Mountain Mother Runner

I am nine weeks deep into ultra training, which means the nutrition plan experiments continue. One thing that has become a favorite is this Hemp + Coffee Chia Pudding . There have been runs that I couldn’t fully prepare for, so I opted for something packaged and quick. Those runs also ended up with energy crashes, hunger, and GI issues. Yuck! The best way to train and be properly fueled is to plan ahead! When I’m on a long run, I want my food to be bite-sized, easy to chew, and moist enough that it doesn’t leave my mouth feeling dry. A batch of these Elite Beet + Hemp Bites are perfect for carrying in a vest or belt and are the perfect size to pop in your mouth. Dates contain 50% more potassium (by weight) than bananas, which is great for muscle recovery. The Hemp Hearts from Manitoba Harvest are a powerful addition to this snack. The amount used in this recipe contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omega-3 and omega-6. How’s THAT for fuel?! BAM!  ...

Oh don't mind me...I'll be hiding in a corner stuffing my face with all of these Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins! They are soooo tasty and a great way to sneak more veggies into your (or your kiddo's) diet. Instead of using egg as a binder, this recipe uses an alternative flax meal "egg substitute". Flax meal is simply ground up flax seeds. These tiny seeds are a great source of fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, and protein! Another treat that I've used flax substitutes in are these Walnut Flax Cookies . Pin this recipe for later!  Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins ·          1 Flax “egg substitute” (1 tbs flaxmeal and 3 tbs water) ·          2 cups oat flour (2 2/3 cups rolled oats) ·          2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted ·          1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ·          ½ teaspo...

Striving to find a balance of healthy and tasty can be controversial in our household. Depending on who you ask (ahem...me) a cookie can be yummy without sugar, then ask someone else (my husband) and it might be a different story. Our 2 1/2 year old toddler is the biggest critic and if she gives something her stamp of approval by eating it while asking "more, more please" then I claim success !  We live in a society drenched in sugar, hidden in secret places and being labeled as unfamiliar terms. I try my best to be aware of what we are feeding our daughter and prefer to prepare her food at home, from scratch (mainly), and limit sweets for special occasions. Her first birthday cake was a homemade vegan cupcake topped with plain Greek yogurt and wild foraged blackberries. Her second birthday was a cupcake with actual icing from our local co-op, but she didn't even eat half of it! So far she's growing up without much of a sweet tooth and I have zero problem with...

Say “hello” to another fermented treat! Along my kombucha brewing journey, I’ve turned into a part-time experimenter in addition to full-time mama. Besides the endless (and sometimes strange) flavor combinations I’ve tried for the 2 nd fermentation, I’ve also discovered some tasty ways to eat the extra SCOBYs. These Tangy Probiotic Snacks don’t take much prep before you throw them in the dehydrator and go about your day, then BAM, they’re ready! I chose "snacks" because they're not quite jerky and not anywhere near a gummy. If you missed my previous recipe post about how to make your own SCOBY Apple Fruit Leather, check it out HERE .   In addition to the ingredients, you’ll need a dehydrator, cutting board, jar/non-plastic container, and either kitchen scissors or a knife. I use a NESCO FD-60 Snackmaster® Express Food Dehydrator (you can purchase here ). Marinating in orange juice When previously making these, I dusted each piece of SCOBY individual...

Last year I took a ‘How to Make Kombucha’ class at the local co-op. Our instructor was Julie, the owner of OLY Cultures , based out of Olympia, WA. Her business sells ‘live’ culture starter kits for kombucha, milk kefir, water kefir, and mozzarella and ricotta cheese in addition to teaching cooking and instructional classes. We got to taste different flavor combinations and ask lots of questions! Once I had my complete kombucha starter kit, my journey of brewing booch began! If you are familiar with brewing kombucha at home, then you know that with each batch, the SCOBY doubles itself, or simply grows another baby SCOBY. A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, supporting the immune system and improving digestive health! At first I ordered a gallon size jar to use as a SCOBY hotel. Once that started to fill up, I’d give cut up SCOBY to our pup as a probiotic dog treat, blended up a cleansing SCOBY face mask, and added SCOBY pieces to our smoothies. I started to expe...