On-The-Go Breakfast Sandwiches

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Coco

I usually eat one of my favorite breakfasts at home, but sometimes I need to get something on the go.

There is a Starbucks® by my office (does that go without saying?) and my favorite breakfasts there are the Perfect Oatmeal (I usually stir in 1/2 the nuts and the raisins) and the reduced-fat turkey bacon with egg white and white cheddar cheese English muffin sandwich (seriously, that name is longer than my custom latte order–decaf, tall, skinny, one-pump cinnamon dolce latte).

Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon with Egg Whites on English Muffin

Starbucks® Low-Fat Turkey Bacon/Cheese/Egg Sandwich
Calories: 320
Fat: 7 g
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrates: 43 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sodium: 700 mg

Even though there is a Panera® near our house, I don’t usually eat there because I think of their food as being high-calorie and carb-heavy. On a recent visit I saw a sign with information about their new Power Breakfast Sandwich.

It has a whole egg, white cheddar cheese and ham on whole grain bread. The nutrition information was surprisingly good and it was really delicious!

Panera® Power Breakfast Sandwich
Calories: 330
Fat: 14 g
Protein: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sodium: 830 mg

The calories and fiber content of the sandwiches are comparable.  I always thought the Starbucks® sandwich was high in sodium, and am surprised to see that the Panera® sandwich is even higher. (Ugh.) The Panera® sandwich has more protein and fewer carbs, but I don’t worry about those numbers very much.

As much as I love the Starbucks® sandwich, I must admit that the made-to-order taste of the Panera® sandwich makes it extra-yummy as compared to the made-to-microwave Starbucks® sandwich. On the other hand, sometimes you just want bacon!

Have you tried these breakfast sandwiches? 

What is your go-to drink order at Starbucks®?

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Training Log – GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler – Week 5

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Coco

This is my training log for week 5 of getting ready for the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler on April 10. (You can read my log for week 1 here, week 2 here, week 3 here and week 4 here).  My training goal is to train without getting injured and my main race goal is to cross the finish line with a smile like I did last year.

Let me know if you have any tips or comments!

March 28
21 min elliptical
free weights:
deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
plie squats/tricep dips
lunges/bicep curls
squats/lateral raises
hamstring curls/leg extensions (Bowflex)
side-lying leg lifts/crunches

March 29
TM: 45 min hill program (level 5)
Cycle 1 (4 hills): 5.7 mph
Cycle 2 (4 hills): 5.8 mph
Cycle 3 (4 hills): 5.9 mph
Cycle 4 (4 hills): 6.0 mph
Notes: This is the fastest/hardest I’ve done hill intervals and it was fine. The steepest hill at 6.0 mpg was a bit of a challenge, but no complaints from my ITB or hip!

March 30
Twists program from Rodey Yee A.M. Yoga For Your Week
free weights:
deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
plie squats/tricep dips
lunges/bicep curls
squats/lateral raises
hamstring curls/leg extensions (Bowflex)
side-lying leg lifts/crunches
Notes: I swapped out my 20 min elliptical and did yoga instead because my body was suggesting it. 😉

March 31
4.5 mile neighborhood run
Garmin data: 9:30 avg pace. First mile = 10:12 min. Last 1/2 mile = 9:00 min/mile pace
Notes: Stretched and rolled afterwards. My glutes and obliques are sore from yesterday!

April 1
20 min elliptical
free weights:
deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
plie squats/tricep dips
lunges/bicep curls
squats/lateral raises
hamstring curls/leg extensions (Bowflex)
crunches/chest presses
side-lying leg lifts/crunches
Notes: I cut my lunges, squats and Bowflex exercises down to 2 sets of 15 (instead of 3) because my legs are feeling tired and my race is next weekend!

April 2
7 mile hilly neighborhood run (full report here)
Garmin Data: Distance: 7.4 miles; Time: 1:09
Split times: 9:52, 9:09, 9:05, 9:18, 8:58, 9:26, 9:16
(I had no idea those middle miles were so fast.)

April 3
Double Yoga: “Standing” and “Twists” programs of my Rodney Yee A.M. Yoga For Your Week DVD.
Notes: After yesterdays fast, hilly run, but lower back really felt tight. Even though it felt fine when I woke up this morning, I decided to treat myself to a double dose of Rodney Yee!
 

Posted in Fitness, Training Log | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Knowledge Is Power

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Coco

I loved Schoolhouse Rock as a kid, and enjoyed “going back to school” with my kids.

I can still sing many of the songs.

And remember many of the lessons.

The main lesson of all of the shows was this:

So, why would we put up with a food/restaurant industry that wants to keep us in the dark about nutrition information?

It burns me up when they say that we “don’t want to know” nutrition information.  

High-end restauranteurs say that when we dine at their establishments, it’s a special occasion that shouldn’t be weighed down with calorie counts and fat grams (my pun, not theirs, it would be too truthful).

Fast-food restaurants say that we don’t change our orders based on the information they provide, so they shouldn’t have to go through the trouble.

Now, as reported in the Los Angeles Times, movie theaters are resisting the requirement because it would be bad for business.

That’s right. They don’t want to tell us the calories/fat/sodium in those buckets of salted, butter-flavored, popcorn because we might not buy as much. (Although, honestly, if we already will pay $6 for less than 25 ¢ worth of food, I’m not sure we would make a wiser decision based on nutrition information.)

Would we put up with this from any other industry?

Drug companies have to inform us of unlikely side effects, even when our doctors have decided that the benefits outweigh those risks.

Household chemicals must be labeled so we know what we are using and how to handle it safely.

Yet for food that we put into our bodies we are willing to be outright ignorant?

We would rather not know as long as it tastes good?

I’m not buying it.

Even if I’m not necessarily going to make the healthiest choice, I think I have the right to make an informed choice.

Update (April 2, 2011)

An article in today’s Washington Post by Lyndsey Layton reports that the FDA’s proposed rules will require “[c]hain restaurants, convenience stores, concession stands and vending machines” to display calorie information. Yay! 

But, the rules will not apply to movie theatres, who have argued that “they should not be subject to the law because peope go to theaters to see moveis, not to eat meals.” 

That’s right, friends. The calories, fat and sodium in that tub of popcorn and over-sized box of candy don’t count because you are eating them in the dark.

Do you think movie theaters (and other concession stands) should provide nutrition information?

Do you have a favorite song from Schoolhouse Rock?

Posted in Food, Venting | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Long Slow Run

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Coco

Today I did my last long run before the GW Parkway Classic on April 10. I decided to go for 10 miles, and I decided to make a real effort to make it a “slow” run to minimize the risk of injury. Based on my training, I thought a 10 min/mile pace was a reasonable goal.

It was cold this morning–34F!–so I was bundled up in my long pants, thick top, windbreaker, gloves, and Nike iPod-holding hat.

And, even though I’ve had them since November, I finally remembered to wear my Zensah calf compression sleeves.

When I started out, I figured that it would be easy to keep to a “slow” pace. My calves felt heavy with the compression sleeves, my quads felt heavy from this week’s workouts and my heart felt heavy about my Dad. I didn’t feel emotionally raw like I did last week, but emotionally tired and just not in a kick-ass mood.

My usual run is 8 miles. To make it 10, I thought I could add a 1/2 mile out-and-back to the start and end of my run, since that segment of the path is relatively flat. (I’ve been adding a mile at the beginning of my run that way, for my 9 mile runs). I realized that it might be hard (mentally) to keep running for another mile after my usual stopping point, so I decided to add the second extra mile before my turn-around, by running 1/2 mile further before turning back. That worked out well, as I reached the extra 1/2 mile after climbing a hill, but before the path started down the next hill.

It ended up being a good run. It was cold, but the sun was shining and it wasn’t windy. The bike path was less crowded than usual because of the National Marathon going on in D.C. today, but there were still plenty of runners out. It was exciting to see these signs where side roads entered the parkway:

I did pretty well at keeping to a slower pace, although I still ended up being faster than I intended.

Garmin Data
Distance: 10.1 miles
Time: 1:38
Avg Pace: 9:40 min/mile
Split Times: 9:50, 9:45, 9:40, 9:36, 9:32, 9:48, 9:47, 9:39, 9:40, 9:31

My ITB seemed to appreciate the slightly slower pace. Although it “whispered” to me, it never even felt tight.  Even though it was chilly, I took time at the end to stretch, although not as much as I would have if it were warmer!

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Yes/No Questions

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Coco

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading included these familiar words from John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

The priest spoke about how this passage seems to be over-used, with “John 3:16” plastered on bumper stickers and billboards without any context.

John 3:16

It is often used as a lead-in to prostletyzing: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?”

The priest brought up the difficulty of yes/no questions that are framed so that either answer is not satisfactory–the classic example being, “Sir, have you stopped beating your wife?”

He said that “Do you believe in God?” bothers him, because it seems to give power to the state of our own believing or unbelieving, while God’s existence is unaffected by our doubt or disbelief. He explained that a more relevant question is “Do you have a relationship with God (or Jesus)?”

The sermon didn’t phase me much because I do believe in God and I feel like I do have a relationship with Him, so neither question bothers me.  I also know that my Dad believed in God, and his strong faith was very much a part of my upbringing. 

The next day, though, another yes/no question came to me, that his sermon helped me see in a different light: “Do you believe in life after death?”

(The Cross and Crown seal of the Christian Science Church)

Since my Dad died, I have been dealing with the differences between our faith traditions. He was a Christian Scientist, and I have been an Episcopalian since my early 20’s. While the Book of Common Prayer that we use in my church has several beautiful “burial” services, the Christian Science Church does not do funerals. We, of course, will honor my Dad’s wishes, but I was (and still am) feeling a bit “adrift” without a service, ceremony or ritual to mark his untimely passing.

But when the yes/no question came to me, I saw it in the bothersome way that my Dad might have. Christian Scientists don’t mark death because they don’t believe in death. Life is eternal, and the material trappings of this life that are not eternal are not real. I know I am oversimplifying things, but that is enough of an understanding for me to make peace with my Dad’s wishes.

Do you believe in God?

Do you believe in life after death?

Do you want fries with that? 😉

Posted in Life, My Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments