Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Healthy PB&J French Toast

By

PB&J isn’t just for kids.

 

Confession: I ate that or a bologna sandwich for lunch every single day from K-5th grade.

To this day PB&J is one of my favorite sandwiches.  One might even say It’s my jam.  I pass on bologna though.

My mom used to make grilled PB&J.  She buttered the bread, and the peanut butter would get all runny and hot… it was pure awesomeness.  Something about a mamma-made sandwich just taste better, right?

Mom also used to make this incredible french toast on homemade sourdough bread.  She’d make it in the morning and bring it up to my bathroom as I was getting ready for school (yes, I realize how spoiled lucky I was!).  I’ll never know how i wasn’t obese.

This recipe combines two of my favorite things, transforming a couple of less-than-healthy childhood treats a guilt-free breakfast.

PB&J French Toast

 

Lightening up this combo-treat doesn’t mean it’s less delicious.  The PB&J part takes a little creativity, but it can be done!  I replaced jam with a homemade version by mashing and then heating fresh raspberries.  The peanut butter is a low-fat, high-protein peanut flour creation, and – even better – the bread is high protein too!

The French toast part was easier to lighten up – all you really need to make it are egg whites.  You could eat it open-faced with the PB&J as your only topping.  Or you could go all the way and add syrup.  For me, French toast requires (sugar-free) syrup.  Go big or go home. 

Note: I realize a lot of sugar-free syrups have scary stuff in them.  I recommend trying to find one sweetened with Stevia or Xylitol (check your health food store!) if sugar-free is important to you.

PB&J French Toast 2

 

This may look like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together quickly.  I get my toast ready and place it in the pan to cook while I mix up the PB&J.  I had this done in 10 mins, max.

If you haven’t tried peanut flour yet… I cannot recommend it enough.  Peanut flour is simply defatted peanuts in powder-form.  Super high in protein and they don’t add the sugar and sodium that PB2 has.  It can be ordered online through iHerb.com.  Use discount code USO924 for up to $10.00 off any order!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

PB&J French Toast

PB&J French Toast

For the Toast:

  • 1 large or 2 small slices of bread
  • 1/4 C egg whites
  • 1/8 C water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 5-6 drops liquid Stevia (or other sweetener)

 

For the Jelly:

  • 1/4 C raspberries
  • 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
  • 2 drops lemon liquid stevia (optional)

 

For the Peanut Butter:

  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 2 T liquid
  • 1 tsp ground flax
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 2-3 drops vanilla liquid stevia

 

For the Toast:

In a wide bowl, beat together egg whites, water, cinnamon, extracts, and sweetener.

Over medium-low heat, heat pan coated with a thin layer of oil or PAM.

Place the bread into the bowl, letting it soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side.

Transfer bread slices to pan, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown.  Turn and brown the other side.

 

For the Jelly:

In a small bowl, mash berries until only small pieces remain.  Add sweetener and gum (if using), and mix together.

Microwave until warm, ~10 seconds.

 

For the Peanut Butter:

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.

 

Plate the toast and top with your PB&J.  Add syrup, if desired.  Devour.

***

Apparently I’ve been on a French toast bender.  The Hummus French Toast and now this.  I guess mybody knew it wouldn’t be having this again until after the competition!  There will be NO asparagus toast. 😉

What did you eat for lunch in elementary school?  Do you still eat it today?

Have you even had homemade bread?  It’s divine.

 

Mango-Coconut TVP Oatmeal + WIAW

By

Can there be too much of a good thing?

I’m not sure I could tire of dark chocolate.

How about Nutella?  Can you imagine having 5.5 tons of it?  Thieves in Bad Hersfeld, Germany have made away with a trailer loaded up with just that much of the hazelnut-chocolate-y crack spread.  According to this report, that’s about $20,700 of Nutella.

nutella stolen

Seriously.  What would you do with all that nutella?  What are they going to do with it?!  More importantly… will this cause a shortage? 😉

___________________________________________________________________________________

On to healthier, less-alaming things.  It’s WIAW time!  This is probably the last day of normal (for me) eats pre-competition.  Cheat days are gone and I’m back to being super-strict.  How do people do this for 16+ weeks?!

WIAWbutton

Check out my 7 low-sodium, protein-filled meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how more normal people are eating!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Meal 1:

This morning I woke up SORE.  After getting my workout mojo back, I’ve been hitting the gym hard.  After my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) I talked myself  into an include treadmill walk.  I promised myself I’d only go for 20 mins to work out the soreness.  Well, once I got started I realized I was feeling MUCH better and did 40 mins!

That’s not to say that I didn’t spend the entire walk thinking about breakfast.  I was dreaming up something tropical and full of flavor.  Mango-Coconut TVP Oats.  I added coconut and butter extracts, then imagined I was on an island.

Mango-Coconut TVP Oatmeal

I can’t remember who suggested it, but adding a little baking powder to the original recipe made these nearly double in size.  I’m a volume eater, so I was in heaven.  Recipe at the bottom.

Meal 2:

This was so awkwardly timed.  I had posing practice so I didn’t wan to do that on a full tummy, but I was doing a leg day after which I refuse to do on an empty tummy.  So I scarfed this down between the two.  I’d recommend a little more time for digestion before 4 sets of 25 ass-to-the-grass barbell squats.

Shredded chicken with raspberries and pepitas.  And black pepper.  It’s good.  Really.

Chicken and raspberry salad

Meal 3:

I’ve seen Sarena do this for so long, I finally had to try it.  Cinnamon-roasted kabocha squash topped with vanilla protein powder “sauce.”  OF course, I had to #strangebutgood-ify mine up by making the protein green.  I blended it with spinach and maple extract.

You can’t taste the spinach… I don’t think my trainer believed me.  Whatever.  It was just the thing to take for a quick protein + carb shot after a killer leg day.

Kabocha squash and green protein sauce

Meal 4:

Is it weird to crave chicken?  I did.  Shredded chicken with green onion and diced cucumber.  I tossed it in a quick nutritional yeast dressing (nooch + apple cider vinegar + cumin + red pepper flakes).

Chicken + Cucumber Salad with nutritional yeast dressing

Meal 5:

I have “tested” this dish more than any recipe I’ve posted on this blog.  I think I finally got it right tonight!!!  And I took pics.  Recipe will come verrrry soon (read: as soon as I can motivate to edit said pics).

It’s an Indian curry.  I shared it with a friend, who gave it her stamp of approval. 🙂

Indian Curry

Meal 6:

I missed my salmon today!  Normally I like it with fruit for meal 2, but I definitely couldn’t do seafood right before squats (trust me – that is less-than-pleasent if it burps back up… TMI?).  Anyway, I decided to have evening salmon.

Sautéed portabello mushroom, red pepper, nutritional yeast, and salmon (pre-cooked during the Sunday food-prep with lemon and dill).

Salmon with mushrooms and red pepper

Meal 7:

I was conflicted tonight.  I needed more carbs, so it was a good night to try the baked chocolate chip Quest bar I’ve been seeing everywhere.  But I also wanted cottage cheese.  So I went half and half.  Turns out that was brilliant because I still have the other half of that bar to eat – it was AMAZING!

My cottage cheese was mixed with cocoa powder, vanilla, a little stevia, and cinnamon.  Topped with strawberries.

Cocoa cottage cheese and baked Quest bar

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mango-Coconut TVP Oatmeal

Mango-Coconut TVP Oatmeal

  • 1/3 C Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
  • 3/4 C water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp coconut extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • Stevia (or other sweetener), to taste
  • 1/4 C egg whites
  • 1/8 tsp no-sodium baking powder
  • 1/2 mango
  • Unsweetened coconut, toasted

Add TVP, water, cinnamon, extracts, and stevia to a small pot.  Stir, and bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Cook about 5-6 mins, or until liquid is mostly absorbed.

Reduce heat to medium.  Pour in egg whites and baking powder.  Allow to cook for 2-3 more mins, stirring frequently so that the egg doesn’t form chunks.  The mixture will become voluminous.

Scoop into bowl and add mango and toasted coconut (I toasted mine in a pan with a bit of coconut oil).

Note: For a vegan option, add a flax egg or simply leave the egg out.

***

Diet changes come tomorrow.  No more cheat days.  Reality has set in… I will be walking across a stage in stripper heels and a bikini in a month.  Ack!

What would you like to have 5.5 TONS of?

What have you learned not to eat before a workout?

Spring is Marvelous

By

Something about Spring makes life better.

 

Until the pollen hits.

Last week I was in a bit of a funk.  It was rainy and cold, I was tired… but spring arrived just in time for the weekend!  I want to carry over this weekend weather high into the week, and Katie’s Marvelous in My Monday link up is my favorite way to focus on the good and start the week out right!

Marvelous Monday

Almost everything involved the outdoors – something I’d forgotten how much I love!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

There’s only one right way to start the weekend – pancakes!  I made Heather’s Peanut Butter Cookie pancakes and topped them with a fresh strawberry sauce.  My only change to her recipe was to omit the rice flour and reduced the liquid to 1/3 C.  They were perfect!

With the spring berries on top, it was like PB&J cookies for breakfast.

Peanut Butter Cookie Pancakes

 

Those pancakes fueled the best workout I’d had in DAYS.  This week in the gym I had just not been feeling it.  I’d be half way through a workout coaxing myself with post-workout foods if I finished.

Not only did I have a great shoulder/glute day in the weight room, but I was feeling so good I decided to run some sprints before heading home.  Those sprints are great for the glutes and I could feel it the next day!

Carrot Cake Smoothie

After than calorie torch, I made myself a massive Carrot Cake Smoothie… I needed some cool-down fuel because I then met Carol and her puppy for a 6 mile walk in the park!

I don’t know how we walked so long – I was already tired.  We just started talking and the time FLEW by!

piedmont park

 

We parted ways and I headed home for a (much-needed) shower before meeting a friend for dinner.

I don’t know about you, but my #1 favorite thing about spring is patios.  Sitting outside with my flip-flops on, a teensy sunburn, and a margarita makes me happy.  Simple pleasures.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday I woke up early (read: before 9am on a weekend) to play softball.  We won both games!  Our team is undefeated in a men’s league.  Hahaha! 🙂

I didn’t have time to make Sunday morning bacon… but my favorite meat-treat still managed to make a cameo.

Bacon socks

 

Sunday is also my grocery store and meal prep day.  I hauled my sweaty, dusty self (#sorryimnotsorry) to the farmer’s market and Whole Foods for the weekly stock up.  No real diet changes yet, but the competition is coming up fast and next week it will be lock down time.

Despite having bags of groceries from 2 stores, I made it up to my condo in one trip.  I saw this on Pinterest, which perfectly captures the moment.  Please tell me I’m not the only person who is this stubborn:

two trips

 

I also bought myself flowers.  Flowers go a long way in brightening up my week, especially when I work from home.  It’s nice to look over and see their natural brightness after staring at a computer screen for hours!

Besides, if I waited for someone else to do it I’d be waiting a looong time. 😉

 

Another favorite of mine in the warm weather is watermelon.  After a long 2 days in the sun, I was happy to have a refreshing watermelon salad… and finally, my Sunday bacon.

Sweet, salty, and a little earthiness from the beets.  It’s the perfect spring salad!  #strangebutgood

_______________________________________________________________________________________

watermelon bacon & beet salad

Watermelon, Beet, & Bacon Salad

  • 1 C watermelon, diced
  • 1/4 C beets, roasted and diced
  • 2 strips crispy bacon
  • Cilantro, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

***

My teensy sunburn got worse on Sunday.  I forgot that with spring comes the need for sunscreen.  #fail

Do you ever buy yourself flowers?

What is your favorite part about spring?

 

Economic Woes + WIAW

By

Today I am going to complain about an improving economy.

Yes, I’m finding a dark cloud despite the fact that my condo value may actually one day recover.

As the economy got worse and worse, I noticed a positive.  The service at restaurants was improving!  Servers were more polished and professional, and they were able to speak intelligently about the menu.

Recently this pleasant restaurant experience has come to a halt.  Read more for an (extreme) example and my theory.

An Example:

Kat (my good friend and frequent guest post-er here) and I went to dinner for her birthday at the nicest restaurant in Atlanta, Bacchanalia.  If my meal is going to be over $100, it damn well better be flawless.

bacchanalia bar

The bartender was clueless about the wine program.  To his credit, he sent another – presumably more knowledgable – employee over to speak with us.  That would have been fine is the second guy had been knowledgable.

Server #2 didn’t know several of the bottles I inquired about, and then I had to correct their menu.  They had listed an Amarone as being from Barolo.  It’s from Valpolicella.  I’ve been there.  Amarones are my favorite.  At first he tried to tell me I was wrong, but he did come back over to admit the mistake.  Don’t challenge me on that one.

bacchanalia cheese cart

We ordered cheese; however, it took at least half an hour (and 2 inquiries) for the cart to be brought out.  We were waiting to order after our cheese course, but apparently almost missed dinner service… which the bartender acted like it was OUR fault when we would have been ordering much sooner had our cheese come out in a timely manner (we told him when we first sat down we would be having dinner).

When our food began to came out, we were rushed AND I had to send a dish back (over cooked Halibut).  They did replace it with a phenomenal snapper dish, and I was already done.

 

I realize this is a silly rant where there are starving children in Africa.  But really.  If I’m at a special occasion dinner and paying that much money… I expect the performance to be superior.  I’ve had (much cheaper) meals at chain restaurants with better service.

My Theory:

When the downturn occurred, many educated individuals were not able to find jobs in corporate America, and turned to the service industry for employment.  Their advanced capacity/skill levels resulted in a higher level of service.  Now that companies are beginning to hire again, the service industry is losing that talent.

bad service negative tip

My Plea:

Restaurants, know the value of having educated, capable staff!  Customers appreciate them, and will likely spend more money as a result of having a server with the knowledge and skills to sell.  Consider the ROI when you talk salary and benefits with potential hires!

It’s WIAW time!  I’m still trying to keep it green with my protein-filled meals.

WIAW GOES GREEN

Check out my 7 green-ish, protein-filled meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is green-ing up their food this month!

Meal 1:

I – as always – enjoyed my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).  I headed to the treadmill for a quick incline walk.  It’s a rest day, but I knew I’d be glued to a conference room chair all day so I wanted to get some movement in… and I like to watch GMA.

Post-walk I was starving and VERY glad to have made overnight oats.  And coffee.  There’s something about drinking out of a “Be the Change” mug first thing in the morning that’s motivating (thank you to The Universe Knows and FitFluential for sending this!).

My “oats” were a bit #strangebutgood.  They were TVP overnight oats!  The cinnamon and extracts in these make you feel like you’re eating cookie dough!  I know some people dislike cold oats – overnight oats are also fantastic warmed in the microwave too.  I heated these for 45 seconds before eating.

TVP Overnight Oats

Greek TVP Overnight Oats

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 C TVP
  • 2 T raw oatmeal
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp freshly grate nutmeg
  • Stevia (or other sweetener), to taste
  • ~1/2 C Liquid of choice (you may need to adjust amount depending to the yogurt thickness)

Mix it all together and allow to soak overnight in the fridge.

In the morning, stir, adjust liquid as needed.  Add fruit if desired (I added fresh blood orange and blackberry juice).

Meal 2:

Despite being #strangebutgood, I’m also a creature of habit.  I ate salmon and fruit again.  It was lemon-dill salmon mixed with blueberries and pepitas… but I forgot to take a pic so you’re getting a recycled one made with grapes… but grapes kind of look like blueberries… 😉

Salmon and Grape Salad

Meal 3:

I have a new favorite veggie creation.  BBQ Cauliflower Bites.  It was awesome tossed with purple sweet potato!  I used my healthy (no sodium or sugar) BBQ sauce and added some nooch to cheese it up.

Tangy and creamy, this sauce was meant to be used for roasted things (in the original I roasted with tempeh)!  Recipe is at the end of this post.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

For my protein, I enjoyed the Turbot fish I made last night – for that prep check out this FB post.  Lauren introduced me to this delicious fish – it’s incredibly light and buttery.

This is also a recycled pic from last night… It’s much prettier than the Tupperware I ate out of today at work.

Turbot

Meal 4:

I am back on the salt-free deli turkey this week.  I love the Plainville brand from Whole Foods.  Today I mixed it with red pepper, broccoli, red onion, and a quick nutritional yeast dressing (nooch + apple cider vinegar + cayenne)

salt-free deli turkey

Meal 5:

One of my favorite local spots is a order-at-the-counter spot called Metro Fresh.  They change their menu daily based on the ingredients they have.  Everything is fresh and healthy.  Perfect for a non-cheat meal out with a friend!  And it’s walkable from my house!

Tonight I ordered the seared salmon and a mixed greens with peaches, blackberries and goat cheese with a whole grain roll.

metrofresh salmon

Unpictured was wine and a cinnamon roll.  It was housemade and they gave it to us for free (I should add that the service here was fabulous)… we split it and it was divine.  After that extravaganza… there was no room for meals 6 and 7.

BBQ Cauliflower

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

  • 2 T BBQ sauce
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence
  • 1 C cauliflower

Pre-heat oven 400 degrees.

Mix together BBQ sauce, nutritional yeast, and herbs.  Toss with cauliflower to coat.

Place on foil-lined pan and bake for 15 mins, tossing once half way through.

Enjoy!

***

The protein count for the day: not sure with the meal out, but I’d say I probably hit 140g of fuel. 🙂

Have you noticed a decline in service at restaurants?  Other services?

What is the best thing you’ve eaten this week? 

Blood Orange Avocado Scones

By

Baking is one of my favorite things to do.

Any opportunity to create something #strangebugood!

This marks the start of round 2 of Heather’s MMAZ link up.  She changed up the format, making week 1 a creation opportunity and week 2 a time experiment with someone’s recipe from week 1.  I love the new twist!!!

MMAZ

Today we start with A.  A is for Avocado.

Baking with avocado may seem odd, but no, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke.  Don’t be scared – #strangebutgood flavor twists are fun!

Avocados add an incredible texture to baked goods.  A little silky, a little rich, it takes this slightly sweet, crumbly scone to a new level.  You don’t taste it in the least!  Avocados are also a great, healthy option to replace fats in sweets.  It makes creating a vegan recipe even easier, as you can use them to replace butter or other animal fats.

Blood Orange Avocado Scones 1

My favorite part about these scones is the bright citrus from the blood orange.  They are is season right now and not to be missed.  Blood oranges are less sweet than a navel, but are more complex.  They also have more Iron than a regular orange.  An orange amplified, if you will.  That said, you could sub in a regular orange and be just fine.

Using a mix of almond meal and chickpea flour, I also made these scones gluten-free!  The chickpea flour leaves just a hint of nuttiness, which perfectly compliments the almond meal.  These two flours also provide a TON of protein.  Each scone has almost 8 grams!

Blood Orange Avocado Scones 2

If you don’t have chickpea flour, you could sub in brown rice flour or another gluten-free flour.  If you don’t care about the gluten free feature, you can use whole wheat pastry flour; however, you should also leave out the vinegar and xantham if you do so.

I’m also linking these up to Katie’s Marvelous Monday… because how is starting out the week with a homemade scone and coffee not marvelous?

Marvelous Monday

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Blood Orange Avocado Scones

Blood Orange Avocado Scones

  • 1 C almond meal
  • 1 C chickpea flour
  • 1/3 C tagatose (or other sweetener)
  • 1 tsp no-sodium baking powder
  • 1 tsp xantham gum
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Zest of 1 blood orange
  • 3 T unsweetened almond milk
  • Juice from 1/2 blood orange
  • 6 T (2 oz) avocado
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp butter vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper dusted with GF or rice flour.

In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients and zest.  

Place milk, avocado, vinegar, and extract blender or mini food processor.  Purée until well-combined.  Add purée to flour mixture.

Combine with a spoon and then fold together with your hands to form a ball.  Dough will be sticky at first but will come together.

Move dough to cookie sheet and flatten into a 1 inch thick disk.  Cut disk into 6 pieces with a sharp knife.  Do not separate.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.  

Note: I baked these in a convection oven.  I’ve adjusted the instructions for a regular bake, but if the middle doesn’t cook as well, pull the scones apart and bake an additional 3-5 mins.

Approximate nutritionals: 198 calories, 11.8g fat, 14.7mg sodium, 23.1 carbohydrates, 4.4g fiber, 2.9g sugar, 7.7g protein.

***

Quick weekend highlight reel: I took a “Rockstar Yoga” class with 150 people, PR’d standing lunges and front squats with 135lbs, learned how to wear a corset, and got a cat.  None of this is an April Fool’s joke.

Have you ever baked with avocado?  Do you think I’m nuts?

What is on your weekend highlight reel?

Take the (Strange But Good) Cannoli

By

Leave the gun.

Please, oh please, someone get this reference.  Otherwise I’m wayyy too old.

Take the cannoli.  Especially if it has peanut butter.

Cheese and peanut butter may sound strange to you, but it makes for one deliciously creamy dip.  Not to mention the protein factor.  Add a little vanilla and cinnamon, and you have a dessert-like peanut-y condiment that can be added to anything from chocolate microwave protein cake to PrOATein Pancakes to… well, keep reading. 😉

Peanut Butter Cannoli 1

Peanut flour is just de-fatted peanuts.  I order my peanut flour on iHerb.com.  Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-$10 off your order!  It is different from PB2 in that there is nothing added.  PB2 has added sugar and sodium.  Alternately, you can replace the flour with your favorite nut butter (or sunflower butter if you have a nut allergy).

Just in case you didn’t think Peanut Butter Cannoli was weird, I used it to top a sweet potato and poured some warmed blackberries on top.  For breakfast.

Peanut Butter Cannoli Sweet Potato

Peanut Butter Cannoli

Peanut Butter Cannoli

  • 1/4 C fat-free ricotta
  • 2 T peanut flour (or 1 T nut butter)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5/6 drops liquid stevia

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Enjoy with a spoon or a top a sweet potato, cake, pancakes… anything!

Note: for a vegan option, replace the ricotta with tofu.

Who else has enjoyed making co-workers, friend, or family stare with strange but good creations lately?

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.

Sprint 2 the Table


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



***

I'm really sad I'm going to have to start with my asparagus diet again leading up to May's competition.  I'll miss you, fun dips...

Have you ever seen The Godfather?  I have a thing for mob movies.

What's the strangest thing you've eaten lately?

Mex-Fast Tortilla Stack + WIAW

By

Everyone is a critic.

I have had to be talked off a ledge over bad service and/or food at a restaurant.

The Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan “came out” as a recently converted vegetarian.  This has sparked reactions from ‘we love you no matter what” statements of acceptance (Yonan compares it to when he came out as gay), to the expected accusations of not being a serious critic.

Vegetarian pie chart

Yonan admits to taking the occasional taste of meat out of curiosity or for his line of work, but in his daily life he’s keeping it meat-free.

I’ve said it over and over again, but diet is personal.  To be honest, I’d probably still eat more of a vegetarian diet if I wasn’t competing (I went vegan once too… but that wasn’t for me).  I think it’s great that Yonan is opening up about his choice.  Hopefully it will help more people realize that vegetables can be prepared just as decadently and be just as pleasing to eat as a piece of meat.

That food critic would certainly give 5 stars to this month’s green WIAW theme!  While I did eat bacon (among other meat), I do have a fruit or veggie with every meal.  No matter your dietary practice, eating your greens is always important.

WIAW GOES GREEN

Check out my 7 veggie-laced, protein-filled meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is green-ing up their food this month!

Meal 1:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Aminos) brought a smile to may face today.  I bought a new brand of glutamine (they were out of my usual), and it came with the cutest mini scooper!

Glutamine

 

Like last week’s Mexican Spaghetti Pie, I was once again craving a savory Mexican breakfast.  Apparently I was also craving some healthy fats, because this Mex-Fast Tortilla Stack included avocado, a runny egg, and bacon.

It may look fancy, but if you approach it from a semi-homemade angle (see recipe at the bottom of this post), this breakfast can come together in 10 mins or less.  Mex-FAST.  Get it? 😉

Mexican Breakfast Tortilla

This would make even the most anti-morning person smile.  And I did.

Does life get any better than a runny egg in the morning?

Mexi-fast Tortilla

Meal 2:

The salmon and fruit obsession is back with a #strangebutgood combo: salmon, beets, cilantro, walnuts and… watermelon.  It’s really good.  I promise.

Watermelon Beet Salmon Salad

Meal 3:

Lunch was a post-workout meal.  I braved the cold jog there (in snow flurries!) and back, so despite a good burn I was freezing again and wanted a hot treat.

I used my french vanilla Designer Whey to make a new microwave bake!  I’ve tried this combo once before and it needed work.  I think I have it down now, but want to try it one more time before sharing to be sure.

Meal 4:

I got the most perfect rotisserie chicken ever from Whole Foods this week.  It was fresh out of the oven and perfectly cooked.  Their Naked chicken is my favorite because they don’t add all the salt the others have.  I shredded it on Sunday for a quick meal during the week.

Today I mixed it with red pepper, celery, hummus dressing (hummus + apple cider vinegar), and freshly ground pepper.

Chicken Salad

Meal 5:

This was one of the most successful days for kitchen experiments ever.  For dinner I decided to try my hand at lamb meatballs and a cucumber yogurt dip.

Big.  Win.  I’ll share it when it’s warm light enough to take pics.

Lamb Meatballs

Served atop a spinach salad with red pepper and cauliflower.

There were also eggplant chips (I forgot them in the oven) and half a Carb Master cookie dough bar (dessert – it had to happen).

Meal 6:

I really wanted dessert, but instead I was good and had mahi mahi.  I baked it during my Sunday food prep with a Greek yogurt, rosemary, and lemon sauce.

For my veggies I had a side of carrot and celery sticks.  I love both veggies with peanut butter, so I made a quick sauce from peanut flour, sriracha, and unsweetened almond milk.

Mahi Mahi and Sriracha Peanut Dip

Meal 7:

Finally, time for dessert.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I ate the same thing last night.  It was sooooo good though!

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bowl

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bowl

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 C pumpkin puree
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • Stevia, to taste
  • Optional topping: whole wheat rice crispies, blueberries, and cacao nibs

Mexi-fast Tortilla

Mex-Fast Tortilla Stack

  • 3 T tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp garlic
  • Shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie from Whole Foods)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 C spinach
  • 1 corn tortilla
  • Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, freshly ground pepper and bacon sprinkles. 

Mix together tomato sauce and spices (you could also just use salsa here).  Add chicken, stirring to combine.  Microwave ~12 seconds, until warmed.  Set aside.

Cook egg in lightly greased pan, until cooked to desired level.

Add spinach to pan to lightly saute.

Place tortilla on plate between 2 moist paper towels.  Microwave ~10 seconds to soften.

Top tortilla with spinach, chicken, and egg.  Add any additional toppings.  Devour.

***

The protein count for the day: 169.3

Do you think an “official” food critic can be vegetarian?

What’s for breakfast?  Do you shake things up at breakfast or have the same things? 

Marvelous in My Random Monday

By

Warning: This post is totally random.

Making it reflective of the thoughts that run through my head.

I’m really loving the idea of focusing on why life is good on my (former) least favorite day of the week.  Katie’s Marvelous in My Monday link up is a great reminder to keep the good weekend-vibes up!

Marvelous Monday

There was a lot of awesome this weekend.  Most of it is completely unrelated… if you aren’t a fan of unfocused posts this will drive you nuts. #sorryimnotsorry 😉

_______________________________________________________________________________________

At the end of last week I was inspired by a FitFluential twitter chat to make my own standing desk at work.  I’ve long been a fan of sitting on a stability ball at work, but I still dislike sitting ALL day.  In a big company it’s hard to get approval for a fancy standing desk, so I did a little improv:

Homemade standing desk

Much better use of those Girls Scout cookies, no?

Side note: I made it through cookie season only having eaten 1/2 of a Samoa.  I would have eaten a Tagalong, but never did find a box of those lying around.  No one wanted to share the best flavor ever?!

 

Saturday morning called for pancakes.  I finally got around to trying out the Strange But Good pancake recipe Alina shared a couple of weeks ago.  Her Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes were inspired by my Oatmeal Cookie Shake!  I loved the creativity.  Please overlook my inability to make brown food look appetizing.  These were amazing.

(Shameless plug: Go back and check out last Friday’s link up – it was the biggest one yet!!!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes

My only modifications were to replace the 2 T of banana with more pumpkin puree and to use carob chips instead of chocolate chips.  The nutritional yeast in these (and the shake) may sound strange, but it makes the recipe!

I topped them with sugar-free syrup, but they honestly didn’t need it.  Next time I’m eating them plain like a cookie.

 

After my workout, I did a little shopping.  I don’t know what happened, but over the past couple of years I have totally lost interested in clothes shopping.  I’d rather buy workout clothes and fun groceries!  Saturday’s goal was to buy new clothes for work, but instead I found a jacket and some lip plump.

This jacket was on sale and then an addition 40% off at Banana Republic – $180 jacket for $90.  Score.

Banana jacket

Photo from bananarepublic.com

And the lip plump… that was an impulse buy at Sephora.  It added a little more pout to lips, but it tingled more than anything!

Soap & Glory lip plump

I’m pretty sure I bought this for the name alone.

Saturday night I had a date with my best friend for the first time in MONTHS.  I really missed her!  We had a fabulous meal at Miller Union.  One of my favorite ways to eat is to order a bunch of small plates and a single entrée to share.  I have to try everything!

This is round 1 of the small plates.  A kale salad with pecans, fennel, and orange and grapefruit segments, massaged with creme fraiche dressing.  In the middle is a feta cheese dip with fresh veggies.  And wine.

Miller Union kale salad

Sunday was going to be a rest day… but I got restless.  And I had some wine to sweat out.

I popped in my old DVD standby – P90X Plyo.  After all that bouncing I had to get a calf shot.  My trainer has had me doing weighted calf raises 3x a week to elongate my calves… but I never really believed it was possible.  Now I think it actually worked!

P90X burn and Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl

I refueling with an old favorite: my Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie.  Xanthan Gum is one I’ve used for a long time to thicken smoothies up, but after this Butternut Banana Shake post I took several of your suggestions and bought Guar Gum to use too.  What resulted was a creamy concoction so thick I ate it from a bowl with a spoon.

Xanthan was great for getting smoothie thick, but that Guar really amped up the creaminess.  Definitely worth a try if you don’t already use it!

 

After my workout I heard a massive thud.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but I live in a city.  I have become accustomed to tuning out noise.  I’d totally forgotten about it until I left for the farmer’s market.  That noise was this happening:

Tree down in Midtown Atlanta

After days of rain storms, this huge old tree split at the base.  The marvelous part?  That building is abandoned and no one was hurt!

 

Finally, one of my favorite activities.  Kombucha brewing!  I love kombucha, but it does get pricey.  Months ago I purchased a Brooklyn Kombucha home-brew kit on Open Sky and I brew my own stash every week.  It’s unbelievably easy.  Click here to head over to Open Sky if you’re interested in starting!

Kombucha home brew

Recycled ACV bottles are perfect to store it in!

This week’s flavors:

  • Blood orange with cinnamon and ginger
  • Rosemary with cinnamon and ginger
  • Chili pepper and ginger

***

One more marvelous: today is leg day with my trainer. #hurtssogood  

Does sitting at a desk drive you nuts?  How do you stay active at your job?

Do you like kombucha?  What flavor would you like to brew?

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!