Strange But Good Mornings

January 18, 2013 By Laura

Strange doesn’t wait for 5 o’clock!

Neither does my mother… she’s in Mexico! 😉

Remember Kat’s “Amazing Kitchen Mistakes” post? We’ve been on the same wave-length eating similarly, so I apparently am also making happy accidents.

Have you ever under estimated how much is left in a bottle? I thought there was just a drop of butter extract left when I dumped it into my oatmeal… it was more like 1/2 a teaspoon. I thought I’d ruined it. Too much extract can be nauseating (and I don’t need more of that!). It turn out, too much butter extract in your oats is like eating cookie dough for breakfast. Strange, but unbelievably good.

Cookie Dough Oatmeal

1/2 C oatmeal
1 C water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
5-6 drops liquid Stevia
1 T peanut flour (or nut butter, to taste)
My toppings: pomegranate arils, Greek yogurt, more cinnamon

Cook oatmeal as usual, adding flavors in the last 2-3 mins (or when your microwave finishes). Stir in peanut flour when just done, adding addition liquid as needed.

Add toppings. Inhale.

I’m not the first person to do eat quinoa in the morning… but it’s still uncommon enough to be strange. And it’s good!

What took me so long it beyond me, but quinoa for breakfast is amazing. If you haven’t tried it, you must. Particularly this cinnamon-y version. The heaping scoop of cinnamon with the coconut butter had me dreaming of an airport treat that shall not be named.

I just realized this looks a lot like the oatmeal above. I had a lot of pomegranate.* Sorry.

*Did you hear the FTC found “POM Wonderful health claims to be deceptive?”

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Quinoa

1/2 C quinoa, cooked with a cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp coconut butter
1 tsp ground flax
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Milk, to taste (I used ~ 1/8 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
My toppings: pomegranate arils, Morningstar maple breakfast sausage

Stir it all together, top with your favorites, and enjoy!

In order to kill two craving with one stone for Meal 2, I added a poached egg to the last of my mom’s Matzo Ball Soup. The strange part isn’t even the egg. It’s HOW I poached it. My lazy arse poached that thang in the microwave.

Let me be the first to tell you that runny, silky, yolk porn goodness streaming into a hot bowl of soup is heaven on a spoon. So good that I wanted to be spooned after it was over.

Microwave Poached Egg

1 egg
1/2 C water
1 T apple cider vinegar

Fill a small bowl (I used a cereal bowl) with water. Add 1 T of apple cider vinegar (this is important – it keeps the egg white intact). Microwave until boiling hot, about 2 mins.

Crack the egg and gently drop it into the water. Whites will begin to cook/thicken, and you may need to use a spoon to carefully direct them around the yolk.

Microwave for another 20-30 seconds. Remove immediately from water and place in soup, atop salad, on bread, etc.

Now for the link up! The 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 Instragrams of your creations. 🙂

***

This time tomorrow I’ll be in a forest in FLA… in the midst of an 8-hour adventure race. Ahhhh! #strangebutcrazy

Also, I forgot to mention I was featured in FitFluential’s Ambassador Spotlight yesterday! Check it out here.

Have you ever made breakfast quinoa? What are your favorite mix-ins?

What #strangebutgood creations have you enjoyed lately?

Flu Fighting + Oatmeal Cookie Shake

January 15, 2013 By Laura

This was going to be an “easier” week leading up to my big race Saturday.

I just didn’t realize how easy…

About 1:30am on Sunday I got sick. Stomach flu sick. Hence the super-late post today.

At 4am I was a little worried I was going to pass out and texted to see if my mom was awake. The woman never sleeps, I swear. She was at my door in 30 mins. Yup, I’m almost 30 and I call my mom when I’m sick.

I actually feel really lucky that I didn’t get it worse. My little sister had it last week and she was in the ER getting fluids! When I felt like I could make it in the car, Mom took me back to her house where she nursed me back to health.

Ginger Kombucha with bananas. And a flamingo. Sure to make the sickest patient smile. I ♥ my mom.

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Enough unpleasantry! Let’s drink cookie shakes!

You may remember this creation from last year… it is on my “sick craving” list today. Thankfully, it’s one that would actually be good on my tummy since it uses Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla and bananas (bananas are good on an upset tummy, FYI).

Appropriate for breakfast or dessert, this is one tasty batter. The mix of oats, banana, flax, and coconut flour give it a fabulously doughy texture. I almost wanted to put the mix in the oven once I blended it.

Nutritional yeast may seem like a weird addition, but it has a rich, nutty taste that compliments the sweet flavors in this dough. The vanilla and cinnamon add to the cookie flavor, and – if you have it – the butter extract just adds a hint of “fresh from the oven.”

Oatmeal Cookie Shake

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/4 C rolled oats (use gluten-free for a GF shake)
1/2 banana
1.5 tsp ground flax
1 T coconut flour
1.5 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp butter extract
7-8 drops liquid stevia
1/2 C Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla
Ice, to taste
1/8 tsp Guar Gum (optional, but this addition will make your smoothie thicker)
Toppings: crushed walnuts, raisins, cacao nibs (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a high-seed blender and blend until smooth.

Add toppings and drink your dough!

Notes:

Nutrition will vary based on the protein powder you use.
You may leave out the protein powder; however, I like the addition because protein is good for muscle building/recovery and it makes this even more filling.
Using Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla rather than skim milk saves you 25 calories in this recipe

Be sure to check out Silk Pure Almond website and Facebook page to see more delicious, creative recipes!

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential, LLC. All opinions are my own. Learn more about Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened on Facebook and Twitter.

***

The endurance cram-session post is coming. I swear… unforseen circumstances. Ugh.

Do you have a stomach bug miracle cure? I have to be 100% by Saturday!

What is your favorite milk? I will never go back to regular again.

Strange But Good Re-Imaginations

January 11, 2013 By Laura

Strange doesn’t have to mean all-new.

Things I’ve been doing for years are strange. ~~Just ask my mother.~~

Many of my recent Strange But Good recipe creations were born out of old favorites. Re-imaginations, if you will.

Oatmeal has always been a sweet treat for me. When we had oatmeal as a kid (usually on a Brinner night), it was doused with brown sugar and raisins. And butter. When mom wasn’t looking, I added more. ~~I cannot believe I’m on obese.~~

I’ve seen versions of savory oats on Instagram and finally had to try it for myself. Boy, am I glad I did!

I took my davory oats in the direction of Mexico. I did cook my oats with cinnamon, but the toppings made that cinnamon a savory compliment.

Savory Mexican Oatmeal

1/2 C oatmeal (cooked)
Cinnamon, to taste
Runny egg
Black bean salsa
Cumin
Nutritional Yeast

Prepare oatmeal as usual, adding cinnamon. Place cooked oatmeal in a bowl and add toppings. Devour.

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Cauliflower pizzas have been an obsession for a while now. I took my (cheese-less) crust and topped it with seafood Strange But Goodness:

Salmon Cauliflower Pizza

Cauliflower pizza crust
Wasabi paste
Salmon
Spinach
Yellow Pepper
Red Onion

The following day I repeated the crust recipe, except I turned it into pizza minis! These were awesome to keep in the fridge during the week for little pizzas, or re-heated under the broiler to make crackers for my salad.

One Cauliflower Crust recipe gives you 4 minis.

Mini Cauliflower Pizzas

Cauliflower Crust Crackers with a trout-broccoli slaw salad

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You guys saw this Simply Snackin’ jerky on WIAW. That one was a Strange But Good Flavor – Beef with Cranberry and Blueberry.

Yesterday I tried another version. This one is Teriyaki Chicken with Mango and Papayas. I can’t get over how good these are! Fruit in jerky… who would have thought?!

The company is offering a discount of you’d like to try them for yourself. Enter SSjan2013 for 10% off at check out.

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Now for the link up! The rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

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

***

Junk-Free January is still going strong! I've been experimenting with a high-fat diet... and I'll post about that on Monday. It's been an adventure.

Have you ever made savory oats?

What have you eaten lately that's earned you stares from co-workers/family/friends?

Setting the Tone for a New Year + Amazing Kitchen Mistakes

January 10, 2013 By Laura

Life is full of failures.

I am going to discuss one on Monday, in fact.

Sometimes they are happy accidents! One of my favorite stir-frys happened because I couldn’t figure out how to use my spiralizer. This Indian Ginger Tempeh Stir-Fry happened when I wanted zucchini pasta but failed to spiralize:

Or how about last week when I accidentally sprouted a spaghetti squash I’d planned for my meal? That forced me to come up with this Sweet Potato Chicken Salad Strange But Good (don’t forget tomorrow’s link up!) creation:

Breaking my jaw playing roller derby was a fail… but without that experience I would have never come up with one of my favorite oatmeal discoveries: Blueberry Pie. Made smooth enough to slurp thanks to an immersion blender.

Jaw-breaking in action.

Or how about when you leave for vacation thinking you’re going to Argentina, but end up in Chile? That was one FUN fail!

All that said, don’t be too discouraged by fails. Trust in what will be and happy accidents you shall see.

And now I’ll shut up and let Kat tell you about hers!

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Because I blog bi-weekly, this is my first opportunity to say, “Happy New Year!”

I had an A-typical New Year’s Eve, which I used to help me set the tone for the year. I went to a hot yoga class that lasted from 10:30pm-12:15am. Yep, meditating, thinking about goals, who I am, who I have been, and who I want to be this year. It was amazing! I felt centered, and was happy to bring in the New Year thinking about health, community, and grounded-ness. (Editor’s note: Remind me to do this next year.)

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

I want to share a couple of my goals, so you all can partially hold me accountable. First, I want to say, “No,” more often – in work, in family, and in social aspects of my life. This seems easy for a lot of people, but it give me knots in my stomach just to think about possibly disappointing someone.

This goal is in support of my second goal, to stop stretching myself so thin. I tend to take on way too much, and some things I do become a little bit less “quality.” So, in order to enjoy what I do more, and to have more quality, I have to reduce quantity. These are lofty goals. I also started a journal for the first time since I was 12, to help keep me working towards my goals and thinking about them often.

I later got to celebrate with a holiday party, a West Side Story theme. I got to get all dolled-up, and I was SO excited to get dressed up and dance the night away. My feet and legs were definitely sore afterwards!

I’m also back on track with all of my runs and work outs. I didn’t mention it, but December was rough for me and threw me through a loop.

I’ve also been cooking at home like a madwoman! I had a New Years Day party with mocktails and healthy food to start the New Year catching up with a few friends.

Many didn’t make it due to hangovers and being out way too late, but it was still fun! The mocktails were delicious, but too sweet, and kept me up all night from sugar! I made Indian food, pop-corn (Kat-classic), and a number of other fun dishes with lots of fresh fruit and veggies.

Eating and cooking more at home, for me, means many unplanned meals, sometimes just throwing whatever I have in my fridge together, and last week, amazing kitchen mistakes!

I was making dinner for a friend this week, and I had left over quinoa and brown rice, extra fresh broccolini, kale, and sweet potatoes, and some random tofu. So I just got started, and this is what ended up happening:

Amazing Kitchen Mistake

I sautéed the veggies with fresh ginger and garlic, re-heated the quinoa/brown rice combo (about 75% quinoa, 25% brown rice), and felt like the dish needed something else. Tofu. The tofu preparation was the amazing mistake. I wanted to sort of “fry” it, so I coated it with some brown rice flour mixed with cayenne, salt, and white pepper. I carefully coated each cube and placed it on a plate for frying. But I totally forgot cornstarch! This would have gotten the flour mixture to stick to the tofu and fry properly. Instead, when I put it in the hot coconut oil, the flour started to stick to the bottom, and it wasn’t going very well.

So, to save the tofu, I took part of a box of Trader Joe’s Carrot Ginger Soup and poured some in the pan with the tofu, stirred and scrambled the tofu with the soup and flour mixture, let it simmer, and made THE most delicious scrambled tofu I have ever had. (Editor’s note: will you plase make me a mistake too?)

Amazing Tofu Carrot-Ginger Scramble (Mistake)

1 block firm Tofu, 1 in cubes (which are later scrambled)
½ C brown rice flour
Salt, Cayenne and White Pepper to taste
2 T Coconut Oil (for frying)
~ ½ cup of Carrot-Ginger Soup (Trader Joe’s or Imagine Brand)

Follow the directions above and serve with the brown rice/quinoa mixture and sautéed veggies! This was definitely a healthy meal too!

It feels good to give. I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t also say that I’m donating blood today. It’s SO important. I also tend to be low-iron so I’ve had an iron-packed diet this week.

Note some things you should eat to pump up your iron (Editor’s note: I read this in an Arnola accent):

Sunflower seeds
Sun-dried tomatoes
Lentils
Raisins
Black beans
Pumpkin seeds

All of these give you almost as much iron as a big steak, and is less harmful to your body if you ingest too much iron because they contain nonheme iron. They also give you more per serving than the dark, leafy greens that are often recommended. If you eat whatever, nothing can compare to the iron-filled foods like liver, clams and mussels. And don’t forget dark chocolate and cocoa powder! Check out their nutrition facts for confirmation!

Additionally, I have a theory about blood donation for my own health. I think it promotes cell-regeneration throughout my own body! Do something good for others, while doing something good for yourself!

***

I echo Kat’s thoughts on the importance of blood donation. My dad suffered from cancer for 4.5 years and made it as long as he did largely in part to blood, platlet, and bone marrow doners. Click here for more info on becoming a marrow donor. It only takes a cotton swab!

What amazing kitchen mistakes have you had that you want to share?

How do you get re-centered when you have an “off” month?

My Morning Cocktail + WIAW

January 9, 2013 By Laura

I love a cocktail.

Shameless, I tell you.

During Junk-Free January, my sole cocktail is my Morning Cocktail. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I start every day with this apple cider vinegar-laced gem:

My Morning Cocktail:

12 oz water
1 T apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
1 tsp Glutamine Powder
1 scoop Amino Energy (I changed brands since the above pic, but the link is correct)

Glutamine and Aminos are both great for synthesizing muscle protein and preventing catabolism (muscle breakdown). Key if you are trying to build muscle.

The Apple Cider Vinegar is what I get more questions about. Here’s why it’s my jam:

It improves digestion and “regularity” (hence the glory of taking it first thing in the morning…)
Helps clear up acne (I also use it as toner)
Relieves joint pain and prevents muscle fatigue after exercise
Strengthens the immune system
Increases metabolism
Breaks down fats so that your body can use them rather than store them
Natural heartburn remedy
Lowers/regulates blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and glucose levels
May control fleas (hopefully this is more applicable to your pets)

Drinking this each morning truly is energizing. I no longer need coffee… until mid-afternoon when I’m freezing and getting tired of the computer screen.

This WIAW post features 4 meals (meals #2-5) that were totally prepped on Sunday evening. Planning is the #1 thing you can do to start your year off right in terms of nutrition!

Check out my 7 meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how others dined this week!

Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail, I set out to make one of my new staples: the Sweet Potato Pan-lette.

It’s a great, low-carb breakfast option. Since I’m experimenting with a higher fat-lower carb diet this week, I made a couple of modifications:

Used 1/4 C egg whites + 1 whole egg
Added 1 tsp ground flax seed
Reduced the amount of sweet potato to 1/4 C

Meal 2:

The best part about a higher fat diet is bison.

I enjoyed a bison burger with apple slices and a high-protein, Strange But Good dipper:

1/4 C no-salt cottage cheese
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 drops liquid smoke
1 drop lemon Stevia
Sprinkle of cayenne

Meal 3:

Lunch was a super-easy fancy meal. Salmon, roasted squash and eggplant, and celery. Since I prep most of my food for the week on Sunday nights, this took all of 30 seconds to throw together.

Meal 4:

This was my post-workout meal: trout, broccoli, and hummus. Again, all of this was prepped on Sunday so I could have it on the plate and in my belly STAT.

It was my first time making trout and I really liked it! It is slightly fishy, but not offensively so.

Apparently it was a good workout because I wanted a little something extra after. I busted out the jerky samples Simply Snackin’ sent me. The flavor I tried would certainly qualify as Strange But Good: Beef Sirloin with Cranberries & Blueberries.

I’m not a huge jerky fan… but OMG. This was fantastically moist and delicious. Yes, jerky is salty… but if you’re going to eat it this is the way to go. It has about half the sodium content you see in most (270). Not to mention they are all-natural, high protein, and low calories. Score.

Meal 5:

That trout was good… so I had it again. Should have bought more… I only have 1 serving left!

I ate it on a bed of spinach with roasted broccoli slaw and brussels. I coated them in a sauce I’d forgotten about: Lemon Tahini. Served with a mini-Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

Meal 6:

The incredible, edible egg. PB & Ceggs-style, topped with peanut butter. The recipe is for a vegan version with tofu, but tonight I used real eggs. And I used almond extract rather than maple. Never. Gets. Old.

Meal 7:

Low carb is hard. ~~My low carb diet is high in carbs.~~ I’m trying… it’s a lot of error. Who knew so many veggies were carb-loaded? Ugh.

All of this to say that by meal 7 I’d had more carbs that I targeted. Solution? Low-carb protein creation.

It wasn’t awesome. So I topped it with goji berries, sugar-free marshmallow creme, and cacao nibs. And still… it wasn’t awesome. #fail

***

The protein count for the day: 177.0g. The carbs? Lets just say I suck at low carb.

Don’t forget to join the Strange But Good link up this Friday!!! 🙂

Do you use Apple Cider Vinegar? What benefits have you seen?

Have you ever tried to go low-carb? Any tips are appreciated!

2012’s Popularity Contest + WIAW

January 2, 2013 By Laura

2012 was a great year for discoveries.

I can’t believe I survived without some of these things before.

I feel like I’ve gotten to know so many inspiring people (like YOU). Becoming a member of the FitFluential community has been a huge game changer. The members of that community are constant sources of motivation and positive energy. I’ve discovered new blog, learned a lot, and been able to learn about new products (shameless plug: perfect example is my Polar HRM from h.h. gregg – check out the review/giveaway here).

Another amazing discovery was Instagram. It’s unbelievable how much it’s changed the way we interact. I love that when I can’t decide what to eat, I can just scroll through my feed. It has been a fun way to have conversations with people throughout the day! It’s basically Twitter with pictures and open comment threads! I also love seeing recipes people are interesting in. I forget that just because I make a certain snack every week doesn’t mean everyone else does!

I also have to give a holla to my morning cocktail. Apple Cider vinegar became an addiction in 2012. I drink it every morning with my Fitmixer Aminos (fruit punch flavor). It is delicious and has totally replaced my need for coffee in the morning. Love. It.

One last love. Peanut flour. I cannot imagine my life without it. I use it in savory sauces, smoothies, PB & Jegg-like creations, Elvis French Toast… to quote the Texas Pete lady: “I put that shit on everything.” You can order it online through iHerb.com. Use code USO924 to get $5 off your order!

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This popularity contest is my first WIAW post of 2013… What I Ate in 2012! Below are the Top 10 Sprint 2 the Table posts of 2012 (based on page views). Click on titles to link to the recipe.

Check out the Top 10 below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how other started out their 2013.

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Most Poplar Recipes of 2012

1. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

These take the prize for my favorite veggie sneak. If you tasted these, you would have NO idea they have zucchini. OR that they are basically sugar-free.

2. Banana Creme Brownie Parfait

What’s better than brownies? Brownies with (healthy) icing.

3. Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

Seeing this recipe pop up in the top 10 made me realize I’ve been making new versions and not sharing. I’ve share a new twist on this soon! I always have a few in the freezer for quick breakfast or snack.

4. Peanut Butter & Jeggs

I would like to vote this my favorite invention – and worst pic – of 2012!

5. 150 Calorie Chocolate Protein Cake

I’m actually eating one as I draft this post. This cake is my most repeated dish of 2012!

6. Vegan Goat Cheese Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

I made these for a French-themed book club while I was eating vegan. The meat-eating crowd ate them with no problems!

7. Chewy Granola Cookies

Otherwise known as “the ones that mom likes.” She requests them. 🙂

8. Sprouting Chickpeas

It shocked me to learn how easy sprouting is!

9. PB & Aggs (Peanut Butter and Apple-Eggs) and Carrot Cake Protein Batter

I don’t know which of these made this post popular… but I eat both ~~almost~~ weekly.

10. Basic Protein Shake Recipe and Protein Powder Review

This is one of my favorites because it’s the post where I announced I was training for my first figure competition!

***

I’m so excited to start Junk-Free January! My sister came over for dinner last night, and we enjoyed a tasty kombucha cocktail over out collards and black-eyed peas.

What was your favorite recipe last year?

Did you have any group/social platform discoveries on 2012?

Brandied Baked French Toast

December 26, 2012 By Laura

What didn’t I eat Wednesday may be a more appropriate title.

I may have over-done it on the sweets…

Do you look forward to the holidays being over? After I left my mom’s last night, I was sad to be going home alone, but at the same time a little relieved to get back into a normal routine.

I do hate leaving this beautiful scene though!

Today I was going to take another “break” from blogging. Then I realized a) I don’t really have anything else to do and b) this would be a fun way to shock myself into going cold turkey on the sugar. I didn’t get pictures of it all, and we slept in so it is kind of a random slew of snack rather than meals. You’ve been warned.

We didn’t totally fail at Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme this month… but it could have been ~~better~~ less sugar-filled:

Check out my Christmas eats, and then be sure to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons and see what everyone else ate on this most wonderful day of the year!