Energizing Soy Protein and Instant Protein Soy Mix

I love the Shaklee protein drinks. It comes in 3 flavors. The chocolate and vanilla give you 14 grams of protein per serving. The natural flavor gives you 16 grams of protein per serving. The natural flavor is good to put in your cooking and baking. I used to put it in my morning oatmeal all the time. I now like to use the vanilla and mix it with orange juice. I haven't tried the chocolate flavor yet. I can tell you from experience that I can tell a difference in my energy level if I miss my protein drink that day. And this really gives me the boast I need to keep chasing after my 3 year old boy! I like to drink it right after I run, too, to help my muscles recover from the workout.

This protein comes from soy. Here is a word about soy from a newsletter from my director.

Soy Protein - Good or Bad?

This is a question discussed and debated in many places by many people, especially when connected to the subject of breast cancer. Dr. Steven Chaney, PhD, a cancer researcher, recently sent me this report. It so clearly and simply gives the latest SCIENTIFIC findings that I’m reprinting it here in full…

“For years we have known that women in the United States have breast cancer rates that are 4 to 7 times higher than women in China or Japan. We've also known that when Chinese or Japanese migrate to this country their risk of breast cancer is no different from that of any other US citizen by the second or third generation. So clearly the increased risk of cancer in US women is not a matter of genetics. It is caused by the US lifestyle.

“Because soy reduces the sensitivity of breast tissue to carcinogens in animal studies, many experts have suspected that it was the soy content of the Asian diet that was protective - but it has been difficult to prove and it was unclear how early in life soy was important.

“Dr. Larrisa Korde and her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute set out to answer both questions. They studied 1563 women of Chinese, Japanese or Filipino descent aged 20 to 55 years (597 with breast cancer and 966 without) and determined their intake of soy-containing foods during childhood, adolescence and as adults. They then divided the women into three groups – those with high frequency of soy intake (more than 1.5 times/week), those with medium frequency of soy intake (1 to 1.5 times/week), and those with low frequency of soy intake (0 to 1 times/week - not unlike the average American).

“When they compared the high intake group with the low intake group the results were striking. A high level of soy intake in childhood was associated with a 58% reduction in breast cancer. A high soy intake during adolescence and the adult years was associated with a 20-25% reduction in breast cancer (Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, 18:1050-1059, 2009). When you couple that with the December 2009 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that soy consumption decreases the risk of breast cancer recurrence in those women who do develop breast cancer it sends a powerful message. Soy is a woman's friend - all the way from childhood on.”

Will ANY Soy Do?

That answer is a resounding "NO"!

How the soy is grown matters - does it have pesticides, fungicides, or anything else on it? Have chemicals been put deep inside it where they can't be washed off - is it genetically modified? That matters.

How the soy is processed matters - have the isoflavones been preserved? Was it put through an alcohol/chemical bath?

Soy products are definitely not all "created equal"!

Shaklee Soy products are SAFE, it's the Shaklee difference.

My Half Marathon Schedule

Here is the training schedule I do for a half marathon. You can find several other schedules if you look online. But I like this because it's simple and I'm not really working on speed. As I said before, I'm a slow runner. I training at a 12:30 - 12:45 minute pace. But I ran the half last year at about an 11 minute pace. My husband says it's good to train slower than your race pace. It builds endurance. Also, after I run (especially the longer harder runs) I eat or drink a good source of protein to help my muscles recover. They say that chocolate milk is a perfect recovery drink because of the carbs and protein ratio. I like to drink a Shaklee protein drink (look for more on that tomorrow!).

This schedule is running 4 times a week on any days. I like to do my long runs on saturdays because of the time it takes.

I just realized that I'll have to start this on Jan 10th to train for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon that I'm signed up for. Yikes, that's coming up!

Week 1          Week 6          Week 11          Week 16
2 miles            4 miles             4 miles              5 miles
2 miles            3 miles             3 miles              5 miles
3 miles            6 miles             9 miles              8 miles
2 miles            3 miles             4 miles              4 miles
9 miles           16 miles            20 miles           22 miles - weekly totals


Week 2         Week 7           Week 12           Week 17
2 miles            3 miles             5 miles               3 miles
2 miles            2 miles             4 miles               2 miles
4 miles            7 miles             9 miles               13.1 miles  - Race Day
2 miles            3 miles             5 miles
10 miles         15 miles           23 miles - weekly totals


Week 3         Week 8            Week 13
2 miles           4 miles               5 miles 
2 miles           3 miles               4 miles
5 miles           7 miles              10 miles
2 miles           3 miles               4 miles
11 miles         17 miles             23 miles - weekly totals


Week 4          Week 9             Week 14
3 miles             4 miles                5 miles 
2 miles             3 miles                5 miles
5 miles             8 miles                10 miles
3 miles             3 miles                4 miles
13 miles           18 miles              24 miles - weekly totals


Week 5           Week 10           Week 15
3 miles               4 miles              5 miles
2 miles               3 miles              4 miles
6 miles               8 miles              10 miles
2 miles               4 miles              3 miles
13 miles            19 miles             23 miles - weekly totals

Salmon Croquettes with Charred Veggie Rice

I have made these Salmon Croquettes several times and we really like them. They would be great with a side salad or Charred Veggie Rice. I think I got both these recipes from Cooking Light.

The croquettes have capers in the sauce. I haven't tried leaving them out but you could probably do that if you don't like them. They really give the sauce a kick. I'd chop them up really well so I don't get a big bite of one.

Salmon Croquettes

1/4 cup organic canola mayonnaise (such as Spectrum), divided
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (6-ounce) packages skinless, boneless pink salmon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped capers
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and next 7 ingredients (through egg), stirring well. Add panko; toss. Shape mixture into 8 (3-inch) patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

Combine remaining mayonnaise, juice, and mustard with parsley, capers, garlic, and salt, stirring well.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 croquettes and 1 tablespoon sauce)
Calories:305; Fat:19.3g (sat 2.6g,mono 6g,poly 9.7g); Protein:18.8g


 
Charred Veggie Rice
 
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 1/2 T canola oil
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
salt, to taste

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Heat oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add corn and zucchini to pan; saute 3 minutes or until vegetables are charred. Stir in tomatoes and green onions; saute 1 minute or until tomatoes almost wilt. Combine veggies, rice and salt.

Beginning to Run

Here is a walk to run schedule I found in my husband's Runner's World magazine. I used it a couple years ago. You do each one 3-4 times a week. I stretched out even more and did each line 4 times a week for two weeks. Then I moved on to the next line.

If you are like me, a schedule helps. That way, I can have something to check off (me and my type a personality! got to have a plan, right?).

Run 2 mins, walk 4 mins. Repeat five times.
Run 3 mins, walk 3 mins. Repeat five times.
Run 5 mins, walk 2.5 mins. Repeat four times.
Run 7 mins, walk 3 mins. Repeat three times.
Run 8 mins, walk 2 mins. Repeat three times
Run 9 mins, walk 2 mins. Repeat twice, then run 8 mins.
Run 9 mins, walk 1 min. Repeat twice.
Run 13 mins, walk 2 mins. Repeat twice.
Run 14 mins, walk 1 min. Repeat twice.
Run 30 mins.