Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

The Tardy Smoothie

By

I have a problem.

 

I cannot get out the door in the morning. 

I’ll be basically ready to leave for work on time, and then manage to blow another 20 minutes.  How does this happen?!?!  This morning I needed to make a quick smoothie and leave.  Twenty minutes later, I had a delicious smoothie and a cool pic.  Maybe it’s the photo-taking?

 

I recently purchased Guar Gum.  Guar is a thickening agent commonly used items such as: ice cream/sorbet, pies, pudding, smoothies, yogurt, and more.

It is also acts as a stabilizer.  I really appreciated this, as my spinach-laced smoothies often separate if I don’t drink them immediately.

I used Bob’s Red Mill:

A few facts about Guar (from WebMD):

  • Can help treat diarrhea/IBS (lovely)
  • May lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels
  • Keeps you feeling full longer, as it is a slow digestible

 

Either way, it made my morning smoothie more milkshake-like and I’ll be using it again!

I also tried out So Delicious Coconut Milk for the first time.

It was surprisingly light!  I was expecting, you know, coconut milk.  This coconut milk was somewhere between almond milk and rice milk on the thick-scale.

I tried the unsweetened version, and liked it.  Coconut milk definitely won’t replace almond, but I’d buy it again.  I’d really like to try the vanilla flavor.

Since the base of this smoothie is pumpkin, I think it is worthy of being named the “Tardy Smoothie.”  You guys know what I’m talking about… right?  In Cinderella where she risks turning into a pumpkin if she’s late?

The Tardy Smoothie

  • 1/2 C So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp Guar Gum
  • 1/4 C pumpkin
  • 1/4 C blueberries
  • 1/4 C oatmeal
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • handful of spinach
  • ice + water, to taste

 

Toss everything in the blender, blend away, and enjoy the thickness!

Note: A little bit of Guar Gum goes a loooong way.

***

Do you have the same problem getting out the door in the morning? 

What is the culprit?!

 

Inspiration

By

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day!  It was nice to have a reprieve from the cold and ice even if it is grey and raining today.  I ran around the park before dinner and it was almost too crowded to run.  People-watching FTW.

Speaking of watching…

My friend Courtney shared a link to Food Gawker in the comments section yesterday.

I’ve long been a fan of the site, but it was a great reminder to visit another awesome sight: Food Porn Daily.

If you can look here without getting excited… kudos to you my friend. Don’t judge me. 🙂

It is from these sites, restaurant menus, and other blogs that I get the most  inspiration.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a dish in one of these resources and run to the store for ingredients to make my own version.

Source: citynoise.com

Yesterday was one of those “buy all of these items you’ve been wishing you had on hand” days.  We have a massive Farmer’s Market in Atlanta that has fantastic prices on veggies, spices, and wine.  This place is epic.  It is such a zoo so impressive that they have a strict “no cameras” policy.

It is easy to get carried away in there… and I’m proof.  I live alone.  There is NO reason I should leave there with more than $50 in groceries.  Yesterday I almost hit $100.

In my defense, I was out of a lot of the basics.

And apparently I’ve been reading a lot of Indian recipes lately.

Garam Masala, curry, tumeric, cinnamon, coconut, ginger, tahini, chickpeas, chickpea flour (99 cents for a large container!)… it is going to be a fun week for cooking!

This is also going to work perfectly with my Recipe Pack Rat goals (does anyone else think “Rat Pack” when reading that?) – I have 5 Indian recipes saved and I already vowed to make Spicy Roasted Chickpeas.

I also would LOVE to try may hand at dessert hummus (how did I not think of this?!) by Evan at The Wannabe Chef.

Sunday morning I may have to try a Michelada. Thank you for a non-tomato hangover cure alternative, Tami @ Running with Tweezers.

Also purchased: a few squash varieties, wonton wrappers, pumpkin puree, San Marzano tomatos, too many oranges, bananas, jalapenos, poblanos, avocados, garlic, onion, kale, spelt flour, yeast, lentils, soba noodles, almonds, hazelnuts, dates, and roasted red peppers.

***

Suggestions for how to use all of this are welcome. 🙂

Butternut Squash Drop Biscuits

By

For such a “blah” weather week, it sure is flying by!  I can’t believe it is Wednesday already!

I even have things to look forward to: much-needed massage tonight (thank you, Half-Off Depot), a rare 2 evenings free of plans (nevermind that I’m going to have to work), a nectar of the gods wine tasting Friday, and an awesome road-trip Saturday. 🙂

Do you find that the week tends to drag when you have fun plans?

______________________________________________________________________________

Like many items I’ve made lately, these biscuits were borne out of the need to use some ingredients in my fridge.

I made butternut squash a few days ago and needed to use the remainder along with my last big sprig of rosemary.  It seems everyone has been making sweet potato biscuits lately.  So I said to myself, “Self, why not make a butternut squash version?”

Enter: Butternut Squash-Rosemary Drop Biscuits

Added bonus: these are VEGAN if you use Earth Balance in place of the butter!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Butternut-Squash Rosemary Drop Biscuits

  • 1 C white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
  • 1/4 C pastry flour
  • 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 T salted butter, chilled
  • 1 C mashed roasted butternut squash
  • 1/2 C applesauce
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 2 T fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander

Preheat oven to 450F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a medium mixing bowl.  Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your hands until you have a crumbly mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together butternut squash, applesauce, almond milk, maple syrup and coriander until smooth.  Fold in the dry ingredients until just mixed.

Drop the dough onto baking sheet by the spoonful (~2 T), leaving about an inch between the biscuits.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins, or until lightly golden.

Makes 14 medium-sized biscuits.

Approx. Nutritional Info: 81 calories, 3.6 g fat, 11.7 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 1.7 g sugar, 1.6 g protein.

These are also loaded with Vitamin A!

***

Almost massage time!

What’s your favorite “treat” to look forward to?

Recipe Pack Rat

By

My name is Laura and I am a recipe addict.

If you ever want to keep me occupied for hours, drop me in the middle of the cookbook section of a bookstore.  Or give me a list of food blogs.  Or a stack of Food & Wine magazines.

While I do cook a lot, this has resulted in my having an excess of recipes.  I can’t make one item before I find 5 more I want to try my hand at!

I have 292 recipes bookmarked.  This is only those online.  That I’ve remembered to save to Delicious.

Intervention time.

Can I get on Oprah for this?  (Did you see Oprah discovered she has a sister?  That must have been the best day of her sister’s life… being Oprah’s sister would be better than winning the lottery!)

For the next 6 months, I will make one recipe from my Delicious bookmarks per week.

Originally, I was going to start with the first bookmarked page and work from there.  Makes sense.  Start at the beginning.

The issue is that I started saving in April, so I would be making springtime recipes when it is below freezing outside.  86 that idea.

Does it really matter where I start?

Start from the most recent.

Here are the first 3:

1. Avocado Creamcheese Cookies

Source: Anncoo Journal

2. Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Source: Priya's Kitchen

3. Nutty Spicy Tofu

I’m declaring tomorrow Avocado Cookie Tuesday!!!!

Tonight, it’s derby-time!

***

Do you have a recipe problem habit?  How do you keep track/keep up?

Side note: While I was looking through old bookmarks and writing this, I found no less than 10 new recipes to try.  Oops.

My Top 5

By

I have an announcement: My skinny pants are too big.

 

OMGOMGOMGOMG.

When I started this blog, I had a gained a pretty significant amount of weight.  I had been out of grad school for a year, and had gotten accustomed to sitting at a desk all day and still eating anything I wanted.  My body revolted.

Basically, my fat pants became my skinny pants.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC0Nsba1fWQ&feature=related

***Disclaimer: I love my job – I just love this video. And I don’t like sitting all day.***

 

Last week my trainer made me get on a scale for the first time in a couple of months. Post-grad school sitting-on-my-butt weight is officially GONE!!!

Fat pants, be damned!!!

I still sit at a desk all day, but I adjusted my eating habits and made exercise a part of my daily routine.  Just like brushing my teeth.

How did I do it?

There were many, many habits I changed, new behaviors I learned, and – last but not least – an amazing amount of self-control.  I could write pages, but here are my Top 5 Factors (after the jump).

… 

Read More »

Spice Up Your Dessert

By

I don’t want to run.

At all.  

This frigid, icy weather has taken a toll on my workout motivation.  Yet I did.

Want to know the secret steps to success when you’re held captive by the weather?

  1. Make a plan – mine was a incline interval run
  2. Write it on a piece of paper
  3. Get dressed in workout gear (it helps you commit to going!)
  4. Get on the “dreadmill” WITH the written plan in front of you
  5. Promise yourself that if you go 10 mins and still feel terrible, you can stop
  6. Promise yourself a giant spaghetti squash dinner and a glass of wine
  7. Wait for about the 8 min mark
  8. Motivation/resolve sets in. At this point you realize you will go the full time and survive.

I have no idea how I got through that one, but I did.

Then I ate this:

Thank god for the cleanse and my discovery of Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti.

My derby teammates, the Sake Tuyas, are having a sleepover this weekend.  Everyone is bring a dish and the theme is Mexican.  Because I am crazy, as I was laying in bed last night I was contemplating the possibilities (doesn’t everyone lull their self to sleep thinking about food?).  Then it hit me.

When I made these Black Bean Brownies, I thought I had hit the jackpot.  But… no. There’s something better out there.

Black beans are in (I think) every taco at Moe’s (clearly an authentic Mexican specimen).

This alone qualifies them for the potluck.  But why stop there?

Amp it up and add some spicy-goodness!  The addition of cinnamon and spice and everything nice adds a depth of flavor that is not to be missed.

Protein-rich, fudgy brownie with ~150 calories per serving (less than the original since I reduced the sugar and egg). Does it get any better?

Mexican Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

  • 3/4 C cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C salted butter, melted
  • 1/2 C applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 15 oz canned black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 C walnuts (chopped)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 T instant coffee
  • 1 1/4 tsp roasted ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 3/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • Shake of kosher salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 C light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325° F.  Prepare an 11 x 7 in pyrex dish by lining with parchment paper or lightly oiling with Baker’s Joy/Pam/butter/etc.

In large bowl, mix together melted butter, applesauce, and  cocoa powder until combined.

Place the beans, 1/2 C of walnuts, vanilla extract, and 3-4 spoonfuls of the cocoa mixture into a food processor.  Blend until smooth (~ 1 min).  It will be very thick.  Set aside.

Add to the cocoa mixture the remaining 1/2 C walnuts, instant coffee, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and mix well.  Add bean mixture to cocoa mixture, manually stirring until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer until light and creamy (~ 1-2 min).  Add agave nectar and beat well.  Fold the egg mixture (reserving 1/8 C to drizzle over top if desired) into the bean and cocoa mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake for ~45 mins, until the brownies are set.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting. You may need to refrigerate first – these are extremely soft.

Optional: Sprinkle top with a mixture of cinnamon, chili powder, and powdered sugar.

***

Now to do a quick core workout before bed.  If I can just get started…

What are your secrets to motivation for a bad-weather workout?

Resolution-Worthy Brownies

By

As always, I have started out the new year running.  Between work, derby, training, and family stuff, I have been home long enough to sleep 4-5 hours.

Just like I like it.

 

I really do try not to be a glutton for punishment, but I just have to own it: I hate to be still.

Does anyone else schedule their life to the very limit?!

Some where in between all the running around with my hair on fire, I did manage to find time to perfect (IMHO) a dessert recipe to address any lingering holiday-fudgy-goodness hunger pangs.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

In the grand tradition of good intentions, many of us are beginning 2011 with renewed zeal for healthy living.

We are also coming off of a 2-month sugar binge.

Have we learned nothing from Intervention?  Addicts need to be weaned off of the juice! 🙂

 

What better way to do this than with bean-filled desserts?!

 

 

Beans, beans… good for your heart…

You can’t tell there are beans in these fudgy bites.  I even tested them out with a few discerning co-workers and my building’s concierge.  No one suspected anything was amiss.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

  • 3/4 C Cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C Salted butter
  • 1/2 C Applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 15 oz Canned black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 C Walnuts (chopped)
  • 1 T Vanilla extract
  • 1 T Instant coffee
  • Shake of kosher salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ C Light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325° F.  Prepare an 11 x 7 in pyrex dish by lining with parchment paper or lightly oiling with Baker’s Joy/Pam/butter/etc.

Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave.  Stir in applesauce and  cocoa powder until combined.  Place the beans, 1/2 C of walnuts, vanilla extract, and 3-4 spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture into a food processor.  Blend until smooth (~ 1 min).  It will be very thick.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining 1/2 C walnuts, the rest of the melted chocolate mixture, instant coffee, and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer until light and creamy (~ 1-2 min).  Add agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add bean mixture to butter mixture, manually stirring until blended well.  Then add the egg mixture (reserving 1/4 C to drizzle over top if desired), and hand mix until just combined.  Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake for ~45 mins, until the brownies are set.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting.  You may need to refrigerate first – these are extremely soft.

***

How curious are you about the nutritional info?!?! 🙂

I was.

If you cut them into 20 squares, here are the approximate

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 182.8

Fat: 10.0 g

Cholesterol: 49.6 mg

Sodium: 44.8 mg

Carbohydrates: 22.4 g

Fiber: 1.9 g

Protein: 3.0 g

There you have it.  Fudgy brownies that are under 200 calories and possess some redeeming qualities.

Try them out.  Guarenteed money back if you can taste the beans.*

*I’m not sending you any money, so don’t even try it.  I know you can’t taste the beans anyway, scammers. 🙂
 

2011 Goals

By

In the summer of 2008, my dad passed away after a 4.5 year battle with cancer.  He was the most amazing man, and I continue to miss him every day.  I feel his influence in everything I do – particularly over these past few months as I have made a commitment to live in a more healthy manner.

Dad was a lover of food.  His mom (my grandmother) made a carrot cake you’d step over your own mother to get to.  It was tradition to eat “Hot Choc” (chocolate gravy) and biscuits the morning after Thanksgiving… the more you could stuff in your belly, the better.  Miraculously, no one in my family was/is obese… but Dad realized he could stand to loose a few.

As with anything else in his life, Dad set his mind to becoming more healthy and achieved his goal.  He cut out the “bad” carbs and sugars (no more eating Cool-Whip directly from the container) and began exercising regularly.

One of Dad’s favorite sayings:

You can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Dad, still smiling!

Dad lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years.  When I don’t want to get off my butt and exercise, I am inspired by the fact that even when he was sick and in Houston for treatments, he could be found on the treadmill, walking to keep his strength up.

Dad’s girls with the Rambiln’ Wreck

Dad was also a Georgia Tech grad, and I’m glad he at least knew that I was in the MBA program there.  Sadly, when I graduated he wasn’t here to see it.

With my uncle, also a Techie

Graduation day was a little easier with Dad’s college roommate and best friend, Randy, there cheering me on.  Randy presented me with a card at dinner, full of congratulations and advice.

The family, Me, and Randy at graduation

One thing he encouraged me to do was to write down goals.  He said I’d be surprised how many of them I would accomplish by doing this, even if I never looked at the list again.  Of course, I put the card aside and got caught up in the working world once again.  When I bought my condo I ran across his card and decided to take his advice (better late than never, right?).

Wonder of all wonders, he was correct.  I documented 6 month, 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals.  6 months later, I’d accomplished all but one of my shortest term goals.

Amazing how that works. 🙂

So, with my dad’s strength and determination at my back and Randy’s advice on my mind, I am documenting my 2011 Goals here.

1. Run (another) 1/2 Marathon

After the Gobble Jog in my Half shirt

I did it in 2009 and swore I never would again.  It took me a while, but I am ready for #2.  The one I have my eye one is the Publix Georgia Half Marathon (formerly known as the ING).

2. Work on my fitness

This goal is two fold…

2a. Continue to be more responsible with how I fuel my body

I developed some pretty unhealthy habits over the past couple of years.  Since cutting out/reducing my intake of processed foods, desserts, alcohol, and red meat, I have felt SO much better.  My goal is to continue on this path, and continue to improve in the area of moderation.

2b. Build more muscle

I’m a beast

Overall I’d like to be more toned.  And I want a 6-pack.  I know it isn’t feasible to keep it forever, but I want it even if it is for 5 minutes.

3. Develop more original recipes

Plotting dinner

This is both a blogging and personal development goal.  I love to cook/bake/create.  In 2011, I’d like to learn more about flavor combinations and the “science” behind baking.

4. Surround myself with good people

I’m busy.  Really busy. Time is precious – too precious to spend it on people who drag you down.  In the past I have made the mistake of spending time with people who negative and hinder personal growth.  This year I want to spend my time with friends who are positive, healthy, and fun.

The best of friends

5. Advance at work

I’ve been in my new job for almost 6 months.  Don’t get me wrong – there is still lots to learn.  But I’m ready to step it up more.  I’d love to begin developing a solid niche and build my reputation in my company.

Cheers to my dad, to achieving goals, and to a fantastic 2011!

***

What are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2011?

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Recovering from ACL Surgery: Week 1
Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!