4th of July and Paleo Oatmeal

July 5, 2012 By Laura

Can you imagine running a 10K in 27:36?

The 24-year-old winner of this year’s Peachtree Road Race (the largest 10K in the world) did it. His name is Peter Kirui. He’s Kenyan. ~~Surprise, surprise.~~

Peachtree runners

I spectated for a bit this year, but didn’t run. It’s a little disheartening because it’s the first I’ve skipped in 5 years. My knee and my trainer both have put a halt to my running, so I passed my number along to my boss’ wife. She didn’t win the women’s division. That prize went to Mamitu Daska from Ethiopia, who finished the 6.2 mile run in 32:22.

After a little cheerleading, I hit the gym to lift weights before heading to the lake for a day of ~~getting sunburned~~ fun in the sun. Having done shoulders with my trainer on Tuesday, chest and biceps yesterday, a jet ski ride, and a sunburn… I can barely lift my arms. Good thing its leg day!

Post-lake there were fireworks. My BFF and I hit the country club where we grew up for a 20 minute display that would rival and city production.

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The breakfast I began the day with for-sure kept me moving all day.

Several people had told me about Paleo “Oatmeal,” but I wast in a hurry to try a Paleo meal when I can have the real thing. You see, the Paleo diet shuns bread-y carbs. This oatmeal doesn’t actually include oats.

Despite my hesitation, curiosity got the best of me and I’m so glad it did. This creamy oat-less oatmeal is going in constant rotation.

The banana gets that yummy caramelized taste, and I was surprised and how much this actually LOOKED like oatmeal.

Even better, it came together quickly and delivered and TON of protein to my tired muscles. I amped it up more in my version with protein powder (I used Sun Warrior Vanilla here). The addition of butter extract really have it that oatmeal taste – you know the one. When you were a kid and would have a glob of melty butter on top of your oats… alongside wayyyy too much brown sugar. It’s cool, we didn’t know and better

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Paleo Oatmeal

1/2 C egg whites
1/2 scoop protein powder
2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other liquid)
1 T ground flaxseed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 banana, well-mashed
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp butter extract

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl until well-combined.

In a small saucepan, cook mixture over low-med heat, stirring frequently to avoid lumps and reach oatmeal-like consistency (~5 mins).

Top your “oatmeal” with your favorite oatmeal topping. I went with blueberries.

Serves 1.

***

I’m a little annoyed with myself for getting so badly burned. Doh.

Did you run a race? Enjoy a fireworks show? Both?

Have you tired one of the Paleo oatmeal bowls before? Any thoughts on the program? It wouldn’t work for me right now, but I’m curious about others’ experiences!

Blueberry Protein Tart + WIAW

July 4, 2012 By Laura

Happy 4th of July!

I wasn’t going to post today, but how could I miss my favorite day of the week – Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Last week I talked a lot about the nutrition plan I’m on to achieve my new fitness goal (competing in a figure competition). I’m still packing in the protein and keeping it (mostly) vegetarian. I’m struggling to find a wider variety of protein sources.

One thing I noticed last week was that my skin is breaking out from the increase in dairy. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese had become protein-staples. I’m aiming to just cut back a bit this week, limiting it to 1-2 servings of dairy per day, to see if that helps.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.” Girl reads my mind with these themes!

Check out my protein-filled fuel below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness treats!

Meal 1:

Last week I talked about how I’m now eating 7 meals a day. Meal 1 occurred yesterday at 8am. Knowing I had an appointment with my trainer later, I focused on getting as much energy as possible from my morning eats.

Workout energy can be quite tasty!

This is a Blueberry Protein Tart. I ate it for breakfast, but it would make one helluva dessert too!

The inspiration for this creation was Tessa’s own creation. I am not allowed the peanut butter she added, and I needed to reduce the size because when you eat 7 meals a day they need to be a tad smaller (yet still protein rich – that’s a whole other challenge).

Despite the omission of peanut butter, my crust was fantastically chewy and fudgey. And the “cream filling” was just perfect. If you haven’t invested in peanut flour, you should do so ASAP. I’m not kidding.

Recipe at the bottom of this post.

Meal 2:

This was my pre-workout meal. In effort to limit the dairy, I made a massive tomato and egg white scramble with basil and a drizzle of balsamic. I’m also allowed 1 T of sunflower seeds, which I sprinkled on top of the mix.

Meal 3:

This meal is like lunch. Since it was also my post-workout meal, a protein smoothie was in order. I have to eat immediately after my workout to build muscle, so portability is key. I also packed cereal for some carbs to top my smoothie and a water mixed with Amino Energy to drink during and after the workout for energy and recovery.

This is one of my new favorite smoothies. Carrot Cake. I’ve tried it before, but I think this particular combo is the winner. A couple more trials and I’ll post the recipe.

It did get the thumbs up from both trainers who sampled it.

Meal 4:

This is like an afternoon snack. That means I can have a protein source (25g) and a 3/4 C serving of veggies. Hmmmm… a protein-packed nori roll? Is that possible?

Yes, yes it is. I mixed a scoop of protein powder and ~1 tsp of wasabi with water to form a paste.

I slathered my nori rolls with it and filled them with sprouts, beets, raw asparagus, and raw cauliflower. Not too shabby for a snack on the fly!

Meal 5:

Usually I have some sort of dinner in mind, but today I was drawing a blank on where my dinner protein would come from. My protein ended up being partially in the form of beans, and some of the secret was in the sauce.

Note: I know several will comment that I should eat more to beans, quinoa, and lentils for vegetarian/vegan protein sources. The problem with that is that they count as carbs. I am limited to 3/4 C of carbs at meals 1, 3, and 5. 3/4 a cup of beans is about 12g of protein. That leaves 8-13g protein I’d still need for that meal!

For this protein-rich salad, I combined 1/2 cup of fava beans and cannellini beans with 3 oz Greek yogurt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and lavar flakes. Then I tossed it all with beets, sprouts, green pepper, and onion. Topped with 1/4 C edamame, basil, more nooch, and red pepper flakes.

Sort of like a bean-based chicken salad. Sort of.

Meal 6:

By this time of day I am sick of eating. That’s something I never thought I’d say! Meal 6 was a quick scramble of soy-based ground “beef,” egg whites, and zucchini topped with nooch and radish.

Meal 7:

Last meal. This – I am told – is my “dessert.” I’ve pulled some good ones, but tonight I was just proud of myself for getting in the 7th meal. Typically I’m too stuffed by meal 6 to get anything else in mah belly.

1/2 banana covered in Greek yogurt and frozen with bowl of peanut butter protein pudding (protein powder, peanut flour, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon).

Blueberry Protein Tart

For the Crust:

1/4 C cereal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 T vanilla protein powder
1 tsp chia seeds
2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or liquid of choice)
5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or your favorite sweetener)

For the Cream:

3 oz (1/2 container) Greek yogurt
1 T peanut flour
5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia

For the Crust:

Place your favorite cereal in a blender and mix until it’s dust. Pour into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon, protein powder, and chia seeds. Stir in stevia and milk. (Note: You may have to adjust liquid amounts depending on the powder and cereal you use.) It should form a sticky ball.

Spread the crust mixture evenly across a small plate (~1/4 in thick). Refrigerate over night, or at least 20 mins.

For the Cream:

In a small bowl combine yogurt, peanut flour (you could sub more protein powder here), and stevia.

Spread evenly atop your crust.
Top with the fruit of your choice and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving.

Approximate nutritionals (without toppings; can vary widely depending on cereal, powder, and yogurt used): 219 calories, 6.9g fat, 22.4g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 4.3g sugar, 23.6g protein

***

In case you’re curious, I managed 154.5 g of protein with these eats. BAM.

How do you refuel post-workout?

What is your favorite 4th of July dish?

Seasonal Baking: Fluffy Fig Scones

July 3, 2012 By Laura

Seasonal baked goods are worth a cheat meal.

As if I need an excuse…

When a friend brought me figs from her dad’s yard, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them.

You could use dried figs to make these scones, but why? The juicy sweet fruit-candy is plentiful right now.

This recipe for fig-laced scones is one of my all-time favorites. I make a batch once a year when figs are in season… it’s self-preservation, really. If I make them, I eat them.

Over time I have lightened the recipe up a tad, but not to the detriment of taste or texture.

These are not your typical dried out coffee shop scones. They are quite moist, flaky, and full of rich figgy flavor. These free-form scones could masquerade as a muffin top in a pinch.

To sweeten these I used some “real” sugar, but also incorporated a NuNaturals Stevia blend. Using a mix rather than replacing all of the real thing avoids any problem of aftertaste.

Maple extract is another great addition – you can achieve that rich maple flavor without having to add sugary syrup. If you don’t have maple extract, try adding a vanilla or almond extract.

If you make these now, you’ll have them ready to eat while you cheer on the 4th of July race-runners. Or to inhale after YOU run your own race. I’ll be cheerleading for the world’s largest 10K with one of these and a cup of coffee in hand. ~~Stupid knee injury.~~

[Tweet “These Fig Scones are 100x better than anything in a coffee shop!”]

Fluffy Fig Scones

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Keywords: bake breakfast brunch snack figs spring summer

Ingredients (14 scones)

4 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend (or more regular sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick (1/2 C) salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 pound fresh figs (~6 large)
1 C buttermilk (I made mine with just under 1C almond milk and 1T lemon juice)
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp maple extract
1 egg yolk
1 T cream
Palm (or raw) sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter until you have pea-sized pieces. I find it’s easiest to just use my (clean) hands to do this.

Once combined, dice up your figs into 1 inch pieces and toss them in with the dry ingredients/butter mix.

Add milk, cream applesauce, and extract and briefly stir, just enough to bring the batter together. Do NOT over-mix.

the batter is moist, so I just make these free-form scones. Scoop ~1/4 C blob of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Mix together your egg yolk and cream to form a wash. Lightly brush the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

***

Totally off subject, but I laughed so hard when a friend posted this on Facebook that I have to share:

“NBC Gymnastics Trials Announcer: ‘This young lady has certainly turned into quite the confident beam-worker.’
If I said that about a 14 year-old girl, I’d be arrested.”

What are your plans for the 4th? Any race-runners?

What is your favorite scone flavor?

Fundays + Tomato Basil Beet Salad Guest Spot

July 2, 2012 By Laura

Forget Sunday-Funday.

This weekend was one big Funday! Friday – for my cheat day – I went to my favorite underground supper club, Push Start Kitchen with my best friend. Zack was serving a vegetarian dinner and once again blew it out of the water with his creative flavor combinations and impeccable execution. God bless cheat day.

L to R: the table; amuse – a corn masa with red chili jam and pickled okra; appetizer – chilled zucchini soup with tempura pumpkin flowers, house-made ricotta with preserved lemon, arugula, and smoked chile jam; main – roasted chile, Israeli couscous with collards, black plum mole, crisped tamale “croutons,” cotija cheese, and hears of palm; dessert – arroz con leche with candied lemon, melon sorbet, lychee foam, and basil and sour cherry gelee.

Saturday I took an easy bike ride through the park and hit up the Green Market for some tomatoes and a beautiful bunch of basil grown right there in the park. Doesn’t get more local than that!

Saturday evening I got to see some of my favorite bloggers at a going away party for Heather and her hubby Kirk. They are off to Colorado! We are sad to see them go, but we had a great time catching up and goofing off.

L to R: Heather, Lindsay, Tina, and me.

Heather cooked up a fantastic (vegan) Mexican feast, even specially preparing ground tempeh so that I had something I could eat (going out on a strict diet is HARD). I really loved her bean dip too – it was just the right amount of spicy.

I didn’t partake in the Cayenne-spice chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, but am told they were phenomenal.

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Tiffany @ Como Water invited me to write a guest post for her blog. Please click here to check it out, and check out her blog. It is a plethora of delicious, plant-based eats!

This dish I made for her is a Tomato Basil Beet Salad. Who knew this beets and tomatoes would be such a win? I mean, I thought it would taste good, but whoa. This simple salad of beets, tomato, basil, and onion blew me away. A bit of lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper balanced the beet flavor and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes almost made it seems like dessert.

The other item that blew me away was a feta cheese.

Last week I talked about the yogurt I received from Olympus; however, they also included a feta cheese in the package. This creamy treat is imported from Greece, and is the BEST feta I’ve had in recent memory. I’m not even exaggerating. It was impossibly creamy, and have just the right amount of salt to bring out the feta tang.

For the full recipe, check out my guest post on Tiffany’s blog, Como Water.

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Recap time. I’m on day 10 of my figure competition training and still loving it! I had an appointment with my trainer Saturday. It was a tough one – I got busted for my lack of protein on my “cheat” day (note to self: Steve reads blog… watch yo self) and was ~~justly punished~~ treated to a killer leg workout. I’m really excited about my progress in a short amount of time. I was able to squat 30% more weight than I could just a week and a half ago!

Thank god this week was only 3 softball games… ’cause it is HOT. The obligatory #proof pic:

Workout Recap (6/25- 7/1):

Monday – Chest/Biceps, 2.5 mile walk
Tuesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
Wednesday – Back/Tris
Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes, 2.5 mile walk
Friday – Biceps/Chest, 2 mile walk
Saturday – Legs/Hams (w/ trainer), 20 min bike ride, 1.75 mi walk
Sunday – 3 softball games

***

Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes of Special K’s new granola bars! Contest ends TONIGHT at 11:59p.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Is it in the 100s where you are?

Loving Friday + Zucchini Bread Smoothie

June 29, 2012 By Laura

On Wednesday I thought it was Friday.

That makes for a looooong week. It’s not even a holiday weekend. ~~We only get 1 day off for the 4th. Grrrrr…~~ Let’s focus on the good.

It is indeed finally FRIDAY!!! And I have a cheat day! After 1 week on the nutrition plan, I’m more than ready. I’m sure most people look forward to these days so they can have pizza or cookies. I’m just looking forward to a day where I don’t have to eat 7 protein-packed meals.

Vegetables are what I crave. Raw, leafy delicious vegetables. In fact I’m going to a vegetarian underground dinner tonight. I love veggies. *blissful sigh*

Here are 5 other things I’m feeling love for today:

1. Sunshine and Sunroofs

It may be 100 degrees, but I still love the sunshine. Also, I love my car. I couldn’t own one that lacks a sunroof! ~~Smog be damned.~~

2. Olympus Greek Yogurt

One of the packages I returned home to post-Chile was from Olympus. They sent me a TON of yogurt to sample, and I am so grateful. This is one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Theirs is directly from its namesake – one of the only Greek yogurts in the US to be imported from Greece. It’s SUPER thick and creamy, and it only has 88 calories (as opposed to the typical ~130). This leaves plenty of room for me to add my own mix-ins.

In my bowl:

1 6oz container non-fat Olympus Greek Yogurt
2 T peanut butter flour
2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 C blackberries (cut in half and roughly mashed)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
4-5 drops vanilla liquid stevia

3. Fitmixer

I swear I’m not a product whore. This stuff has legit been a lifesaver in this first week of heavy weights with my competition training.

The Fitmixer Amino powder has made a big difference in my recovery time and energy level (note: I like the fruit punch much better than the grape flavor), and their chocolate protein powder is actually tasty.

4. Nutty Butter

Ok, I do admit to being Sarah’s pimp. I order my first batch of her Nutty Butter and I am in nut heaven. Whatever you do, get the Cookie Dough. The Oatmeal Cookie is a close second. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.

5. Zucchini Bread Smoothie

I came up with this little oddity when trying to find a snack that had 20-25g of protein and a vegetable (Meal 4 of the nutrition plan). When I threw everything in the blender I was nervous. This was a weird one even for me.

Miraculously, the combo worked! Despite the arctic temperature of my office, I slurped down this creamy glass of goodness faster than you can say “protein.”

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Zucchini Bread Smoothie

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 medium zucchini
1 C spinach
1/4 C 1% cottage cheese
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 in piece fresh ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp almond extract
7-8 drops vanilla liquid stevia
1/4 tsp guar gum
1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Ice, to taste

Place all ingredients into blender and mix until smooth.

***

I might even have a salad for breakfast.

What would/do you crave on a “cheat” day?

What are you loving right now?

Mexican Crustless Chickpea (Vegan) Quiche

June 28, 2012 By Laura

In my constant quest for protein, I’ve become obsessed with chickpea flour.

I’ve always loved socca. Chickpea flour is also quite good in Seitan Chorizo. But what other uses are there for the protein-filled flour? I need a lot more in order to get my daily 150g of protein!

I’ve been teasing you guys all week on the blog and on Instagram with pics of this dish:

It’s a vegan quiche! Even if you are not vegan, you’ll love this one. I’ve been noshing on it for lunch all week. The Mexican-inspired ingredients of cumin, onion, and peppers give it a ton of flavor (which only gets better on days 2 and 3).

It lacks the traditional quiche crust, making it gluten-free. However, it doesn’t lack a crust! The chickpea flour forms its own thin crust around the edges and bottom of the quiche, giving you something satisfying to bite into.

Inspired by Janet ‘s Mediterranean Crustless Quiche. If you haven’t check out Janet’s blog yet, please do. I’ve made many of her recipes verbatim and they have all been outstanding!

Mexican Crustless Chickpea Quiche

4 C loosely packed cups spinach, destemmed and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 C red onion, chopped
1/4 C cilantro, rough chopped
2 C chickpea flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T avocado oil (can use olive oil)
1.5 tsp ground cumin
S&P, to taste
3 C water

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ spring-form pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the vegetables and cilantro.

In a large blender (I used my Vitamix), combine the chickpea flour, oil, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and water. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Combine the chickpea mixture with vegetables and stir to combine. Pour mixture into greased pan, making sure it is evenly distributed.

Bake at 475 for ~50 minutes, of on the convection setting at 450 for 40 mins. The quiche should brown on top, and a cake tester should come out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from spring-form.

Serves 6.

Approximate nutritionals (per slice): 175 calories, 4.8g fat, 24.1 carbs, 5g fiber, 5.7g sugar, 8.8g protein

***

Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes of Special K’s new granola bars! Contest ends Monday, July 2nd. (Side note: Can you believe it’s almost JULY?!)

Have you ever made a vegan quiche before? I want to try one with tofu, too!

What are your favorite quiche or savory pie fillings?

A Protein-Filled Wednesday + a Snack Giveaway!

June 27, 2012 By Laura

Snacking is the new name of the game for me.

Yesterday I revealed my new fitness goal to you all – to compete in a figure competition. This means HUGE change in my plant-based diet. Now I have to focus more on protein than plants, and I’m eating constantly… but my goal is to to keep to a vegetarian protein diet.

The Basic Plan:

7 “meals” per day (I eat every 2 hours)
20-25g of protein at each meal
120 oz of water daily
1 serving of fruit for the first 2 meals, and at meal 7 (“dessert”)
1 serving of veggies for meals 3-6
1/2 C carbs at meal 1, 3, 5, and 7 (beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes count as carbs)
Limited fats – flax at meal 1, nuts at meal 2, olive oil at meals 3 and 5

The good parts: no calorie counting or macro tracking; I get a cheat day once a week; I already love protein shakes

The hard parts: only eating 1 serving of veggies at a time is hard; eating that much protein on a veg diet is REALLY hard; eating all the time sounds fun at first, but I am really never hungry (except for when I wake up); eating every two hours take a ton of planning; all of that water has me running to the bathroom every 30 mins.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme of “Sensible Snacking” this month is just perfect for my new plan. I am snacking all day!

Check out a day in the food life of a wanna-be figure competitor; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s day of eats!