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Appetites and Adventures

Manic Monday

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I wish it was Sunday…

‘Cause that’s my fun day.

There was not an inch of free space on any Atlanta patio yesterday.  The weather was perfect – 70 degrees and clear blue skies.

My softball team, Laid Back, had our first games of the season.  We lost both by 1 run… but we had a great time!  I got to do my signature split off of 1st base.  I think I pulled my hip.

Super-old pic!

Here are a few more things that made this weekend fabulous:

1. My Sister, the Rockstar

Have a listen to Goose & Fox’s (my sister’s band) new song, “Fearless.”

 

2. iHerb Delivery

This was my first time ordering from iHerb.com and I was really pleased!  I ordered Sun Warrior vegan protein powder (my favorite) and more peanut flour.  They even threw in a sample bag of tea!  Orders over $40 receive FREE 1-3 day shipping.  I had my goods the NEXT DAY.  Perfect for someone who expects instant gratification.

Additionally, I got $10 off my order because it was my first time.  If you are interested, here’s the code: USO924.

3. Monday Night Brewing

Just when I thought I knew ever beer in Atlanta, I found this local craft brew from Monday Night Brewing at a local pub called Augustine’s.

The glass reads: “Weekends are Overrated.”

I should have stolen this glass.

It is called “Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale.”  A little smoky with notes of chocolate, I instantly loved this cleverly-named  Scottish-style brew.  Tasty beer and the company was even better. 😉

4. Tattoo Consultation

I have been planning this tattoo forever.  After procrastinating on the design, I finally asked my best friend’s husband, Greg, to sketch it out for me.  He did a great job on the sketches, and I had a clear vision to bring to the talented Danielle at Only You Tattoo.  It’s really special to me that Greg drew it; he and my bestie mean the world to me.

Danielle is a talented woman – April 28th was her first available appointment.  I’m 1 month away from new ink!

5. Whole Foods Hot Mess Bar

A little Sunday evening dinner treat.  The bar was LOADED with vegan options tonight – BBQ seitan, tofu cacciatore, vegan mac & cheese, vegan spaghetti with “meat” sauce… and raw kale salads galore!

I also ran into one of my favorite singers in the produce sections… I didn’t say hi…. but it was cool!

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Last week I mentioned that I may have found the root of the problem with my knee.  I was told to take it easy this week… I kind of did.  Against advice, I did run in the softball game.  It was just short sprints between bases… but I didn’t feel pain!  *crossing fingers*

 

Running makes me feel more sane.  It’s my release.  Saturday morning 5Ks give me something fun and athletic to look forward to every weekend.  If Dr. Justin fixed it… I’ll set up a shrine to him in my room.  LOL!

Workout Recap (3/18 – 3/25):

***

I’m speaking to a bunch of MBAs at my alma mater today about post-careers… nervous!!

Have you tried peanut flour yet?  What are you waiting for?!

What do you do to keep your mind healthy?

Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca Pizza

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I am a purple people pizza eater.

Does anyone else remember this movie?

The blog world has exploded with pizza crusts lately – sweet potato, cauliflower, coconut flour, and the ever-popular socca.

You guys may have noticed that I have a little sweet potato addiction.  This sweet potato crust from Lindsay first caught my eye.  I bought all of the ingredients and got fired up to make it … so what do I do?

Change of plans.  I spotted the roasted beet in my fridge and made a Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca Pizza.

Purple food rocks.

Socca is a basic 1:1 mix of chickpea flour and water; for there you can add in other flavorings (click here for my go-to version)  People either make it on the stove top (like a pancake), or in the oven.  Some start it in the pan and finish it off in the oven, which is my preferred method.

The combination of the roasted beets and richness from the roasted garlic was fantastic.

I topped it pizza-style with kale, asparagus, kumquats, onion, and nutritional yeast.  That resulted in one fantastic, colorful spring dinner.

One downside: there weren’t any leftovers to eat cold from the fridge for breakfast.

Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca

  • 1/2 C chickpea flour
  • 1/2 roasted beet
  • 6 cloves roasted garlic (if using raw, only add 1-2 cloves)
  • 1/3 C water
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Kale
  • Kumquats
  • Asparagus
  • Yellow onion
  • Nutritional yeast (or cheese – goat would be great here)
  • Red pepper flakes

Preheat oven on broil.

In a blender, mix flour, beet, garlic, water, and pepper.  Heat a small, oven-proof pan over medium-high.  Add a generous splash of olive oil to the pan to grease.

Pour enough batter to cover pan surface (1/8-1/4 in thick).  Cook until bottom is lightly browned and top is dry to touch (~3-4 mins).

Top with kale, kumquats, asparagus, onion, nutritional yeast (or cheese), and red pepper flakes.  Place in the oven under broiler for ~4-5 mins, until veggies begin to brown.  Be sure to watch closely!

Carefully slide off the pan with a wide spatula onto a plate to eat hot.

Makes 2 “crusts.”

***

Sorry for the late post yesterday – I wanted to wait for the Fitness Magazine interview to post!  Thank you for the support.  So flippin’ excited. 🙂

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Have you ever had a kumquat?

Double Feature

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Remember double features at the movie theater?

 

You could pay for one ticket and see 2 movies.  Some of you just snuck in, I know. 😉

I haven’t seen them do that in so long!  We should start a petition to bring it back in time for Oscar season next year.  This year I spent too much money going to see the nominees.  And I did NOT like Shame.

 

While this post has nothing to do with movies, it does contain some features!

First up, I was THRILLED (and shocked) when Fitness Magazine reached out to me and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview and submit a recipe for a spot in their “Fit Blogger We Love” series.

 

 

Click here for the full interview and to find out what my fitness mantra is.

 

Feature #2 is a guest post.  I’m guesting Kimberly @ Badger Girl Learns to Cook (not to be confused with Honey Badger).

 

 

Click here to check out my reasons for seasonal eating, and for one of my favorite spring recipes: Meyer Lemon Ricotta Penne with Asparagus.

Note to my plant-based peeps: You can use the “cheese” from the recipe in the Fitness Mag feature to make the penne dish vegan.

 

Annnnd a Bonus Feature:

My Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go made the Food Buzz Top 9 today!

 

 

Thank you SO MUCH for the Buzz, and welcome new readers!

***

My mantra right now is “one more day until Friday!”

What was your favorite Oscar-nominated move this year?

Do you have a fitness mantra?  What is it?

 

A Cure + WIAW

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The mystery has been solved.

I think.

Since mid-January I haven’t been able to run due to a strange knee pain.  After seeing a PT and seeing no improvement, I paid a visit to my old chiropractor.  This is the guy that fixed my right knee a couple of years ago.  Why did I wait so long to see him for my left knee?

The theory is that I have Patellofemoral Syndrome.  In English, I have Runner’s Knee.  Damaged cartilage under my knee cap (patella) from years of abuse.  I didn’t realize your knee cap wasn’t supposed to crunch when you push down on it…

 

 

The plan is for me to see the Doc regularly and do some daily “homework.”  I have one exercise to strengthen my inner quad, a quad stretch, a way to push on my knee cap to break up scar tissue, and then I end with 10 mins of ice.  In one week I try running again and see what happens.

 

Speaking of afflictions… in Georgia we have had record pollen counts.  Thank god I don’t have allergies.  A stuffy nose would certainly affect my taste, which would make Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday less fun!  Who wants to eat when they can’t taste?

The green theme continues… and is especially appropriate since I ate lunch outside and fell victim to the yellow-green pollen film.

 

 

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Breakfast:

I pre-gamed my workout with this Raspberry Barked Oatmeal To-Go.  Delicious from the freezer and zapped in the micro for 30 seconds.

 

 

My post workout protein smoothie was a lovely red and green.  Translation: brown. 

 

It was this Beet-Citrus creation from Valentine’s Day; however, I added more spinach this time.  Hence the brown.


Lunch:

Like any good American, I love Mexican.

Today’s lunch featured a couple of tacos made from collard greens.

 

In my tacos:

  • Pinto bean dip
  • Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burger
  • Carrots
  • Avocado
  • Tomato
  • Salsa verde
  • Cumin
  • Nutritional Yeast

 

Best new lunch idea in recent memory.  These are going into regular rotation!

 

 

Snacks:

It was a carb-y snack day.  Mostly brought to you by Trader Joe’s: Rice and Bean Chips, Sweet Potato Chip Rounds, Popcorn, and a Cherry-Dark Chocolate KIND bar.

 

 

Un-pictured: kombucha and mixed nuts.

 

Dinner:

A  night out with mama at a new -to-us place called Three Sheets.  Cute name, right?

Hummus, falafel, veggies, and lamb for mom.  Of course, there was a bottle of wine involved. 🙂

***

I wish I could type what I’m thinking right now… la-la-la-la-la….

Weekly vote-begging time! I was honored with a nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  I know I’m never going to reach the 1000+vote mark, but I’d be flattered if you felt inclined to click here and vote for me. 🙂

Are you getting dumped on by pollen too?

What is your favorite Trader Joe’s treat?

 

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

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I am not a morning person.

After hitting snooze too many a few times, I’m forced to race through my morning routine.  I squeeze in a quick workout, shower, try to make my face look presentable for work, and inhale breakfast.  This means I NEVER have time for something a decadent as baked oatmeal.

That is until now.

In honor of National Nutrition Month I was contacted by a representative from Driscoll’s Berries to share a recipe I use to fuel up.  I was not compensated in any way; the only stipulation was that the recipe must use fresh raspberries as an ingredient.

Berries are one of the seasonal spring items I most look forward to.  Aside from the deliciously sweet taste they add to dishes, they also pack a ton of nutrients.  Raspberries have a high fiber content and are rich in antioxidants, which can fight inflammation and degenerative disease processes in the body.

Baked oatmeal is a favorite breakfast in my house.  Until recently it was also a rare breakfast.  Who has time to bake in the morning?!

Then light bulb went off.  Pre-Baked Oatmeal.

These baked oatmeal bites were made in advance to be frozen.  All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost.

Baking these in muffin liners is especially convenient for shoveling delicately eating your oatmeal on the run.

Bananas help to bind these together; and those bananas with the pieces of raspberry provide pleasant bites of sweetness.  Depending on your berries and bananas, you may not need to add any sweetener!  It’s still early in the season, so I added a bit of liquid Stevia.

These also make for a great snack while cheerleading. 🙂

Not in the mood for berries?  Check out the Sweet Potato version!

These baked oatmeal bites can be made in advance and frozen for a quick breakfast or snack. All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 C raspberries, lightly mashed
  • 1 egg (I used a flax egg – 1T ground flax + 3T water)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp maple extract
  • 2 C rolled oats
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 drops liquid stevia
  • 3/4 C unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Topping ideas: Walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, shredded coconut

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease with cooking spray

Mix together banana, raspberries, flax egg, and extracts.  Stir in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and sweetener.  Mix in milk and stir until combined.

Pour batter evenly into tins.  Sprinkle with desired toppings, pressing lightly into batter.

Bake 20-25 mins, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Enjoy a few fresh, and allow the remaining to cool completely before placing in a freezer bag for storage.  For a quick breakfast, remove muffin from the freezer and microwave ~30 seconds (until warmed through).

Note: Depending on the size and ripeness of bananas, you may need to adjust amount of liquid used.  Don’t worry if you don’t have maple extract; you can also use maple syrup (be sure to adjust sweeteners) or omit.

Makes 12 muffins.

***

Warning: these muffins won’t last very long. 

What is your favorite spring produce?

Do you take time of a nice breakfast, or eat on the go?

Monday Mentions

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In typical fashion, I spent the weekend on the go.

 

Between the summer-ish weather and having to sit in the office all week, I couldn’t get enough of the great outdoors.  All of the St. Patrick’s festivities and running events made it feel like spring festival season!

Here’s a little highlight reel:

 

1. Dining Out Vegan

I’m still rocking the vegan thing and have gotten some cool meals.

 

 

The first pic is from the best Thai restaurant in Atlanta – Panita Thai.  It looks like a shack from the outside, but the food is incredible.  I ordered my eggplant-tofu dish “Thai hot.”  Cindy, the owner/our server looked skeptic but did as requested.  That may be the last time I order something THAT spicy… but my ego I ate it.  Cindy was impressed.

 

The bottom 2 pics are from ONE Midtown Kitchen.  The service-level was absolutely incredible.  Chef Drew VanLeuvan created a custom appetizer and entrée for me.  Or server, Bernadette, even brought out apple slices and asparagus stalks for me to munch on pre-dinner since I couldn’t eat the bread sticks!

My app consisted of roasted apples with ginger sorbet and roasted cabbage.  The entrée that Chef created was an asparagus salad with pickled strawberries, orange segments, toasted hazelnuts, sugar snaps, micro greens, and a balsamic reduction.  It was a lot of apples and asparagus, but it was fantastic.

Note: Chef Drew is leaving soon to start is his own restaurant.  Sad news for ONE, but very exciting for the talented chef.   I’ll be frequenting his new spot (and ONE, of course).

 

2. Baking Bender

The baking bug hit me.  I made Sarah’s Sweet Potato Soda Bread (with just a little creative recipe-license – sooo good), a new oatmeal thing (recipe coming tomorrow!), and my Chewy Granola Cookies.

Who says you have to be running to carb-load?!

 

3. Summer in the Winter

Technically this is still winter.  Atlanta didn’t get that memo – it was in the 80s all weekend!  Some dude in the condo across from me was in the pool (see evidence below).  I went on a long walk in the park with a friend on St. Patrick’s Day.  As you might imagine, we saw many entertaining things.  The pic below is some sort of photo shoot that was happening.  Doesn’t it look like the guy is photographing her butt?!

 

 

4. Cheerleading

The Publix Marathon & Half Marathon were this weekend.  I rolled out of bed early to cheer on fellow bloggers Heather, Lindsay, Lee, and Tina.  It was my first time cheerleading a race, and I was surprised at how much fun it was to spectate and encourage the runners.  I somehow missed Heather and Lindsay.  Tina waved and she powered by in her hot pink socks… I was busy stuffing my face like a fat kid with a muffin and missed the pic.  Fail.

I did get Lee!  She claimed she was struggling, but she looked fantastic!

 

 

5. Refuel

Refuel brunch without running is totally acceptable, right?  I joined the runners for brunch at Stone Soup Kitchen.  Heather found this gem – they had several vegan options, all delicious.  Heather and Kirk (her husband, who also ran) ordered Vegos Rancheros that looked to-die-for.  I had a tofu scramble with green peppers, red onion, jalapenos, mushrooms, arugula, and red hot sauce.  It was SO good.  I also had a side of grits, but discovered that vegan grits aren’t my favorite.

 

L to R: me, Tina, Lee, Kirk, Heather, Lindsay, and little Clara

 

You may have noticed the coffee.  The caffeine break is officially over. 🙂

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The workouts were pretty good this week.  I was missing my weight workouts.  CrossFit means I don’t have the time or energy to do both most days.  Friday and Saturday I decided to skip the CrossFit and return to my trusty weights. I was shocked to find during Saturday’s P90X Chest/Tri workout that I could actually do more push-ups!

 

 

The BodyRock videos continue to get better and better.  I love that they are adding “bonus” rounds and using some weights now!  That makes some of these solid 30-45 mins workouts.  It may seem like I slacked on the push ups, but between BodyRock ad CrossFit I got my fill. 🙂

 

Workout Recap (3/5 – 3/18):

 

***

There’s something about this weather that makes me believe I shouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Did you run a race the weekend?  How did it go?

Does it feel like summer where you live?  Are you happy about it, or missing a true winter?

 

Feeling Irish on a Green WIAW

By

I’ve never had a Shamrock Shake.

Out of curiosity I want to try one of the “healthy” Shamrock Shakes everyone has been posting… but I really don’t like mint desserts.

This time 2 years ago I was in Ireland!  Time flies… I was there on St. Patrick’s Day by accident.  When I booked the trip that happened to be the week I had free.  It wasn’t until we were leaving that I realized it was St. Patrick’s!  Only me.

Check out my Top 5 Things to Do in Ireland and the souper spinach-asparagus soup pictured below by clicking here.

Since I don’t post on weekends, it seemed that today is the perfect time for an Irish shout out because it’s a green-themed What I Ate Wednesday.

Green is my favorite food-color; however, I managed to fail a little at eating food that was colored green.  It was all plant-based though!

 

Breakfast:

Surprise, surprise… I had a smoothie!  Thank god it’s getting warmer because my smoothie addiction is only growing as I find more and more things I can thrown into the Vitamix.

I’ll be drinking all of my smoothies this week from my trusty Guinness pint glass. 🙂

In my smoothie:

  • Spinach
  • Raw beet
  • Carrot
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Flax meal
  • Ginger
  • Maca
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Almond extract
  • Stevia
  • Ice + water

Lunch:

Salad box!  This is such a convenient way to travel – I toss veggies and dressing in a half-eaten container of greens to take to work.  Easy and there are no dishes to clean up!

In my box:

Snacks:

I was bad about picture-taking with all my snacks.  Un-pictured was a kombucha, a sweet potato with nooch, and a handful of almonds.  My Piñata apple did make it (barely)!

A new (to me) waffle was scarfed down as well.  I normally buy the Kashi brand, but I liked this Nature’s Path waffle even more!

The actual waffle didn’t make it to the camera, but I assure you it was delicious with protein sauce (protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon, and stevia).

Dinner:

Parsnip rice finally happened.  I think I like it even better than parsnip fries!  I enjoyed it with roasted veggies and a cashew-curry sauce that will be posted tomorrow!

***

Doesn’t it feel like it should be Friday already?

Vote-begging time! I was honored with a nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  Not to sound desperate (I’m never going to reach the 400+vote mark, I know), but pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year?

Have you ever traveled to a city/country specifically to celebrate a holiday there (other than to grandma’s house for Christmas 🙂 )?

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

By

I love a rich, creamy tomato comfort-soup.

Is it really only Tuesday?!

I’ve had a crazy busy week at work, which translates into a super-short blog post.

It’s harder to find a simple creamy (vegan) tomato soup in the “winter” months.  I suppose I can’t complain since it’s been like summer in March here in Georgia.  Do these hotter months also make you a sucker for summer slackiing?

Balmy weather doesn’t reduce my craving for tomato soup.  While this simple soup may not be earth-shattering, it was one that proved to be easy and good!  Let’s face it – simple comfort soup is sometimes exactly what you’re looking for.

This was a last minute edge-of-summer recipe using tomatoes that are at the tipping point of their season – early, thanks again to the warm weather.

My vegan challenge doesn’t permit the usual cream/butter/other deliciousness goes into making a creamy soup, which was cause for a little clean-eating improv.  The “cream” in the soup comes from tofu.

This creamy, cream-free recipe will save your summer waistline and provide you with a good way to work in some protein, as well as early-season tomatoes and basil.

 

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (~1/3 C)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp olive oil (I used Sweetwater Growers’ Habanero-infused)
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 10 oz silken tofu (about 3/4 of a block)
  • 1/4 C water (or liquid of choice)
  • 1/2 C fresh basil, loosely packed
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • S&P, to taste

If making on a stove top:

Sauté onion and garlic in large soup pot with olive oil until fragrant (~6-7 mins).  Meanwhile, chop up tomatoes, tofu, and herbs.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 mins, allowing flavors to combine.

Remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or by transferring to a blender to mix.

Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

If making in a Vitamix:

Begin by sautéing onion and garlic with the olvie oil in a small pan, or, for a raw soup, skip this step and put directly into the Vitamix.

Place all ingredients in Vitamix.  Select Variable 1.  Turn the machine on and slowly increase speed to 10, then to High.  Blend for 8 mins, or until steam begins to escape from the lid.

Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Note: You may need to adjust liquid used based on the water in your tomatoes.

Makes ~6 cups.

***

I need to get my shizz is gear this week!

What is your  favorite end-of-the-season (or early season) soup?

 What  veggies are you most looking forward to this spring?

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