I am super pumped. This past weekend I finished my first running race, the Ellicottville EVL Half Marathon and I finished in my goal time. I wanted to do it in under 2 hours and came in at 1:57. I could have done 1:56 but I stopped and grabbed my puppy from my husband so he could finish with me (WORTH IT!). I’ve done half marathons before, but within the context of a Triathlon and that was ten years ago. Running was difficult already back then since I was prone to stress fractures, but add in two back injuries, lets just say running has become quite a feat. I will save the details of my running saga for Fitness Friday as my whole experience with the race and training fits right in with my Friday topic.
For today, I want to talk about what I have been consuming to recover from the race. While I should be doing much more, I am healing very quickly from what I have available at home.
Before you start to think that I only make good choices, I should note that I have also been doing things that are not good for my recovery: I rewarded myself with Nadamoo ice-cream, which is my all time favorite. I also devoured cheddar popcorn and Sunday I made pumpkin apple coffee cake that was a vehicle to finish off my ice cream. Not smart but delicious!
Anyway, the good stuff: For starters I have been pumping my body full of antioxidants. and taking double the amount of shots of Ningxia Red per day. I also have a supplement called Agilease that is loaded with turmeric and other nutrients to support the musculoskeletal system, so I have been doubling up on those as well. I’ve been making sure to do light activity with bouts of rest to keep my lymphatic system active and capable of clearing out the damaged cells. I have also been making vegetable based high protein soups that are easy to digest. My Meatless Monday recipe is the stew recipe I made for the night before the race, the morning of the race, and for the day after. I feel that I am recovering exceptionally fast. My calves are really the only part of my body that is more sore than usual but other than that I feel great! If you saw me immediately after the race you wouldn't believe it was possible 🤣.
Anyway, for my stew, I used red lentil pasta which you will learn all about for next week’s Meatless Monday. For added protein I included great northern beans. To bump up the antioxidants I used a ton of garlic and drizzled pumpkin seed oil on top the soup (stay tuned for Wellness Wednesday to learn about pumpkins seeds and oi!). For a little green I added in some frozen broccoli florets that I had in the freezer. Since it was super cold and rainy I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I always feel a little bit like I have the flue after a long run like that so I find the chicken broth very comforting but normally I would use vegetable broth to make the soup vegan.
Thats really it! Its such a quick, simple, and yummy soup to make in a hurry. It also got two thumbs up from my husband which is always nice.
Here is the recipe:
Click HERE to download and print this recipe.
Ingredients:
6 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
1 Bag Red Lentil Pasta
1.5 Cups Chopped Fresh or Frozen Broccoli
1 Can Great Northern Beans
1/2 Can of Pumpkin Puree
2 Tbs Butter
Pepitas (Shelled Pumpkin Seeds) for Garnish
Pumpkin Seed Oil for Garnish
Directions:
Melt butter in a pan on medium to low heat. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes
Pour in Chicken Broth and frozen or fresh broccoli, bring to a boil
Add the red lentil pasta and cook covered for 6 minutes.
Stir in the pumpkin puree and beans. Let cook covered for another 5-10 minutes, or until pasta is fully cooked
Add to bowls and drizzle a little pumpkin seed oil over the top and sprinkle with roasted salted pumpkin seeds.