As most readers know, I’ve been a Vital Proteins Ambassador for just over a year now. Last month, I posted about the results I’ve seen in my own personal life. I’ve also posted about my hair, skin, and nails as well.
There are some days that I’m lazy and don’t want to cook a fancy meal for dinner. Maybe I’m cooking for one, maybe I’m exhausted from work, or maybe I just want breakfast for dinner.
What the case is, I’ve found an easy way to sneak collagen into waffles. I haven’t tried adding collagen in a waffle for breakfast. I think it would be fine but I’ve had good luck with having the same waffle and peanut butter for years before running (or anything), so why change now.
If you’re looking for an easy waffle recipe and to get collagen to try this. I’m not foodie, but I’ve been to enough diners to know I like a crisper versus soggy waffle.
First, did you know it’s International Waffle Day? It’s the perfect day to celebrate at a diner…
When I relocated to Alabama, I knew I had to go to John’s City Diner (Birmingham). It has been consistently named one of Alabamas best diners. Making the time to get to the diner is tough.
For a diner, it has odd hours including not being open on Sundays and only open for dinner on Saturdays. So yes, John’s City Diner is not open for breakfast on weekends. Due to my schedule, I almost thought I wouldn’t be able to make it to Johns City Diner at all.
Johns City Diner is located right in downtown Birmingham. Since it’s in the downtown, it’s located in a row of buildings and not the usual stand-alone diner you see.
Atmosphere: B
The outside has a big sign that says, Johns. There isn’t a lot from the outside that screams diner. In fact, it’s easy to miss Johns City Diner unless you’re looking for it. I ran by it twice during the Drum Run and had no idea.
The inside is painted to match a diner atmosphere. There are several booths and tables. There is an awkward bar in the corner, but it doesn’t appear to be used much. There is a large diner room with plenty of booths and tables.
Coffee: A
The coffee at Johns City Diner was brewed fresh, and the whipped cream was homemade. It was one of the better diner coffee I’ve had recently.
Service: C
The waitress seemed preoccupied or as if she was having a bad day. Even though we got there at opening (5 pm), it took a while for our table to receive food and drinks.
Food: B
The menu at Johns City Diner is limited. Johns City Diner is known for their comfort food and they have everything from garlicky spinach to meatload with all-natural gravy.
There is a single page of food, and they are well known for their mac and cheese as well as chicken and waffles. I had been very excited to try their chicken and waffles, but when we went, they were out of chicken. To be honest, I was disappointed but what can you do.
For an appetizer, we ordered the fancy bacon which was bacon with grits. It was a small portion, but the bacon and grits were delicious. It was rich and while small, quite filling. It was some of the best grits I’ve had!
Because they were out of chicken and waffles, I ordered the pork chops. I was pleasantly surprised because it was a huge portion of pork chops. I was expecting a smaller size. The pork chops at Johns City Diner were delicious and cooked perfectly. It also came with a large portion of sweet potatoes and garlicky spinach. I enjoyed both.
I was disappointed Johns City Diner was out of their signature menu item, but the food was still good. I was able to go again right before we left and ordered the chicken and waffles. Johns City Diner is farm to table and they use Natural Creekstone farms beef, Maple Leaf Farms Duck, and Springer Mountain Farms Chicken. It was by far the best chicken and waffles I’ve had to date. The chicken portion was actually bigger than the waffle!
Dessert: A
We ordered the white chocolate bread pudding which was perfect. I have no complaints. I prefer bread pudding that is actually a piece of bread so this fit the bill.
Cost: $$
For my coffee, the appetizer, entree, and dessert the cost was $40. It was pricey for a diner, but I’m not sure I would classify Johns City Diner as a diner.
Overall thoughts/ Summary:
I liked Johns City Diner, but I was extremely disappointed they were out of the chicken and waffles. If I’m in Birmingham, I would like to come back, but with their limited weekend hours, I don’t know if that’s possible.
Atmosphere: B Coffee: A Service: C Food: B Dessert: A Cost: $20+ Overall: B
I was asked last week to describe a typical day in the (eating) life. Please keep in my mind, I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, dietician, or online nutrition coach. I am just me, a person who likes to eat relatively well and tends to blow their budget on eating at restaurants.
I decided to record everything last Monday. I don’t usually count calories, but I’m generally aware of an estimate of how many I’ve eaten. I know if I’ve eaten 1500 and am starving or ate 2500 and feel fine. It works for me. Since being injured, I also know I’ve put on between 3-5 pounds. I haven’t weighed myself, but my guess is I weigh somewhere between 130-135.
Breakfast (5:15-5:30 am):
I enjoy waffles for breakfast. I utilize my waffle maker every morning. I’ve had the same breakfast for a long time, and I know it works for me. I eat the same breakfast whether I’m running, working out, racing or whatever. I’m normally in the minority, but I am hungry when I wake up.
Waffle (500ish calories):
(easy recipe)
2/3 cup flour
1/2ish cup milk
1 egg
baking powder
You can add whatever else you want in it. I’ve added blueberries, pumpkin, chocolate chips and even cocoa powder. It’s a basic ingredient list.
This is a plain waffle
I normally catch up on work, emails, and everything and head out for a run between 6:30-7. I like to eat before I run and never have an upset stomach during my runs.
On Monday, I ran 4 miles. My run was uneventful and boring. It felt okay, and my ankle felt good, so I have no complaints. In fact, my ankle has felt completely injury free since too.
After my run, I ate a cup of Greek Yogurt and had coffee. I’m currently enjoying Fage or Chobani. I choose whichever is cheaper at the grocery store. I don’t normally drink coffee before a run but like to get Starbucks or Wawa afterwords…Monday was unusual for me and was my first iced coffee in about two years. I don’t know why I was craving one, but I was. That alone deserves a photo.
After showering and getting ready, it’s time to begin the actual day. The meat of my day is always interesting and no two days are the same. Sometimes I’ll work in the store of Running Co; sometimes I’ll work at home, and still other times I’m on base doing things. My google calendar has become my best friend to keep me on track and not missing anything. I have my phone and computer synched up.
Last Monday, I wasn’t in the store, but I had a couple of meetings as well as something to take care of on base. When I left my house around 9:30 am, I wasn’t home until around 4 pm. I try to pack my lunch, so I don’t end up spend a lot of unnecessary money along the way. Plus going out with friends is much more enjoyable than eating on the road.
By 11, I’m hungry. I had a roast beef sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and mustard. I also had a few carrots and a peach. It was boring but good. I tend to each more frequently and often when I’m out or in the store. When I’m at home, I’ll just eat lunch and move on.
Roast Beef sandwich on wheat
By 2, I was hungry again and ate another (exactly the same) sandwich. A sandwich isn’t really a full meal, but it’s not a snack either. I just consider it two lunches.
I got home around 4 and my husband, and I decided the night before we wanted steak. I try and have red meat once or twice a week, and steak is by far my favorite red meat.
We usually do something simple like grill it and have a salad and potato. That is one of my favorite homecooked meal. It’s easy, fast and delicious. We aren’t fancy, and our meals normally take 30 minutes at the very most to prepare. I do the vegetable and potato cooking (which is not cooking at all) and my husband grills. I’ve also been drinking a cup of milk with dinner to keep getting calcium. This evening we had asparagus too.
Lately, I’ve been doing core and strength at night. I dedicate about 30 minutes to it after dinner. I catch up on TV, get more core in and then relax. From 6-9, I do that, relax and sometimes get work done. If anyone needs a new Netflix show, I have loved “Army Wifes”. A lot of social media happens at night, so sometimes I’m online for things like that too.
I’ve been making smoothies with a milk base, protein powder and whatever else I can find in the house. Sometimes cocoa powder, sometimes fruit, it depends on what I’m craving. On Monday, I added milk, a scoop of protein powder, a half cup of pumpkin and cinnamon.
I’ve stopped eating a lot of sweets and dessert every single night. We tend to go out for dessert. Do I enjoy cookies and cake? Of course, but I don’t think it’s necessary to have them every single day. I used to crave sweets almost every evening but about two years ago I stopped having as much sugar and artificial sweeteners and no longer crave them. I always add a Truvia or sugar to my coffee. Thinking out loud, I used to dump boatloads in…no wonder I craved sugars.
In summary, I’m a fairly boring person when it comes to life and food. I eat what I get on sale and try to eat healthy. Just like running, a day of good (or bad) eating doesn’t determine your health. Consistency does…
Questions for you:
What is your favorite food?
What are some good lunch ideas? I definitely need help in that department.
A lot of people question how I eat enough to withstand 100 mile weeks. It couldn’t be possible to ever gain weight while running 100 mile weeks and you couldn’t possibly eat enough to withstand that activity…ect.
First and foremost, I only ran 100 mile week. I didn’t run 52 but rather just 1. That was my peak week and most of my other weeks were between 60-80. Most not all. As much as I want to credit myself to running multiple 100 mile weeks, I know I would just get injured running several in a row. (or more then 1).
I’ve rambled about this a few times but blogging nutrition and real life nutrition is not the same thing. I feel bad for certified dieticians and nutritionists that also blog. They get mixed in with other bloggers whose research involves personal research and study which is not the same as being certified. Point blank: it’s not. I’ve taken plenty of nutrition classes but don’t know nearly enough as someone who has studied and has their undergraduate, masters, or even PhD. I can tell you what has worked for me but that is no way telling what will work for you or that is right or wrong.
The majority of healthy living blogs focus on getting enough vegetables, fiber and more vegetables into their diet. If I ate half the amount of vegetables that some people do, I would be able to run 1 mile…maybe 2 with deciding it was time to go home.
When you run high mileage and exercise you must learn that you have to eat a lot of foods that aren’t high in fiber. You must eat food that is still healthy but you can’t eat 3000 calories worth of broccoli. You also can’t eat 3000 calories worth of ice cream. Both will result in you not feeling great for a run.
A typical day for me looks something like this right now:
Breakfast: 400-500 calories
Coffee+cream (100-200 calories…my vice).
Some of my breakfast choices lately have been: Bagel and peanut butter, egg sandwich, eggs and toast, waffle with Greek yogurt or peanut butter.
A standard waffle with peanut butter and yogurt has been my go to before races right now and I think I’ll stay to that before the marathon (as well as a bagel with peanut butter while waiting around beforehand). My standard race day nutrition used to be a bagel with peanut butter and yogurt but I had stomach cramps a few races back and it was enough to change my mind.
Raspberry pancakes make me happyBagel+peanut butter+yogurt also make me happy
French toast bagels are my favorite (panera or wegmans FYI)
Run
Lunch (within an hour of running) 500-800 calories
I’ve been having a lot egg sandwiches lately. Eggs, avocado and cheddar cheese on a bagel. I really just have whatever is in the fridge. It could be a sandwich, soup or salad. I don’t have a standard post run meal or lunch. I normally just like to eat what is in the fridge.
Sometimes I’ll go to the gym in between, sometimes I won’t. (now that I’m tapering, I don’t).
egg and ham sandwichlentil soup (this cold has got me craving it)Soup with parm cheese so goodRandom salad I attempted to make restaurant worthy…they never are as to why I try and eat salads at restaurants more.
Snack: 200-300 calories
I consume a lot of yogurtNo really…’Baked apples are good (especially in the cold)I also eat bars on the go…snickers marathon bars are really good
I normally have a snack sometime in the middle of the day. I’ve been enjoying apples and peanut butter lately but that is only because apples have been so cheap at stores. I also have left overs if they are in the fridge.
Dinner: 800-1200
As if anything else is planned, my dinner is the least planned and changes daily. I am such a meat and potatoes kind of person. I’ll have a serving of meat (steak and fish being my favorite), some sort of vegetables (cooked kale, brussel sprouts and spaghetti squash are my current favorites) and some sort of grain. I’ve been better about eating a carbohydrate such as bread or race. I’m actually not a big pasta fan (I don’t like the consistency) so I tend to eat more rice and bread.
steak and potatoesham and potatoes (and apples)Sweet Potato+Salmon+mushrooms (I’m so different)
I normally like to make a smoothie at night with a cup of milk and protein powder. I have a big sweet tooth so often times I’ll just have ice cream. I don’t really schedule a treat at night but if I’m craving something I’ll have something. Whatever I’m craving I generally have at night. I go to bed around 9-10 personally.
ice creamice cream, cherries and whip creamProtein shakehot cocoa and whip cream
—–
I know this is very vague but it’s how I eat. I don’t worry or stress about food or getting my vegetables daily. As much as I say I want to meal plan, I don’t. If I eat too many vegetables then I don’t feel good running. I don’t know how people eat so many vegetables (honestly). I do strive to get vegetables but not overboard. I try and get enough protein, carbohydrates and fat but I don’t track it and it doesn’t ruin my day. I found the less I stress about food the easier it is. I’ve never had a problem getting enough food and have never lost weight during a training cycle.
I will say I’m hoping to do a carbohydrate deplete and then carb load during my final week of taper.
Questions for you:
What does a typical day for you look like?
Do you plan your food weekly or eat when you are hungry?
There was one series of classes in high school that I struggled with. No it was AP nor honors courses but foreign language. I was terrible at Spanish and got straight C’s every semester. I thought since I had passed the courses I would never have to take foreign language in college but that ended up not being the case. I had to take Spanish in college too and I failed Spanish 103. I then struggled through it again senior year of college.
So how does Spanish even relate to today’s waffle?
In high school we would have the option to bake something and bring it in for 10 extra credit points on our test. It was foolish for me to not take that option even though my Spanish might have been a little better then my cooking. Luckily my mom always helped me make the Tres Leches (3 milk) dessert cake and it was always a hit with my teachers. I think it was honestly why I got a C and not a D but I didn’t ask questions.
Tres Leches Waffle
Tres leches literally means 3 milk and the cake itself has three different types of milk and is very sweet somewhat similar to the hummingbird cake. The cake is known for being very moist from adding the topping.
Ingredients (cake):
2/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
Glaze:
7 ounces evaporated milk
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup syrup
Topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix the wet ingredients to dry. Cook in waffle maker.
For the glaze, mix in a separate bowl and pour while still hot. The glaze should go right through the waffle and keep it very moist.
Finally mix and add the topping which should have more of a frosting appeal.
Obviously this is a little more complex then 99.9% of my other waffle and pancake recipes (and also a tad more unhealthy) but what can I say, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to pass her classes. By me, I mean my mom really did most of this work back in high school but I helped.
Question for you: What classes have you (or did you) struggle with most in school?
