Reunited with Green

March 18, 2011 By Laura

This week has been NUTS!

I was really glad I had Zucchini-Banana Muffins in the freezer for breakfast this morning.

This is how I feel right now

D.C. was a great trip though. My meetings went really well and I had a chance to go running through the Mall Wednesday night with bossman.

If you’re ever in D.C., I highly recommend it. There’s nothing like seeing a city by way of a good run. It also makes the run go by more quickly… which I needed.

The Tough Mudder threw my body for a loop. I’m not so much sore as I am worn out. My legs feel like bricks. Spaghetti bricks.

At least I have something to show for it:

Muddy cuts

Random bruising

But damn it feels good to be a gangsta’. 😉

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I really missed green smoothies (and St. Patrick’s Day!) while I was traveling. File under: things I never thought I’d say.

So here’s my oops-I-missed-St. Patrick’s Day Smoothie of the Day.

I was too excited and almost forgot to take a pic before it was too late!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Smoothie

1 C unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop cookies’n’cream protein powder
1 tsp maca powder
1/3 C pineapple
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ginger
6-8ish almonds
huge handful spinach
ice/water (to taste)

Just what the doctor ordered to feel human again just in time to throw a wedding shower this weekend.

Shower recipes coming ~~Monday~~ soon! (I may need a buffer in order to sleep at some point.)

Worth the wait: mini quiches, fruit + cannoli cream, and my favorite savory cookie recipe.

***

I love entertaining, but I hate the fact that you have to clean house. It seems ridiculous since you have to clean again post-party. Let’s start a movement to change expectations!

What’s your best time-saving party-prep secret?

Do you have a favorite/go-to dish to make for entertaining?

Cocoa Spelt Cakes

March 16, 2011 By Laura

Did you know that sometimes, on short flights, Delta only offers peanuts to snack on? I was so annoyed/hungry.

What if you’re allergic? There are really no other options?! That’s just nuts. Fail.

I'm not allergic. But I could be.

Peanuts are still too hard for me to chew, but I am pretty sure I could have scarfed down some Biscoff. Hopefully they’ll have ~~more~~ an alternative on the return… do you hear me, Delta Airlines?!

Cheers to you, Freshens fro-yo in Terminal A, for preventing my starving stomach from eating my spine.

I have to run to a day of meetings, but I wanted to post the cocoa spelt pancakes I made earlier in the week… clearly, I’m on a pancake-kick.

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Being a single lady (and I use the term loosely), I am always on the look-out for 1-serving meals. When I saw Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Spelt Pancake s for One, I was thrilled.

I used her ‘cakes as a base and modified to include some chocolate and coconut. And peanut butter.

Disclaimer: These are healthy pancakes. Don’t be expecting them to taste like the buttery IHOP version. Don’t be scared – they are delicious in their own right!

Don’t skimp on the topping. PB is it’s own food group.

One size fits one!

Cocoa Spelt Pancakes

1/2 C spelt flour
1 T cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk (or your fav milk)
1/4 C blueberries (optional)

Whisk all dry ingredients together. Mix milk and vanilla into the dry ingredients.

Heat a skillet on medium while mixing the batter. Coat the pan with a little Earth Balance/butter/cooking spray and spoon the batter onto pan.

When bubbles begin to on pancakes, drop blueberries into the cakes. Wait another 30-ish secs second (until bubbles begin to pop), and flip to cook other side.

Makes 2 respectably-sized pancakes.

Coconut-Peanut Butter Topping

Place equal parts peanut butter (I used TJ’s Valencia) and coconut butter in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 20-30 secs, until just melted (DO NOT over heat… trust me on this… #fail). Stir to combine and pour over pancakes.

***

Angela @ Oh She Glows is hosting a Glo Bar raffle to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross Japan Disaster relief.

Please click here and join us in contributing to a great cause!

Raffle closes today, March 16th, at 10pm EST.

She’s already up to $4813!!! What a great reminder of what a difference just one person can make.

Thanks, Angela! 🙂

Morning vs. Evening Coffee

March 15, 2011 By Laura

Raise your hand if you had coffee this morning!

This morning I had this:

Black coffee. Mmmmm!

With a side ‘o this:

Scrambled with onion, spinach, red pepper flakes, and basil

Fuel for the road – I’m off to DC! (Work-related, but I love a trip.)

Last night’s coffee was a bit more fun.

Despite the fact that I am ~~unrealistically~~ optimistic the spring-like weather will be here to stay, the evening called for a warm beverage.

A kahlua-laced mocha. It was a looooong day.

Kahlua Mocha

1/2 cup strong coffee
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
1 T good-quality cocoa powder
Shot of Kahlua

Brew 1/2 a cup of strong coffee (I used a vanilla-flavored instant coffee – VIA). Pour into coffee cup, filling half way.

In a small sauce pan, whisk together the milk and cocoa. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering (NOT boiling). It will look foamy.

Pour the milk mixture over your coffee, add your shot of Kahlua, give a quick stir, and enjoy!

***

Do you have a favorite “treat” drink?

I’m a fan of the night cap. Especially when I remember to make it with decaf. ~~Oops~~.

The Cure + Zucchini-Banana Muffins

March 14, 2011 By Laura

As expected, I woke up the morning after Tough Mudder feeling ~~like death warmed over~~ a bit sore. (Check out my recap here.)

The good news is I found The 3-Step Cure.

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box.

Noooo… I’m kidding. The Cure actually began the night of the race with…

1. Fro-Yo

A post-run, post-blogger dinner Dark Chocolate-Vanilla swirl @ Three on the Tree.

Calcium! (Pretty sure I earned this. x1000.)

This is the most tasty yogurt in Atlanta. I’d bet my first born on it. If I were to have a first born.

2. Brunch

I had an awesome brunch with some good friends at Rosebud, one of my favorite restaurants. Ron Eyester (@theangrychef) is the chef/owner and he never disappoints (with food or hilariously honest tweets).

Whole Wheat Pancakes w/ Sage-Vanilla Butter. They don't skimp on the butter and you shouldn't either.

Starter Beverage: Jasmine green tea (full disclosure: I wasn’t being noble… no booze until ~~church lets out~~ noon on Sundays in GA).

Appetizers: Biscuits + gravy (my friend who doesn’t even like gravy loved this!) and an epic grits + egg + brisket creation Ron graciously sent out.

Meal: Whole wheat pancakes with sage-vanilla butter, special Rosebud syrup… and a side of grits. Just because.

Draaaank: The Orange Thing – vodka, gran marnier, and orange pellegrino. Two thumbs up.

3. Spa

The Korean spa, JeJu, in Gwinnett. $25 for the whole day.

I seriously considered never leaving.

Don’t be scared. There will be nudity (only in the M/F segregated areas!). There are hot tubs, cold pools, wet and dry saunas, and 7 different “healing rooms.”

They also offer massages (no happy ending), body scrubs, and foot massages.

The healing rooms have different themes. For instance, the one I spent the majority of my time in was the clay sauna. It’s good for muscle recovery.

Others include: charcoal for detoxing, jade for inner peace, salt for circulation, etc. The dome are lined with appropriate substance in each room.

I sent and extra $50 for an hour-long foot massage. It was the best idea I’ve ever had. If you go there after a race, it’s worth the splurge.

JeJu has wi-fi, towel service, and a Korean restaurant. You could literally stay there for 24 hours.

So, that’s my 3-Step Cure*. Free of charge.

*This is not to say that I’m not sore today. I am. Just less so than I would have been ~~(Translation: I’m able to walk)~~.

Day 3 of recovery started with muffins.

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You’re not going to believe it, but these are vegan, low-sugar, < 100 calories, AND they taste good.

Sneaky Veggie Muffin

Zucchini makes for a dense muffin. If you want them fluffier, reduce the grated zucchini by 1/2 C.

Relying mostly on banana to sweeten them, these muffins these are a perfect breakfast for those that aren’t in need of an AM sugar-high. I think you could replace the agave with Stevia… if you try it, let me know!

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These were inspired by the Babycakes vegan cookbook and Marci Gilbert’s Loaf.

Zucchini-Banana Muffins

(a.k.a. The 98 Calorie Muffin)

1/2 C white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
1/2 C spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2 C grated zucchini (~2 medium)
1.5 C ripe bananas (~2 medium)
1/4 C light agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin tins with Pam/butter/Earth Balance.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (the first 8).

In medium bowl, mush bananas with a fork. Add grated zucchini, agave, and vanilla and hand mix.

Add the wet to the dry, mixing until just combined. Fold in the pecans. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan half way through.

Makes 12 muffins.

Approximate Nutrition Info: 98 calories, 2.5g fat, 18.2g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 2.2g protein

***

Do you have a “magic” cure for next-day soreness?

(Hangover cures ~~are appreciated~~ count.)

Leggo My Egg… ffin

March 8, 2011 By Laura

This past weekend I had a derby promo photo shoot.

I missed the original date due to my Jay Leno-esque swelling.

Fact: I do not like having my picture taken for anything outside of a quick snapshot. It makes me self-conscious.

There were cool. My team’s theme is “We Mean Business.”

Thank you, Tim Moxley, for doing an incredible job and making me laugh a little ~~through the terror~~. 🙂

Let’s talk about what I didn’t burn…

Eggs. Muffins. The staples of breakfast. It’s only natural that they become one.

Machessmo did a great job re-creating the Egg McMuffin. But I need something even more simple with my tardy record.

This literally took 5 mins to throw together. They can be prepared in advance in the oven as instructed below… or the lazy way. Zap it in the micro for 15 secs and I have a hot, grab-and-go breakfast for the week (well, this and a Greek yogurt).

You can add different spices and veggies to shake it up:

Feta cheese and onion
Bacon (fake or real) and cheddar
Soysauge and brie
Capers and cream cheese
Herbs (NOT those herbs)

The sky is the limit! Take that, sugar-filled/fake-looking egg fast food options.

Eggfin

3 eggs
3 egg whites (1/2 cup if you buy them in a carton)
1 C spinach, rough chopped
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
1/4 C red pepper, diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1.5 oz herbed goat cheese
1 T unsweetened almond milk
S+P, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 4 ramekins with olive oil.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Distribute evenly among the 4 ramekins (or 4 spaces in a large muffin tin).

Place in oven and cook for 20 mins. Finish on broil for 1-2 mins to solidify tops (if necessary).

Chickens, eggs, all the same to the cat...

Be sure to guard your eggfin

***

Tonight I’m having friends over for a vegetarian dinner. I cannot wait to share these creations tomorrow!

What is your favorite hot, non-oatmeal week-day breakfast?

It’s a Girl!

March 6, 2011 By Laura

Yesterday was an awesome day. It started with the link love and an awesome recipe round up on Angela’s blog (Welcome, new visitors!) and ended with…

…a kitten!

Yesterday I met the perfect baby girl. She is a loving, 10 month old rescue kitty who purrs constantly.

I think I'm in love

This is the sweetest, most loving kitten in the world. She walked in and made herself at home. Note to self – trim her claws!

Her name is Stevie. As in Nicks.

Stevie was very curious about my breakfast. We ~~both~~ need to work on NOT begging for food. 🙂

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One of the recipes from yesterday’s round up was from Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga.

I just happened to have everything on hand to make her Microwave Blueberry-Banana Oat Cakes for breakfast.

I made a few modifications, but followed her recipe pretty closely. I will for-sure be trying this again and experimenting with different fruits/toppings!

Microwave Blueberry-Banana Oat Cakes

1/2 ripe large banana, mashed
1/2 C dry oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Shake of salt
1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp blackstrap molasses
1/4 C fresh blueberries

Mash the banana in a microwavable bowl. Add remaining ingredients except blueberries, stirring to combine. Fold in blueberries.

Allow to stand ~5 mins, until oats soften a bit. Microwave for 3.5 – 4 mins.

Per Averie: You will know when it’s done because it will not be “juicy” looking anymore and it may have some “holes” on the surface.

After mircowaving, allow to rest for a couple minutes (mine didn’t make it longer than a minute…). Eat in that bowl or easily invert/remove from bowl and re-plate it, or take as a to-go snack.

I didn’t top mine, but next time I’d love a glob of melty almond butter on top. PBJ oat cake. Greek yogurt would also be tasty (icing on the cake!).

***

I’m trying hard to motivate myself to go run after last night’s downpour.

Do you like running in post-rain conditions? Is it so fresh and so clean or just chilly and wet?

Come on, sunshine!

Repeat Thursday

March 3, 2011 By Laura

For those of you in the South (or who are lucky enough to have a Chick-fil-a nearby), I have 2 important news items:

1. Tomorrow is FREE FryDay. All you have to do is go to Chick-fil-a between 2 and 4p and ask for Heinz Dip & Squeeze-free FryDay promotion. You will be rewarded with a free medium order of yummy waffle fries. Apparently all this is thanks to the new Heinz Dip & Squeeze Ketchup package, which holds 3x more ketchup than the packets.

2. While you’re there… Chick-fil-a has a new Banana Pudding Milkshake. This could be heaven. Never mind the 780 calories and 104g sugar. That’s in the small size.

Who wants to split one???

If the shake isn’t on your diet, try out this guilt-free Overnight Banana-Cashew Pudding. I’ve made it two days in a row. This morning I heated my bowl and OMG was it good.

I also re-made my Mexican Black Bean Brownies.

I reduced the egg and sugar (they are even healthier!), took a new pic (why is dark-colored food SO hard to photograph?!), and improved the instructions.

The latest estimation is that they have around 150 calories per serving (makes 20 healthy-size brownies) 3g of protein!

In the spirit of repeats, I’m about to enjoy the last of my Garam Masala Daal for lunch.

Lentils are still really good leftover. They are not photogenic. Be sure to add some water when you re-heat to avoid drying.

Tomorrow I promise something more original. And St. Patrick’s Day worthy.

Get excited.

***

I’m taking a lunchtime run! Being able to break up the computer-screen daze is a rare – yet welcome – treat.

Do you need a break midday? How do you escape?

Garam Masala Daal + Banana Cashew Chia Pudding

March 2, 2011 By Laura

Today marks the THIRD day in a row I’ve woken up early and worked out.

This is nothing short of a miracle.

This morning I did my favorite bike-elliptical-treadmill intervals while watching GMA recap Charlie Sheen’s craziness.

Yes, I do have the app to help wake me in the right sleep cycle… this morning I also had a little added motivation.

Breakfast.

I made an overnight cashew-vanilla banana pudding. I swear to you, it tastes like banana pudding.

Overnight Banana Cashew Pudding

1 banana, mashed
1 T cashew butter
1/4 C coconut milk (So Delicious unsweetened)
1 T chia seeds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mash and mix together and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge in the morning and enter breakfast heaven.

Last night I scored a huge win in the kitchen. With lentils, no less. After the cleanse, I swore them off. These are an exception – I’d eat this every day. Black Beluga Lentils. Yep – like the caviar. While they do resemble beluga caviar, but don’t be scared. Their flavor is more bean-nutty than fish-salty.

Unlike “regular” lentils, Black Belugas hold their shape and a bit more structure when cooked. They’re smaller, and therefore cook more quickly. Watch out – easy to over-cook/dry out!

I wasn’t kidding about this being Indian Week.

I haven’t found a good explanation of what exactly allows one to call Indian-spiced lentils “Daal.” So I’m taking liberties with it. Bwhahaha! Pictures, notsogood. Daal, incredible.

If I were you, I would make this. TONIGHT. Full of flavor, fun to experiment with, and plenty filling. Due to my love of spice, I added red pepper flakes. It really wasn’t too spicy, but you always leave it out. Definitely don’t leave out the bay leaf. It adds a great depth of flavor.

Garam Masala Daal

(Inspired by this from Angela @ Oh She Glows)

1 cup uncooked black beluga lentils
2-3 cups water
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 chopped medium red onion (~3/4 C)
1/2 garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 cup tomatoes, diced
S + P, to taste
2 T fresh parsley, chopped

Rinse the lentils and place them in a medium pot with 2 cups of water. Bring them to a boil, add a few pinches of salt, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Add more water as need to avoid burning – I added 1/2 C with ~10 mins to go.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until just translucent, ~5 mins. Now add in the spices (garam masala, turmeric, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf), stirring and cooking ~2-3 mins to combine flavors.

Add in the minced ginger, garlic, and lemon juice and stir. Cook over low heat for another 2-3 mins. Add in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook until slightly reduced, 8-10 mins. Stir in the cooked lentils. Allow to cook for another min or two.

Place in bowls, drizzling with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil and flaky salt (I use basil-infused olive oil and lemon salt – v. good).

***

Did you watch Charlie Sheen’s interview last night? What was your favorite Charlie quote?

In case you need help understanding Sheen, check out the Charlie Sheen Dictionary.