Be Sure To Fuel Up Before Run

Bloomsday is this Sunday, but most of us are planning our runs to the grocery store right now. We want meals to be just like the race: fast, easy and memorable.

Recently some Bloomsday-bound supermarket employees gave their recommendations for quick foods.

Mike Hively, a baker at the South Hill Safeway store, is part of Safeway’s corporate cup team. Last year he breezed across the finish line in 53 minutes. Hively pointed to bakery items that are high in carbohydrate: French and sourdough breads, and bagels.

“The multigrain bagel is a very good choice because of the fiber and high carbohydrates,” he says. Hively also likes a new variety, Asiago Cheese, and says to pick up a bagel spread, too. “I eat 100 to 200 calories before runs; it gives you more fuel,” he says.

Mike Messinger, restaurant and deli manager at the Lincoln Heights Rosauers, completed last year’s race in one hour, 35 minutes. He plans to walk this year. The supermarket’s Family Restaurant will offer pasta on Saturday night, he says, and there are some good food choices in the deli.

“I’d suggest deli trays, fruit and veggies,” Messinger says. “People can call up one day in advance to have trays made up.” Some trays are premade in the produce section but there are more than 15 deli trays, from relish to meat, that can be made to order.

At the new Albertson’s store on 57th and Regal, Wanda Roberts is getting ready to put on her walking shoes this Sunday. With her husband Doric, also an Albertson’s employee, Roberts has participated for about 10 years in the local event.

“We don’t do it fast, but we enjoy it,” says Roberts, who’s in bakery sales.

She recommends the specialty breads, such as Onion Garlic Cheddar Bread. “They’re not your standard breads,” she says.

Here’s a quick pasta recipe to prepare before Spokane’s not-so-standard race. Have a great run on Sunday, everyone.

Shells in Alfredo Sauce

From “Memorable Menus Made Easy” by Robyn Webb (American Diabetes Association, 1997).

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons prepared minced garlic

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced basil

6 cups cooked shell pasta

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and milk and mix until smooth.

Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cheese and basil. Toss with the hot cooked shells and serve.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 282 calories, 6 grams fat (19 percent fat calories), 42 grams carbohydrate, 14 grams protein, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 1.5 grams dietary fiber, 150 milligrams sodium.