Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Blender-Free Blend WIAW

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A Blend weekend (ironically) meant I actually ate nothing blended.

 

You don’t realize how addicted you are to morning green smoothies until you don’t have it.  Starting your day with carbs vs. greens feels different… not that I didn’t enjoy the spread we were treated to.  It was an epically fabulous departure from my norm. 🙂

 

The only thing that could have made last weekend better was if my girl Jenn @ Peas and Crayons had been able to come.  My What I Ate Wednesday this week is all about What I Ate at Blend.  Dedicated to Jenn, since we missed her so.

 

Check out my eats below; then click here to see what everyone else enjoyed for WIAW.

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Breakfast:

No smoothies, but it was fruit-filled!  We had mangoes, blueberries, strawberries, and the best pineapple I’ve had this season.  All of that plus some almond butter made for a killer oatmeal bowl.

 

 

I couldn’t decide what to have, so I went back for round 2.  Those muffins you see were homemade by the Xagave crew – the carrot muffin (let’s be honest – it was a cupcake) was out-of-this-world.

There was also a lot of tasty fuel provided by Green Mountain Coffee.  I really loved the Double Black Diamond blend!

 

 

Lunch:

Local joint Mountain Sun was our lunch destination on Saturday.  We showed up with a huge group that was ravenous from a 4 mile hike.  Most restaurant staff would have run screaming from the building, but these guys were so cool.  Lauren and I knew we were in love with this spot when the bartender said she LOVED giving people beer tastes.  *swoon*

 

 

After finally selecting a beer (a pale ale called “Kind“), we sat down to order.  Just when I thought the place couldn’t get better we found out that they have a hummus of the day (rosemary – it was delish) AND the server actually encouraged us to make modifications.  Ashley and I split the special Cinco de Mayo burger and subbed the meat patty for the veggie.

 

 

The East Coast crew was still adjusting to the time zone, so we ran next door to the The Cup for double espressos.  They came with the cutest mini biscottis!

 

Snacks:

Beer counts as a snack, right?

Lauren and her hubby hipped us to a great local brewery called Avery.  This place was awesome – 21 beers on tap, $1 for a 4 oz taste, and a delicious menu.  We came, we toured, we tasted.

 

 

See the bottom left pic?  Those are sweet potato tater tots.  And that dip?  Super-star Heather had them blend hummus and avocado together and then topped it with hot sauce to make us an amazing dip.

Dinner:

We stopped in at Rio Grande to get our obligatory Mexican fill.  Honestly, I wasn’t even hungry at this point… but Cinco de Mayo isn’t complete without fajitas!  And margaritas.

It may be a chain, but I was impressed – the vegetarian fajitas came with an incredibly tasty grilled Portobello mushroom and grilled zucchini.

 

 

Aaaaaand… maybe some tequila shots.  Disguises have been added to protect the identity of the not-so-innocent.

Gotta celebrate new tattoos.  No, I didn’t get another… I won’t let the cat out of the bag as to who did.  It looks good though. 🙂

***

I miss you, my Cinco de Blenders!!!  (P.S. I can’t remember who took these group shots… please claim them and I’ll give credit!!!  Sorry…) 

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Do you eat greens in the morning?  Would it throw you off to switch it up to carbs? 

 

Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl + A Giveaway

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Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

 

My breakfast is usually some sort of protein shake to follow a workout; however, I’ve been working out at night more and decided to shake up my breakfast routine.

Lat year I experimented with a raw bulgur – it’s not so different from overnight oats!  You simply soak the bulgur in water for 15-20 minutes and add whatever mix-ins you like.

 

 

When NuNaturals reached out to me to check out a few of their new orange and lemon liquid Stevia products I was particularly inspired by the orange-flavored liquid Stevia.  I could smell it before I even opened the bottle!  The best part was that is actually smelled like oranges (i.e. not like some your granny’s potpourri) – both of the new products use real lemon and orange.

 

 

I decided it would be perfect for breakfast in my raw bulgur bowl.  The bright orange sweetness went perfectly with cinnamon and a bit of cardamom.

Topped with fresh coconut, I felt like I was having breakfast on a tropical island rather than in the early morning dimness of my condo. Recipe at the end of this post.

 

 

NuNaturals would like YOU to try out their new products too – the lemon liquid Stevia (I used here in this vegan Alfredo sauce) and this orange liquid Stevia.

4 winners will be chosen!  Receive up to 3 entries by:

 

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 1 of 4 chances to win the @NuNaturals giveaway at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1gY #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Facebook Like NuNaturals, Twitter Follow NuNaturals, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite Stevia flavor?

 

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

 

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, April 26th.  The 4 winners will be announced on Friday, April 27th.

 ***You may also order Stevia directly from NuNaturals, and receive a 15% discount using the code BLG0612. (effective until JUNE 30, 2012).***

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Let me start be saying I am NOT complaining but…

I finally got a referral to an orthopedic doc for my knee.  I took the first available appointment (May 22!).  THEN on my walk Saturday I realized I was feeling pretty good and decided to try running.  5.5 miles later, my knee was still fine!  Now, I didn’t run all of that 5.5.  I didn’t even try to run more than 1/2 a mile at a time, but all told I think I ran 2.5 miles… wayyyy more than I’ve been able to do since January.

Did simply making the doctor appointment cure me?!  

 

Workout Recap (4/16 – 4/22):

  • Monday – Tris/Chest, Bike intervals
  • Tuesday – This Pinned workout (2x), Bike intervals, 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – This Pinned workout, Bis/Back, Ab Ripper X, 2 mi walk
  • Thursday – This Pinned workout, Shoulders, 2 mi walk, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – This Pinned workout, 2.25 mi walk, Lindsay’s leg workout
  • Saturday – 5.5 mile run/walk, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday –  5.6 mile run/walk, 30 mins bike intervals, 100 push-ups

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Orange and Coconut Raw Bulgur Breakfast Bowl

  • 1/4 C bulgur, uncooked
  • 1 T chia
  • 1/4 C + 2 T water
  • 5-6 drops NuNaturals Orange Liquid Stevia
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 2 T unsweetened coconut
  • 2 T chopped nuts

 

Mix together everything except the coconut and chopped nuts.  Allow to soak for 15-20 mins.

Stir and top with coconut, nuts, or other toppings as desired.

Note: You could sub a bit of orange extract and your preferred sweetener here if you don’t have the NuNaturals orange liquid Stevia.

***

My Sesame Baked Tofu made the FoodBuzz Top 9 this weekend.  Thank you for the Buzz!!!  Check out the Top 9 here.

Have you ever eaten bulgur (or other grain) raw/soaked?

Did you enjoy the sunshine this weekend?  Any races?

 

Sneaky Monday

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Can you believe it’s already Monday?

 

I’m so tired I almost can’t stand it.  Why?  Because I woke up at 2:30am.

Apparently I fell asleep with my phone in my room.  My sheets were still in the dryer, so I crashed on the couch… and when my mom called I didn’t hear the phone.  This worried her and when I hadn’t gotten back to her by 2am she decided to drive 30 minutes to make sure I was ok pay me a visit.  No joke.

 

Here’s the Top 5 from the weekend:

 

1. Zucchini Bread Oats

 

 

I stayed at my mom’s one night and made these again after a brief hiatus.  She hadn’t had them and was skeptical… turns out she loved Zucchini Bread Oats!

 

2. Sticky Toffee Pudding

 

 

I went to a dinner party at my friends Katherine and Giles’ house.  Joined by Heather and her husband Kirk, we had a fantastic vegan fest.  My contribution was this Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Recipe to come soon… I need to take some better pics. 🙂

 

3. Foodie Penpal

 

 

The revel isn’t until the end of the month… but my foodie penpal package arrived!  The box she shipped it in got me excited. 

 

4. PB&J Yogurt

 

 

This was is my new love.  How can you go wrong with anything PB&J-esque?  In my yogurt was:

  • 1 C Greek yogurt
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 5-6 drops vanilla Stevia
  • 1/2 C strawberries

 

5. Softball Sunday

It was another softball Sunday!   We won one game and lost one.  No split this week though. 🙂

 

 

One of my teammates rides a unicycle.  I love this time of year. 

 

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I thought my knee was cured this weekend when I ran a mile pain-free.  Then I tried for 1.5 the next day and was back in pain… *sigh*

It’s more P90X for me.

 

Workout Recap (4/2 – 4/8):

  • Monday – This Pinned workout, P90X Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
  • Tuesday – This Pinned workout, P90X Yoga
  • Wednesday – P90X Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – This Pinned workout, P90X Kenpo, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – P90X Legs/Back, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – This Pinned workout, 4 mile walk, 1 mile run, Ab Ripper X
  • Sunday –  1.5 mile run, 2 softball games

 

***

I’m looking forward to a low-key week.  Knock on wood.

Has your mom ever driven to your house to check on you?

What was the best part about your weekend?

 

Facebook and Eating Disorders + WIAW

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Facebook may lead to eating disorders.

Last week it was narcissism, this week it’s eating disorders.  Poor Facebook is taking a hit!

 

 

A new study that found that “51% of respondents felt more self-conscious about their physical appearance after looking at pictures of themselves on Facebook.”  These Facebook users are checking out their friend’s photos, which leads them to be more critical of their own physiques.

I don’t know about this… you can compare yourself to other people just walking down the street.

Read the full article on Newser by clicking here.

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Want to know how to feel better?  Eat some veggies!

Yesterday I asked you all to join me in the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to your daily eats.  Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is also taking part in the challenge, so this month her  What I Ate Wednesday theme is…

 

 

Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.

 

 

Breakfast:

Do you ever wake up starving?  After Sunday’s jam-packed day of softball and plyometrics, I was in need of an extra-filling breakfast.  I mixed this concoction and let it sit in the fridge to thicken (~15 mins) while I downed a glass of water and got the coffee started.

Those blackberries on top were incredible – the first perfect berries of the season!

 

 

In my oat bowl:

  • Rolled oats
  • Chia
  • Greek yogurt
  • Chia seeds
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cinnamon
  • Blackberries

 

Lunch:

I failed to take a picture of the final result… but here’s what my veggie-centric lunch consisted of:

 

 

 

I am fully aware that gazpacho is easy to make yourself… but with my crazy schedule, Whole Foods’ soup had to happen.  It was delicious with some red pepper flakes and avocado (unpictured) on top.

I devoured this with some spinach, broccoli slaw, and ak-mak crackers.  These crackers were new to me – they were delicious and reminded me of Wasa crisps.

 

Snacks:

It was a snack-y sort of day – handfuls of this and that here and there.  A few munchies:

 

KIND bars are my new addiction

Bowls of grapes and edamame

 

My two favorite drinks - coffee and kombucha

 

Dinner:

I was starving by dinner time.  You know what that means…

 

 

All that remained were 2 strips of tempeh when I remembered to take a pic.  My cousin and I hit up a local vegetarian spot called World Peace Cafe for dinner.  It was my first time there, but certainly won’t be the last!

That tempeh was sitting on top of a huge salad with shredded beets, carrots, and tomatoes.  On the left is a bowl that held a delicious mushroom–kale–lentil soup.  The crumbs around to bowl belonged to a slice of rye toast.  The tea pot in the background was filled with lemon-gnger tea.

We also split a piece of vegan chocolate-almond cake.  It was divine.

 

***

Adding veggies isn’t so hard… I think I could eat edamame all day long.

Did you incorporate an extra veggie serving to your day?  If so, how?

Any thoughts on the Facebook story?  Do you think it’s any worse than the millions of other way you can compare yourself to others?

 

Narcissism + WIAW

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Facebook is an indicator of narcissism.

Raise your hand if you’re in trouble…

According to a recent study, there is a link between the number of “friends” you have and narcissism.  The participants were assessed on the based on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).  Who knew that even existed?!

The study wasn’t fully representative, but the theory is that a high friend count indicates you need excessive attention.

Clearly these people never played in a ~100 person roller derby league or went to grad school.  That’s like 50% of my friend count!

 

But I digress.  Today is the last  green themed What I Ate Wednesday!  Give my day of eats some attention, and then give Jenn’s blog some attention by clicking here to see what everyone chowed down on.

 

Breakfast:

I was in a rush, so I did a quick 15 min HIIT workout before breakfast… which left me starving.  I scarfed another Raspberry Barked Oatmeal To-Go (perfect in-a-hurry-meal), along with slices of the best grapefruit I’ve ever eaten.

This fruit was so sweet I couldn’t believe it wasn’t an orange or maybe an Ugli fruit.

Lunch:

Again with the busy theme, I ate lunch on the road.  Literally – I was driving with my knees with a cell phone in one hand and my burrito bowl in the other.

Safe, I know… at least is didn’t try to take a picture!

I wish I had gotten a pic because Willy’s is the only Mexi-rito chain I have seen that offers tofu.  Vegan tofu burrito bowl, FTW.

Snacks:

Random, but yummy:

  • Cashews
  • Squash sticks dipped in marinara
  • TJ’s Sweet Potato Chips + Eggplant Garlic Dip (sooooo good!)
  • Grapes
  • Beer… it was a pre-tennis snack! 🙂
  • Rick’s Picks Mean Beans – spicy pickle green beans

Dinner:

A quick post-tennis veggie stir-fry served with apple slices, and seed bread over a bed of mixed greens.

In my quickie stir-fry:

  • Yellow cauliflower
  • Squash and zucchini
  • Collard greens
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Liquid aminos
  • Thyme
  • S+P

Dessert:

One of these Chewy Granola Cookies from the freezer.  I love a low-sugar quickie dessert.  I may have had 2.

***

In the theme of narcissism…. it’s the last time I’ll post my weekly vote plea.  A nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com blew me away.  I know I’m never going to reach the 1000+ vote mark, but I’d be honored if you felt inclined to click here and vote for me. 🙂

What is your favorite burrito-chain order?

Let’s talk Facebook… do you believe the theory?  How narcissistic are you?

Do You Chia? [ChiaSeed Recipes]

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We all had chia pets growing up.

The adult thing to do with EAT the chia.  The seeds, not the pet… actually, I wonder if you could eat the pet…

Today I am guest posting on my friend Heather’s blog – Better with Veggies.  This vegan-rockstar endurance athlete is tearing up the slopes on a snowboarding adventure!

Click here for a little chia education and some tasty (and easy!) recipes like…

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding

Blueberry Pear Overnight Oat Chia Pudding

Sweet Potato Chia Pudding Pie

Chocolate Breakfast Pudding

***

I’m going to be sweating it to keep up with blog this week… work is out of control!  Sorry if I am slow to comment.

Do you use chia seeds?  What’s your favorite way to incorporate them? 

Have you ever walked around with seeds stuck in your teeth?  Why don’t people tell you these things?!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

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I am not a morning person.

After hitting snooze too many a few times, I’m forced to race through my morning routine.  I squeeze in a quick workout, shower, try to make my face look presentable for work, and inhale breakfast.  This means I NEVER have time for something a decadent as baked oatmeal.

That is until now.

In honor of National Nutrition Month I was contacted by a representative from Driscoll’s Berries to share a recipe I use to fuel up.  I was not compensated in any way; the only stipulation was that the recipe must use fresh raspberries as an ingredient.

Berries are one of the seasonal spring items I most look forward to.  Aside from the deliciously sweet taste they add to dishes, they also pack a ton of nutrients.  Raspberries have a high fiber content and are rich in antioxidants, which can fight inflammation and degenerative disease processes in the body.

Baked oatmeal is a favorite breakfast in my house.  Until recently it was also a rare breakfast.  Who has time to bake in the morning?!

Then light bulb went off.  Pre-Baked Oatmeal.

These baked oatmeal bites were made in advance to be frozen.  All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost.

Baking these in muffin liners is especially convenient for shoveling delicately eating your oatmeal on the run.

Bananas help to bind these together; and those bananas with the pieces of raspberry provide pleasant bites of sweetness.  Depending on your berries and bananas, you may not need to add any sweetener!  It’s still early in the season, so I added a bit of liquid Stevia.

These also make for a great snack while cheerleading. 🙂

Not in the mood for berries?  Check out the Sweet Potato version!

These baked oatmeal bites can be made in advance and frozen for a quick breakfast or snack. All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 C raspberries, lightly mashed
  • 1 egg (I used a flax egg – 1T ground flax + 3T water)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp maple extract
  • 2 C rolled oats
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 drops liquid stevia
  • 3/4 C unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Topping ideas: Walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, shredded coconut

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease with cooking spray

Mix together banana, raspberries, flax egg, and extracts.  Stir in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and sweetener.  Mix in milk and stir until combined.

Pour batter evenly into tins.  Sprinkle with desired toppings, pressing lightly into batter.

Bake 20-25 mins, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Enjoy a few fresh, and allow the remaining to cool completely before placing in a freezer bag for storage.  For a quick breakfast, remove muffin from the freezer and microwave ~30 seconds (until warmed through).

Note: Depending on the size and ripeness of bananas, you may need to adjust amount of liquid used.  Don’t worry if you don’t have maple extract; you can also use maple syrup (be sure to adjust sweeteners) or omit.

Makes 12 muffins.

***

Warning: these muffins won’t last very long. 

What is your favorite spring produce?

Do you take time of a nice breakfast, or eat on the go?

Monday Mentions

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In typical fashion, I spent the weekend on the go.

 

Between the summer-ish weather and having to sit in the office all week, I couldn’t get enough of the great outdoors.  All of the St. Patrick’s festivities and running events made it feel like spring festival season!

Here’s a little highlight reel:

 

1. Dining Out Vegan

I’m still rocking the vegan thing and have gotten some cool meals.

 

 

The first pic is from the best Thai restaurant in Atlanta – Panita Thai.  It looks like a shack from the outside, but the food is incredible.  I ordered my eggplant-tofu dish “Thai hot.”  Cindy, the owner/our server looked skeptic but did as requested.  That may be the last time I order something THAT spicy… but my ego I ate it.  Cindy was impressed.

 

The bottom 2 pics are from ONE Midtown Kitchen.  The service-level was absolutely incredible.  Chef Drew VanLeuvan created a custom appetizer and entrée for me.  Or server, Bernadette, even brought out apple slices and asparagus stalks for me to munch on pre-dinner since I couldn’t eat the bread sticks!

My app consisted of roasted apples with ginger sorbet and roasted cabbage.  The entrée that Chef created was an asparagus salad with pickled strawberries, orange segments, toasted hazelnuts, sugar snaps, micro greens, and a balsamic reduction.  It was a lot of apples and asparagus, but it was fantastic.

Note: Chef Drew is leaving soon to start is his own restaurant.  Sad news for ONE, but very exciting for the talented chef.   I’ll be frequenting his new spot (and ONE, of course).

 

2. Baking Bender

The baking bug hit me.  I made Sarah’s Sweet Potato Soda Bread (with just a little creative recipe-license – sooo good), a new oatmeal thing (recipe coming tomorrow!), and my Chewy Granola Cookies.

Who says you have to be running to carb-load?!

 

3. Summer in the Winter

Technically this is still winter.  Atlanta didn’t get that memo – it was in the 80s all weekend!  Some dude in the condo across from me was in the pool (see evidence below).  I went on a long walk in the park with a friend on St. Patrick’s Day.  As you might imagine, we saw many entertaining things.  The pic below is some sort of photo shoot that was happening.  Doesn’t it look like the guy is photographing her butt?!

 

 

4. Cheerleading

The Publix Marathon & Half Marathon were this weekend.  I rolled out of bed early to cheer on fellow bloggers Heather, Lindsay, Lee, and Tina.  It was my first time cheerleading a race, and I was surprised at how much fun it was to spectate and encourage the runners.  I somehow missed Heather and Lindsay.  Tina waved and she powered by in her hot pink socks… I was busy stuffing my face like a fat kid with a muffin and missed the pic.  Fail.

I did get Lee!  She claimed she was struggling, but she looked fantastic!

 

 

5. Refuel

Refuel brunch without running is totally acceptable, right?  I joined the runners for brunch at Stone Soup Kitchen.  Heather found this gem – they had several vegan options, all delicious.  Heather and Kirk (her husband, who also ran) ordered Vegos Rancheros that looked to-die-for.  I had a tofu scramble with green peppers, red onion, jalapenos, mushrooms, arugula, and red hot sauce.  It was SO good.  I also had a side of grits, but discovered that vegan grits aren’t my favorite.

 

L to R: me, Tina, Lee, Kirk, Heather, Lindsay, and little Clara

 

You may have noticed the coffee.  The caffeine break is officially over. 🙂

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The workouts were pretty good this week.  I was missing my weight workouts.  CrossFit means I don’t have the time or energy to do both most days.  Friday and Saturday I decided to skip the CrossFit and return to my trusty weights. I was shocked to find during Saturday’s P90X Chest/Tri workout that I could actually do more push-ups!

 

 

The BodyRock videos continue to get better and better.  I love that they are adding “bonus” rounds and using some weights now!  That makes some of these solid 30-45 mins workouts.  It may seem like I slacked on the push ups, but between BodyRock ad CrossFit I got my fill. 🙂

 

Workout Recap (3/5 – 3/18):

 

***

There’s something about this weather that makes me believe I shouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Did you run a race the weekend?  How did it go?

Does it feel like summer where you live?  Are you happy about it, or missing a true winter?

 

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