It may seem strange to travel to another country and stay with someone you don’t know.
I didn’t hesitate.
Lucie was so kind to open up her home to me for the first leg of my travels. It was funny – I didn’t really occur to me that I didn’t know her in real life until someone commented that it was brave on both our parts to plan to spend this time together. Thankfully it went off without a problem! (I think… Lucie will have to tell her side of the story. ;))
Fresh off the boat… I mean train…
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Strange friends are the best of friends.
Most of the time, but we won’t go there.
Arman is my #strangebutgood brother from another mother. When I knew I was going to be gone for this week’s link up, he was the first person I thought of to carry the torch! He didn’t disappoint, even if he IS pissed at me.
I’ve made many of Arman’s creations and can assure you that even though they sound strange, they are amazing. I still dream of the bison version of his Cheeseburger Pancakes I made!
So, without further adieu, here’s my twerking brother…
Hey fans of all things strange….but good. My name is Arman and I’m the blogger behind The Big Man’s World – a Melbourne born chap who is currently trying to balance the big world of responsibilities – one meal, one deadlift and one kitchen experiment at a time.
I must say I was annoyed when Laura asked me to host this Friday’s round of #strangebutgood.
Why?
She’s off to Switzerland.
But why be annoyed?
Well. Hear me out. Since the beginning of our blendship (we can’t move to friendship status until we’ve met), I’ve been convincing her to come to Australia. Seriously. I made tantalising recipes to tempt her, harassed her on instagram and even vibed with her on many occasions in weekly recipe themes. (For three weeks straight, we used the same ingredients- Sriracha, beef and kabocha).
I even Twerked in her honour.
Yet she goes to Switzerland. Thanks, Laura. (Editor’s note: You’re so very welcome. :P)
I’ve been a big participant in the weekly #strangebutgood linkup so thought today, I’d share my three favourite #strangebutgood offerings….in pancake form!
Lamingtons are an Australian dessert which is based off a soft, sponge cake dipped in chocolate and covered in shredded coconut. More often that not, it contains jam in the centre.
Transform them into pancakes = #strangebutgood.
High protein, gluten free and with a grain free option? Give yourself a taste of Australia. You’re welcome.
Don’t chuck a pie in my face or chase me with a pitchfork but sorry…I will always take white potatoes over sweet potatoes. It’s not uncommon for me to eat a kilo of white potatoes in a day.
However, sweet potatoes are amazing when incorporated in these sweet potato and cheddar pancakes.Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This is what happens when you crave cheeseburgers and pancakes concurrently. Not to mention that you’re too greedy to pick one of them. You just have both. Both in pancake form.
Sub any ground meat for beef or crumbled tempeh or tofu for a vegetarian option. Just promise me one thing… Don’t skimp on the cheese. That reminds me of the time I ate cheese with every meal. Moooooo.
Thanks for letting me take over on here Laura! For more recipes, random rants and some healthy living perspectives from a food and fitness loving guy from Australia – come visit The Big Man’s World.
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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Everyone give Arman a big twerk for keeping #strangebutgood going this week! 😉
Have you ever tried one of Arman’s recipes? Those Cheeseburger Pancakes ROCK!
What is the strangest pancake you’ve ever made?
Wasting food is one of the 7 deadly sins in my house.
There are starving children in Africa!
Before leaving to go out of town I make it my personal mission to eat everything perishable in my house. If it’s not eaten before I leave, it’s eaten on the road. I’ve done a couple of travel food posts before; while I’m not in competition mode this trip I still would rather have my own food from home than eat nasty airport food. I’d also rather not pay a ton of money for nasty airport food. That money is better spent on chocolate and wine in Europe!
Often people are surprised by the food I bring through security. You CAN bring food! Just avoid the liquid.
Pro Tip #1: Protein powder will not be mistaken for cocaine.
Pro Tip #2: If you freeze yogurt, it’s a solid!
This WIAW is a crazy mix of leftovers. I’m not even going to try to separate it into meals!
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
Anyone remember that song?
This weekend my family celebrated endings and beginnings. My baby sister, Madison, graduated from college! She’s the youngest, and the last to finish school. Mom is celebrate not having that tuition bill – hahaha!
My cousin came along, and my other sister flew in from Portland to surprise Madi. We loaded up the family and drove to Auburn, AL to celebrate the end of Madi’s college career. Naturally, this started with a toast. Or 20.
We dined in style at Auburn’s nicest restaurant, Acre. I have been wanting to try it ever since sampling a collard wrapped sweet potato tamale the chef made at Atlanta’s Food & Wine Festival 2 years ago! Seriously – here’s the post.
We ordered all the foods. This is just a fraction of it! The butter bean gnocchi was the coolest thing… but the dessert won the night. We ordered the dessert board (bottom right below) with a sampling of everything… followed by seconds of the sweet potato bread pudding and the goat’s cheese-filled doughnut holes. I get my love of food and wine honestly!
Let’s not talk about how we *almost* missed the graduation ceremony the next morning…
Once we safely made it to the ceremony, we toured the arena patiently waiting for Madi get her diploma. Turns out the Tigers like to hate on my Yellow Jackets!
Hooray!
Back in Atlanta Saturday afternoon, I squeezed in a beautiful 5K run by the Chattahoochee River before heading to my mom’s for a grill out. Those delicious eats must have done some good because it was my fastest in recent memory. It could have also been the fear of what mom was going to say when she found out I went running instead of coming straight home for dinner as instructed.. 😉
The warm sunshine and home cooked food were the perfect way to celebrate a new chapter for everyone. Change is in the air! It’s an exciting time… the unknown can be a bit nerve-wracking, but life goes on and the future will be marvelous!
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I’m spending the day wrapping up things here so I can board the place to go visit Lucie in Switzerland tomorrow!!!
Do endings/new beginnings ever rattle you a little?
What did you do to celebrate your graduation? I ate really good food. Obv.
I’m stranging-up Mayo!
(That’s May, not mayonnaise.)
It occurred to me that many of my Mexican-inspired creations are a bit strange. Mexican is one of my favorite cuisines, and I’m always looking for a good way to shake it up!
No matter what time of day you celebrate, I have an appropriately themed dish!
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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Check out the FitFluential Cinco de Mayo Round Up for more ideas!
What’s your favorite cuisine to add a #strangebutgood twist to?
Do you have Cino de Mayo plans? Any special meals?
I can’t end a run on uneven mileage.
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Reebok. All opinions are my own… ’cause you know I can’t keep them to myself.
Lately I’ve been itching to run more, but I’m 100% out of practice. Busting out more than a couple of miles is no longer easy to motivate for, let alone to complete! 2 things happened last week that helped change this.
Call it OCD, but it drives me insane to end at 4.78 miles, for instance. I will run up and down my street to hit 5 miles. If you are a runner who tends to go a little further then you meant to, you know how painful that can be. You’re tired, bored, thirsty… your knee hurts, your shoe is rubbing your heel… whatever it is, you’re ready to be done.
These things combined are what lead me here – sitting on my patio enjoying the cool morning air after an even 5 mile run.
…
Change is inevitable.
Except from vending machines.
One of my favorite policies it to change something that isn’t working. If you aren’t happy, make a change. Don’t sit around in a puddle of mud complaining about how dirty you are. That knight in shining armor isn’t going to show up on a unicorn and rescue you.
Incidentally, my unicorn name is Helleborine Cheeky Rump.
I realized my job wasn’t the right one for me… so I’m making a change! More on that to come. In the meantime, I’m taking a little break. The best kind of break – I’ll be traveling to Switzerland next week! The wonderful Lucie has offered to be my guide. I am SO EXCITED to meet her in person and have some adventures. She’s already living up to her blog name (Fit Swiss Chick) – we’re booked for hiking, running, and cross fit!
Naturally, I needed to make some purchases for my travels. DSW and TJ Maxx are full of deals right now… I probably spent too much but think of how much I saved! LOL!
This WIAW is week 3 working through my intolerances per my Alcat test. I’ve been pretty good about it and still happy with the results… but I’m not going to Switzerland without eating cheese. #sorryimnotsorry
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…
I have some strange friends.
In the most delicious sense of the word.
One of my favorite things about #strangebutgood every week is all of the fun ideas I get from all of the link ups. I pin them to the #strangebutgood board for safe keeping until I can make them. Last week’s links were so good I’ve already tried two!
Arman’s Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Waffles Pancakes. I basically followed his recipe, except I reduced the milk so they would work as pancakes and I replace the sugar with Xylitol. They were the fluffiest rounds of deliciousness I’ve made in a while!
My topping was peanut flour sauce (peanut flour + stevia + coconut milk) and the following strange creation…
Christa’s Chocolate Maca Hemp Seed Spread has been my topping of choice lately. It was so easy! I just dumped everything in my Vitamix and blended away. I left mine a little chunkier than Christa – I’m a fan of crunchy nut butters, so I thought this should be similarly treated.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted chocolate spread or a little #yolkporn atop my protein pancakes yesterday. So I had both.
Other things this is good on: ice cream, protein bowls, apple slices, carrots, sweet potatoes… your finger…
Then there’s the honor of having someone actually brave MY #strangebutgood recipes! Both Megan and Heather braved my Creamy (Raw) Red Pepper Soup and gave it the Instagram post of approval!
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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Speaking of strange… I’m headed to a crawfish boil tonight. Those little bugs creep me out!
Have you made any #strangebutgood recipes?
What is your favorite thing to top with a seed/nut butter?
