Countdown to Silver Strand Half Marathon: 2 days left

I apologize for being so quiet.  It's taper week, which means if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.  Not being able to run off daily stress and frustration means that I am a grumpy mess, but at least my glycogen stores are building!

Two exciting things happened today!  The first was that I started my carbo loading!  I actually carbo load started TWO days before a race (and I load up on iron to help my muscles utilize oxygen).  If my race is on a Sunday (like the Silver Strand half is), I start with dinner on Friday night.  I like to have red meat and lots of high carb veggies.  Tonight's meal was Paleo Chili and Sweet potatoes.
The next morning (Saturday morning) I will have a high carb breakfast.  I'm planning to have Pumpkin pancakes, a new recipe that I'm HOPING is good enough to share with you!  The rest of saturday is spent eating Clean and Paleo.  Only white meat (chicken mostly), LOTS of high fiber veggies (to help with race morning elimination) and low calorie.

I don't agree with the idea of carbo loading the NIGHT before a race.  Often times this causes constipation and may make you feel bloated and heavy.  Who wants that on RACE morning??  By carbo loading in advance, my body has time to process AND STORE the glycogen and iron it will need for my race.

 I haven't forgotten about the SECOND exciting thing for today!  It was PACKET PICK UP day at Road Runner Sports!  I'll be running with bib number #2514!  I will be tracking my race with Runkeeper Elite, so feel free check my Twitter feed on Sunday to see how I do.

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Smoky Beef-andMushroom Skewers with Roasted Sweet Potato Puree

There are loads of reasons to be Paleo.  Some people have medical conditions that are lessened by a diet without processed foods, others follow the diet on their path to greater physical fitness and others live a Paleo Lifestyle because it's better for the planet.  I'm paleo to lose weight.  It's low carb but high energy (thanks to being high fat) so I can still be an endurance runner and lose weight.  It's not often that I find a paleo-friendly recipe in a fitness magazine.  The industry of "fitness advice" still hasn't widely recognized the benefits of a Paleo Diet.  But the "whole foods" approach certainly has and so there are recipes out there to be found.

I found this recipe for Smoky Beef-and-Mushroom Skewers with Roasted Sweet Potato Puree in the September issue of Fitness Magazine.  This recipe is easy to make, quick to prep and can impress guests, especially those who think "this paleo thing" is weird.  Who says the Paleo Diet cant' be Haute Cuisine?  I like to serve this with a side of strawberry and arugala salad with a basalmic vinaigrette.

Smoky Beef-and-Mushroom Skewers 

with Roasted Sweet Potato Puree

Serves 4  Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp chipotle chile powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 pounds trimmed top sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick, cubed
• 24 cremini or white button mushrooms
• 2 tsp basalmic vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Slice the sweet potatoes in half length-wise and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Roast 20 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork
2. Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high heat.  Combine chipotle chile powder, cumin, and 1 tsp kosher salt; add steak and toss to coat.  Thread steak and mushrooms on 12 skewers and cook for about 8 minutes for medium rare, turning halfway through   
3. Remove sweet potatoes from oven, let cool 5 minutes and peel.  Place peeled sweet potatoes and vinegar in a medium mixing bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.  Season with kosher salt.  Divide mashed potatoes among four plates and top with 3 beek-and-mushroom skewers each.  

Nutrition from magazine: 304 cals, 34g protein, 25g carbs, 8g fat, 2.6g sat fat, 4g fiber, 751 mg sodium