Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Winning Trifecta

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Today is a winning day!

  1. My birthday party (we gonna party like it’s your birthday…)
  2. The Auria earbud winner is announced
  3. MY BEST FRIEND’S WATER BROKE!!!  There’s going to be a baby boy today!
Clearly, I have things to do. 🙂  Here are a couple of birthday highlights:
Fried Ice Cream “Cake”
Mom’s Red Velvet Cupcakes
Awesome, wine-themed present from Mom and Baby Sis
BUT… you want a winner.
The lucky winner (chosen by Mom) is….
Congrats, Katy!
***
I’m off for a quick sweat at kickboxing before continuing with party prep and waiting on a baby!
What are you doing this weekend?
Did it cool off where you live?  It’s only going to be 80 here today!

My Birthday Banana Bars

By

Today I am 28.

 

Just 2 years away from the dreaded age of 30.  Surprisingly, I don’t really care about turning 30.  In fact, I am looking forward to it.

It seems like a solid age.  One where you’re more established in your career and people take you seriously.   This should be fun to look back at in 2 years… 🙂

 

But I digress (progress?).  Today I am only 28.

 

I was going to pontificate on 28 things I’ve learned or do some equally inspiring; however, I was up most the night working.  

Kidding, kidding... I still love my job. Now pass the caffeine.

(Lesson learned #1: the “real” world doesn’t care that it’s your birthday – you still have to get yer shizz done.)

 

Instead, I’ll share with you a special delivery I got last night right when I was about to have a nervous breakdown around 11pm:

Sea salt and olive oil on the side

 

This is my favorite cake.  Sweet, salty, fudgy deliciousness.  Midnight snack worthy, fo’ sho’.

 

Part 2 of the delivery is the book you see in the background – Vino Italiano.  I cannot WAIT to devour this one.

Did I mention I’m going to a wine/food trip to Italy this fall?!  More on that later. 🙂

 

So what if I spent the beginning of my 28th year up all night working?  

 

This year the July 15th is under a Capricorn full moon (insert Twilight Zone music here) and that apparently means abundance, career, and money.  I can get on board with that.

 

Tomorrow my awesome mom throwing me a birthday party at her house.  Think: pool, corn hole, grilling Big Green Egg-style, and mas cerveza y vino and 30+ friends.  There may not be any photo evidence.

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On top of all that, I invented my new favorite granola bar (which I’m munching on as I write – ‘scuse the crumbs).

 

It’s bananas.  Nutty.  No sugar added.  Crunchy and almost raw.  (Almost = “dehydrated” in the oven at 170 degrees.)

 

Try it out with your favorite nuts and seeds.  I used Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and cashews.

 

For a little bit of added sweetness, I used NuNatural Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia (yes, they sent me samples… no, I wouldn’t lie to you).

I love how the vanilla scent it added went with the banana flavor!  (B-A-N-A-N-A-S!  I was trying realllly hard not to do that – blame Gwen Stephani.)

Vegan and gluten-free, ya’ll.

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Banana Nut Bars

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 25 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia
  • 1 T nut butter (I used PB)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2T chia seeds
  • 1/4 C sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 C cashews
  • 10 Brazil nuts 

 

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.  

Place first 4 ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Add seeds and nuts, pulsing until seeds are beginning to break up and incorporate into the banana paste.  

Spread batter onto parchment-lined baking sheet to desired thickness (mine was about 1/4 inch thick).  

Place in oven for 6-8 hours, flipping 2-3 times after first 3-4 hours.  Turn oven off and allow to continue drying out overnight (~7 hours).  

Break into pieces/bars and enjoy!

***


EXCEPT I will post the winner of the awesome earbud giveaway!  If you’re a runner/walker, you should especially check these out – they won’t wiggle out and the music quality rocks.  

You have until midnight tonight to enter – good luck!!!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?

Are you a big party-type of person or an intimate dinner?  Somewhere in between?

 

Overpronation, Procrastination, and WIAW

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Active.com is a great resource for runners.

 

I enjoy their weekly emails with tips on issues such as: how to fuel your body, preventing various injuries, and working out in sweltering heat.

 

Today’s email included an interesting article on overpronation.

Overpronation is when one’s ankles roll inward too much.

 

 

It is widely believed that this can lead to over-use type pain or injury (shin splints, joint pain).  Many people (myself included) get specially fitted for running shoes and/on inserts in hopes to correcting the “problem.”

 

Today’s article from Active asserts that corrections for over pronation should not always be made.  They say:

“…doing so can and often does result in one symptom going away and another, usually a more complicated one, developing elsewhere.”

 

Here’s what really resonated with me:

Often over pronation is the symptom of another problem.  Most common is a lack of normal ankle range of motion.  If the foot/ankle isn’t bending properly, the knee is restricted and can’t “travel forward enough for the body to move its center of mass over the foot.”

The result?  Overpronation.  That pronation causes the knee to drift to the midline, which means the hip turns excessively inward.  Snowball.

Correction through shoes and inserts either a) doesn’t work or b) makes the underlying cause worse because the overpronation “is a needed compensation for a lack of mobility elsewhere in the body. Taking this compensatory element away without first addressing and correcting the true underlying cause will inevitably force compensation (frequently accompanied by pain) in another part of the body.”

Source: http://bestrunningshoereport.com/

Source: http://bestrunningshoereport.com/

So what should you do?

See if you over pronate with a squat test.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and attempt a squat.  Are your knees bent 90 degrees or less?  Are your heels still on the ground?  Are your feet still forward (not turning outward)?

No?  If you can’t do the squat correctly, the article says your foot pronation is likely “due to inflexibility of your ankles and that is what should be corrected.”

Bottom line: Before you go out and buy special shoes or inserts, see a professional to have a complete evaluation (pelvis, hip, knee, ankle and foot) done by a professional.

On to my actual Wednesday eats in honor of WIAW.

1 day later than usual due to procrastination/over-sleepiness rather than the pursuit of true Wednesday eats.

Breakfast

Banana Green Smoothie

  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Maca
  • Banana
  • All-Bran (lots of it!)
  • Peanut butter
  • Spinach
  • Coconut milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • Water + ice, to taste

Lunch

Lightlife Buffalo “Chicken” wings, celery, and cucumber

Salt + Pepper Pop Chips – how did I wait so long to try these?!

Snacks

Kombucha, plum… and a BlackBerry

Similar to breakfast, but with a chocolate casein protein powder

Dinner

I made spaghetti squash and topped with tomatoes AND…

Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Creamy Avocado Sauce.

If you haven’t made this before, you are missing out on some serious creamy deliciousness.  Sooooo good.

My modifications:

  • Added red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, and red onion
  • Subbed 1 T of coconut milk for the EVOO
  • Used just 1 clove of garlic
***

Don’t forget to enter my Exceed earbud giveaway!  These are pretty awesome – I’ve never even felt like they were going to fall out.

 

It’s my birthday eve!!!  The bad part about being an adult is that I still have to work all day.

What do you think about pronation?

Do you over or under pronate?  Have you even been evaluated?

Hear This: My First Giveaway

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Thanks everyone for all you comments about my earbuds yesterday.

 

 

Auria has offered to giveaway a pair of their awesome earbuds to one of YOU!

They are donating a pair of EXCEED ear buds (the fancier version of my PROVOKES).

 

Like I said yesterday, I love running with these because they fit my (small) ears.   They don’t go IN your ear canal; rather, they sit at the opening of your ear canals.  This contributes to safety, as external sounds can still be clearly heard without compromising sound quality.

 

This set of earphones also features: 

  • Finger-touch volume control
  • Integrated microphone to make calls (works with iPhone 4/3GS/3G, Blackberry and Androids)
  • Function button to control audio/video and answer/end calls
  • High-quality audio
  • Black mesh carrying case sized to hold most smart phones. 

 

To enter the giveaway, do each of the following and leave a separate comment letting me know:

  • Leave a comment telling me what song pumps you up to go one more mile or what color ear buds you would like (black, white, black with hot pink)
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Tweet about the giveaway (you could say something like: “#GIVEAWAY @Sprint2theTable is giving away a set of Aria EXCEED earbuds http://wp.me/p16jDn-B3“)

The giveaway will end ON MY BIRTHDAY: Friday, July 15, 2011 at 11:59 EST.

One winner will be announced via my blog on July 16th, 2011.  You must provide me with your contact information to win.


This Bud’s For You

By

Apparently I have tiny ear canals.

 

Finding ear buds that stay in my ears while running has been next to impossible.

I’ve purchased pricey ear buds that come with various sized rings to place around the buds to no avail.  They still bounce right out of my ears while I’m running.  Or the sweat builds up and they slide out.  That’s hot.

 

At the expo for the Peachtree Road Race this year I came across a booth selling the alleged fix to my problem.

Auria uses an XFit technology that claims to keep earphones in place, resist sweat, provide quality audio, and still allow for surrounding sounds to be heard (safety first, y’all).

 

The buds “rest on the cushy parts of ears called the tragus and the anti-tragus… ECO rings work to optimize the fit of our earphones to individual ear shapes.”

True story – my abnormally small ear canals are proof.

 

They don’t actually go IN your ear; the speakers reside at the opening of you ear canals.  This allows external sounds to be heard (important if you run in a busy, traffic-filled city like I do!).  Surprisingly, this doesn’t compromise one’s ability to hear the music – presumably since the speakers are still right at your ear canals.

I did run with these in the Peachtree.  They worked like a charm – MUCH better than the others I was using.  Lesson learned.  Other lesson learned: chewing gum while I run makes me look challenged.

 

They also offer fancy models that have volume controls, microphones, and iPhone controls.  I opted for the basic Provoke model, as I am ghetto and just run with my iPod Shuffle.  I’m also cheap – these were only $23.99.

 

***Disclaimer: They didn’t give me anything to write this.  Not even a damn discount.  I just think it’s a great product.  However, if they do want to send me free stuff, I’ll gladly accept. 🙂 ***

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Today I didn’t really cook anything – I blended protein shakes, washed veggies for salads, and paid restaurants (first slice of cake on birthday week – woo hoo!).

Other than this beautiful, delicious salad:

Spinach, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, chickpeas, mustard + red wine vingar

 

I don’t have anything earth-shattering to share food-wise.

Instead I’m sticking with the running theme and sharing the least embarrassing parts of my current workout playlist with you.

Yes, I have been known to listen to music with explicit lyrics.  Followed by Sarah Bareilles.

Lately I get most inspired to crank out another mile by Sugarland.  I love Wide Open, the song they wrote for the last Olympics.

“Every life has a moment where sweat meets fate / On your mark, get ready, get ready now…”

***

Speaking of, I’m off for a morning run.  Olympic sprinter-style in my head.

What gets you pumped to go another mile?

Have you found any running accessories you couldn’t live without?

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

By

How in the world was I exhausted at 10 pm last night?

I’m a night person!  Then I remembered I left the house at 730am to play in a softball tournament and only came home long enough to shower and shovel one of these in my mouth.

My team didn’t win the tournament, but the game we lost was one of the most memorable I’ve had.  We went into overtime and lost… but the adrenaline and the plays made by my team were over the top.

We were down by 5 with 2 outs.  One girl got hit in the nose with the ball, bled a lot, and then came back into the game to bat so we didn’t have to take an out for her spot in the lineup… and she got a great hit!  Sadly, we still lost by 1. 🙁

In keeping with my new weekly recap tradition, here’s was last week looked like:

Workout Recap (7/4-7/9)

  • Monday – Peachtree Road Race – 10K – 51:08 mins
  • Tuesday – Yoga for Runners, stationary bike 30 mins, 84 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Biceps/Back, 5K run, 84 push-ups
  • Thursday – Intervals (2 mile treadmill, 1 mile elliptical), 84 push-ups
  • Friday – Tris/Chest, P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
  • Saturday – 5 mile run (in 40 mins!!!)
  • Sunday – Softball tournament, 84 push-ups

NuNaturals was nice enough to send me some goodies to test out.

The package came with recipes, but I’ve had my eye on these Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies from Gracie @ Girl Meets Life.

It’s not often something so good for you tastes so decadent.

These are gluten-free and vegan.  The added bonus is that they are low-sugar.  If you omitted the chocolate chips, they would be sugar-free – you could do that and thrown in come walnuts for banana bread cookies.

NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia drops worked like a charm.  My cookies were appropriately sweet and I didn’t notice an aftertaste.

Coconut flour has been a recent addition to my pantry.  I’m loving it.  You have to be careful as it has a different feel than “regular” flour, but it adds a smooth, almost silky texture to baked goods.

Some benefits of coconut flour:

  • Good source of fiber – At 58% insoluble fiber, it has the highest percentage found in any flour
  • Guilt-free baking (nearly… the other ingredients are your business 😉 ) – Insoluble fiber means your body doesn’t digest it (translation: your body can’t derive calories from it); these fibers basically magic eraser their way through you intestines doing what fiber should do to keep your digestive system healthy
  • Gluten-free and hypoallergenic – Many people without a serious gluten allergy and moving towards a low-gluten diet.  Subbing coconut for some of your regular flour is another way to cut down on gluten intake.  For those that do have an allergy, you can use this with rice flour to improve textures.

Be warned that coconut flour is very dry and doesn’t bond well.  Remedy this by adding binders like bananas or eggs to your batter.  This can also be accounted for by using subbing in place of just 1/4 to 1/2 with a “regular flour.”
Keeping that in mind… welcome to cookies so silky and light you won’t be able to stop eating them.  Which is fine, as they are pure doughy deliciousness at only 86 calories a pop.

 

Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium banana, well-mashed
  • 14 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid vanilla stevia
  • 1/2 T coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1 C unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious-style)
  • 1/3 C dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Set aside.  
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.  Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry, stirring as you go.  Fold in chocolate chips.
 
Scoop out 2 T of dough on lined baking sheet, pressing down lightly.
 
Bake for 25 mins, until cookies begin to brown.  Allow them to cool completely (they are crumbly!).
 
Makes 11 cookies.

Approximate nutritional info: 86 calories, 4.2g fat, 11.1g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 2.1g protein.

***

Important Announcement: it’s my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!!  Woot!

What is new to your kitchen as of late?

Closer I Am to Fine

By

Last night was a late one.

Therefore today’s blog is a late one. 🙂

 

I went to see the Indigo Girls at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

The event is on the lawn and you can pre-order food from Metro Fresh to picnic with.

 

Peach caprese, roasted turkey sandwich with apples and walnut pesto, black pearl rice with mushrooms, and grilled asparagus with lemon aioli.

All very good – my favorite with the sandwich, which also included white Vermont cheddar and apples.

 

And, of course, a bottle of wine.

 

It wasn’t the best, but not the worst.

 

The Indigo Girls were my favorite band in college and they didn’t disappoint last night!

 

They opened the show with Yield and played a good mix of old and new all night.

Favorite new lyrics:

“My, my how time flies. The first time I met you had to shade my eyes.”

 

Despite a mid-concert torrential downpour, people stayed for the whole show, singing and dancing their hearts out.*

*Except the woman next to us, who was passed out cold. Too much crappy Chardonnay will do it every time, lady.

After the rain let up, Emily played Watershed.  Appropriately timed, FTW.

“Every 5 years or so I look back on my life and I have a good laugh.”

I really like her restaurant, Watershed.  (Click through to the site where you can check out the restaurant while listening to the song!)

If you’re ever in Atlanta check out their brunch, or for dinner don’t miss the white bean dip.  Sounds plain, but YUM.

Encore!  Encore!

Amy and Emily came out for their encore and played Chickenman.  It’s my favorite song.  Love the energy of it and Emily’s bangin’ guitar solo mid-song.

“I am an only child born of the wild, riddled to spend my time defending my land.”

You can’t have an Indigo Girls concert without Closer to Fine, which the crown enthusiastically sang along to.  An oldie but a goodie.

“The best thing you’ve ever done for me is to help me take my life less seriously, it’s only life after all”

***

I need to get out to more concerts – good times.

What was your favorite back in high school or college?

What’s the best show you’ve seen lately?

Ginger Lime Edamame Black Bean Burgers

By

Yesterday I ate vegan and last night I ate RAW.

 

I was loving that when I checked in at R. Thomas for dinner so many of you commented on Twitter!  My local hole-in-the-wall is well-known!

R. Thomas Deluxe Grill (1812 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-872-2942) is this crazy-looking, eclectic restaurant in Atlanta that has something of a cult following.  If you are in Atlanta or just passing through and looking for a healthy, vegetarian-friendly place, check this out.  (I think it’s mucho better than Cafe Sunflower.)

 

Is it the parrots?  The fact that you’re basically eating under a tent?  The juices and smoothies?  The 24-7 breakfast?  The many vegetarian options?

My vote is all of the above! 

 

Tonight I ordered the Raw Veggie Dinner #2.

 

Can you believe how pretty this looks?!  So many colors!

On my plate (clockwise, beginning from “noon”): cashew cheese, raw falafel, hummus, carrot-coconut-almond salad, guacamole, cauliflower tabouli, sunflower pate, and fennel asparagus salad.  The middle was a cabbage kraut.

 

It was was all good – very fresh and rejuvenating.  My favorites were the kraut, cauliflower, and the pate.  The creativity earned each big points, as well as the distinct, clean flavors in each combo.

I always feel a little high after eating an all-raw meal… is that just me? 🙂

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It seems that lately more and more bloggers have mentioned how inspired they are by others’ recipes – I am no different!

Choosing Raw is one of my favorite sources for ideas/recipes.  Today, I was inspired by Gena’s Ginger Lime Edamame Sweet Potato Burgers.

 

In case you didn’t get your burger-fill over the 4th… try this one!  It’s much different than your typical black bean burger.

 

In fact, it’s possibly the best bean burger ever – and I rarely claim anything to be the “best.”  Asian-style.  Vegan.  Gluten-free.

 

The ginger adds an unexpected zing – definitely don’t leave it out!  I also loved the cilantro and lime playing together in it.  Finally, the sriracha gives it some spice (I was worried that the heaping teaspoon I added would overwhelm, but the flavor is surprisingly subtle).

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 Ginger Lime Edamame Black Bean Burgers

  • 1 C black beans
  • 1/2 C shelled, frozen edamame beans (thawed)
  • 1/4 C red onion 
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped 
  • 1/3 cup quinoa flakes 
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1T liquid aminos (can use soy sauce or tamari instead) 
  • 1/4 C cilantro 
  • 1 tsp garlic sriracha
  • ~1T water (as needed)

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.  I like mine to have a few larger pieces of beans left for texture.

Form into 4 patties and bake ~30 mins.

***

I’m slowly working through the billions of bookmared recipes I have!

What have you been inspired to make by another blogger?

 

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