A Taste of Atlanta

October 8, 2012 By Laura

Bloggers make the best house guests.

This weekend my girl Allie @ Forgotten Beast came to Atlanta for a visit and to train with my trainer, Steve, at House of Payne. Allie is also training for a figure competition. She definitely lives up to her blog name – girl is a BEAST!

Steve made us strike a pose for a post-training mug shot:

We trained, we had posing practice… and then we ate our way through Atlanta.

Allie eats a plant-based diet, so I knew I had to take her to one of my favorite vegan places in town, Dough Bakery. We split the “egg and bacon” biscuit above along with some vegan soft-serve before walking around one of Atlanta’s funkier neighborhoods (Little 5 Points).

For dinner we hit up Cakes & Ale where we split basically half of the menu ~~and took pictures of it~~. All tasty, but our favorite was the brie, and marinated greens with walnut croutons. Our second favorite was the absolutely fabulous staff (Hi William!). We rounded out the night with a craft beer from Brick Store Pub. Allie is a fan of the craft, and this place has a beer menu that reads like fine dining restaurant’s wine list.

We stayed up too late chatting and eating the remainder of my S’more Bars. It was awesome. ~~And I begged her to move to ATL.~~

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The next day we continued to eat our way through Atlanta. It was the day of my cooking demo at Taste of Atlanta!

I was terrified, but SO glad to have Allie there for moral support. My friend Kathleen also came; it means so much to have friends there when you jump so far outside your comfort zone. You guys were also so great with the encouraging comments and tweets this weekend!

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but there were spectators that weren’t my friends. I thought when they said they’d provide 2 burners that it would be little stop top… notssomuch. It was a Bunsen burner. Between that and the wind, the Butternut Squash-Apple Soup took what felt like forever to make. Just browning the garlic took 10 mins.

The view from the stage during set up

Overall, it did go well. The burner eventually warmed up (thank you to the amazing volunteers who helped get it going), and I was able to prove that this is a soup you could make on a campsite. 🙂

I did have an amateur fail: I was so flustered by the end that I forgot to add the turmeric. Thank god Sweetwater Growers’ infused olive oil and fresh herbs were so flavorful the soup still tasted good.

Thank you to Scott and Sweetwater Growers for asking me to demo my recipe using their Red Pepper-infused olive oil.

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Workout Recap

Last week I mentioned we added 100 pull ups (assisted ) to my daily routine. I did them most days… travel and long workouts threw me off a little. My goal this week is to buy a pull up bar so it’s easier for me to get them done each and every day.

But that’s not as exciting as posing pics, right? Yes, I asked permission before plastering Allie’s ass on the internet.

Workout Recap (10/1 – 10/7):

Monday – Shoulders/Glutes, Calf raises, 100 pull-ups, 1 mile walk
Tuesday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, 2 mile walk
Wednesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
Thursday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups
Friday – Rest, 100 PUs, 1.5 mile walk
Saturday – Legs (with Trainer), 2 mile walk
Sunday – Rest, 2 mile walk

***

I’m 4 weeks out from my competition… the diet is getting crazier. More on that and a new fitness feature tomorrow!

When was the last time you had to go outside your comfort zone?

Have you ever met your “online” friends in real life?

Zucchini Whey Muffins + a Demo

October 4, 2012 By Laura

Call me Little Miss Muffet…

… though I do NOT like to sit on my tuffet.

I do really dig my curds and whey. Like these curds:

Bloggers everywhere get excited when they have an empty peanut butter jar. Overnight oats are tasty ~~and exciting~~ – I won’t argue that! I will argue that cottage cheese in an almost empty container is equally good. The name is more cumbersome…

When I have an almost-empty jar, I swirl up my cottage cheese with mix-ins and take it to go. Easy mid-morning snack at work! This container included Sunbutter, cinnamon, a little stevia, nutmeg, and a plum.

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Before I get to the whey, I want to share a little happy-excited-nervous news with you guys… I am doing another cooking demo!

This one is at Taste of Atlanta. Slightly bigger than my gym…

I’ll be in the “Family Food Zone” tent with Sweetwater Growers (not to be confused with the brewery). Sweetwater makes amazing infused olive oils and hydroponic basil.

Apparently it’s official because I’m on the website:

The recipe I’ll be sharing is for my (vegan) Butternut Squash-Apple Soup that uses Sweetwater’s red pepper-infused oil. I started making it nearly 2 years ago (around the time of my blog’s birth!) and it remains my favorite fall soup to this day.

There is a rich sweetness from the butternut squash and the apple but it’s balances out with the rosemary and the bit of heat on the end from the red pepper-infused oil.

No Vitamix will be used, but I do get to play with my immersion blender. And my nerves. Did I mention I’m nervous? What if no one comes? what if lots of people come? What if there is awkward silence? AHHHHHH!

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Baking. Baking calms my nerves. Baking with protein powder calms my nerves AND gives me awesome post-workout treats.

Baking with zucchini also makes me happy… as evidenced by the fact that this is now my third zucchini muffin recipe. The previous 5 (all low-cal and free of added sugars):

This one is different, I swear! This recipe is the first one with whey protein, and it is a bit more savory. More reminiscent of the traditional bread. I especially love the hint of coconut with a little warm spice from the cinnamon and cardamom.

These muffins are also flourless. Almond and coconut flours replace “regular” flour here to lend a nutty richness to this muffin.

Super-moist. Low-carb, high protein. These are a great pre-workout snack, or a perfect clean addition to your recovery meal.

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Zucchini Whey Muffins

1 medium zucchini grated finely and moisture squeezed out (~1 C, post squeeze)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C almond flour/meal
2 T coconut flour
1/4 C vanilla whey protein (I used GNC)
2 T Xylitol
1 T NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/3 C egg whites
1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
1/2 tsp coconut extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grated my zucchini into a bowl and squeezed out the excess moisture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

Add in liquids, and mix until just combined. Fold in grated zucchini.

Grease a muffin tine with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into tins. Baked for 15-20 mins.

Makes 9 muffins.

Approximate nutritionals: 95 calories, 4.2g fat, 45.3mg sodium, 9.2g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.4g sugar, 7.5g protein

***

The good news is that I’ve been so stressed at work that I haven’t fully felt the nerves of the demo until now. 😉

How do you calm your nerves and/or relax?

What is your favorite fall soup?

I Feel Scrambled + WIAW

October 3, 2012 By Laura

I feel scrambled.

It’s our busy season at work and I’ve been traveling, working, and not doing much sleeping. There are so many things I’ve fallen behind on. I’m seriously behind on blog reading, returning emails, and blogging topics.

I totally neglected to share an awesome offer from my friend Calee with you all. She’s offered a 15% discount when you use code “sprint2thediscount” in her Etsy shop. I first saw her goods at the Blend Retreat last year and fell in love.

A couple of my current favorite designs:

I’m going to stop feeling sorry and move on to some positive news. Last week I talked about the threat of a bacon shortage. Apparently there will be no baconpocalypse.

It wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t blog about bacon, right?

I was almost too grossed out by this pic to post it…

According to a Mother Jones article, the swine shortage will “shave just a pound per capita off of US bacon production in 2013.” that means there are still 45 pounds of bacon per person for the year. Is that enough for you?

The real scare is fish. Climate change will sharply reduce the productivity of the oceans, meaning less seafood. the most affected ares are in the South, so those of us in the US and Europe probably won’t feel the bite.

It’s a new month (can you believe it’s already October?!), which means a new What I Ate Wednesday theme. Jenn just got even cooler in my eyes for going PINK this month for Breast Cancer Awareness. we’ll be sharing out Halloween-themed treats… as if bloggers needs any more reasons to eat pumpkin. 😉

Check out my sometimes spooky, sometimes pink eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is getting their Halloween on this month!

Meal 1:

Like every morning, I enjoyed my morning cocktail: a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos. I ran out of my favorite and I was forced to use a sample pack. It’s grape flavored. Not my favorite… to be fair, I don’t like grape flavored anything. I was desperate.

After a quick 2 mile walk, I enjoyed a new scrambled egg-creation. Egg whites, sweet potato, and a spiced maple-peanut sauce. PB & Speggs?

Served with a side of pear sprinkled with cinnamon.

This combo was the highlight of my day. Peanut butter and sweet potatoes were made for each other and you guys know I love my PB & Jeggs creations. The addition of some maple extract and a little nutritional yeast further blurred the sweet-savory line, creating a breakfast I’ll be repeating ~~ad nauseam~~.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 2:

Spooky Green Frozen Custard at 11am? Why not?

Vega was nice enough to send me their Vega One French Vanilla protein powder to sample. Obviously, I couldn’t just eat it plain… so I made a frozen custard and topped it with a crumbled Endurance Cracker from Angela.

It had a wonderful flavor! I tried a little plain to test it out first, and I think it would be still be good without the flavor additions. My only complaint is that I’d like to see another 5g of protein (it only has 15g) and fewer carbs (11g). I fixed the protein problem by adding tofu, which made this a creamy custard-like frozen treat.

French Chai Pear Frozen Custard

1 serving French Vanilla Vega
3 oz tofu
1 pear
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
Pinch cloves
1/3-1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
5-6 drops liquid Stevia
Ice, to taste
Guar gum (optional, but will thicken and add creaminess)

Meal 3:

My lunch went pink! I’ve been all over prepared salmon burgers found at Whole Foods. They are frozen, but not bad! This one is the Lemon Dill flavor. I topped it with my Sweet-Potato Chipotle Spread and served it with a side of chopped red cabbage and asparagus tossed in a lemon-rosemary white bean dip.

Meal 4:

I posted this brown meal on Instagram and a commenter informed me brown food is the most appealing to humans, and that blue is the least. Weird, huh?

This was certainly appealing post-workout:

Tempeh and cauliflower roasted in a sauce of nutritional yeast, sriracha, and lime juice, along with a fried egg. #yolkporn

Normally I don’t roast veggies mid-day. It seems like to much trouble to heat up the oven. Well, my own was already hot from giving the butternut below a thorough roast while I was at the gym…

Meal 5:

I was going to have another cauliflower crust pizza. After taking too long in Whole Foods I decided to ~~spare you~~ make a quick stir fry.

Rarely do I eat chicken. Tonight I was running really late and picked some up at Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods. It was pre-grilled. I knew it would be dry. I bought it anyway. It was dry. Note to self: Don’t shop hangry.

In the Mix:

~~Dry~~ Chicken
Eggplant
Brussels
Asparagus
Red Cabbage
Red Onion
Garlic
Marinara
Ricotta

Meal 6:

Another late night working. Another #strangebutgood candidate.

This is sort of like my Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream, except this one adds a cheese cake component. I know it sounds strange… but I blended in some cottage cheese. It added just the right amount of cheesecake tang. It’s also less green in color because I used zucchini as my veggie rather than spinach. Topped with cinnamon.

Meal 7:

Have you tried Heather’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cake yet? You should make it ASAP. I’m on my 4th.

The perfectly moist and delicious microwave cake was incredible. Again. This time I subbed 1T ricotta + an additional 1 T almond milk for the pumpkin (another WF #fail – they were out of pumpkin) and topped it with a scoop of Chocolate-Peanut Butter Arctic Zero.

Sweet Potato Scramble with Spiced Maple-Peanut Sauce

1/2 C egg whites
1 tsp flax
1/2 C sweet potato, pre-cooked and lightly mashed
1 T peanut flour
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1.5 T water (or other liquid)
1/4 tsp maple extract
2 drops liquid stevia
Pinch of cloves

Scramble egg whites and flax over medium heat until almost done. Add in sweet potato and toss to combine. Cook 1 min more, just until the potato is warm.

In a small bowl mix together remaining ingredients to make the sauce. Pour over the scramble and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 164.1g. A little low… this work/workout schedule craziness is killin’ me, Smalls!

What is the last thing you forgot in the oven? Anything?

It seems like everyone is stressing lately – are you entering the busy season full-force too?

Markets, Foodies, and Fitness

October 1, 2012 By Laura

Atlanta is a great place to be if you love food.

I love all of the restaurants, markets, a food events. There is a Green Market across the street from my building every Saturday morning. It’s where I pick up my farm-fresh eggs, tomatoes, and various other locally grown produce.

The market also features a weekly chef’s demo. This week was Chef Daniel Chance from Campagnolo, an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. He made a tasty basil risotto with green bean from the market and a seared lamb with rosemary. I was paying close attention as my next demo is in less than a week!

Atlanta also is a great spot to be a blogger. We have a ton of bloggers in the metro area, as we all make an effort to get together on a regular basis. This weekend was hard for people, but we managed to get a group of 5 together to meet in the park for a potluck picnic.

Clockwise, left to right: Alayna‘s Edamame-Avocado Hummus (to be included in her soon-to-be-released cookbook), Lee‘s Texas Caviar, Stacy‘s Oatmeal Cookies, and my S’more Bars. Heather brought coconut covered dates, but I failed to get a pic.

All of the food was wonderful, but even better was the chance to catch up with everyone. We sat in the park and talked for a few hours – I didn’t notice it had gotten so late until my stomach began to growl again!

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Foodie friends aren’t always local! One of my favorite online blogger events is the Foodie PenPal program. I love getting to try new things from across the country!

This month my “pal” was Sharlene @ S olar Cooking. She was so sweet to put together a box of goodies I could eat on my training diet. Admittedly, I was leery of the turkey jerky at first. after a few people on Instagram encouraged me, I sucked it up and tried it. It was really good! Added bonus: it’s surprisingly low in sodium (for a jerky).

Don’t you want to get in to the action?

To sign up for a Foodie PenPals in September, click here to fill out the form on that lovely Lindsay’s site. It’s that easy! You don’t have to be a blogger, and the spending limit is just $15. The only requirement is that you be a US or Canadian resident.

Join in by October 4th as pairings will be emailed on October 5th!

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Workout Recap

This week was hard for me. I have been feeling under the weather and wasn’t able to lift as heavy as I would have liked some days. Working until 2 am almost every night could have been the culprit too…

We also added 100 pull ups (assisted – for now) to my repertoire. Those are no joke. I didn’t get them in every day due to feeling sick-y and being pressed for time, but I’m starting out on Monday full-force! Bicep day always makes me feel a little better, so here’s a pic from my favorite day:

I also had my first posing practice in a competition bikini. I felt neekid. There are pics… but I lack the kahunas to post them. Less than 5 weeks out from competition… AHHHHH!

Workout Recap (9/24 – 9/30):

Monday – Chest/Biceps, Calf raises, 60 pull-ups, 2 mile walk
Tuesday – Legs, 100 pull ups, 2 mile walk
Wednesday – Back/Triceps, Calf raises, 1 mile walk
Thursday – Shoulders/Butt, 2 mile walk
Friday – Chest/Biceps, Calf raises, 2 mile walk
Saturday – Legs (with Trainer), 2 mile walk
Sunday – Back/Tris

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Closing in on competition will mean changes to the diet are coming. I’ll miss you, S’mores Bars…

How do you push through workouts when you’re not feeling 100%?

What would you send a foodie penpal to represent your hometown?

More Strange, Still Good

September 28, 2012 By Laura

It’s a theme in my life.

Except in the dating scene. Strange = bad.

Two Fridays ago I wrote a post of some of my favorite Strange But Good concoctions… and 2 weeks later I of course have more to share!

Before we dive into the realm of odd: there is an Atlanta blogger potluck meet up this weekend. If you want to come and haven’t received an email, send me a note and I’ll forward the invite to you! The more the merrier. 🙂

Ok. Back to the ~~strange~~ fun stuff:

1. Salmon + Blackberry Salad

You guys may have seen this on WIAW…

I mixed 4oz salmon, 2 T fat-free ricotta, a little cinnamon, a little unsweetened almond milk, and blackberries. It was strange but oh-so-good.

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

Hot ice cream? Why yes… there is cayenne in it! this sweet-heat treat was a fantastic midnight snack. The green tint comes from spinach… but that’s standard, not strange.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tsp cinnamon (or 2 sticks)
1/2 in piece ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne (can adjust to taste)
1/4 C unsweetened chocolate almond milk
2 C spinach
5-6 drops liquid stevia
1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
Ice, to taste

It’s topped with Walden Farm’s Sugar-Free Caramel… but honestly… that’s more strange than good.

3. Bacon-Ricotta Stuffed Sweet Potato

After news of the impending bacon shortage… I was craving bacon. I stuffed a locally-grown pre-cooked sweet potato with with ricotta and then crumbled a small piece of pre-cooked bacon on top. Then I placed it int he oven under broil while I made a quick vegan tempeh stir-fry.

Vegan + Bacon = Tasty Dinner.

4. Zucchini Bread Protein Batter

This is Strange But Good PROOF! Debbie @ Accidentally Delish gave it a try for WIAW:

From Debbie: “You don’t even taste the zucchini. I promise.”

Click here for the full recipe.

5. Lightlife Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

This was strange but good on 2 counts. First, this Lightlife Portobello Mushroom Burger tasted downright meaty. I was shocked – I even went back to check the ingredient list. All vegetarian!

The best part? It has a full 20g of protein. 🙂

Second, the sweet potato as a condiment. It’s addicting… I’ve topped my salmon tortilla pizzas with it too. I love sweet with a little heat (as if you couldn’t tell from the Mexican ice cream), and that was perfectly balance here with the sweet potato and chipotle. Cumin added a warm, earthy flavor that was especially good with the meaty ‘shroom burger.

My dinner guests and I enjoyed the burgers in a very green way – on a field of spinach, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, and a few cannellini beans.

***Disclaimer: As a part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program, Lightlife provided me with a stipend and product for sampling. All opinions are MINE. 🙂 ***

This series is brought to you in partnership with Lightlife, Live long. Travel light. To learn more, click here http://www.lightlife.com.

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Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

1/4 C pre-cooked sweet potato, mashed
1 tsp chipotle in adobo
1/2 tsp ground cumin (or curry powder – both are good here)
1 T unsweetened almond milk

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash to combine.

Use as a condiment on burgers, pizzas, sandwiches… or a dip for your favorite veggie sticks or chips!

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I just realized how much sweet potato I’ve been eating. These local ‘taters are just so tasty!

Do you have a favorite veggie burger?

What is your #strangebutgood this week?

Stay Calm + WIAW

September 26, 2012 By Laura

Try to stay calm.

There may be a bacon shortage. The LA Times reports that drought conditions caused a reduction in corn and soybean crops, which means less feed for swine… which means less bacon. Stock your freezers now.

Despite my frequent posting about bacon, I really am not a fanatic. Yes, I do enjoy the occasional Maple-Bacon Pancake Cookie. And I think Bacon Toothpaste is funny.

HOWEVER… I bought a mere 2 slices at the farmer’s market to add just a little extra flava-flav to my food this week. And, I worked bacon into a meal today.

It’s a really stressful week. Today I craved comfort food, and having developed the habit of reaching for healthy comforts helped me keep it clean… and sticking with September’s What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”

Check out my healthy comfort foods below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else maintained healthy habits this Wednesday.