Homemade Ricotta and Thoughts on Identity

July 11, 2013 By Laura

With my 30s staring me down, I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation.

4 more days…

There has been a lot of post floating around lately about exercise – what’s the “right” way to do it, how much is a too much, when you should rest… much like my No Shit Diet, I think exercise should be a personal choice.

I posted this on Instagram yesterday:

It sums up my thoughts pretty well. When you exercise, do it for YOU. If you want to do it twice a day or twice a week, make sure it’s because that’s what your mind and your body are telling you to do. Just because someone is banging out an hour of cardio and an hour of weights every day doesn’t mean you need to! Conversely, you don’t need to do yoga 3 days a week and that be it just because someone else has found that works for them.

Play with your diet. Play with your exercise. Find what’s right for you. Find something that motivates forward progress. Have fun!

In true fashion, Kat was in my head again as she wrote her post this week. I love this post for more than just the cheese recipe (though that IS a big factor 😉 ). Kat is the perfect example of marching to her own drum and not letting others define her.

But I’m going to step off my soap box now and let her tell you about all that…

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Homemade Ricotta and Thoughts on Identity

I saw a really old man, moving really slowly, but moving/jogging along the BeltLine. He must have been in his late 70s, and his feet were shuffling. He really made me think about whether I’ll do that at his age, in that condition. (Editor’s note: I saw a women running with a TRIPLET stroller. I was amazed.)

Why do we keep going? Because we love it? Because we identify as runners and that’s just who we are?

It also hit home this week when I attended the defense of a prospectus (the first 3 chapters of a dissertation) for a PhD student. The question that made me think quite a bit was, “Do you see yourself more as a scholar or a researcher?” Society is always trying to get us to define who we are. Why can’t we just be?

Ironically enough, she is doing post-structural work, which is not even supposed to need to have structures to define being (or, that is my understanding of it).

I think it would be nice to just “be” sometimes, but also find myself wanting some sort of structure as to what it is that I am, especially this summer, when I’m not an attorney, and I’m not a student. (Editor’s note: I get that – having this surgery made me re-think my gym rat identity.) In the in-between, what identity can I cling to? Runner?

And then I realized I can choose more than one, or I can choose none. In a chaotic world, it seems natural to want to choose something… but you don’t have to and it’s okay to change! Just be yourself and life your life authentically. Yes. Reminding myself of this.

You are not your career. You are not the activities that you do. It matters so much less in the long run than what kind of person you are.

Change happens. And change is created. I played with a recipe this week inspired by the fact that we have the power to create and change things into something we really want or crave.

So I turned Milk into Cheese. (Editor’s note: I swear I’m just moving in with you so I don’t miss this stuff.)

This week I made homemade ricotta! I hadn’t done this in quite sometime, since I went to Hawaii in November and played with a recipe with my sister. I made some changes to it, and I like my version MUCH better. It’s a little sweeter, perfectly creamy, and has a wonderful consistency.

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Homemade Ricotta

1 gallon of whole (or raw) milk
4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T white vinegar
½ tsp citric acid
1 tsp Kosher salt

Bring the gallon of milk to 190 degrees (medium high heat). Stir continuously so the milk doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom. Then prepare your strainer. Wet cheese cloth and place it over a fine strainer.

Once the milk is fully up to temperature, mix the salt, vinegar, lemon juice, and citric acid.

This is what it should look like when you turn off the heat

Keep it at 190 degrees for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. At this point, the milk will look like it’s curdling and everything is separating.

Now the hard part… waiting. Just let it sit there at room temperature. Don’t touch it for at least 20 minutes.

Pour the entire pot over the cheese cloth and strainer. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, then put in the refrigerator, and continue to let it strain and cool for 30 minutes.

That’s it! One gallon of milk will make about 3.5 – 4 cups of cheese.

When you taste it, your first thought will probably be how FRESH it tastes! It’s really awesome!

Use this delicious homemade cheese in lasagna, with berries for dessert, in cannoli, or on top of crackers with marmalade or jam! Wonderful addition to fresh summer recipes!

Note: This works best with raw, unpasteurized milk. However, it’s almost impossible to find because it’s illegal to sell for human consumption in most states (including Georgia). Alternatives? Find Organic, Pasteurized, Non-homogenized (cream on top) Whole Milk. AVOID Ultra-Pasteurized… it WILL NOT come out right, and it will not taste the same or have the same texture. It’s hard to find, but you can do it for amazing homemade ricotta!

Side note: I really want to get some different plates! Black is terrible for picture-taking! (Editor’s note: Now you are a “real” food blogger.)

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To clarify: I’m actually excited about turning the big 3-0 (especially since it involves a trip to wine country). I just think it’s bizarre… didn’t I turn 21 last year?!

Who do you feel like you are?

What fun kitchen experiments have you done lately?

Weekend Update + WIAW

July 10, 2013 By Laura

I get behind in my over-sharing.

Thank god for Instagram!

There has been a lot going on lately that I’ve just run out of time to blog about! Hump Day seems the perfect time for a download.

I’ve been getting some good runs in (between all the summer storms). This is taken on the GA Tech campus. Saturday marked 5 years since my dad died. Without intention, I found myself heading to his alma mater for a run.

It was nice to run by all the places we used to walk past on game days and relive some of my own memories from grad school. The rain didn’t hold off for long – about 5 mins after I took this pic the sky turned black and it started pouring.

Sunday I met some of my favorite Atlanta bloggers for lunch at Dough Bakery, my favorite local vegan spot. That’s (very pregnant) Alayna, Tina, Lee, me, and Heather. Heather is former Atlanta blogger… she left us for Colorado. 😛

I always have so much fun with these ladies. We talked and ate for a long time before I had to run back home to get ready for dinner. That’s right – I said run. I ran a total of 6.65 miles there and back thanks to Atlanta’s new Beltline trail! ~~I’m lucky my friends would be seen with me sweaty and dressed like a bum.~~

The dinner I was running home to was at one of Atlanta’s best new restaurants: King + Duke. I’m too lazy to write full review, but let me just say… if you are in ATL or are coming to visit make a reservation. So. Good.

Their wine program is excellent, which you know makes me happy, and the food is even better. Don’t skip the roasted beet and carrots with feta and harissa, the roasted bone marrow with smoked mushrooms, blackberries, and short rib marmalade, and the “Dates & Ale” (a fantastic sticky toffee pudding with Sweetwater IPA cream).

Meat butter

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This WIAW was less indulgent than this weekend. Thank god. I love going out to eat, but whoa. I was dragging on Monday after eating half my meals out over the weekend. I jumped back on the healthy eating train with reckless abandon.

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) was of course the start to my day.

If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I have a mini crisis: my air conditioning quit working. I live in the South. It is HOT. I was really glad I thought ahead and made a nice, cool breakfast: overnight oats!

This bowl is a little different because I combined a few protein sources. The oats, cottage cheese, and protein powder made for the most deliciously creamy bowl of cheesecake-like oats I’ve ever had!

Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

1/4 C oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF)
1/4 C cottage cheese
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 T peanut flour
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Blueberries
Stevia, to taste
1/2 C almond milk (or other liquid)

Combine everything in a bowl, cover, and place in fridge overnight.

Remove from fridge in morning. You may need to add additional liquid, especially if you choose to heat it.

Top as desired and enjoy!

Note: I order my peanut flour from iHerb – I like it better than PB2 because it is less processed and doesn’t have the added sugar and sodium. Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I love making random mixes with no salt deli turkey. Often I do fruit, but today I had some celery to use up. I broke up the turkey and mixed it with nutritional yeast, cayenne, pepper, herbs de provence, and apple cider vinegar. Then I chopped up my celery (and some of the celery leaves) and stirred that in.

Lunch:

I’m getting low on groceries, so I had to bust out the emergency veggie burger. If you’re going to eat frozen food, the Lightlife burgers are pretty tasty.

Eaten with spinach salad, celery, kabocha, and a quick dressing made from spinach hummus, apple cider vinegar, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Yes, I spent time “plating” this at work. People stared.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

This was fancy-looking, but I’d made it the day before. Baked swordfish in a foil pocket with veggies and Indian spices. It was fast and the clean up was easy – just throw away the foil!

I posted the recipe here on Facebook if you’re interested.

Dinner:

Did I mention my A/C is broken? It was 85 degrees and humid in my condo. I couldn’t think of a single thing to eat for dinner because I was SO hot. So I got creative.

Egg pizza. The idea was to cook the egg in a big pan so it would be thin like a pizza crust, then top it and finish in the oven under the broiler. It would have been perfect had a greased the middle of the pan a little better. It stuck. No worries… I just ate it out of the pan. Less dishes to wash!

My toppings: broccolini, edamame, tomato, spinach, and ricotta salata. It was really good! Will try it again, this time properly greased to get onto a plate.

Midnight Snack:

I ate some snacks at my mom’s… she made a quiche and had these yummy chocolate-salted nut things from Trader Joes… but it was just bites and when I got home I still needed a little something.

Despite the heat, I wanted cake (when do I NOT want cake?). I made my favorite 150 Calorie Chocolate Microwave Cake, topped it with a peanut flour “icing,” and served it with a side of cookies and cream Arctic Zero. And a little Stevia-sweetened Smuckers strawberry jam… it went really well with the peanut butter icing!

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In less than I week I turn 30. And I identify with just about all of these 30 Signs You’re Almost 30. My mom likes to remind me of #19.

What do you eat when it’s too hot to eat?

Do you make and effort to have your food look pretty at work? It’s so much nicer than eating out of tupperware! This should probably be added to the signs you’re almost 30…

Work It Out: Post-Augmentation Exercises

July 9, 2013 By Laura

Resting makes me restless.

I tried to be good. Really.

After my surgery I was forced to rest. I knew it was good for me as my body healed, but as my energy returned I got anxious. Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to easing back post-surgery. Patiently.

These tips may be applied to other types of recovery as well. Use at your discretion. 🙂

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor. Don’t do any of this without asking a doctor. Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself. This plan is mine and mine alone. What works for you will vary by your fitness level and how your body heals.

The main concern with working out after a breast augmentation is overusing the pectoral muscles – particularly with those who have implants are underneath the muscle. The actual muscle needs time to heal. After surgery there is a capsule that forms in the pocket holding the implant. Think of it as the body’s way of protecting against a foreign object (this could be any implant). Doing too much too soon can cause the capsule to become hard. The goal is to allow the capsule to form in such a way that it is undetectable.

If the capsule thickens too much, is causes capsular contracture. This is what makes the implant feel like a rock and can make the shape look wonky. Bottom line: Avoid overuse of the pectoral muscles.

Below is a summary of what I’ve been able to do at different points post-augmentation. Again, consult a doctor before you do ANYTHING! Be sure to wear a super supportive sports bra when doing any activity. For the first time in my life I am actually wearing 2 bras at once!

Post-Augmentation Exercise

First 4-5 days 1: Rest (seriously). It’s good to move around a little to keep blood flowing, but I’m talking walking from the couch to the kitchen. Even that will probably wear you out on days 2 and 3.

Next 5-10 days: I started light cardio in the form of walking. I probably went further than they would have liked, but I wasn’t moving to fast and I kept it to the cooler times of day. You don’t want to get hot or elevate the heart rate to avoid infection and swelling (which increases risk of contracture). The girls need to settle!

Week 3-4: After you regain energy, work with a doctor and – if available – a knowledgable trainer to outline an exercise regimen for you and your specific needs. This is my plan:

Low-impact cardio is ok here. My doctor said I could run as long as it was cool and I kept it to 50-70% of maximum effort. There is no sprinting anywhere. The elliptical (without arms) and stationary bike are also good choices.
I was released to do leg work. We have to start slow with mostly body weight. Barbell squats are a no-no.
SOME isolated upper body weight lifting – I was warned that it must be light weight and limited to isolated biceps and triceps.
Lower abs are free and clear!

So with all those limitations what do I do?! Since the exercises I can do are limited, I keep the reps varied. You can go one day for strength (8 to 10 reps) and one day for endurance (15 to 20 reps).

Moves that are easy on the chest:

Legs:

Lunges – walking, single leg, side, and backwards
Leg Presses – wide, normal, and close stance
Leg Extensions (be careful not to grip handles and strain chest)
Body Weight DEEP Squats
Pistol Squats
Standing Hamstring Curl
Adductor/Abductor
Hyperextension
Butt Lifts
Step Ups (no weights)
Calf Raises – toes in, out, and forward

Upper Body:

Bicep Curls
Hammer Curls
Single Arm Preacher Curls (using incline beach)
Cable Curls (2 arms, with straight bar and/or EZ bar)
Tricep Pushdowns with rope and/or bar (if you have the equipment, do the one where you stand with your back against the machine to prevent you from rolling your shoulders in and using your chest)
Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdowns

Note: Chest, overhead, and any jumping around (high impact) exercises should be avoided like the plague! ~~Damn – no burpees for me.~~

Abs:

Weeks 5-6: TBD! I go back to the Dr and should be cleared for a little more. 🙂

To give you an idea of how I’m using these moves, here’s a workout I did last Friday.

From the above menu of options, I choose 5 leg/butt moves, 2 biceps, 2 triceps, and a series of abs. I adjust the amount of abs based on how I’m feeling at the end of each workout, but 3 ab exercises seems to be a good number for me so far.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

I offer personalized online training and nutrition programs! Check out my philosophy here and fill out the from for more info.

Don’t miss my free Macro Calculator, which helps time your meals to get the most out of your workouts.

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I wrote this with the “twins” in mind, but this workout is good for anyone – especially those who’ve had upper body injuries.

Do you have any moves to add to the list? Isolated triceps are not easy to do!

What is the exercise you’re most excited to get back to after a forced rest?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

July 8, 2013 By Laura

Treat ‘yo self.

That is my favorite saying from my friend Sarena.

This weekend I (rice crispy) treated my self and my friends! My best friend’s favorite treat is the crispy variety. In honor of the holiday weekend, I decided to make her a batch. Of course, I couldn’t just follow a recipe… regular ‘ol rice crispy treats have been done before!

What I came up with was a chocolate and peanut butter crispy treat. While these will never be a health food, they are slightly cleaner than the treats of your youth (recipe at the bottom). Here are a few of the cuts/subs I made:

Cut the amount of marshmallows and butter in half by using natural peanut butter
Replaced the bit of butter with coconut butter
Used brown rice crispy cereal rather than the usual snap, crackle, pop brand

One of my favorite things about these bars is that they aren’t as sticky-sweet as the traditional treats. Cutting back on the marshmallows really helps!

Before taking them to my friend’s house, I had to share then with a couple of my favorite people: Lee and Carol! We ran the Peachtree Road Race (the world’s largest 10K) together on July 4th. Clearly that deserved treats!

Lee and Carol both gave me the thumbs up, so I bought the concoction to the bestie’s house for dinner that evening. They received a stamp of approval there too – from 4 adults, a 2-year-old, and a couple of crumb-eating dogs.

Bonus: they paired really well with a certain impulse buy (thank you, Whole Foods):

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Banana Beer from Rogue. I figured it would be really good or repulsive. The taste was quite layered – chocolate up front, then a hint of peanut butter, and finally the banana came on the end. Surprisingly it wasn’t too sweet, but there is no way I could have drunk a bottle. We split tastes between 4 people – it was just the right “side” with the chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats.

As you might imagine, it was a pretty marvelous 4th of July. Head over to Katie’s link up to see what everyone else is smiling about today!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

4 C marshmallows
2 T coconut butter
1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
4 C brown rice crispies

Place marshmallows, coconut butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips in a non-stick pan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to combine. (Note: if it is too thick, stir in almond milk 1T at a time.)

Quickly add rice crispies and stir to combine. Press mixture into an 11 x 13 pan.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.

Remove from fridge and cut into squares to serve.

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After a holiday weekend of eating out, I’m looking forward to more home cooked meals this week!

Did you run any races this weekend?

Are you a rice crispy treat fan? What fun flavor would you like to try?

Starting Out Strange But Good

July 5, 2013 By Laura

Don’t you hate feeling repetitive?

Don’t you hate feeling repetitive?

Yes, I do amuse myself… hahaha! 🙂 Seriously though. I’ve done quite a few #strangebutgood breakfast posts. It’s just so easy to be strange in the morning! Maybe I dream about it since I typically fall asleep thinking about breakfast?

I have a few (more) atypical breakfast ideas for you today… but they could double as dinners or even a dessert!

1. Griddled Crab Mexican Pizza

This was inspired by my Griddled Chicken and Grapefruit Pizza. I told you I’m being repetitive. #sorryimnotsorry

I’ve been eating more savory breakfasts lately. My sweet tooth is legendary, and I find if I don’t start the day off with a sweet meal it helps keep it in check. ~~At least until lunch.~~

I prepared this just like in this post, except my toppings were crab, kale, salsa, and avocado.

2. French Toast with #yolkporn Syrup

For some reason I think it’s more acceptable for me to use the word “porn” if I hashtag it. Hmmm…

You may remember this from Wednesday (again with the repetition!), but I wanted to go into more detail. Because it was that good. I wanted french toast and a runny egg… so I just combined the two! That delicious local egg yolk made of a fantastic savory syrup on my toast.

Adding the blueberries on top with a touch of toasted coconut added the slightest sweetness, completing each delectable bite.

I prepared a healthy french toast just like in this PB&J French Toast recipe, using P28 Protein Bread for extra protein. When I cooked my egg, I just added blueberries and the coconut to the other side of the pan to be warming. Looks fancy, but it was quick and easy!

3. Peanut Butter Shirataki “Rice” Pudding

My last repetitive meal was created from Wednesday’s dinner leftovers. I had tried the Skinny Noodle Shirataki “Rice” for the first time. I loved the Israeli couscous-like texture! Perfect for breakfast, no?

One package is 2 servings. Since I’d already prepped the whole package (you MUST rinse and warm to avoid the funky flavor), I used the second half to pre-make breakfast. What resulted was reminiscent a thick, creamy bowl of peanut butter rice pudding. Incredible. I sampled a bite before bed and it was all I could do not to house the whole thing right then and there.

Mine was topped with a fresh Georgia peach, but I think any fruit would be good here. Like banana… mmmm… breakfast tomorrow…

Ingredients:

1 serving Skinny Noodle Shirataki “Rice”
1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other liquid)
1/4 C peanut flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla liquid Stevia, to taste

Mix together all ingredients. Cover and place in the fridge at least one hour, or overnight.

In the morning, remove from fridge and stir. You may need to add additional liquid to thin it out to your preference.

Top as desired and enjoy!

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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 hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!!! We got drenched but made the very best of it.

When was the last time you felt repetitive?

Does a more savory start to the day help curb your sweet tooth?

Happy 4th of July!!!

July 4, 2013 By Laura

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of the 4th, I’m taking a llittle break, but I did promise to let you know who won the Designer Whey giveaway!

These 6 ladies are going to have an especially happy 4th…

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My 10K is done!!! Time to celebrate with a few treats… See you all tomorrow for a #strangebutgood Friday!

Does anyone else have to work tomorrow?

How are you celebrating the 4th?

Back to the Gym + WIAW

July 3, 2013 By Laura

Patience is a virtue.

That’s what I keep trying to tell myself.

Monday I was cleared by my surgeon to begin light exercise. Good thing because I had already scheduled an appointment with my trainer for that night. 😉

Going back to working out after surgery (or any long break) is humbling. I started with a leg extension weight 100 lbs lighter than I did 3 weeks ago.

We did a lot of lower body – mostly body weight stuff – and then 2 isolated bicep and 2 isolated tricep exercises. It was really light, but I realized I’d have to go slow… especially when the twins got hot and swelled up. It was crazy!

I’m going to do something similar on my own today. Being careful. It’s really hard knowing what I could do before, and seeing how much I lost in my arms in such a short time. BUT it’s not forever. I got there before, and I can do it again. *deep breaths*

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This WIAW was fun for me because I was actually hungry from working out! It’s a totally different feeling than regular hunger, one I didn’t fully appreciate before!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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