It's a little late, but here is my write up on my trip to Lake Tahoe for the Spartan World Championship's October 3, 2015. 

After 3 plane rides and over 6 hours of layovers later, we finally landed in Reno, Nevada Thursday evening around 8:30pm.  Got our rental car easily and made our way to our hotel which was about 1.5hrs away in Susanville, California.  It was dark when we landed so we had no idea what was around us.  Heading to bed early, our goal was to head over to Squaw Valley early in the morning and check out everything Spartan had to offer!  We ate breakfast and headed out, oh the view of the fields and mountains as far as the eye could see.  I was excited so we programed our GPS for Squaw Valley.  2hrs and we would be there it said...ha!  After our GPS took us on a 4.5 hour mountain adventure with the wild cows of the mountains, we finally made it there!  To my surprise, they had the hills open and you were welcome to walk the course and check it all out!  And that's just what we did.  Taking pictures of everything we could.  The views would take your breath away (if the altitude didn't).  The winds were gusty at the top but not too cold for mid afternoon.  I felt so honoured to be at the top and be able to stand under the Olympic Rings!  

After spending the majority of the day there, we decided to head back to the hotel for a good nights sleep and then back again for the race in the morning.  We re-programmed our GPS who I now named 'Gar' to take us through the city back to our hotel this time, another 2 hours it said...ha, ha, ha...he had so much fun with us!  Well, somehow our lovely paved road turned into a mountain road from hell and we got lost...another 4.5 hours in the mountains.  This time it was dark and not so much of a fun adventure.  Anyway, I managed to get a 5 hour sleep in before it was time to get up and try this drive again on Race Day.  We made it this time and in under the 2 hours that 'Gar'  told us!  Right on, he finally knows where he's going I thought. 

We get there bright and early, or I guess, dark and early, and it was freezing out!  I think it was only 32*F which is only 0*C and frost was on everything.  I was so excited I was bursting at the seams!  After a quick walk through, a quick little warm up, it was time to jump the gate and get started!  the first obstacle was a couple of 4' walls and then rolling mud...and water...brrr...only waist deep so far.  Then we ran a single trail around and sorta up the mountain and back down.  Next we were back to the start for the vertical cargo climb and the uneven monkey bars, which by the time I reached them, they were broken.  Some of the bars had come out of the bindings and the bars would spin uncontrollably which meant burpees for a lot of us....me included.  Then it was a really nice run around the trails again.  Another 4' wall and then the over, under and through, (one of my favorites), and a very scenic climb up the mountain to the Hercules hoist.  This year, they made the women's bags 100lbs and the men's 150lbs!!  I got mine up easily but the burpee section was jammed packed with those that couldn't.  Then there was a 6' wall to get over and off on a good stretch of trail running before hitting the inverted wall followed by the log carry.  I didn't realize the women's logs had the weight written on them and it turns out that I grabbed a 41lb log...wahoo!!  I only had to put it down once, thanks to training with my 6 foot long,  50lb log at home. 

Then we ventured onto the longest up hill climb ever!!  I think it was about 5km straight up to the top of the mountain.  It was so steep at times, you had to put your hands on your thighs and push....whew, it felt good to reach the top.  Just look at the view!!!!  A sandbag carry at the peak of the mountain, I'm very thankful that the women only had to carry 20lbs up, by then my lungs were feeling the altitude!  A few hurdles and then we were off for the swim.  Mandatory life jackets for all...thank goodness!  The water was around 43*F when I approached it, and in my head, that meant 10*C.....so wrong...more like 4*C!  I knew the second my head hit the water, yes, I dove in!  There was a camera man there and I wanted a good picture, which never got posted, go figure lol....anyway.  When I came up, everything in my body seized and I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it.  So I played it off, screaming and yelling about how warm the water was, within 30-60 seconds, my body went completely numb letting me swim it as fast as I could without cramping up.  Awesome, I swam it so fast I think I passed everyone in the water.  I got out, got dressed and started running up the hill to the next obstacle, and that's where it all went down hill.  My legs completely seized up and I could no longer walk let alone run.  My teeth started chattering and my entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Oh my Goodness...I don't like the cold!!!  We then had a series of obstacles starting with a sled pull and farmers log carry, then to the barbed wire crawl 1, a 5' wall, barbed wire crawl 2, a 6' wall, barbed wire crawl 3, a dunk wall with more freezing water, a slip wall and then 1 more barbed wire crawl and 6' wall. 

Now here's where I thought, there's no way I am going to survive another dunk in cold water, I still couldn't stand straight or talk without my teeth clanging together, so in my mind, doing burpees would save me by warming me up.  So off I went for the burpees.  In hindsight, 3 minutes of burpees in the gusty cold wind as opposed to 30 sec in cold water, I would choose the water if I had the chance again.

Then right after that was the rope climb.  much shorter than we have in Canada but no matter, if you can't open your hands, you can't climb a rope.  So more burpees for me.  Then off to another cargo climb and then the atlas stone carry.  here's where Megan found me shivering and trying to eat my frozen bar.  I remembered learning that if you are freezing, eat something,.  The thermal effect of metabolising your food will warm your core and keep you from turning hypothermic.  I'm sure I was already close but I was willing to try anything at that point.  There were a lot of vehicles taking people down the mountain in blankets and I refused to be one of them. 

After completing the atlas carry it was my first chance to try the Tyrolean traverse!  I thought I was going to fall.  There were some AMAZING volunteers there and one of them got right in my face and motivated me all the way to the bell!  I know I would have fallen without him!  A huge hug and a Thank you didn't even come close to the gratitude I as feeling at that point!

Then the dreaded spear throw...I have been practicing...practicing a lot, but still to no avail, burpees.  Here is where I got saved...lol.  The burpees section had a lot of dry grass there that had been soaking up the sun all morning.  It was like laying in a warm blanket of heaven.  So I stayed there for a few minutes until my body warmed up and then I was ready to kick it again!  Wahoo!

Onto the stairway to Sparta and the bucket brigade.  This being my first bucket brigade, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Well, expect the worst, that's all I can say.  It was a VERY steep, long hill to climb with my bucket of dirt and rocks, but I broke it down by counting 20 steps on the way up and 50 on the way down.  Finally made it with no light showing through the holes!!  Then a few more walls, hurdles, another barbed wire crawl and 1 more wall, we are almost to the finish!! 

Then there they were, the last 2 obstacles standing between me and the finish line.  The traverse wall...made it to the last 2 pegs and just couldn't hold on...burpees.  But then the platinum rig.... wait, what!!  This was torture!  I had no grip left and to even attempt this I must be crazy.  Yep, just as I thought, only made it to the second ring and fell off....more burpees, but then a sprint to the finish and it's over! 

I made it!  Not even close to the time I was hoping for but 5:59:15 for my first beast is alright I guess.  Now I have met my goal this year of my first Trifecta!!Thank you to my great friend Megan for enduring all the incredible adventures with me, To Spartan and all the amazing volunteers for a race I will NEVER forget and the mountains of Squaw Valley for taking my breath away literally and figuratively and giving me a lifetime of memories!! 

Pre heat oven to 350*


In a bowl, mix together wet ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, whisked
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
* you can also add 1-2 TBSP of maple syrup depending on how ripe your bananas are.

In another bowl, combine dry ingredients:
1.5 cups almond flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 walnuts
1/3 semi sweet or dark mini chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients together and mix well.  Fill lined muffin tray 3/4 full of mixture.  You can top with additional walnuts if you like.  Bake in oven for 18-22 minutes.  Toothpick comes out clean when they are done.  Makes 12 muffins.

I was craving tacos today and I am getting tired of taco salads so I decided to try eggplant taco sliders and they were amazing!

Preheat oven to 350•

Slice 1 medium eggplant into 8 even rounds and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes each side or until tender

Cook 1lb ground chicken or sirloin beef until browned and mix in low sodium taco seasoning. (Mrs. Dash makes a no salt version)

Top each round with 1 tbsp of meat and a sprinkle of low fat mozzarella cheese. Put back in oven and bake until cheese is bubbly. Top with 1tsp salsa and a blob of plain greek yogurt.

I paired 4 slices with a spicach, strawberry and goat cheese salad. Yummy!

This is my favourite smoothie!

1/2 large banana

3 frozen strawberries

1/3 avocado

2 cups baby spinach

1- 1.5 cup almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Blend together until smooth and Enjoy!

These easy to make pizzas are a must make!

Take medium eggplant, wash, dry and slice into 1" slices. Bake in 350• pre-heated oven for 3-5 minutes per side or until tender.

Spread with pizza or marinara sauce, top with pre cooked chicken breast and low fat shredded cheese. Bake again until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

*tip- to save on dishes, line your baking tray with tinfoil. Then when you are all done, you just throw it away and the dishes are done!

Time to get back to real food.  So the question is, What is real food?  Ask yourself these simple questions:

1)  Does it come in a box, can, bag, jar, or need to stay frozen?
2)  Does it have a nutritional label on it?
3)  Does it contain more than 1 ingredient?
4)  Will it last longer than 3 days?

If the answer is yes chances are,
it's not real food, it's processed.  So what is real food then?   Here is a VERY
short list of some of my favorite real foods?

oatmeal,     chicken,         yogurt,           bananas
apples,        cashews,       haddock,        cauliflower
carrots,       broccoli,       turkey,            kiwi
spinach,      lean beef,     ham,               oranges
berries,       peppers,       flax seeds,      sweet potatoes

You can make a ton of meals with just these ingredients.  Spice it up with some herbs and spices, garlic and basil are 2 of my absolute favorites.  Now get back to real!

What are your favorite real foods to eat?

Healthy eating habits are formed at a very young age.  What you feed your children when they are young, will impact their health and food decisions for the rest of their lives.  Here are some easy ways to help implement healthy eating habits in your children while they are
still young.

1)  Have regular family meals at the table.  Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, shut down the cell phone and the computer and interact with your family.  Try to avoid ‘meals on the run’ eating in the car or stroller, as these fast easy meals are usually not the best choices.

2)  Keep a variety of healthy food options in your home at all times.  If between
meals, your child is hungry, offer them a small healthy snack, they will be more
likely to eat it when they are very hungry.  An example of healthy snacks could
be a small box of raisons, a few apple slices, bluebarries, some watermelon,
red/green pepper slices, or some broccoli florets.

 3)  Be a role model.  Children as young as the age of 2, will copy and imitate what they adults around them are doing.  If you are making healthy food choices, your children will follow suit.

4)  Avoid food battles and rewards.  Try to let your child have as much say as
possible during meal times.  The more they are able to choose, the larger the
chance is that they are going to eat what they chose.  Remember to NEVER bribe or reward your children for eating or making healthy choices.  This is something that will follow them into adult hood forming some bad habits. (such as dessert after EVERY meal!)

5)  Get your children involved.  Children love to feel needed.  Take your child to the grocery store, tell them that you need them to help you get the fruits and vegetables for supper that night.  Your child will be excited to go with you and choose healthy foods, and again because they chose them, chances are, they will eat them!  Allow your child to help you with the meal preparations and the cooking of the meals.  I still remember helping my Dad prepare supper, peeling carrots, chopping fresh rhubarb, shelling the peas, peeling and slicing the potatoes, and so much more.  Very fond memories.  I think that is why I love to cook so much.

This is an example of a lunch the children at my daycare love, The Mish Mash lunch.  They all get to choose  something to go into the lunch and at the end, I never have any left over’s!   Today’s Mish Mash lunch consisted of hard boiled eggs, ham and chicken deli slices, raw carrots, broccoli, red peppers, 1 slice of marble cheese, and a slice of whole wheat toast.  Delicious!

What are your children’s  favourite healthy foods?








http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/habits.html#

http://www.nclnet.org/food/142-childrens-nutrition/397-form-good-eating-habits-early