Starting Out Strange But Good

July 5, 2013 By Laura

Don’t you hate feeling repetitive?

Don’t you hate feeling repetitive?

Yes, I do amuse myself… hahaha! 🙂 Seriously though. I’ve done quite a few #strangebutgood breakfast posts. It’s just so easy to be strange in the morning! Maybe I dream about it since I typically fall asleep thinking about breakfast?

I have a few (more) atypical breakfast ideas for you today… but they could double as dinners or even a dessert!

1. Griddled Crab Mexican Pizza

This was inspired by my Griddled Chicken and Grapefruit Pizza. I told you I’m being repetitive. #sorryimnotsorry

I’ve been eating more savory breakfasts lately. My sweet tooth is legendary, and I find if I don’t start the day off with a sweet meal it helps keep it in check. ~~At least until lunch.~~

I prepared this just like in this post, except my toppings were crab, kale, salsa, and avocado.

2. French Toast with #yolkporn Syrup

For some reason I think it’s more acceptable for me to use the word “porn” if I hashtag it. Hmmm…

You may remember this from Wednesday (again with the repetition!), but I wanted to go into more detail. Because it was that good. I wanted french toast and a runny egg… so I just combined the two! That delicious local egg yolk made of a fantastic savory syrup on my toast.

Adding the blueberries on top with a touch of toasted coconut added the slightest sweetness, completing each delectable bite.

I prepared a healthy french toast just like in this PB&J French Toast recipe, using P28 Protein Bread for extra protein. When I cooked my egg, I just added blueberries and the coconut to the other side of the pan to be warming. Looks fancy, but it was quick and easy!

3. Peanut Butter Shirataki “Rice” Pudding

My last repetitive meal was created from Wednesday’s dinner leftovers. I had tried the Skinny Noodle Shirataki “Rice” for the first time. I loved the Israeli couscous-like texture! Perfect for breakfast, no?

One package is 2 servings. Since I’d already prepped the whole package (you MUST rinse and warm to avoid the funky flavor), I used the second half to pre-make breakfast. What resulted was reminiscent a thick, creamy bowl of peanut butter rice pudding. Incredible. I sampled a bite before bed and it was all I could do not to house the whole thing right then and there.

Mine was topped with a fresh Georgia peach, but I think any fruit would be good here. Like banana… mmmm… breakfast tomorrow…

Ingredients:

1 serving Skinny Noodle Shirataki “Rice”
1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other liquid)
1/4 C peanut flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla liquid Stevia, to taste

Mix together all ingredients. Cover and place in the fridge at least one hour, or overnight.

In the morning, remove from fridge and stir. You may need to add additional liquid to thin it out to your preference.

Top as desired and enjoy!

Note: I order my peanut flour from iHerb – I like it better than PB2 because it is less processed and doesn’t have the added sugar and sodium. Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

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How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

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I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!!! We got drenched but made the very best of it.

When was the last time you felt repetitive?

Does a more savory start to the day help curb your sweet tooth?

Happy 4th of July!!!

July 4, 2013 By Laura

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of the 4th, I’m taking a llittle break, but I did promise to let you know who won the Designer Whey giveaway!

These 6 ladies are going to have an especially happy 4th…

***

My 10K is done!!! Time to celebrate with a few treats… See you all tomorrow for a #strangebutgood Friday!

Does anyone else have to work tomorrow?

How are you celebrating the 4th?

Back to the Gym + WIAW

July 3, 2013 By Laura

Patience is a virtue.

That’s what I keep trying to tell myself.

Monday I was cleared by my surgeon to begin light exercise. Good thing because I had already scheduled an appointment with my trainer for that night. 😉

Going back to working out after surgery (or any long break) is humbling. I started with a leg extension weight 100 lbs lighter than I did 3 weeks ago.

We did a lot of lower body – mostly body weight stuff – and then 2 isolated bicep and 2 isolated tricep exercises. It was really light, but I realized I’d have to go slow… especially when the twins got hot and swelled up. It was crazy!

I’m going to do something similar on my own today. Being careful. It’s really hard knowing what I could do before, and seeing how much I lost in my arms in such a short time. BUT it’s not forever. I got there before, and I can do it again. *deep breaths*

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This WIAW was fun for me because I was actually hungry from working out! It’s a totally different feeling than regular hunger, one I didn’t fully appreciate before!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) was of course the start to my day.

For my meal I wanted something sweet… but I also wanted a runny egg. Remembering my favorite Waffle House meal, I decided to try something similar (but much healthier) at home – french toast topped with a runny egg! I also added some warmed blueberries and toasted coconut.

Who needs syrup when you have #yolkporn?

Mid-Morning Snack:

No Salt deli turkey and an orange. I ate these with my fingers while I bottled my latest batch of kombucha. I was trying to get out the door for my first run post-surgery… ain’t nobody got time for silverware!

The curry leaves in the background went into a kombucha bottle with some of the orange.

I was running to get my race number for Thursday’s Peachtree Road Race. It’s the world’s largest 10K and I was cleared by the doctor to run/walk it since it’s actually going to be cool outside thanks to the deluge of rain we’re getting. The expo is only 2.5 miles from my place, so it was an easy jog, followed by a long break to browse the expo and buy new shoes before 2.5 miles back (shoes in hand).

New Newtons!

Lunch:

It was NOT cool yesterday. ~~Boob sweat is a whole new thing… whoa.~~

By the time I got back all I wanted for lunch was a smoothie bowl. Big, green, and topped with muesli, this hit the spot while I sat on the couch icing the twins. Almost remembered the pic too late!

In my bowl:

Protein powder
Spinach
Zucchini
Butterscotch extract
Banana extract
Stevia
Ice + Water

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Does anyone else have to think before they type kabocha vs. kombucha? Kabocha is what I had for snack. I have pre-roasted it in cubes, but I like to do a second roast to re-heat and crisp it up. Before the 2nd roast I tossed it in cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne (my favorite flavor combo).

The sauce is my go-to: peanut flour, unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, a couple drops of vanilla liquid stevia, and a splash of almond extract.

Dinner:

This is what happens when I get bored. I made a dinner requiring more thought than usual. People comment that sometimes my meals seem elaborate or strange… but they typically don’t take very long and I prepare certain foods similarly. Last night I tried something new-ish and inspired by a treat in the mail from Skinny Noodles (soy-free shirataki):

The item I couldn’t wait to try was the rice. I dislike rice… but non-rice? That I can get on board with! ~~I never said I was~~ ~~normal.~~ The “rice” is really more like Israeli couscous… but that’s a plus in my book.

Tip when using shirataki: make sure you rinse it really, really well and follow the instructions to heat it in the microwave to get rid of the funk (it smells fishy when you open the package).

What I came up with was a herbed rice with veggies, which I topped with salmon. It was really, really good. One of those meals you make for yourself and then get a little sad there’s no one else there to taste it!

There’s not real recipe – I didn’t measure anything – but here are the ingredients:

Cardamom Salmon

Salmon
Cardamom (just a little)
Cayenne
Black pepper
Lemon
Rice Vinegar
Red onion
Garlic
1 drop orange liquid stevia
Fresh rosemary
Baked at 450 for 12 mins
Fresh curry leaves

Shirataki Rice

Red onion
Garlic
Fresh rosemary
Lemon juice
Red pepper
Zucchini
Cayenne
Ground ginger
Black pepper
Ginger
1 serving “rice” (added after veggies sautéed)
2 tsp nutritional yeast (added at end to thicken)

Dessert:

This is one of my all-time favorites to end the day – Carrot Cake Protein Batter. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve had one of these. After surgery I couldn’t use the grater for the carrots, so making my favorite batter wasn’t possible!

I was starving so I loaded up on the toppings: muesli, walnuts, and cacao nibs. There was also a unpictured scoop of PB. 😉

***

Thank you all so much for the supportive comments on my Instagram and Facebook posts about being able to get back in the gym. The encouragement means a lot as I (patiently) work my way back.

Don’t forget – one more day to enter the Designer Whey Sustained Energy giveaway!

Have you ever made something so good you were sad not to share it? What was it?

Are you a victim of the kabocha craze? I propose we rename it Crack Squash.

Sustaining My Energy + Giveaway

July 1, 2013 By Laura

Forced rest is tiring.

This may be the understatement of the year.

Energy begets energy… sitting around does just the opposite. Come 4 o’clock, my eyes have been glazing over and I am ready to be done working. Since that’s not an option, I’ve been enjoying a new pick-me-up.

Designer Whey – the makers of my favorite whey protein powder – came out with a new Sustained Energy Protein Powder. Thanks to Designer Whey and FitFluential, I received this package to try:

How is the different from the regular whey?

Each scoop has 16g of protein, 5g of fiber, 1g of sugar and 100 calories
The Endurance Blend™ is formulated to provide stimulant-free, sustained energy
Added fiber helps control hunger
High in vitamins A, C and E to aid in workout recovery, and in calcium and vitamin D for yer bones
19 essential vitamins and minerals, including the B vitamins that energize your metabolism
Flavors are Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Velvet

I 100% love the taste of both the chocolate and vanilla. I didn’t notice a sky-rocket effect on energy, but I did wake up after eating my smoothie bowl. At 4p, this was a great snack to curb hunger and tide me until dinnertime.

Unable to simply mix powder with liquid and drink it, I created a Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl for my afternoon snack. With spinach… because isn’t everything better green?! The cardamom and ginger made for a fun, refreshing flavor on a hot Atlanta afternoon! (Recipe at the bottom)

Of even more interest to you…

Designer Whey is offering a giveaway!

SIX (6!!!) of you will have the chance to win your own Sustained Energy protein powder in either the Chocolate Velvet or Vanilla Bean.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Giveaway OVER***

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New tasty protein powders and giveaways are obviously marvelous… so is the fact that Marvelous diva Katie, welcomed a new baby this weekend! Congratulations, Katie!!!

A few other Marvelous things:

I went to the Monday Night Brewery on Friday night. They were the location Gather‘s launch party. It was awesome. Lots of good food, good beer… and beer rests in the bathroom.

Saturday I took shots. Juice shots, that is. This is called the “Grand Slam” at Arden’s Garden. It’s shots of wheatgrass, ginger, lemon, and cranberry. That ginger is intense. They also gave me a little smoothie sample to chase it with.

Lastly, this girl’s recap of her visit to Atlanta and absolutely made my day. I miss her already. #bloggercrush

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Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl

1 scoop Designer Whey Sustained Energy (or other protein powder)
1 C fresh spinach (optional)
1/2 C no-salt cottage cheese
1/2 in piece fresh ginger (or /14 tsp grated)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh cardamom
Ice, to taste

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add additional ice to achieve thicker, ice cream-like consistency.

Enjoy!

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This morning I have my follow-up with the surgeon. He better clear me to workout!!!

What marvelous things did you do this weekend?

What do you do when you need a mid-afternoon pick me up?

Work It Out: Fueling with FRS

June 25, 2013 By Laura

Mornings are not my thing.

This may be the understatement of the year.

I try my best not to work out first thing in the morning. I need time to wake up! When you have a full-time job and play on sports teams, compromise is sometimes necessary. Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to one of my favorite ways to give my body a jump-start when I need to get moving early in the day.

And there’s a giveaway. 😉

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In addition to lifting, I also play softball. It was my first athletic love, and I aim to play for the rest of my life. The team I play on now, Laidback, plays on Sunday mornings. Early.

Ninja socks are necessary at 8am.

We are an all women’s team, but play in a men’s league. And we beat all the men. The man-beating requires wakefulness. We’ve discussed my lack of enthusiasm for coffee before; you know I was THRILLED to find an energy alternative in FRS.

I drug my tired self to the field, armed with my ninja socks, gloves, and my favorite FRS flavor.

I’ve actually be drinking the Healthy ENERGY drink for awhile (proof), but as a Fitfluential Ambassador, I given the opportunity to try out the entire FRS Healthy Energy line.

My favorite flavor of the canned drinks remains the Peach Mango. The low-cal drinks are my preference because they are low in sugar – just 2g!

FRS is full of vitamins and green tea extracts, but FRS also contains something special: quercetin. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant which is found in the skins of blueberries, apples and grapes and has been shown in clinical trials to provide sustained energy, increased endurance and immune system support.

One of the coolest things about FRS is the reason it was developed. It’s original intent was to provide energy to chemotherapy patients while supporting their immune systems. Natural, healthy, sustained energy without the crash (sorry coffee lovers) is also important to athletes, so this line is great for the fit-minded crowd.

I love this quote.

The chews were a new product to me. I loved them! I ate mine before a run on a morning when I was particularly dragging and I ended up doing 6 solid miles with a smile on my face. 2 chews are around 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar, and PACKED with nutrients.

Last was the powdered drink mix. I love the portable packs it comes it. They were easy to grab when I was running out the door late for work. It may not be the intended use, but I drank one to fuel my work day! It gave me a kick and helped me stay awake and focused through an all day meeting.

FRS is available at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Walgreens, Harris Teeter. You can also order at a free 10 day supply at FRS.com! Make sure to download a coupon for $1 off 2 cans or bottles of FRS.

Or you can win it!

Giveaway

I’m giving away a FRS trial pack (retail value of $30)! Just visit FRS.com and leave a comment telling me in which product/flavor you want to try. I’ll randomly select a winner on Thursday, June 27th.

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Disclaimer: I was compensated for this review but I assure you my opinions and MINE.

How do you like to fuel workouts? What about work days?

Which product and flavor do you want to try?

Hotel Food + WIAW

June 12, 2013 By Laura

This community blows me away.

That tickles my ta-tas.

All joking aside, I am so, so appreciative of everyone who stopped by and left supportive comments about yesterday’s announcement. I was fully expecting to get slammed by at least a few people, but I didn’t get the first negative comment! It is a personal choice and everyone seemed to acknowledge it.

My mom was surprised I posted about it, but I’m not going to act like I magically grew boobs overnight (wouldn’t it be cool if there was a boob fairy?) and randomly decided to take a break from working out. Keeping it real, y’all.

On top of all that, no one asked awkward questions! I guess you guys are more polite than I am. 😀

What I did love were comment from those of you who’ve had it done. I am really nervous about the recovery and you made me feel a LOT better.

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This day of WIAW is actually a day and a half-ish. I was traveling for work, and due to storms on the East coast I ended up spending 8.5 hours in the Atlanta airport. Preparation saved me.

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

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Airport Snack 1:

I knew I’d need to eat one meal in the airport, so I’d come prepared with a crab salad. This was just crab, red bell pepper, raw zucchini, nutritional yeast, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and black pepper.

The best part is the utensil I found at a fast food place to eat it with: a spork!!!

Airport Dinner:

Having to eat this meal in the airport was a surprise. Delta delayed my flight over and over before they finally cancelled it. In total, I spent 8.5 hours in the Atlanta airport. I (finally) made it out, but on another airline.

I always travel with emergency tuna packets and random spices in my bag. The little Ms. Dash was obtained from a cafeteria on a previous work trip. The salad was purchased from Quizno’s in the airport.

Hotel Surprise:

That night when I (finally) arrived in the hotel I had a surprise waiting for me:

Hotel Zasa‘s turn-down service includes a rice krispy treat!!! It was delish, but I managed to stop at half and eat an apple taken from their gym.

Pro Tip: Hotel gyms almost always have a fruit bowl. Perfect place to grab a free snack.

Pre-Workout:

Normally I eat before liftingin the morning, but I’d gotten in and had my snack so late I wasn’t starving. I DID have my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos). It turns out that you can get through security with a small container of apple cider vinegar.

Totally patted myself on the back for this one.

Despite the late night I was motivated to go after seeing it the night before. There were chandeliers in the workout room!!! I’m also motivated by the fast that today is my last workout before surgery. I’m trying to enjoy it while I can!

Side note: The women in the background was with my client. We hadn’t met in person before, so I didn’t realize it until the meeting started a few hours later.