Fuel Friday #8: Easy Pumpkin Enchiladas

Easy Pumpkin Enchiladas

So here it is, Halloween! If you’re going to have a meal for Halloween THIS is a great one to do it! Sweet pureed pumpkin, chunks of sweet potato, corn, black beans and savory spices. This enchilada was actually lovingly made by my mom in preparation of me coming home to help out hand out the candy.

The fun thing about the particular enchilada pictured is the tortilla is made of egg! The eggs were scrambled, cooked omelet style, filled with enchilada filling, topped with cheese, and served with more guacamole then you know what to do with…

And speaking of guacamole, no Mexican dish is complete without it. I made a special puking pumpkin jack-o-lantern with fresh guacamole as the perfect dish to bring to a Halloween party.

Pumpkin Enchiladas
32 oz Black Beans
2 cups corn
1 small-medium onion - Chopped
1 medium sweet potato (small cubes)
2-3 large tomatoes chopped (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
1 - 16oz can Pureed Pumpkin
½ broth (chicken or veggie)
1 TBSP chili powder
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tsp garlic powder
Cheddar Cheese (as much as you want)

Eggs (for egg shell)
Tortillas (for Enchilada)

** To make a spicier dish, add more cayenne, add fresh chopped jalapeno, or crumbled dried chilis to taste**

Add all ingredients to dutch oven on the stove top. A large saucepot can also work (just watch for burning). Put on high until simmering, then reduce to medium-low. Stir occasionally until sweet potatoes are tender. For a cheesy filling, add cheese and stir until melted.

To use a crock pot, put filling in (minus cheese) and set on high for 4 hours. Set it and forget it.

Cheese Sauce
** I didn’t use this sauce for the pictured enchilada; just added cheese to the top. This sauce is ideal for the baked preparation**

2 TBSP Flour (or Gluten Free Flour)
2 TBSP Butter
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne
½ tsp paprika
1 cup Milk (if you are dairy free, I suggest unsweetened cashew, almond, or soy)
1 cup Cheese

Add butter and flour to pan. Cook on medium for ~60 seconds (to cook out the raw flour flavors). Add spices and whisk for another 30 seconds. Add cold milk to the hot mixture and whisk until combined. Remove the pan from the heat and add cheese slowly, whisking to melt the first bit before adding more. Add more cheese to richen/thicken the cheese sauce.

Assembly
Fill tortilla (or flat omelet) with mixture. Roll mixture. Put in dish or on plate. Add cheese sauce if desired.

If baking put baking dish to 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly (about 15-20 minutes).

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
½ red onion – chopped
1 tomato – chopped
1 clove of garlic – smashed or finely diced
½ lime - Juiced
½ t salt

Open and mash the avocados in a bowl
Add the remaining ingredients.
Mix to combine

Fuel Friday #7: Pumpkin Party Punch

Short entry today, but I promise it is worth it.

Every delicious Halloween party needs a punch! I’m providing you a slice of science mixed with some fresh fall flavors and classic mixings for punch worth having again and again! It is sweet, tangy, and smooth.
My favorite part about making this punch is by serving it in a REAL PUMPKIN! Find your favorite fun pumpkin (I get those short/flat fairy tale pumpkins), hollow it out and serve inside!

Pumpkin Punch

• ½ cup canned pumpkin (do not get the pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 cup apple cider (you could use hard fizzy cider too)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• ½ cup golden rum
• ½ cup citrus vodka
• Sparkling wine to taste

Garnishes:

• Apple slices with cloves stuck in them
• Cinnamon sticks
• Star Anise

Assembly:

• Blend pumpkin, cider, orange juice, and pineapple juice together.
• Add rum and vodka, blend once more.
• Put your garnishes in the bottom of the pumpkin or serving bowl.
• Add liquid, leaving room for the bubbly.
• Add bubbly and mix gently.
• Enjoy!

Penn Pull Down Bouldering Competition 2014

As many of you know I am a rock climbing instructor at Drexel University's Rock Climbing Wall and at Go Vertical Rock climbing gym. After much persuasion and nagging from my co-workers I was finally coerced into entering a climbing competition. Today was my very first bouldering competition.

Bouldering?!
What is bouldering?! Well, it's rock climbing, but more specifically, it's a more technical rock climbing that is done lower to the ground without being harnessed in. Without a harness a climber is able to perform more difficult moves, contort in more complicated ways, and can move in any direction: much more technical versus top rope climbing (using a harness) which is more brute strength.

Indoor climbing, (both top rope climbing & bouldering) uses routes, meaning that only certain hand and feet holds can be used, which are dictated by matching colored tapes. All holds, including the start and end holds are specified and dictated by colored tapes and are rated by difficulty. For example, if I am working on a certain route to complete it successfully I need to only use the holds that have purple tape sticking off them, this can be seen on the photo below.

Competition?

Generally bouldering routes are graded from V0 (easiest) to V15 (hardest) and the scale is definitely NOT linear. This means the difference in difficulty between a V0 and a V1 is less than the difference between a V1 and a V2.

The routes are marked on the competition wall, given a letter, and a point value between 0 to around 800-900 (at least at the competitions I go to) These values represent their difficulty. A climb with a value of 250 is a mid V2 level climb. For every route you complete properly you get that point value added to your sheet. If you flash the route, meaning you did it properly without falling or error the first time then you get an additional 10% (of the points) bonus! You climb whenever your time slot is for as long as you can and use your top 5 scores. There are generally divisions for beginner, intermediate, and expert. The top of the top then battle it out in a very lengthy problem to the end and after this competition everyone gathered together at the end for food and to party.

So How Did I Do?

Considering this was my very first time entering a competition I had no clue what I was getting into and had no idea how I would do, so my goals were set low. I also didn't know how the categories were divided and how I would even do on a new wall. I have been predominantly an indoor climber and all of the wall up until now have been flat, plain, unfeatured walls and I was very surprised to see that Penn's wall is featured. Unfeatured walls are flat where as featured walls are full of bumps, cracks, and features; more like an actual outdoor rock climbing experience. My best scores were all flash bonuses and I ended up climbing mostly V1s and V2s with a total score of 1, 022 as seen by the score card below. I ended up doing well enough to bump my score into the intermediate scoring category, which was great since I am really only a beginner, but at the same time it was unfortunate that I was put in a category out of my league: I was the bottom of the barrel.

The Good:

• FIRST COMPETITION
• Tried out a new wall, and a featured one at that
• Experienced a new type of activity
• Hung out with all my friends
• I was better than I thought and got bumped up to intermediate
• I started off on a roll

The Bad:

• I was the worst of the intermediates
• All of my good climbs happened within the first half of the competition
• I didn't place at all
• I got very frustrated towards the end due to my lack of completion & progress

The Ugly:

• I started throwing a fit due to my halted progress, it was a little embarrassing but I am a very passionate and competitive person.

Overall:

Overall, despite really getting annoyed by the end I did enjoy the challenge. It was nice being immersed in the climbing community with both my friends and colleagues, but also the other local collegiate climbers. I enjoyed the added challenge if trying to climb a featured wall and seeing how other walls set/are and am looking forward to competing in other ones in the future.

Have any of you ever climbed in a competition? Have you seen one? How did you like it?

The Double Trifecta that Never Was...

SO. As many of you know I had planned for 2014 to be a double Spartan Race Trifecta. I had planned to do the Beast and Super at the Ohio Trifecta weekend two weeks ago. Unfortunately, due to a case of near hyperthermia, I (and my team) was unable to complete the Super course. I achieved my trifecta with the completion of the Beast, but without the Super I would not be able to complete my double. Due to this thought, I gave up on the thought of completing the Carolina Beast, which was supposed to happen this weekend.

Even though I got my trifecta, the way the weekend ended (an angry, cold, shivering, sore body) made me both angry and disappointed. I also got physically sick and my work, studies, and work-out schedule were affected. I was also mentally and emotionally exhausted from the whole endeavor. So instead of getting frustrated with a work-out schedule (especially with my sore legs) or running in the rain, I started climbing more. I invested in my own gear and decided to get more serious about my climbing. Then my coworkers/friends from Drexel's rock wall convinced me to try a climbing competition.

So, tomorrow afternoon, for the first time, I am entering a bouldering competition at Penn. Ironically, this competition is the same time as the Carolina Beast, which is where I would have earned my Double Spartan Race Trifecta.

For a while I was very upset by my "loss", but now I am seeing it as a new opportunity, it has helped me realize my goals, strengths, and weaknesses. Even though I didn't get to race, I kept my unused race headband from my Ohio Super to use during hard workouts and to push towards goals in my future. To strive to be something better than I was, it is only appropriate that I wear it at my climbing competition tomorrow.

This was not a loss, this was a chance for new adventures, new skills, and new experiences. #3927 will be a victory, just not in the sense I had originally planned. Let's climb. AROO!

Has anyone else entered climbing competitions? I could use some tips, tricks and words of encouragement.

Fuel Friday #6: Pumpkin For Breakfast

I'm a HUGE fan of smoothies. I have one nearly every morning for breakfast and they’re just so amazing. Once it starts getting cold out, I’m sure I’ll be pairing my smoothies with a tall glass of green tea, but I can never abandon my smoothies! Because we’re right in the heart of 5 Fridays of Pumpkin to celebrate October, I’m excited to share with you my Pumpkin Pie in a Glass recipe. If you like pumpkin pie, you’ll love this breakfast friendly drink!

First off is the pureed pumpkin. Did you know that most canned pumpkins aren’t actually made from pumpkin? I use Libby’s pure canned pumpkin which is actually a special kind of pumpkin that actually resembles a butternut squash more than a pumpkin *the more you know*, but that doesn’t stop it from being absolutely delicious. This just means you can use any winter squash you’d like for this. Feel free to make your own puree or use a can. To make your own just cut up the meat and steam it. Once soft put it in a blender or a food processer and blend until smooth. I just use a can for most applications, not out of lack of pumpkin (I think I have about a dozen of them in my house right now), but because canned pumpkin is so easy and very very good still. 

Also, if you’re one of those people like me where you can’t afford everything organic, pumpkins and other winter squashes are PERFECT for you. You don’t need to worry about the organic vs non-organic debate because not only do pumpkins not need many pesticides to be successful, but their thick skin act as a barrier so what little bit is on there doesn’t make it to the flesh. That’s why classic Libby’s works for me.
IMPORTANT: Do not get pumpkin pie mix. You want PURE PUREED PUMPKIN, Key detail. 

Okay, “vegan milk”. You guys should know by now I’m not vegan, but I’m also a lactose intolerant girl who has a love hate relationship with dairy products. I pretty much avoid them completely aside from my grass-fed butter and my long-aged hard cheeses. That’s just my decision for what works for me. So does this mean you can use dairy milk? YES you could, its best with unsweetened almond milk because I like adding my own flavorful sweetener, and milk and other sweetened vegan milks can make it too sweet if you add both. Even dairy milk has a ton of sugar in it. Another bonus almond and coconut milks have less calories, more protein, and more calcium then any dairy milk could dream of (if you needed more convincing). 

Pumpkin Pie spice is great stuff. I put it on everything. You can make it yourself out of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice or just get a bottle of it pre-made.

Finally I like to add some protein. I have a great hemp protein that I use. I put 1-2 heaping spoonfuls in one of these recipes because it does have a gritty texture when there is too much. If your protein is smoother, feel free to add more (I suggest using a neutral or unsweetened protein). Protein not your style? Skip it, no worries. Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie in a Glass

• 4-8oz (1/2-1 cup) pureed pumpkin

• 8-12oz (1-1 ½ cup) unsweetened vegan milk

• 2-3 tbsp Maple Syrup

• 2-3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Protein!

Directions:

• Add all ingredients in a blender cup (I use the individual serving cup from my ninja).

• Blend until smooth.

• Enjoy!

Product Review: October StrideBox

I am a subscriber to StrideBox and have been since January of this year (2014). StrideBox is a once-a-month subscription service. This is a review of what came in the October 2014 box.

StrideBox?
Stridebox is $15/month and you definetly get your moneys worth. The box generally comes with between 5 and 15 samples of various fitness nutrition items or other small fitness gadgets. The box is not too large (maybe 8" x 3"), but given the size of most fitness nutrition items a lot can fit in there. It is the same for everyone and contains different things every month. Each month you get various samples, stickers, and "The Stride Guide" which gives you a detailed description of each sample, its retail value, and sometimes even discount codes for future purchases! It is great for "newer runners" (or any runner) to help them try new things and figure out what types of hydration, nutrition, etc that they want to use. I know it has helped me find some great products.

September 2014:
This box contained:

• The Stride Guide
• Scratch (Matcha Green Tea + Lemons):
• All natural and gluten-free bar packed with protein and carbs for a before or after run kick, or as an anywhere, anyplace, anytime snack.
• I have a sensitivity to sodium citrate (I get a weird acidic aftertaste ALL DAY), which is in many electrolyte mixes (only some flavors of Nuun bother me), this has sodium citrate in it, so we will see how I react to this. 
• $1.95
• HoneyMaxx: Sports Hydration (Orange):
• An all natural sports hydration drink that uses honey as the main source of carbohydrates. All organic with no refined sugars.
• This seems interesting. But it again, has sodium citrate, so we will see. 
• $2.30
• Barnana (Organic Coconut):
• NEW FLAVOR: No sugar, no preservative, only bananas, a little water, and some coconut in this high potassium vegan snack.
• I love chews. They are fun, simple and usually delicious. The side of the package says there are 6 chews which were made with 3 bananas, water, and 1/4 a coconut! That seems crazy and amazing considering how small this package is. I am very excited to try them.
• $2.49
• Bonk Breaker: High Protein Bar (Cookies & Cream):

• NEW PRODUCT: A Protein Bar (13g) that doesn't taste like a protein bar. Use as an energy/recovery, or as a filling snack between runs.
• I have tried the blueberry bonk breaker from a previous StrideBox and I likes that. The product seemed to be good for my energy and taste buds, so this should be a tasty recovery.
• $2.75
• Honey Stinger: Organic Energy Gel (Chocolate):
• NEW FLAVOR: Reformulated and better than ever with our organic gel formula and naturally caffeinated with Green Tea Extract.
• I have used Honey Stingers waffles and their chomps (gummies), but I haven't used their gels. I can only assume it is good. And I LOVE chocolate. 
• $1.39
• ProBar: Bolt Energy Chew (Berry Blast):
• The perfect blend of your favorite berries infused with electrolytes, B vitamins, and caffeine from yerba mate for energy from start to finish.
• More chews! Berry flavor should be good. I am also loving the fact that some companies are starting to go all natural with their run fuel. 
• $2.49
• BottleBand:
• Turn any water bottle into an easy-to-hold "running" water bottle.
• This is a cool idea, but I have a few running water bottles that have bands/straps/pockets, so I really have no use for it. I will give it to a friend most likely. Mine is blue, I am sure they have plenty of colors.
• $5.99
• DISCOUNT: You want one? go to StrideBox.com/BottleBand and use the code "STRIDEBOX" to get one for ONLY $1!
• Some "Don't Be Average... Be Awesome!" stickers
• Total value of box contents: $19.36
• Little low, especially since I will not use the band (and they value at $5.99, but allow you to buy it for $1). 

Initial Thoughts:

I will post (in comments) more about items as I try them, but this is initially how I feel about these items. Let me guys know what you think of this month's StrideBox in the comments!

Fuel Friday #5: Trifecta Risotto

Lets celebrate! Miss KoryBeth got her Trifecta this year, and that requires an amazing meal worthy of such an accomplishment.

First we take the oh so lovely and subtle combination of sugar pumpkin, butternut, and acorn (in this case carnival, a type of acorn squash named for it’s oh so fun coloring). You can use any three winter squash varieties of your choosing, but these are the three I had in my house.

Why risotto? Good question, It’s a beautiful, rich, delicious, seasonal, inexpensive, and most of all, healthy option when you’re craving a warm, stick to your ribs comfort food in the cold, windy nights of fall… and my favorite mac and cheese alternative!

The art of risotto is all about patience and good ingredients. Don’t skimp on the quality of the parmesan cheese. Parmesan is the classic Italian cheese good on virtually anything. Thing is, the cheap parmesan you buy you may think you’re getting a deal, but what it lacks in price it also lacks in flavor. By picking an imported Italian cheese, you can use less then a quarter of the cheese and get the same, if not a better impact then the cheaper counterpart. Now, that being said, the American parmesan does work too (and what I usually use because Italian parmesan is hard to come by in western Massachusetts).

The way you round this dish out is some fresh sage and leeks. In a pinch, dried sage and shallots will do in a pinch. A lack of shallots too… find yourself some onions!  Feeling ambitious? Use all three! This is a trifecta risotto, why not make it a double!

Please enjoy, this is my favorite fall treat!

Fall Trifecta Risotto

• ½ medium pie pumpkin, skinned and cubed *
• ½ medium butternut squash, skinned and cubed *
• ½-1 acorn squash, skinned and cubed *
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 TBSP garlic (more if you’re a strong Italian like me , I used around 6)
• 1 cup Arborio Rice (2 if you want to make a very large amount)
• ½ - 1 cup white wine
• 6 cups Stock (chicken or veggie) (multiply by how many cups of rice you’d use)
• Parmesan Cheese to Taste (~1/4 cup)
• Sage Leaves to Taste
• Basil Leaves to Taste
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

* you may have to microwave/steam the large chunk of squash to loosen the flesh from the skin before cutting off the skin.

Directions

1. Add the squashes, leeks, onions, shallots, and garlic to the pan, sweat them until they begin to soften. 
2. Add rice to pan, sauté until “toasted”  (but not until it becomes colored).
3. Add white wine, stir until reduced.
4. Add stock in ½ cup increments stirring constantly.
5. Once ½ the stock is gone, increments can increase to 1 cup increments until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. If you find you run out of stock, you can use water. 
6. Once rice is cooked (no bright white is left in the rice), add parmesan and herbs to taste.

Enjoy!

Fuel Friday #4: Pumpkin Curry

Fuel Friday: Pumpkin Curry!

Pumpkin Curry
You heard me right, PUMPKIN CURRY. It’s October, and that only means one thing…. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! Welcome to the Five Fridays of Pumpkin and this month, I’ll be writing a recipe every week featuring the single best squash out there… Pumpkin! So… pumpkin… curry? So foreign, so delicious. My favorite thing about this curry is it can be made to satisfy both omnivores and vegans alike! O_____O I know right?! Curry is so so SOOOOOO easy to make, you’ll be baffled why you didn’t do it before!

Let’s cut to the chase, WHY PUMPKIN?

1. Cheap – The amount of delicious nutrient packed fiberful goodness of pumpkin you get for every penny is astounding. A large pie pumpkin costs between $2-3, and a half a pumpkin is all you need for a pumpkin packed curry! 
2. Good for you - It is great for your skin and for your digestion, as well as feeing you that oh so needed large array of vitamins and minerals, including the ever elusive Vitamin A that us celiacs have trouble keeping in proper balance.
3. In Season! – Pumpkins THRIVE in these hard to grow areas I call home. They are very robust and can be found native in most areas, including the colder parts of the world  (but not Alaska cold I’m sure). They can handle a little frost and can store FOREVER. Stock up when on sale and they can last you 5-6 months easy in a cool dark place.

SOOOOOO this curry I keep bringing up, what is it?! It’s a Thai style red coconut curry that is so easy to put together. Most grocery stores have red curry paste in their Asian foods aisle. The ingredients are pretty simple, but I find the paste is good in a pinch, and it doesn’t have any crap in it. That plus canned coconut milk (avoid the kind with carrageen, there are plenty of kinds without it), make the base of the sauce… and the rest of the flavor comes with the veggies and friends you put in
it. So without further ado, here it is:

Coconut Curry

• 1 small pie pumpkin (or half a larger pie pumpkin) 
• 1 small head (or half a large head) napa cabbage – cut in ribbons
• 1 large carrot (or 2 small carrots) – chopped
• Peas/beans (however much you want, in the pod or loose)
• 1 leek or small onion – chopped or sliced
• 1 small can of pineapple (or ¼ pineapple chopped)
• Omnivore Option: 1 chicken breast chopped
• Vegan Option: 1 can chick peas rinsed and drained
• Optional: Thai Basil (or cilantro if you can’t find that)
• 1 can coconut milk (2 if you want an extra saucy curry)
• Red Curry Paste (to taste)
• Basmati Rice (to serve with the curry)

Directions:

1. Prep your pumpkin. Start by cutting it in half. Some find it easier to put the flat cut edge down and slice off the hard outer skin, others like to cut it in slivers/chunks and then chop off the skin like that. Either way you decide, de-shell the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and chop into small chunks. 
2. Put pumpkin and onion (or leek) in pan, start to sauté. 
3. Add Red curry paste and sauté with pumpkin and onion until fragrant. 
4. Add coconut milk, mix until smooth. Add the remaining veggies and meat if desired.
5. Put a top on the pan, and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until pumpkin is soft). 
6. Finish by putting on the basil or cilantro. Serve on rice.

Student BEFORE Spartan

So.... I have been extremely inactive on my blog lately! WHY do you ask? Because I am a student, that's why.

As many of you know, I am a graduate student. On top of that, this semester I decided to become part time and I am working full time at a new job. I just started as a "Biopharmaceutical Production Specialist" co-op at GlaskoSmithKline last week. Not only was it my first week of work, but it was also the same week as my first exam. I am taking Graduate Pharmacology while I work full time. As much as this is challenging and totally awesome, the transition really has really been difficult on my schedule.

Studying for the exam caused me to miss a whole week of working out (don't worry, after the exam I re-found my schedule). This, for me, is completly unheard of. I was upset, I was annoyed, but I was doing was I needed to do. Yes, I am a Spartan, but I payed $4k for classes, and I am a student first. I raced on two Saturdays and I put some volunteer hours in with Spartan, but otherwise from when I woke up, to when I went to bed I was studying. I finally came to terms with the fact that as much as I love being a Spartan, sometimes other things have to take precidence.

I appologize for my inactivity. In my "absence" I ran 2 awesome races, started my new job, took an exam, traveled, studied my butt off, and have just been genuinly busy. I am not making excuses for not working out. I am just finding my balance. Anyone who knows me knows that I make working out, my fitness, and health a priority, but just because I do so, doesn't mean it can't shift on a weekly basis. I still ate healthy, walked everywhere and did small exercsises when I could, but I couldn't go all out Spartan Beast mode. It took a bit to come to terms with that, but I think I can finally accept that I can't do what I want, whenever I want. And isn't that what being a Spartan is all about?

Now that I am "back" I can't wait to catch up on my blog (I will be back-dating some really fun entries), and I am looking forward to the trifecta weekend in Ohio. Matt and I are all packed up and ready to head out tomorrow!