New Clean Eating = Super Fast! Mango Blueberry Coconut Superbowl, New Granola Review, New Race Food

I got a new White Iphone 4! It's so fast and sleek and I love it. Finally my pictures will now be near D-SLR quality. I was out of town and racing this weekend, here is the report from the race!

In a bowl

 I got home pretty late and had little in the fridge so decided to give Cafe Gratitude in San Rafael another shot by getting a take out bowl. And I'm glad I did. It hit the spot perfectly.

I Am Whole

 I got this bowl for the seaweed and japanese influence. The Kimchee and Tahini Ginger Dressing were amazing. Not too strong of pickle flavor on the kimchee and the right ginger-bite to creamy ratio on the dressing.  The Teriyaki roasted Almonds added the perfect amount of sweetness. Then add in a bunch more delicious sea vegetables, fluffy quinoa, and kale! It was expensive but worth it.

• Quinoa, Kale, Teriyaki Almonds
• Sea Vegetables, Housemade Kimchee (Japanese Pickled Cabbage), Kombu Seaweed
• Tahini Ginger Dressing

Post Race Lunch

For once I decided to not go with a massive cookie or bar after my recovery drink post race and tried eating real food. I was just kind of in the mood I guess, and it worked out just fine. The Mexican Black Beans, Chicken, and Vegetables looked pretty appetizing too. I went with that, some salad, salsa, hummus, and pita chips (the tortillas were white flour). I digested it all fine but missed out on having some delicious sweets because of it (could have had them but would of felt bad).

New Pre Race Dinner

I can't take credit for this, I was late joining my coach Julia Violich for dinner. She prepared this light and clean meal, a nutritious pasta and salad. There was no salt and pepper (still super tasty) and not too much protein, so I made the exception to eat feta cheese, which is arguably the healthiest cheese, especially if it comes from goats not cows due to easier digestion.  The salad was only dressed with olive oil and the pasta sauce was just olive oil, a bit of tomato paste, and a bit of feta and it all tasted amazing anyway! #1 The benefits of including a bunch of quality ingredients. I went heavy on the Quinoa Salad to try and get the protein and still had a rice cake with almond butter before bed, but felt really good and clean.

• Penne pasta (the only forgotten ingredient so had to suffice with what the closest store had)
• Zucchini, Squash, Mushroom, Red Pepper, Tomato Paste, Olive Oil, Feta
• Spring Mix, Quinoa Salad, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil

I was planning the usual Overnight Oats Race Breakfast, but the only milk available was almond milk, which has minimal protein in it, so I opted to try out the From The Fields Granola that Julia had! I'd been wanting to try out this brand, and this was the perfect opportunity since it has the protein from quinoa flakes that I desired.  Plus I also learned from Julia that soy is a mucous forming food, and am now into a relatively new realm of nutrition for me.  I won't ramble about it forever, the article pretty much explains it. It's especially relevant to me right now because I've been coughing recently and haven't been able to completely clear my throat, which ends up being quite annoying during training/racing.

Cherry Almond Granola

So many clusters of quinoa crunchy love!  It seemed like it wouldn't be sweet or flavorful but it was, and formed clusters around lots of yummy roasted almonds.  The cherries were high quality and full of flavor, making such a clean delicious bowl. I'm stoked to finally try it, and all thanks to not having access to soy milk! It paired perfectly with almond milk and i'm also glad to open a new window of cleaner eating for when I feel like it. I definitely do feel cleaner eating almond milk over soy. The amount of sweetness is perfect (from honey and maple syrup), although occasionally I'd see my self adding in a date (recently learning from the mucous linked article that is the only non-sulphured dried fruit and is therefore less mucous forming). The touch of saltiness is awesome as well. And it's even wheat free and oil free. I can't wait to try the other flavors like Cardamom Rose or Orange Lavender!

• 1c From The Fields Cherry Almond Granola
• Almond Milk, Blueberries

Along with the theme of more clean eating, I only used a tiny bit of soymilk for this seedy-bowl of oatmeal.

Super Seed Mango Blueberry Coconut Bowl

    I wanted a super seed-y epic bowl of oatmeal this morning, and my craving was perfectly satisfied.  All the flax and chia seeds made it taste nutty and almost chocolatey on its own! #3 I love the way they gel up do to their hydrophilic properties. It makes the oatmeal much more voluminous.  All the additional toppings just magnified the crunchy nutty seedy delight! Mango, coconut, and blueberry are awesome together.

• 1/3c oats , 2/3c coconut water, 1-2t flax, 1-2t chia, 3 drops stevia
• 1/4c cooked quinoa
• coconut, dried mango, blueberries, cacao nibs, a bit of soy milk

The quinoa added that much more fluff. A tiny bit of soymilk for a touch of creaminess.