Tough Decisions

October 16, 2010 By Laura

Do you ever make a breakfast so good that you can’t decide what to save for the last bite?

That was my dilemma this morning. I was in the mood for something special – it isn’t often that I have enough time to devote to making a big breakfast.

On the menu: Scrambled Eggs (with a little extra goodness) and Roasted Grapefruit.

For the eggs:

Saute portobellos, asparagus, and onion seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.

For scrambled eggs I use 1 egg and 1 egg white.

Tip: add a little slash of water to your scramble to make eggs more fluffy. Many people add milk, but water fluffs it better!

I served mine on a slice of Ezekiel toast and a bed of arugula.

Then I sprinkled Secret Aardvark habanero sauce on top of everything. My sister brought me this from Portland… it is no joke HOT.

Note to self: a little bit goes a loooong way.

Now for the roasted grapefruit. I have no idea why I don’t make this more often – it is super easy and so delicious!

Sprinkle 1/2 grapefruit with toppings

Roast until edges are browned

Roasted Grapefruit

1/2 Grapefruit

1 tsp Cinnamon Sugar

1/4 tsp Coriander

2-3 Mint leaves

Cut grapefruit out to separate from pith and peel and sprinkle with coriander and cinnamon-sugar mix. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and roast in oven on broil for ~8 mins (until slightly browned around edges). Garnish with chopped mint leaves.

Note: My seasonings are approximations… adjust to your own taste.

Variations: You can do anything with this – top with brown sugar, coconut butter, honey, rose water, cumin for a more savory taste, and/or top with Greek yogurt.

Cheers to easy breakfasts that taste decadent!

I am headed down to the Green Market to pick up my veggies for the week before trekking to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech takes on Middle Tennessee today (hopefully an easy win).

GO JACKETS!!!

Protein Powder #2 + Asian Tofu

October 12, 2010 By Laura

Powder #2

This morning I made hot oatmeal with the chocolate Vega powder. (I know it technically is not just a protein powder, but neither is my current Juice Plus.) It wasn’t my favorite.

In the oats:

90% of my breakfast decision was influenced by the fact that I still have these giant blueberries. I love blueberries in hot oatmeal because they get all melty and juicy from the oatmeal heat. YUM.

In addition to the berries, I used 1/2 the packet of Vega. Half a serving gave me 5.5g protein, 0g sugar, and 55 cals. I took a taste and promptly added a generous pile couple ‘o shakes of cinnamon.

I’ve made chocolate oats before… but these looked a bit… green.

Color, I can get over. But they also tasted a little off. You know when stuff tastes healthy? My oatmeal tasted too healthy. (Not that this prevented me from eating it.)

I’m still going to eat the other half, but this may be better in a fruit-filled smoothie.

New Challenge today – I started my first boot camp! It was definitely a challenge. We started with 5 mins of stairs. One guy puked. I did not. Lots of boot camp-ish stuff (marching bands, planks, push ups, dips, etc.). Then sprints. Lots and lots of sprints (maybe this will help my 5K time?!). The workout was rounded out with ab work. I’m already sore.

Two things I’m really proud of:

I stayed up with the “in shape” guys the whole time
I ran to the boot camp and home after.

After that craziness I was starving.

Thankfully, dinner was less… green… than lunch. I diced some extra-firm tofu and tossed it in an Asian-style marinade before boot camp.

When I got home, I put the mixture in a grill pan on medium heat.

Meanwhile, I sautéed some red onion and asparagus with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

Then I tossed all of that with arugula, carrots, celery, and cucumbers.

I couldn’t get this on the table fast enough!

Asian-Marinated Tofu

2/5 block Extra-firm Tofu, cubed1T Toasted Sesame Oil
1T Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Red Curry Paste
1/2 tsp Thai Chile Sauce
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Garlic, minced (about 1 small clove)

Whisk marinade in medium bowl and toss with tofu cubes. Marinate ~1 hour.

Grill on stove top over medium heat until browned (about 4-5 mins on each side). Remove from heat and enjoy!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5077127060_93cc39ddbe.jpg

Mission: Protein Powder

October 10, 2010 By Laura

Yesterday was GA Tech’s homecoming game against Virginia. It was great to see my fellow alum’s at the tailgate. Smoak (on the left) even loaned me his festive bow tie!

Go Jackets!

We won the game and I had a great time catching up with my baby sister. I was a bit worried about the outcome, since we haven’t been looking terribly strong and for some reason they didn’t schedule a high school for us to play. Ye of little faith. Other than a couple of turnovers, we looked great.

Today’s run: my pace was a little slower, but I was still pleased with my time since I was sore from yesterday’s run and all the walking we did (my quad has been pulled since July). I came back and did 15 mins of ab work too (more punishment for Friday night’s beer).

Distance: 3.65 miles
Duration: 31:28
Average Pace: 8:57

After all that, I had to get my protein in… which brings us to…

Mission: Protein Powder

I am in the market for a new protein powder. The one I have now is a Juice Plus powder. The flavor is good, but it only has 13g of protein (most powders have 20-25g) AND it contains 12g of sugar (no wonder it is so tasty!).

Yesterday I went to Whole Paycheck (my term of endearment for Whole Foods) and purchased a 1 serving packet of every brand of protein powder they carry. To do a true test I probably should have gotten all the same flavor… but variety is the spice of life.

Protein galore!

First batter up:

Jay Robb - Strawberry

I used this to make this morning’s breakfast – Berry Overnight Oats.

I mixed all the ingredients and placed in the fridge overnight. This morning, the mix had not absorbed as much of the milk as usual… it looked a bit soupy. Maybe this powder isn’t as absorbent?

Either way, it tasted good! I added some blueberries for a topping. These are the biggest blueberries I have ever seen. Nearly the size of a quarter! The strawberry protein powder made the oats taste like strawberry Nestle Quik. This is a very good thing, in my opinion. 🙂

Berry Overnight Oats

1/4 C Oats

1/2 serving Jay Robb Strawberry Whey Protein powder

1/2 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Goji berries

Blueberries

Mix the oat and powder in a bowl. Add milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Add small handful of goji berries.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from fridge and stir. Add blueberries (or topping of your choice).

The Verdict: Pretty good. I loved the strawberry Quik taste (warning: it could be a bit sweet for some people). Half of the packet gave me 12.5g protein, 0g sugar, and 55 cals. My only complaint is how runny my oats were, but that can easily be remedied by not using as much milk. I have the other half of the packet to go and I’m thinking this would make an awesome Green Monster.

Fall is Falling

October 2, 2010 By Laura

The fall skyline

Today I am really feeling like fall has arrived. I just hope it is a long one! I’m a huge fan of spring and fall. Summer is even ok. Winter… notsomuch. In my mind, the only point of cold weather is snow. Since we don’t see much of that in Atlanta, there is absolutely no point enduring temps under 60 degrees. I digress… back to the beautiful day.

Peaceful.

I met a friend this morning to play tennis. To fuel this early morning adventure, I made an apple cupcake. It is really just a cored apple that I cut horizontally and add toppings to, but there is something especially satisfying about needing a knife and fork to eat it.

Almost as good as a real cupcake

I added Atlanta Farm Fresh plain greek-style yogurt and homemade granola.

If you haven’t tried this yogurt, go out and buy some now. It is amazing. The 0% Ginger Peach flavor is my favorite. I never thought I’d be saying this about yogurt… but it is like eating dessert. YUM.

Perfect fall breakfast

Then it was time to play. I jogged to a neighborhood tennis court and played for 2 hours.

Normally these courts are crowded, but I actually got up earlier than the rest of the world and – surprise – they were open!

Awesome setting for tennis

My dilemma: I am trying to cut back; however, every social activity seems to involve food and drinks. My friend originally wanted to get brunch and mimosas this morning. I didn’t want to start my weekend off ruining all the work I did during the week, so I asked if we could go for a run or do something more active. She suggested tennis. I love tennis but rarely have anyone to play with.

The Lesson: You can ask. Ask for alternate activities and most people will be up for it. You may even get to do something you normally don’t have the chance to!

After 2 hours of tennis, I was hungry again. Last night I prepared for this! I made overnight oats. Overnight oats are the coolest thing I’ve learned about recently. The basic idea is to mix equal parts oats and milk (or almond milk, soy milk, mix in some yogurt… whatever) in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate over night. In the morning you top with fruit, yogurt, eggs… the possibilities are endless.

Yesterday, in the midst of my baking frenzy, I made banana butter. I put 2 T almond butter and a banana in a bowl and used the mixer to blend. I ate half on toast, but decided the other half would make awesome overnight oats.

I almost forgot to take a pic before I scarfed this down!

Chocolate Banana Almond Butter Overnight Oats

1/3 C multi-grain oats
Banana butter (blended 1/2 banana and 1T almond butter)
1/4 C milk
1/2 scoop of chocolate Juice Plus protein powder
Fresh raspberries

Mix everything (except berries) in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Stir again in the morning and top with fresh berries.

***

I am staring at the empty bowl as I write this, wishing I had more. The chocolate protein powder was the perfect addition – chocolate, nut butter, and banana are my favorite combo.

No more for me – it is time to go the the Braves game!

Cross your fingers that today’s performance is better than last night’s.