Sunday, May 22, 2011

the weekend. in food.

pretty big weekend in food around here. 
why, you ask? wellll.... I had my first big [trail] race of the year! (more on that to come) 
I had to make sure my body was fueled properly before hand, and gorged appropriately afterward.

 I've gotten a lot of questions in the past about what I eat pre-run, so I thought I'd share everything.....hold on tight, pretty exciting stuff here.
greens
*I load up on protein (eggs, beans, lean meats Monday-Wednesday of a race week, and then cut back Thurs and Fri....I've just found that is what works best for me*

Friday, day before race:
Breakfast: Raw Oatmeal w/ strawberries, bananas, and almonds.
Lunch: Giant salad with 2 parts greens, 1 part awesome rosemary garlic bread, (toasted and cubed), radishes, 1/2 avocado, red onion and a simple honey mustard dressing (olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon, honey, s&p)
Snacks: banana + almond butter, odwalla bar, gatorade
Dinner: pasta w/ marinara, LOTS more bread:), simple salad
lots and lots and lots of water all day
dinner

Morning of race (about 2 hours before): whole wheat toast w/ peanut butter and honey. Banana. OJ.
Hour before: Gatorade. Water. A few Sport Beans.
During run: water. gatorade. 2 GUs. Water.
Post run. Water. water. water. water. gatorade.
Let my stomach settle and then have whole wheat toast w/ extra avocado and salt. 
 Super chocolatey milk (in my opinion, the BEST recovery drink you can have:) 
Apple + peanut butter.
Dinner at Lone Star Taqueria for the beeeeeeest fish tacos + rice and beans + coke w/lime.
fish tacos

Sunday was a pretty typical day--whatever we can hurry and eat as we rush out to church (pb toast), our traditional after church snack of cheese and crackers, and and early dinner of soup, salad, and bread.

This soup is called "whatever I got, goes in to the pot." oh! she can rhyme!
I basically dig through the fridge and dump any veggies I have into some chicken stock, let it simmer for a few hours, and VWALLA! soup! perfect for all this crazy rain that is never, ever, ending.

garlic +onion +carrots+celery+sweet potato+green beans+diced tomatoes+collard greens+cannellini beans+chicken stock+oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves=soup.
.

And then of course.....dessert. I needed something super rich, and extra indulgent.

I saw this recipe for brownies with peanut butter frosting on Ashley's blog and knew I had to have them.
browned butter browned with peanut butter frosting

Because I am in love with browned butter, I opted to brown the butter in this recipe.
If you like to brown butter too, I encourage you to play around with it a bit. I've learned I like to lightly brown it for use in pasta or veggie dishes, or in vanilla-y breads or cupcakes (like these). But I like to brown it a bit more when adding it to chocolate dishes--I think it makes the chocolate flavor more intense.
browned butter browned with peanut butter frosting

Browned Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
recipe adapted from Not without Salt

10 TBS butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 325°

To brown butter:
Heat pan on medium heat.
Cut butter in to pieces and melt in pan.
Stir continuously. Butter will foam up.
After foam subsides, small brown flecks will start to appear in bottom of pan.
Continue stirring, until butter has reached a nice brown color, and nutty aroma.
When you want to lick the spoon, you know it's ready.
Turn the heat all the way down.

Add sugar to browned butter and stir until well combined.
taste this. it is insane.
Add the cocoa and stir until well combined.
Remove from heat and let it cool down a bit (not cold, not hot, just warm:)
Add the vanilla.
Add the eggs, one at a time.
Continue to stir--the mixture will be thick and shiny.
Add flour and salt and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into a 10" tart pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (You can also bake them in an 8x8 and bake for a few minutes more)

Peanut Butter Frosting
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) softened butter
¾ cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt 
Cream the butter and the peanut butter until combined. Slowly stir in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Spread over cooled brownies.

happy eating!

15 comments:

Tanae said...

I am glad you loved the race, I can't wait to hear more details. As I was reading your notes on during the race, I just thought I would let you know what works well for me while running and fueling my body. My husband recommends that I take a GU every 30-45 min to keep my body fueled so I don't lose energy and bonk. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with them so I like the blocks as well. Also, you might want to look into using something in your water vs. using gatorade. You could look at Nuun (said noon) tablets or Heed. These are not too expensive and I know it has helped me so much, it really helps to keep me going. I have used them during my training and know I can see a difference. I will usually run with one bottle of water and another filled with nuun or Heed.

heather telford photography said...

good Job on the race.. I have followed your blog for a while and LOVE it. I as well am a runner but have had to cut back for a few months this pregnancy. :( I am curious though what is your favorite tortilla for wraps.? I have tried a few but they all seem so high in calories? Thanks.

Christine said...

Browned butter in baked goods- never even considered it! Those look delicious. And congrats on the race!

Unknown said...

awesome job with another race under the belt!! seriously makes me excited for training once this baby is done cooking :)

and all that food looks amazing!!

banananutmeg said...

the race! are you going to post more about it? Did you love it?! Pictures!!!

Tara said...

Justin's mom says Lone Star Taqueria is way good, too, we're gonna have to go there soon.
You totally rocked that race, I'm not surprised at all. :)
And those brownies look AWESOME!

Hayley said...

10 TBS!

I'm in!!

Hayley said...

Wait. There is 6 more?

Rad.

healthful pursuit said...

Those brownies look amazingly delicious! I love that you used peanut butter!

Jenn (Cookies Cupcakes Cardio) said...

Brownies and peanut butter! Pure goodness. Greatness! Looks like a well deserved finish to a race.

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef said...

Awesome! I do a lot of races too but never eat a brownie with peanut butter. Why haven't I thought of that?!

Anonymous said...

Sounds delish. I adore browned butter as well. Love the blog as well.

Anonymous said...

Your pre-race eats sound fabulous. Toast with nut butter and banana is my go-to pre-race breakfast. Works like a charm!

Anna said...

Oh my gosh anything chocolate peanut butter is heaven! Your pre race meals sounds delicious!

Tanya said...

I am making these right now...is it 2 eggs? I just went to the link to Not Without Salt link, and I think it's 2. Anyway, can't wait to try these!!!! Love anything with browned butter.