Fitness Friday: Training for the Helvetia Half Marathon

June 12, 2015 by Neil Fairweather 4 Comments

Tomorrow’s the big day. It’s the day I’ve been training for for the past 2 and a half months and the race I’ve been meaning to run the past 2 and a half years. I will be running the Helvetia Half Marathon in Hillsboro, OR.

Since having kids and moving to Portland, I haven’t taken running or my fitness in general as serious as I should. This will be the third half marathon I’ve signed up for since moving to Portland and only the second one I will have run and the first one I have trained appropriately for.

Aside from being conveniently located near our house, the Helvetia Half Marathon offers a great atmosphere, starting and finishing the race in a minor league baseball stadium, features beautiful views of Washington County’s countryside, and one hell of an elevation profile.

Elevation Profile

In years past, I’ve been guilty of skipping the hill run portions of my training plans. Race day would come and I’d find myself using up all of my energy or not even being capable of running up “unexpected” hills on the course. However, that all changed this year. This year, I signed up for the Portland Fit marathon training program. The Helvetia Half was one of the goals on their marathon training plan and promised to provide me with the knowledge, camaraderie, and group setting that I needed to motivate me in my training.

Enjoying a Cold Brew After My First Half Marathon

The format of the Portland Fit training program is to provide you with the information, training schedule and community to help you run your first or fifteenth marathon. They provide you with a schedule of training runs to do during the week and a coordinated group run on the weekend for your long runs. The long runs alternate between longer, hillier runs and shorter, faster, flatter runs with easy runs, tempo runs, hill runs and interval training sprinkled in between.

Rocking out at the Montreal Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

The participants are broken up into color groups by pace and the start times are staggered so that every group finishes around the same time so they have an equal opportunity to attend the informational seminars at the end. I chose to run in the red group which is the 10-12 minute pace group. While I have typically run anywhere from 8:45-9:30 pace, I figured after a couple years of inconsistent running and exercising that it might be a bit more realistic to train around a 10 mile pace. I think making that choice has helped me to train smarter and more efficiently and be able to run the entirety of my long runs and tackle the hillier runs better as well. The group is made up of people with a variety of experience, background, goals and abilities. The one thing they do have in common is being a positive and supportive group. There’s a great emphasis on supporting each other and never a feeling of being judged for being slower. And it shows in the teams motto, “We’re red and we’re proud.”

April 2015 – Bridge to Brews 8k

I’m looking forward to this race more than any other aside from maybe my first half marathon. I don’t have any lofty goals or dreams of PRs, I’ll just be happy to finish it knowing I’ve done my best and dedicated as much of myself as I could to training for the race.

[RECIPE] Chickpea Scramble for One

June 10, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

I am for sure a savory breakfast person. I love scrambles, avocado toast, chickpea crepes, tofu rancheros, bagels…basically anything that falls on the savory spectrum. The thing is I don’t always love to have a tofu scramble so instead I have been swapping beans for tofu. In this recipe I used chickpeas because I think they just give a really great texture and give a good bulk to the scramble.

Chickpea Scramble for One
Just double, triple, ect. for more people

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 of a small onion, diced
1/4 of a bell pepper, diced
3-4 mushrooms, sliced
3 stalks of kale, de-stemmed and shredded
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed, mashed a bit with the back of a fork
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 tablespoon coconut aminos or reduce sodium soy/tamari/shoyu
black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the peppers and mushrooms; saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the kale, chickpea and spices; stir to combine. Add in the coconut aminos and black pepper and cook until all veggies are tender.
Serve with avocado!

So simple and so delicious!

Are you a savory or a sweet breakfast person?

June Goals | barre3, Eat Your Greens, H2O and more

June 7, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 9 Comments

I haven’t done a goals post in a few months so I thought it was about time I checked in with some current goals. If you follow my @runwithtongs.bodyafterbabies instagram account the photo above is probably familiar. For those of you who might be curious about why I started yet another instagram account well I started it because I wanted a place to basically track my workouts and since I didn’t want to flood @runwithtongs with barre3 and other workout photos I figured I’d turn my old BBG instagram into a workout (with some food) instagram. Anyways lets get on to the goals.

1. Complete the barre3 Anywhere Challenge. I blogged about starting this challenge, which started June 1st, back at the end of May. We are now a week in and I have to say I am not thrilled with my progress but I still have 23 days left and 14 workouts to go which I think is pretty do-able. The only thing I have slacked on are the recipes but I’ll give them a try later this week. I also really want to make time for the podcasts and such. Anyways so far I am loving the challenge and can’t wait to complete it this month.

2. Eat more greens. I tell you I go through phases of eating greens with every meal to meals that are pretty beige. This month it’s all about getting those greens back into my diet. In the morning I like to add greens to smoothie bowls or if I’m going savory I like to do a hash with potatoes, veggies and greens. At lunch generally I go for a salad or simple place my meal on a bed of greens. Dinner is usually similar to lunch but sometimes I like to mix things up and sneak my greens in through a pesto or toss baby spinach in with a curry, rice or pasta dish.

3. Drink more water. I blame my not drinking enough water on my Blender Bottle* being left in the car. I don’t know what it is about that bottle but when I have it I drink around a gallon of water per day. Without it I’m lucky if I get in two liters and I can completely tell the difference. This month it’s all about getting in the water and I’m thinking I need to add buy more Blender Bottle’s to the list.

4. Spend more time outdoors. You’d think that being a SAHM that I would get outside more with the kids but honestly there are days we don’t go much further than the mailbox. I know it’s sad and embarrassing but it’s reality. That being said I’m working to make being outside the norm because we all feel better when we get outdoors.

5. Clean my home. Again one of those common misconceptions that being a SAHM means your house is in perfect condition all the time. I’l put it to you this way two kids + two adults = non-stop laundry, 90% of your meals are eaten at home = non-stop dishes, combine this with two kids who dump buckets of toys on the floor all day and a baby who doesn’t want to be put down for naps ….basically the house is never clean. I’m working to change all this by attempting a more minimalist lifestyle and I also think spending more time outdoors will help as well.

What are your June Goals?

*affiliate link.

#WIAW | Camping Edition

June 3, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 10 Comments

Sunday Neil and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary with a camping trip (with the kids) to the Oregon Coast. We lucked out and were able to get a yurt at Cape Lookout for Sunday and Monday nights. We had beautiful weather on Sunday so we spent most of our time at the beach but Monday was dreary and wet so we explored the coast a bit before heading back to the campground for a hike and a wet walk on the beach. The weather got the best of us in the end as it started pouring just as we started to make dinner and poured all night and morning. Either way we had a great time and I’m so happy we were in a yurt!

Let’s get to the food though because that what this post is all about. These are all of my eats from Monday June 1st while camping at the coast.

Breakfast

For breakfast I started with a mug of coffee and a big bowl of berries. We had planned to do up a scrambled tofu and potatoes but our potatoes didn’t workout from dinner the previous night so we kept things light.

Since I was feeling like I needed just a bit more to eat I broke into my Good Habit Box and Neil and I shared the Forest Berry Oatmeal. This was the first time I had tried anything from my Good Habit Bo and I really loved the oatmeal. There were no added sugars just simply gluten free oats, goji berries and some other dried fruit. I added in some strawberries and it was perfect.

Since it was raining we headed towards Pacific City and Lincoln City to see if we could find anything to do. On the way there Neil and I shared the Rosemary Almonds & Apricots which were pretty good and the Peanuts, Pineapple & Seeds which I think were my favorite of the items in the box because they had a nice sweet and spicy thing going for them. We tried the other two snacks on the way home yesterday.

We stopped for lunch in Lincoln City and I had a veggie burger and fries. It wasn’t anything special but it was still good. After lunch we headed back to the campground to go on a hike and then we walked along the beach in search of crabs. While we walked I munched on a Chia Bar. I picked up the coconut flavor to try and it was pretty good but I have to say the coffee one is still my favorite.

After our hike and beach adventure we were all pretty hungry so we headed back to the campsite and brought out the veggies, vegan onion-dill dip and sparkling water while we got a fire and dinner started.

Just as I was finishing up the potato bundles to go on the fire it started to rain and that rain quickly turned to pouring rain. Thankfully Neil took over dinner and he cooked us up some veggie dogs and tended to the potatoes. Not a too exciting dinner but it was good.

The end.

We are headed out camping again in a few weeks and I’m trying to up my food game – what are your favorite foods to cook or bring with you camping?

Disclaimer: Good Habit Box sent me a free box to try out. I received no compensation for this post. I was not required to write a post or a review. However I liked the box so much I signed up for a subscription after trying it. If you’d like to try out a Good Habit Box you can get 20% off your first box with code REFER20 (this is not an affiliate code).

[Recipe] Dairy-Free Chocolate Protein Shake with a Hint of Honey Vanilla Almondmilk

May 30, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

We have been having some crazy hot days around here and when it’s 80F I really have no desire to cook or really spend any amount of time in my hot kitchen. So, whenever that happens I bring out the blender and start whipping up smoothies and shakes. This week Neil and I were all about the chocolate “[almond]milk shakes”.

Our milkshake bases always start with a heap of frozen bananas and a non-dairy milk from there we like to mix it up depending on what we have on hand or are in the mood for. This week we had a carton of Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla flavor so that is what we used as our liquid for our shakes. We also added in some chocolate protein powder and in this particular one a chocolate peanut butter but most of the time we use almond butter.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Protein Shake
Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are)

5 frozen bananas
1 scoop of your favorite chocolate protein powder or alternatively a scoop of cacao powder
1-2 heaping tablespoons of your favorite nut butter
16-24oz of Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla**

Blend until completely smooth.

*Tip 1: Freeze your bananas when they are super spotty because that is when they are the sweetest and easiest to digest.

**Tip 2: For a shake start with 16oz of almondmilk and add more as needed. If you are more into a smoothie/thinner consistency than start with more almond milk.

I found the Almond Breeze Almondmilk in the Hint of Honey-Vanilla to give this smoothie a subtle extra sweet taste. I tasted it on it’s own as well and it’s sweet but a much more mellow sweet – perfect for smoothies and shakes.

What’s your favorite warm weather breakfast?

Are you a thick smoothie/shake fan or a thin?

Fitness Friday | FitFest 2015 from Title Nine #T9FitFest + Giveaway

May 29, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 22 Comments

title 9

Before Edith I never really felt like I needed a high impact sports bra and most of the time I wore just whatever I thought was cute. Once Edith was born this all changed because of nursing and because my boobs found themselves a entire cup size bigger. I can still remember that first run after having Edith; I only made it about 1/4 of a mile down the road before I had to turn back and put on a second sports bra. That’s when I knew I had to go shopping and buy something that would really support the girls.

Those sports bras I bought when I was pregnant with Edith worked fine until Alder was born. I actually didn’t go up a cup size but the band size changed so all of my sports bras were on the too a bit too snug side. That being said having a toddler and a baby doesn’t always leave time to go sports bra shopping so I have been either squeezing myself into one of my more supportive bras or wearing one of my low impact bras. That is until now.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a media only Title Nine fit fest. At the fit fest I received a personalized fitting from a Title Nine “bravangelist” expert. First we went over what I was looking for in bra, what I thought my bra size was and we went from there. In my case I was looking for something for running that would hold everything in place. So after a selection of bras were chosen for me I headed to the fitting room to give them a try.

I ended up finding a few bras that worked for me (one of them was the one above but it’s not the one I took home). Once I found my winner, the 2-In-1 Full-Support Adjustable Sports Bra (unfortunately in the mocha color) I went out and tried the bounce test. Now the bounce test was completely optional but I figured since I was there I might as well try it out. So I grabbed a jump rope, I’m not sure why since I haven’t jumped rope since I was probably 10, and I did a few embarrassing jumps and determined that yes this was the bra for me. I will say this I didn’t love the color option but the support was awesome so I went with it anyways.

I have to say thank you to the ladies working at the Portland Title Nine shop who were really amazing, so friendly and welcoming . I look forward to returning and stocking up on more sports bras and other cute fitness clothes/gear.

Title Nine will be holding FitFest events throughout the spring and summer that span cities across the country and include:

 Personalized bra fitting advice from a “bravangelist” expert

 An expanded assortment of bras

 Bras for sports, work-to-workout, everyday and date night

 A “Bounce-ath-a-lon” for those who want to put Title Nine’s bras to the test, with stations like hula hoop, jump rope, cup stacking, run around the block, hippity hop ball & burpees

Anyone interested in participating should RSVP at the local Title Nine Retail Location.

Visit www.titlenine.com for a full list of cities and more information.

WHEN/WHERE for the Oregon FitFest:

 June 3-4, 10am- 8pm

Title Nine Portland
1335 NW Kearney Street, Portland

 June 10-11, 10am-8pm

Title Nine Eugene
5th Street Market
296 East 5th Ave. #229, Eugene

Giveaway:

This giveaway is open to anyone in the US and will include a personalized fitting (either in-store or by-phone, depending on location) and one bra.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Title Nine provided me with free sports bra as part of attending this event. I was not required to blog about the event, provide a giveaway or to write a positive review. I am just sharing this with you because I had a great time and I am excited to provide one of you with the opportunity to win your own sports bra!

#WIAW: NadaMoo! | Dairy-free and Delicious

May 27, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 9 Comments

Apparently I have a real sweet tooth lately because once again here is another dessert What I ate Wednesday. This past weekend we met up with friends for a picnic and a little ice cream social at Cathedral Park here in Portland.

If you are a Naturally Family (NF) reader you know that we do weekly playdates with a few other families and if you have a toddler you know playdates usually revolve around food. That being said our playdates have become snack dates that we feature almost weekly over on NF. This week it was all about the NadaMoo coconut milk frozen dessert.

I actually wasn’t planning on sharing about our ice cream social over here but these vegan “ice creams” are just so good I thought that you guys might be interested as well. I’ll also admit two of the flavors didn’t make it to the park with us because as soon as the package arrived Neil and Edith felt the need to dive right in. I was out at a blogger event and received a text message of Edith diving into a pint of Cookies & Creme. Of course the following night I felt the need to try what was left of the Cookies & Creme but after a spoonful I just wasn’t really digging it so I decided to dive into the Chocolate Almond Chip and I ended up finishing off most of the pint on Saturday (#keepinitreal).

What stood out to me about these coconut milk “ice cream” (frozen dessert) was just how rich, natural and clean the flavors were. The Chocolate Almond Chip had a really rich cacao flavor and it honestly took me about 3-4 bites before I started to get a really good taste for the chocolate. It’s much more bittersweet tasting so I feel like the flavor through me off a bit but as I ate more of it the more I loved it. Also loved the almonds. The almonds were whole and just had a natural nutty taste to them – my description is really not doing it justice. The Maple Pecan was the same way – just such amazing nuttiness.

So Monday came and so did our picnic date. I packed everything up and adults, tots and even two of the three babies gave NadaMoo a try. Head on over to Naturally Family to find out which flavors came out on top.

Also Portland Area Friends NadaMoo is coming to New Seasons in June and Haggen this Summer!

Which flavor would you like to try? I really want to try the PB & Chocolate and the Chai.

Naturally Lindsay