Healthiest Crackers Ever Made

November 8, 2010 By Laura

Baby Sis and I went for a rockstar run. We braved the cold (and the dark) and conquered 7 MILES!

The best part: when we got home, we both said we could have gone longer. I never thought I’d be saying this… but I didn’t mean to start running more than 2-3 miles at a time. It just happened.

Note to self: File under “Things that I never thought I’d say.”

Stats:

Distance – 7 miles
Time – 60:00 mins
Avg Pace – 8:57 mins

I think we are going to be just fine for our Thanksgiving 10K Gobble Jog. 🙂

Disclaimer: We made a pit stop at Old Navy about half way though for 10 mins for a quick peek. Girls will be girls…

Prior to the run, I did my Whittle My Middle with Mom. She held a very impressive 90 second plank!

Following the run, Baby Sis and I completed the Yoga for Runners DVD, which really helped keep the soreness to a minimum today for both of us.

The narration is a tad cheesy, but its effective!

For some reason I have a hard time making myself take time to stretch after a workout, but I am always glad when I do. I need to get better about doing it!

On to the big cracker win!

Unbelievably, I figured out how to make cleanse-approved crackers. These are probably the healthiest crackers ever created. AND they are packed with flavor!

Mixing the fillings

At first there were 2

Then there was 1

Asian-Spiced Flax Crackers

1 C flax meal (mine were roughly ground)
1/4 C chia seed
1 carrot
1 kale leaf
1/4 C cilantro
1/4 C mint
1/2 jalapeño (seeded)
1/8 large yellow onion
2 T tamari miso
2 T lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Combine flax meal and chia seeds in a medium bowl. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the puree to the seed mixture and stir until combined evenly.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat (non-stick aluminum foil works too!). Spread mixture about 1/8 in thick onto sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 2 hours, until firm enough to flip. Flip the cracker and bake 2 hours more. Turn off the oven and leave crackers in to dehydrate overnight.

Break into pieces and they are ready to eat!

Notes: You may crack the oven door if crackers are too moist. Ideally you would use a dehydrator for this, so feel free if you have one!

***

The fail part: I tried for a sweet flax cracker but adding coconut butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. The butter made it too moist (ewww…) and we had to turn it into a topping for the grilled pineapple.

The final day in San Fran

November 7, 2010 By Laura

We didn’t want to leave, but if you have to end a trip this was the way to do it.

Laura arranged for us to have massages at her spa. I got the hot stone massage and Mallory got wrapped in eucalyptus leaves. The ladies lounge had a misting room, hot tub, sauna, and steam room. Naturally, we spent and additional hour lounging after our massages. If you are in the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out Burke Williams. Ask for Taylor or Tuesday!

After a light lunch at one of the cafes in the Ferry Building (and some dessert sampling), we walked around Pier 39. Check out the sock store. Before we knew it, it was time to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Proud side note: I Whittled My Middle before we left!!!

The Sumos enjoyed the Trolley

Did I mention the Giants were in the World Series?!

Classic San Fran – Giants, Trolley… and a German flag?!

Dinner was something totally different – raw food at Cafe Gratitude.

Everything on the menu was raw and vegan (except for 3-4 items… but they were still vegan!).

I am grateful

You order an item like our appetizer – nachos. But the nachos are called “I Am Honoring.”

And they consist of flax chips with sunflower seed “refried beans” over mixed greens with guacamole, salsa, & cashew nacho cheese.

I am Honoring

Then, when they bring them out, the server places the dish in front of you saying “You are honoring.”

Side note: raw refried beans are wayyyy better than the real thing.

My favorite was the lasagna Laura ordered: layered zucchini, cashew mozzarella, olive tapenade and pesto topped with marinara, cashew ricotta and Brazil nut Parmesan.

I Am Fabulous

Mallory’s was good too – a sushi bowl consisting of quinoa tossed w/kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, scallions & herbs in sesame-ginger sauce.

She said she couldn’t believe how much it tasted like sushi.

I couldn’t believe she ordered something called “I Am Accepting.”

I Am Accepting

Since I can never get enough Mexican, I ordered the enchilada – a live vegetable tortilla with sprouted seed filling, topped with spicy salsa verde & cashew sour cream. It was served with cilantro coleslaw and quinoa.

It was good. Better after they brought out the hot sauce.

I really just wanted to say “I Am Elated”

Then there was dessert. Why stop the gluttony on the last day?

I didn’t get a picture of mine, but I can declare that I AM SUPER. At least when it comes to the dark chocolate nugget I ate.

Mallory was Devoted in the form of a coconut cream pie.

I Am Devoted… to dessert 🙂

Laura was the winner (IMHO) with a scoops of vanilla and chocolate nut-milk ice cream. I was praising her choices.

Verdict: I wish we had something like this in Atlanta. I will always prefer “real” cream pie, but this is a great alternative. The lasagna is crave-worthy and I am happy anytime I can get a good quinoa dish.

Something cool happened while we were in the restaurant…

The GIANTS won the World Series!!!

The city erupted – it was really neat to be there and watch everyone (literally) go nuts.

Go Giants!

I would tell you what we did next… but I’d have to kill you.

We went to one of those super-secret unmarked bars. We knocked on the door and have to give a password to get in!

It was well worth the effort – I had the best cocktail of my life. The Citizen Cane.

And just like that, the awesomeness was over. 🙁

Back at the ranch… the cleanse update…

Day 3 was better. My headache was gone, but I was still feeling pretty low-energy.

Despite this, I completed P90X Biceps and Back – with the Ab Ripper X at the end. Then I promptly fell asleep for 45 mins.

If you haven’t tried it, I recommend the DVDs. I’ve never followed the program exactly (would LOVE to hear if anyone has!), but they are some great workouts when you aren’t motivated to pull together your own.

We were starving before dinner, so I made baked kale chips as an appetizer. They have been written about ad nauseam in the blog world – for a good “how to” check out Smitten Kitchen’s play-by-play.

Washed, dried, and coated with EVOO, salt, and red pepper flakes

These didn’t last long around Baby Sis and Mamma

On to the main event… I tried my first spaghetti squash! I couldn’t get over how much like real spaghetti this was! The consistency of the squash was such that I almost didn’t miss the noodles.

We prepared an awesome tomato sauce to go with it. (Kale chips are delish dipped in tomato sauce, btw.)

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

1 Spaghetti squash
2-3 T EVOO
1/2 C Yellow onion
2 Garlic cloves
750g (~24 oz) Tomato puree
1/4 C Parsley
1 tsp Oregano
Red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper to taste
3-4 Basil leaves

Cut the squash in half (can soften in microwave first). Remove the seeds. Place in a glass baking dish, cut side down, in about 1 in of water. Microwave for 7-8 minutes, or until shell is tender when pierced with a fork. (Yes, we were lazy hungry… you can also do this in the oven at 350 for about 45 mins. I thought the microwave worked fantastically.)

Remove the flesh with a fork. Place in serving bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until softened and beginning to brown(about 4 mins). Add tomato puree and adjust heat until sauce comes to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over very low heat.

Top with sauce, fresh basil, and chopped onions.

Other potential adds: Parmesan, capers, olives, rosemary, peppers, carrots, wine.

I would also have used chunky (not puree) tomatoes (San Marzanos are my fav), but Baby Sis doesn’t like the big pieces.

Now for the most exciting news… We found a cleanse-approved dessert!!!

No one said it had to be pretty…

Pineapple-Raisin Crisp

1 Pineapple
1/4 C Raisins
2 tsp Coconut butter
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

Core pineapple and cut into 1 in rings. Toss with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cayenne.

Heat coconut butter in ridged grill pan over medium heat on stove top. Add pineapple rings and grill for ~4 mins on each side (until grill marks form and the pineapple becomes fragrant). Add raisins just before pineapple is done.

Top with granola or flax/chia seeds for extra crunch! My topping as a roasted mizture of flax seeds, chia seeds, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and coconut oil (remnants of a partial fail I’ll disclose tomorrow).

Verdict: I would eat this again, cleanse or no. Grilled pineapple is satisfyingly sweet and the bit of heat from the cayenne is enough to keep it interesting. 🙂

Halloween and Squash

November 5, 2010 By Laura

First the fun part – Halloween in San Francisco.

I woke up and ran through the city – along the Embarcadero and through Chinatown. I didn’t save it on my watch, but it was something like 5.1 miles in 43 mins. Not bad with all the hills!

Then the day was ON. After a few minutes in Urban Outfitters where we purchased sumos, Mallory and I had an awesome brunch at Orson (Elizabeth Falkner from Top Chef’s restaurant).

Sumo Thumb Wrestling

We had some “Apple Juice.”

Waiter... there's a sumo in my drink!

Then some toast.

French toast, maple syrup, pumpkin pie butter, and cinnamon cream

And some eggs.

Eggs benedict on house-made english muffin, canadian bacon, spinach, and cheddar mornay sauce

We opted to pass on dessert.

What better way to spend Halloween than at a famous prison?!

Arriving at Alcatraz

Apparently Native Americans occupied the island for 19 months from 1969-1971. All the history surrounding Alcatraz was really neat.

The Sumos enjoyed the view

Gorgeous day for prison!

: I wore stripes, ironically.

Back in San Fran, we took a looooog walk.

Coit Tower

Somehow we ended up in Chinatown right at snack time.

Pork Sticky Buns

The Sumos felt at home

We finally made it home and spent the next hour rushing around to get ready for Halloween!

It was a lazy costume year

We walked through the Mission to get dinner. Kids there trick-or-treat at businesses (the neighborhood isn’t safe conducive to the pastime).

They aren't as well stocked as Laura would have hoped.

Pit stop for ice cream at Humphry Solcombe before dinner (priorities, people!).

Bacon in ice cream. Brilliant.

Once we devoured finished our dessert, we headed to El Metate for dinner.

El Metate = El Tasty

Tacos with corn tortillas are my favorite. I ordered one veggie and one salsa verde shredded pork. The tortilla chips on the side were freshly baked into a nice, thick chip. The spicy array of treats from the salsa bar were delish too.

Taco heaven

My friends had the veggie burrito and the fried chicken. Do yourself a favor and don’t ever get the fried chicken. It was sinfully good and I’ll be craving it for a looooong time. The guac was also hauntingly good.

Finally, we were off to celebrate All Hallows Eve and oogle other people’s costumes!

The Sumos are party animals!

Now that I’ve posted about all that food… what am I eating on the detox?!

…

Read More »

My Future Hometown

November 5, 2010 By Laura

Our first full day in California was spent in Napa. I could write pages on this place. I could move to this place.

Here’s the impressive part – I woke up and did 30 mins on the hotel elliptical and Whittled My Middle. (Can’t remember the exact numbers to post!)

Before hitting the road, we have to have breakfast!

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Laura took us to a place in her neighborhood called Philz Coffee. The walk there included instructions to “watch out for puke on the sidewalk.” Admittedly, I was skeptical.

A 10 minute walk later and I was drinking the best coffee I have ever had and enjoying an unbelievably amazing VEGAN scone.

Trust the local!

Apple Pecan Vegan Scone

Then we were off to Napa!

First stop: Mumm

Favorite Taste: Sparkling Pinot Noir or Brut Rose

Notes: Great way to begin the day – all sparkling wines, helpful staff (they even gave us extra vintages to compare!), and a stunning view.

Cheers!

Second stop: Groth

Favorite Taste: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes: The wines were very good. I even bought a Chardonnay (I typically don’t care for them). The presentation could have been better, but definitely still worthy of a stop.

Yep – It’s pink.

Pit stop: Brix for lunch

Favorite Taste: Crusty bread and butter sprinkled with pink salt

Notes: Brave the 45 min wait at Mustard’s instead. We actually sent back a $21 burger… and they brought it back in worse shape.

Basic, but good!

Third stop: Cakebread

Favorite Taste: 2007 Syrah

Notes: The wines were decent and the view was great… but not our favorite experience. It is the only one I would have skipped.

The view from Cakebread

Fourth stop: Sullivan

Favorite Taste: 2005 Coeur de Vigne

Notes: By far the best winery in every regard. The tasting was personal (we met the vineyard owner!), the tasting room manager was knowledgeable and so nice. And the wines… perfect.

I want to live HERE.

We even met the owner’s son. He is in charge of the wine making… and gave us a sip of this juice:

Good even before fermentation!

After such a great experience, we decided it was the perfect winery to end on. And we were hungry.

Pit Stop #2: Rutherford Grill

Best Taste: Green Chili Cake Cornbread

Notes: Thanks to Fred, the tasting manager at Sullivan, we ordered the chili cornbread. You should too.

This could have been served as cake. Seriously.

After a hunt for gas (no stations for 10 miles!), we got lucky with dinner. Table for 3 at Redd.

I could talk forever about how the fine gentleman cocktail waiter served our drinks and said – and I quote:

“Allow me to bid you cheers, ladies.”

Or how the pork belly was heaven-sent.

Glazed pork belly, apple puree, burdock, and soy caramel

Or how the sweet and sour glazed butternut squash in the fall salad paired perfectly with the Roquefort cheese and apples.

Fall Salad

Or the dessert. Oh, the dessert. The cherry on top of a meal so incredible that it moved us to tears.

Peanut butter milk chocolate gianduja, peanut honeycomb parfait

But I wouldn’t want to make anyone jealous. 🙂

Back in the real world…

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The 21 day challenge.

Mom and I are doing the Standard Process Cleanse (lord, do I need it after the Cali gluttonous foodie experience).

For the first 10 days, you are only allowed veggies and fruit. More raw than not. Preferably organic.

And shakes with their special protein powder.

At day 11 we can add certain fish and chicken.

Obviously, we needed to raid the DeKalb Farmer’s Market to start off right!

Lots of these

None of these!

So, the blog will focus on clean, vegan eating for the next 10 days. Followed by clean, vegan-except-for-chicken eating for the remaining 11.

First lesson: if you can’t add any sweetener, don’t put cranberries in a shake. *pucker*

Tag team, back again

November 4, 2010 By Laura

The last 3.5 days in San Francisco have been one amazing whirlwind of fabulousness.

Every time I go to the west coast, I wonder why I live on the east coast.

I’m trying hard to play catch up at work, upload pictures, and begin a 21 day journey.

The San Fran recap may will happen much like the next 21 days – one day at a time.

First of all: we arrived. Mallory and I landed in San Fran and were greeted by our friend Laura. Then we hit the hotel, freshened up, and sampled a local beverage or two.

Then we trekked down to the Ferry building to see Critical Mass.

This is not a mandatory church service.

On the 4th Friday of every month, cyclists gather in the area to take over the streets, asserting their right to space on the road.

Lucky for us, they also dress up when the 4th Friday falls on Halloween weekend. 🙂

I didn’t get a good picture of the riders, but this is the Ferry Building all lit up in orange in honor of the Giants.

Finally, it was dinner time. Laura lead us to a restaurant called Eureka where we ate like kings. Seriously. Dessert was grilled banana bread with peanut butter ice cream. Entitles “The Elvis.”

Long live The King.

My Dinner: Duck & Pistachio Terrine with Crostini, Mustard, Pickled Onions & Cornichons. Rich. Like a king.

So… what is this 21 day journey? Wellll… I’m sleepy, but I leave you with a hint:

She’s gone country… wine country, that is

October 28, 2010 By Laura

First off, Happy Birthday to my awesome mom!!!

(It was yesterday, but who’s counting?)

My baby sis drove in from college to surprise her (Mamma cried) and we took her to dinner at Miller Union. Of course, I forgot to bring my camera to capture one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. BUT, if you are in Atlanta go eat there. Immediately. If not sooner.

My Recommendations: Miller Thyme cocktail, a glass of the Frederic Mabileau St. Nicolas de Bourgeil Loire France 2008, creamy grit fritters, skillet NY Strip, any of the veggies, and the warm plum crisp. And don’t bother sticking to a “diet” – dig into the bread they bring out. It’s worth it.

After dinner, Baby Sis came home with me for a sleepover and to try a 6am boot camp. I was shocked we woke up in time.

Between the humidity and crazy workout involving lots of stairs, we worked up an appetite! I made the Grilled French Banana Sandwich from last week and served it with apple sliced on the side.

Guess where I’m going tomorrow!?

It was just a good the second time around! Next time I’m doing it with Chocolate Almond Butter.

Baby sis was also my guinea pig. I tried out a version of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Peas and Thank You.

It was soooo good I started drinking this and ALMOST forgot to take a pic!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

4 c strongly brewed coffee (I used 4 c water to 6 T coffee)
1 1/2 c skim milk
5 T canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Brew coffee. Meanwhile, heat milk, pumpkin, and spices until hot (about 2 mins) on the stove… or in the microwave (I can be lazy in the morning). Pour mixture into blender and blend on high until frothy.

Pour frothy milk mixture into 2 large cups (I had some leftover), and add coffee. Mix lightly and serve.

AND I did my Whittle My Middle moves. The stats:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 50 reps
Plank ups: 16 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
Side plank w/ twists: 12 reps each side

I’m all out of order though! Rewind to Monday.

I started my week here:

Serenbe Inn

This was my cabin:

Magnolia Cabin

Serenbe (“Be Serene”… get it?!) is this awesome 1000 acre sustainable community just 45 mins outside of Atlanta. My team at work had a short retreat there – it felt days away from the city. We had meetings, ate some awesome farm-to-table food at The Farmhouse (our chicken at dinner came from a farm 30 mins away!), and I went on a 4 mile trail run. Two thumbs up.

I also learned about their Southern Chef Series. They bring in popular chefs (Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch fame is coming in January!) and for a small fee you get to cook dinner with them, stay over night, and make breakfast together in the morning. That’s my kind of retreat!

After all the fattening delicious Southern cooking, I was craving some oats. Do you ever put chocolate chips in your pumpkin bread/muffins/pancakes?

In honor of the gorgeous fall leaves, I decided to add some orange to my chocolate overnight oats.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Oats

Chocolate-Pumpkin Overnight Oats

1/4 c oatmeal
1/2 c milk
1/2 scoop Juice Plus powder
Generous shakes of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg

Toppings:

Pumpkin puree
Pecans

There has been some nasty weather in Atlanta and this was the perfect breakfast on a rainy fall morning!

Fast forward again.

I’m ending my week here:

San Francisco, here I come!

And here:

Watch out, Napa!

My BFF and I are going to San Francisco and Napa to visit an old friend for Halloween.

Back in a few days with lots of stories, pictures, and wine! 🙂

http://www.millerunion.com/site/

The most important meal of the day

October 25, 2010 By Laura

On Sunday, that meal is brunch. Yesterday I tried out the new brunch at the Inman Park Pure with one of my favorite partners-in-crime.

Reason #1 she is one of my favs: we ordered dessert first. I think it may have even been her idea.

Churros y Chocolate Caliente

Churros are basically Spain’s answer to doughnuts beignets. They’re fried and then coated in cinnamon and sugar.

The exterior of these was perfectly crisp, not greasy at all. The inside was airy – the dough was just cooked through. Watch out, Krispy Kreme.

Airy churro goodness

Served with a cup of hot chocolate perfection. It wasn’t too sweet (a must given the fried sugary goodness) or too heavy (to the point that we questioned whether it was made with skim milk). In fact, it only got better as we dunked the churros in it.

From the partner-in-crime:

I can’t not smile when I’m eating these.

Georgia has a silly law that you can’t serve alcohol in a restaurant on Sundays until 12:30p (after the good Southerns have attended church services). After the churros were inhaled eaten, we were allowed to enjoy a mimosa.

Mimosa

Then it was on the the main: breakfast burrito. It had a Mexican name that I naturally forgot to write down, but it was basically a chorizo, potato, and egg burrito (beans on the side, thankyouverymuch).

Breakfast Burrito

The burrito was topped with a medium salsa (just tiny kick to it), avocado slices, and oxaca cheese. I ordered a side of salsa verde too!

Burrito insides

It was good. Not great. The chorizo wasn’t very flavorful and the eggs were a bit over done. The rice a dry and would have benefited from more seasoning. The salsas were definitely the best thing on that plate.

The guy at the table next to use ordered a breakfast version of salsa-verde soaked chicken fajitas. Should I go back (and I will – those churros are crave-worthy), I’ll be ordering that. 🙂

We also took time to walk around the Inman Park neighborhood. There are so many cute shops! I bought a Life magazine from 1944.

July 3, 1944

It is so neat to leaf through and look at the ads and story topics (there are 10 pages dedicated to color printing!).

The discovery of the day was an adorable market, Savi. It had some neat food items and a great beer/wine selection. They aslo do beer and wine tastings – we were fascinated by the wines on tap, priced by the ounce for a self-serve tasting.

The owner was friendly and talked with us for a good 10 minutes about the wine selection. He even offered to hunt down my beloved wine from a Barcelona trip 3 years ago. They have a cozy–looking fire place and seating area. I see a wine tasting in my near future!

In true Sunday fashion, I took a nice nap when I got home. Then went for a ~4 mile run. I think I could have gone longer. It was such a nice night and my legs were feeling strong.

That was a nice surprise, as I’ll be adding miles to my runs in preparation for the 10K Gobble Jog with my baby sis on Thanksgiving.

This morning’s Whittle My Middle:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 50 reps
Plank ups: 14 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 4 sets of 30 reps
Side plank w/ twists: 15 reps each side
Double crunches: 30*

*I just added this one in today. These are great for working the whole core, crunching your upper and lower half together.

Source

I’m headed out the the airport to pickup a co-worker on the way to our team retreat.

In other news, I am turning into my mother. I washed the sheets before leaving town so that I will come home to clean sheets. Is anyone else this crazy?!

Comfort Breakfast

October 19, 2010 By Laura

Ahhhh.. relief. After a somewhat restless night of sleep, I woke up feeling so much better. My throat is still sore, but much improved and my energy level is 10x better. Hooray!

I always wonder if I really needed the antibiotics when I feel better the day after…

Either way, I have a ton of work to do and I am determined to go to boot camp tonight. Rest is for the weak!

Seriously, I know not to push it too hard so I can fully recover. I’m just going to show up and do what I can. 😉

After feeling to bad to eat much last night, I woke up ravenous. I’ve seen a lot of these grilled french toast sandwiches lately (check out this deliciousness @ Healthy Tipping Point). This morning seems the perfect time to try it out.

I didn’t quite go that hard core, but here’s what went down:

I scrambled my egg with some cinnamon before soaking a slice of Rudi’s Bakery Double Fiber bread in it.

Grill eggy bread until golden brown

Then I sliced half a banana in half length-wise.

Grill banana until browned/carmelized on both sides

When the bread was nicely toasted, I spread almond butter on it. I love when the butter gets all melty from the hot bread!

Then, slice in half and place the banana on one side.

I also had another Roasted Grapefruit.

This time I sprinkled it with:

Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg

Perfection

Grilled French Banana Sandwich

1 slice bread
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 banana
1T almond butter

Beat egg and cinnamon together in bowl. Soak slice of bread in egg mixture, then place in pan over med-high heat.

Meanwhile, slice banana in half length-wise and place in another pan over med-high heat. Let both items toast ~3 mins on each side. Remove and spread nut butter of your choice on bread.

Slice bread in half and place banana on one side. Top with remaining side and enjoy!