Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Friday, For the Win

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Friday in general is a win, but there were so many this week…

There are the NuNaturals giveaway winners to announce… at the end of this post. 🙂  (Yes, I realize you can simply scroll down.)

1. Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Cookie for 1

This brilliance was found here on Avi’s blog.  I made it Thursday night and thought I’d gone to heaven.  Of course, I added sugar with the dark chocolate M&Ms. 🙂

My modifications:

  • Reduced coconut oil to 1 tsp
  • Added 2 T unsweetened almond milk
  • Replaced the banana with 5 drops of vanilla liquid Stevia
  • Dark chocolate M&Ms 

2. Raw Thai Pineapple Parsnip “Rice”

This was a huge win!  This unusual (yet easy) recipe can be found here on Janet’s blog.  My only modifications were to add cilantro and a bit of sriracha.

3. Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Cottage Cheese

You know when you feel snacky, but you’re not sure if you want something sweet or salty?  I found the perfect solution yesterday. 

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Cottage Cheese

I am told this sounds like a weird combo.  It’s not – this is a delicious combo.  Not unlike the combo below…

4. Stuft Mama’s Protein Pumpkin Cookie Dough

How did it take me soooo long to make this?!  It’s amazing.  Doh.

Do not – I repeat – DO NOT skip the PB on top.  It’s sends the whole thing over the edge.

5. NUNATURALS WINNERS!!!

The following 4 ladies won NuNaturals Orange and Lemon Liquid Stevias.  Please send me an email with your info so we can get those out to you ASAP!

  1. Heather @ Better with Veggies
  2. Carah
  3. Lena @ Lena on the Beach
  4. Anuradha @ Baker Street

***

This is the weekend… I’m getting a tattoo tomorrow!!!

Do you have tattoos? What/where?

What’s the best blogger recipe you’ve tried lately?

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?

 

Be My Veggie Valentine – a Giveaway!

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I’ve been excited to announce this for weeks.

 

Cookie Underground and I would love for you to be our Veggie Valentines!

You may remember me posting about the Atlanta Underground Market where I first discovered Cookie Underground.

 

 

The fabulous Kim has built a business around making (delicious) cookies out of vegetables.  Each cookie is ~50 calories and filled with good, clean vitamins and nutrients from fresh veggies.  Thank God because I could eat a whole box.

 

 

Forget flowers, nothing says “I love you” like cookies.

The Giveaway:  You’ll get 15 bright pink Almond “Heart Beet” cookies (their top seller) and 15 light pink Grapefruit Fennel cookies.

 

 

There are 3 boxes up for grabs!  Receive up to 4 entries by:

 

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed OR via email
  2. Facebook: Like Cookie Underground and share this post
  3. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 1 of 3 “Be My Veggie Valentine” cookie boxes from Cookie Underground and @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-158
  4. Comment: What is your dream veggie-cookie flavor?

 

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

The giveaway will be open until Thursday February 9 at midnight with the winner announced on Friday January 10.

 

You can also order your own “Be My Veggie Valentine” Box for $12.  Order by February 10 to receive by Valentine’s Day.  To place your order, email to kim@cookieunderground.com.

***Cookie Underground does offer gluten-free and vegan cookies; however, the giveaway is for the “classic” cookie.***

***

These are seriously delicious cookies.  I wish I could enter to win.

Do you have big plans for Valentines Day?

What is your dream veggie-cookie flavor?

 

Guilty as Charged

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Are you a Foodie?

 

Watch Shit Foodies Say for help deciding:

 

If I’m guilty of saying nearly everything in that video… am I a Foodie?

Just please tell me I’m not intolerable… 🙂

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Speaking of foodies… we had an Atlanta Blogger Potluck on Saturday night.

It was awesome to get to try the food from the people whose posts make my stomach growl.

Photo Courtesy Lee @ inmytummy.com

 

In attendance: Emily (former blogger), Tina, Stacy, Carol, Traci, Laura (another former blogger), Alayna, and me.

 

Lee was the photog… and was also nice enough to offer up her house to us, which was fantastic because we could all sit around a coffee table and talk.  It’s hard to have a group conversation in noisy restaurants at long tables!

 

 

The food was delicious, as you might imagine.

 

At our table:

  • Sweet Potato Tot Casserole from Stacy (Mama Pea recipe!)
  • Greek salad from Tina
  • Japanese Sweet Potato Casserole from Alanya (which is going to be in her cookbook!)
  • Broccoli Salad from Carol
  • Spinach Balls from Laura
  • Spinach and Artichoke Dip from Lee
  • Olive tapenade on toasts from Traci *I think*
  • Brie and apples on water crackers from Emily *I think*
  • My Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
  • My Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
  • Nutella Sandwich Cookies from Laura *I think*
  • Carrot cake from Alanya

 

My plate didn’t have an inch of room to spare…

 

 

And you better believe I cleaned my dessert plate too!

 

 

We sat around talking and eating for 4 hours!  Topic ranged from running to general gossip to horror stories.  Seriously – do NOT ever see the Human Centipede.

As you might imagine, it was all amazing and I left Lee’s house smiling and stuffed.

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Now that the gluttony portion of this post is complete… it’s time for the workout recap.

The Dr. said to take 2 weeks off of running and focus on correcting the balance or strength between my hamstrings and quads, so I’ve been good.  Today’s 70 degree Southern California-esque weather made me miss running a lot, but I did get out for a good walk.  And a treat.

 

 

Workout Recap (1/30 – 2/5)

***

Three exciting things to cover:

  1. Thanks to all for the “Buzz.”  I made the FoodBuzz twice this weekend!!!  Check it out here and here. 
  2. I actually wrote a weekend post in honor of the #ChocolateLove Bloghop.  Check out my Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies here and link up your favorite chocolate recipe.
  3. Stay tuned for an AWESOME giveaway tomorrow!!!


What did you think of the Super Bowl?  (By Super Bowl I mean Madonna’s rockin’ performance.)

 

If you could have a dream-blogger potluck, who are a couple of bloggers you would invite?

 

Running and Winning

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It’s another Recap Monday!

Yes, I will reveal the lucky 4 NuNatural giveaway winners… at the end.  Bwhahaha.  (Yes, I realize you can simply scroll down.) 

Saturday’s People’s Health Day 5K was a good one.  I was a little worried when I signed up because the wesite looks like a cult recruitment tool. 🙂  It turns out that it was a well-organized race and event.

The course was hilly, but fun because there was lots of scenery to enjoy.  Even better – I got to participate in it with fellow ATL bloggers Lee, Lindsay, and Carol!

Source: www.atlantarunningmom.com

Guess who else raced?  Mena Suvari (of American Beauty fame).  I’m not going to lie… I’m so out of touch with pop culture that I had to come home and google her.  She won 1st place in the 20-35 age group…

… because I  won an overall female award and they wouldn’t give 2 medals to you. 🙂  2nd place!!!  Admittedly, it was a small, slow race… but I’ll that what I can get!

Source: www.atlantarunningmom.com

Stats:

  • Distance – 3.14 miles
  • Time – 24:21 mins
  • Avg Pace – 7:45

The People’s Health Day didn’t end there.  5K participants were given 4 tickets that could be traded for goodies from about 10 vendors.  Juice Plus (my fav supplement!) was there, along with a few local restaurants and farms.

The blogger contingent went crazy for the 180 Farm tent (check out their website – they have really great story to tell).  I ended up with extra tickets from a friend who left early and I ended up with a rockstar bag ‘o treats:

 

  • Orange cherry tomatoes (they have a slightly citrusy taste!)
  • Peppers – cayenne, jalapeno, green bell, purple bell, and a mirasol
  • A dozen fresh eggs
  • Via Elisa pasta sauce (from the Nature’s Garden‘s booth)

All of that for 6 tickets and a $25 race number!  That pasta sauce alone is ~$7 in Whole Foods!  (Side note: Atlanta-based Via Elisa makes some of the best pasta sauce you can buy in a jar.)

We didn’t hang out much longer following the awards because we had to get to the Atlanta Blogger Lunch at R. Thomas.  (You can read about my obsession with thoughts on R. Thomas here.)

From left to right: Lauren, Carol, Alayna, Lee, Katy, Lindsay, me, Laura (reader), Tina, Kristy, Katie and Brooke.

Special thanks to Brooke’s husband for taking this shot and to Brooke for sharing the photo with everyone!

My meal was a delicious tempeh fajita:

We had a great time eating, taking pics of our food (patrons enjoyed staring at 12 women simultaneously taking pic of their meals), and chatting.

The last meet up had a smaller attendance AND we’ve added several more locals since.  I’m amazed and how big the group is now – and this wasn’t even all of the local bloggers!

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Soooo… you want to know who the winning 4 are???

*drumroll*

The winners of the box of NuStevia Packets and the bottle of NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia are:

  1. Lexi @ A Spoonful of Sunshine
  2. Parita @ My Inner Shakti
  3. Lisa @ Healthful Sense
  4. Nikita @ La Cocina Encantada

Good news for those who still want to try NuNaturals!  They are offering free sample and a discount on purchases to readers.

For the free sample of Nu-Naturals Stevia Packets: send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: NuNaturals, Inc, 2220 West 2nd Avenue #1, Eugene, OR 97402

To receive a 15% discount on NuNaturals online orders, entering the promo code BLG930 at checkout!

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Workout Recap (7/25-7/31)

  • Monday – Kickboxing
  • Tuesday – P90X Biceps & Back
  • Wednesday – P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
  • Thursday – 9 mile run, 84 push-ups
  • Friday – P9p0X Triceps & Chest
  • Saturday – 1.5 mile run (to the 5K starting point), People’s Fitness Day 5K, 84 push-ups
  • Sunday – 4 mile run

If you have been reading these over the past few weeks you know that I do push-ups (almost) daily.  This week doesn’t have the 84 listed each day, but they were a big part of kickboxing class and basically half the moves in the P90X Triceps & Chest DVD.  I’m not slacking!

***

Monday always seems to creep up.  *yawn*  At least I had awesome surprise of waking up to see I made the Food Buzz Top 9!!!

Help me put a more positive spin on the start of the week…

What are you looking forward to this week?

I’m excited to try out some of the recipes from Spicie Foodie’s July YBR.  Click here to check out my Better-Than-S’Mores Brownie and others’ submissions!

Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble

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Impromptu dinner parties are the best.

My friend Jessica stopped over to share a bottle of wine and dinner.  She’s pretty brave, as I was trying a new recipe.

How I’ve never made a tofu scramble before, I do not know.  What I do know is that I’ll be doing these a lot more in the future!  Much like scrambled eggs, you can throw basically anything into them.

 My first scramble had a decidedly Indian flare (surprise, surprise… it’s a little bit of an obsession).  

Garam masala with sautéed onion, fennel, and garlic were my starting points and I amped it fom there.

Red pepper flakes, turmeric, cumin, paprika… I’m hoping I remember it all!  Despite all of the spices, for once I didn’t add so much that Jessica’s mouth caught fire.

It turned out really well!  I loved the Indian flavors and the texture of the scrambled tofu against the crunch of the fennel.

She was an awesome guest and brought over some Whole Foods mango-pineapple salsa (if you haven’t had it, I highly recommend!), as well as dessert!

Red cherries and American Grafrutti Coconut-Chocolate balls!

Side note: American Gra-frutti is a great local gluten-free bakery with items that can be found at Whole Foods.  Try out their pimento cheese too – and my mini-review here!

The wine we shared was a 2008 Bodegas Ateca Garnacha “Atteca“ from Calatayud, Spain.

It was a great bottle, especially after it had a few minutes to open up.  Very drinkable, even with the spicier food.  The long finish was especially pleasing and I loved how the rich, berry flavor stood out when paired with the cherries for dessert.

Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble

  • 1/2 T EVOO
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu
  • 1/4 C cilantro
  • S+P, to taste
Add olive oil to large skillet over med-high heat.  Stir in the spices, then quickly add onions and fennel.  Saute until onions soften (3-4 mins).  Stir in garlic, cooking until just before then brown (~1-2 mins).
Add crumbled tofu, stirring to combine.  Cook until warmed through (~5-6 mins).  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

Plate and enjoy!

Makes: 2 mains or 4 sides.

***

What’s your favorite scramble?

Have you ever scrambled tofu?

Breakfast Bulgur + a Giveaway!

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Promises, promises.

 

Do you ever get yourself out the door to run by promising your body you only have to do 3 miles?

That’s what I had to do yesterday.  And then this happened.

Stats:

  • Distance – 9 miles
  • Time – 1:12:51
  • Average pace – 8:06

That calls for a substantial breakfast.

Thankfully I’d planned ahead (unknowingly, but I’ll take what I can get!).  As I was eating my Blueberry Cilantro Bulgur Salad the other night, it occurred to me that bulgur is a lot like oatmeal.

 

It has a similar flavor profile.  It’s only a bit nuttier, which is a plus in my book.  Another plus is the protein content – 1 serving has 5g!

 

Using a bit of almond extract here with the NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia and vanilla extract highlights the bulgur’s nuttiness and makes the dish even more rich.

This was one hearty, satisfying breakfast!

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I’ve been playing a lot with the samples NuNaturals sent me lately.  I’ve truly been impressed with the quality – it doesn’t leave an artificial taste in my mouth, even when added to smoothies!

Some of my favorite uses so far:

 

NuNaturals sweetened their package (ha ha – get it?  sweetened? 🙂 ) by offering to giveaway products to 4 readers!

 

The Fantastic 4 Winners will receive:

1 box of NuStevia Packets

and …

1 bottle of NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia (my favorite!)

To enter:

  • Leave a comment telling me the kitchen creation you’d like to try making with NuNatural Stevia
  • Follow me on Twitter (@Sprint2thetable)
  • Tweet about this give away (you might say “@Sprint2theTable is giving away 2 @NuNaturals products to 4 readers! http://wp.me/p16jDn-DF #GIVEAWAY”)

Leave a separate comment telling me you did each of these items for multiple entries!

 

The contest will end Sunday night at 11:59pm.

Winners announced Monday morning!!!  Good luck!

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Banana Bulgur Breakfast Bowl

  • 1/2 C cooked bulgur
  • 1/2 large banana, mashed
  • 1/4 C Greek-style yogurt
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T goji berries 
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 10 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Splash of almond extract
  • Shake of salt

 

Mix everything together in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.  Wait until morning (or at least 3-4 hours).  Devour.

***

Please tell me these accidental crazy runs happen to you too?!

If you’re looking for something new to try this weekend, check out Pea & Crayons new (awesome) round up:

What are you doing this weekend? (Besides entering my giveaway.)

Have you tried natural sugar alternatives yet? 

 

Winning Trifecta

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Today is a winning day!

  1. My birthday party (we gonna party like it’s your birthday…)
  2. The Auria earbud winner is announced
  3. MY BEST FRIEND’S WATER BROKE!!!  There’s going to be a baby boy today!
Clearly, I have things to do. 🙂  Here are a couple of birthday highlights:
Fried Ice Cream “Cake”
Mom’s Red Velvet Cupcakes
Awesome, wine-themed present from Mom and Baby Sis
BUT… you want a winner.
The lucky winner (chosen by Mom) is….
Congrats, Katy!
***
I’m off for a quick sweat at kickboxing before continuing with party prep and waiting on a baby!
What are you doing this weekend?
Did it cool off where you live?  It’s only going to be 80 here today!

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