How a Cookbook Impacted Me

I have often judged the value of a cookbook by the number of recipes that I actually cooked. It’s a good cookbook if I make 5 or more recipes and continue to make those recipes. This is not a written code. It’s just something I’ve noticed that I do. Some people (like my husband) don’t even need a cookbook. They can just throw together whatever is in the refrigerator and it tastes like something prepared by a Chopped Champion. However, I like a good recipe. It needs to be an easy-to-follow recipe that does not assume I know ANYTHING about cooking. But, also, since I’ve been on a health kick for 11 years now, I’m more motivated to cook foods that are purposeful. What I mean is that I want to know that they are good for me and why.

Enter my purchase of the cookbook entitled, RUN FAST, COOK SLOW, in January of 2017.

Some people may say that I’ve become a little obsessed with this cookbook. I often find myself calling it “My cookbook”, and have to explain that I didn’t write it, but it belongs to me and I love cooking from it. After noticing that I had gone beyond my threshold of what I considered a good cookbook, (i.e., I had actually cooked 30 recipes and was continuing to want to make more plus repeating those recipes often), I realized there was something special about this cookbook. So here is the story of how this cookbook impacted me.

Beginning in February of 2017, I asked for my birthday to meet up with my college daughters in their college town in a quaint Airbnb and play games and cook a meal from this cookbook. My husband told me to make a list of 10 recipes and he’d choose from that list. Everyone pitched in to cook the various chosen recipes and the food was delicious and it just made me want to try more. Read on to see what the act of just writing the list started.

I then had to complete the rest of those ten recipes! But then as I looked at other recipes in the cookbook, my list grew because. Finally one day I realized I had probably made 30 recipes. So, I thought – I’ve trained for many half marathons. Why not cook through this whole cookbook like I’m training for a race? Why not make a big cooking goal similar to my running goals? So, the journey began. I allowed time – I didn’t rush in a frenzy, but instead wanted to savor the process. I’d like to share with you some of the beautiful things that have happened as a result of my RUN FAST, COOK SLOW, big gigantic cooking goal!

I now look forward to cooking. My husband has to work every other weekend, so those weekends when he was working became one of my favorite times to fill up my refrigerator with these healthy indulgences. This became a new hobby, but it’s a hobby that enhances my other hobby (running) and my career (personal trainer and running coach), and benefits my family and friends. (This is huge because, I don’t really love cooking – this was a new experience).
It is bringing friends and family together. We had a nursing student living with us during the first part of 2017 and she was almost like my muse. The energy we had cooking together and laughing are memories I’ll cherish. Although she has moved out of the house and is a full-time nurse, we still make time to cook together. My older daughter, who loves to cook, has inspired the concept of food-prepping to me. In fact, for Christmas, I gave her the Run Fast Cook Slow cookbook, and wrote notes throughout the book.
BIG GOALS inspire me. I’ve always done better with big goals. However, I didn’t realize that until cooking through the book. What was great about this big goal, is that I had friends toward the end wanting to help me to accomplish it. It made me try the recipes that I thought I wouldn’t like (some of those ended up on my top 10 favorite list). I even found that several of the ones with no pictures have become some of my favorites. It truly broaden my cooking skills and introduced me to new foods as well as helped me to find ways to like foods I normally don’t like. Read “How I Finally Discovered I can Conquer Big Goals; and Why I Don’t Call them Resolutions Anymore” – my next blog entry

My blood work went from good to amazing! After my last doctor visit, my doctor walked into the room saying that I’ve made it to his top 10 healthiest patients. (I told him I really wanted to be number 1 – he laughed and said I might be in the top 5 actually – ha ha – I love it). He was amazed at my blood work! What’s interesting is that I only had numbers for the last 2 years. I started cooking from this cookbook 1 1/2 years ago so my blood work numbers cover the time starting about 4 months before starting my cookbook challenge. My cholesterol improved in the first year, but the next year, it improved even more.

	Total Cholesterol	LDL	HDL	Triglicerides
2016	167 mg/dL	73 mg/dL	84 mg/dL	48 mg/dL
2017	156 mg/dL	58 mg/dL	89 mg/dL	43 mg/dL
2018	166 mg/dL	52 mg/dL	104 mg/dL	50 mg/dL
Healthy Ranges	107-200	< 130	35-86	35-135

Personal Training Food Conversations – Before becoming a trainer I struggled finding healthy recipes. I got stuck in a rut of eating the same foods week in and week out. I did okay and was trying to make lifestyle changes that were healthy but since there is so much different and even contradictory messages about nutrition, it landed me having uncertain direction. Cooking through this cookbook started about a half year into becoming a certified personal trainer. While I cannot prescribe a meal plan for my clients (Missouri law), I can talk about healthy eating, and habits and recipes and certainly model a passion for making healthy choices and even let them try some of the delicious recipes out of my lunch sack! A majority of my clients have even purchased the cookbook, and one of my classes that I teach has asked that every 6 weeks we have lunch featuring one of the recipes!

When I completed my goal, I rewarded myself with getting book #2 Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow. But while I awaited the arrival of said book, I got sneak peak from Runner’s World. Follow this link for the recipe:

Runner’s World – Thai Quinoa Salad

I highly suggest you follow the blog from the cookbook authors, Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky.

Run Fast Eat Slow Blog

And definitely order the book.

Run Fast Eat Slow – from Amazon

Description of the book on Amazon:

“From world-class marathoner and 4-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky comes a whole foods, flavor-forward cookbook—and New York Times bestseller—that proves food can be indulgent and nourishing at the same time. Finally here’s a cookbook for runners that shows fat is essential for flavor and performance and that counting calories, obsessing over protein, and restrictive dieting does more harm than good.

Packed with more than 100 recipes for every part of your day, mind-blowing nutritional wisdom, and inspiring stories from two fitness-crazed women that became fast friends over 15 years ago, Run Fast. Eat Slow. has all the bases covered. You’ll find no shortage of delicious meals, satisfying snacks, thirst-quenching drinks, and wholesome treats—all made without refined sugar and flour. Fan favorites include Can’t Beet Me Smoothie, Arugula Cashew Pesto, High-Altitude Bison Meatballs, Superhero Muffins, Kale Radicchio Salad with Farro, and Double Chocolate Teff Cookies.”

In closing, as I reflect over what cooking through the cookbook has done for me, I must say that it changed me. Also, just setting a big goal was a great experience, because each week, I would think, “What do I need to do this week to help me to get towards my finish line?” So, get after it. Pick your goal. You can do it. Let it change you, but please enjoy the journey, and bring others along with you.

Recipes in the pictures above are all from Run Fast Eat Slow unless noted below that they are from their second book, Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow:

Fig Jam Cookies (with daughter, Sarah)
Super Hero Muffins 2.0 “Beet Blueberry Molasses from 2nd book, Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow
Can’t Beet Me Smoothie
Anti-Inflammatory Chocolate “Milk” from Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow (with daughter, Sarah)
Green Apple-Fennel Salad with Hazelnuts
On-the-Run Frittata Muffins
Homemade Hazelnut Milk (with daughter, Sarah)
Whole Roasted Chicken with Herbs
Another picture of Whole Roasted Chicken (with friend, Jessica)
Root Lovers’ Winter Salad
Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Scones
Thai Quinoa Salad from Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow