Tales from the Chicked

by Carrie Adams

(Originally posted on the Spartan Race blog.)

This story is special to me, because as a female endurance athlete, single mother to two daughters, AND a Spartan employee, promoting the women who come to our races and encouraging more to take part means a lot to me!  Spartan Race is one of the fastest growing active racing organizations in the world. We are more than just your average “mud” run we are an international obstacle racing organization that promotes athleticism, an active lifestyle and bringing together a community of people across the globe. A community of people comprised of some pretty amazing women and girls. 

Spartan Chicked...The Beginnings

She had an idea, an idea to create an army, an army of women who know no fear, and would be willing to take on the mighty Beast that is Spartan Race. Well, when Spartan Race Brand Manager, Carrie Adams, envisioned the Spartan Chicked Army she knew it would be something special. It all started with an email July 5, 2011 -

"Hey ladies...

So we are all doing the Beast and I thought we could go as a "Team" with Spartan chicked gear and promote strong, awesome women. Tara the raddest graphic designer I know is putting together a logo and we'll get matching shirts ordered.  I want to have 10 on our team if we can, so if you know any others, let me know!!!  It's not about speed or ability either.   

For the race, my thought is - run YOUR race.  We run as a team in spirit but races are about meeting your goals so if you want to break out, by all means, it would be AWESOME for one of our ladies to come in first....

So, Tara can you send us some shirt options?  Performance gear is preferred in my opinion so NOT COTTON and in black.  Tank tops.  What do you all think?  :-)

Carrie"

Catey Baby Berry Muffins

by Carrie Adams

Originally posted on www.keepingitclean.org
I am a single mother to two beautiful girls: Taylor and Caitlyn.  They are mini clean eaters and love helping me bake and cook.  My older daughter Taylor helps me pick out dinner recipes for the week, shops with me and even pitches in on the cooking and cleaning up.  My girls often inspire my baking and today after dance class, while still in her tutu, Catey came up to me while I was making protein bars and asked, "Mama, will you make me something sweet?"  After my heart melted, I checked the fridge and found that  I had plenty of fresh berries and decided to make her some muffins.  I threw this together with some nutritional bonuses from the baby food, flax seed, and hemp protein powder.  I always put a drop of honey on the top of my muffins for an extra touch of sweetness.  They turned out delicious and Catey got her "sweet" for the day.

Nobowl Oatmeal!

by Carrie Adams

Originally posted on my clean eating blog www.keepingitclean.org! 

With all the cooking I do, I feel like my arms are constantly submerged in a sink full of bubbles or emptying my dishwasher. I also travel CONSTANTLY and it’s not easy to stay on the clean eating wagon in an airport so I have to prepare!  (Paleo enthusiasts don’t fear!  You can substitute quinoa for the oatmeal if you like!)

Driving with a bowl isn’t recommended and many an evening I have taken a crusted bowl out of my car and labored to scrub off the remaining oats off the sides working up a sweat. I also need to toss things in bags and take them with me so I came up with the perfect solution. With a glass of milk, these oatmeal treats, boasting 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per cookie, are as hearty as bowlful and as healthy too! Grab two on your way out the door for delicious, healthy morning breakfast!

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup Old Fashion Rolled Oats (Paleo alternative is 1 1/4 cup cooked Quinoa)
½ Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (alternative: ½ cup oat pastry powder)
2 TBSP Flaxseed
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. Sea Salt
½ cup Agave Nectar (alternative: honey)
1 egg white
1 TBSP almond butter (alternative 1 TBSP organic peanut butter)
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup chocolate chips (alternative: dried fruit, i.e. raisins, craisins, etc)
2 TBSP Chia Seeds
2 TBSP Hemp Protein Powder
¼ cup Sweet potato Puree
2 scoops whey protein powder (alternative: 2 scoops soy protein powder)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix Oats, flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, baking soda, chia seeds, hemp protein powder, and sea salt in a large bowl. Combine Agave, egg white, almond butter, vanilla, and sweet potato puree in a medium bowl. Combine the two mixtures. Spoon mixture into 16 or so evenly spaced cookies and flatten slightly with your spoon.
Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition Information per cookie: Calories: 117 Carbs: 19 Fat: 2 Protein: 6 Fiber: 3

Above Me

by Carrie Adams

“If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will write in blood on forgotten walls. I will write always. I will capture nights all over the world and bring them to you”
― Henry Rollins

Originally posted in www.leavingapath.com. 

My running and training lately has taken on a new dimension. One that’s not singular in nature.  So often in a sport that consists of simply putting one foot in front of the other we find ourselves becoming enveloped in self discovery, self reflection, self EVERYTHING. It’s finishing MY race, getting inside MY head, getting MY time, telling MY stories.  But, my stories aren’t what compels me these days.

Down with O.P.P Bars

Cut bars

by Carrie Adams

First posted on www.keepingitclean.org

I was in the mood for a sweet filling treat on this cold afternoon! I've been on a major sweet pumpkin and peanut butter kick.  They are great as a breakfast on the go with egg whites and veggies or even as a snack before bed with a glass of milk.  Portion size is 2 x 2 so keep that in mind as you snack away! 

If you don't have pumpkin on hand,  fresh sweet potatoes or a can and a half of organic pureed sweet potato is a great substitution!  The other half a can I add to meats, sauces, and soups for additional nutritional value and nothing is wasted! 

Miami Inspired Dinner!

by Carrie Adams

Originally posted on www.keepingitclean.org

We have some amazing Miami chicks and we are heading back to beach on February 25, 2012!  It came to mind as I was poking around our calendar yesterday.  Even though home base for me is Omaha, I travel to Siesta Key every year with my daughters. It’s been an annual event for over 15 years actually!   We parasail, I scuba dive, I run the beaches and swim for days!  It’s a relaxing weekend with my girls and a great chance to train in the warm Florida sunshine.  With food, I am always spoiled - I have had fresh fish every day - the seasonal  produce and sea food abound so we are taking advantage of the citrus, berries, and fresh fish fillets from the local market!

Muscle vs. Fat

by Carrie Adams

Originally posted on www.keepingitclean.org

Do you obsess over a number on the scale?  Do you think that getting to a certain point on the scale will make you happy?  The numbers game we play with ourselves is something I encourage people to move away from… if you want to follow a number, get your body fat percentage measured and use that as your true measure of success and use that as your barometer for health and overall well being. 

Look at the picture on the left.  That is a representation of five pounds of muscle and five pounds of fat.  As you can see, the 5 lbs. of fat is much bulkier than the 5 lbs. of muscle, but five pounds is still five pounds. Muscle does not weigh more than fat.  So because muscle is more dense than fat, the correct way to state the the comparison is, "Muscle is heavier by volume than fat." 

Dinner and Dancing

by Carrie Adams

I spend so much time thinking about food.  I love food.  I do. On top of all the thinking about the food, I spend almost as much time shopping for it, preparing it, serving it and eating it!  I cook for my family, for my friends, for my running team - pretty much anyone. My kitchen is the heart of my house.  Food is a passion... So is dancing...

J and J Protein Bars

by Carrie Adams

I first made these back in the spring and you’ll soon find out (I’ll post my recipes often) that I like to improvise in the kitchen!  I really just throw things together.  I eat clean but I have two kids and I like to eat hearty food so I had to find something that was healthy, tasted amazing, and was nutritious.  These have become epic. Epic!

Believe me when I tell you that at 200 calories for two large bars (as they are made below – adjust calories, etc if you substitute) you'll satisfy your sweet tooth, keep it clean, and help you stay fueled for the day!  Thanks to Spartan Chick Lynn Lena I had them just before the Staten Island Hurricane Heat!  They are named for two of my good friends from Omaha – Jim and Jamie – they are frequent running partners and frequent eaters of these amazing bars.