Pin it Party 6

I decided to join Lindsay's Pin it Party this Friday since I LOVE saving things on Pinterest. I've put together some of my favorite articles and recipes lately that I'd love to get pinned more!  

I have been trying to make my posts more Pinterest-friendly for all you people like me who save everything they want to look at later using the site!

Just click on the photos to go to that blog page or the links below to go straight to the pin!

Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Since it's already October I know everyone is all like OMG PUMPKIN EVERYTHING but my love for bananas never wavers. 

So last week when I spotted a couple dark brown bananas begging to be eaten, banana bread was exactly what I was craving. I am always saving and pinning banana bread recipes because it's something I can't just get enough of. I used this recipe as a starting point and changed it to so it packed a protein-punch (and to accommodate what I had on hand!). It came out super moist, sweet, and delicious. 

Somehow my boyfriend and I made a whole loaf disappear in a matter of days. 

The only question now is when I'm going to get my hands on some overripe bananas to make it again. If you're looking for more foods to add extra protein into your diet check out this article. See below for my recipe and share! 

Chi Marathon Training Weeks 11-14: Tackling Long Runs in between Weddings

I'm really behind on my marathon training updates, but really things have been going pretty smoothly and now I'm in taper town! 

Oh and this came in the mail last week so things are getting SERIOUS. 

Active Nation Day with Lorna Jane on 9/28/2014

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lorna Jane in a partnership with Fit Approach and the Sweat Pink Community.No compensation was received for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you missed it, be sure to check out my post on the Body Love Tour and body image yesterday!

I've recently become familiar with the Lorna Jane brand of activewear and hopefully will get my hands on some their cute fitness gear soon like this adorable polka dot sports bra and this inspirational running tank. 

This Sunday the brand is hosting Active Nation Day which is in align with the principles the brand stands for- "Move. Nourish.Believe". I was excited to be given the opportunity to spread the word about Active Nation Day because I wholeheartedly believe in the message!  

Active Nation Day is this Sunday, September 28, and all over the world Lorna Jane will be hosting events to bring a whole group of women together, all committed to living their best life.

Body Love Tour Baltimore

It's only fitting that right before I sat down to start writing this post (part event recap/part thinking out loud) I saw the TUT daily inspiration that perfectly says everything I wanted this post to be about: 

You're beautiful enough, Lauren. You're special enough. You're sexy, playful, and fun enough. You've worked enough. You've cried enough. You've been grateful, generous, and kind enough. Okay, then?     The Universe

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Body Love Tour event. I was surprised to find out the tour was making a stop in Baltimore for a night of yoga, inspiration, music and community with Promoting Natural Health and Lindsey Smith. 

I was really excited because a couple of my favorite bloggers Heather Waxman and Kasey of Powercakes were going to be there. (YAY!!!) I especially love following Kasey's blog and her whole journey and philosophy about healthy living is so inspiring to me.

The night of the event I showed up to a beautiful building albeit in a sketchier part of Baltimore for a smaller and more intimate evening than I had expected. I wasn't sure what to expect but right when I walked in I was greeted with hugs from both Heather and Kasey which had me blogger-starstruck. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes

It's now officially fall but minus enjoying a few pumpkin beers, I have held onto summer as long as possible. 

However I think it's time to sadly put away my sandals and embrace the nice aspects of autumn before it gets too cold and miserable.  No, I'm not a super crazy pumpkin lady, but I have been known to devour a bag of those Mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corns each fall.  A bag or two plus one after Halloween when the candy goes on sale. 

When colder temperatures arrive I love making soups, stews, and chilis for dinner. I'm looking at incorporating more meatless meals into my dinner rotation so when I saw this Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe on Pinterest from Shape.com I was excited to try it. I used the recipe more as a guideline but am pleased to say it resulted in a hearty meal. I didn't end up blending the mixture and kept it chunky so I could eat it like a chili.  I piled it on top of a baked sweet potato for a delicious & filling dinner. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes 

(Adapted from recipe by Heidi Kristoffer)

Anything Can Happen on Race Day and Other Marathon Training Anxieties

Check out my latest post on the Women's Health Action Heroes blog where I talk about my tips for handling a busy summer taken from my experiences travelling a bunch these past few months!

Here we go for today's thinking out loud post. More thoughts about running the Chicago Marathon. Which is only 23 days away. 

 

23 DAYS AWAY. 

How did it sneak up like this? 

I've got my 22-miler this weekend-the last really long run of training. Sadly I'll be travelling again for a couple more weddings. I'm trying to squeeze it in before I leave so it probably won't happen with my training group. Then again maybe it's better I just work it out and run 22 miles by my lonesome since I'll probably be running the race mostly alone. 

I'm already reaching the point of training where all my doubt and anxiety is quietly bubbling to the surface. 

I'm thinking that I didn't get my mileage as high as I wanted. I didn't follow my training plan strictly enough. I didn't push myself hard enough. The rational part of me knows that training is about all of those runs since June and hitting that long run mileage. 

This is the first time I'm actually flying somewhere before running a race as well. I'll be sure to take some Airborne and wear compression socks of course. The flight isn't that long, but it still causes some anxiety, especially since I've never been to Chicago. 

Another part of the marathon that is daunting is that anything can happen on race day. Even though I tapered right, stretched, and  foam-rolled last year, I still had really tight calves on race day for some odd reason.  You can do everything right, but sometimes your body has other plans in mind when you wake up that morning. Sometimes the weather or course conditions suck. Sometimes it just isn't your day. 

Hood to Coast with Nuun Recap Part 2: Brooks Running Tour and Preparations

If you missed the first part of my Hood to Coast recap and all about my first time in Seattle check it out here.

Thursday morning after a lovely night's sleep we gathered for a morning group shakeout run with all the Hood to Coast Nuun runners.The Seattle weather was cool and sunny, which was amazing. There were lots of silly running selfies and photos taken like this awesome Go-Pro group shot Eric took. 

Friday Five Linkup: 5 Blogs I'm Loving Right Now

This week I finally started recapping Hood to Coast (see here) and talked more about how my marathon training has been going in between all my travelling. YIKES there's 29 days left until the marathon-but more on that next week. 

It's been a busy week but taking a hot yoga class on Wednesday that felt like Bikram and left me completely drenched has turned my week around in a weird way. The whole class I felt weak (it's been a while for me & yoga) and was focusing on all the dripping I was doing, but when I stood up after corpse pose I felt completely relaxed. Weird but awesome. 

Hanging out in pretty much a sauna for an hour and a half has made it easier to stretch and crack my back the past couple of days too, victory!

I pretty much can't wait to hang around Baltimore, get in a nice group long run, and enjoy a couple glasses of vino this weekend while avoiding as much traffic for the Star Spangled Sailabration thing as possible (200th anniversary of the National Anthem celebration is happening this weekend in Baltimore). I hope to catch the supposedly awesome fireworks display though!

I've been loving some of the blog posts floating around on the interwebs this week so I thought I'd linkup and share my "Friday Five" blogs I'm loving right now. 

Courtney is awesome and actually mentioned MY blog which is a complete shock so go give her blog some love too!

The Road to Chicago-Marathon Training Weeks 8-10

I've been so busy the past month that I haven't had time to update much on my training. Ya know, because I'm running that little 26.2 mile race soon? With all of my travelling, I've been flexible with my past few weeks of marathon training out of necessity. 

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 8-10

Long runs:

Week 8 my long run was the Charles Street 12 miler, plus 4 miles beforehand to make up for a skipped long run the previous week. In case you missed my recap , I ran at my marathon race pace for 9 miles of the 12 mile race and allowed myself to speed up at the end. I felt great!  

Week 9 was a really awesome long run. I got in 18 miles at Loch Raven Reservoir. It was a cooler morning, with lots of shade on the trail. A bunch of running groups were there so it was lovely to be getting in lots of miles with so many other people around! I felt properly fueled and needed a little bit more water, but hopefully water on the course during race day will solve that problem.  

Literally all smiles after 18 miles

Hood to Coast with Nuun Recap Part 1: Seattle Sightseeing

I'm finally delving into recapping Hood to Coast so here's what I was up to on the beginning of my trip out in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to all my Nuun friends for sharing photos! 

Flying across the country is interesting and exhausting. I haven't done it in a while, and while the time change was on my side on the way out there, I was still awake for a very long time with little sleep the night before due to last minute packing and excitement.  

This is post-coffee and pre-flight from Baltimore.

Once we landed and got checked into the hotel (thanks Arielle from Nuun for giving us a lift!), a group of us grabbed some food and a beer at Elysian Fields Brewery up the street. I broke my own rule of holding off on Fall things and grabbed a pumpkin beer because I couldn't resist it being on draft! 

Five Friday Favorites-Sweet Snacks featuring Blender Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

A Hood to Coast part 1 recap will be on the blog next week along with how my marathon training is going, but today is all about sweet snacks. I am always saying how I have a big sweet tooth so I thought I'd share some of those satisfying snacks I'm loving lately. 

Five Friday Favorites

1. Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars in sea salt caramel flavor 
I'm pretty sure I've raved about these bars before, but this flavor is heavenly. They are made with protein-packed greek yogurt but taste like an actual ice cream bar with delicious caramel swirled in. I don't know how they do it! 
At 100 calories, it's totally okay if you eat two in one day (been there, done that). 

2. About Time Whey Protein Shake in peanut butter flavor

About Time was kind enough to send over a few of their products for me to sample which interested me because About Time protein products are gluten-free, lactose-free, and stevia-sweetened. I'm always skeptical of protein powders because they never taste that great, but this peanut butter flavor tasted awesome with some vanilla almond milk shaken in. 

I loved having this in my purse as a sweet snack on the go and being able to recycle the bottle and not carry around a shaker afterwards.

3. EnerChi bites

I won some EnerChi bites from someone else's giveaway a couple months ago and recently have been loving them. They are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and all natural snacks with a texture similar to Larabars. 

They are the perfect sweet pre-workout or after dinner bite. I was sent Cocoa Date, Coconut Oatmeal Raisin, and Apple Cinnamon bites. I thought the Cocoa Date would be my favorite but lately I'm digging the apple cinnamon which taste like little pie bites.  EnerChi bites have a great kickstarter campaign running right now so if you're interested in them, check it out!

3. Strawberries

I found a ridiculous sale (3 packs for $5!) on strawberries at the grocery store this week so I have been eating them everyday. I love summer berries and will have my fill before it gets cold again for sure. 

A favorite dessert this week has been sliced strawberries topped with whipped cream. I found TruWhip at the store which is non-GMO, gluten-free, and made with all natural sweeteners and no processed crap. 

The other night I got fancy and drizzled a chocolate shell on top. 

I made the chocolate shell by simply mixing 2 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil (my jar is liquid due to the heat but if not, microwave for 20 seconds) and 2-3 teaspoons of cacao powder (cocoa powder works fine), and a few drops of liquid stevia (you could use any sweetener you'd like!). I mixed everything together in a bowl, drizzled on my strawberries, and popped in the freezer for 10 seconds. 

4. Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels

If any of my Hood to Coast teammates read this, they will definitely agree about this snack. In our vans' snack boxes there was a big bag of peanut butter filled pretzels from Costco. Let's just say I'm pretty sure our bag was empty by the time the trip ended.

 I love the combination of sweet peanut butter and the salty pretzel, and they made great fuel for running!I don't know if I can buy these similar ones from Trader Joe's without finishing the bag in 2 days. 

5. Blender Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding

I had tweeted my photo of my chocolate pudding I whipped up in my NutriNinja yesterday and Ninja Kitchen decided it would be a great Labor Day treat so I'm putting it up on the blog! Last night I literally just wanted something post-dinner to satisfy my sweet tooth so I did a take on my chocolate avocado mousse. Everything was just thrown in my NutriNinja and blended within seconds!  

Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients

1 banana (skin removed)

1 small avocado (pitted and skin removed)

2 tbsp cacao powder (cocoa powder works fine)

1/2 cup almond milk

5 drops of liquid stevia (any sweetener you have on hand works-honey,agave,sugar,etc!)

Add all ingredients to a blend and pulse until smooth. Serve & enjoy

Of course I topped it with more fresh strawberries because chocolate and strawberries are quite the pair. 

What are your favorite sweet snacks lately? What do you like to eat strawberries with?

This  post was shared in the  the Health & Fitness Tip link-up..

Disclaimer: I was given a set of About Time products and a NutriNinja blender to review on my blog. I received no other compensation for this post.  All other items unless otherwise mentioned were purchased with my own money.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

Cheribundi 7-Day Challenge: Recovery With Cherries!

I'll just say that Hood to Coast was amazing so don't worry, you'll be hearing plenty more about it!

While I clearly love things like compression socks, I'm always looking for new ways to help speed recovery and reduce soreness especially during a big training cycle like marathon training.

That's why I was really excited to learn that sour cherries could help with recovery. 

I really like cherries, especially in pie, so I knew you wouldn't have to twist my arm to get me to drink some cherry juice!

Cherry pie is always yummy. 

 Sour or tart cherries are not only delicious, but also happen to be superfruits loaded with nutrients. I learned that they are tart and red because of the amount of anthocyanins inside. The chemistry nerd I am loves learning all the real science behind things like food.  Anthocyanins are also responsible for health-promoting properties such as reducing muscle soreness, easing arthritis pain, and promoting heart health. Cherries also may help in improving sleep due to the melatonin they contain. 

So  sour cherries are pretty much awesome-plus they are loaded with antioxidants!

Disclosure I was given a set of juice and Cheribundi coupons for the duration of the challenge along with two free cases of Cheribundi juice to review on my blog. I received no other compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

West Coast Bound!

The time has come for HOOD TO COAST! 

Of course I packed last minute and was trying to fit everything into two little bags.

Nuun Hydration teams wild berry energy and lemon-lime energy the night before the race!

#Keepittight with Pro Compression {Review & Discount}

Disclosure: Through a partnership with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador and Pro Compression, I received a complimentary pair of black marathon calf sleeves .All other Pro Compression gear mentioned and pictured was purchased previously by me.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I've become a huge fan of compression gear for recovery and have been using it ever since I trained for my first half marathon.  I usually wear the socks or sleeves for long runs, races, and post-run recovery. After trying a few different styles, the ones I wear the most are Pro Compression, so I was excited to officially review a pair of their Marathon Calf Sleeves.  

 Pro Compression sells calf sleeves, over the calf compression socks, mid socks, low socks, and other active wear.  The true graduated compression in Pro Compression products promotes circulation from your feet and ankles toward your knees while also reducing inflammation and providing stability to muscles and tendons.  The bottom of the sock is tighter than the top to promote this flow.

Thinking Out Loud Thursday 8/14/14

Lots of randomness in my brain today so I was happy to link up for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays. 

1.  HOLY MOLY. Hood to Coast is less than a week away now. I'm not packed, literally ordered my headlamp off Amazon yesterday, and am not feeling ready to run almost 16 miles in 24 hours. Also it's been a few years since I've been on such a long flight, and I've never travelled so far completely alone. However, I'm beyond excited to make a bunch of Nuun friends and see the Pacific Northwest. I also flipped out when I read on the itinerary we'd be touring the new Brooks Headquarters in Seattle! Crossing my fingers for some free shoes...or a job offer-one can dream! And yes I'm still holding out that Kara Goucher drops by.

2. My quads are SO sore today from the November Project workout yesterday. I don't know why but lunges always kill my legs. I didn't foamroll last night either, whoops. 

Good lucking sweaty group of people on Wednesday morning

Teams of 4 split a ladder workout of 500 mountain climbers, 400 squats. 300 lunges, 200 push ups, 150 burpees, and 100 box jumps plus running stairs in between each one. My team only made it past the push ups, but don't worry, it was still a killer workout!

Chuck 12 Race Recap

For the Charles Street 12 Miler this past weekend, I went in a bit unfazed. I am in the thick of marathon training and would have been running a similar mileage anyways. However, I was happy to be running in a race setting as a nice change of pace. I LOVE the blue Under Armour half zip premium this year and even got an extra goodie-a sweet UA backpack for completing the Charm City Run B3 race series. 

I didn't sleep well the night before and had to get up even earlier to get in an extra 4 slow miles to make the total for the day 16 miles, since I skipped my long run last week.  Sarah was meeting me at my apartment so my wonderful boyfriend could wake up to take us to the 7:30 AM start in Towson.  I had been in a rush to just barely get in my 4 extra miles before we left for the race so I didn't grab everything I wanted or do things like double knot my shoelaces (which I found out at mile 3).  I'm so not a morning person. 

"Would You Rather?" Runner's Edition

Yesterday morning as I ate breakfast I read this fun runner's version of "would you rather?" from Ruthie of She's Wicked Healthy and decided to share my answers today!

Also, I emailed the winners of my Delta Labs Green + sample giveaway, and they are displayed on the widget. Thanks everyone for entering! Remember you can always use the code BREATHEBLOG for $5 off any Delta Labs order here. 

The other day Smith of Running with SD Mom posted that she finally took the plunge and signed up for her first marathon after receiving advice from fellow running bloggers-check out here what I told her!

1. Would you rather run a 5k or a marathon?

Tough one, but I'd rather run a 5K. So much time and training goes into a marathon, which is worth it, but 5Ks can be so fun and are less stressful. I can usually convince more friends to run 5Ks with me too!

When I ran the Fiesta 5K for KIND Snacks with Holly

2. Would you rather run a flat race in the heat or a hilly race in the cold?

Is flat and cold an option, haha? I suppose I'd choose hilly race in the cold. Really hot races become uncomfortable and hard really fast, even though I prefer warm weather any other time besides running. 

3. Would you rather get new running shoes or a new running outfit?

New running shoes for sure. This girl loves shoes. 

My current training shoes (Adidas Energy Boost 2)- I love how bright pink they are!

The Road to 26.2-Training Update Week 6 and the Week 7 That Didn't Happen

Hello, August-why are you here so fast?! My summer seems especially busy this year and is flying by. Not cool. A busy schedule is hard to balance with marathon training which can be seen with my solid week 6 and pretty much non-existent week 7 of training. 

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 6&7 (sort of)

Long run: Week 6 had a long run of 12 miles, and week 7 was supposed to be 15-17 miles.
Week 6 felt great. 12 miles with friends went well with a nice route along the harbor. I took a salted caramel Gu after mile 6 to stick with my marathon fueling plan, but I never felt super sluggish during the run. I was wearing some of my favorite running clothes including my Lululemon speed shorts and Brooks "Run Happy" shirt.  The weather was really mild with this strange unseasonable cool weather we have had the past couple of weeks in the Northeast.

I love Charm City Run!

#SpinSweatSip at Rev Cycle Studio Baltimore

Clearly I've talked about Baltimore's Rev Cycle Studio before and how much their spin classes rock. Sadly after my class package ran out I hadn't been back in months, until I was invited a couple of weeks ago to #SpinSweatSip , a meetup of sorts for some of Baltimore's social influencers.  Thanks to Annie for thinking of me!

The evening started off with us taking a shortened 45-minute REV60 Blast class taught by REV instructor Jami. 

The class is usually 60 minutes and combines 30 minutes of cycling with 30 minutes of interval riding paired with boot camp exercises off the bike for a full body strength & cardio workout!

Before class started you could totally tell we were a bunch of social media people because everybody was on their phones!

Photo from Kate

I had never taken a hybrid cycling class before so it was a unique experience to take REV60 Blast and my first class with the amazing Jami, who plays awesome music and definitely knows the way to motivate you to push yourself to get the most out of the class. 

 I liked the 20 minute cycling portion in the beginning of the class and found it hard to get back in the zone during the 20 minute blast  portion when I jumped off the bike to do strength exercises and then hopped back on for more intervals.  

Nevertheless, I liked getting a full-body workout experience all in one class!

10 Facts about Hood to Coast and Running with Team Nuun

This summer I've been telling people how excited I am to go out to Seattle & Portland and have heard multiple times "oh that's for some running thing, right?". YES. Some running thing with that hydration company I love and promote. 

Some running thing a.k.a. the largest relay in the world, nbd. 

With the increased popularity of series such as Ragnar, runners have become more familiar with relay races. I didn't know too much about Hood to Coast before I was officially running, besides that it was big, awesome, and on the west coast. That's all still true, but I thought I'd fill you in on more facts about the race since I'll be talking about it a lot in the upcoming weeks. 

I've been crazy excited because the relay is less than 30 days away!

1. Hood to Coast is a 200 mile (technically 199!) "mother of all relays" race that began in 1982 with only 8 teams and has grown with this year's relay race having 1,050 teams!

2. Hood to Coast (HTC) is the largest relay IN THE WORLD with a capped team limit for the past 22 years. They've filled the team cap on registration's opening day for the past 16 years straight!

Procakes Review and a Chocoholic Protein Shake

Disclaimer: Through my connection with Fit Approach and as a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I received a complimentary packet of Procakes. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 


Today I'm sharing two of my favorite recent breakfasts. I'm usually a big egg scramble or bowl of oatmeal with nut butter kinda girl, but I like to switch it up.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day after all. 

Like I told you earlier this week, I love pancakes and waffles. Sadly I can't be eating diner pancakes the size of my face everyday so I often turn to various protein pancake recipes as a healthy, protein-packed way to start my day.  

Now while I've had some pretty good protein pancakes, I always know I'm eating protein pancakes and not the real deal.  Let's be honest. 

The texture is weird because of the flour (or lack thereof), egg whites, or protein. They are either too dry because of coconut flour, too eggy, or fall apart when I try to flip them. You also generally have to cook them low and slow because of the batter which usually isn't an option for me before work. 

I was really excited to try out ProCakes  which calls itself "comfort food for the fit inspired" through my Sweat Pink Ambassadorship.  ProCakes is a protein pancake mix which is high in protein, carb-smart, gluten-free, and free of added sugar. 

I love that it makes whipping up a plate of pancakes a breeze- all you add to the mix is 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk!

You can check out the ingredients here, but the mix alone is only 165 calories with 13g of protein. 

Very Inspired Blogger Award + Froyo and Delta Labs Green Tea + Flash Giveaway!

Did you see my Chi Marathon training update yesterday?

Recently I was nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Sweaty Mess Mama which is amazing. I didn't know she was a reader of mine, and I'm glad to hear she thinks I'm inspiring! Sometimes I forget that more than 5 people sometimes read this blog! 

So these are the award rules:

• Thank and link to the person who nominated you

• List the rules and display the award.(Voila!)

• Share seven facts about yourself.

• Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated. 

7 Facts about Lauren 

1. I love pancakes and waffles. Breakfast for dinner is always acceptable. 
2. I'm a huge Francophile and was a French minor in college.
3.  I always save room for dessert. 
4. If Sex and the City is on TV, I watch it-even though I've seen every episode at least 10 times. (i.e. this weekend, haha)
5. I don't really own matching workout/running clothes. I should buy some more matching outfits. 
6. I'm easily scared and pretty jumpy. Yeah, not a fan of scary movies. 
7. My feet are always cold-I usually need to sleep with socks!