No safe place in my house for cream pie.

Monday, July 19, 2010
I had a bad week of eating. Holly had made three different cream pies for Savannah’s birthday dinner and I worked hard at eating the leftovers to all three before they spoiled into pools of oil, fruit and other gross-looking stuff. They never made it. I was eating it for breakfast, after workout snack, dinner, and a bedtime snack. I needed none of these calories…though dessert is always about ‘want’ and never ‘need’.

I didn’t gain any weight though, because I’m still working out every day and watching the calories from other sources. I maintained my ‘don’t drink calories’ routine and I watch that I don’t overeat at meals. Still, if I want to achieve my long-term, weight related goal, I need a better substitute than sugar/fat laden desserts (is a life without Breyer’s worth living?).

So…back to Pinole and other weird Tarahumara running food. Marie stopped over with her latest batch of Pinole and, after tasting the bars without the chocolate chips, I classified this recipe as “Marie’s yucky Pinole”. I’ll post the recipe anyway because we’re trying to improve on the basic version to make it sweeter. I’m planning on adding some brown sugar and taking out the nutmeg (what was she thinking?).

Marie’s yucky Pinole (except part with chocolate chips)
1 cu. Cornmeal
2 Tbsp. chia seeds ($10 a pound)
2 Tbsp. of agave (weird honey-like substance)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/8 tsp of nutmeg

Toast the cornmeal in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it turns light brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, mix in cinnamon, and sweetener or other spices, and desired amount of water. This paste can be baked for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees to make brownie-like cake.

Marie added chocolate chips to the top of half the pan…the other half was pretty bland and a little dry. Once perfected though, it is an excellent trail bar because the chia seeds, which store nine times its weight in water, empties slowly from the gut, thus spreading out the energy qualities so essential to long-distance, aerobic events…like running over 100 miles at a crack as the Tarahumara Indians often do.

The run was another slow, pathetic effort. I managed 50 minutes, but not without a dunk in the Chagrin River. When will the heat end? When will I stop whining about the heat not ending? When the heat ends.

Run duration: 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 850.