WIAW #7: Carbs are the New Black?
| November 9, 2011 | Posted by Nada under WIAW |
Hello everyone, and happy hump day! 
In the spirit of chronicling my half-marathon training, for this WIAW I thought I’d show you guys how I’ve been fueling myself during my first official week.
I kind of always thought carbo-loading was a myth, but I’ve actually noticed I have a lot more energy when I’ve had a good carby meal the night before a run.
Exhibit A: Vegan butternut squash mac n cheese with brown rice pasta (adapted from Oh She Glows’s original recipe.)
This was delicious and surprisingly authentic tasting! The butternut squash made the sauce so creamy and you’d never guess there was an extra helping of veg in there.
I had tons of sauce leftover so I tossed it on some raw zucchini pasta the next day for lunch. Just as good if not better than the original version.
I’ve been on a bit of a baking spree lately.
Wholemeal seeded pita breads. These were so good I ate a whole one fresh from the oven.
They made for great sandwiches.
Mozerella Sheese, hummus, avocado, lettuce and tomato.
And of course, dipping utensils for some garlic roasted hummus.
Not complete without a ginormous marinated kale salad.
(Yes, I’m overdoing it with the nutritional yeast, but I don’t care! It’s that good, seriously.)
Other baking endeavors included oatmeal date cookies.
Perfectly sweet and chewy! (Recipe soon I promise.)
Refueling has been all about smoothies.
This one consisted of raspberries, bananas and hemp a la Pure2Raw.
But this morning’s breakfast was another monster bowl of cereal with homemade almond milk.
Nature’s Path GF flakes, bran sticks and some puffed wheat (sent to me by the lovely Shannon!), lots of cinnamon, dates, walnuts, bananas and sunbutter.
***
Monday night I put together an Indian inspired vegan dinner for the roommate.
A starter of socca chips served with a mint yogurt and cucumber salad and some cheater’s mango and chili chutney.
Followed by butternut squash, chickpea and spinach curry on quinoa, with a side salad of greens, coriander, onions and fresh red grapes.
Made for another good library lunchbox the next day.
The meal was concluded with some not-so-Indian oatmeal raisin cookies.
I prefer the date – but these were still pretty good, especially warm from the oven. The roommate concurred.
All in all I’m finding it a little tough to re-introduce a lot of starchy carbs back into my diet. When I first went about losing weight I cut them out completely, and eventually got so used to not having them that I just don’t crave them anymore. I used to be helpless in front of a steaming bowl of creamy pasta but now it definitely wouldn’t be my first choice.
I made the pita bread when I realised how long it’d been since I’d had a sandwich, which got me thinking about this whole carbs debacle. I don’t actually have anything against bread, pasta or potatoes anymore. I just think the standard varieties aren’t as nutrient dense as I would like, so my goal for the coming weeks is to have more healthy starchy carbs like wholewheat bread(check), pasta and cereal grains.
Where do you stand with carbs?
Do you think carbo-loading works with regards to fueling running/exercise?
Favourite kind of cookie?
Until next time!
Yum, those pita look fantastic… you clever thing! I love carbs, but I’m not a big bread-eater – oats, rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat etc just suit me better. Occasionally I’ll have toast in the morning, but I will be hungry half an hour later… I find bread (even heavy, grainy types) doesn’t fill me up as well. I like open sandwiches – I’m all about the filling rather than the bread. My partner goes through a loaf of bread EACH day, it’s a good thing I have a bread maker – he’s crazy on bready carbs. Favourite cookie? Hmmm coconut, oat, dark chocolate and apricot, yummo
I agree – whole grains like quinoa and buckwheat are definitely more to my liking. And that cookie combo sounds exotic and delicious!
Oh my gosh, so much deliciousness in one post…I’m overwhelmed! Must revert to numbering method:
1. Your little pita pockets are so pretty! Love how you added the pepitas on top!
2. I ALWAYS overdo it on the nutritional yeast…which is hilarious since I absolutely hated it when I first tried it.
3. Omg, I don’t normally bake much (not a huge dessert person) but I can’t wait for the recipe on those oatmeal date cookies! My co-workers would LOVE them!
4. And lastly, um…you need to come to my house and make me Indian dishes! That curry looks phenomenal!
I think its so strange how so many people dislike nutritional yeast – it’s incredible! And I would gladly bring you an Indian feast if you lived close enough
I was exactly the same with carbs, especially as I lost most of my weight eating high protein. It wasn’t until I became a veggie that I started to eat carbs again. I have to admit I still don’t eat them as much as others as they can feel kind of too heavy for me, especially at lunch, but I’m glad I got over my ‘carb fear’ – I ate them and didn’t balloon into an elephant
The mac n’ cheese and pita sandwiches and salads…well Everything looks delicious!
I’m so glad I did Wiaw this week. I’m finding some new vegan and veggie blogs. Your post is nice. I really wanna eat that MAC n cheese at the beginning and those date cookies. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by!
So it’s 9pm here and I’m waiting for a friend to pick me up for dinner…oh and I’m starving! I thought blog-reading would help get my mind off my tummy growling and this post has done nothing for that case! Love seeing your eats and hilarious title!
Firstly hope you will share that pita recipe! And secondly:
For the longest time, I stayed off bread/processed carbs but I’ve become a little more laid back! I feel better when my sources of carbs are from oats, brown rice and potatoes (sweet and regular) and definitely notice an improvement in my performance when I eat sufficient amount of carbs! Especially as I run on an empty stomach (bad I know, but no time in the morning), I eat a bowl of cereal right before I sleep the night before and it does the trick! Over time, I’ve come to realise that it’s not carbs that make people fat…it’s the amount! Even though I don’t count calories/points anymore, I weigh out my carbs because it’s oh too easy to go overboard! Sorry for the ramble but basically, my view is: eat carbs regularly but just be cautious about portion sizes! Have a great Wednesday and I want that butternut squash pasta- heavenly!
That’s a good point, most people tend to overdo it with carbs so it’s all about finding the right balance. And good tip about the cereal, I hate eating before an early morning run because it makes me feel sluggish so I’ll try that out. Also I’ll share the pita recipe once I’ve fine tuned it – they came out a little too dense the first time round!
So I just ate breakfast and ALL your food is making me hungry, Nada! Squash mac n cheese, the Arabic food, Indian inspired…yum!
Well, I know you saw my sandwich post so I think you know my stance on carbs
I definitely used to restrict them…and in all honesty, I still am very choosy about my carbs, but they definitely make me happy AND satisfied- I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of rice or pasta, but I absolutely cannot say no to any form of GOOD bread, or cakey things
I used to be such a rice and pasta fiend I’m still kind of shocked at myself for not particularly craving either anymore! But I suppose in a way I’ve replaced them with more nutritious and wholesome grains so it’s not all bad. And I’m a sucker for vegan baked goods – I had vegan fairy cakes today with “butttercream” icing – amazing!
I’ve had an odd relationship with carbs mainly due to what I read in the press. But, now I realise that they are good for us and eat them all of the time!
I love carbs…especially rice. I couldn’t live without them!
I wish you were my roommate Nada…your meals look delicious.
Thanks Ameena
How many times do I have to tell you to move to London!
i am so jealous of all of your eats. they look so good! i miss being in the kitchen
and as for carbs, i used to be totally freaked out by them. and now i love them! they give me so much energy. i think carbo loading is important for big exercises or races. but i think it should be done over time. like increasing carbs throughout the week before a race. and i don’t mind to carbo load at all 
Increasing gradually sounds more sensible than just gorging the night before so I’ll keep that in mind!
I’ve always found that eating something hearty the day before a race helps, along as their healthy whole carbs, count me in!! Great post, your foods look delicious!
Okay, I want EVERYTHING in this post. It all looks amazing. Especially those oatmeal-date cookes, I can’t wait for the recipe! And I tend to go crazy with the nutritional yeast, as well. I can’t get enough!
Oh, and carbs are my best friend. The end.
Oh my goodness girly…so much YUM in one post!! I absolutely love carbs and it’s so sad that people stay away from them because they think that they’re bad when in fact we need more of them than any other food group because they give us energy even just to LIVE! I love carbs..particularly in the form of muffins and cereal hehe! But I particularly love pitta when it comes to bready carbs and wow, yours look amazing!!
I am extremely jealous of all the indian food you can cook up too..my fave cuisine ever <3
So looking forward to your muffin recipe!
I LOVE carbs! I’ve noticed too, that I have a lot more energy if I eat more carbs. All your eats look delicious! Thats so cool that you made your own almond milk!!
Yay! Glad you like my package!
All looks so so good! Especially those oatmeal raisin cookies. What a way to end the day!
Carbs are the new black in my life as well. I can’t believe there was a time in my life when I didn’t eat them. That sauce looks great. So many people have raved about that recipe so I suppose I’ll have to bite the bullet and try it, huh.
Recipe for the pita breads? I’ve been wanting to make some.
Cookies and I don’t mix. I’m afraid of them still. One thing at a time, is suppose.
i cant even began to say how delicious this post is!!!
carbs and i are best friends. haha i love them!
I looooooooveeee carbs! i know they are not conducive to this whole “I wanna lose these last 20 pounds” thing I’ve got going on but I CANNOT do the whole “low carb” thing.
I’m switching over to whole grains and hopefully that helps.
In my nutrition class we talk a lot about carbs, so I like them much more now, and I think that yes, for endurance athletes carbo-loading is essential!
It looks like you had an amazing day of eats. So glad you adapted that Oh She Glows recipe. I have never seen that one before, but I’m happy you did it so now I can make it. Carbs are good as long as you don’t overload on them and neglect your fat and protein percentages. Plus there are a lot of different sources of carbs. Oh the life of a nutrition major.
all your eats look fantastic, i wish i could come over for dinner one day. we could do an arab/austrian exchange? haha
i am so crazy about nutritional yeast too, i literally pour it on my salads and soups. so i can totally relate to u!
Oooh, oatmeal date cookies! And delicious creamy zucchini pasta! It all looks amazing
Loveeee carbs. Those pitas look awesome!So do the cookies and your Indian feast. I’m hungry just looking at it!
[...] while back I tried my hand at making fresh wholemeal pita breads from scratch. They were good – but something was [...]