What I'm Craving/What I Ate This Month for September

Another month of eating like I'm running 70-80 miles per week is behind me!  As activity increases, it's really easy to get into eating less quality because crap food is often more calorically dense and you need the calories, but at that time nutrient-density is even more important (upcoming post about how a stomach bug that resulted in poor fueling put the nail in the coffin in my recent injury).  It's definitely a balance!  I have continued to eat an overall clean diet this summer and early fall, but I have paid more attention to ensure I'm getting enough food.  Most days this means nut butters, full fat dairy, and avocados, but once in awhile this means frosting.  In general I feel best when I avoid processed foods (particularly refined sugar and white flour), so I've been trying some healthier replacements such as oat bars made with coconut oil and honey.

This was my dinner from the Cracker Barrel right next to our hotel the night before the Run for a Child 10K:  rainbow trout, broccoli, green beans, and pinto beans.  I wanted a baked potato instead of the beans but it was an upcharge!  I also had two biscuits that I didn't get in the photo.

And this was my brunch after the Run for a Child 10K from Dennys:  veggie omelet, grits, and fresh fruit.  Jon had a Cracker Barrel breakfast for dinner the night before that came with grits (also known as Cream of Wheat) and I'd forgotten how much I liked them so had to order them the next day!

This was my post-race lunch after the Plaza 10K (too far after because I went into work right after, which was not my smartest life decision), from a restaurant called Succatash in Kansas City.  The bread was some type of whole grain and very healthy/hearty tasting; the omelet had several veggies inside.

All the fruit, all the time.  Did you know you can eat the skin on kiwis?  As with most fruits and veggies, it's the most nutritious part.  Albani won' do it, but I've embraced it.

A nutrition power-house plate here:  roasted tilapia, roasted yellow potatoes, roasted tomatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, and a few kale chips.  I seasoned each item a little differently, including minced garlic/lemon juice, garlic salt/chives, olive oil/garlic salt/Italian seasoning, garlic salt/nutritional yeast, cinnamon, and olive oil/garlic salt, in that order.  Can you tell I like garlic salt?  We buy one variety that comes with parsley in it and I use that a lot.

The following pictures are from a meal prep Sunday I did.  I have some very busy weeks so try to dedicate a couple of hours to Sunday food prep so I don't have to do anything but reheat during the week.  Albani heats up her own dinners from what I prepare on evenings I'm teaching or at work late (so does Jon but I find that less impressive, hah).  This one is garlic roasted tilapia.

Sliced up cantaloupe from meal prep Sunday.

Jon actually made these (beets grown in our garden) on meal prep Sunday.

Roasted bell peppers (grown in our garden) from meal prep Sunday.

We go through fruit like crazy.

Roasted yellow potatoes from meal prep Sunday.

Roasted tomatoes (from our garden) from meal prep Sunday.

Roasted butternut squash (from our garden) from meal prep Sunday.

Roasted spaghetti squash (from the Reed's garden) from meal prep Sunday.

I always make hard boiled eggs, and 12 used to suffice but Jon's been eating them a lot so now we are boiling 18/week on meal prep Sundays.

Omelets made ahead of time are so nice after morning runs during the week, from meal prep Sunday.

Baked sweet potatoes from meal prep Sunday.

Red lentil curry (red lentils, onions, kale, tomatoes, carrots, coconut milk, curry powder, ginger, garlic, garlic salt, gelatin for tendon strength) from meal prep Sunday.

Oat bars from meal prep Sunday.  I try a slightly different recipe on these every week, and Jon and Albani help me refine it.  Albani usually tells me they need sugar, haha!

Jon picked all of this from our garden in one day!

I've been craving sweet potatoes with Greek yogurt after some of my long runs.  Omelets used to be my post-long run thing, but recently this has been winning!  I also put cinnamon on them, and adding peanut butter or almond butter is good; if I'm really ambitious I'll also mix in some spinach or broccoli.

Another plate I was proud of:  baked sweet potato topped with coconut oil and cinnamon, roasted garden peppers, garlic roasted tilapia, and fresh garden tomatoes.

Mexican veggies with chicken, with sides of Mexican rice and guacamole.

Always a winning snack - peanut butter stuffed banana.

Be still my heart; one local grocery has an occasional Indian hot food bar!  I really tried to limit how much I got but this was still $10.88 (I'd have gotten at least twice as much at a buffet!).

Fresh ginger that I made into ginger tea, in a desperate attempt to reduce muscle inflammation before the Indy Women's Half.  The tea was interesting, but I like fresh ginger in curries and such.

I ate part of this before remembering to take a photo, but I made slow cooker bean soup and baked potatoes as part of a meal prep, and Jon had the idea to top the potatoes with the bean soup, which turned out really well.

Post-race refueling at Texas Roadhouse with salmon, green beans, and a baked sweet potato (not pictured:  rolls with sweet butter and in-shell peanuts before the main meal).  I was extra dedicated to inflammation reduction here, and it's hard to beat salmon for that.