songs of experience

Are the post-Thanksgiving lbs. accumulating on your hips and gut and underarms (jiggle, jiggle)? Well, here’s a tip for you food-minded folk. I have a secret salad recipe that is the perfect training fuel for any training fool. In my serious running days, I consumed this salad for lunch every day for about 12 years. I’ve never related to people who say they run to eat. I eat to run. Sure, I enjoy chocolate and beer and a slathering of butter on my everything bagel, but I do not - never have, never will - count calories or worry about my weight. I learned a long time ago to listen to my body and eat what it craves. Like in high school, when I would drink orange juice with a raw egg blended in every day for lunch. I am guessing I was craving protein and vitamin C. There are times when I am jonesin’ for some filet mignon and merlot, so I assume my hemoglobin (red blood cells) needs a boost. When I was pregnant the first time, I couldn’t get enough of french fries and vanilla milkshakes … so, my body must have been putting on extra fat to carry the baby to term. It’s all pretty basic stuff. Eat what you need to run - and eat well to run well.

Okay, here’s my salad recipe (Runner’s World, beware … I may do a pasta recipe next!):

Start with about 1 cup of cottage cheese (high or lowfat, depending on your preference);
mix in the following:
2 Tbls. raisins
2 Tbls. salted sunflower seeds
1 small granny smith apple, cut up
1/2 banana (the other half was on your morning cereal, I presume), sliced
1/2 cup of pineapple tidbits and the juice poured over the entire salad
optional: chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries, or whatever fruit is in season

over all, pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice and mix thoroughly before eating.

Yum!