Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

My Vegan Friendsgiving

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Sometimes you need a holiday break to be a real break.

Not that holidays aren’t nice…

This year I was feeling run down after training so hard from my competition, working, and  – yes – consistently blogging.  I love all of these things, don’t get me wrong.  I also love my family.  However, a true vacation getaway was in order.  When Heather and Kirk (her hubby) extended an invitation for me to crash their Thanksgiving vacation on the slopes in Vail, CO I jumped at the opportunity.

We ate fantastic food, drank amazing wine, skied, cooked a vegan Thanksgiving, and even ran a 5K (my first in at least 6 months).  There was also a tasting dinner before we left for Vail, but that’s another post.

I am relieved to report that after a 2 year break, I can still ski.  There were a couple of falls, but nothing bad and after a couple of runs I was able to keep up with Heather and Kirk on their snowboards.  I can tell my legs are much stronger now than they were two years ago.  I guess hack squats work…

We took a break from the slopes for Thanksgiving.  We earned our turkey with a 5K Turkey Trot!  It was a lot of fun… and I realized exactly how much harder it is to run at 9000 ft.

Following the run, Heather made her famous doughnuts.  These were her Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts with Cranberry Frosting.  All vegan, and all delicious.  Heather had to adjust the recipe due to the high altitude; I’m totally impressed by her ability – they were absolutely perfect.  I ate mine at a painfully slow pace (like my 5K – haha).  It was so delicious I didn’t want it to end!

I should also note the lovely orange plates provided by the condo owners.  Seriously.  Doesn’t they know that orange does NOT photograph well?!

We spent the rest of the day watching football, playing Scrabble, and being bums.  It was awesome.  We got up every once in a while to begin another dish for out dinner, so when it was time to eat everything pulled together quickly.

This was my first vegan Turkey Day.  I’ve never been a big fan of traditional Thanksgiving food anyway, so this was absolutely perfect for me.  With a spread like this, why would anyone miss the turkey?

Clockwise, left to right: Kirk opening the champagne, Heather’s Beer & Butternut Mac ‘n Cheeze, the spread, and our vegan hazelnut cranberry roast en croute.

 

Each dish was better than the last.  Heather’s vegan mac ‘n cheese was every bit as good and the “real” thing.  She also made the first cranberry sauce I’ve ever liked!  I made a version of other Heather’s Caramelized Onion, Cranberry & Kale Saute.  It was basically the same except I added jalapeno and used fresh orange juice in place of maple syrup for the vinaigrette.

My (orange) plate:

Much more to come on our adventures, but I’m sure you’ve seen enough orange plate photography for one day. 🙂

Thank you again to Heather and Kirk for letting me crash their holiday and being such incredible hosts!

***

I fell in love with Colorado.  I may have considered pitching a fit when I had to go to the airport.

Have you ever had a “Friendsgiving” or another friend-holiday?

What was the best dish at your table this year?

The Good, the Bad, and the Strange

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Obviously these aren’t always mutually exclusive in my world.

Consultants will advise you to “sandwich” bad news.

If you have to deliver bad news or feedback, one theory is to begin with a positive, followed with the negative, then end on a positive.  A positive sandwich.  I’m not your traditional consultant – I prefer to get the bad out of the way immediately.

This bad in this post isn’t news (at least I HOPE it’s not new to anyone).  I saw this on Instagram, and I think you’ll agree this spotting method is never good: 

And now for the #strange but good. 🙂

Despite Because of my insane diet, I’ve managed a good deal of #strangebutgood recently.

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1. Airplane Protein Muesli Pudding

2 days after the trip I chronicled in yesterday’s Healthy Traveling Food post, I had to do it again.  This time I had a very early flight and brought breakfast on the plane.  A (recycled) container of muesli, protein powder, strawberries, and walnuts.

Before boarding, I asked the coffee shop for a larger glass so I could mix it up without spilling on the plane.  Once seated, I asked the flight attendant for some water to make it a pudding-like consistency.

Not too shabby… but I’m fairly certain the person next to me though I was insane. 

2. Chicken ‘n Pears

This was from before most of the fruit was cut from my diet, but I had to share because it was a very #strangebutgood breakfast!

I cubed some pre-cooked chicken and sautéed it was a diced pear in a quick sauce of low-fat coconut milk (NOT as good and the real thing), cardamom, and ground flax.  I had my doubts about this one, but it was pretty good… it would have been even better for dinner over some parsnip rice.

3. My New Brinner

This kind of goes with #2 above.  Brinner normally is breakfast for dinner.  Lately I’ve been eating dinner for breakfast.  At least that’s what it feel like when I’m eating chicken at 8am.

If you’re going to have to eat chicken at breakfast, I recommend my Cinnamon-Flax Chicken.  It almost make it like breakfast.  The roasted grapefruit on the side was fabulous, and I coated my no-sodium Ezekial toast with fantastically creamy new peanut flour combo.

Peanut Flour Spread

  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 2 T Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp butter vanilla extract (yes, this combo does exist – I found it at Home Goods)
  • 2-3 drops liquid Stevia

4. Chocolate Red Cabbage Ice Cream

The consensus last night on Instagram is that this is strange.  I can’t take credit for this strange idea though!  The Vitamix demo guy always makes a red cabbage “ice cream” when he’s at Whole Foods.  His doesn’t have protein (I think he just adds apple juice), so I’ve been making my own post-workout Chocolate Red Cabbage Ice Cream.

Once you get over the color, it’s really quite good.  You can’t taste the cabbage, and it adds a lot of volume so you feel like you’re eating a gigantic bowl of ice cream.

Chocolate Red Cabbage Ice Cream

  • 90g red cabbage (~1 C)
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp Guar Gum (optional, but adds creaminess)
  • 7-8 drops liquid stevia
  • Ice + water, to taste

Place everything in your high-speed blender and mix until creamy.

Notes:

  • If your protein powder isn’t very chocolate-y, try adding some coca powder or chocolate extract
  • You could do this in a smaller blender, but you need to be sure you cabbage is cut into small piece before blending. 

5. Lee’s Cauliflower Tuna Hummus

Lee @ In My Tummy was holding me to my idea to start a #strangebutgood link up… but I’ve been so busy with work travel and training that I haven’t been able to organize it.  Being the awesome blogger she is, she agreed to share her #strangebutgood creation anyway! 

Starting with a recipe for Cauliflower Couscous as the base, Lee funk-ed it up by adding tuna and hummus.  Brilliant!!!  From Lee: “It was surprisingly good!”

Totally trying this.

***

 I really am going to do the link up.  My competition is November 3rd and I hope to get myself together after that. #thebestlaidplans

Have you had any #strangebutgood items lately?

How do you prefer to give/receive bad news/feedback?

Healthy Traveling Food (BYOP)

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Operation Bring Your Own Protein (BYOP) is in full swing.

Keeping it clean while traveling is daunting.  Traveling while on a competition diet is downright terrifying.

When I realized I was going to have to fly to a client meeting at 3 weeks out from my competition, I immediately panicked started planning.  Eating 7 meals per day is hard enough without throwing airport security, conference rooms, and clients into the mix.

10 Healthy Travel Tips

I had to think about what I could transport, how I could keep it at a safe temperature (food poisoning isn’t the ideal way to cut pre-contest), and what I could do to avoid disrupting meetings when I needed to eat.

The packing process was simple.

I gathered all of the dry/room temperature foods and packed most of them in my suitcase.

The refrigerated stuff I measured out in advance and divided it into baggies.  This was my effort to avoid the last-minute panicked rush to get out the door.  All I needed to do was pull everything out and put it in a cooler when it came time to leave (the panicked rush still ensued… but food prep wasn’t the cause).

The following 8 meals were all eaten on the fly (tee hee).  I thought a meal-by-meal explanation would be easiest to follow, but there are bullets tips at the bottom if you don’t feel like reading the whole post (I know it’s long).

1. Airport Dinner

My flight was scheduled to depart at dinner time.  For this meal, I needed a protein, a carb, and 2 vegetable servings.  Of course, my flight was delayed… which was fine since it enabled me to spread out and eat dinner at the gate.

  • Chicken
  • Spinach salad (squirted with lime just before leaving the house)
  • Zucchini and celery sticks
  • Butternut squash cubes

2. Plane Snacks

No peanuts for me!  This meal required a protein and a vegetable.  I enjoyed homemade fro-yo.  The night before leaving, I mixed peanut flour, cinnamon, and a little Stevia into a single serving container of Greek yogurt.  Then I wrapped foil around it and stuck it in the freezer.

By the time I was ready for this snack, it had thawed just enough to be a fro-yo treat!  It was also dark on the plane – sorry for the fuzzy pic.

Added bonus: the frozen container helped keep my other items in my bag cool.

3. Dessert

I bought an orange, but spied apples in the hotel lobby and opted for that instead.  I made a peanut butter-chocolate protein “pudding” dip for my apple using protein powder, peanut flour, and water.  Stirred up in a hotel cup (I never use the glass cups – according to an ABC expose those are NOT properly cleaned).

4. Room Service Breakfast

The night before I filled out the breakfast order form and hung it on my door.  (Tip: time the delivery so that it also acts as wake up call.)  Breakfast consists of fruit, a protein, and a carb.  I request oatmeal prepared with water only (no milk, butter, or salt), fresh fruit, and coffee.  Pretty basic, right?

Then I request some special sides: ice water and tons of lemon (a cleansing way to start the day since I couldn’t bring my apple cider vinegar cocktail), and cinnamon.  Sometimes I ask for peanut butter too, but that wasn’t on the meal plan this week.

In my oatmeal went ground flax seed and protein powder brought from home, the hotel cinnamon, and blueberries from the fruit plate.  Brown is beautiful.

5. A Bathroom Snack

Meal 2 had to be eaten at an awkward time.  No one else in the meeting was eating, and I needed a protein and a fruit.  I packed my Curried Tuna Salad (sans apple) in a baggie.  It is delicious, but curry and tuna have a strong scent.

One of the benefits of being female is that I can bring my bag to the bathroom without anyone questioning me.  this is exactly what I did.  I camped out in the Ladies with my tuna and a fruit squeeze.  I promise it tasted better than it looks in that baggie.

6. Bringing In Lunch

Predictably, they ordered sandwiches for lunch.  I needed a protein, a carb, and a vegetable.  I can’t have “regular” bread or deli meat, so I brought my own carb and protein.  Curried chicken and butternut squash cubes.

I took a gamble that they would have vegetables and I was right.  Carrot sticks and celery, courtesy of the deli.

7. Taxi To-Go

My afternoon snack is a protein and a vegetable.  I had one last serving of chicken – this time it was an herbed flavor.  I saved celery to eat at the end of the trip, as it’s the most travel-friendly veggie.  It can take a lot of abuse!

8. Airplane Food Doesn’t Have to Suck

Well, it doesn’t suck when you bring your own.  I had a packet of low-sodium tuna, peanut flour, a seasoning packet, red pepper flakes (stolen from pizza day at my office), and previously frozen edamame.  In the airport I purchased a salad.  They didn’t have a plain one, so I had to throw out the deli meat.  I hate to waste, but what was I going to do with all that salty deli meat?

On the plane I assembled my meal.  From the flight attendant, I requested water to mix my peanut flour and seasoning.  I put the tuna and edamame on the salad, then drizzled my spicy peanut dressing on top.  Delicious and pretty!

The lady next to me was a sleep and didn’t even stir at the smell of tuna.  😉

See?  Not that hard, as long s you plan!

Here are the 10 things I keep in mind on every trip.

Top 10 Healthy Travel Tips

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

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***

It seems complicated at first; however, this process was really quite simple.  I have done it repeatedly, and use the same tips to pack for long work days and in-town conferences.

Do you have any travel tips to share?

What “kid” food do you buy for yourself?

Guest Blogging 101

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My cooler is packed, I’m ready to go…

 

 

Yes, this is a Rachel Ray bag.

I wouldn’t have done it… but it was the perfect size and isn’t too loud to bring into a business meeting.  #sorryimalittlesorry

Packing for this trip was a lesson in being prepared.  It didn’t take as long as you would think; doing a massive weekly food prep is the biggest time-saver I know.  It certainly saved me here – this is a pic of the 8 meals I’ll have to eat while on the road.  Normally I wouldn’t quite go to this extreme, but with just over 2 weeks until my first figure competition, I’m not taking any risks!

 

Shirt from Rawxies. 

 

I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks when I get back, but today we have a guest blogger!  My friend Kat will be doing a bi-weekly guest spot from now on.  I told her to write about whatever she wanted… so we’ll all be surprised together!  🙂

Seriously, I trust this girl.  She’s a HUGE inspiration when it comes to determination, athletics, and taking time to enjoy life despite being just a busy (maybe ever busier) than I am.  I’ll quite rambling and let her introduce herself.

Heeeeeeere’s Kat!

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I’ve never written a blog before, but I think I’m going to become a regular @ Laura’s Sprint to the Table. I don’t Twitter or Instagram, and I’m not great on Facebook, but I LOVE blogs.  When presented with an opportunity to do a bi-weekly guest blog for Laura, I couldn’t pass it up!

This is who I am:

 

My name is Kat, and I would say that I’m random and silly, overly outgoing, and I’m pretty extreme!

I live life to the fullest and I’m not sure I was ever taught how to do something in moderation (editor’s note: go big or go home!).  I’m a 3rd year law student (read—so busy I don’t know what to do with myself) with two part-time jobs.  I’m also an ultra runner, and triathlete (I say that, but I’ve only ever done two triathlons, both Half Ironman distance – note, extreme).  I’ve never run a marathon, but I decided to run a 50 mile Ultra in September.  I’m also in the middle of a 30 day yoga challenge—one class a day for 30 days.

That doesn’t sound extreme to you?  Then just try it!

 

 

I’m also a huge foodie! I love to eat out (a lot of times out of necessity), and cook at home (a real treat because of my busy schedule).  I also have a real talent for making the most randomly delicious meals and snacks, without spending more than 5-10 minutes in the kitchen.

Since this is an intro, I thought I would give you a brief overview of why I think I’m a great guest blogger for Laura’s Sprint to the Table! (Yes, I’m also modest…) <– editor’s note: add that to the list of things we have in common.

 

Ways we are alike:
  • Focus on fitness – for me it’s part of my daily life in some form or another
  • Love for all things foodie – we are both completely obsessed with greens and protein
  • Love for life
  • Very, very busy all the time!

 

Ways we are different:
  • I run long distances—extremely long
  • My main diet restriction is that I’m gluten-free (and NOT because it’s a trend—I need to be for my health!) 
  • I do yoga
  • I don’t lift any more (not since wrestling in college, really)

 

 

My goal is to show you how you can seemingly pack more hours in to a day by being hyper-efficient, get everything you want to get done, DONE, have a ton of fun, feel like wonder woman, and still sleep 8 hours almost every single night.  Yes, it’s possible!

I will probably bore you with my own “strange but goods,” my crazy training schedule, my amazing eat-out adventures, and random crap in between as I see necessary!

Oh, and I would love feedback as I get the ball rolling… since I’m such a newbie at this!

***

I need to make one of those popular “That moment” graphics saying “That  moment when you pull out a can of tuna during a meeting.”

Kat’s Questions:

Do you ever feel like you can’t fit it all into one week?!

When did you  last say “I’m too busy,” or “I don’t have time to run/workout/etc.”?

 

Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal” + WIAW

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Just when you you’re getting used to a “special” diet…

…you have to go on a business trip.

I actually like travelling for work.  Airports and hotels don’t phase me one bit.  Unless I’m 17 days from a figure competition and have a diet more strict than I ever thought possible.  Between the protein, super-clean eating, and max of 500 mg of sodium per day the trip I’m taking today has been a lesson in food prep.

#sorryimnotsorry

I’m hoping to put all this together for a fun post… but that requires me remembering to take pics tomorrow!  In the meantime, my friend Kat is going to write guest post for me tomorrow!  She’s awesome – a rockstar endurance athlete, avid foodie, and law student.  I think she unlocked the secret to adding hours to a day.

Kat is going to be doing a bi-weekly feature, so please drop by and say hi to her tomorrow when she introduces herself!

_________________________________________________________________________________

We’re still rolling with this month’s Halloween-themed  What I Ate Wednesday.  I did alright for breakfast and meal 7…. I’m not sure if the rest ties in, but it was delicious and seasonal!

Check out my “special” low sodium, high protein, super-clean eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how festive everyone else got this week!

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I downed a grapefruit while I waited for some deliciousness to cook (not that the grapefruit wasn’t delicious… but it can’t compare).

TVP Protein “Oatmeal” has become a low-sodium staple, but I’ve had this particular version 2 days in a row so far.  It’s vegan, gluten-free, protein-filled, and involves pumpkin.  What’s not to love?

The fall spiced TVP “oats” with a creamy protein pumpkin pie mixture swirled in… I can’t even describe.  It’s the most decadent deliciouness!  Full recipe is at the bottom. 

Meal 2:

As much as I’ve been making salmon and fruit mixes lately, I don’t know if I can still call them #strangebutgood.  Strange or not, this was a good mix!

In my not-so-strange but good mix: curried salmon, pepitas, blackberries, and arugula.

Meal 3:

It’s the steak of the sea again!  Swordfish has become a weekly staple for me.  This one I grilled with onion, Herbs de Provence, pepper, and lemon juice.  Eaten with sautéed asparagus and shiitakes, and 1/2 a sweet potato.  On a hippo plate ’cause I was a hungry, hungry hippo yesterday.

Meal 4:

So I braved raw chicken again.  Last night I grilled a bunch to bring for lunch this week.  As much as I hate touching it, I do like the taste when it’s cooked to perfection (read: not dried out).

I always prepare it 1 or 2 different ways.  That way I don’t have  a pound of chicken that all tastes the same.  This piece had onion powder, pepper, oregano, cayenne, and lemon juice.  Eaten with cucumber and carrots. dipped in a quick sauce made of nutritional yeast, paprika, and cumin.  Yes, I recycled the plate.

Meal 5:

Apparently Tuesday night is pizza night.  I’ve become addicted to making a “crust” out of Kamut flour (no sodium, relatively high protein).  I make it just like socca crust, adding whatever flavors I’m in the mood for.  Lat night I added garlic, rosemary, and paprika.

My Indian-ish Pizza:

  • Curried chicken
  • Mint ricotta spread 
  • Red onion
  • Fennel
  • Zucchini
  • Arugula

The ricotta mixture  of the week was simply fat-free ricotta with fresh mint, paprika, and a little water to thin.  Like last week, I sautéed the veggies before topping the pizza and sticking it under broil for a few mins.  That mint in the ricotta was awesome with the curry chicken!

Meal 6:

For once I wasn’t in to mood for something sweet yet!  Probably because I was up prepping food for a business trip.  (Holy mother of planning – travel on a “special” diet is interesting.  More to come on this strategic extravaganza.)

I made one of my favorite simple salads.  Arugula with asparagus tossed with lemon juice and freshly ground pepper.  The protein on top is swordfish (the same pre-grilled batch from lunch).  Three cheers for food prep.

Meal 7:

Guess who’s still under her sodium for the day.  THIS girl.  Woo hoo!  Make that day 2 of successful sodium control.  My reward was a Butternut Squash Pudding.

I mixed no-salt cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and mashed butternut squash with cinnamon, nutmeg, maple extract, and vanilla stevia.  Topped with melted cherries.  #strangebutgood

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Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal”

  • 1 serving TVP Protein “Oatmeal” (without the egg whites)
  • 2 T pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (1T)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cloves
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1.5 T water (or other liquid)

Cook TVP oatmeal as instructed here.

Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make your pumpkin pie “filling.”

Once TVP is cooked, transfer to a bowl and swirl in the pumpkin filling.  Top as desired (I used cinnamon and cacao nibs).

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 166.1g.  The all-important sodium count: 535.7mg (a little over, but I get some allowance for naturally occurring sodium in veggies).

Quick shameless plug: in case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post for another way to vary your workout.  It’s the 2nd in my “Work It Out” series!

Has anyone started tracking or cutting back on sodium since last week?  Is it harder than you expected?

What is your favorite food to pack for the road?

Strange But (Mostly) Good

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Strange is good, but not always.

 

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

 

I don’t know if I can get on board with this.  Maybe the Cinnamon & Sugar.  Pumpkin Pie Spice is really pushing it.  Certainly NOT the White Chocolate & Peppermint.

The Huffington Post agrees with my assessment.  They compared the Cinnamon & Sugar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  They couldn’t take more than a bit of the White Chocolate & Peppermint, calling it a “horrible abomination to humanity.”  These interesting chip flavors are set to debut in November.

 

Who am I to judge?  Some of you may think items on this Friday’s “Strange But Good” list are just as revolting.

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1. Banana-Cottage Cheese Toast.  With Bacon.

I mixed up some no-salt cottage cheese, 1/2 a mashed banana, cinnamon, peanut flour, and just enough almond milk to keep it from being dry.  Then I slathered it on top of a toasted piece of P28 High Protein Bread… and topped it with a teeny bit of crumbled bacon.

Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy.  This breakfast was everything I could want.  Clearly this was before the great sodium cut.

Side note: one of my favorite ATL chefs, Kevin Gillespie, now has an online show.  Check out “The Bacon Show.”

 

2. Dilly Salmon and Raspberry Salad

After the blood orange and curried salmon salad success I posted on Wednesday, I decided to keep going with the salmon combos.  This salmon was pre-coked in dill and lemon, them I shredded it and mixed it with raspberries, fresh basil, and crushed Marcona almonds.  Ah-mazing.

That bite from the raspberries was perfect with the salmon and the crunch factor from the almond sent me over the edge.  A healthy fat win.

 

3. Vegan Softserve with Sriracha

While Allie was in town last weekend, we hit up Dough Bakery, one of my favorite vegan spots in Atlanta.  They offer vegan softserve cups, cones, or shakes. I opted for the cone with sprinkles… and then I eyed the Sriracha left over from our biscuits.

Sweet and spicy… I wanted it to be better than it was.  It needed another component.  Maybe if it had been a sriracha chocolate sauce?  Strange… still mostly good.

 

They also had zombie cupcakes.  I refrained, but I had to share this picture of Halloween strange But Good-ness: 

 

4. Semi-Homemade Hotel Breakfast

PSA: The Homewood Suites in Ft. Worth, TX doesn’t serve oatmeal everyday.  They alternate them with grits (welcome to the South).

Luckily I had a BYOP (bring your own protein) back up plan.  I’m surprised the TSA didn’t take my bag with all the goodies I packed.

Into my bowl went:

  • 1/2 a mashed banana
  • Mini-box of Cheerios
  • 1 serving protein powder (pre-mixed with flax before I left)
  • Sugar-free syrup (first time I’ve seen that on a b’fast bar!)
  • Peanut butter

 

It wasn’t half bad!  I wish there was cinnamon, but the stuff they had was pre-mixed with sugar.  Remember to mash the banana first if you’re working with one bowl.  It gets messy if you try mashing with the cereal in the bowl (not that I would know…).

My awesome boss didn’t even blink an eye. 🙂

 

5. Vegan PB & Zeggs*

I know I posted this with the recipe on Wednesday, but I have to give it another shout out.  Since the loss of egg whites, I needed a new way to enjoy my PB& Jeggs creations.

Scrambled tofu is a great, low sodium alternative to eggs!  I am so in love with my Peanut Butter and Carrot scramble (PB& Ceggs)… naturally I had to try it with zucchini too.  New favorite Meal 6 is PB & Zeggs.

My only changes were to use grated zucchini in place of carrot and used almond extract in place of the maple.  Topped with extra cinnamon because I’m an addict it’s good for you.

*I suppose I should name this PB & Zofu… but that just doesn’t sound as good!

 

Bonus Round:

This is a bonus because I’m not telling you what it is until Monday!  Let’s just say it was delicious.  Any guesses?  2 hints: it was for Meal 2 on Thursday…. and it contained 20g of protein. 🙂

***

I’m thinking of hosting a bi-weekly (weekly?) “Strange But Good” round-up.  Would anyone be interested in participating?

Would you try those funky Pringles flavors?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten this week?

 

Herbed Eggplant and Tempeh Marinara Bake

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It’s a seasonal landmark.

 

I had to bust out the socks.  I woke up and it was only 60 degrees.  This may sound perfect to many of you, but I love the summer.  I’ll miss you, ballet flats.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong.  There are many thing about fall that I do love: football, boots with the fur, apples… and tomato sauce.

You can tell what season it is by looking at how I’m eating tomatoes.  In the spring, I’m eating salsa like a deranged Mexican.  In the summer I load up on Heirlooms – no recipe needed, just slice ’em fresh.  When cooler weather strikes, I want marinara sauce and red wine.

 

 

When Uncle Dude’s posted to twitter asking for people to try out their sauce, I jumped at the opportunity.  I am guilty of being a lazy sauce-maker.  It’s not hard to make from scratch, but more often than not I use something from a jar and add my own twist to it.

This particular sauce is called “Uncle Dude’s Ridiculous Marinara.”  With a name like that I had to try it!

 

 

Dude’s sauce is indeed good.  I especially love that they left nice chunks of tomato and onion in it.  It gave it a feeling of being homemade.  My only complaint is that it was a bit salty.  If you don’t have a low-sodium diet, you probably won’t notice.

Being homemade with fresh veggie pieces didn’t save it from my modifications.  This bake received as herbed twist with fresh rosemary , basil, and thyme.  I also topped it with a little nutritional yeast (it would also be good with freshly grated parmesean).  Finished with a thick, velvet-y aged balsamic that I scored on my trip to Italy last October.

 

 

This rich, herb-laced bake was served with a glass of my current favorite el cheapo wine: Apothic Red.  This wine runs about $10 a bottle and has a deep cherry flavor with hints of mocha on the nose.  It has a smooth finish with just a hint of spice.

 

 

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Herbed Eggplant and Tempeh Marinara Bake

  • 1 C marinara sauce
  • 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2 in rounds
  • 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1/2 small red pepper, diced
  • 2 servings (~150g) tempeh, crumbled
  • 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 T fresh thyme
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread 1/4 C of the marinara sauce along the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish.

Arrange the veggies, tempeh, and herbs in layers in the dish.  Top with remaining sauce, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins.  Remove foil and bake 15 mins more, or until veggies are tender and sauce is bubbling.

Make 2 large or 4 side portions.

***

Today I need full-body support socks.  Leg day with my evil trainer nearly killed me last night.  450 lb leg press?!  Really?!

What is your favorite fall meal?

Have you had to bust out the socks yet?

Leftovers + Love Your Liver Cleanse Recap

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People are always hating on leftovers.

They aren’t so bad!  They make great lunches for work, and you much know that last night’s pizza is best eaten cold while standing in the refrigerator door.

This post isn’t about pizza (sorry).  It’s about the tidbits leftover from the week that I wanted to share, but never found a spot in the belly of my posts for.  (See the leftover food tie-in?  Funny, right?)

1. My new favorite snack combo:

Blackberry Coconut Cottage Cheese

  • ~ 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 2 T unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 1 T coconut flour
  • ~1/4 c blackberries, sliced in half
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
  • 4-5 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Liquid Stevia
 Mix it all together, smashing the berries a big to release their juice.  Best enjoyed right out of the container. 🙂

2. Chilean late-night street food

It was a tasty adventure, but I’m still shocked I didn’t get food poisoning.  And I will never tell what time of night/morning this occurred.

Clockwise, Left to Right:  the line, a man cooking kabobs on a shopping cart, my sandwich being prepared, sandwich being shoved in my camera (they didn’t understand my need to take pics of everything).

I’m not sure what the sandwich it was, but it involved a delicious grilled bread with some sort of sketchy meat and lots of avocado.  Sold.

3. Guest posters are the best

I am forever indebted to my gracious guest-posters.  In case you missed any of them:

4. Travel Buddies

I don’t think I said it enough in all of the Chile recap posts, but these are the BEST travel companions in the world.  I have never spent so much time with such fun, laid back, drama-free women.

Julia and Katherine, thank you for a memorable, intoxicatingly fun, and sometimes bizarre (in the best way possible) adventure.

I can’t wait for our next excursion!!!

5. The “Love Your Liver” Arden’s Garden cleanse

I gave my live some love post-Chile trip.  Lindsay requested that I say a little more about my post-Chile recovery cleanse.  Here’s the basics from their website:

“Fatigue, depression, nausea, dizziness, and unexplained weight gain may indicate your liver needs some lovin’! This cleanse helps your body rid itself of toxins and cleanse the blood. The liver converts everything we eat and breathe into life-sustaining substances, while also filtering toxins at the rate of a quart of blood per minute.”

They give you the juices you need, and tell you when to drink what.  You are also told to drink as much water as possible.  Here’s the line-up:

  • 5 Multi-Max – afternoon snack was kale, spinach, cucumber, and celery
  • 3 Salad in a Glass – dinner was beets, carrots, celery, spinach, parsley, and cucumber
  • 3 pH Solution – breakfast (part 1) and mid-morning snack was distilled water, cucumber, celery, lemon, spinach, and parsley
  • 3 Apple – lunch
  • 2 Carrot (They only had 1 carrot, so I got a Carrot-Cocoa instead.  Poor me had to drink chocolate.) – this is breakfast part 2
  • 1 Pure Lemon – drink 2T with water first thing in the morning and again right before bed.

My favorite was the apple.  I used the Vitamix to turned it into an apple cider sorbet bowl (with some cinnamon):

The Multi was hard to choke down.  That just means it’s really good for you, right?  I added some cinnamon and Stevia.  It may be “cheating,” but you have to do what you have to do.

I was hungry the first day.  I cheated with salad with avocado and sunflower seeds at dinner.  After that I was used to the routine and didn’t suffer much from hunger pangs.

To get the full benefits, they suggest following the cleanse with two days of raw vegetables and fruits.  I mostly did that, with the exception of a much-needed casein protein shake.  This was a fabulous cleanse.  In 3 days I felt almost human; after the two raw days following I was back to 100%.

Added bonus: it tamed the sugar addiction that had been rearing its ugly head.

For more info, click here to visit the Arden’s website.

P.S. My sister’s band, Goose & Fox, is recording an album.  She begging for money via Kickstarter.  Click here to check out her project/video!  Here’s one of my favorite songs by the duo:

***

Ok – done with Chile for a bit.  Next week I’m back with a TON of recipes and an awesome giveaway!

Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  Did you like it?

Would you eat random street food in a foreign country?  Out of a shopping cart?

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