Rethinking the way that I eat!

After all these years of eating smart and mostly clean (I am a firm believer in the 80/20 rule when it comes to eating, you need to allow yourself a splurge once in a while), it's time to rethink and relearn how to eat

As some of you know, for the last several weeks I have not been feeling the greatest. I was constantly tired, had zero energy to get to the gym, was getting frequent headaches and my training was falling behind (I have 2 races in a few weeks and my next half marathon in a month).  I knew that something wasn't right. Previous food allergy tests didn't tell me much... Aside from seasonal allergies, I was allergic to hazelnuts and sunflower seeds.

I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. It was time to find some other answers!

Last week I went to a new Dr to see if we could get some answers. The motto of the doctors at The Wellness Way is "We don't guess, we test".  

And test they did!  After 2 panels of bloodwork and a few other tests and X-rays, I waited patiently for the results.  When I was in the office, thanks to the X-rays, she discovered some inflammation in my intestines and stomach, so we knew that I had some trigger foods that were causing those issues. But we had no idea what!

My gut had some issues and it's time to figure out how to fix it.

Today I got part of the results!  In the end, I am excited to get the results, but now sitting here trying to figure out what I can eat! 

In the end, I had 22 foods that I reacted to. Aside from a vast variety of seafood and other fish, cheese and dairy (mainly goat and cows milk) popped up as well as a variety of beans, pineapple and almonds. 

Wait... Almonds?

Yup!  Almonds. 

No wonder why I've been feeling so crappy!  I pretty much have almond milk in my shakes every morning (with pineapple - EEEK!), 

I use almond butter to make my protein balls, 

I  snack on them almost every day... 

Pre-race fuel is often almond butter and jelly sandwiches!

Pizza without cheese?

No lobster or shrimp?  Thankfully scallops are on the safe list!

As I sit here tonight, I am frustrated at the foods that are on the list, but also grateful that I now have some direction.  I finally feel like I have some control again over how I am feeling!  I am glad that I sought out answers.  I knew something wasn't right and I needed to find some answers.  We still are waiting for a few more tests to come back and then we can develop a full plan of action, but at least I have a place to start!

Yes, it's going to be tough to pretty much relearn how to eat, avoiding those foods that don't agree with my gut. Bottom line, if you think something is off, go with your gut (pun fully intended!) and ask questions, seek answers!  It can make a huge difference!

Time to go find some dinner and start figuring this out!  Dining out is going to be a whole different adventure, that will be a whole new post later!

Here's to a healthier future!!

Can a single race really change your life?

Yes, it can.  In more ways than one!

A few weekends ago (June 12-13th - sorry it's taken me this long to get this posted!) I had the opportunity to run the Chicago Raganr with a team from the Chicago area.  12 of us joined forces to run about 200 miles, from Madison WI to Chicago.  When I joined this team, I actually only knew 1 person on the team.  Jenn and I "met" via Twitter a little over a year ago and actually got to meet face to face last fall when I was in Chicago with the girls for the Women Rock Half Marathon.  I met a few others on the team back in January when we got together for dinner, just so everyone could meet each other.  But in reality, I didn't really know any of them!  And yes, for those of you that recognize the dates of the event, I was running across the start of WI, with 11 strangers, on my Birthday!   

So, here I was, Thursday afternoon, driving to Chicago to meet up with people that I really don't know, to spend 2 days in a van with them.  I will admit, I felt every emotion during that 3 hours drive!  Fear and nervousness for the fact that I am going to be stuck, for 2 days, with 5 other people that I really do not know (plus the other 6 people on our team traveling in the other van).  Stressed and apprehensive... would I really be able to complete all 3 of my legs with the pace that I want?  Nervous for the fact that for the first time EVER, I am going to have to run at night!  I am sure there were others in there too, my head was an interesting place to be that afternoon.  However, all of those emotions were also mixed with excitement for this race that we have been planing since last fall.  Determination to put all of my work in the gym over the last few months to the test and push myself to new limits, doing somethign that very few people have the chance to experience.  It was going to take a lot of mental toughness as well as physical strength to get through the next 48 hours!

Sleep did not come easy on Thursday night but I got in what I could.  When the alarm went off at 4:15am, I momentarily forgot where I was... and then reality hit!  It was time to go!  Thankfully Jenn has the coffee already going and her husband was up and ready to take us over to meet the rest of the team. When we got to Michael's to load the van, any apprehensions that I might have had vanished.

After a early morning, rainy drive to Madison, we made it to the start line about an hour before our scheduled start time, so we had plenty of time to pick up our race packet, go through watching the safely video and find the restrooms.  We were hoping that it was going to stop raining before our team started but Christy didn't get so lucky.  She was going to have to deal with some rain on the first leg of our adventure.

The start line in Madison

In the end, the rain let up shortly after we started out journey and it was the start of an amazing adventure!

Van 1 crew ready to run!

Now, I could sit here and go on for 3 days about all of the crazy adventure, the laughs, the u-turns, the lack of sleep and everything else, but I honestly don't even know where I would start.  The weekend was beyond amazing and unless you are a runner and have actually experienced a Ragnar event, you will never be able to to fully grasp the magnitude of this event!

Highlights from the weekend:

* We lost track of how many u-turns we had to make (We think our "kill" to u-turn ratio for our van was about even!)  and for those that are not familiar with the term... kills refer to how many people you pass on the course... and by the end of the weekend, our van had plenty of both!

* During Ragnar Weekend, real food is purely for survival and energy.  I don't even think I tasted the sub I had Friday afternoon for lunch!

Jimmy Johns to the rescue after a crazy morning!

* I lost count of how many Clif bars, homemade energy bars, bottles of water, bananas, bags of beef jerky and jelly beans were consumed in our van over the 2 days!  I will also never look at Oreo's and M&M's the same again... and did you know that Oreo's have to be eaten in pairs?  You can't eat an odd number of them!

BEST Jerky EVER

* Running at night, while a little unnerving, is actually fun... except when you have to cross a major highway (thank goodness for public safety officials at the intersections to help get you across!) But this was by far one of my favorite runs in a long time.  It made me face new challenges, get out of my comfort zone and just go!

ready for the night run!

* You really can run and survive on no sleep!  No matter how hard you try, stretching out in the back of a mini van CAN be comfortable, but I don't know how much sleep you will get!

* You might start out your adventure as strangers, but by the end of the weekend you will have created lasting friendships with these people that you now consider family!

The ladies of Team Where's the Finish!

* Many people will END their birthday celebration not knowing where they are.  I started mine that way!  At just after midnight on Saturday morning, we were somewhere between Waukesha and Racine.  I really don't know where!  All I know is that when the sun came up on Saturday morning, 2 of our van-mates were sleeping on the ground next to the park, the rest of us were "waking up" in the van.

* You never know when you might run into someone you know along the course!  At one of the later exchange points, I ran into one of John's coworkers... apparently they started 3 hours AFTER we did, but by Saturday morning, they caught up to us.  I saw Justin at 2 exchange points, but after that, we never saw each other again

Always nice to see a familiar face!

* However, I ended my birthday race weekend, crossing the finish line, on the beach, in Chicago with 11 of the greatest running friends I could ask for!  I ran my entire birthday weekend and would not have traded it for anything!  It was an epic weekend that I can't wait to repeat again one day!
 

In the end, once you get home from your Ragnar adventure, you get some sleep and start getting back to "normal" life, you quickly learn that "normal" has a new meaning.  The last 2 days will have changed your life.  You just spent 2 days motivating, encouraging and pushing each other, you look at challenges differently, you have a new extended family, and running with friends brings out a whole new meaning.

 After a crazy 2 days, we all headed home, never to forget the weekend we just spent together.  I ran 14.2 miles, walked another 15 (best guess anyway), slept for about 30 minutes and have ZERO regrets.  I have gained amazing friends, look at challenges differently and am ready to take on new challenges with a fresh attitude.   To be honest, before my Ragnar weekend adventures, I think I was stuck in a rut.  I dreaded my long training runs, my heart was not in it as much as it was before.  After this weekend, the fire has been restored!  I am ready to tackle my half marathon training (Women Rock Super Starlet Challenge in MN here I come!) and am actually considering training for a triathlon (yes that means I actually have to learn how to swim!).

 

 Chicago Ragnar Team Where's the Finish - THANK YOU for an awesome birthday weekend!  Can't wait to see everyone in October!  It's time to get the family together again for a reunion, reminisce about our adventures and start planning for the next one!

What have you don't lately to challenge yourself?  Go out there and do it, it could just change your life!

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!

Ok, it's been a while since my last post... and posts have been scarce in the last few month.

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!  Just a short post today to keep you all in the loop on the crazy last month!

But don't worry, I have not been just sitting around!  Over the last few months, I took a step back and gave myself a break from running.  After the beating that I put myself through last summer, I needed scale things back a bit.  Time to focus on some strength training for a while Not to mention all of the craziness of the holidays that we all have!  

 I am still at the gym 4-5 days a week, if not more (yes you may have seen Facebook posts or Tweets about these or  snippets on Instagram.  I may not be putting in the miles, but these workouts make up for that!

 We spent New Years Eve with awesome friends, both new and old! This was the first time in several years that we were able to host NYE at our house.  Unfortunately several friends had to miss the fun due to the beloved flu bug that was going through the area.

I have made amends with the dreadmill and although I still don't LIKE it,  I know that I have learned to tolerate it! So far, I have managed to pull off a 4 mile dreadmill run, but I am sure that more are to come.

We even headed up north for a weekend filled with hockey at the two schools that my husband and I each went to!  Was fun to be back in both arenas watching both teams play!  It was a lot of driving and several late nights, but it was worth being able to introduce my son to the two hockey teams that I spent my high school years watching!

 I have also done more tweaking on my nutrition and started making a few more small changes. Each weekend, a portion of my time is spent prepping my breakfasts and lunches for the week.  I have managed to only have to go out for lunch once so far this month!

Then it was off for a quick trip to Chicago to meet part of the crew that I am running the Chicago Ragnar with this summer!  Yes, I have joined forces with a crew (thanks to my Twitter Friend Jenn), mostly from the Chicago area, to run from Madison to Chicago this summer - on my Birthday!  Although I have only met part of the team, this already promises to be a weekend to remember!

So now, we are 3 weeks into January, Half marathon training is underway and it's time to start putting on some miles.  Just one last hurdle in the way before that can happen though...  I found out last month that I need to have sinus surgery to correct a severely deviated and also tilted septum.  That all happens on Thursday.  Yes, little nervous about the surgery, but in the end if it helps be breathe better, I'm not going to complain!  Also very curious on how this plays into the whole breathing while I am running concept!

The 7-10 days post surgery are going to be rough - no work, no running, no gym... EEEEK!  But on the bright side - time to catch up on a bunch of those movies that I have been wanting to watch but have not had the time!  My Netflix cue will be my new best friend for the week. 

2015 is off to a fun start, with awesome family, great friends and plans to be made!   Lets make it great!

What are you doing to make this a year to remember?

21 Day sugar Detox complete!

They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit... coincidence that this sugar detox is 21 days?  I think not! Could you go 21 days with no sugar?  This means ALL sugar (with the exception of a few fruits), grains, processed foods and a whole lot more

The day after we came back from Women Rock Chicago weekend, I started my 21 day Sugar Detox adventure.  I knew it was not going to be easy but I also knew that it was something that I needed to do!  Here is what I found out over the last 21 days...

Day 1 - Since I didn't get back from Chicago until late last night, food options were limited for today but I made due with what I had and made it through the day!  Microwaved eggs in a cup were my lifesaver this morning with a little steak added in for good measure!  Who doesn't love steak and eggs for breakfast!

Day 4 - definitely irritable.  unfortunately my 16 year old son was the recipient of the irritability after I got home from gym after work.  Not his fault that I was irritable and I felt bad that I took it out on him.  Trying to plan ahead for the next few days as I was going to be traveling.  Wanted to make sure that I had plan approved foods and snacks so that is was not so tempting to just stop and grab something quick

Day 5 - Long day, but the planned snacks helped!  Dinner was definitely non-conversational but it worked.  Hard boiled eggs, bacon and baby carrots in the hotel room!

Day 6 - Long day, on my feet working a race expo.  So thankful that I can still have my EnergyBits, as they were really needed to help with keeping away the hungries today!  Lunch again was quick , but still managed to stick to my plan for the day! Pumpkin pancakes and bacon are really not that bad cold!

Egg bake breakfast!

Day 7 - Color Run morning, walking with friends, followed by a brunch buffet.  It would tough figuring out exactly what I could have.  I know brunch was not perfect, but I walked away from the buffet without touching the cheesy hash browns that I love, skipping the dessert table and no pancakes or waffles!  Thank goodness for carved meats and chicken, as well as a build your own omelette station!

Day 8 - Monday morning was not working with me!  With the busy weekend (race expo, lots of driving, plus a color run and grocery shopping), even tho I was asleep my 9pm, my body did not want to get out of bed this morning!  Thankfully I did at least some prep last night and had my egg bake waiting in the fridge!

Day 9 - Did ok all day, including figuring out options at the Boy Scout potluck that we had... but got home and to fend off the munchies, I grabbed a few tortilla chips and hummus...  oops!  But I guess that was better than the chocolate torte looking dessert that was staring at me earlier.  (I actually learned later that it was a s'mores dessert, not a chocolate torte so the middle layer that I thought was vanilla pudding was actually marshmallow fluff!  So now I don't feel like I missed anything as the marshmallow fluff doesn't even sound good right now)

sweet potato with bacon and ghee

Day 13 - this morning was the first run I had since starting this program.  I purposely waited until after the Women Rock Half Marathon to start my 21 days, but with my run calendar, it was impossible to avoid all races.  Today was the 5K Run for the Hill of it race out at Bairds Creek.  I ran this last year so I was familiar with the course and the terrain.  My overall pace was comparable to last year (last years course was a bit short so they added some distance to it this year to make it the correct length).  This morning, just a banana and EnergyBits to get me through... and then eggs and (uncured) bacon when I got home!

Day 14 - I really have to say that I have been feeling pretty good through the last 2 weeks!  I really have not had any huge cravings, even though by bag of chocolates from Chicago is still sitting on my night stand.  1 week to go!  Thankfully the family has been supportive of what I have been making for dinner.  There have been a few things that John has suggested for dinner that will have to wait, so I guess next week, we will be having French Onion soup for dinner one night!

Day 19 - I caved tonight!  We were volunteering at the Annual CP Center Auction and the appetizers that the servers were bringing around the room looked too amazing to pass up.  Did learn real quick tho - skip the meatballs, not worth it!  However the grilled chicken skewers were awesome!  The Bruschetta was awesome too, Yes I did have some and it was worth it!  Everything in moderation!

We made it!


Things I learned:
1.  I really don't drink a lot of coffee anymore, but for the first time in years, I can honestly say that I don't miss the flavored creamers etc in it!  I now am convinced that I can take it black, but on occasion I will add some almond milk or coconut milk/cream, just to change it up a little!

2. I really did not miss the sweets.  I picked up a small package of donuts for the guys on Sunday when I was grocery shopping and I really never had the desire to even eat part of one!

3.  At the end of 21 days, I splurged.  Not over the top, but enough that I realized really quick that I need to keep the sugar in check.  Natural sugars in fruit etc is one thing, but chocolate and breads are not my friend!  I was so tired, exhausted to the point that I felt like I needed to sleep for 3 days!

4.  There were several recipes that I tried that are going to make it into the normal rotation of meals (the Ginger Beef with Broccoli and the Buffalo Shrimp were huge winners!) and there were a few that I will never make again (sorry, the mini meatloaf's were NOT received well by my family and no one even wanted to eat the leftovers!)

Summary:

It was not perfect.  I had some slip ups, ate a few things that I should not have, and yes I had a few beers.  In the end, I am glad that I did it!  I proved to myself that I don't NEED the sweets, breads, and other processed stuff that I cut out in the last 3 weeks.  Yes, I missed my Spark in the morning, but that was about the only thing I really missed!

This morning I re-did measurements at the gym and I was happy with the results!
Down a total of about 3 inches between my chest, waist and hips and 3.8 pounds!!  I will take it.

 Aside from that, I feel great and am ready to roll!  I loved the extra energy that I seemed to have and am going to continue with avoiding processed foods when I can, limiting sugar to only natural sugars and trying new recipes!

Are you addicted to sugar?

I challenge you to 21 days!  You can do it and you won't be disappointed!

Chicago, Running, good friends and Ice Cream! Combining for a perfect weekend!

The weekend that we have been waiting for all summer was finally here!

Friday Morning, Darci, Robin and myself hit the road and drove to Kenosha to catch the train to Chicago!  Our ultimate destination?  The Women Rock Chicago Half Marathon!  When Robin put out a call to her female running friends this past spring, I was quick to hop on board for this awesome weekend!  Before long, we talked Darci into coming along - at first to run the 10k, but then she changed her mind and decided that this was going to be her 1st half marathon!  This weekend's race would also launch my Half Fanatics status from Neptune to Saturn!  4 Half Marathons within 37 days!

Waiting for the train in Kenosha

 The best thing about taking the train into the city... not having to drive downtown Chicago!!!  We caught the early train and were in the city by 10:30am!  Plenty of time to get checked into the hotel and enjoy the city for the afternoon!  We walked the mile and a half from the train station to out hotel, stopping to snap a few pictures along the way, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze.

Trump tower, overlooking the river

 I will have to say that my Marriott Rewards status worked to our benefit this weekend!  We were upgraded to a room on the 33rd floor with an awesome view of the city!  Was definitely a different experience going to sleep with the sounds of the city so far below you!

 Once we got settled in to the hotel, we figured it was time to start our afternoon adventure!  We had a 2.5 mile walk from the hotel to the Nature Museum in Lincoln park for packet pick up, and find lunch somewhere along the way!  Walking up Rush street was just as much about people watching as it was checking out some of the local restaurants to figure out where we wanted to eat!  Needless to say before we knew it, we were past all the restaurants and into the residential area closer to the park.  So, it was picking up packets before food!

 The expotiquie was actually a lost smaller than I thought it would be... I guess I was expecting a little more since it was Chicago, but then again, I'm not really sure how big I was expecting.   We looked through the few booths that were there, made a few purchases and were on our way!  Time to hike back to the hotel and find lunch somewhere along the way!

Of course, I had to spot the Ghiradelli store when we were walking back up Michigan Ave... so we had to stop... and buy chocolate!  This was going to be interesting if I am starting my 21 day sugar detox on Monday!  Either I was going to have a stomach ache from eating a half pound of chocolate in 2 days, or I was going to have them staring at me for the next 3 weeks!  Oh well!

Small Cobb Salad for lunch!

We actually ended up eating lunch across the street from the hotel at California Pizza Kitchen and then heading to Trader Joes around the block to pick up some munchies and breakfast foods!   Lunch was awesome, but dessert was even better!   It was the perfect shared dessert for us after all that walking!

Salted Caramel pudding

The rest of Friday was extremely relaxing as we just lazed around the hotel.  I don't even think we turned the TV on all weekend when we were in the room!  It was just nice to kick back and relax after the 9 miles we ended up walking today (mile calculations are all thanks to Darci's fitbit).  After a quick dinner at Big Bowl (again right around the corner from the hotel), I think we were all asleep by 9pm!  We were joking at one point about the fact that here we were, in Chicago on a Friday night and we all were in bed before some people were starting their evening!  But the alarms were going off early!!

How many shades of pink can I wear for one race?

With alarms going off early and taxi's to catch to get to the start line, we didn't waste time in the morning!  Time to run Chicago! We were actually at the start line  with plenty of time to relax, and just enjoy the morning, but then it was time to get down to business!

 Overall, the first half of the race was pretty good for me, there were however several things over the course of the morning that I was not really keen on.  At first, I was keeping a decent pace and the cooler temperature made it easy to enjoy the amazing scenery of running along the lakeshore! However, once I hit about half way, the warmer temperatures started to get the best of me.  The lack of adequate water stations was also becoming evident.  Granted I always run longer distances with water, so I was not completely relying on the aid station, but today was one of those days that the extra would have been appreciated!

Coming back south towards the city

As you can see from the above photo, this was also NOT a closed course.  I actually lost count of how many times I was almost run over by a cyclist, even when I was clearly on my side of the running path, or came upon a large group of runners (not part of this race) that had no intention of sharing the path... oh yeah, don't forget about the rollerbladers that seemed to think it was fun to literally come up right behind you and then zoom past withing inches of you!

It was easy to find Darci and Robin when I got the the finish line - there were sitting in the grass just past the medals and water waiting for me!  Robin kicked out another awesome 2hour run and Darci rocked this course and hit a sub 2:30 time for her 1st HF!

In the end, this ended up being my slowest half marathon of 2014.  Official race time = 2:40:37, but I finished! It was awesome to be part of Darci's first ever half marathon.  The course although beautiful (who doesn't love running along the lake!) but the open course and the lack of water stations left me with a not so fuzzy feeling about this one!  I heard wonderful things about this race from other friends of mine that ran it in the Twin Cities a few weeks ago, so I am thinking that it was just a fluke here in Chicago, but still makes for a tough day.

We stuck around the post race party long enough to get our pendants, medals, champagne and calendars! We were also a little disappointed in the fact that there were only about 4 of the calendar models around the finish line area! Isn't that why we ran this one?  The hot guys at the end?  There was one handing out the pendants at the finish line, one by the Women Rock car and then 2 at another photo spot.  Oh well, by this time we were just ready to go back and relax, find showers and eventually find food!

After a relaxing afternoon hanging out in the lobby, utilizing the free wifi, charging our phones and more people watching, dinner was a no brainer - had to be pizza... delivered to us in the lobby!  OMG!  I forgot how good a true Chicago Deep Dish pizza was!  2 slices tho, and I was stuffed, but oh so worth it!

The my twitter friend Jenn came into town to pick us up to take us for ice cream!  Now we are not one to have to pass up on ice cream, but we were not expecting the treat we got.  We were expecting some run of the mill ice cream shop like several of the local places here.  Nope!

Jenn and I finally meeting after months of tweets!

We ended up at Margies Candies.  Apparently this is her and her families favorite ice cream stop in the entire city... and I can see why!  The sundaes were awesome - but then when isn't homemade hot fudge not awesome?  It was awesome to get to hang out with Jenn, her daughter and sister even if just for a bit. After a long day, it was the perfect way to unwind!

Sunday morning, we all slept in!  Yes, we actually slept past 7am!  Granted it helped that we closed the room darkening blinds to keep the morning sun out!  After munching on some leftover pizza, banana's and other random stuff we had left in our room, we headed out to catch a few more sights of the city before we headed back to the train station.

Morning Spark, Women rock style!  :)

 Although we only planned on heading out for a short walk to Millennium Park to visit the Bean, we ended up walking another 6 miles, taking in Millenium Park, Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, then back up the lake shore to Navy Pier before heading back to the hotel to do last minute packing and heading to the train station!

The weekend may have been over and we had to head back to reality, it was a weekend that I will never forget!  Spending time with the girls, in Chicago, Running my 5th Half Marathon for 2014 and laughing so hard that my abs will never forget... Priceless!

 Over the course of 3 days, we figured that we put in 33 miles on our feet - 13..1 running and about 20 walking!  Guess it's a good thing because between the ice cream, pizza and chocolate, there were a few extra calories out there to burn!

 This was the second weekend adventure the 3 of us had this year and I look forward to whatever adventure head our way next!  Just one more reason that I love my gym - without Fitness Renegades, I may never had met either of these awesome women who share the same crazy love of running, fitness and travel!

Next stop for us... I guess you will just have to wait and see!  We are bringing more Renegade friends on the next adventure!

Avocado, Not just for guacamole anymore!

Avocado Fudge?

Yes please!

I am sure that, if you are anything like me, when you hear fudge, Healthy is not a word that comes to mind.  Most of the time, I think I get a sugar headache just from looking at fudge!  I do not eat a lot of sweets anymore, but once in a while you just need to keep it real!  Yes, I still have my favorites that I splurge on from time to time, but keeping it in moderation is key.  

SO, back to this fudge...  A few months ago, I was cruising the internet, trying to find a few new recipes to try.  I had about 4 avocado's sitting in my kitchen that I needed to use up before they were too ripe.  When I first came across this fudge recipe, I will admit, I was skeptical.  Chocolate and Avocado Fudge?  Together?  Admit it, when you read those avocado and fudge together, you thought it was a typo.  Would someone really mix THOSE two things together?  Not really sure about that combination myself, but I like both, so why not give it a try.  Worst case scenario?  I have a 16 year old that will eat just about anything! 

I originally found the recipe at Activeware.com and I have made it twice now, trying out different brands of chocolate each time.  Other than that, I have kept with the original recipe, but I am sure that over time I will tweak it a bit and make it my own!  Best thing?  ok, there are many awesome things about this recipe, but the fact that it only has 4 ingredients is a huge plus in my book!

The creaminess of the avocado blends perfectly with the chocolate to create the perfect balance of sweetness.  Several people that I have tried it did not believe me that there really was avocado in it!

Ingredients:
*2 very ripe avocado's (only 1 if you are not frosting your fudge)
*9oz dark chocolate
*1 Tablespoon coconut oil
*1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8x8 or comparable size pan with parchment paper (or plastic wrap), leaving plenty hanging over the sides (this will come in handy later!)

Slice one of the avocado's in half, scoop out the insides from each half into a food processor.  Process the avocado until it's smooth, about 30 seconds or so.  If you don't have a food processor, you can do this part by hand, it just takes longer (or you can just have small chucks of avocado in your fudge - yes I have done this before! It still tastes great)

Scrape the avocado into a double boiler and add the chocolate and coconut oil and set this aside. Put water in the lower pan of your double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Once the water reaches a simmer, put the top pan on and get ready to see it all come together!

Stir the ingredients together until everything melts and is smooth (about 5 minutes).  Once everything is completely melted, continue stirring for another 5 minutes while everything starts to thicken.

Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the vanilla, stir and scrape everything into your prepared pan.

Chill in fridge for a few hours (or until firm enough to eat - you won't want to wait 3 hours for this!).

Once your fudge is firmed up and set, pull it out of the pan using the excess parchment that you left hanging over the edges.  Cut into desired pieces and enjoy!  This last time I made it, I added a bit of coarse sea salt to the fudge before serving.  

Frosting: (optional)
cut the 2nd avocado in half, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash to your desired consistency.  

I will admit that I have never actually frosted this fudge.  Maybe one of these days I might actually do that, but so far I have just been enjoying the smooth creamy sweetness of these squares of pure heaven!

Enjoy! But beware... a batch of this disappears faster than something in a David Copperfield show!

What I Ate Wednesday vol2

Time again for WIAW (What I ate Wednesday)!

Like I said last week, with all the miles and Renegade workouts, I really do eat a lot. Which is good for me, because I do like food!  Over the last few months, after I really made the big changes in what I eat, I have eliminated many things, but I have also found quite a few new foods and/or recipes that have become staples in my diet.  Over the next few weeks I will start sharing a few of these each week with you.

Today, it will only be one recipe, as I forgot to take the necessary picture for the other recipes that I wanted to share with you... oops!

The first recipe that I felt I needed to share is one of my new favorite "un"sandwiches...  who said you NEED bread for a sandwich?  Ok, most people will say that you do, but something does not have to have bread to make is a sandwich!  In reality, the bread is just a way to keep everything together so that you can get the "filling" to your mouth!  This summer summer chicken salad utilizes a lettuce leaf to transport the fillings from plate to mouth!  Genius!

Paleo Chicken Salad Summer Wrap

I found this recipe here at EasyPaleoMeals.org and after trying this one, you can be sure that I will be going back to try more of the recipes posted there!  "Boring" plain chicken is transformed into a fun, flavorful chicken salad that brings you back to feelings of warm summer days - and after the extreme cold temperatures that we have dealt with this winter, I will do anything to think warm!

*1/2 cup chopped chicken
*3 tbsp chopped Fuji apples
*2 tbsp chopped red grapes
*2 tsp honey
*2 tbsp almond butter

Mix ingredients together and wrap into a Romaine leaf

I have made this so many times that I honestly don't even measure anything anymore! I just chop up as much chicken as I have available, then eyeball the amount of everything so that I have a nice colorful mix.

You do have to be patient when mixing everything together as it does take a while for the almond butter and honey to soften, or "melt" enough to adequately coat everything else.  But trust me, it's worth the wait!

I also usually don't even bother with "wrapping" it in a lettuce leaf - I use the romaine leaf to make a boat for all of this chicken yumminess! for that matter, sometimes I don't even bother with the lettuce wrap and just eat it straight from the bowl!

ENJOY!