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10 Low Effort Afternoon Snack Ideas

10 low effort but nutritious afternoon snack ideas

I keep snacking. All. the. time. That was probably the most consistent piece of feedback I kept getting during those early months of lock down. People that were used to the office environment were no working and sitting ten feet from their fridge. It was taking a toll on their waistline.

As a work from home, pre-COVID veteran, I had faced this battle myself and (mostly) conquered it years ago. The plan of attack is simple. Have a solid list of low effort snacks (sweet, savory, smooth, creamy) in the house and ready to go for that afternoon sugar dip.

These are my 10 favorite low effort afternoon snacks to stave off the munchies during that 3 p.m. conference call. Continue Reading

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5 Lessons at Five Years with Addison’s Disease

Five years ago this week, I was in an ambulance heading to the hospital. For almost a week, the doctors really couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. It was terrifying, but that was also, finally, the light at the end of the tunnel. For almost six months, I had been slipping slowly into…something.

It was so slow and inexorable, it was almost invisible. Until the end. Near the end, I’d lost almost forty pounds, grew tired climbing the stairs, and freaked out about an electric tea pot. That was not invisible. God bless, Michelle and the girls for putting up with me. There are now a whole block of photos that we refer to as the sick times. Continue Reading

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7 Tips for Better Home Grown Beets

Like kale, I think beets are long overdue for a primetime makeover. As a plant-based athlete, I love beets. Beets are a rich source of antioxidants, like vitamin C, carotenoids,and nitrate. Nitrate is a chemical naturally occurring in certain foods and is converted into nitric oxide when consumed. Beets can raise your nitrate oxide levels which studies have shown can increase blood flow and improve lung function. In short, beyond just being nutritious, they can make you a better athlete!

So they are tasty and a natural athletic supplement, but what about growing your own? Another reason to like beets. They are a quickly growing, fast-maturing and easy vegetable to grow in a home garden. They are fairly hardy in frost and cold tolerant and can be grown throughout the spring, summer, and fall in colder climates like New England.

So how do you grow better garden beets? Here are my top 7 home gardening tips for better beets. Continue Reading

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Top 10 Posts from 2019

top 10 posts of 2019

I wrote fewer posts in 2019 (149 v. 123) versus the previous year but page visits and views both increased over 25% as older posts continued to perform well and some new content caught on. The drop in posts doesn’t mean I was writing less overall, just writing less on the blog. Turns out writing two books and blogging and doing all the associated indie author things takes up a lot of time. The blog has always been a personal hobby and I’ll continue to do it as long as it’s fun.

I started blogging (on and off) almost 15 years ago now and I like to think of this blog as a throwback to those early pre-blogger days where everyone’s site was sort of a distorted reflection of their personal interests. That’s still what I typically write about. Books, reading, baking, running, weekends with the kids. Turns out people mostly want help with cooking and recipes. Especially recipes from marathon-winning athletes. Continue Reading

Chilacates in Jamaica Plain

Chilacates on Centre St. in Jamaica Plain

I’m going to get this out of the way right off the bat. We are an Anna’s Taqueria Family and have been for more than 20 years. But we also really like Mexican food in just about all forms. Put it in a tortilla and I’ll likely eat it. As I’ve said before, lack of really good pizza and burritos in the suburbs where we live is the biggest food fail. I can make a very good pizza but haven’t really conquered recreating great Mexican street food at home. We are always on the lookout for a new burrito or taco place that is closer to home. Jamaica Plain isn’t all that much closer than some of the Anna’s locations but Chilacates was worth a try. Continue Reading