Meet Luci-furrrr + WIAW

May 29, 2013 By Laura

Lucifer isn’t always scary.

Be honest – how many of you are already horrified at this post? 😉

My best friend has a cat that she named Lucifer. Shortened to Lucy to keep it PC. My friend had a baby and both her and the baby are allergic to Lucy, so I offered to take the cat on a trial basis.

Meet Lucy:

I secretly got her because she matches my rug.

She’s a beautiful grey 9-year-old cat who is NOTHING like her namesake. Thank god.

You may judge me, but I am not a big animal person. I am not home a lot and can’t even keep a plant alive, so the thought of having something that needs constant care doesn’t appeal to me. However, this cat is cool. She sleeps all the time and mostly keeps to herself except at night when she jumps in bed to cuddle with me. Perfect animal for me!

My mom thought it was a stuffed animal and I was playing a prank on her!

To recap: I’m turning 30. I got a cat. The cat is my cuddle partner. I’ll soon be a creepy old cat lady.

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My WIAW meals should be re-title “meals of desperation.” There has been so much going to that I still haven’t done a big trip to the market since Blend! This means I was eating the last of everything in my fridge. By snack time I was 100% out of veggies and had convinced myself to ditch kickboxing for a grocery run.

Check out my semi-normal eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see what delicious spring foods everyone else is enjoying!

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Breakfast:

Forgetting to bring my Aminos to my mom’s house made me realize just how much I crave my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos). This morning we were happily reunited. 🙂

Breakfast was an old favorite: PB & Jeggs. After a pretty indulgent weekend finished off with burgers and homemade strawberry margaritas I wanted something simple! The “jam” this morning was raspberry.

This fueled a great leg day workout. The gym was still not crowded!!! I guess people are still recovering from the weekend?

I took full advantage of the desertion and did a little Instagram photo shoot. ~~#bloggersterotype~~

Post-Workout Re-Fuel:

In the spirit of ~~not having groceries~~ old favorites, I turned an almost-empty container of Greek yogurt into a Carrot Cake Protein Batter.

Lunch:

Desperation was setting in. The last of the no-salt turkey deli meat, the end of a jar of salsa, and frozen edamame.

I 100% thought I had a bag of Pirate’s Booty in my desk drawer. Nope… I forgot I ate it last week. Don’t you hate it when that happens?!

Snack:

This happened not long after lunch since I didn’t have my desk draw snack. I had one piece of salmon left and the end of bag of spinach. I topped with the lemon, red pepper flakes, herbs de provence, and nutritional yeast.

That salmon may had been of a questionable age… if you don’t hear from me tomorrow, call 9-1-1.

Dinner:

This is when I caved. I wanted to go to kickboxing, but the need for food was greater. Instead I went to the chiro and then to Fresh Market.

I was craving a million different things, but settled on a ghetto version of carbonara.

Instead of pasta, I used tofu spinach noodles. My sauce was a mix of Greek yogurt cream cheese, parsley, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Then I mixed in some shredded turkey, topped it with the infamous runny egg, and drizzled with the a thick fig balsamic. #strangebutgood

Any excuse for a runny egg!

#yolkporn

Dessert:

My favorite meal of the day. I froze some Greek yogurt mixed with half a scoop of protein powder, cinnamon, stevia, and butter extract for about 30 minutes. Then I topped it with cubed butternut squash roasted with cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. And a little cocoa powder sauce (cocoa power, almond milk, cinnamon, and stevia), for good measure.

Translation of this meal: cinnamon roll yogurt with sweet butternut bites and dark chocolate sauce.

***

As much as going back to work after a long weekend hurts, remembering it’s a short week is enough to keep me smiling!

Are you an animal person? What was/is your favorite pet?

What is your typical I’m-desperate-for-groceries meal?

Get High With a Little Help From My Blends

May 23, 2013 By Laura

Park City, Utah’s elevation is at about 6,900 ft.

What did you think I meant?!

I can’t speak for everyone, but after this past weekend’s Blend Retreat, I was high on life. Since so many of you couldn’t make it, I’m going to say something nice about everyone in this post so that you can a) get to know them better too and b) better understand how special this weekend and this group is.

Heather and I left Atlanta bright and early Friday morning, arriving in Salt Lake City where we saw Sarah and Brittany almost immediately. Then our ride, Michelle, picked up us up in a bad ass brand-new Jeep rental and we headed to our host hotel, Hyatt, in Park City.

Heather is from Atlanta, but I felt like I got to know her 100x better. She is one of the most genuine people around, and would probably give you the shirt right off her back if you needed it
Sarah is just as quirky and hilarious as she seems on her blog. It is impossible not to smile in her presence, and to be inspired by her enthusiasm for life!
Brittany is like a warm bite of home. Her sweet Southern charm immediately puts you at ease, and a minute into a conversation with her you feel like family
Michelle is someone I felt instantly would be my friend. She is a smart and a great conversationalist – never running out of interesting things to talk about. Everything your high school math teacher wasn’t (but she actually teaches math!), and I am 100% sure I’ll be stalking her hometown before the next Blend

I won’t bore you with a recap of my food recap, but let’s just say the first evening there was over the top! There was food out the you-know-what, starting with the Justin’s Nut Butter and Attune Foods‘ nut butter and graham cracker snacks. Next year I vote they combine forces with Green Mountain and Silk for a happy hour that involved peanut butter-rimmed mocha martinis.

See that fine-looking butt below? That’s Sarah again. This picture perfectly illustrates how cool it is to be around tons of kindred spirits who are unable to eat or drink anything without first taking a pic.

After an amazing dinner, I crashed HARD. Good thing because the next morning’s boot camp with GPP Fitness kicked me in the rear. Have you ever done a deck of cards workout? I had not… and wow. It wasn’t for the faint of heart!

You start with a deck of card, and each card represents a move. Our 4 exercises were burpees, lunges, sit-ups, and push-ups. The number on each represent the number of reps you should do. Jokers are a 2 minute run, face cards count a 10, Aces = 15, number cards = displayed number (ex: Jack of hearts = 10 sit ups). By the end you have done 200 of each exercise and run for 4 minutes.

GPP workout

The pic at the end is of Lindsay, Heather, Lindsay, and me:

Lindsay is one of the organizers. She lives near me and I am so glad to get to see her more often. You always leave a conversation with her feeling more positive and motivated – like the world is no object for your strength and energy!
Heather is one of my best Blends. I was sad when she and her hubby left Atlanta last year, but we have stayed close. She’s been a big inspiration both in terms of recipe creativity and fitness discipline. She sets a good example for of balance and healthy outlook on life. And she had great taste in beer. 😉
Lindsay is my brother from another mother. I told a group in my room that I have the biggest blogger crush on her (LC – I swear I’m not a creepy stalker). From Healthy Bite brilliance to her boundless energy to her constant sherpa-esqe encouragement… I basically want to be her when I grow up (despite the fact that I think I’m older…).

You can also see from the pic above that Park CIty appears cold and rainy. It was. I am not ashamed to say that I wussed out on the hike. Total fair-weather exerciser. Instead, I opted in to Zoomba.

The gorgeous Annette bravely led the class… and – even pregnant – showed us up BIG time. You may have seen this jewel on Instagram (credits to Heather):

Thankfully most ladies were more skilled… but you can be the judge:

Middle photo credit to Heather again

Heather (on the left) has fast become one of the most special Blend in my life. She is thoughtful, SO creative (#strangebutgood-style), and an absolute riot to be around. Did I mention she’s gorgeous?!
Lindsay (middle, top) is on my #whatsbeautiful Fabulously Fit team, but I hadn’t never met her in person before. She is just as spunky and passionate about the fit life as I’d imagined! She always looks adorable too – this blows me away as I always look like I had no idea what to wear (and I don’t)
Meg (middle, bottom) is a doll. Really. As sweet as she is on her blog, she is even MORE so in real life. I wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me… but I am scared she’d kick my butt because the is a ball of muscle
Annette (far right) I cannot say enough about. Even with chile she can run circles around me. I never saw this gorgeous lady without a smile on her face and a kind word to say. I wish we’d had more time to talk 1:1, but I’ll be stalking her on the regular from now on.

There is SO much more to say and many, many more pics to share… but for now I must stop the love-fest. Perhaps a part 2 on Marvelous Monday??? 🙂

***

I left for the airport ad 6am and didn’t get home until 11pm thanks to rain delays. I love my job… but whoa. Someone is working from home today…

Burpees. Love ’em or hate ’em?

Say something nice about a blogger you love!

Work It Out: Intuitive Eating

May 21, 2013 By Laura

Sometimes I forget to be sensitive.

Or – more accurately – I don’t think.

I over-simplify. Or do I? Today’s Work It Out will continue last week’s discussion on diet with a guest post from my friend Calee. (Calee also designed my logo, which I loooove!)

Calee has been on a journey with Intuitive Eating. ~~My insensitive self~~ I emailed her to ask more about this concept. To me, it seems like overkill. I mean… isn’t all eating intuitive? Eat when you’re hungry. Don’t eat when you’re not. Prepare tasty, clean foods.

This conversation sparked my “No Shit Diet” post from last week. It’s simple. All you need to know is this:

So, without further adieu, my sensitive-self will let Calee explain where she’s coming from in regard to Intuitive Eating…. all joking aside, I have learned a lot and hope it will provoke some thoughts for you, too.

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Laura and I have been chatting about Intuitive Eating (IE). She thinks it’s stupid because it seems silly that people need to follow a program to know how to feel hungry and eat until satiated (Editor’s note: I don’t think I said stupid… I just think it’s over-complicating the glory of eating). So she ended up writing that (amazing) No Shit Diet post last week in response to our conversation.

Editor’s pic/note: Manhattans… they count as protein drinks, right?

Laura is a fortunate soul: she’s never had body image or food issues. (Editor’s note: That would be a bit generous… I DID go to high school, after all… and after bartending in college I was a chunky monkey.) I pretty much idolize Laura because she can turn on and off her competition training/eating and not get caught up in dieting.

I went out to eat with her on Saturday — after a few drinks, might I add (Editor’s note: Lies! I never drink. Hahaha!) — and not once did she fret about anything on the menu, aside from how it might taste. She’s not competing soon, and it was vacation. She ate what she wanted, which wasn’t junk, but wasn’t eating asparagus for every meal either (though surprisingly she yelled at me for taking all the asparagus off the plate we shared!). Laura eats intuitively, intuitively. We all would, except most of us have been caught in the diet trap.

**So what exactly is IE?**

I can tell you what IE isn’t: “I ordered that Fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Ice Cream Bar … and then ate two. And now I’m going to run 12 miles because I need to — er, I mean I love running.” (Editor’s note: is it wrong that I’m now craving Reese’s?)

*Eating this chemical shit-bomb of sugar = not eating intuitively

IE is learning to love and trust your body, get past the guilt learned from dieting, and feed yourself a healthy way when you’re hungry, but eat only until satiated, not stuffed. IE is NOT an excuse to eat crap.*

I came to IE after years of dieting, specifically, after one huge failed attempt to lose 5 lbs that made me gain 15 instead. I couldn’t eat any less or workout any more than I was already. And I could (and still can) name calories and macros in just about every food (and non-food). I lived in the gym. The scale kept going up. I saw IE on the shelf, and thought, “why the hell not?” I never thought it would be life changing, but it was.

I’d heard of IE, but it looked to me (and Laura) like “intuitive eaters” were just eating crap under the guise of “eating intuitively,” and that’s not what I wanted. (Editor’s note: To clarify – I never thought it was an excuse to eat crap. Again, it just seemed like slapping a name on common sense to make a millions on a book deal/movement.)

I wanted to be able to eat an avocado or a piece of meat and not have to have celery for dinner or run 10 miles to make up for the calories later. Oh, and alcohol, sweet, sweet alcohol, had I missed you … But I definitely didn’t want to be one of those “you only live once — pass the chocolate cake” goons who blatantly ignore the point of IE: eat food, get past the guilt, and love yourself. You are definitely NOT loving your body if you’re shoving it full of crap all the time. (Editor’s note: Can I get an Amen?!)

There is an IE book, and I think Laura should write a book on the “No Shit Diet” (or I will, and she can put her stamp of approval on it for some royalties). The IE book outlines a plan, which I haven’t really followed, but I’ve been practicing the…

Principles that make the most sense to me:

1. Learn (or re-learn) your hunger signals, trust them, and eat when you’re hungry.

2. Figure out what satiated vs. full feels like. Try to eat to satiation, not fullness. Don’t feel like you always have to clean your plate. My dog likes me eating intuitively for this reason.

Slightly embarrassed at how much I left on my plate at this meal. Sorry Chobani!

3. Let go of all (non-allergy-related) restrictions. Everything is on the table.

4. Trust yourself around food. You are in control. Food isn’t.

That means you, ice cream. I own you now. And I can have you for lunch if I really want (and I did in this photo because that’s how I roll now).

5. There are no more “bad” or “good” days based on food, your weight, or your workout.

6. Stop. Weighing. Yourself. (And counting calories/macros/etc.) Unless you are seriously over- or under-weight, then get to a healthy weight before you stop. Truly eating intuitively and exercising intuitively will lead you to your body’s natural weight, and towards health.

7. Health is your main goal. Pick whole, nutrient-dense (or clean — but I prefer “nutrient-dense” because everybody has a different opinion on what “clean” is), and non-processed foods.

8. Use your dieting knowledge for good instead of evil. Aim for variety in food groups and nutrients to get what your body needs. (Editor’s note: I think this is my FAVORITE idea. You’re smart – make it a positive!)

I jazzed up last night’s pizza with a pile of broccoli. Yeah, there’s pizza under there somewhere.

9. Eat slowly to enjoy your food and really decide if you like something. I don’t like chicken, come to find out. And I also don’t really like all my “banned” foods from my dieting years. Donuts are a sugar-coated crusty fried ring of gross.

(Editor’s note: I don’t like Twinkies, candies like Starburst, or… POP-TARTS! Except for the vanilla-filled ones)

Cereal, on the other hand (one of my previously banned foods) is still really flipping awesome.

10. Don’t judge: yourself, others, or what you’re eating/what activities you do based on what you’ve already eaten. Yes, nutrition should be in the back of your mind, but don’t eat something “good” because you’ve eaten something “bad.”

Don’t ever feel like you don’t “deserve” something because you didn’t work out.

Me enjoying my dessert at Blend last weekend on a – gasp – rest day. That’s right. I had dessert and didn’t work out.

11. Because I like to turn things up to 11. Don’t. Eat. (only). Crap. Have some crap from time to time (if you like crap), but if you eat only crap, you’ll feel like crap, perform like crap, and you’ll probably look like crap too. But if that’s your choice, that’s cool with me as long as you are HAPPY. (Editor’s note: Suddenly I have the urge to take a crap…)

I’ve been practicing these principles since January. I jokingly tweeted Laura that our butts met in the middle (mine got smaller and hers got bigger), and she asked for pictures. So I took some. And some more here.

January to late April

And after she (and others) said that I looked a lot smaller / more toned, curiosity got the best of me and I stepped on the scale. I’ve lost 7 pounds, but I put the scale back, because I know putting it away really let me succeed in finding a healthy relationship with my body and food, and it’s really freaking empowering to be in control of yourself and in control of your body again.

Spending time with all my fabulous Blends this weekend cemented my decision to continue my IE journey. If I have to hear one more person talk about eating a bigger snack or breakfast because we kicked ass at boot camp twice this weekend, I will slap a bitch. My body and I are starting to find a happy place, and seeing others where I used to be just reminds me how much I don’t ever want to be there again.

Where do I go from here? I keep working on it. And I love Laura’s No Shit Diet (anti-)rules — they’re a super-simplified version of what I’ve been working on with IE.

There’s another piece to the IE puzzle: intuitive exercising, which I’m just beginning to figure out for myself. But that’s a completely different post for a different day.

*I wholeheartedly agree with Laura: diet is personal. If you know you have to count calories, watch carbs, or whatever to maintain a HEALTHY weight (not to be supremely hot and skinny!), then IE might not be for you. But I urge everybody to give it a try, if even for a week or two. Or even just read the book because there are principles that everybody can use in the book.

***

I would love to have more conversation about this – I know several of my friends have been on the IE train… please check out Calee’s conversation questions below. Your thoughts on this would be really interesting to us!

Do you follow a specific diet?

Have you ever tried eating intuitively or dieting? How have you fared?

Who else thinks Laura should write the “No Shit Diet” book? (Editor’s note: Noooooo! That over-complicates it!)

Embrace Your Inner Child

May 16, 2013 By Laura

Change is a good thing.

And it’s inevitable (except from vending machines), so you might as well embrace it.

I’ve been changing up my workouts post-competition, doing things like kickboxing, “real” boxing, and spinning. Yesterday I got back in the weight room for a chest and bicep day. I wrote my own workout, as I haven’t gotten my new plan from my trainer yet. That felt surprisingly intimidating, but I kicked my own arse!

The best part? Even after not lifting as often as I was, I hit 3 PRs!!! Change can be a booster, friends.

After that routine, I was in serious need of recovery. I (like the day before) weren’t for an old favorite: my (vegan) Carrot Cake Batter Shake. I did change it up a bit – this time I used my Growing Naturals Vanilla Rice Protein. I swear this stuff is amazing. I actually forgot to add Stevia until the end, but when I tasted it I realized I didn’t need it. The Growing Naturals has added just the right amount of sweetness – enough to be batter-ish, but not so much that it was nauseating after a hard (and HOT) workout.

Also, check out Laura’s smoothie round up for 34 other fun ideas!

This weekend I am SO excited to get to share Growing Naturals with some of my best blogger-friends at the Blend Retreat in Park City, Utah! Growing Naturals is sponsoring my trip and has sent samples of both their rice and pea protein powders, and their new rice drink!

What I love about these is that they:

Taste good (most important, right?)
Blends well (none of the chalky ick-factor)
Are super-clean (vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, and sprouted, and enzymatically processed)
Have 24g of protein per serving
Have very little sodium and sugar
Offer a 96% correlation to whey protein’s amino acid profile… but without the dairy so there is NO bloat

I wish I could share them with everyone!!! You should all come to Blend! 🙂 If you won’t be there, be sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram for the live ~~tequila shots with Lindsay~~ weekend action.

Speaking of… I also with the fabulous Kat could come to Blend (I did ask), but she is GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL this weekend!!!

Read on for her fabulously fearless post, and a great vegan recipe. And be sure to tell her congrats in the comments!! 🙂

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Embrace Your Inner Child with TVP Sloppy Joes

(By Kat)

2012, was a year of healing, mending, and replanting my seeds on so many levels. I began trail running (and became addicted). I was healing from injuries and a number of other personal obstacles. I was healing from life. I learned to accept things, I learned to become centered, and this whole year really has already followed the change.

I started my year with a yoga class, and I am truly living my philosophy.

It’s easy to walk the walk, but to be authentic and fearless is often another story.

Do the rest of you have that same internal dialogue that I have? I’m ready for change… no I’m not… yes I am… no I’m not. Then you realize you just have to let yourself be fearless. In an effort to really keep this in the forefront of my mind… and to really remember daily to embrace my commitment to living fearlessly, I got a new tattoo! Like?! (Editor’s note: I LOVE!!!)

In the spirit of embodying fearlessness (and letting my inner adult-child out a little more)… some trail runs have lately taken me on… well, adventures! Saturday, I went on a run called “Janice’s Wheel of Misfortune,” where halfway through the 8.5-ish run, you meet Janice, spin her wheel and are dealt a “misfortune.”

These took place on some of my favorite trails. (Laura, you’ve totally been here, on a different route! – Editor’s note: YES! That was a great run and I want to do it again!)

Some of my favorite trails – The Tributary

Such an awesome idea! The two guys smiling in the picture below together… yeah, they had to run/walk/struggle to get through 4.5 miles with their ankles tied together. (No, they didn’t know each other before the run).

The girl I’m laughing at in the picture had to eat something. While she started off with a 6-count of Chocolate-Covered Krispy Kremes, she ended up with anchovies wrapped around capers (her other options included an entire can of spam, an entire bag of powdered doughnuts, or two cans of Vienna sausage… yeah….).

Others had to carry life-sized stuffed animals, drink warm beer, take a time out, do trivia, drink buttermilk, among other fun misfortunes. I know it’s not fair that I spun and had to do trail math trivia. (Editor’s note: Warm beer?! Whattt?!)

I would do this trail running event again any day! I embraced my inner fearlessness and my inner adult child.

Embracing a fearless spirit also makes me feel way more comfortable in my own skin… it’s going pretty well! 🙂

Speaking of comfort… I’ve got a great comfort food recipe for the gluten-free vegan that will help you to embrace your inner child! (Editor’s note: Seriously? Where am I when you’re making all this deliciousness?!)

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Vegan TVP Sloppy Joes

1 C TVP
1 C boiling water
1 16 oz can tomato paste
1 16 oz can garlic tomato sauce
½ C honey
2 T Tamari (or soy if you’re not GF)
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne
3-ish T seasoning/dried herbs (mine had some rosemary, basil, thyme, paprika, garlic, onion, and parsley)
Garlic powder, to taste (I don’t know… maybe about 1.5 tablespoons??)
½ large white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
MAYBE extra ½ cup of water at the end (depending upon the TVP)

First add the boiling water to the TVP and let it sit. Then, sauté the onion & Garlic in some oil (and butter if you like), on medium/medium-low heat (~7-10 minutes, let them get pretty translucent).

Then I like to add the TVP to the pan where you are doing the sautéing and add ALL the dry seasonings. Sauté until the TVP looks like it’s drying out a bit, and is completely coated in all the beautiful seasonings (this is how you give the TVP a more “meaty” taste), which should take about 7-10 minutes.

Next, add your tomato paste, tomato sauce, honey and tamari (and I needed an extra ½ cup of water). Simmer for ~15-20 minutes. Then you can adjust the seasonings to taste as you like!

At the end, you know, serve the way you remember loving your Sloppy Joes!

I used Udi’s Gluten Free Buns, toasted, and served with Sea Salt Kettle Chips and roasted brussels sprouts.

I also topped them with the most delicious vegan, soy-free, gluten-free cheese I have ever had, Daiya .

If you haven’t tried their products yet, I highly recommend them, in fact, for these sloppy joes, I liked them better than regular cheese.

This cheese melted like regular cheddar, but seemed lighter and was a bit milder than regular cheddar cheese. A must try!

(Editor’s note: I second this – this is amazing cheeze, especially their pepper jack!!)

You’re welcome – I omitted a photo with my face covered in Sloppy Joe.

***

Again, and HUGE congrats to Kat on completing your law education!!! Kat – I’m so sorry to miss your graduation celebration, but I’ll be thinking of you all weekend! You are truly an inspiration.

What have you done to embrace your inner child? To be fearless?

What was your childhood comfort food?

What’s Beautiful?

May 15, 2013 By Laura

Beautiful comes in all forms.

Much like diet, it’s personal!

There’s no right or wrong definition. When I heard about Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful competition aimed at getting women to set epic goals and prove themselves, I was really excited. You goal, your definition of what beauty is, is totally customized!

I immediately signed up, and I hope you will too! All you need to do is click here and enter some basic info, including what fitness goal you WILL accomplish. You can customize the top pic (like your Facebook header), join teams, and follow/encourage others!

To me, beautiful is embodied by spirits unwilling to settle for less than they are. Strong woman are beautiful to me, so of course that’s what my goal involves. 🙂

Check out my goal and challenges thus far here:

The competition is 100% personalized for you. There are mini-challenges you can participate in along the way, but you can choose those that apply to you.

You don’t have to do the challenges… but you might want to because there are prizes along the way (read: Under Armour schwag bags) and one BIG reward at the end: a trip to Costa Rica to attend a four-day yoga and surf retreat, complete with massages, spa treatments and healthy, locally sourced meals prepared by personal chefs!!!

Once you create your profile, I’d love it if you’d join my team: Team Fabulously Fit! There are four of us FitFluential Ambassadors headed it up. We have some diverse goals, but the underlying theme is healthy and fitness. We are super excited to cheer for you and motivate each other!

Our team includes: Lindsay @ Itz Linz, Melissa @ Treats With A Twist, Lindsay @ Cotter Crunch, and me!

The competition will be using the hashtags #whatsbeautiful and #iwill. Follow along both hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to stay motivated and dedicated to achieving YOUR goal!

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Don’t worry – we’re still going to talk about food today! My WIAW meals were right in line with the No Shit Diet principles. Including a little dinner indulgence. 🙂

Check out my eats and treats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see what delicious foods everyone else is enjoying!

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Breakfast:

Per usual, I started my day with a cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).

Breakfast was a 2 course event today:

Atlanta Farm Fresh Greek yogurt is the best ever. I don’t know if you can get it outside of the Southeast, but you can check out their website and see! In Atlanta, you can find it in Whole Foods and Kroger.

Their plain is really good (I normally only eat plain Greek), but I couldn’t resist this in lieu of a fruit this morning: Strawberry Basil Balsamic. It’s as good as it sounds.

Part 2 was Toad in a Hole. Made with one of my local eggs and a slice of P28 protein bread. Topped with fresh basil, pepper, and red pepper flakes. #yolkporn

Post-Workout:

All of that deliciousness fueled one helluva spin class. Did I mention I don’t spin? This was my 3rd class ever. It kicked my butt. By the time I got home I was ready to eat ALL the foods.

I settled for a Carrot Cake Batter Shake: This is one of my favorites – it was the first time I’d used tofu in a smoothie, but not the last. Gives it the perfect texture!

Lunch-ish:

I saw Janet’s post about Black Bean Tostadas and knew I had to make them immediately. I made a single serving, eliminated the salt, and added onion powder, turmeric, cilantro, lime juice, red bell pepper, and jalapeno.

It fell apart (probably due to the pepper), but it was delicious! I just ate it as crackers alongside my sea bass and broccoli slaw.

Then I had “dessert.” Roasted kabocha squash with coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and maple extract. Topped with a peanut sauce made from peanut flour, cinnamon, ginger, maple extract, water, and stevia.

Dinner:

I got my tickets. To the Gunshow! Chef Kevin Gillespie lead one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants, but recently left to do his own thing. Last night I got to try it out for the first time. The fact that it’s called Gunshow was just the icing on the cake.

This is an entirely new format for a restaurant – there are no servers and the kitchen and dining room are one. Everything is made fresh. There is no set menu, they aren’t concept-driven. The food served that day is based on what’s available locally and what they’re in the mood to cook. The kitchen brings the food out dim sum-style on a cart or tray as they finish the dish. The chef that made your food is also delivering it to your table and describing the dish. How cool is that?! One thing I love about cooking is seeing the reaction people have. That must be hard for a chef in a restaurant who’s trapped in a kitchen all night.

Gunshow Menu

Our group of 10 ordered one of everything. And it was all amazing.

My top 3 dishes: a goat cheese ball rolled in burnt bread crumbs with a house made strawberry jam, the braised short ribs, and the spring vegetables and ramps with bee pollen.

The great part was that after splitting all this among 10 people, we weren’t over-stuffed. Don’t get me wrong – I was full – but it was a happy amount of indulgence.

My friend Jessica had the description of the night:

The food spans such a spectrum and I love that [Kevin Gillespie] doesn’t box himself, or the other folks in the kitchen, into a defined style. I told someone tonight that it reminded me of a first date. Perhaps he was trying to impress and over time we may learn each other and reach a warmness and familiarity. I was impressed and even more excited that we have somewhere else to discover that is different, although not better

Jessica, Chef Kevin, and me

Dessert:

We had to try the desserts too! I would be hard-pressed to choose between the strawberry cheesecake (top pic) and Kevin’s great grandmother’s banana pudding (bottom right).

***

Obviously #iwill be hitting the gym hard today! 🙂 Join our team by clicking here: Fabulously Fit, or just leave me your email in the comments and I can send invite to our team!

What’s your fitness goal? What WILL you accomplish?

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this week? Anything #strangebutgood?

The “No Shit” Diet

May 14, 2013 By Laura

But what do I eat?!

The eternal question.

I get this question almost daily. Today’s Work It Out addresses the questions. I won’t share my exact diet. I’m still learning what is best for me, and – like I ALWAYS say – diet is personal. Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, “intuitive” eating, carb-heavy, protein whores (guilty)… the list goes on forever.

What I WILL share are some of my staples for keeping (mostly) healthy.

There is a lot of talk about special diets. I don’t buy into any of them for one reason – I think diet is about common sense. It’s a lifestyle. A diet, as we most often refer to it, is a finite thing usually aimed at weight loss or some quick fix. I was just on a pretty strict competition diet. That is NOT sustainable. Your life-diet should be balanced and include a variety of foods. No shit, right?

Therefore, I’m starting a new movement:

Diet 101

Eat 5-6 meals per day – every 2-3 hours, with the last meal being fairly close to bed time (your body needs to fuel to heal overnight)
Don’t be afraid of carbs or fruit – they provide valuable nutrients. Everything in moderation!
Eat your veggies! They fill you up without adding ton of calories or fat, and are vitamin and nutrient rich
Avoid large amounts of processed foods, sugar, and sodium. In excess, they are bad for your health and you just won’t feel good the next day
If you want a “cheat” or “treat,” HAVE IT. Just don’t have it all day, every day. I like wine and dessert, so I have both

Weekly Buys

Veggies – asparagus, broccoli, broccoli slaw, brussels, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, dark leafy greens (like spinach and kale), mushrooms, onions, parsnips, red peppers
Fruits – apples, bananas (no more than 1x day), berries of any kind, cherries, grapefruit, pineapple, watermelon
Complex Carbs – barley, beans, Ezekiel bread, oatmeal, millet, multi-grain cereal (watch the sugar and sodium), sweet potato, quinoa, wild or brown rice, winter squash
Protein – bison, chicken, eggs (yolks in moderation), lean beef, salmon, tempeh, tofu, turkey, TVP, white fish (I love cod, sea bass, swordfish, tilapia, and trout)
Fats – avocados, chia seeds, coconut (oil and whole), flax, nuts/nut butters (almonds and walnuts are the best), olive oil, seeds (pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower)
Dairy – almond milk (unsweetened), cottage cheese (no salt added), plain non-fat greek yogurt

Cheese-less Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Flavor Adds

Extracts – almond, butter, butterscotch, coconut, coffee, maple, peppermint, vanilla
Spices – black pepper, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cocoa powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garam masala, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, red pepper flakes
Acids – apple cider vinegar, lemon, lime, rice vinegar, white balsamic
Herbs – basil, cilantro, dill, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme
Sauces/Toppings – BBQ sauce,hot sauce (I love Cholula and Sriracha), hummus, mustard, salsa, tomato sauce (note: make your own when possible – read the labels and you’ll be shocked at the sodium and sugars added!)

Healthy BBQ Sauce on Tempeh

Stuff Most People Think is Foreign

Liquid Smoke (the Colgin brand I buy is all-natural and vegan)
Nutritional Yeast (high in B-12 and protein, has a cheesy/nutty flavor)
Peanut Flour (defatted peanuts; I like this better than PB2 because it has no added sodium or sugar. I order mine here; use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off)
Stevia (the NuNatruals vanilla and chocolate liquid drops are my favorite)

Blueberry Protein Tart (with peanut flour cream)

Shopping

Most of my shopping is done at to following places:

The local farmer’s market,
Whole Foods
Fresh Market
Publix (big box grocer)
iHerb.com (use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off)
Tip: ask your grocer if they can order items for you – Whole Foods is especially good about this!

PLEASE do not take the this as the be-all, end-all list of foods to eat. This is a sampling of my staples. I eat a massive variety of food – it helps me not get bored, which make it easier to keep it clean. I definitely indulge as well. Like tonight – I know I’m going to have an awesome dinner out. Rather than worry about salty, fatty, yummy food, I make more of an effort to keep it clean throughout the day today!

This is life, not heaven. You don’t have to be perfect. Live life, eat good food, and share it with those you love.

***

I don’t mean to poo-poo people’s belief systems. In the name of balance, next week there will be a guest post from Calee with a different perspective. I don’t say vegan, for example, as a bad thing. If it’s tied to a belief or you know that’s the way your body functions, more power to you! What I am against are people jumping of whatever is popular at the moment in hopes of finding the magic fountain for youth and weight-loss. There is no magic, y’all.

What is the craziest diet you’ve ever tried? In college I ate nothing but grapefruit. It lasted 2 days.

Have you found a lifestyle that works for you?

Work It Out: My 2nd Figure Competition

May 7, 2013 By Laura

I like to Work It Out with a purpose.

Yes, being fit is a purpose… but I’m talking about an event.

Sticking to a fitness routine is easier for me when I have a set goal. It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel. Today’s Work It Out is about my most recent tunnel-light.

Last weekend I competed in my second figure competition – The Palmetto Classic in South Carolina. This recap has been difficult for me to write. I’m struggling with being proud of the results. I placed in the Top 5, which is great… but I was #5. In my first competition I placed 4th. Granted, I do feel like the competition was a bit tougher this time around… but I’d been working SO hard to gain. And I did gain… just not enough.

After the competition I asked the judges for feedback. My feedback was “get bigger.”

Lisa, Steve (our trainer), and Me

I know that I should be proud to have even gotten to compete, let alone place. I know that I worked hard and did my best. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful… I just want to be better.

Yesterday I admitted to feeling a little lost – there is a certain melancholy after something your work so hard for ends. BUT I have to remember it’s not over. I am going use the judges’ feedback as a motivator. I will do another competition and come back better.

The only time you should look back is to see how far you’ve come.”

Being better requires a plan. It’ back to the gym for me – heavy weight, low reps. I’m also going to play with my food more, increasing my intake and experimenting with numbers.

Diet changes will be done slowly – if you try to add all at once your body doesn’t know how to react and (if you’re me) you feel so full that you don’t stick to the plan.

Lisa and Me

And now for the positive: I was less nervous and I felt more prepared. I knew what to expect and had a better idea of how to eat on competition day. I also had an amazing team with me – Lisa (who competed in Bikini) and our trainer, Steve. Having a support system and people to laugh/bitch and moan/over-analyze performance with is invaluable.

One thing about my poor abs is that they respond to volume. This means if I even drink a glass of water, you will see it in my stomach 5 seconds later. On competition day you don’t drink water, but some people will eat a combo of sugar and carbs to pump up. Often this means something like a waffle with syrup. For me, this is too much volume. I figured it out though! I took a gel (like the goo that runners eat) to have at pre-judging. It was low volume, but still gave me calories in the form of carbs and sugar. Perfect!

The most difficult thing about competition day is that after pre-judging you have to wait 6-7 hours until the show that night. So what do you do?! Immediately following the pre-judging many competitions have a small treat. I ate my Barney Butter, savoring it like someone who hadn’t had nut butter in years. 🙂

After that, Lisa and I laid around the hotel and talked… and ate a little. Since I had time for my food to digest (read: move out of my abs), I ate chicken, asparagus, and sweet potato. Lisa and I also split a glass of wine. And I had about a quarter of a warm cookie the hotel put out. It was delicious.

Waiting around with my partner-in-crime

The night show is when awards are presented. I loved the statue trophy, and you better belive it is proudly displayed in my living room now!

And then, as you saw yesterday, it’s time to EAT. 🙂

***

I’m supposed to be resting until Wednesday… but I wanted to hit something so I took a kickboxing class. It was SO much fun to go back to an old love.

Do you like to have a finish line or end goal to train for?

How do you deal with feedback? Is it a motivator?

Marvelous Mandible Monday

May 6, 2013 By Laura

Let the food obsession begin.

Oh wait… that started at birth.

I had fully intended to do a recap of this weekend’s competition today… but I’m a little tired and still processing. It’s a huge build up to the event and then it happens… and you feel a little lost when it’s over. Does that make sense? Not that I’m not doing more (I am!). I’m just taking it all in.

For now, I just want to say that I am honored and overwhelmed by everyone’s support via comments, emails, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… this blogging community really is just that – a community. I felt that 100% this weekend. THANK YOU!!

So in the meantime, let’s talk about food! I mean, that’s the MOST marvelous thing about completing the cutting process, right? 😉

After pre-judging I had a little treat – Barney Butter! Kristina swore by it and I’m glad I trust her. This almond butter packet of deliciousness was the smoothest, most fantastic nut butter I’ve never out in my mouth. Absence makes the heart grow weirder.

Do my teeth look oddly large in this pic?

After the show itself, my team headed to a fantastic restaurant in Columbia, SC called The Oak Table. It was absolutely perfect – kind of tucked away in a large building, it had a speakeasy feel to it. Our server was very accommodating, even if we did walk in 30 mins before closing and looking… well, a little like drag queens with our stage make up, fake lashes and glow-in-the-dark orange spray tans.

We downed a couple of draaanks, duck, seared scallops, NY strip steak, roasted mushrooms, salad, a butterscotch bread pudding with salted caramel popcorn and smoked cinnamon ice cream, and homemade s’mores. The food was all phenomenal, but in the end the simplest pleasure won my heart – truffled frites with shaved smoked gouda. And water. Lots and lots of water.

By the time we got back to the hotel and I did the best I could to scrub off the spray tan and bikini bite, it was 1am. I passed out.

Only to wake up at 8am starving and thirsty. I managed to soothe myself with water and slept another 1.5 hours… but them breakfast needed to happen. I was hangry for a ~~trashy~~ favorite: Waffle House.

Chocolate chip waffle topped with runny egg

I like to dip my waffle in coffee. It’s redneck biscotti. 😉

If you thought my trainer would be a better food-influence, you’d be wrong.

On the ride home I enjoyed another (much classier) favorite: Ginger-Peach Greek Yogurt by Atlanta Farm Fresh. I’m not sure you can find it outside of Georgia, but in Atlanta you can get it at Whole Foods and some Kroger stores.

It’s the best flavored yogurt out there. Try the Peach-Ginger and the Port-Cherry. And the plain, too.

We got back to Georgia and I went straight to the Farmer’s Market – didn’t even go home first! I didn’t have a list – I just bought everything that looked good. Lots of veggies, pineapple, eggs, crab, sea bass… and injera!

Injera is Ethiopian bread. It sounds fancy, but it’s really just teff flour and water left to ferment for a few days before being cooked in pancake-fashion. The finished product is a little sour and sponge-y in texture. I know that doesn’t sound terrible appealing, but it really is good!

There may have also been a trip to Whole Foods involved… I was craving my favorite Roots hummus!

When I got home with all my loot, I made a strange but good snack: injera with chipotle hummus, spinach, and crab. What the belly wants, the belly gets!

So there you have it. A little bit of what’s been making my mandible-parts smile in this Marvelous Monday.

Check out my favorite diva’s (Katie) blog to see what’s Marvelous is everyone else’s Monday!

***

I’m still overwhelmed. Thank you again… I promise the recap will be coming as soon as my head stops spinning. 🙂

What marvelous thing has you smiling today?

Have you ever felt a little lost when a big event comes and goes?

Meet Luci-furrrr + WIAW

Breakfast:

Post-Workout Re-Fuel:

Lunch:

Snack:

Dinner:

Dessert:

Get High With a Little Help From My Blends

Work It Out: Intuitive Eating

**So what exactly is IE?**

Principles that make the most sense to me:

Embrace Your Inner Child

What I love about these is that they:

Embrace Your Inner Child with TVP Sloppy Joes

Vegan TVP Sloppy Joes

What’s Beautiful?

Breakfast:

Post-Workout:

Lunch-ish:

Dinner:

Dessert:

The “No Shit” Diet

Diet 101

Weekly Buys

Flavor Adds

Stuff Most People Think is Foreign

Shopping

Work It Out: My 2nd Figure Competition

Marvelous Mandible Monday

Follow Me!

Popular Posts

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!

Breakfast:

Post-Workout Re-Fuel:

Lunch:

Snack:

Dinner:

Dessert:

So what exactly *is* IE?

Principles that make the most sense to me:

What I love about these is that they:

Embrace Your Inner Child with TVP Sloppy Joes

Vegan TVP Sloppy Joes

Breakfast:

Post-Workout:

Lunch-ish:

Dinner:

Dessert:

Diet 101

Weekly Buys

Flavor Adds

Stuff Most People Think is Foreign

Shopping

Follow Me!

Popular Posts

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!

**So what exactly is IE?**