Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Lemon Cardamom Granola

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I’m a schwag whore.

 

 

Race expo bags, conference loot, free t-shirts, retreat goodies… you name it, I get excited.  You can imagine my eyes popped out of my head when I saw the gigantic bag ‘o schwag we were gifted at the Blend Retreat.  Lots of bars, cereal, Fitmixer Aminos, protein drinks, and even granola.

One of my favorite items was a lemon-blueberry granola by Nature’s Indulgence.  It’s loooong gone, but I still think about it.

 

 

When I saw this guest post on Lauren’s blog, I was excited to be able to combine those flavors once again.

I had to take liberties with the recipe, as my training diet doesn’t allow for the sugar.  You know what?  I don’t even miss it in this recipe!  A mashed banana helped to sweeten and bind the granola, and it lended a subtle fruit flavor since dried fruits are a no-no (pure sugar, people!).

 

 

Another twist I put on the original was to add a bit of cardamom.  You have to be careful with it – a little goes a long way – but a small amount added to sweet-ish recipes can elevate it to something uniquely delicious.

 

 

One of the things I liked the most about the Nature’s Indulgence version was the inclusion of millet.  It added a cool crunch to the texture.  I didn’t have any millet, but the chia seeds in my version to achieve a similar effect.

It is really fantastic sprinkled over a bowl of Greek yogurt with fresh plum and cinnamon.

 

Recipe at bottom.

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First a little round up from the blog world!  I sometimes worry that much of the stuff I make is too weird for anyone to actually try.  More often that not I end a description with “Its really is good, I swear!”

Because of this, I get unnaturally excited when you guys share your own iterations of recipes I’ve posted.  Here are a few recent shares from around the blog/Instagram world… they’re good, I swear!!!

 

Allie ordered her very own peanut flour and tried my favorite sauce combo: peanut four, almond milk, and sriracha:

 

 

Heather rocked out a vegan version of my Tiramisu Protein Parfait using a coconut whipped cream that looks absolutely scrumptious:

 

 

Ashley made this Protein Breakfast Tart that I adapted from Tessa… coincidentally, I made it again yesterday morning. 🙂

 

 

Lauren made my PB & Jeggs with a grilled PB&J after I told her of my childhood love.  I wonder if anyone will try this lightened up version posted yesterday. 

 

 

Last but far from least, Meg made my take on a Cauliflower Pizza Crust.  It turned out beautifully, and I love her runny egg on top!

***Since the original post, I’ve remade and improved upon the crust.  Based on feedback from others I realized the measurements needed to be more precise and detailed instructions.  Look for that update on Monday!***

 

Thank you to everyone who has tried a recipe and/or given feedback!  I love learning from you all. 🙂

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Lemon Cardamom Granola

  • 1 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 large banana, mashed
  • Zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1T coconut oil
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 10 drops NuNaturals Lemon Liquid Stevia
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

 

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until well-combined.

Spread the mixture evenly onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 mins.  Stir the granola and bake another 10 mins, until golden brown.  

Allow the granola to cool completely before transferring it to an air-tight container.

Note: If you don’t have Stevia, you can sub in 1-2T of your favorite liquid sweet treat (maple syrup, agave, etc.).

Makes 4 servings (1/4 C each).

Approximate nutritionals: 117 calories, 6g fat, 16.4g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 2g sugar, 3g protein

***

I’m attending y first show this weekend!  I can’t wait to see the figure competitors… it’s hard to believe that’s going to be me in a few months! 🙂

What is your favorite granola combo or recent blogger recipe?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

 

A Little Change Is Good

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I’m taking a vacation from food and wine…

… or I’m sure I will when I get back.  There’s really only so much red wine and rich food one can eat.  Who am I kidding… I’d keep going as long as my wallet would allow.

My girl Lauren can through with a post that is sure to inspire some fitness.  She certainly inspired me!  I couldn’t WAIT to meet her at Blend – any one that works full time and teaches 2 types of fitness classes is a hero to me.  The fact that she had a local brewery tour organized confirmed that we would be fast-friends.  Today she brings a guest post with one of my new favorite forms of exercise – Tabata.  I have a Pinterest board full of ideas, and Lauren has a few more for you here!

Hello! I’m Lauren, author of the blog Oatmeal After Spinning. I’ve been a loyal reader of Sprint 2 The Table for a while now, and was so happy to actually meet and hang out with Laura at the Blend Retreat last month (wow, Laura – can you believe it’s been a month??).

Like Laura, I’m a big fan of good food, wine + beer and a great kick-butt workout. But, I have to admit – I’m a creature of comfort. I tend to fall into a comfortable routine and just stay there, because, well… it’s just easier that way.

I’m a Spinning and Bodypump instructor, and teach a minimum of 4 days a week (with back to back classes on two of those days). Because of that, I kind of got stuck in the same routine. On the days that I wasn’t teaching, I would usually just go zone out on the elliptical for an hour, since that didn’t take a lot of mental energy as compared to teaching a group exercise class. I was doing the same thing, week after week, and not noticing too many positive changes in my body.

While at the Blend Retreat, I participated in two bootcamp style classes. I had done similar workouts before, but had forgotten how much I loved them! I loved that I could get such an intense workout in a shorter amount of time – and that it was fun!

The fitness part of the bootcamp is really great. There’s a new workout posted each morning, and each is less that 30 minutes. I’ve been learning so many great new exercises through the program, and will continue with using many of the workouts long after the 12 weeks have ended.

My absolute favorite “new to me” discovery is Tabata style workouts. Tabata is a style of high-intensity interval training. The goal is to work at an extremely high level of intensity for a short amount of time. Each exercise is performed in a 4-minute interval, which consists of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 8 times. There’s a good article on Shape.com here.

You could add 1 or 2 Tabatas onto a regular workout routine, or do a combination of them for your entire workout. The FitMixer bootcamp combines 5 Tabatas together, with one minute of rest in between each for a total of 25 minutes. And let me tell you- that 25 minutes is all you need!

I’ve even started creating Tabata workouts of my own to do before I teach class. I like a combination of different exercises that hit all of the major muscle groups, like this:

  1. Squat Jumps
  2. Push Ups
  3. Burpees
  4. Supermans
  5. Mountain Climbers

Editor’s Pictorial Note:

These types of workouts are really great for anyone who is short on time (and who isn’t?) or wants to constantly change up their routine. I’ll tell you from experience (from someone who is quite guilty of this) it feels great to break out of my comfort zone!

***

Actually, I may do this in my hotel room today… 50 seconds on, 10 seconds rest is my fav “strategy.”

Do you like Tabata-style workouts?

What is your favorite body-weight move?  Burpees?  I love-hate them.  So effective, but so painful.

Habit Formed

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Hiking is habit-forming.

Ever since the awesome hike in Boulder at the Blend Retreat, I cannot get enough!

This weekend I took off for North GA to a place called Tallulah Gorge with Heather, Kirk, Lindsay, and Nancy.

The gorge is a 2 mile long, 1000 ft deep canyon about 90 miles north of Atlanta.   They even have a suspension bridge and  a sliding rock!

Photo Credit: Heather/Kirk

After the crazy hike to the bottom (think lots of sliding down rocks on my butt), we were wishing we’d thought to bring swimsuits so we could use the rock waterslide!

Next time it’s on.

See the bottom right pic in the collage above?  That’s a snake skin.  Snakes are the only downside to hiking…

One 4 mile round trip and about a million stairs later, we were STARVING.  Like good bloggers, we already had a lunch spot picked out.  By we I mean Heather.  Anytime she picks a place you know it’s going to be good.  Grapes & Beans (not to be confused with frank and beans) in Clayton, GA was no exception.

Small town cafes can be surprisingly good!  They had a gorgeous patio where we ate while listening to jazz music.  As an appetizer we shared a delicious curry hummus (hummus + curry = win).  For my entree I had a portobello pita sandwich with mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, and herb-garlic tofu dressing.

Yes, the dressing was as good as it sounds.

Wednesday I leave for Argentina.  Exercise there will consist of mostly sight-seeing/walking/jogging.  I love my weight though, so these next few days I’m going to squeeze in some good strength training workouts.

This past week I had a decent week of workouts on top of the hike, so I treated myself to a rest day Saturday.  I’m beginning to appreciate their value, and so is my body.

Workout Recap (5/28- 6/3):

  • Monday – 4 mile run/walk, Back, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – Personal trainer (full body), 5 mile run/walk with Carol
  • Wednesday – Bis/Back with plyo, 3 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Shoulders with plyo, 3 mile run/walk 100 push-ups
  • Friday – 3 mile run, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – REST
  • Sunday –  4 mile hike, 100 push-ups

***

Having worked 60+ hours in the past week, I’m so ready for vaca that it almost hurts.

Are you afraid of snakes?

Do you take rest days regularly?  Have you found them beneficial?  I need encouragement.

An Accidental 7 Mile Hike

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What started out as a 4 mile hike turned into 7.

I was so inspired by the hike we took during the Blend Retreat that I couldn’t wait to explore some of Georgia’s trails.  My partner and crime and I took off for Kennesaw Mountain, the scene of a few bloody Civil War battles.

Despite it’s history, the mountain is quite beautiful.  The views of the skyline along the way are stunning, and you run across several historical sights, structures, and cannons.

Naturally, I had to pose on a cannon labeled “keep off.”

We wandered about, having a great conversation.  Such a great conversation that we almost missed seeing a deer!  She literally ran right across our path!

We were following our intended trail as best we could without much signage.   Well, without much useful signage.  We missed the first turn off for our planned loop.  Oops.  

See the pic below?  Those arrows didn’t appear to be pointing to any logical paths.

Thankfully, we had provisions – the extra 3 miles weren’t so bad after all.  In fact, I’d like to do it again and make a 10 mile loop!

A few saving-graces:

1. We were well-rested.

2. Provisions were provided (thanks Blend Retreat goodies – that ProBar hit the spot!).

3. I invested in trail running shoes.  They aren’t hiking boots but the extra traction was perfect for me.

4. My ego is huge.  There is no way I’d ever a) admit to taking a wrong turn or b) give up.

5. Amino Energy.  This stuff works.  I swear by it. Post Cinco de Mayo, thankyouverymuch.

 

***

Always a glutton for punishment, I’m going hiking again this weekend!

Do you like to hike?

Have you use BCAAs or other “workout” supplements before?  Who has ‘roid rage?

Five is for Friday

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It’s been a crazy, crazy week. 

Here are 5 things I’ve been meaning to share with you, but just ran outta time…

1. Blend Retreat Recap Round-Up

The hardworking organizers have collected all of our recaps (click here for mine) on the Blend Retreat in Boulder, CO!  Check them all out by clicking here.  There are some great ladies in this group  you might just discover a new favorite blog. 🙂

2. Protein Peanut Butter Sauce

I’ve been using peanut flour to slather my baked (errr… frozen….) goods lately.  It’s also good by the spoonful.  Not that I would know.

Protein Peanut Butter Sauce

  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 C almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (or syrup, to your liking)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional, I just love cinnamon)
  • 1-2 drops liquid Stevia
  • Shake of salt
Mix it together and pour it over the treat of your choice!

3. Coconut Noodles

One more Food & Wine Festival mention then I swear I’ll shut up.

Saturday I attended a session with Bryan Voltaggio (remember Bryan and his brother, Micheal, from Top Chef?).  they have a restaurant in Maryland called Volt.  If I’m ever in the ‘hood, I will be sure to stop by this place.  Dude made a funked-up version of strawberry short-cake.  He MICROWAVED the cake (I thought only bloggers did that?!).  Then he made a granola with strawberry puree and a mini ice cream-coconut doughnut with dry ice… but the coolest part…

He made noodles from coconut and agar agar using syringe and a piece of piping!  Check out the noodle-pushing-through-a-syringe shot in the top right pic below.

It’s things like this that warrant the glowing praise our fest received from Josh Ozersky of TIME and Every Day with Rachel Ray:

“There are a lot of food festivals these days. There is a very classy one in Aspen; there is a rocking one in South Beach… having just got back from Atlanta, I am ready to say that there is only one indispensable event, and that is it. The reason is obvious: the south is the new capital of gastronomy in America.”

4. I have an addiction.  

I wasn’t home long enough to warrant a full grocery store trip (I’m actually writing this from the Sky Club right now), but I HAD to stop to buy this mid-week: 

 

Green smoothies are my crack.  And that’s not whack.

5. Stand up and WALK!

Lastly, this is the article I will use to convince my boss I need a walking desk.

Source: Treatment Online

Gretchen Reynolds, the New York Times Phys Ed columnist recently published a book, The First 20 Minutes, about the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

The previously recommend 30 minutes of exercise per day may not be enough to ward off the dangers of sitting on your arse at a desk all day.

Reynolds says “Sitting for long periods of time… tends to cause changes physiologically within your muscles.  You stop breaking up fat in your bloodstream, you start getting accumulations of fat.”

She suggests that you make it a goal to stand for two minutes every 20 minutes that you’re chained to a desk.  Studies have shown that merely standing can have an impact on how your body responds physiologically, even decreasing your chances of getting diabetes!

***

I’m excited for sleeping in, a hike date, and 2 softball games this weekend!

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Do you have a sedentary job?  How do you combat the effects?

Blender-Free Blend WIAW

By

A Blend weekend (ironically) meant I actually ate nothing blended.

 

You don’t realize how addicted you are to morning green smoothies until you don’t have it.  Starting your day with carbs vs. greens feels different… not that I didn’t enjoy the spread we were treated to.  It was an epically fabulous departure from my norm. 🙂

 

The only thing that could have made last weekend better was if my girl Jenn @ Peas and Crayons had been able to come.  My What I Ate Wednesday this week is all about What I Ate at Blend.  Dedicated to Jenn, since we missed her so.

 

Check out my eats below; then click here to see what everyone else enjoyed for WIAW.

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Breakfast:

No smoothies, but it was fruit-filled!  We had mangoes, blueberries, strawberries, and the best pineapple I’ve had this season.  All of that plus some almond butter made for a killer oatmeal bowl.

 

 

I couldn’t decide what to have, so I went back for round 2.  Those muffins you see were homemade by the Xagave crew – the carrot muffin (let’s be honest – it was a cupcake) was out-of-this-world.

There was also a lot of tasty fuel provided by Green Mountain Coffee.  I really loved the Double Black Diamond blend!

 

 

Lunch:

Local joint Mountain Sun was our lunch destination on Saturday.  We showed up with a huge group that was ravenous from a 4 mile hike.  Most restaurant staff would have run screaming from the building, but these guys were so cool.  Lauren and I knew we were in love with this spot when the bartender said she LOVED giving people beer tastes.  *swoon*

 

 

After finally selecting a beer (a pale ale called “Kind“), we sat down to order.  Just when I thought the place couldn’t get better we found out that they have a hummus of the day (rosemary – it was delish) AND the server actually encouraged us to make modifications.  Ashley and I split the special Cinco de Mayo burger and subbed the meat patty for the veggie.

 

 

The East Coast crew was still adjusting to the time zone, so we ran next door to the The Cup for double espressos.  They came with the cutest mini biscottis!

 

Snacks:

Beer counts as a snack, right?

Lauren and her hubby hipped us to a great local brewery called Avery.  This place was awesome – 21 beers on tap, $1 for a 4 oz taste, and a delicious menu.  We came, we toured, we tasted.

 

 

See the bottom left pic?  Those are sweet potato tater tots.  And that dip?  Super-star Heather had them blend hummus and avocado together and then topped it with hot sauce to make us an amazing dip.

Dinner:

We stopped in at Rio Grande to get our obligatory Mexican fill.  Honestly, I wasn’t even hungry at this point… but Cinco de Mayo isn’t complete without fajitas!  And margaritas.

It may be a chain, but I was impressed – the vegetarian fajitas came with an incredibly tasty grilled Portobello mushroom and grilled zucchini.

 

 

Aaaaaand… maybe some tequila shots.  Disguises have been added to protect the identity of the not-so-innocent.

Gotta celebrate new tattoos.  No, I didn’t get another… I won’t let the cat out of the bag as to who did.  It looks good though. 🙂

***

I miss you, my Cinco de Blenders!!!  (P.S. I can’t remember who took these group shots… please claim them and I’ll give credit!!!  Sorry…) 

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

Do you eat greens in the morning?  Would it throw you off to switch it up to carbs? 

 

Blends for Life

By

Blogger + Friend = Blend.

 

Blend 2012 was one of the BEST weekends I’ve ever had.  This past weekend ~70 women descended on Boulder for a weekend of fitness, food, and FUN.

 

Me and Heather, post-boot camp

 

Tina, Heather, and I took off from Atlanta Friday afternoon to attend the Blend Retreat.

I’d only met a two of the non-ATL attendees in “real life” before, but I can honestly say that I ended the weekend with several new close friends.  It was one of those experiences where you meet someone and feel like you’ve known them forever (I’m pretty sure Heather is my soul mate.)

 

 

Armed with drink tickets and cupcakes, we kicked of the weekend with a group dinner.  Right away it became obvious that is was going to be a laid-back, drama-free weekend.

It also became clear that we were going to blow up Instagram. #blend2012

 

Here's to new Blends!

 

My table-mates

Right to Left: Greg, Lauren, Kelly, Heather, Core Power, Fitmixer reps,Elizabeth, Me, Caylee, and Christine. Photo courtesy Janetha.

 

Both mornings we woke up to an hour-long boot camp.  Day 1 was led by Tina and Lindsay (check out the workout here on Tina’s blog).  Day 2 was led by one of our sponsors at Chobani.  Both days kicked my butt… but Fitmixer’s Amino Acids drink helped us power through.

This view didn’t hurt either:

 

 

Saturday we took a casual 4 mile hike on the Flat Irons up a trail called Royal Arch.

It lead us to the top of this beauty:

 

Flat Irons

 

It took a little climbing, huffing, and puffing…

 

Unbelievably no one wiped out on the way down!

 

The view at the top was well-worth the climb (and post-climb soreness).  I wish I could do this every weekend!

 

We made it!!

 

Know what else is worth it?  A post-hike snack of Coconut Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough Nutty Butter, homemade by your FoodBuzz roomie/fellow weird food-living buddy, Sarah.

 

Me and Sarah

It really does taste like cookie dough. Be verrrry jealous.

 

After much-needed showers, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for those fun stories.  Let’s just say that there was tequila shots and a tattoo involved… 😉

 

You guys know I’m not a crier, but when as our taxi pulled away from the cabins on Sunday I may have felt a little lump in my throat.

 

Until next year, my friends...

 

I do have one problem after the weekend… what am I going to do with all this schwag?!  Oh wait… I’ve already eaten a lot of it…

 

 

***

Thanks to Lindsay, Janetha, and Katie for pulling off an incredible retreat.  You guys wore me out so thoroughly that I actually took a rest day.

Have you ever met online/blogger-friends in “real” life?

Do you like to hike?  What’s the best trail you’ve been on?

 

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

By

It’s hard to believe it’s almost Cinco de Drinko Mayo.

I didn’t actually realize it until I saw someone else’s blog post.  Maybe that’s why I’ve been craving Mexican lately?

This concoction is an unexpectedly Mexican combo, but a tasty one.  My pineapple was perfectly golden to the top, meaning it was on the sweet side.  That sweetness was wonderful with the earthy beets.

The colors were nice too – pretty food tastes better!

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

You can use pre-cored pineapple from your grocery store, but I recommend buying pineapple whole.  Whole pineapples always intimidated me in the past because I wasn’t sure how to tell if it was ripe.

Then I found a fool-proof method.

There are 2 ways that – in combination – I have found to be fool-proof:

  1. Color: A ripe pineapple should be golden in color.  Yes, there will be some green, but there should be gold forming, particularly at the base (the sweetest part of the pineapple).  The further up the gold, the sweeter the fruit.
  2. Leaf: You should be able to fairly easily remove a leaf from the crown of the pineapple.  Some say this is a myth, but has never steered me wrong.

Pineapple and Beet Salad

Cumin, red pepper, and a pinch of cinnamon give the salad its Mexican taste.  The cilantro and the lime juice on top set it off and balanced the stronger spices.  (If you don’t like cilantro, parsley would be an excellent sub here.)

Note: I didn’t include the measures for any of these because… well, you don’t really need them.  Make as much or as little as you like, as adjust the spices to your tastes.  I piled on the cilantro and the red pepper flakes.

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Mexican Pineapple & Beet Salad

Mexican Pineapple and Beet Salad

  • Pineapple
  • Beets, roasted
  • Cilantro
  • Cumin
  • Cinnamon
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Pepper
  • Fresh lime juice

Peel and core the pineapple and cut into half-moon slices.  Slice beets into rounds.

Arrange in layers on a plate.  Sprinkle with each of the spices, adjusting flavors to your palate.

Top with cilantro and fresh lime juice.  If it’s available, crumbled cotija cheese would also make a nice addition here.

***

I am realllly looking forward to Cinco de Mayo this year because I will be hanging with some of my favorite bloggers at the Blend Retreat!

Are you going to Blend?

Do you have a secret for determining if a certain fruit is ripe?

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