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The Kitchen Recessionista

So, here we are, in a recession. Let's eat!

Breakfast of Champions: Peanut Butter and Banana Shake.

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This morning, let’s start with a joke. How do you know if your friend has finished an Ironman?

Don’t worry. They’ll tell you.

*rimshot*

Ahem.

So with that in mind … have I mentioned lately that I’m training for an Ironman for a second year?

Well, I am. And with that training comes approximately nine workouts a week on average, which takes up a great deal of my non-office time. And THAT makes what free time I do have very, very sacred indeed.

I’ve always been a fan of efficiency, but during Ironman season, it’s a necessity! Laundry (especially workout clothes, because they get so much use!) needs to be handled swiftly; meals must be planned in advance; the house has to stay tidier than usual at all times so we don’t have to have a huge decluttering session on Saturday mornings. And breakfast – that important meal of the day, the one I dream about in the predawn swimming pool – has to meet all my nutritional needs and be quick about it.

Enter my peanut butter and banana protein shake, that sweet elixir that I fixate over during the last few minutes of morning training each day. It’s an all-encompassing, 400-calorie meal that refuels me after a hard workout and tides me over till lunchtime!

For the past year or so, I’ve used Vega protein powder almost exclusively and haven’t been let down. A single scoop offers about 20 grams of protein, plus a passel of other nutrients, and I’ve not found it to be think and chalky like so many other powders on the market. It’s plant-based, so no worries there, and the founder of the company is an endurance athlete himself. Win-win!

So into the blender I put a scoop of the powder – I like the vanilla or coconut almond flavors best – along with a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a cup or so of almond milk (sometimes more). Then I whip it up, blend it well, and within half a minute or so, breakfast is served!

Talk about efficiency – it doesn’t take me long to gulp down the smoothie. And unlike so many others I’ve tried over the years, this really does keep me full for hours as opposed to hankering for a mid-morning snack at 9:45 a.m. And even though it’s healthy and even, dare I say, nutritious, it’s also completely decadent. The silky texture of the shake, the shock of peanut butter against the smoothness of the banana, renders this an almost dessert-like treat any time of the day.

And by the way, I’m relying on this shake to propel me to the finish line of this year’s Ironman. And when it does … don’t worry. I’ll tell you about it.

:)

I’m Back!

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ironman1

Friends!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written on these pages. Believe you-me, I’ve been cooking. And eating. And still doing my best to live on the cheap (or at least frugally, Recessionista-style). I believe I mentioned the little matter of the Ironman triathlon I was training for when we last spoke. Well, that sort of took over my life for a while there – which is, I’ve come to realize, what Ironman races do. Training for 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running takes a long, long time every day, it turns out.

But. But! I finished! A few weeks ago, I became a member of the Ironman family, and it was indeed a life-changing event. I’m still processing the many ways it’s shaped me and changed me, and I’ll be happy to report back on that if you like, but I recognize that this is, at the end of the day, a food blog. And I intend to get back to the topic of food in very short order, thank-you-very-much.

So I reckon I’ll start with an update on the food front. Since we last spoke, I’ve brought a new Crock-Pot into the fold – my old one died after nearly 20 years of service, and I engaged in a suitable period of mourning before my new FSU-branded model came into my life. And a new blender, as well, because I inadvertently cracked my old glass one beyond repair when banging the top of it with a metal spoon in an attempt to loosen some peanut butter for my smoothie. (I blame the early hour that day, before one of my summertime races.)

I’m still cooking (and eating) primarily dairy-free and still feeling great as a result. The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart in March really settled well with me, it seems, and I have no doubt that my energy level (and race times!) have improved as a result. I’m the last one to prescribe a lifestyle on anyone else, but this has certainly worked for me. And along those same lines, this summer LeeLee and I realized we’ve been vegetarian for 15 years, which feels like a lifetime and a very short amount of time all at once.

So that’s a State of Chez Recessionista for the moment. I’ve got SO many fun meals to share in the coming days and weeks, and I’m so happy to be back on these pages again! And the next time I train for an Ironman – yes, I’ve already signed up for another – I’ll have a better handle on how to integrate blogging with training. Because I couldn’t stand to go this long without talking with y’all again!

Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks for reading, as ever.

:)