Naturally Lindsay

{Recipe} Cheesy Hatch Chile Sauce

August 20, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Did you know it’s Hatch Chile season? Honestly I had no idea what a hatch chile was or that there was a season for them until we moved to Oregon and I saw signs at our local Whole Foods. I waited weeks anticipating their arrival and trying to figure out what I would make with this new to me chile. Finally they arrived and honestly they are tasty but I’m not sure I understand all the fuss, besides them only being available for a short window of time. Anyways I made a new recipe with them and it is super good (IMO). Don’t worry though if you can’t find hatch chiles you can leave them out or add your favorite chile to the recipe instead.

Cheesy Hatch Chile Sauce

This makes around 2qts so feel free to half or quarter this recipe. Also note you may need to add the broth in small batches if your processor or blender is on the smaller side.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 hatch chiles, diced
1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the onion, peppers and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes until everything is tender.

Place all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process until smooth, this can take a few minutes. Return the mixture to the large skillet and heat over medium while stirring constantly until it starts to thicken; this can take around 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot with tortilla chips, veggies or use as a sauce. We enjoyed it with homemade tortilla chips, as a sauce for pasta and as a sauce for enchilada casserole.

Dealing With Burnout

August 15, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

I wasn’t a pregnant runner. It was winter, I was nauseous as the time and I just had no desire to run while I was pregnant. I shouldn’t say that I did have a desire to but it just wasn’t a top priority. So instead I focused on walking, yoga, and strength training. I felt strong and healthy my entire pregnancy and it made a huge difference when it came to childbirth.

Now this isn’t a post about childbirth or pregnancy but rather what comes after. I had these grand ideas of running (well run/walking) my first half in November only 4 months postpartum. I figured I could do it. I had been active my entire pregnancy and I was a fit mama so why couldn’t I? Well I didn’t heal so quickly and the dreams of my first half were over.

In December I found out we would be moving so of course the first thing I did was look for a race to run. I found the Hippie Chick Quarter Marathon and decided that would be my race. I received a comped race admission thanks to Brooks. We moved and after that chaos settled down I started to train. I actually got back into running much more easily than I had imagined and it felt good. I was running 4-5 days per week and cross training. I was pushing myself hard because I knew that I couldn’t back out on this race.

The race came and I had an amazing time but as soon as that race was over so was my desire to run. I had pushed myself so hard for 4 months straight that I just lost all desire. I was burnt out. The idea of lacing up my running shoes made me cringe. I would force myself to get out and run but I had no heart for it. I didn’t want to be there. I dreaded every mile. Finally by mid June I just stopped cold Turkey. I needed a break. Unfortunately this break resulted in me hardly working out at all.

After two months of not taking the BOB out for even a walk (okay for about a month of that the tire was flat and Neil and I were to lazy to get it fixed) I finally took it out. As soon as I started walking I WANTED to run. I surprised myself and it felt good. The only thing is when you take nearly 3 months off from running you kind of lose all that endurance you built up and my desire to run miles turned into about a quarter of a mile. Now that my desire to run is back I’m easing in slowly and going back to the basics, back to Couch to 5k. I’m ready to get back running but I don’t want to suffer from burn out again. So for the next 9 weeks it’s all about Couch to 5k and taking it slow and easy.

Q: Have you ever suffered from burnout?

No More Workout Excuses

August 14, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Over the past year, and especially the last three months, I have two often used Edith as an excuse for not working out.

I’m too tired because Edith was up all night.
I’m too dehydrated because Edith nursed all night.
It’s too hot to take Edith out in the BOB.
It’s too rainy to take Edith out in the BOB.
Edith needs to nap. Edith needs to eat. Edith…

You get the point.

As I read all these excuses I realize just how lame them really are.

The reality is I have been making excuses because I’ve been lazy. Since mid-May I have lost my workout motivation and although all of the above were true at the time, I was tired, dehydrated and it was hot or rainy but it really is no excuse. And the absolute truth of the matter is that I SHOULD be using Edith as a reason TO WORKOUT.

I want to be a good example for Edith. I know she is watching everything I do and I have to show her the importance of working out, taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle. I need to lead her by example to make healthy choices as she grows up. So I am making the choice today and from this day forward to use Edith as a reason to workout and not an excuse not to.

Q: What is your biggest not going to workout excuse?

My New Polar RC3 GPS & My 9-Week Plan

August 11, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 6 Comments

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Polar. As always all opinions are my own.

This month I had planned to run 1-mile per day and well lets just say that hasn’t been a success. What has been a success is getting back into working out and I attribute that to making a plan, sticking to it and honestly new gear. I have to say working out is so much more exciting when I have a new outfit, piece of equipment or new gear like my Polar RC3 GPS.

I have been in need of a new GPS watch for running for awhile now and have been really loving my Polar RC3 GPS. I was a little skeptical about it at first and whether it would live up to my standards but in all honesty it has exceeded them. Prior to this watch I never used my heart rate monitor; I just never really saw the point. Well with the Polar RC3 GPS I find if you want really accurate stats that it is necessary to wear it. I was expecting the heart rate monitor to be uncomfortable and really distracting but I didn’t even notice it until I was about an hour into my workout it was that comfortable.

I now find myself wearing my Polar RC3 GPS on walks, runs, and out hiking with the family. I love having all my stats right there at a push of the button. When we went hiking I could track elevation which was really awesome and of course time, distance, heart rate, and calories burned. The other amazing thing about this watch is the battery life. It last 12 hours with the GPS on and for someone who is always forgetting to charge electronics this is great.

Overall I have been thrilled with the Polar RC3 GPS. The only real cons I have experienced so far is the watch band isn’t my favorite. I find that it sticks a bit when trying to tighten it and well currently that’s it. So really just a minor complaint about the watch so far.

Now on to my 9-week training plan. I have been working on getting back into running. After my quarter marathon I really just had no desire to run and every time I laced my shoes up and headed out the door I dreaded my run and so I just took a break. I didn’t run at all in July and it felt good but by the end of the month I started to crave running again <– wahoo! I had planned to do a mile per day but due to poor planning and a broken BOB I missed a few days so I decided to regroup. Not only do I need to get back into running, I also want to do more strength training and yoga, so that’s when I made a plan.

I really do so much better when I have a training plan. I know what I need to do and it feels good to cross workouts off my agenda. So I have decided to go back to Couch to 5k, I used my SpaFinder gift certificate I have been holding onto for over a year to buy credits to the yoga studio across the street and I am going to do the strength training and fit test from Best Body Bootcamp. I am also going to use my new Polar RC3 GPS to track my runs and any other activity I do.

I’m ready to get back to my fit self and have a few other topics to blog about regarding this topic like knowing when to take a break, using your baby as a reason to workout not an excuse and not related to working out but to getting back to a healthy state, the return to meal planning.

Sites & Eats: Charlottesville

August 8, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

It’s been a few weeks now but I thought I would share a little bit from our trip to Virginia. We headed to Virginia for our friends wedding weekend and I had absolutely nothing planned, I know totally unlike me. Nonetheless we had an amazing time just winging it.

We flew from Portland to Dulles on Thursday morning and then picked up our rental car and headed to Charlottesville for the night. Before hitting the road we stopped at Lotus Vegetarian in Chantilly, VA. The food was pretty good for not so healthy Asian food although the spicy items were far from spicy.

After we ate we got on the road and made the drive to Charlottesville. We hit some crazy traffic and it ended up taking us nearly three hours!! Needless to say Neil and I were so ready to get out of the car by the time we arrived and we were lucky that Edith slept the entire way. We checked into our hotel, headed to the bar for a beer and then we were off to bed.

In the morning we headed out to Bodo’s Bagels because of course the first thing on the agenda would good East Coast bagels. Fact: I have yet to try any good or REAL bagels in Oregon. What is up with all the fake bagels in Oregon aka the round bread with a whole in the middle. Anyways that’s an entirely different post but yes we went to Bodo’s Bagels where we had amazing bagels topped with some delicious hummus, tomatoes and sprouts. I also had a surprisingly decent cup of drip coffee. I also didn’t take a photo of my bagel because I ate it too fast, so good.

After Bagels we decided to head downtown and do a little walking around and get the coffee snob aka Neil a cup of coffee. We found ourselves at Mudhouse after wandering around for awhile trying to find it. It was worth it though as Neil enjoyed his pour over coffee and Edith and I enjoyed a grapefruit-basil homemade soda.

We wandered around the downtown walking area for a bit longer, popping into shops as we went along before meeting up with Kath and Mazen for lunch at Eppies. I was pretty thrilled to try a spot that had Southern food with clearly marked vegan options. Neil and I ordered two veggie plates but of course Neil ordered the better three options which were the collards, black beans and sweet potato. I ordered the slaw, fruit and broccoli and although Edith enjoyed it I was happy to sneak bites of Neil’s.

After lunch we said goodbye to Kath and Mazen and decided to take a walk to a local brewery but we arrived about 2.5 hours before opening. So we ended up walking to Beer Run which was as little further of a trek in the heat but it was worth it. We sat outside enjoyed a beer and just relaxed. It felt amazing not to have an agenda at all. Okay I shouldn’t say not at all since we did have to get back to our car and head to Orange to really start the wedding weekend.

To be continued..

{Recipe} Black Bean & Kale Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

August 6, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

What’s that a recipe? Yes I actually took the time to write down and measure ingredients so I could write a recipe post. Lately I have been in the kitchen just tossing things together hoping that they workout and haven’t been writing down anything but that is going to change. This recipe is one that I have been thinking about for awhile now and it is based on one of my favorite salads from a local restaurant we love.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups shredded kale
1-15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of fresh or defrosted corn
Lime Vinaigrette (Recipe Below)

Preheat oven to 375F. Toss sweet potato with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread onto a sheet pan. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Toss the kale, beans and corn with the lime vinaigrette. Add the warm sweet potatoes to the salad and toss to combine. Serve room temperature.

Lime Vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Juice of two limes
1/4 cup EVOO

Whisk everything except olive oil together. While whisking slowly stream in the EVOO.

PDX Sites: Hiking Forest Park

August 3, 2013 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Polar. As always all opinions are my own.

Can you believe I have lived in Portland for seven months now and I had yet to take advantage of the great hiking trails until today? I know I think it’s pretty crazy too. Actually not only had I not been hiking in Portland yet but I hadn’t been hiking since the summer before getting pregnant. Yeah count’em that was was TWO years ago!! Crazy right?

I actually haven’t always been all that into hiking and I honestly wouldn’t say that I’m all that into it now but I do enjoy getting out once in awhile. Neil is the real lover of hiking and most of the time I go because he wants to. I tend to go out a little begrudgingly but always end up having an amazing time – hmm maybe I should take a mental note of that.

Anyways a few weeks ago Neil got out for his first hike in Portland with Edith while I stayed home and cleaned the house (wahoo for cleaning…umm not.) So this weekend we decided to get out together and hit up the same trail but in the opposite direction which led us from the Audubon Society up to Pittock Mansion.Let me tell you this hike wasn’t really that challenging but when you haven’t worked out consistently for a few weeks…err months… it was a bit more challenging than it should have been. To add to my challenge I decided to be the one to carry Edith on my back and holy sweaty mess was I by the time we got to the top.I have to say it was worth it though; I mean check out that view!!So now I have one hike in the books and I’m back on track to keep up on my weekly workouts. I have to say that it’s also a little more motivating when you take the time to track your workouts like I did with my new Polar RC3 GPS watch. I loved that I could track the elevation gain, the distance, my heart rate and how many calories I burned. Now I’m ready to conquer all 70 miles of Forest Park trails!

Are you a hiker or wannabe hiker? Where is your favorite spot to hike?

If you’d like to buy this great running GPS click ::here:: and use code: “fitfluential” during checkout for a 25% discount! This discount is valid only on the RC3 GPS and will expire on 8/10