Jul 30, 2017

Luvo Bowls Review | BibRavePro

Disclaimer: I received Luvo meals to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Quick and easy often doesn't equal healthy. Luvo Frozen meals give you nutritious, delicious, and smart choices. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may remember last year I reviewed several of their Steam in Pouch™ meals. As I said then they're quick, easy, healthy, and most importantly tasty. I received the opportunity to review their product again, so I was super excited to try out their new bowls and Planted™ Power Bowls.

So what are they?

Luvo is more than just a frozen meal. Their philosophy is simple "We believe that when you eat well, you feel and perform better in all aspects of life, so we’re on a mission to make wholesome, delicious meals more accessible for all." That philosophy shows with their meals. They create well rounded meals, with less sugar and sodium, and use lean proteins and whole grains. They use a "fact-based approach to nutrition that is supported by credible 3rd party sources like the World Health Organization and the Harvard School of Public Health". They also are teaming with WhyHunger and A Sense of Home give you a company really making an effort for the environment and the community.

What did I try?

Since I already know I love their Steam in Pouch™ meals, I took this time to try out their bowls and Planted™ Power Bowls.

Hawaiian Un-Fried Rice


This is one of my favorites. This is a vegan bowl, made with Forbidden Rice, shiitake mushrooms, pineapple & cashews. This is a very tasty dish on it's own. I'm a big fan of fried rice and this is a tasty mix. While it works as a meal, I also thought it would be great to split as a side. Not only that, I may have had this more than once and added some chicken the second time around, making it very much not vegan, but quite delicious to me.

Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese


This was a surprise dish for me. I've heard of cauliflower being used like this, but I've never been a fan of cauliflower itself.  In the name of review, I decided to try it out anyway. In addition to the roasted cauliflower, it includes brown rice noodles in a creamy sauce with panko style topping. I'll admit, at first when I took it out, it surely smelled like roasted vegetables. However, the taste was great. I think this is a fantastic healthy take on your classic mac & cheese. This will definitely be one that lives in our freezer, as my wife enjoyed it as well.

Mighty Masala & Greens


The next dish I tried was another of the Planted™ Power Bowls. The Might Masala & Greens included brown jasmine rice, green garbanzos, cabbage & kale. This bowl was not quite my personal flavor. It was a good healthy mix, but just didn't tickle my taste buds like the others. It had a little bit of spice, which was nice. This is one I may try again, with a little something to mix it up. I'm always willing to give things a try, and a second try.

Chicken & Corn Chowder


The last dish was the chicken & corn chowder. While summer time wasn't really the right time for it, I enjoyed this one as well. It is made with white chicken, kale, sweet potato & white beans in a savory dijon-herb base. I think the best part of it was that "dijon-herb base". It gave a good and unique taste to this. I even enjoyed the kale, which I've not been a fan of in the past. This is one I'm looking forward to again, I'm just going to wait for the fall for it.

The Takeaway

I love Luvo meals. They give you healthy choices that are also quick and easy. Great recipes, healthy substitutions, and made with ingredients from people-, animal- and planet-friendly practices. As a runner, we need good fuel. We also don't always have much time. Overall, you won't find a match for these any where else in the freezer section.

What do you eat when you're short on time for meal?


Jul 26, 2017

DNS: Crystal City Twilighter (Almost) Review | BibRavePro

Disclaimer: I received entry into the Crystal City Twilighter to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro, and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

This is usually where you'd be coming to see my review of the Crystal City Twilighter. Unfortunately, for the first time, I don't have that for you. The Crystal City Twilighter 5K was my first DNS. I won't go into the details of that, as it's not important to this. However, I still wanted to give you what feedback I could, and then provide some from others who were there.

Pre-race Communication

On thing I can speak to is the pre-race communication. That day in northern Virginia we had a rough storm rolling through. They were very proactive in ensuring safety and providing updates. I saw a tweet when they move the packet pickup inside the mall, to get out of the weather. They also noted if there was any update to race time, they would provide update their as well. As it turned out, that was unnecessary as things moved through the area soon enough that the race was able to go on as planned.

The Race

From what I saw, the race looked good. Like, literally good with all that glowing. I do want to give a shout out to the winner Chris Sloane, who won in 15:12, a blazing 4:54 min / mile pace! Oh, and 2nd place was 1 second behind him and 3rd just 5. They were not kidding about being a fast course. The female winner was Bethany Sachtleben, in just 16:49, an amazing 5:24 min / mile pace!

Be sure to come back here for some updates from my fellow running BibRavePros.

UPDATE:

I'm happy to give you some reviews from my fellow BibRavePros. I made some quick graphics, but click through on their names for the full reviews.





More Pacers

Want to get in on a Pacers Running race? You can join me at the Clarendon Day Run and save $5 with code 17cdrBibRave

Jul 16, 2017

Training to Run the Night | #BibRavePro

Disclaimer: I received entry into the Crystal City Twilighter to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro, and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I recently shared some of my upcoming races, including one a little different than I'm used to: the Crystal City Twilighter. What's "different" about it is that the race time is 7:30, as races often are, however instead of AM it is PM! While the race is a 5K, I thought about my preparation, so I thought I'd share them with you.

Run at night

While this isn't a Ragnar Relay where I need to be used to running in pitch black silence at 2 in the morning, it's always good practice to run in the conditions expected for race day (when you can). Since this is an evening summer race in Virginia, that can mean it will still have lingering heat from the day and humidity. It's not the same as the morning, when things can be a little cooler until the sun start burning bright in the sky. That is of course why most races are run in the morning, of course. Moving my training runs to the evening hasn't been easy, but valuable to at least have a couple runs in.

Choose your gear

As always, you want to pick your race gear. When running at night, I prefer bright colors. When I'm at home, it's so I'm seen. At a race, it's just fun. I figure standing out against the dark is the most fun way to do it.

Get glowing

Along the lines of gear, why not get some gear that glows? Glow sticks, glow bracelets, light up snap bracelets... the night is your canvas of light, so why not have some fun with it.

Food plan

A race at 7:30 pm means it's after dinner. That means you need to make a plan for dinner: something light, healthy, and won't be heavy in your stomach when you run. This is also good to practice with our first item "Run at night".

Pre-hydrate

Hydrating is also important for a race. Racing at night provides an extra element, making sure you're hydrated throughout the day to be prepped for the evening. On top of that, the Crystal City Twilighter comes with a drink ticket, so you want to be hydrated to enjoy that post race drink. ;-)

Join Me

It's not too late to register to join me in just under a week.

Register now and save $5 with the code 17cctBibRave