word "enriched" means? It's a little bit abstract when you think about it. The claim that the quality or value of the product has been improved or enhanced in some way doesn't exactly tell you what they've done to your bread, pasta, rice, etc. That's why you need to be an informed consumer!

The enrichment nutrients are (drum roll please)...  

IRON! THIAMIN! RIBOFLAVIN! 

NIACIN! FOLIC ACID! 

These vitamins and minerals are required to be added at specified levels (minimum and maximum) according to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. The term enriched, when used with food products, means that things are added back in that may have been lost during manufacturing of the product. You're likely to see this word on bread bags, pasta boxes, flour sacks, rice bags, and more. The term fortified  means that vitamins or minerals have been added to a product that were not originally there. You're likely to see this word on milk containers, juice cartons, and cereal boxes. Often products are fortified with vitamin D, calcium, omega-3s, and other healthful things like that.

Your best bet is always to get vitamins and minerals from their most natural source, but people don't tend to get enough that way, which is why fortifying and enriching has to happen. Should you eat tons of dark leafy greens for your folic acid or 10 pieces of enriched toast? Definitely get it from the greens, but rest more comfortably knowing you're getting an extra boost from your toast in the morning.

Once you've eaten plenty of iron-fortified or enriched foods, you can buy yourself this t-shirt!

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Forks Over Knives

Thanks to my roommate Jessica for sharing the info about this documentary, which comes out today (check your local listings for showtimes). You can't deny it anymore, food = medicine. What you put into your body affects your health. Whether or not you get up and go affects your health. Eat! (healthy) Drink! (water) and of course, Be Active! (all the time)