 I AM SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS!!! Wouldn't it be so nice to not have to think about or plan your meals (or create grocery lists from scratch) but still know you are eating healthy, well balanced meals? What about not having to worry about your workout plan because you already have the next 6 weeks figured out for you? I have been working with the Prepear app for the last year to be able to collect and sort all of my recipes in one place (instead of just on my website). It has grown so much over the last year and now has everything I have wanted in an app for my recipes! It helps to organize recipes (not just mine), plan your meals, create an automated grocery list, order groceries through Walmart and follow the recipe directions without your phone screen shutting off (all in one app)! Now, on top of all of that - I have created a new virtual cookbook that is available for purchase through the app! It consists of 72 recipes, laid out in 6 weeks of menu plans PLUS 2 workouts (one with weights and one without). There are 2-3 recipe options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks each week. It is designed so you only have to cook a max of 3 days but can eat for the whole week! You can easily change the serving sizes if you are just cooking for one or for the whole family! Your grocery lists will automatically populate each week once you drag and drop your recipes into your meal planner and you can shop wherever you want with the list (without the phone screen shutting down), OR order your groceries through Walmart. If you don't like something from the recipes you can even change it to fit your tastes or replace it with something else. The best part is this plan is designed to be flexible to fit into your life! Add your favorite treat each day and work around your schedule to stay healthy while still enjoying life! Checkout the section guides to see what the week looks like and what else you can add to your meals to make them more filling. You also will gain access to ask me any questions and have me help you along with this new journey. Just contact me at elenamccown@gmail.com as soon as you purchase this cookbook for more information on the workouts or for recipe help. If you need more assistance with health coaching, I am available for that as well! You will only have to cook 3 times each week to eat satisfying, delicious meals and snacks throughout the day. The recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free but can be enjoyed by anyone! Join Prepear for free and download my new cookbook today! I am here to help make getting healthy easier! Enjoy!!! 
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 I had been looking forward to this race for over a year and it was everything I thought it would be! Since the Harvest Half and Quarry Crusher were a little over a month before this race - I focused on only trail running for the month between leading up to it. I had the endurance from training for the Harvest Half and power and strength from training for the Quarry Crusher as my base. So during that month I specifically trained for the trails, making sure I got plenty of elevation gain during my normal runs. I ran three times a week - one was a long trail run, the second was a power/strength 5 mile trail run and the third was just an easy 3 mile on the road. I also did 2 days a week of strength training. I have discovered over the last few years that trail running (for me) is all about running on fresh legs so I made sure to space my runs and workouts out so I could give my all and not be dead. I need the power to climb up the hills (and avoid tripping and falling) and it just isn't there if I am beat down. During most of my trail runs in the past I ended up walking most of the big hills but I decided I wanted to be able to run it all - so that was my goal. During my training runs I made sure to run all of the hills at Marcella Vivrette Smith Park and the Westhaven trails and it actually felt good! I definitely felt strong and ready for this race. Josh drove Heather (fellow Franklin Road Runner/Team Beef member) and I out to Montgomery Bell State Park on Saturday morning. I fueled with water and a peanut butter and banana sandwich on gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread. We got there an hour early so we picked up our great swag and walked around for a bit while we waited. I started to get a little nervous but then as we walked and looked at the scenery, it went away. It's crazy how much better and less nervous I feel about trail running vs road running! We lined up at the starting line and we were off! The first mile or so was on the pavement which was a little unexpected. Once we got on the trails though, it was amazing! Definitely more of my element. I was SO thankful they cleared the path of leaves so we could see all of the roots and rocks. That did not go unnoticed and was very much appreciated. The path was also clearly marked in all areas (there was one area that I think people got a little confused with but if you followed the arrows then you were good). I started with a bigger group of people that was slimming down as the miles kept on going. I really wanted the wooden award so other than my goal of wanting to run the entire thing, including all of the hills for the 1000 + elevation gain, I also wanted to pass as many people as possible. I was able to stay strong throughout the entire race and did run the whole 9+ miles and felt great. It was such a fun, pretty, technical trail (roots/rocks/elevation). I talked to a lot of people along the way who helped push me to go even faster. What I love about trail running is you can't get bored - you have to be very aware of your surroundings and always thinking about where your next step is going to be. The race seemed to be over before I knew it! I could hear people cheering and all that was left were the steep stairs before the final uphill climb. I finished 3rd female out of 43 and 14th overall out of 86. I got to ring the bell at the finish! Heather also did awesome!!!! We celebrated at the after party with beer (Josh had that) and soup. I never thought I would want soup right after a run but it was perfect. I was starting to get cold so the vegetable soup was amazing. We waited around for the awards ceremony where I got my wooden plate, drank our coffee that Josh brought us and then headed home. It was a fantastic race and while I don't normally like repeating races, I would do that one again - especially the 25k. It was one of the most organized and well attended races I have ever done, so thank you Montgomery Bell State Park!!!  Do you ever wish there was a website that helped steer you towards selecting different healthy food/products? It is especially hard to find good information when you begin your health journey (whether you are gluten-free, dairy-free, or not). I usually end up finding information all over the internet (or by trial and error) but never all in one place. So for those who are looking for the best food products that are actually healthy and taste good or if you are wanting to trend towards using more natural or helpful home products - this is the place for you!
I have been wanting to do this for awhile now and I finally got around to it. I now officially have a page dedicated to all of my favorite products. I constantly have people asking me about different products that I use/eat/etc. so I decided to have one page on my website that I can continually update with all of my favorite, tried, true and tested products! So far I have it grouped into:
I'm sure these will change or I will add more, but this is my starting point! Going gluten-free or dairy-free doesn't have to be hard or mean that you can only eat salads! There are so many tasty options out there - let me weed out the bad ones so you don't have to! I am always trying out new products and will keep the list up-to-date as I go. If you are looking for something in particular or have tried something you love, please e-mail me at elenamccown@gmail.com to let me know! I figure this would also be a great resource for trying new recipes AND for those who are trying to cater to any dietary needs and don't know what to use - you could just direct them to My Favorite Products page and they could see what they could use from there. I know my friends and family would appreciate that when they are trying to cook for me and aren't sure what to use! If all else fails, Aldi and Walmart actually have a good amount of gluten-free and dairy-free products and foods that are pretty good! If you want to purchase or view the products listed, most links will take you to Amazon. I will also link to other stores if not available on Amazon. I try to choose products that are as natural and safe as possible but also sometimes just resort to the things that work/taste best! Elena McCown, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate she earns from qualifying purchases. Check out My Favorite Products here! |
About MeI am a food loving, activity seeking health coach who resides in Franklin, TN with my husband and two sweet dogs (Lola & Penny). AllergiesI believe everyone should eat balanced and not cut food groups if you don't medically need to. All foods can fit in a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I have to avoid gluten and also limit myself with dairy, so my goal is to provide healthy, gluten-free/dairy-free recipes so EVERYONE can enjoy all foods, even if you do have to cut out certain food groups. My recipes are encouraged for everyone to eat, not just for those with sensitivities/allergies! Most of my recipes can be easily converted by using real dairy and whole-wheat in place of my allergy-free substitutes. SearchLooking for something specific? Everything can be found by category under the "Life" and "Recipes" sections on my website or you can search below. Archives
October 2021
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Elena McCown, LLC Health Coach in Franklin, TN