Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

What I Ate Wednesday

By

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons hosts a weekly event called “What I Ate Wednesday.”

 

Basically, you post the foods you ate any day of the week.  It’s a fun way to see what others are creating and share your own concoctions!

 

Below is what I ate Tuesday (obviously not today since it’s barely Wednesday).  It was a fun day… one of my snacks involved picking out my mom’s Mother’s Day gift!  Mamma occasionally stops by the blog, so that will have to remain the “mystery snack” for now! 🙂

 

Breakfast:

Mocha-Banana Shake

  • 1/2 dark chocolate EAS (protein drink – you could sub milk + cocoa or chocolate milk)
  • 1 scoop cookies & cream protein powder (GNC)
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1/2 C coffee
  • Banana
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Sprinkle of guar gum

 

Blend and slurp it up!  Topped it with a chocolate-carrot muffin mini that I’m still working on perfecting.

 

I’m definitely doing this again – it was the first time I used my leftover coffee in a shake and I loved the addition!


Lunch:

I made this Big Green Salad a few weeks ago and didn’t post it – arugula, spinach, and cucumber with oven-roasted shallots, asparagus, artichokes, and edamame.

What I actually had was a blah salad from the work cafeteria topped with over-cooked grilled chicken.  It was over-riced and not worth a pic.

Snacks:

I love these Think Thin mini-bars.  They are a great mid-afternoon chocolate-fix with 6g protein and 0g sugar.

 

A handful of walnuts…

dipped in …

Doesn’t everyone dip their nuts in nut butter?!  My walnuts went fabulously with my homemade Spiced Almond Butter.

***Insert mystery snack here***

 

Dinner:

Mexican Scramble

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2/3 C Mexican Smart Ground “beef”
  • 2 T shallots
  • 1 small jalapeno
  • Cumin, coriander, S+P (to taste)

Saute the shallots and jalapeno.  Add “beef” to pan and saute 5-6 mins.  Season to taste, remove from pan, and set aside.  Place egg whites in pan and cook halfway (~1-2 mins on med heat).  Add “beef” mixture back to pan, stir into egg, and continue cooking until eggs are just done.

 

My scramble was served over a bed of spinach and topped with Mamma Pea’s aptly-named Mmmm Sauce.  With a side of carrot sticks.

“Fake” meat can be hit or miss.  I definitely eat it on occasion, and have tried out many different brands.  This one was pretty good!

 

Late-Night Snack:

 

I had a sample package of Cascadian Farm’s Cinnamon Crunch cereal from a race give-away that was calling my name.  It was a tasty dessert-snack with unsweetened almond milk.

 

Nightcap:

Yogi’s Kombucha Hot Tea.  Delish!

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What did all this tastiness fuel?

  • 30 mins of leg work this morning
  • 1 crazy work day
  • 40 mins of intervals this evening
  • 75 push ups

***

What did YOU eat?

Have you gotten your mom a Mother’s Day present yet?

Better not forget!


I’ll Have a Pint

By

…of KOMBUCHA!

 

My crazy schedule has left me lacking in the grocery department.  Thank god for frozen kale – otheriwse I’d be eating normal-colored non-green smoothies! 🙂

I’ve been without my beloved Kombucha since last Thursday.  After pushing it with a looong (for me) run Sunday (and the travel, which always messes with my… ahem… digestion), I needed a stiff Kombucha to help my body chill out.

On my way to pick up my boss from the airport this morning, I remembered Lee telling my they have Buchi on tap at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was screaming my name.

Fire is my flavor of choice

My bosses know of my food-love and let me pick the dinner spots when we’re all in town.  Tonight I chose Empire State South.  A (very worthy) repeat for me, but new to them.  Check out my brunch review here.

Tonight was another stand-out meal:

House Charcuterie – my fav was the Deviled Rabbit

Wild Ramps with warm mortadella, english peas, lemon

Blurry Strawberry Gazpacho with pickled shrimp

 

***Insert pretend picture of my entree: Riverview Pork Loin served with pickled WG tango celery, kale and spring onions***

Dessert barely survived long enough for a picture:

Fried Strawberry Pie with picked strawberry and buttermilk ice cream

This Strawberry Fried Pie was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.  The dough was more beignet-like than greasy fried pie.  A crunchy sugar coating on the outside was perfectly balanced by the tang of the buttermilk ice cream and pickled strawberries.  I’ll be dreaming about this for days.

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Last night I cam across an article about the ideal percentage of carbs and protein for athletes in the Phidippidies (my favorite local running store) newsletter by Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD.

Carb Tips:

  • Ingest 2.3-3.2 g of carbs per pound of body weight for 1 hour/day of moderate cardio exercise
  • During longer runs (1 – 2.5 hours), aim to take in 30 – 60 grams of carbs/hour (120 – 240 calories)
  • It takes the body 24-36 hours to replenish depleted glycogen stores post-exercise (assuming no running in that time)
  • For runners that struggle running with food on their stomach (me!), swishing a sports drink around in your mouth pre-run “This sends a message to the brain that energy is forthcoming and you’ll feel more energetic. Swishing can enhance performance by 2% to 3% if you are exercising on empty.”

 

Protein Tips:

  • In order to best develop muscle, athletes do need more than the 0.4g protein per 1 lb of body weight.  Aim for 0.5 – 0.8 g protein per pound (if you’re trying for bulk you’ll need more… this is geared to runners!)
  • Eat 20 g of protein within 30 mins of weight/resistance work to maximize benefits. Don’t stop there though – “the highest rate of protein synthesis is 3 to 5 hours post-exercise”
  • They don’t necessarily recommend buying a whey protein supplement.  Like any nutrient, it is best consumed in the course of a balanced diet… HOWEVER, many of us who eat a more plant-based diet may need a supplement.  I’m holding fast to my morning post-workout protein shakes!

Read the full article here.

***

Do you pay attention of the carbs/protein you take in?

I recommend tracking your protein intake for at least a day.  I was shocked to see I need about 20g more!


CSAs and Honky Tonks

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This weekend I went to Nashville for the first time.  One of my friends from grad school, Julia, moved there after we graduated.  Another friend from school, Katherine, and I jumped in the car and went for a fun-filled visit.

We arrived late Friday night and STARVING.  Julia had pizza ready to go on the grill.  It was my first time eating homemade grilled pizza and I loved every bite!

Grilled pizza with zucchini, squash, and mushrooms

 

Saturday morning we had a special treat – Julia took us to her local CSA for the weekly pick up.

 

Madison Creek Farms was a neat little farm filled with some of the most scrumptious-looking produce I’ve ever seen.  The owner, Peggy Lynn Marchetti, was one cool lady – she is obviously passionate about the clean food she grows AND she farms in dangly earrings.  Rock on.

Peggy also writes a blog!  Check her out @ The Female Farmer.

I'd never seen peas on the plant before!

 

Lettuce so beautiful I wanted to roll in it. And eat it. In that order.

 

I'm ruined - I'll never be satisfied with Publix berries again.

 

My awesome friends - Katherine and Julia

 

Gorgeous flowers - does anyone know what kind it is?

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Local Mexican place, Baja Burrito, came highly recommended.  It was just as good as advertised.  If you go, don’t skip the pineapple salsa!

Chipolte chicken burrito in a bowl

 

We also did some very successful shopping.  I found TWO new dresses!

All that hard work shopping deserved ice cream from a shop called Hot & Cold in Hillsboro Village.  They sell Jeni’s Ice Cream, which is hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever had.

 

After the saint behind the counter patiently allowed me to sample every flavor, I settled on scoops of Bangkok Peanut (peanut butter and toasted coconut with cayenne pepper heat at the end – YUM) and Riesling Poached Pear (literally tasted and had the texture of a pear).

Note: Jeni’s can be found at various places around the U.S.  In Atlanta, you can pick up a pint at Star Provisions.

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All that deliciousness didn’t ruin our appetite for dinner.  Julia took us to one of her favorite places, Margot Cafe & Bar.

The menu changes daily based on what’s fresh, but it is always a French-Italian-style cuisine.  I’m assuming it is always good… ’cause this was incredible.

The host seated us at a table right by the open kitchen.  I was unnaturally excited.

That's Margot!

 

We split appetizers:

 

  • Warm olives with roasted fennel and oranges – the fact that the olives were served warm really set this off
  • Sugar snap peas with mint and ricotta salata – mint sauce with this was genius
  • Crunchy sourdough bread

 

The main was so incredible that I forgot to take a picture of my gorgeously prepared entree – a grilled artichoke stuffed with spinach and parmesan and served over basmati rice.

 

Dessert barely lived long enough to be pictured – a cheesecake with polenta crust and strawberries.

 

We finished up a little after 11p and hit the honky tonks.

Beer flight at Flying Saucer

 

Rockabilly band at Robert's

 

Keeping it classy, livin' the High Life

 

I may be little too old to close down a bar… but damn if it isn’t still fun every once in a while. 😉


 

The Sunday drive home went pretty quickly.  Katherine and I drove together and I had fun quizzing her about her 5 marathons.  She’s almost convinced me to try it.

At the very least she inspired me to come home and bust out this killer run:

  • Distance: 8 miles
  • Time: 1:07:20
  • Pace: 8:40

***

Thanks for a stellar weekend, Julia and Katherine!

How was your weekend?  Did anyone else get shut down a bar? 🙂


Things That Make Me Go MMMMMM…

By

Weekends make me go “Mmmm!”

Anyone remember this classic?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF2ayWcJfxo

So do these favorites from the week:

1. Spicie Foodie’s April YBR (check out my Meyer Lemon Ricotta Penne submission!)

2. Anything Indian-Spiced

Remember my epic trip to Whole Foods?  I am finally getting around to trying out the Seeds of Change Madras (a red curry simmer sauce).

It was really good over spaghetti squash and spinach!  I love that they left chunks of veggies in it.  It was spicy… but I added a little red pepper… ’cause some like it hot!

I am also loving my Indian-Spiced Chickpeas.

These crunchy little balls of flavor are addicting.  Try them over a salad with a little sweetness mixed in (I went with cantaloupe).

3. Spiced Almond Butter

OMG.  My first attempt at making nut butter was  sheer deliciousness.  From now on, I’m topping everything with this nutty, cumin-laced buttah.

4. Sweet + Salty Combos

Strawberry Pretzel Vegan Ice Cream.  Sweet berries, salty airplane pretzels.  Spring has sprung in my freezer.

And… how could I forget the post-Sweetwater 420 5K recovery?!

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars.  Iced with peanut butter.  I’m beginning to think I have nut butter and pretzel addictions.

5. Vegan Oatmeal Cacao Nib Cookies

I’m headed to visit a friend this weekend and didn’t want to go empty handed!  Cookies are the perfect solution to that problem.  So is wine.

These are a great, healthy-ish option.  The maple syrup gave this cookie a perfect chewy center.  Don’t expect them to be super sweet, but they are delicious.  If you like a sweeter cookies, try adding some chocolate chips or light brown sugar.

The “quality control” cookies I kept at home are going to be perfect crumbled over Greek yogurt with blueberries for breakfast.

I used Angela @ Oh She Glows‘ recipe for Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with a couple of modifications.

Vegan Oatmeal Cacao Nib Cookies

  • 1 3/4 C halved walnuts, toasted
  • 1 1/2 C rolled oats, divided
  • 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (I used king Arthur)
  • 1/4 C whole grain pastry flour (I used Arrowhead Mills)
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 C pure maple syrup
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 3 T coconut oil
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 oz cacao nibs
  • cinnamon-sugar mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the walnuts on baking sheet and toast in oven 10-12 mins until just beginning to darken, stirring half way through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Put the toasted walnuts in a food processor and process until just finely ground – watch out or you’ll have walnut butter!  Add the flours, baking soda, 1 cup oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar to the food processor and process for ~20-30 secs until mixed.

In a small bowl mix coconut oil (softened in micro if necessary), maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla.  Pour wet mixture into food processor with the dry.  Process until well-combined.

Dump the mixture into a large bowl.  Mix in the remaining 1/2 C oats (you can use your hands!).  Fold in the cacao nibs.  Make balls of ~2T of the dough, place on cookie sheet and and flatten with your palm.

Bake for 10-12 mins at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and let cool. Makes about 15 medium cookies.

***

I’m pretending to be a college student – road-tripping to visit a friend from grad school!

Have you recovered from Friday’s early-morning royal wedding festivities? 

Are you doing anything fun this weekend in this amazing sunshine?

Spiced Almond Butter

By

Who’s up reading blogs while watching the incessant Royal Wedding coverage?

 

I’m up super early to jump on the treadmill… so I can feel productive while rotting my brains out watching the damn wedding.

 

Update #2 on the new Newton running shoes: I LOVE them.  A lot. I so feel energized and have noticed an increase in speed (this is a big deal on the treadmill – I’m much slower indoors).  I busted out some intervals yesterday like a champ.

 

Recently I read a couple of interesting items on FitSugar:

  • Two thirds of consumers call themselves knowledgeable about food. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to proclaim themselves foodies.
  • Gen Y-ers tend to gravitate toward salty snacks, heat-and-eat breakfast, and easy meals — whereas their 50-plus parents are cooking from scratch, three times a day.

 

Aren’t 20-somethings considered part of Gen-Y?  Kind of funny that the “foodies” are also part of the group that gravitates toward packaged breakfast and “easy” meals.

The 50+ parents cooking from scratch surprises me a little.  I feel like I see that generation relying more and more on packaged food and/or dining out as the kids leave home.

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Speaking of “easy” meals… I made my first nut butter!

I had a bag of almonds begging to be toasted.  Toasted nut butter sounds like a flavorful option, no?  Then I decided I wanted to spice things up.  Spiced almonds are good.  Why not spiced almond butter?

 

 

Turns out nut butter is fantastic toasted and spiced.  Friday = get nuts and toasted!

This would also be amazing thinned out with almond milk or other liquid and used as a sauce!

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Spiced Almond Butter

  • 1 C almonds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread almond evenly on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 mins, stirring half way through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Place almonds into blender and blend until almond begin to turn into a paste.  Scrape down the sides as needed.

Add spices and continue blending until smooth and… butter-like…

Transfer to an airtight container.  Lick bowl.  Store butter in the refrigerator.

***

Clearly I don’t fit into the prepackaged, “easy” meal group.

Do you prepare your meals every day?  Do your parents do it?  Your significant other?

 

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

By

Have you ever walked past a display in the produce section and been stopped in your tracks by a (good) smell?  Last night my nose located some fresh strawberries at the grocery store that I couldn’t resist.

It was enough to inspire a breakfast repeat (a rarity).  Strawberries and Cream Oats were just as amazing the second time around.

My brain cells pulled through again and I remembered Leanne’s recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream.

Shout out to Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit for keeping me in good supply of low-sugar treats (and for teaching me to spell pursuit… it’s just one of those words for me…).

I fully intended to make a nice, normal strawberry ice cream.  Then I spotted those pretzels and rekindled my romance with sweet + salty.

Shout out to my job for keeping me in good supply of Delta Airlines’ pretzels.

This Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream was quite tasty.  The pretzels were awesome in it.  Even if you don’t add them – *gasp* – do use a shake or two of salt to bring out the strawberry sweetness.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

  • 3/4 C light coconut milk
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum
  • 1 package of Delta pretzels, slightly broken up (probably 3-4 regular pretzels)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the pretzels in a blender and blend until smooth-ish (I left a few bits of strawberry).

Pour into ice cream maker and make as directed by manufacturer, adding pretzels in the last 1-2 minutes.

Scoop into 2 bowls and enjoy!  (One at a time.)

Notes:

– According to Leanne, you can do this without an ice cream maker by pouring into a bowl and freezing 1.5-2 hours.  You need to remove every 30 mins to whisk so it doesn’t make a strawberry ice cube.  You’d probably want to add the pretzels in the last 15-30 mins

– You could use agave, honey, or stevia rather than maple syrup to sweeten this

– You can probably do this without the Guar Gum.  It’s a thickener, so your ice cream will be more cream-like with it

***

The Royal Wedding is tomorrow!  Are you waking up to watch it?

I was going to resist… but I may do a strategically-timed-uncharacteristically-early morning workout.

Avocado-Mango Soup

By

Warm weather is finally here to stay!  I complained all winter about the frigid temps… subsequently swearing not to complain about heat.  So I won’t.  (Someone please remind me of this in July.)

Unfortunately along with the heat has come some crazy storms.  No matter, I need to do a few treadmill runs to test my new kicks by Newton.

 

Newton Motion

Cool, huh?

Apparently these are also magic shoes – they supposedly help you to land midsole (thus alleviating some impact, reducing injury, and improving efficiency), and return energy back to you. From their website:

“When your midfoot/forefoot LANDS on the ground, the technology’s four external actuator lugs are pressed into hollow chambers inside the shoe’s midsole via an elastic membrane (ACTION). This movement absorbs shock.  As you LEVER inside the shoe, the lugs release their stored energy and propel you forward through a burst of energetic return (REACTION) from the Action/Reaction Technology™.”

I love new “toys.”  Happy 24:10 to me.

I’ll report back when I’ve formed an opinion. 🙂

In the spirit of warmth, I made the season’s first cold soup.

There’s nothing more refreshing than a fresh avocado.

Except when you blend it with mango and call it soup.

Mangoes, like avocados, can be frustrating to buy.  It seems like they are either hard as rocks or well past their prime.  The time is NOW to find some good ones!

Purchase them a bit on the firm side and let them finish ripening at home for a day or two.  If you need to stall the process, simply stick them in the fridge.  Works like a charm to extend the life of your fruit another couple of days.

When they are just right, use them for this delicious soup.  It’s crisp, refreshing, and has just a teensy kick from the jalapeno.  It is a great summer appetizer, or compliment to a quesadilla, grilled chicken, taco salad, or all of the above!

Best of all, it’s all natural, loaded with good fats, and will “fill you up without weighing you down” for dinner.

Avocado-Mango Soup

  • 1 medium avocado
  • 1 champagne mango
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • Juice from 1 small lime
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 6 T fresh cilantro
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • S+P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender (a Magic Bullet works perfectly!) and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust spices as needed.

Spoon into 2 bowls, garnish as desired, and enjoy!

Potential garnish: red pepper (pictured), salsa, toasted walnuts/almonds/etc, tomatoes, pineapple, coconut shreds, cotija… anything else you typically like with your Mexican food.

***

I’m curious about Vibrams…

Have you tried any “specialty” shoes?

Do you treat yourself with new gear after a run?  

Indian-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

By

Did you know that it is a British royal wedding tradition for chefs to name dishes after the bride?  And that the menu is always written in French?  I’d never know what I was eating!

Princess Diana’s dish was titled: suprême de volaille princesse de galle. Any guesses as to what that is?

A chicken breast stuffed with lamb mousse, wrapped in brioche, and garnished with asparagus tips and Madeira sauce.  Apparently there are no pictures on this dish in existence (that I could find), but it sounds fantastically decadent!

I wonder what Kate’s will be… something light, veggie-based?  Or something beefy?

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Enough about Kate’s food!  My nourishment is far more important.  🙂

A creative “salad” is my favorite (aside from chocolate cake).  You can toss lettuce with virtually anything – veggies, grains, meats, eggs, legumes, cheeses, fruits…the list goes on.

Clarification: it may be a little weird tossed with ice cream… but it’s unlikely I would turn it down.

My salad of choice last night was a sweet-salty-spicy combo.

Roasted Chickpeas

  • Arugula
  • Cantaloupe
  • Roaring 40s blue cheese
  • Indian spiced chickpeas

I tossed it all with a little olive oil, lemon, and pepper.  It didn’t need much.

Indian spices pair really well with fruit.  The salty-spiciness complements the fruit’s sweetness.  Like when you sprinkle watermelon with salt.

These roasted chickpeas can be eaten alone (and may want to be alone to lick your fingers), but they are versatile.  Add crunch and unexpected flavor to salads, Greek yogurt, sautes… eat them instead of chips with your lunchtime wrap!

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Indian-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

  • 1 C chickpeas, rinsed
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • S+P, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss well to combine.  Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for 25-30 mins, tossing half way through.  The chickpeas are done once they begin turning dark brown.

Remove from oven and serve immediately, or allow to cool completely and store in airtight container.

***

What dish would the chef at your royal wedding name for you? Mine would involve arugula, a fruit (maybe blackberries?), nuts, and some kind of spicy meat substance.  And chocolate. 😉

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