This Weeks Training Plan + Soft GF Cookies

So my original training plan is turning out to be more of a guide at this point. The first three weeks I was only doing the run/walk plan two times during the week and then my "long" run on the weekend. I had also made some small adjustments to the times as I was feeling that my body was recovering faster during the walking time allowed and I felt ready to run sooner.

I am, once again, making some adjustments to the plan for this week. I am also going to plan a cross training day.

Week 4

Run/Walk Plan: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

• 2 minute warm up
• 2 minute run x 1 minute walk. Repeat 8 times.
• 2 minute cool down

Wednesday - Spin Class

Saturday - 4 miles

I started Monday out with a green smoothie for breakfast. I combined Naked coconut water, spinach, basil, pineapple, and PlantFusion protein powder in the blender until smooth.

This weeks lunch is just a mixture of ground chicken, rice, peas, and corn seasoned with some good ol' Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb. Simple and satisfying.

For my afternoon snack, I had a handful of Nut Thins and a 100 calorie package of Wholly Guacamole. I was excited to see that Kroger had it back in stock. No more brown guac! Yay!!

When I got home I found a FedEx package on my front door step that contained my Zoot Compression socks! I'm a little bit of a match-y freak so I had to get the ones that matched my shoes.

The socks are left and right foot specific and sadly the box only contained right feet. If I had two right feet, I don't think I'd be running. So they e-mailed me a FedEx return label and will be shipping me a complete pair of socks. The exchange was easy-peasy. Now I just have to wait... again. I hate waiting.

I felt a little hungry before I headed out for a run so I grabbed a fruit strip to munch on while I was getting ready.

Running in 86 degree weather is not fun. I actually prefer to run during the winter. It might be freezing for the first five minutes but after that you're nice a toasty. When you start out toasty you go to burning after a mile. Overall it was a decent run. Not my best, but decent.

I cooked up some tostadas made with corn tortillas, black beans, ground turkey, tomatoes, salsa and lettuce for dinner. This is one of my favorite meals. You could add some avocado and cheese too. I leave them off because of the calories.

After dinner I wanted something sweet and thought I would try out these Gluten-Free Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Tina from Carrots 'n' Cake wrote this recipe.

These little cookies are amazing! They are soft and delicious; however, each cookie is about 200 calories a piece. Yikes! I only ate one. I really wanted another but I didn't have an extra 200 calories in my calorie budget, so I passed on seconds.

Question: Do you make training plans? Do you follow it without change or do you make changes as you go along? Fill me in by leaving a comment below!



Yummy Gluten Free Brownies

I had a few people ask me for the brownie recipie I made a couple of nights ago. I found the recipe on Pinterest and only made minor adjustments. I just used Gluten Free flour instead of regular and didn't add nuts.

Yummy Gluten Free Brownies

• 1/4 cup Unsweetend Applesauce
• 1 medium Banana, mashed (about 4.5 ounces)
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 overflowing tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup Zucchini, grated
• 1 cup All-Pourpose Gluten Free Flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Take a tablespoon of the GF flour and cover the pan. I had to use a brush to get the flour to spread.

3. In a large bowl, combine the banana and sugar. Beat until it is all combine and there are little to no banana chunks left.

4. Add sugar and mix.

5. Add vanilla and cocoa powder to mix. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the dry ingredients mixed with the wet.

6. Add baking soda, salt, and zucchini and mis well. 

7. Add flour and mix until smooth.

8. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20 minutes. (If they're too moist, leave in for 5 minute incriments until it reaches your desired consistency.)

9. Take out of oven and cut into 10 pieces. Each piece will give you approximately 123 calories, 29g  carbs, less than 1g fat, 2g protein, 2g fiber.

The brownies were delicious while they were still warm! You could serve this with some fro-yo or eat it on its own. Just be sure not to eat the whole pan in one sitting! Enjoy!



Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

I was going through my e-mails on Thursday and stumbled upon a bunch of recipes for cupcakes. They all looked so delicious and I saved [almost] all of them to my Plan to Eat account. After spending all that time looking at the deliciousness, I decided I really wanted cupcakes. Instead of using one of the recipes I found, I kind of made up my own - all because I wanted to fill them. So, after a discussion with my friend Heather, I decided I would make Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana cupcakes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

Cupcake

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup milk

Makes 22-26

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

- In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter; beat until combined. Gradually add brown sugar and granulated sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

- Fill prepared muffin cups about two-thirds full. 

- Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

- Use an apple corer or a cupcake corer to remove the centers.

Filling

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar 

1/4 cup flour 

1/2 cup milk  

5 tablespoons butter 

2 ripe but firm bananas, mashed 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 Tablespoons Lemon juice  

- Combine confectioners' sugar, flour, and milk in a saucepan; cook, stirring, until smooth. Continue cooking until mixture thickens; transfer to mixing bowl, cover, and chill (approx. 5 minutes).

- Beat butter and bananas into the chilled mixture

- Place a plastic bag and fold the seal around a cup to make transferring the filling easier. 

- Cut the corner of the bag and fill the cupcakes.

Frosting

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

4 ounces milk chocolate, melted 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

6 cups powdered sugar  

Milk (if needed)

- Mix cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and mix. Add one up of powdered sugar at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add melted milk chocolate and mix well. Add a teaspoon of milk at a time to thin it if needed.

- Place icing in a piping bag or a plastic bag and frost cupcakes.

(I'm still working on my frosting technique.) 

I actually made two batches of these cupcakes. I made a regular batch on Thursday night, ate one and took the rest to work to share! I then made the gluten free cupcakes on Saturday night for my friend Kelly. I ate one of those too.. yeah, they're not healthy but they were delicious! 

Enjoy!!