Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Indian Ginger Tempeh Stir-Fry + WIAW

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Something very strange happened yesterday.

I woke up not wanting to eat anything.  That’s not too odd.  Often I prefer to wake up and hit the gym first thing, without breakfast.  That has had to change for two reasons:

  1. My heavier lifting, longer workouts mean I’m hungry about 3/4 of the way through
  2. My 7th meal would end up being at midnight since meal 1 wasn’t until 930 or 10a (way too late for me)

That’s why this morning I ignored the part of me that wanted to skip breakfast before my workout and shoveled down my “oats.”  When I returned from the gym it was time for meal 2 and I still didn’t feel like cooking or eating.  Nothing sounded appealing, and that didn’t change throughout the day.  I reworked my spreadsheet at each meal just trying to find something that sounded tasty.

This never happens.  I always at least enjoy the process of cooking.  Maybe I’m getting sick?  I hope not!

 

Sorry for the blah intro to the 3rd installment of the  “Food, Fun, and Fitness” What I Ate Wednesday.  I’ll bust out of this funk by next week.  I can assure you that (most of) my food still tasted good… I just didn’t feel like eating it.

Check out my vegetarian protein-loaded day below; then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

Meal 1:

The day started out as usual with a glass of my BCAAs mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water.

I’ve been repeating some of my favorite protein-filled breakfasts lately (like this Blueberry Protein Tart that I’ll be eating again tomorrow).  There have been a few crave-worthy meals!  Today I did my Paleo Oatmeal again, but this time using peanut flour instead of protein powder and vanilla instead of almond extract.

Meal 2:

The second meal of the day is a little weird, but it’s what I could get down post-workout.  Today was shoulders and glutes.  I pushed it to the limit and after my workout all I wanted was something to drink. 

These Isopure drinks are great because the entire bottle is 40g of protein!  I drink 1/2 at a time.

That was accompanied by an apple and my sorry attempt at sunflower seed butter.  It was a nasty sticky mess (which didn’t help my lack of motivation to eat).  #fail

Meal 3:

Lunch was really, really good.  One of my comfort foods is an egg sandwich, so I made just that.  I scrambled some egg whites with garlic and basil before stuffing it between 1/2 of a protein bagel.

The awesome people at P28 sent me a bag of bagels to sample and I am addicted.  It’s the first time I’ve had a bagel in years.  You definitely have to toast it, but who eats a cold bagel anyway?!  They are chewy and nutty and have 28g of protein per bagel.  Now I need to get my hands on the sliced bread and the rumored new product – wraps!

On my bagel I spread a mix of sriracha and cottage cheese before adding the egg, then stuck it in my George Foreman for a quick press.  Served with a side of roasted cauliflower, coated in a quick sauce of nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic, and rice vinegar.

This actually hit the spot. 

Meal 4:

This was the least satisfying thing I had all day.  I wanted a chocolate protein shake.  I wanted it super creamy, like a milkshake.  This did not hit the spot.  I won’t even go into details.  I’m still irked.

Meal 5:

Again, I couldn’t think of what to make and didn’t want anything.  So I went to my new staple – an Indian tempeh stir-fry.  I ate the same thing for dinner yesterday, and I ate it last Friday too.  It’s bizarre for me to repeat a meal so often, but it’s damn good.  This ginger-spiced, garlicky dish comes together quickly, and is easily changed up with different sides or mix-ins.

Last Friday I served it over parsnip rice, Monday night over a ton of fresh spinach, and last night I added zucchini and red pepper to the mix.

Confession: I tried to serve it over zucchini “pasta,” but I can’t figure out how to work my new spiralizer. 

My carb source with it last night was a sweet potato + cinnamon.

Recipe at end. 

Meal 6:

Eh.  I didn’t want meal 6 and I knew I was going to clear my protein goal for the day.  So I skipped it.  Sorry, Coach.

Meal 7:

Dessert is not a meal I ever skip.  Tonight was a bowl of Pumpkin Protein Dough with blueberries that I microwaved for ~15 secs with a bit of sugar-free maple syrup.

There’s not much  of a recipe.  Here’s what I  mixed together:

  • 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 
  • 2T of pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 C cereal
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 7-8 drops liquid Stevia 
  • Almond milk (maybe 2-3T?)

Stir together and let is sit in the fridge for 30 mins to let the cereal get soggy and form a dough-like texture.  Nosh away!

Indian Ginger Tempeh Stir-Fry

  • 1/2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 T ginger, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 T green onion, chopped
  • 1/4 C red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 T rice vinegar
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1 serving tempeh, crumbled or grated
  • 1/2 zucchini, cubed
 Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add ginger, garlic, onion, pepper, and jalapeno.  Saute 1-2 mins, until fragrant.

Add spices and vinegar, stirring to combine.  Add water, tempeh, and zucchini, again stirring to combine.  Simmer until liquid evaporates, ~5 mins.

Plate and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving (easily doubled).

***

This day of eats was entirely vegetarian, and I managed 145g of protein.

Do you ever just not feel like eating?

What do you eat before working out?  Anything?

Planning to Eat Healthy + WIAW

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Eating healthy on the go takes planning.

I’m sure this isn’t news to any of you.  It’s become particularly evident to make lately as I’ve changed my habits to incorporate more protein and begun eating 7 small meals a day.  Serious training goals take serious planning.

For starters, I keep track of my meals in a spreadsheet.  This way I’m never stuck searching for ideas and/or desperate and hangry for food.  By keeping it on Google Docs, I can easily edit and make additions as I get ideas throughout the day.

It also makes for easy grocery shopping – I can make my list in record time now!  (P.S. check out yesterday’s post for a chart to navigate grocery store.) 

Last week I mentioned that I was struggling to find a wider variety of vegetarian protein sources.  The resulting increase in dairy resulted in my skin is breaking out.  Since then I’ve reduced my dairy to 1-2 servings a day, and my skin has magically cleared up!

One way I’ve kept up my protein intake without the dairy is to incorporate fish into my diet.  If you’ve been reading for a bit, you know that I’ve dabbled with being vegetarian and even vegan.  For me, it was about how much better I felt without meat in my diet.

Mom and I learned together how to bake fish in parchment last Friday evening!

While I do intend to keep my diet as plant-based as possible, I am enjoying experimenting with seafood (something I only started to like a few months ago), and haven’t noticed it dragging me down like I did with meats.

July is becoming my favorite months for a few reasons:

  1. It’s my birthday month  (4 more days!)
  2. The fruits and veggies we’ve been getting at local markets have been particularly delicious
  3. Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.”  You guys know that’s perfect for me these days!

Check out my latest adventures in protein-loading below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

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Pre-Game:

I woke up early, but my weights workout isn’t until late tonight since I have a date with my trainer.  I’ve grown accustomed to  moving in the morning, so I decided to jump on the treadmill for a power walk while watching a little GMA.  Not wanting breakfast yet, but needing energy I drank down a glass of my Fitmixer Aminos. mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar (great way to start the day for energy and errr… digestion…).

Meal 1:

Anytime I have an appointment with my trainer, I try to eat a little heartier throughout the day.  Not stuffing myself, but I want to be sure I have adequate energy because he pushes me to the limit and then some.

I don’t repeat many meals, but last week’s Blueberry Protein Tart was so delicious that I couldn’t wait to eat it again.

Same tart base and peanut butter icing, but I this time used peaches rather than blueberries and sprinkled the top with ground flax and cinnamon.

Meal 2:

Did you know eggs can be cooked in the microwave?  It sounded weird to me at first, but it worked out perfectly.

I microwaved 3/4 C egg whites mixed with black pepper and ~1T water (to make them fluffier) for 2 mins.  Then I stirred it up with some tomato and basil before popping it back in for 15 secs.

 

Topped with pumpkin seeds and red pepper flakes.  I’m positive the work microwaves have never been used for such a creation. 🙂

Meal 3:

Lunch was last night’s leftovers.  Here’s where the fish comes in.  I baked a halibut in parchment with rainbow chard, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese 5-Spice, and a little coconut oil.  It was pretty tasty.  Even though my boss said it smelled… that is a problem with seafood.

Enjoyed with some sesame Wasa crackers. 

Meal 4:

Here’s my serving of dairy – a mixture of no salt added cottage cheese, peanut flour (a.k.a.: my crack), and a bit of liquid Stevia.  Side of cucumber sticks.  This is literally the tastiest cucumber I’ve ever had.  Unbelievable amount of flavor. 

Meal 5:

Remember yesterday’s vegan Protein-Packed Ancho Bean Burgers?  I took one to work for dinner!  Yup – I ate dinner at work.  My trainer appointment was at 9p and I had a Genius Bar appointment at 7p… no point in going home.

All wrapped up in a giant piece of chard with artichoke spread and radishes.

Meal 6:

This was a post-workout shake to cure my leg shakes.

I received a couple of protein powder samples from JBT Labs.  This was a chocolate flavor.  My first reaction was that it was ok… I decided to add chocolate extract to the mix, as well as some Stevia.  There was also 1/2 a zucchini, spinach, and ice in the mix.

At first I was worried because the blender made it frothy. Some people like that… I prefer creamy.

I stored it in the freezer most of the day, but it thawed a good bit between my errand and the workout.  Lo and behold, after it had sat all day the mix and de-frothed and was DELICIOUS.  It seems obvious now, but when faced with frothier powders I will let the mixture have time to rest and settle post-blend.

Meal 7:

Last meal = dessert.  I almost didn’t eat this one because I was so tired from the gym.  But… I knew my muscles would thank me.  Especially when I have an early morning workout planned.

Mashed up strawberries, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, and almond milk.  Let chill in fridge for 30 mins or so.  Devour.  Go to bed.

***

This day of eats contained 6 different protein sources, and I managed 157g of protein.

Do you bring seafood for lunch?  How do you deal with the fishy smell?

How do you keep track of your weekly meals?

4th of July and Paleo Oatmeal

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Can you imagine running a 10K in 27:36?

 

The 24-year-old winner of this year’s Peachtree Road Race (the largest 10K in the world) did it.  His name is Peter Kirui.  He’s Kenyan.  Surprise, surprise.

Peachtree runners

 

I spectated for a bit this year, but didn’t run.  It’s a little disheartening because it’s the first I’ve skipped in 5 years.  My knee and my trainer both have put a halt to my running, so I passed my number along to my boss’ wife.  She didn’t win the women’s division.  That prize went to Mamitu Daska from Ethiopia, who finished the 6.2 mile run in 32:22.

After a little cheerleading, I hit the gym to lift weights before heading to the lake for a day of getting sunburned fun in the sun.  Having done shoulders with my trainer on Tuesday, chest and biceps yesterday, a jet ski ride, and a sunburn… I can barely lift my arms.  Good thing its leg day!

 

Post-lake there were fireworks.  My BFF and I hit the country club where we grew up for a 20 minute display that would rival and city production.

________________________________________________________________________________________

The breakfast I began the day with for-sure kept me moving all day.

 

 

Several people had told me about Paleo “Oatmeal,” but I wast in a hurry to try a Paleo meal when I can have the real thing.  You see, the Paleo diet shuns bread-y carbs.  This oatmeal doesn’t actually include oats.

Despite my hesitation, curiosity got the best of me and I’m so glad it did.  This creamy oat-less oatmeal is going in constant rotation.

 

 

The banana gets that yummy caramelized taste, and I was surprised and how much this actually LOOKED like oatmeal.

Even better, it came together quickly and delivered and TON of protein to my tired muscles.  I amped it up more in my version with protein powder (I used Sun Warrior Vanilla here).  The addition of butter extract really have it that oatmeal taste – you know the one.  When you were a kid and would have a glob of melty butter on top of your oats… alongside wayyyy too much brown sugar.  It’s cool, we didn’t know and better

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Paleo Oatmeal

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 1/2 scoop protein powder
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other liquid)
  • 1 T ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 banana, well-mashed
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/8 tsp butter extract

 

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl until well-combined.

In a small saucepan, cook mixture over low-med heat, stirring frequently to avoid lumps and reach oatmeal-like  consistency (~5 mins).

Top your “oatmeal” with your favorite oatmeal topping.  I went with blueberries.

Serves 1.

***

I’m a little annoyed with myself for getting so badly burned.  Doh.

Did you run a race?  Enjoy a fireworks show?  Both?

Have you tired one of the Paleo oatmeal bowls before?  Any thoughts on the program?  It wouldn’t work for me right now, but I’m curious about others’ experiences!

 

Blueberry Protein Tart + WIAW

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Happy 4th of July!

I wasn’t going to post today, but how could I miss my favorite day of the week – Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Last week I talked a lot about the nutrition plan I’m on to achieve my new fitness goal (competing in a figure competition).  I’m still packing in the protein and keeping it (mostly) vegetarian.  I’m struggling to find a wider variety of protein sources.

One thing I noticed last week was that my skin is breaking out from the increase in dairy.  Greek yogurt and cottage cheese had become protein-staples.  I’m aiming to just cut back a bit this week, limiting it to 1-2 servings of dairy per day, to see if that helps.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.”  Girl reads my mind with these themes!

Check out my protein-filled fuel below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness treats!

Meal 1:

Last week I talked about how I’m now eating 7 meals a day.  Meal 1 occurred yesterday at 8am.  Knowing I had an appointment with my trainer later, I focused on getting as much energy as possible from my morning eats.

Workout energy can be quite tasty!

This is a Blueberry Protein Tart.  I ate it for breakfast, but it would make one helluva dessert too!
The inspiration for this creation was Tessa’s own creation.  I am not allowed the peanut butter she added, and I needed to reduce the size because when you eat 7 meals a day they need to be a tad smaller (yet still protein rich – that’s a whole other challenge).
Despite the omission of peanut butter, my crust was fantastically chewy and fudgey.  And the “cream filling” was just perfect.  If you haven’t invested in peanut flour, you should do so ASAP.  I’m not kidding.
Recipe at the bottom of this post.

Meal 2:

This was my pre-workout meal.  In effort to limit the dairy, I made a massive tomato and egg white scramble with basil and a drizzle of balsamic.  I’m also allowed 1 T of sunflower seeds, which I sprinkled on top of the mix.

Meal 3:

This meal is like lunch.  Since it was also my post-workout meal, a protein smoothie was in order.  I have to eat immediately after my workout to build muscle, so portability is key.  I also packed cereal for some carbs to top my smoothie and a water mixed with Amino Energy to drink during and after the workout for energy and recovery.

This is one of my new favorite smoothies.  Carrot Cake.  I’ve tried it before, but I think this particular combo is the winner.  A couple more trials and I’ll post the recipe.

It did get the thumbs up from both trainers who sampled it.

Meal 4:

This is like an afternoon snack.  That means I can have a protein source (25g) and a 3/4 C serving of veggies.  Hmmmm… a protein-packed nori roll?  Is that possible?

Yes, yes it is.  I mixed a scoop of protein powder and ~1 tsp of wasabi with water to form a paste.

I slathered my nori rolls with it and filled them with sprouts, beets, raw asparagus, and raw cauliflower.  Not too shabby for a snack on the fly!

Meal 5:

Usually I have some sort of dinner in mind, but today I was drawing a blank on where my dinner protein would come from.  My protein ended up being partially in the form of beans, and some of the secret was in the sauce.

Note: I know several will comment that I should eat more to beans, quinoa, and lentils for vegetarian/vegan protein sources.  The problem with that is that they count as carbs.  I am limited to 3/4 C of carbs at meals 1, 3, and 5.  3/4 a cup of beans is about 12g of protein.  That leaves 8-13g protein I’d still need for that meal!

For this protein-rich salad, I combined 1/2 cup of fava beans and cannellini beans with 3 oz Greek yogurt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and lavar flakes.  Then I tossed it all with beets, sprouts, green pepper, and onion.  Topped with 1/4 C edamame, basil, more nooch, and red pepper flakes.

Sort of like a bean-based chicken salad.  Sort of.

Meal 6:

By this time of day I am sick of eating.  That’s something I never thought I’d say!  Meal 6 was a quick scramble of soy-based ground “beef,” egg whites, and zucchini topped with nooch and radish.

Meal 7:

Last meal.  This – I am told – is my “dessert.”  I’ve pulled some good ones, but tonight I was just proud of myself for getting in the 7th meal.  Typically I’m too stuffed by meal 6 to get anything else in mah belly.

1/2 banana covered in Greek yogurt and frozen with bowl of peanut butter protein pudding (protein powder, peanut flour, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon).

Blueberry Protein Tart - delicious (mostly) make-ahead clean breakfast!

Blueberry Protein Tart

For the Crust:

  • 1/4 C cereal
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or liquid of choice)
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or your favorite sweetener)
For the Cream:
  • 3 oz (1/2 container) Greek yogurt
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia

For the Crust:

Place your favorite cereal in a blender and mix until it’s dust.  Pour into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon, protein powder, and chia seeds.  Stir in stevia and milk.  (Note: You may have to adjust liquid amounts depending on the powder and cereal you use.)  It should form a sticky ball.  

Spread the crust mixture evenly across a small plate (~1/4 in thick).  Refrigerate over night, or at least 20 mins.

For the Cream:

In a small bowl combine yogurt, peanut flour (you could sub more protein powder here), and stevia.  

Spread evenly atop your crust.
Top with the fruit of your choice and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving.

Approximate nutritionals (without toppings; can vary widely depending on cereal, powder, and yogurt used): 219 calories, 6.9g fat, 22.4g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 4.3g sugar, 23.6g protein

***

In case you’re curious, I managed 154.5 g of protein with these eats. BAM.

How do you refuel post-workout?

What is your favorite 4th of July dish?

Seasonal Baking: Fluffy Fig Scones

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Seasonal baked goods are worth a cheat meal.

As if I need an excuse…

When a friend brought me figs from her dad’s yard, I knew exactly what I was going to do with them.

These are not your typical dried out coffee shop scones. They are quite moist, flaky, and full of rich figgy flavor.... and they're healthier!

You could use dried figs to make these scones, but why?  The juicy sweet fruit-candy is plentiful right now.

This recipe for fig-laced scones is one of my all-time favorites.  I make a batch once a year when figs are in season… it’s self-preservation, really.  If I make them, I eat them.

Over time I have lightened the recipe up a tad, but not to the detriment of taste or texture.

These are not your typical dried out coffee shop scones.  They are quite moist, flaky, and full of rich figgy flavor.  These free-form scones could masquerade as a muffin top in a pinch.

To sweeten these I used some “real” sugar, but also incorporated a NuNaturals Stevia blend.  Using a mix rather than replacing all of the real thing avoids any problem of aftertaste.

Maple extract is another great addition – you can achieve that rich maple flavor without having to add sugary syrup.  If you don’t have maple extract, try adding a vanilla or almond extract.

If you make these now, you’ll have them ready to eat while you cheer on the 4th of July race-runners.  Or to inhale after YOU run your own race.  I’ll be cheerleading for the world’s largest 10K with one of these and a cup of coffee in hand.  Stupid knee injury.

[Tweet “These Fig Scones are 100x better than anything in a coffee shop!”]

Fluffy Fig Scones

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Keywords: bake breakfast brunch snack figs spring summer

Ingredients (14 scones)

  • 4 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/4 C NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend (or more regular sugar)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 stick (1/2 C) salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/2 pound fresh figs (~6 large)
  • 1 C buttermilk (I made mine with just under 1C almond milk and 1T lemon juice)
  • 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 tsp maple extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 T cream
  • Palm (or raw) sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter until you have pea-sized pieces. I find it’s easiest to just use my (clean) hands to do this.

Once combined, dice up your figs into 1 inch pieces and toss them in with the dry ingredients/butter mix.

Add milk, cream applesauce, and extract and briefly stir, just enough to bring the batter together. Do NOT over-mix.

the batter is moist, so I just make these free-form scones. Scoop ~1/4 C blob of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Mix together your egg yolk and cream to form a wash. Lightly brush the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Powered by Recipage

***

Totally off subject, but I laughed so hard when a friend posted this on Facebook that I have to share:

“NBC Gymnastics Trials Announcer: ‘This young lady has certainly turned into quite the confident beam-worker.’
If I said that about a 14 year-old girl, I’d be arrested.”

What are your plans for the 4th?  Any race-runners?

What is your favorite scone flavor?

A Protein-Filled Wednesday + a Snack Giveaway!

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Snacking is the new name of the game for me.

Yesterday I revealed my new fitness goal to you all – to compete in a figure competition.  This means HUGE change in my plant-based diet.  Now I have to focus more on protein than plants, and I’m eating constantly… but my goal is to to keep to a vegetarian protein diet.

The Basic Plan:

  • 7 “meals” per day (I eat every 2 hours)
  • 20-25g of protein at each meal
  • 120 oz of water daily
  • 1 serving of fruit for the first 2 meals, and at meal 7 (“dessert”)
  • 1 serving of veggies for meals 3-6
  • 1/2 C carbs at meal 1, 3, 5, and 7 (beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes count as carbs)
  • Limited fats – flax at meal 1, nuts at meal 2, olive oil at meals 3 and 5

The good parts: no calorie counting or macro tracking; I get a cheat day once a week; I already love protein shakes

The hard parts: only eating 1 serving of veggies at a time is hard; eating that much protein on a veg diet is REALLY hard; eating all the time sounds fun at first, but I am really never hungry (except for when I wake up); eating every two hours take a ton of planning; all of that water has me running to the bathroom every 30 mins.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme of “Sensible Snacking” this month is just perfect for my new plan.  I am snacking all day!

Check out a day in  the food life of a wanna-be figure competitor; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s day of eats!

Meal 1:

Janetha hipped me to the fact that I was appropriately celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day at breakfast

I made a chocolate-peanut butter protein pudding/spread to top my Ezekial bread.  This was accompanied by 1/2 cup of cherries (good for inflammation/muscle recovery).

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding:

  • 1 T GNC Soy chocolate protein powder (check out the review here)
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 T ground flax seed
  • 2 T unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Meal 2:

It’s blueberry season!  They are so sweet right now, making of an especially tasty shake… even if it did splash on my brand-new white shirt.  Note to self: don’t drink smoothies and drive.

Blueberry-Ginger Smoothie

  • 1 scoop Vega vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/2 C blueberries
  • 1 in piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C spinach (I “cheated” and added veggies… I can’t help myself!)
  • 1 T sunflower seeds
  • Ice + water, to taste

Meal 3:

Leftovers!  Some of you may have seen the vegan quiche I posted on Instagram.  With a chickpea flour base, this high-protein dish made 6 slices which I will be bringing for lunch all week.  I enjoyed it with a side of sprouts.  For those that asked, I promise the recipe will come tomorrow!

While the quiche is high-protein, it’s not quite high enough.  No worries – it gave me an opportunity to have dessert with my meal.  A little sweet and a little savory, I loved this cardamom-laced treat!

Cardamom-Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Mix

  • 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 4-5 drops NuNaturals orange liquid stevia
  • 1 T unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk

Meal 4:

Here is where it gets hard to keep eating.  At this point I’ve downed 60g of protein and I’m feeling satisfied.  However, I’m not even half way through my daily meals!

Remember this seitan chorizo I made a couple of months ago?  I froze what I couldn’t eat for future uses.  I’m beyond happy I did that!  It gave me the protein I needed for the meal, re-heating well and retaining its flavor and moisture.  It was fantastic with the last of my Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix.

Meal 5:

I had an appointment with my trainer at 8p (more legs – OMG), so I wanted my dinner-time meal to be easy to digest.  That can only mean on thing.  Liquid Sweet Potato Pie-Shake.  Meal 5 requires veggies, carbs, and protein.

Since sweet potatoes count as a carb, I ate a side of celery sticks as well.

Meal 6:

This also served as my post-workout recovery meal.  It was also my favorite meal of the day!  This rendition of overnight (over-day?) oats was cool and refreshing after a excruciating really hard workout.  If you’re from Georgia, you know it doesn’t get any better than peaches and cream this time of year.

Creamy Peach-Ginger Overnight Protein Oats

  • 1 peach, mashed
  • 1 scoop GNC Whey vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/3 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup raw oats
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4-5 drops vanilla liquid stevia
Stir it all together and allow to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Meal 7:

I cheated.  I ate meal 7 as meal 6 (fruit, carbs, and protein).  Truth be told, I’m having a really hard time working in 7 meals.  I am hitting the protein goal of 150 grams, so I’m not going to worry about it until I’m told otherwise.  🙂

Now for the part you really wanted to hear about – the giveaway!

I was contacted by Special K just before heading to Chile with an opportunity to try their new granola bar.  I don’t eat a lot of processed foods/bars, but I was intrigued by their new concept.  They sent me the samples just in time for me to pack these up as a tasty plane snack.

Of course, I shared with my concierge, Kim, who was in love with the sweet treats.  She couldn’t believe that the bars are just 110 calories and contain only 7g of sugar.  Perfect for sating your mid-afternoon sweet tooth.  They also deliver 4g of fiber and 4g of protein.

My favorite part? The Special K Granola Bars come in my favorite flavors – Dark Chocolate and Chocolatey Peanut Butter.  The chocolate-peanut butter will rock your socks off.  

Yes, they are processed and they have more than 5 ingredients.  If you’re that isn’t a problem for you, you will be really happy with these bars.  They have a great crunch and won’t leave you feeling weighed down.

The lovely people at Special K have offered to let one reader try a box of each flavor.  Here’s how to enter to win:

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 2 boxes of @SpecialKUS granola bars at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1po #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Twitter Follow Special K, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite sweet tooth satisfier?

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Monday, July 2nd.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 3rd.

***

And again with the sore legs/glutes.  Thank god the counter is close enough to my toilet to provide support for lowering down.

Do you prefer to eat 3 solid meals, or snack throughout the day?

What is your favorite protein-rich meal?

Aboard the USS Underwood

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Only in Chile…

Katherine, Me, Julia, and Captain Pete

…would 3 American women end up aboard a US Navy ship.

Our officer-friends, Pete and Michael, gave us a tour of a their ship, the USS Underwood.  This was not your boring 5th grade field trip tour.  We were privileged to a ~3 hour behind the scenes view of the ship.  Touring the ship was certainly a highlight of our trip to Chile.  SO cool!

The USS Underwood was commissioned in 1983 (an excellent year, if I may say so).  This thing was HUGE.  I would get lost on there.  The guided missile ship is 453 feet long and houses a helicopter!  It also has machine guns and torpedoes.  I felt like I was in a 10 year old’s fantasy land. 🙂

Here are a few highlights:

Clockwise, Left to Right: Captain’s coffee mug, the surf board the Captain keeps in his office/room, radar room (in additions to enemies, they have to watch for whales!), the Chilean ship parked next door, view of Valparaiso from the deck, look out, weights so they can work on their fitness, us posing with a machine gun, staring down the barrel, the on-board helicopter, us IN the helicopter, the flag in the back of the boat

Fun fact of the day: Navy men are fans of Beachbody.  During our tour we ran across a group of guys doing one of the Insanity DVDs!  I wanted to join them, but didn’t have the right attire. *sigh*

The Captain knew about my food obsession and offered to let us take a peek into the ship’s kitchen.  It would be so hard to live on their diet – they can’t keep a lot of fresh fruits and veggies on board because it goes bad after a few days at sea.  The chef, Livingston, was nice enough to let us intrude as he was preparing for dinner.

We finished up the tour at the front of the ship.

One fun fact: the bell you see in the middle-left pic below doubles as a baptismal pool.  If you are assigned to a ship when your child is ready to be baptized, the bell is turned upside down and filled with water for the baby to be dunked in.  Afterwards the baby’s name is engraved inside – it remains there for the life of the ship!

To our friends aboard the USS Underwood: Thank you so much for your hospitality, and for your service.  We wish you the best on the rest of your journey!

Please ignore the fact that I look sickly in a baseball cap.

The ship’s motto:

“Whensoever hostile aggressions . . . require a resort to war, we must meet our duty and convince the world that we are just friends and brave enemies.”  -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Andrew Jackson, December 3, 1806

On an entirely different note, please click here to hop over the Lindsay’s blog, The Lean Green Bean, today and check out my guest post.  While she’s vacationing in the sunshine, I’m home baking these no-sugar-added, gluten-free Banana-Maple Zucchini Muffins:

There is a vegan option, of course. 🙂

***

Recaps = over!  Back to your regularly scheduled food blog.

What is you favorite type of muffin?

Can you imagine trying to find something to eat aboard a ship for months at a time?  Poor guys!

Chilean Cooking School + WIAW

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It took several days, but we located Chilean food.

As I said in my first recap post, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Chilean food in Chile.

Determined food-lovers, my travel mates and I did mange to find some more “authentic” eats after making our way to the Chilean coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.

For What I Ate Wednesday this week, I am jumping ahead in our travel story to share some tasty Chilean treats with you.  The highlight was an amazing cooking class with the fabulous Boris.  This may not be true snacking, but I eat more snacks than meals when traveling so I can try EVERYTHING.

Check out my Chilean eats below; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see what the rest of the blog world else ate Wednesday!

Breakfast:

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast in a neighborhood that was right in between Valpo and Vina.  It was built in 1934, and has since been restored to a fabulous accommodation.  Doesn’t this looks like a Crate & Barrel magazine? 

Casa Olga provided us breakfast each morning.  We were served strawberry yogurt, pears, passion fruit, bananas, kiwi, cereal, toast, jam, ham and cheese (I passed on this – too much for breakfast!), coffee, and – best of all – freshly squeezed orange juice.

Here is the view we enjoyed every morning:

Their dog, Shay, wanted a seat at the table too!

Funny side note: when I asked for water at breakfast, they asked if I drank too much… they are not accustomed to drinking water in Chile!

Lunch:

This is the experience I have been most excited to share with you guys!

Katherine had to leave early, so Julia and I kept ourselves entertained by taking a Chilean cooking class.  The company, Chilean Cuisine, offers hands-on cooking classes in Valparaiso.  Our charismatic Chilean instructor, Boris, took us to the kitchen to choose the menu before escorting us to the local market to purchase the ingredients.

Much to my surprise, Boris had found my blog via my email signature and read up on it in advance!  He even read the “About Me” section and learned that I do NOT like white potatoes.

“Today we are NOT going to eat potatoes” was written on the board. How cool is that?

Boris lead us through a cookbook to help us choose the menu.  We decided on making cheese empanadas, Chilean pebre (salsa), hake fish terrine with avocado carpaccio, pumpkin and cranberry bean stew… and green chili and basil pisco sours. 🙂

First up, the market.  In the rain.  I don’t take public transportation often (Atlanta isn’t conducive to that)… and I especially don’t take it in the rain.  However, Boris kept us so entertained and energized that I hardly minded!  He also hung our wet jackets and shoes by the fire place to dry while we cooked – thank you, Boris!

Left to right, clockwise: Boris with a fish head, the market, Calabaza pumpkin, Calabaza trash (it was everywhere!),  fruit stand, a massive bucket of CHIA, eggs for sale, drying my jacket, and thawing our feet

Back at the kitchen, we began to prepare the meal feast.

A few fun highlights:

  • See my socks in the first pic?  Those were borrowed from the owner, Martin, because our shoes were soaked and it was too cold to cook barefoot.  Thank you again, Martin!
  • I love empanadas.  I cannot wait to try some fun combos here at home, and to try them baked.  Boris wasn’t amused when I started adding ingredients to the cheese… but the chilis and some cumin were really good additions!
  • We used a lot of merkén.  Merkén is a unique spice blend native to Chile consisting of dried and smoked red chilies (ají cacho de cabra or goat’s horn), toasted coriander seeds, cumin and salt.  I loved it and brought home a couple of bags!
  • The fish terrine was cooked like a poor man’s sous vide.  We wrapped the fish mixture (fish, onions, bread crumbs, egg, spices) in plastic wrap and placed it in simmering water for ~10 minutes.  Very cool method – I can’t wait to try it with other items.
  • I was in charge of seasoning the stew.  You all know how I love heat… I added so much merkén that is made Boris tear up… I thought it was perfecto. 🙂
  • Boris surprised me with beets – he saw me admiring them at the market and snuck them into our bag.  They were wonderful simply boiled with olive oil and salt.

We took a ton of this food to-go to share with our Navy officer-friends.  We were told it was a nice break from ship food. 🙂

Clockwise, Left to Right: Boris (a classically trained dancer) teaching us a dance while shaking chili-basil piscos, raising a glass to surviving the dance, Julia rolling out empanada dough, empanada pre-fry, frying empanadas, the final product (plus some sopapillas), eating our delicious empanada (topped with salsa), fish terrine (pre-slicing), terrines and avocado salad, salsa and beets, pumpkin bean stew (one of the most delicious things I ate on this trip), taking a bite, mas vino, Boris with dessert, dessert – lucuma ice cream with meringue.

Dinner:

I lied.  The Chilean food ends here.  For dinner we met up with the Navy boys for a final farewell.  Dinner was at an Italian Place called Pasta e Vino.  This was the #1 spot recommended to us – by travelers and Chileans alike!

It was quite good!  Those Chileans know their Italian food.

Clockwise, Left to Right: Restaurant window, beautiful candle in the window, the dining room, menu, wine of the evening – a big 2007 Chilean red blend, amuse – pumpkin soup, bruschetta topped with prosciutto, bell pepper filled with goat cheese and prawn and wrapped in phyllo, my entrée: the eggplant gnocchi in goat cheese sauce with toasted almonds, Captain’s entrée: pumpkin ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese (my favorite of the night), Julia’s entrée: spinach fettuccine with ham and walnut (spelled “wall nut” on the English menu) in a cheese sauce, XO’s entrée: fettuccine with ham in a white wine-lemon sauce with parmesan crisps, apple crumble with chocolate ice cream and caramel, panna cotta topped with a berry compote, sambuca en fuego x2.

Snacks:

Like I said, we basically snacked our way through the entire trip.  My favorites?

Banana Split Gelato

Never enough empanadas!

***

Are you beginning to understand why I had to do a juice cleanse when we returned? 🙂  One more recap to go – the tour of the US Navy ship!!!

Have you ever taken a cooking class in another country?

Do you prefer to stay at hotels or bed & breakfasts when you travel?

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