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Minneapolis Running has Retired
After six glorious years, Minneapolis Running has been retired. Between a cross-country move and four young kids, our priorities have shifted to new opportunities and new projects. We want to thank the readers, contributors, and sponsors for all the support along the way. Keep running and remember, you’re probably faster than you think you are!
It’s the time of year where the weather is turning colder, and most people naturally start to crave rich comfort food rather than the fresh produce of summer. I wanted to recreate a classic comfort food recipe, Shrimp and Grits, and make it a bit more runner friendly! For this recipe, I replaced the grits with a sweet potato and beet mash and added in some spinach for good measure. This dish packs in the nutrients but keeps the flavor!
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz spinach
4 tbsp butter
½ cup whole milk
2 small-medium sweet potatoes
3 beets
1 lb shrimp (preferably with shells & tails removed)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¼ tsp red chili flakes (optional)
Directions:
Peel the beets then dice the beets and the sweet potatoes to about a 1-inch dice.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the sweet potato and beets, and boil for about 10 minutes or until a fork can easily enter. When done, strain the beets and sweet potato and set aside for next step.
While step 2 is occurring, start on the shrimp. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a high sided skillet over medium-high, and add the shrimp. Season with ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and ¼ tsp red chili flakes.
Sautee the shrimp until no longer opaque. This will depend on the size of the shrimp but usually will not take more than 4 minutes (usually less than this when cooked over medium-high heat). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and add 1 more tbsp butter, then saute the minced shallots and garlic for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the spinach, and saute until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the shrimp back into the spinach mixture, and taste for seasoning.
In a food processor or high powered blender, blend only the cooked beets with ½ cup of whole milk (if your beets are struggling to puree, add in 1 tbsp more of whole milk at a time until they puree).
With a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes in the same pan that you boiled them. Add 2 tbsp of butter, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and the beet puree. Mix until everything is incorporated. Taste for texture and seasoning- if you like your mashed potatoes more runny, add a bit more whole milk.
Serve the shrimp and spinach mixture on top of the beet mash. Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired!
Notes:
Beets must be pureed rather than mashed because they are too stringy compared with potatoes.
If desired, most or all of the butter could be replaced with coconut oil or olive oil.
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Lauren Dirkschneider
Lauren is a born and raised Minnesotan, currently living in Nebraska. She has been a lifelong athlete who picked up running during grad school, and hasn't looked back since! When she is not running you will find her in the kitchen making some amazing food, kayaking, knitting, or checking out local breweries.
I love the taste of jambalaya and the dish has a ton of potential to fit nicely into a runner’s diet. There’s a lovely saute of vegetables, a spicy kick, and usually some form of protein (smoked andouille sausage, shrimp, and/or chicken). The sauce is then cooked together with white rice which allows the rice to soak up the delicious stock and absorb in the flavor.
My runner-friendly updates to this recipe include adding more (nontraditional) vegetables and cooking the rice separately. Cooking the rice separately sacrifices some flavor but it allows you to easily make a healthier brown rice or quinoa substitution without adjusting the amount of liquid or the cooking temperature. It will also allow you to get this recipe on the table quicker since you can cook the brown rice and the sauce at the same time.
It’s that wonderful time of year again! After suffering through all of the hot summer miles, runners everywhere are crushing their fall goal races, followed by enjoying the relief that comes with cooler temperatures and reduced mileage. Part of my personal post-marathon recovery always includes indulging in the things that I try to limit during training. This means comfort food, more social events, and the ability to enjoy a glass of wine on a Friday night (no long run in the morning)!
I created this Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta with Crispy Bacon and Sage recipe as part of my annual attempt to embrace pumpkin. If you love pumpkin but are getting sick of sweet desserts, this is for you!
In August, professional runner Shalane Flanagan announced to the world that she was running the NYC Marathon in 2018 and she launched her second cookbook, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow which she co-wrote with her friend and natural foods chef, Elyse Kopecky the same day. At the time, I was just over six weeks postpartum, and I was very slow. Still, my husband and I jumped at the chance to celebrate the launch of their new cookbook at a local event. When one of us had the option to run in a “Fun Run” with Shalane and Elyse, he and I both knew that this was my “race” to run, and he cheered me on with our infant daughter strapped to him in the Ergo baby. As I watched Shalane fight for 3rd place in last weekend’s New York City Marathon, I found myself reflecting on that August “fun run” and what it meant to me.