By: Matt Frazier
Don’t you just love when one of the words in a recipe title is in quotation marks, almost as a disclaimer?
30-Day Challenge Week 1
Well, the first week of our 30-Day Challenge is over, and I want to know who’s still with us! Some people started early, and some are still signing up (really), so not everyone is at the one-week point. But how’s it going anyway?
Mine and Erin’s are going swimmingly. Our vegan, high-raw meals from Thrive
this week were chickpea curry pizza, which made enough to have leftovers literally three times, and raw zucchini, shredded with a vegetable peeler to resemble pasta, topped with a raw sun dried tomato sauce. I saw a zucchini “pasta” meal like this on a blog a few months ago and thought “No way could I ever do raw if I have to eat like that,” but we found it to be a really nice, fresh change of pace!
I’ve been doing my foam rolling and stretching too, as promised. It’s really nice to have this challenge of doing it on every non-workout day, because even when I just do a little bit, I feel great afterward. So much less overwhelming than feeling like I need to go through the whole routine, which always resulted in not doing it at all.
Here’s the zucchini “pasta” recipe, from Thrive.
Raw Zucchini Pasta Recipe
Author: Matt Frazier
Serves: 2, with extra sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup grated cucumber
- 3 Tbsp hemp oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak the sun dried tomatoes for 20 minutes in the water. While they’re soaking, shave the zucchini with a vegetable peeler to make “noodles.” Once the sun dried tomatoes have soaked, place them, along with the remaining ingredients (NOT the zucchini) in a food processor. Process until desired consistency is reached.
That’s it! Simple, huh? You might want to use a little less water if you like a thicker sauce. Also, if you aren’t into raw, you can saute the zucchini with a little coconut oil over medium heat for a few minutes. We tried this once, but found that we liked it better totally raw. Also, you can heat the sauce over low heat for a few minutes. We did just enough so that it would be warm on the plate.
18-Mile Run
I have an 18-miler scheduled for today. I’m in the midst of a really high-mileage part of my Boston-qualifying training program, where I have long runs of 17, 18, and 20 miles in consecutive weeks. And this is even less than prescribed; I modified it just a bit because of the toll taken on my legs by the 5K I ran a few weeks ago.
I’m a little concerned about boredom during this run– in comparison to the beautiful 17-miler I did at Hilton Head last weekend with Erin following me on the bike, the flat, straight trail I’m going to today is mind-numbingly boring. Luckily, I read the blog Westford Mommy (by a fellow hopeful BQ-er) this morning and got the idea to download some podcasts to listen to during the long run. I downloaded the one she recommended; we’ll see if that helps. I can’t imagine it hurting; the only way the run might be more boring is if I were to, say, bring along a small patch of grass to water and feed and watch it grow, or maybe a little section of drywall that I could paint and watch dry while I run.
Ok, have a great Monday! And don’t worry, foodies, we’re only eating vegan/high-raw three days a week. Yesterday was an off day, and we made the best grilled pizza (no quotes there, just pizza) that I’ve ever had, loaded with fresh garden veggies. So I’ve got that one to post later today or tomorrow, plus my surprise is still coming!
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I know what I am going to do with the zucchini sitting in my fridge!
Hope the 18 miler goes well.
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I’m kind of tempted to try this, although I’m not a zucchini fan. But maybe if it’s in pasta-shape and topped with lots of sauce I’ll like it? Funny how things like texture changes how a thing tastes!
18 miles?! Wow. My problem with running is usually getting bored. Hope the podcasts help!
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..Race Challenge: Success =-.
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Yeah I’m not a huge squash/zucchini fan, though recently I’ve come around. The noodles really don’t taste like too much; the sauce is more flavorful. It’s so easy to make, you could always try and just toss it if you don’t like it (though sun dried tomatoes aren’t cheap!).
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Fortunately, I completed week 1 of walking 10 miles a week. I say “fortunately” because I didn’t budget my time well this. I lost my motivation on Friday and ended up doing 5 of my 10 miles on Saturday morning. I am glad to have achieved the goal but I need to do some better planning this week.
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ooh, thanks for the recipe. we’re getting tons of zukes in the garden, so i’m looking for ideas that differ from zucchini bread. 🙂
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I love the idea of zuch pasta but still am yet to try it! I need to get a good peeler or a spiralizer so I can make good looking noodles 😉
.-= Erica´s last blog ..Fabulous Day, Shrimpy Bowl =-.
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I love zucchini and have a big one from the farmer’s market in my fridge. Perhaps I will make “noodles” out of it! Can Erin or another running buddy join you for a few miles of your long run (maybe for miles 10-14 or 12-16)? It always helps me to have something to look forward to in the middle of a very long run…Otherwise, podcasts could be a great solution!
.-= Megan (The Runner’s Kitchen)´s last blog ..Alternative Baking Company =-.
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I would love to keep up with Matt but cant do it on two legs…..my pace is much slower but I have followed him on a bike!
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Thanks for the mention in your post today. I hope you like the podcast, it surprisingly helped a lot yesterday for my long run.
That zucchini looks interesting. I have been really hesitant to jump on the raw bandwagon as well, but may have to try your recipe.
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I saw something like this made at a Pampered Chef party! The host was demonstrating the mandoline cutter. She didn’t talk about it being a raw/vegan though hahaha.
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I am definitely going to try! My husband moans every time I make whole wheat pasta (too heavy), so I’m sure he’ll enjoy this!
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Zucchini is one of fav!! love it in anything. This recipe is sure for me to try:P
.-= Ann´s last blog ..Black Eyes in Spicy Curry =-.
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Yum! That recipe sounds tasty! Thanks for sharing. Hope you had a good 18-miler!
.-= Cyberpenguin´s last blog ..Summer Running Tips: The Whys & Hows of Hydration, & A Review of Various Hydration Systems =-.
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After I finish my 2-month challenge, ending 8/1, I’m doing a 30-Day Un-Challenge. That will involve me not challenging myself to do anything. Do I sound like the ultimate slacker? LOL sorry! 😀 I’ve got to try this raw pasta thing, but I gotta be honest — I’m really worried about it tasting any good. But, I trust in the Matt…Yes, yes I do. So spiralizer, here I come.
.-= Annabel´s last blog ..Challenge Update #7 =-.
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Hey Annabel, 2 months is a long time. And it seems like your challenge has been hard. Sometimes it’s good to give yourself a break!
As for the zucchini, just try it! If only because it’s so simple to make. There’s nothing not to like about it, it’s just fresh tasting. Granted, it’s NOT real pasta, so don’t expect it to be. I need to get me a spiralizer!Reply
This looks AWESOME! With all the fresh zucchini and summer squash popping up in farmers markets, I’ll need to give it a try! 🙂
.-= Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down)´s last blog ..The Short One =-.
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I was also so skeptical about the zucchini pasta– can it really be satisfying? But I’m with you– totally light and nice. One of my favorite things to do is throw tomato sauce on vegetables! Kinda like pasta primavera.. minus the pasta? ha.
Good luck on your 18 miler- Maybe DL a new album you’ve been meaning to buy and get a good listen in!
.-= Mel @ She Runs Brooklyn´s last blog ..No Gum Week Challenge Recap =-.
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Good luck with 18 – I’m doing 12 today, eek!
that pasta looks sooo good – i am interested to hear how this high-raw stuff goes for you. i’m reading more about food combining at the moment.
update: no diet co*ke all week (minus a can for a 6-hour drive from MN to chicago, which i say does not count 🙂
.-= Holly (The Healthy Everythingtarian)´s last blog ..Threadbare Gypsy Soul =-.
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That looks really good and has me thinking about lunch at 10:00am. I eat really healthy for the most part with meat only in the form of turkey and chicken. I honestly think red meat would make me sick as I haven’t had any in over 3 years.
Best of luck with the training. Those long runs really make a difference when it comes to the marathon and are a necessity for a good time.
Best of luck.
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Good luck on the 18 miler!! Sometimes long runs can be so amazing, so I hope that’s what yours is like today!
I’m SO curious about the Thrive diet. I read about it a while back and really want to try it. I may have to hop on the 30-day challenge myself!
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Podcasts are great! I also like to listen to audio books on the run. Can’t wait to hear about your 18 miler!
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We tried this last night and it turned out really good. Its not the most filling meal but we just added a sweet potato and we’re good to go. My favorite part was that there were zero pots to wash after dinner.
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Yeah that was my problem too. I ended up eating a steak or something later that night. Just kidding but I was hungry, I think I ate cereal. Potato is a much better idea.
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I made this tonight and it was a big hit, even with my mom who is a big meat-lover. Maybe next time I’ll add a side of fried plantains (idea I got from your blog too) to make it more filling.
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