Play With Your Food + WIAW

October 2, 2013 By Laura

At what age did playing with your food become wrong?

Maybe when people started staring…

Stares don’t bother me. When I look at my plate of delicious in the middle of a long work day, I want to smile! For the 3rd day of giveaways, I reached out to the party animals at Hefty Zoo Pals to ask if they would share the fun with you all.

Never mind the fact that their website clearly states these plates “were specifically developed for kids.”

Now everyone can have a Zoo Pal! Ok, not everyone…

Hefty agreed to send 10 of you vouchers for a FREE pack of Zoo Pals plates! Pleasssssse tag me if you Instagram them. I’m so exited or the Zoo Pal takeover! (Giveaway at bottom of post.)

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Rather than a true WIAW (I’m literally eating out of baggies on an airplane), I wanted to share a fun day of eats off of my favorite plates!

Read on for my animal plate eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog to check out what everyone else is enjoying this week.

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Play with your food!

1. The fun doesn’t stop with the plates. I also eat Dora edamame with my Turbot (it’s a fish) wrap

2. Baked Turbot with injera and my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Sea Bass with a raw zucchini and asparagus salad marinated in salsa and nutritional yeast

4. Swordfish with cucumbers and hummus

1. Zucchini, watermelon radish, and Dijon Baked Chicken with lentil hummus

2. Sea Bass with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I store in my desk).

3. Eat more veggies says Reggie! Celery, snow peas, and more Dijon Baked Chicken (I keep it in the freezer for emergencies)

4. Bison off of a lion plate seems appropriate, no?

1. Tortilla ~~overstuffed~~ topped with lean ground beef, yellow tomatoes, spinach, and avocado

2. Turkey burger sandwich on Ezekial bread with Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and my Creamy Asian Kale Salad

4. Swordfish with more kale salad and a Tomato Brownie

Are you ready to play with your food?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you reallllly want to know that craziness I’m eating on the road, check out my Instagram feed.

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Don’t forget to enter the Muesli giveaway for $50 to use in their store!

Do you play with your food? I know a lot of you guys are Instagram food stylists!

What is the best part about meal time for you?

Hard Core + Muesli Fusion Giveaway

October 1, 2013 By Laura

I’m sure my washboard abs are in there somewhere.

Too bad I can’t just go to the fridge for that 6-pack…

I’m in the homestretch for my next figure competition. My abs have 5 weeks to make their appearance. They are always, always fashionably late. Today’s Work It Out is a quick overview of my new ab strategy (it’s working!!!).

Let me bring by giving you my top ab secret: abs are made in the kitchen. There is no way around this. You’re diet must be on point unless you are one of those naturally blessed people ~~who I want to kill~~. I was not blessed. I have a short torso. When I gain, it’s always in my stomach first. Why can’t it go to my ~~boobs~~ quads?!

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We’ll come back to the kitchen in a bit. First, let’s talk exercise.

I lack the patience to do a ton of dedicated core work back-to-back. I also lack the patience to rest between sets (except on leg day when I’m begging to rest). My solution is to combine them!

Every other day I work core moves into my upper body workouts. Rather than stand around between each set, I drop to the ground and do 25 ab reps. My arms rest while I do core, and my core rests while I do arms! Yes, you do use each as a secondary muscle, but it’s not so much that you’re sacrificing quality.

If I do 6 exercises, 4 sets each, I’ve done 600 core exercises by the end!

While I plan you workout, I select 4 core moves to perform. After weight set 1, I do core exercise 1. After weight set 2, I do core exercise 2, and so on. Here’s a “how to” for the group of 4 that I’ve been loving lately:

Body Rocks (thanks to Heather for this idea)

In and Outs

Stability Ball Sit-Ups

Figure Eights

Note: Don’t do this every day. Your abs need time to rest and recover just like any other body part!

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Back to the kitchen. There are several foods that are particularly guilty of being junk food in healthy clothing. Flavored yogurts (sugar bombs), deli meat (infested with preservatives and sodium), and granola (again with the sugar) are big ones.

For today’s “Favorite Things Anniversary Week Giveaway,” I want to share my favorite granola with you. I was first introduced to Muesli Fusion at Blend last spring. Always the skeptic, the first thing I did was read the label. Lo and behold, it’s not a junk food in disguise! Bonus: they have gluten-fee option!

I love using it to top my post-workout protein smoothie bowls. It gives my the carbs I need to refuel and adds some texture to my smoothie.

Athlete’s Fuel is my favorite – it has 7 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar per serving!

Want to try it for yourself? Muesli Fusion is offering a $50 gift code to one of you.* With that much money, you can try a few flavors!

*Again, this is not a sponsored giveaway. I reached out to my favorite brands and ~~begged~~ asked nicely for a giveaway opportunity so you can try them out too.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Don’t forget – there’s still time to enter the NuNaturals giveaway! And, speaking of birthdays, happy birthday to Lisa!!!

What is your favorite granola flavor?

Do you have the patience to do dedicated core work? Which moves are your favorite?

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt + NuNaturals Giveaway

September 30, 2013 By Laura

Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!

Shameless ~~over~~ celebration of birthdays is a family tradition.

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Sprint 2 the Table. Rather than wax poetic, I figured I’d just give you guys presents. Everyone ok with that?

This week there will be a giveaway EVERY DAY! These are NOT sponsored – I reached out to my favorite brands to ask if they’d be willing to share some love with you in honor of the big #3. I’m excited to start it out with my go-to sweetener.

I try to avoid added sugars (within reason – don’t come between me and my chocolate cake), but I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. One of my strategies for taming a sweet tooth is to use Stevia, which come from the Stevia leaf.

NuNaturals has offered to take place in the blogiversary celebration by offering to FOUR of you (1) one bottle of each of the Lemon, Peppermint , Vanilla, and the NEW Cherry Vanilla Stevia Liquids. Even better? This is open to anyone WORLDWIDE.

They sent me a little present too – I got to try the new Cherry Vanilla flavor! I went straight to me favorite meal of the day to test it out. Dessert!

Nearly every night I have a midnight snack in the form of a Greek yogurt or no-salt cottage cheese creation (yes, I eat after 7pm *gasp*). I don’t care for casein powder, so this is the perfect alternative for me. To sweeten these creations, I prefer to use liquid Stevia because I find it blends better.

This bowl of Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt is the perfect blend of rich cherry-vanilla from the Stevia and creamy, sweet sweet ‘tater. The texture is silky-smooth, and I love adding cherries, raw oats, and cacao nibs to the top for a little texture contrast. And chocolate. Always chocolate… mmmm…

Oh, right… the giveaway!!!! Enter here and keep reading for the recipe! ↓
a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case you don’t win, NuNaturals is also offering s discount on all orders placed online (www.nunaturals.com). Just enter discount code BLG1213 to receive 15% off of your order through December 31, 2013. There’s also free shipping on in the US on all orders over $35.

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Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

1/2 baked sweet potato, peeled and mashed
1/2 C Greek yogurt
1 T coconut flour (optional… but not really ;))
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of cloves
5-6 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Cherry-Vanilla Stevia
1 T unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
Optional toppings: cocoa powder sauce (cocoa powder + liquid + stevia), cherries, cacao nibs, oats

Combine everything in a small bowl and mix until smooth. You may need to add more liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Top with your favorites and enjoy!

Note: You can make this ahead and/or even freeze it to make a fro-yo! This also makes for a bangin’ protein shake combo.

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I have to say again how EXCITED I am for this week. Tomorrow’s is awesome… and it comes with a workout. Overall this week is pretty marvelous. 😉

Have you tried Stevia yet? What’s your favorite way to use it?

Which do you prefer – sweet potato or pumpkin puree? Others?

Strange But Good: Tofu Tabbouleh Salad

September 27, 2013 By Laura

Sometimes the strange is right in front of you.

If you live in a city, it’s right in front of you more often than not.

For this week’s meal prep, I had all the ingredients to make my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad again. Except the quinoa. I swear, between the plumbing, burning food, and general forgetfulness… there is some sort of black cloud over my kitchen this week!

That cloud lifted when I had a strange (but good) idea for a substitute. Better yet, it’s high in protein… tofu!

It’s a bit different texturally speaking, but the soft tofu works against the hearty, crunchy parsley. I loved the way the lemon juice and spices soaked into this making it even more flavorful!

I followed the original recipe almost exactly, but as an afterthought added a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Vegan cheesy tabbouleh… why not? I already jacked up the traditional version. 😉

My tofu sub and the “cheese” add worked like a charm. And then I did what Tiggers do best.

Tofu Tabbouleh Salad

12 oz firm tofu, crumbled
1 large bunch fresh parsley, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
1/4 C red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground garlic

In a large bowl, toss together parsley, chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, lemon juice, and seasonings.

Add the tofu crumbles to bowl and mix together. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: This stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It is even better on day 2 when the flavors have time to marry.

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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I am so excited for next week. It’s my blog’s 3rd anniversary and I have a full WEEK of giveaways for My Favorite Things planned!!!

Does the Eeyore cloud ever seem to get stuck over your head?

Have you made anything strange lately? Link it up!

Flipping Out + Designer Whey Winner

September 26, 2013 By Laura

Flipping out isn’t always a bad thing.

Let’s be real though – usually it isn’t pretty.

When I saw strongWOMAN Tara post about tire flipping, I immediately texted my trainer and asked if we could incorporate that into our session that night. I have no idea why I do these things to myself.

I didn’t realize how heavy tires were! I did the first two lengths of the gym with a 225 lb tire. Just when I was patting myself on the back, he decided we needed to up the weight. The next 2 lengths were done with a 265 lb tire. That’s when the real ~~hell~~ fun began.

This is the last bit:

For some reason he refused to bring me a beer after that… then made me do more legs! How rude!

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Just in case you didn’t come here to watch my huff and puff, I’ll go ahead and do as promised. Remember this giveaway?

The winner for the Designer Whey 1 year supply of protein is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations!!! For those of you who’d still like a sweet protein deal, check out Jody’s site for a discount code on you next order of Designer Whey!

You better believe I had a healthy serving of Designer Whey after tire day!

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I knew my butt would be sore, but my forearms are also STIFF after that flippin’ tire.

Have you ever flipped a tire? Would you willingly do so?

Do you yell or grunt when you’re lifting something especially heavy? I can’t help it!

Satisfying Creamy Asian Kale Salad + WIAW

September 25, 2013 By Laura

There are no short cuts.

That doesn’t seems to stop people from trying .

Satisfries? Really Burger King? According to this article, the fast food chain has developed a lower fat french fry.* One serving is 190 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium.

*Yes, they are really called Satisfries

Apparently Satisfries taste like regular fries – they are made with the same oil as the full-fat version. The trick is that Burger King uses an oil-repelling agent in the better that lowers the fat content.

This is kitchen wizardry, not a nutritious french fry. I can’t stand when companies do this because it’s misleading to consumers. Yes,ultimately it’s up to the individual to do their research… but they DON’T. They see these products come out and think eating fries for lunch every day is a good choice (with a burger and a diet coke).

Right or wrong, the timing couldn’t be better. The U.S Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts on their menus next year. I wonder how many more menus items like these will be popping up?

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This is WIAW was crazy. I was in back to back meetings and pretty much only left my office long enough to pee and run to the fridge for more food. Thank god for food prep. I’m sure people think I’m nuts.

Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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Breakfast:

I’m still going with my new Aminos in my morning cocktail. I am liking it! It’s not a sweet, but I think that’s nice on my taste buds early in the AM.

The food part… well, let’s just say I won’t be leaving the house without tasting my breakfast first ever again. This was going to be a genius idea – mixing ingredients for an oatmeal mugcake the night before so all I had to do was nuke it in the morning. 2 mistakes: I tried a totally new recipe and I microwaved it WAY too long.

At least the Cats mug made me smile.

Mid-Morning Snack:

Porgy with celery sticks and my lentil hummus. Porgy was a new fish to me. I really liked it – it’s heartier, more similar to chicken than a flaky fish.

Bonus: Progy is fun to say.

Lunch:

This was salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and a massaged kale salad.

The dressing (massage lotion?) was my take on Heather’s Creamy Chickpea Salad. If you’ve never use tofu in dressing before, you MUST try it. I can’t believe how creamy and delicious this was!

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale
~10 shiitake mushrooms, diced
1/2 C chopped asparagus
3 ounces firm tofu
Fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp dulse (seaweed flakes)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Toss together kale, mushrooms, and asparagus.

Blend together dressing ingredients, and massage into kale mix.

Can eat immediately, but best if allowed to marinate overnight so that veggies soften and flavors infuse..

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Pork Belly of the sea! Sea bass is my favorite fish. Hands down. I ate it in my office with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I keep in my desk).

Dinner:

Dinner continues to be more snack-like on my new schedule. I snacked on some (unpictured) granola before hustling to the gym. When I came home after 9p, all I wanted was my chocolate-beet smoothie.

I was out of beet powder (my Whole Foods quit carrying it!!!), so I tossed in a raw beet! The Vitamix blended it like a champ. Topped with more granola, then inhaled.

Then I needed round two. Double roasted kabocha and peanut flour sauce.

I could eat this every meal.

Dessert:

I’m so sad about this… I made my Carrot Cake Batter Protein Bowl using French Vanilla Designer Whey. Was planning to top it with a Banana Nut Quest Bar. And I did. But not before I burned it. I ate it any way, obv. Note to self: Don’t put your Quest bars under the broiler and walk away.

Topped with cocoa powder-coconut flour sauce and Nuttzo. Because that makes everything better.

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Don’t forget to enter the Designer Whey giveaway for a 1 year supply worth $500. Contest ends tonight at 11:59p!

Satisfries. Do you buy it? Would you buy it?

Do you keep a stash of spices in your desk or purse?

Fun with Supplements: SD Pharmaceuticals

September 24, 2013 By Laura

Supplements are a “mystery” to a lot of people.

Supplements are NOT steroids.

I’ve dedicated a post to the supplements I take in the past, but wanted to do a quick update today. Warning: this Work It Out is largely educational/exploration. If that bores you, check out this past post on The Gun Show. Biceps are my favorite thing to work out. 🙂

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of SD Pharmaceuticals.

In my previous supplements post I shared my reasons for taking the following. I still take each of these daily* (though I took a break while I was recovering from surgery since I wasn’t using my body in a way that needed them).

*Note: I’ve since switched Amino brands.

You guys know by know that I don’t shy away from experimenting with my diet and routines. When I was given the opportunity to try out some supplements from SD Pharmaceuticals, I was intrigued.

Some of the language used to describe the benefits gave me pause because I’m not on a weight loss mission. However, they have done some fantastic in-depth research and use the highest quality plant-based ingredients. The research on added benefits of these supplements to bodybuilders made me decide to give it a go.

Here’s what I was sent:

Dendrobium 600 – Derived from orchids; used in Chinese medicine as a tonic and strengthener; may increase congition, and promotes the health of the stomach, kidney, and lungs
Diindolylmethane – In the genus of plants that includes broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale; supports healthy estrogen metabolism and hormonal balance
Garcinia Cambogia – Comes from a pumpkin-shaped fruit (yay pumpkin!); supports healthy serotonin levels and help reduce appetite; may impact enzymes related to fat metabolism
Green Coffee Bean – Green coffee beans (recently made famous by Dr. Oz) are coffee beans that have not yet been roasted, thus having higher chlorogenic acid levels; that component is thought to be responsible for inhibiting fat accumulation and assisting weight loss, as well as providing healthy antioxidants
Raspberry Ketone – From red raspberries (obv); antioxidant, may reduce fat absorption, increase calorie expenditure, and enhance fat breakdown

Supplements CAN be confusing. What to take, when to take it, how to combined it… that’s why I love that the company provides a downloadable stacking guide. ~~I need to be hand-held sometimes.~~

So does it work?

I don’t think I’ve been on them long enough to have major strength gains. I haven’t noticed a weight loss or a reduction in appetite. Again, that’s not my goal. I am extremely active and don’t have weight to lose, so I think my body overrides that effect. (Others have noticed bigger changes in terms of weight loss; check out this review.)

I HAVE noticed a general mood lift, which I attribute to the Dendrobium and Garcinia. I have more energy, but not in a caffeinated-I have-the-shakes-and-need-to-do-all-the-things way. I also didn’t have any trouble falling asleep after beginning these. Energy + sleep = awesome.

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There is NO magic pill. These things may assist you in reaching goals, but the only sure-fire way to get/stay fit is to eat right and exercise.

Do you take vitamins/supplements?

Would you be curious to try any of these?

Protein Jackpot: Designer Whey Giveaway

September 23, 2013 By Laura

It’s no secret that I’m a protein monger.

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Designer Whey.

Given my addiction, I was thrilled when Designer Whey asked me to help them celebrate their 20th anniversary. Birthdays are a BIG deal in my family, and Designer Whey is doing it up right. They are giving away a FULL YEAR supply of products!!!

There are a few ways to enter to win at the end of this post. 😉

While whole proteins (eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, legumes, etc.) should be you main sources of protein, but I believe that having protein powder in my diet is beneficial for several reasons.

Protein Powder “Pluses”

Protein “Filler”: It can be added to meals that are normally lower in protein (smoothies, oatmeal, etc) to help keep you full longer
Convenience: When I travel (which is frequently), I always have a stash of powders. You never know when you’re going to be caught without a meal option! It’s also the perfect hotel breakfast. I use chocolate protein powder and coffee to make a gourmet hotel breakfast – Mocha Oatmeal!
Flavor Variety: For me, variety is key to staying on track. I can’t stand to eat the same thing all the time, so I love using different flavored powders as a boredom-beater. They can also act as a good base of customized flavors, like this Oatmeal Cookie Dough Shake
Muscle Fuel: After lifting, having an easily absorbed protein aids in building lean muscle and in recovery. Muscle burns fat. It will actually help lean you out. It’s the food you eat that bulks you. Feed muscles, not fat cells *steps off soap box*

There are two types of protein I like to use: plant-based and whey.

For the whey protein, my go to is Designer Whey and has been ever since I was introduced to them via FitFluential. Since then, I’ve been creating like crazy with it!

Balsamic Strawberries and White Chocolate Cream

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

(Mr. Olympia-approved!)

Microwave Carrot Cake

Microwave Zucchini Bread

Apparently I decided to thoroughly test it’s ability to be baked… I can assure you, it bakes very well. 😉

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So now for the really good part. How do YOU win the Protein Jackpot?*

*Protein Jackpot: noun; the chief prize in a game or contest; protein jackpot consists of twelve (12) 12oz Designer Whey French Vanilla protein powders; twelve (12) Designer Whey protein bar 12-ct boxes (4 12ct Peanut Butter Crunch boxes, 4 12ct Triple Chocolate Crunch boxes, and 4 12ct Caramel Chocolate Crunch boxes); twelve (12) Designer Whey Protein 2GO 5-ct boxes (4 5ct Lemonade boxes, 4 5ct Tropical Orange boxes, and 4 5ct Mixed Berry boxes); six (6) Designer Whey High-Protein Ready-to-Drink Shakes 4-packs (3 4-packs French Vanilla and 3 4-packs Gourmet Chocolate). Approximate Retail Value of Grand Prize: $500

1. Click HERE and order your free tattoo. Snap a photo of you and your tattoo, then send it in for a chance to win.

2. Enter my giveaway below for 1 year supply, worth $500! (The giveaway is open to US residents only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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After a crazy weekend full of plumbing problems and staying on track with food prep, I cannot thank you enough for your encouraging words on last Wednesday’s post. They sparked me and helped me smile through it all. You guys ROCK! And you’re marvelous.

Have you ever tried Designer Whey? If so, what’s your favorite way to use it?

What is your favorite protein powder recipe? Share it in the comments!

Play With Your Food + WIAW

Play with your food!

Are you ready to play with your food?

Hard Core + Muesli Fusion Giveaway

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt + NuNaturals Giveaway

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

Strange But Good: Tofu Tabbouleh Salad

Tofu Tabbouleh Salad

Flipping Out + Designer Whey Winner

The winner for the Designer Whey 1 year supply of protein is…

Satisfying Creamy Asian Kale Salad + WIAW

Breakfast:

Mid-Morning Snack:

Lunch:

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Dinner:

Dessert:

Fun with Supplements: SD Pharmaceuticals

Here’s what I was sent:

So does it work?

Protein Jackpot: Designer Whey Giveaway

Protein Powder “Pluses”

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