The family workouts continue!
There’s something especially satisfying about making your loved ones hurt.
We’re wrapping up some loose ends this week in Atlanta. I’m still enjoying my time at home and loving mom’s new digs.
We had a fun workout yesterday in her gym. She said I worked her harder than any of the trainers she’s worked with. Mwhahahah! Here’s what we did:
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If I ever move again, it’ll be too soon.
Fully aware I just cursed myself.
We are FINALLY done with moving my mom. It took 2 weeks and 3 storage units to move out of the house we grew up in. In 24 hours, mom’s new apartment went from this:
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The (Christmas) beet goes on.
I’m so festive-feeling that even I want to slap me.
But how awesome are red pancakes in the winter?! Especially with they’re delicious and trimmed in white.
Oh… and they have a not-so-hidden healthy ingredient. Beets lend their color to these festive ‘cakes. It’s strange, yes. But I’m telling you… it’s good!
I use the new Quest vanilla milkshake protein powder in my pancakes. It’s flavor really is fantastic, and it bakes like a champ. These tasted like a beet milkshake pancake. In a good way. Really….
What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?
Nach-yo cheese!
Today’s post isn’t about nacho cheese. It’s about cream cheese. However, if you know me you know that I love that joke. Any excuse to share. 🙂
We do have cheese today! Greek yogurt cream cheese. I buy mine from a local company called Atlanta Farm Fresh, but I’ve started seeing it from larger brands.
I’m not a big cream cheese fan, but I love the texture and the taste of the yogurt-based version. It’s less thick and rich – normally not a positive to me, but it always bothered me that cream cheese sort of sticks to your mouth.
I’ve been on a role using it for sweet and savory breakfasts, and for dessert. It may have resulted in some strange spreads, but they were good! Below are a few ways I’ve used it this week.
Prepare pancakes according to instructions. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Plate pancakes and slather with creamy, maple deliciousness.
In the Atlanta, we don’t have a lot of lox and it’s hard to find a good bagel. This is my Southern version of a New York classic breakfast.
Slice and toast tortilla and remove pre-baked salmon (mine was done with lemon and dill) from the fridge.
Mix together cream cheese, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Spread onto tortilla slices. Top with salmon and more red pepper flakes, if desired.
Prepare zucchini bread batter and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add water (or milk) slowly to reach desired consistency.
Spread atop the batter and top as desired.
I could have stopped there with the cherry a chocolate drizzle. But why?
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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It’s Friday and I have no plans for the weekend other than then gym tomorrow. I am elated.
Do you like cream cheese? Have you tried the Greek yogurt version?
What is your favorite dessert bowl topping? I’m all about the popcorn crunch!
Beautiful comes in all forms.
Much like diet, it’s personal!
There’s no right or wrong definition. When I heard about Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful competition aimed at getting women to set epic goals and prove themselves, I was really excited. You goal, your definition of what beauty is, is totally customized!
I immediately signed up, and I hope you will too! All you need to do is click here and enter some basic info, including what fitness goal you WILL accomplish. You can customize the top pic (like your Facebook header), join teams, and follow/encourage others!
To me, beautiful is embodied by spirits unwilling to settle for less than they are. Strong woman are beautiful to me, so of course that’s what my goal involves. 🙂
Check out my goal and challenges thus far here:
The competition is 100% personalized for you. There are mini-challenges you can participate in along the way, but you can choose those that apply to you.
You don’t have to do the challenges… but you might want to because there are prizes along the way (read: Under Armour schwag bags) and one BIG reward at the end: a trip to Costa Rica to attend a four-day yoga and surf retreat, complete with massages, spa treatments and healthy, locally sourced meals prepared by personal chefs!!!
Once you create your profile, I’d love it if you’d join my team: Team Fabulously Fit! There are four of us FitFluential Ambassadors headed it up. We have some diverse goals, but the underlying theme is healthy and fitness. We are super excited to cheer for you and motivate each other!
Our team includes: Lindsay @ Itz Linz, Melissa @ Treats With A Twist, Lindsay @ Cotter Crunch, and me!
The competition will be using the hashtags #whatsbeautiful and #iwill. Follow along both hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to stay motivated and dedicated to achieving YOUR goal!
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Don’t worry – we’re still going to talk about food today! My WIAW meals were right in line with the No Shit Diet principles. Including a little dinner indulgence. 🙂
Check out my eats and treats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see what delicious foods everyone else is enjoying!
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Per usual, I started my day with a cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).
Breakfast was a 2 course event today:
Atlanta Farm Fresh Greek yogurt is the best ever. I don’t know if you can get it outside of the Southeast, but you can check out their website and see! In Atlanta, you can find it in Whole Foods and Kroger.
Their plain is really good (I normally only eat plain Greek), but I couldn’t resist this in lieu of a fruit this morning: Strawberry Basil Balsamic. It’s as good as it sounds.
Part 2 was Toad in a Hole. Made with one of my local eggs and a slice of P28 protein bread. Topped with fresh basil, pepper, and red pepper flakes. #yolkporn
All of that deliciousness fueled one helluva spin class. Did I mention I don’t spin? This was my 3rd class ever. It kicked my butt. By the time I got home I was ready to eat ALL the foods.
I settled for a Carrot Cake Batter Shake: This is one of my favorites – it was the first time I’d used tofu in a smoothie, but not the last. Gives it the perfect texture!
I saw Janet’s post about Black Bean Tostadas and knew I had to make them immediately. I made a single serving, eliminated the salt, and added onion powder, turmeric, cilantro, lime juice, red bell pepper, and jalapeno.
It fell apart (probably due to the pepper), but it was delicious! I just ate it as crackers alongside my sea bass and broccoli slaw.
Then I had “dessert.” Roasted kabocha squash with coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and maple extract. Topped with a peanut sauce made from peanut flour, cinnamon, ginger, maple extract, water, and stevia.
I got my tickets. To the Gunshow! Chef Kevin Gillespie lead one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants, but recently left to do his own thing. Last night I got to try it out for the first time. The fact that it’s called Gunshow was just the icing on the cake.
This is an entirely new format for a restaurant – there are no servers and the kitchen and dining room are one. Everything is made fresh. There is no set menu, they aren’t concept-driven. The food served that day is based on what’s available locally and what they’re in the mood to cook. The kitchen brings the food out dim sum-style on a cart or tray as they finish the dish. The chef that made your food is also delivering it to your table and describing the dish. How cool is that?! One thing I love about cooking is seeing the reaction people have. That must be hard for a chef in a restaurant who’s trapped in a kitchen all night.
Gunshow Menu
Our group of 10 ordered one of everything. And it was all amazing.
My top 3 dishes: a goat cheese ball rolled in burnt bread crumbs with a house made strawberry jam, the braised short ribs, and the spring vegetables and ramps with bee pollen.
The great part was that after splitting all this among 10 people, we weren’t over-stuffed. Don’t get me wrong – I was full – but it was a happy amount of indulgence.
My friend Jessica had the description of the night:
The food spans such a spectrum and I love that [Kevin Gillespie] doesn’t box himself, or the other folks in the kitchen, into a defined style. I told someone tonight that it reminded me of a first date. Perhaps he was trying to impress and over time we may learn each other and reach a warmness and familiarity. I was impressed and even more excited that we have somewhere else to discover that is different, although not better
Jessica, Chef Kevin, and me
We had to try the desserts too! I would be hard-pressed to choose between the strawberry cheesecake (top pic) and Kevin’s great grandmother’s banana pudding (bottom right).
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Obviously #iwill be hitting the gym hard today! 🙂 Join our team by clicking here: Fabulously Fit, or just leave me your email in the comments and I can send invite to our team!
What’s your fitness goal? What WILL you accomplish?
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this week? Anything #strangebutgood?
Dessert Noir
Funny how all you guys seemed more interested in hearing about the dessert than the carrot salad. 🙂
Maybe because you were invested in it since I asked for help selecting the dish for Feast Noir???
In the end, I couldn’t choose between the tart and the brownies. The smoky almond crust spoke to me… but how can you NOT have chocolate for dessert? *insert look of horror*
The tart was awesome! My crust didn’t hold together as well as I’d have liked (I used 6 T of butter – I adjusted the recipe below to read 8T), but the flavor and creamy filling were right on.
Don’t let the smoked almonds scare you – they weren’t at all overpowering. I could only find salted, which worked well as long as you use unsalted butter. The crust perfectly complemented the sweet flavor of the graham crackers and strawberries, as well as the slight tang from the Greek-style yogurt.
For chocolate, I baked Lavender Brownies from The Sweet Life.
They were ok... I loved the lavender flavor, but the texture of the brownie wasn’t my favorite. I’m more of cakey brownie person and these were closer to the chewy variety.
I’d love to try these again with a few adjustments for texture.
Strawberry Smoky Almond Tart
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Keywords: bake dessert low-sugar vegetarian low-sodium greek yogurt strawberries almonds cream cheese July 4th tart spring summer
Ingredients (8-10 slices)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a food processor, combine graham crackers with the almonds and sugar. Mix until finely ground.
Add the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1/2 in up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 mins, until the crust is set.
Meanwhile, wipe out the food processor bowl. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, egg and agave. Process until smooth.
Pour the custard into the crust and bake for 15 mins, until set. Let the tart cool slightly and transfer to the freezer to chill. (Note: you can make ahead and store in the freezer for at least a couple of days.)
Spread the remaining 2 T of yogurt across the top of the tart. This will help to anchor the strawberry slices. Arrange the strawberries in a circular fashion over the custard.
Remove the ring, cut the tart into wedges, and serve.
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Ah, how I love dessert.
What is the best dessert you have made lately?
Do you try to “healthify” all desserts, or do you let treats remain full-fledged treats?
Last night I stayed up way to late watching the Oscars. I wasn’t amused until the very end.
Favorite dress was definitely Reese Witherspoon’s classic strapless:
Source: Fox News
Least favorite? Cate Blanchett. *shudder*
Source: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
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I did have 2 wins of my own yesterday:
Win #1:
America Gra-frutti: mayo-chream cheese-gluten- free pimento cheese
Peachtree Pimento - Spicy
Pimento Cheese by American Gra-frutti. No cream cheese. No mayo. Gluten-free. Only 60 calories for 2 T.
I typically do not like pimento cheese, but this was delicious.
Thank you, Whole Paycheck Foods sampler lady.
I had never heard of this gluten-free bakery before, but I look forward to trying more from them. No, I’m not gluten-free… but I do like good food. This was good.
And how cute is the company’s name!? Totally Oscar-appropriate.
Win #2:
My favorite maker of Greek-style yogurt, Atlanta Farm Fresh, now has a chocolate flavor!
Chocolate Rocket. In an amazing act of self-control, I have not tried it yet. But I guarantee it won’t make it through the night.
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Did you watch the Oscars? Who is on your best/worst dressed list?
