On top of the World!

In my last post I let you all know that I was headed to Whistler and here I am in Whistler at the Olympics and having the time of my life. Eating all of my yummy food, spending time with my family and seeing incredible athletes part-take in amazing events!

But I have some news to share with you -

Yesterday – being February 26, 2010 my boyfriend (now fiancee) and I went up to the top of Whistler mountain.  We were trekking around in the snowy windy whether looking for the perfect spot for picture – he handed his camera over to a stranger (set it on video) then got down on one knee and proposed to me (with the most beautiful ring) in the snow. This was not only a complete surprise, but extremely romantic as Whistler is where we met three and half years ago (and we are both from Toronto).  We then spent some time at the top – waited for my family to arrive and took the peak-to-peak gondola from the top of whistler mountain to the top of blackcomb – can you say unbelievable and breathtaking! Then we went to a restaurant on blackcomb which had a panoramic view of the ski hills (where I managed to have an amazing meal – curried coconut carrot soup, and a roasted beet, walnut, apple and goat cheese salad) a perfect post-engagement lunch! Then we spent the rest of the day at the bobsled event where I wore my gorgeous ring under my red Canadian gloves (with the date embroidered into them- compliments of the mom’s).

So I just wanted to share this very special event with all of you – not too much here on nutrition – other than I was nourished with love yesterday!  Oh and I managed to whip up a random dinner of brown rice, lentils, roasted yams with broccolini on four glasses of (local) celebratory wine! I was rather impressed with myself as it was all delicious.

In fact the yams I made yesterday were so good, I will even share the simple way I prepared them!

Cozy Yam Rings

2 yams, sliced into circles (from one end to the other)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon herbed sea salt

Place sliced yams into a bowl and toss with olive oil and sea salt.

Lay flat on baking sheet and bake at 350F for 30 – 40 minutes!

Enjoy!

Super-Packed & Ready to Go (Canada!)

As you can see by my jam-packed bag full of goodies – I am headed on a trip. I am going to the Vancouver Olympics YAY. By the looks of my bag – you may wonder why I am so overly prepared. If you don’t know this about me already – I don’t take any chances. I make sure that food is of #1 priority – even when I am on Vacation. I am sure there will be some delicious things to enjoy in the Whistler village, but you really never know. In a previous post that I wrote “On the Fly” I talked about the problems associated with not traveling with enough food or being prepared – especially when you get stuck in an airport for 8 hours! But this time my food needs to cover me for more than a week  to keep me nourished and satisfied. Not only is it going to be busy and bustling in the village – but if my memory is correct (when I was there 3 years ago) – there was many a bar and pub in the village and not so many yummy spots for me to eat.  Of course I will make do with the grocery store there and some of the meals that will be enjoyed out (choosing salads, steamed veggies and whole grains where I can) but the rest of my meals and snacks need to be covered (thank goodness we are staying in a place where I can cook). I will not settle on “food on the go”, pizza, wings, burgers – these are main staples that will be easily and widely available. Instead I will have brown rice pasta, quinoa and lentils  to cook up and greens powder, goji berries and cacao in my pockets to keep me fueled throughout the day while I cheer our teams on!

But it does make me wonder… the Olympics portray the most amazing athletes and physical bodies the world has ever seen – and why certain chain companies and poor quality foods (not mentioning any names) are the major sponsors and endorsers to represent fitness, health and performance – drives me nuts! There is so much more to comment on this – but I will keep my cool for now.

But on the flip side….

If only Olympic athletes were on a super-food and plant based diet and these were the foods that were advertised and supported by the media, then others like me would be on cloud nine. When will the day come that we will see a commercial with an athlete biting into a Vega bar or downing a Sun Warrior Shake ? I would be that much more proud of our Canadian Olympic Athletes. But for now I will just focus on myself and make sure that my own health and nutrition is taken care of – and hope for the best in the future! One day – and hopefully soon the world will start to see the wonders of these foods and the incredible impact they have on the human body – whether it is for athletic performance or just day to day vigor – yummy, organic, plant based foods are super-packed full of nutrition and keep you going!

Marni’s Checklist

- Packets of Vega and Sun Warrior protein powder to make yummy goodness throughout the day!

- Homemade Granola

- Rolled Oats – for porridge

- Brown Rice Pasta

- Quinoa

- Organic Dark Chocolate

- Spelt Flatbread

- Rice Cakes

- Almond Butter

- Raw Crackers and Kale Chips

- Mac and Chreese ( just in case !)

- Rice Milk

- Sprouted Lentils and Brown Rice

- Organic Food Bars/Lara Bars/Goji Berries/Cacao/Acai/Hempseeds

- Herbal Teas

I think there is more floating around in there somewhere

I would love for you to share your thoughts, leave a comment, post on twitter – whatever you can do to show your support and let me know that you:

Love super-powered plant based foods?

Travel with food and what  you pack?

Agree that Athletes should eat super-foods?

Or anything else that you want to share!

Get Creative and Make Food Fun!