Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Tortilla Pizza

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Where do people come up with this stuff?

The search terms that lead my blog crack me up!  *Not that I’m not happy to have new visitors!  I’m just baffled occasionally.*

My Recent Favorites:

  • Rotating deodorants (I do… my body gets immune!)
  • “Love my stylist” short hair cut (go see Karen at Lava)
  • My black coffee and breakfast to go
  • Things that make me go mmm (click here for those)
  • Sweet bikini bellies
  • Pumpkin dumbbells images
  • Herbs that go well with cottage cheese (they all do)
  • PMS salty sweet (I hear you, sister… make these)
  • Schweddy balls (tee hee)

You guys know I’m on an airplane right about now (thank you, wi-fi).  Since the trip has begun, I can officially declare victory over my quest to only use what I have this week.

I haven’t dined out since Sunday – this is no small feat for me!  I’ve probably saved $200 (which I promptly spent on trip stuff).

My fridge is a wasteland of crumbs and stuff that never expires.

Some of the odd creative concoctions I haven’t shared yet:

Use-everything-in-my-fridge pizza(s):

Customize pizzas as you like!  The one above is chronicled at the bottom of this post with instructions.

Tortilla pizzas sound like such a silly thing to eat before getting the “real” thing in Italy.

Working lunch 

Pizza #2 (above) consisted of pressed tofu, sheep’s milk cheese, artichokes, marinara sauce, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes.

There was a dinner saute:

Pressed tofu, edamame, jalapeno, garlic, shallot, salsa, and liquid smoke.  Side of sauteed zucchini I’ve been eyeing here on Rufus’ Food and Spirits Blog… it has a twist of something you’d never guess: Peach Schnapps.  I followed the recipe, except I used olive oil instead of butter.  It was awesome.

And my favorite – Overnight Oats in a Jar.  Yep, I even used all the peanut butter.

PB jar with the “dregs” on the bottom, oats, sunflower seed milk (so glad to see this gone!), cinnamon, Biscoff granola, vanilla, and a shake of salt.

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Since I’m gone, the weekly recap is early!  Slacker, I am not.  At least not while in the U.S.

Workout Recap (9/19-9/24)

  • Monday – Biceps/Back, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – 7 miles run, P90X Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Kickboxing, 3 mile run, Shoulders
  • Thursday – Tris/Chest (click link for the workout!), Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – 5 mile run, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – Rest/Travel
  • Sunday – I’ll be biking through Verona 🙂

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Tortilla Pizza

  • 1 tortilla (I used Ezekial)
  • 1/4 C tomato sauce
  • 1 handful fresh spinach
  • 1 T fresh thyme
  • 1 chicken sausage (I’m loving Bilinski’s from Whole Foods!)
  • 1/4 C artichoke hearts
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to high broil.

Lay tortilla on baking sheet or pizza stone.  Layer ingredients on top of tortilla.

Place in the oven, watching very closely (broil is no joke!).  Cook until just beginning to brown, ~7-8 mins.

***

The next two weeks will be filled with an all-star line up of guest posts!  Please stop by, say hello, and discover some new bloggers.  I’ll also be inserting a little commentary about what Italian region the Wandering Wine-os  are terrorizing touring… and will try to write a few full-length posts as time/wi-fi allows.

What is your favorite pizza base?

Would you have added the schnapps to the zucchini?  I’m glad I did!

Pumpkin Shortage + WIAW

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Don’t panic but…

 

There may be a pumpkin shortage.

Damage from Hurricane Irene is worse than we thought.  The hurricane destroyed hundreds of pumpkin patches in the Northeast.  Prices for the surviving pumpkins have doubled in some cases.
Growers in other regions are shipping pumpkins to the NE, but if you’re in the affected area you still want to get your pumpkins early before the good ones are gone!

No word on whether it will affect canned products or pumpkin ales.


I hope I didn’t alarm anyone.  🙂

Back our regularly scheduled WIAW: The Using Everything in My Kitchen Edition.

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Breakfast:

I recently bought what will probably be the last peach of the season.  Sad.

 

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding isn’t sad though.  This made for a tasty breakfast while on an early conference call with Taiwan.

I did it the same way as usual (click link above for recipe), except I used chunky PB and sunflower seed milk (which was NOT as good almond milk in this!).

 

Not pictured are my 2 cups of coffee.  Black, with cinnamon sprinkled in the grounds (pre-brew).

 

 

Lunch:

I went on a nice little 7 mile run and was starving when I got back.

Monster Salad time.

 

In my bowl:

 

I wasn’t a huge fan of Sunshine patties at first, but I discovered that microwaving them half way and then finishing them off in a pan makes it much better.

 

Snacks:

Biscoff Cookie Dough Ball for pre-run fuel.  These kept really well in the freezer… but this was the last one. 🙁

 

I also made another Biscoff spread treat.  Which I will share on Friday… it seems timely since I’ll be eating Biscoff on my flight. 🙂

 

Dinner:

This was a creation inspired by the cooler weather… and fact that tofu, spinach tofu noodles, and tomato sauce are all on list of this to use in my fridge.

 

This Vegan “Ricotta” Pasta Bake was seriously good.  I added artichokes and capers, which made it not-your-mamma’s pasta bake.  And – of course – red pepper flakes.  

 

I love surprising myself.  Recipe coming tomorrow!!!

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

***

It is proving to be a fun challenge to use only what I have.  Running out of spinach is a scary thing though!

Are you affected by the pumpkin shortage?

What ingredient are you most looking forward to being back in season?

 

Black Cherry Breakfast “Soup”

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3 more days!!!

This week is creeping by… yet flying at the same time because I have SO much to do.

Not the least of which is formatting some rockin’ guest posts.  Hopefully you guys will discover some new bloggers and gain so fantastic info from these guest spots.  All of these lades and gents offer something special and unique!

My lofty goal is to post every other day.  Wi-fi may be sketchy and we are going to be on the move quite a lot, so I’m being realistic at the same time.

 

One of my other lofty goals is to use everything in my kitchen this week.  My challenge to myself is to not buy even the smallest thing at the grocery store.  It’s much harder than it looks!

The color of today’s breakfast almost made the title this post “Food No One Will Steal From the Office Fridge.”  The fact that it is too long a title is the only thing that held me back.

 

I used a new product – Sunrich’s Sunflower Seed Milk.  Sounds exciting, right?

To be honest… it tastes a bit like Milk of Magnesia on its own.

Mixing it in smoothies and oats hides that taste.  I still wouldn’t buy it again.

 

The “soup” does taste good!  Much better than the color would indicate.  🙂

I love cherries and with the creamy texture the banana adds it makes for a fantastic soup.  Why not just drink it like a smoothie?  Because eating it with a spoon for breakfast seemed like more fun!

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Black Cherry Breakfast Soup

  • 1/2 C black cherries
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 C milk (or milk substitute)
  • 1 C fresh spinach
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 large banana
  • 5-6 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia
  • shake of guar gum (thickener)
  • Ice/water, to taste

 

Throw it all in your blender/Bullet/Vitamix and blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and top with your favorites – nut butter, granola, cereal, muffins… whatever you crave!

Enjoy!

***

Thank you to everyone for the sweet hair compliments – you guys made my day! 🙂

What’s your favorite milk substitute?  Or do you prefer the real thing?

Do you try to use everything in your fridge before trips?

 

Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

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Cinnabon.

Can’t you almost smell it through your screen?

That smell kills me when I’m walking through Terminal A in the Atlanta airport.  It’s absolutely intoxicating… and all I can do not to stop and order a dozen cinnamon rolls.

I nearly attacked the man behind me last night… he brought one on the plane and didn’t offer a bite.  Cruel.

The only thing that saved this man’s life is the fact that I’d had Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats for breakfast.  Post-run.

Cinnamon Roll Extract was the discovery of a lifetime.  I found the teeny bottle (seriously – this pic is true to size) in a cook’s supply store.

It is made by LorAnn Oils and is referred to as a “Super Strength.”  If you use this, know that it’s VERY concentrated – 3-4x a regular extract.

I only needed to use a couple of drops to achieve that buttery cinnamon roll taste!

These oats pack a ton of protein and nutrients that will keep you full until lunch!  They will also provide you energy as your brush up on wines of Italy… one more week!!!

 

Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

  • 1/4 C oatmeal
  • 2 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Growing Naturals)
  • 1/4 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 6-7 drops Vanilla NuNaturals Stevia
  • 1/16 tsp cinnamon roll extract (a little goes a long way!)

In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Place in fridge overnight.  Remove in the morning, stir, and enjoy!

Note: These were great cold after a workout, but the same flavors would be fantastic in a warm oatmeal on a cool fall morning.

***

I haven’t tied to get oats through airport security yet… I wonder if they count as liquid?!  Will test it out and report back. 🙂

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Have you found any unique extracts that you love?

BYOB Airplane-Style + WIAW

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Getting up and seeing the moon makes me tired.

I dutifully packed my bag and headed to the Midwest.

Perfected packing for a one day meeting:

  • Breakfast
  • Sweater (conference rooms are COLD)
  • BlackBerry (try not to lose it… again)
  • Heels (wear flats for running through the airport)
  • Laptop
  • Charger
  • Files to bake into cake later 

16 hours later I was back home in that South after a successful day of meetings!

I did forget one thing… I didn’t take pictures of anything I ate after breakfast.  Breakfast was really the only thing picture-worthy though.

Instead I’m posting a WIA Sunday-thru-Tuesday for WIAW.

Breakfast:

I brought my own… but treated myself to Starbucks while waiting to board the plane and eat.  Technically the client treated me, but who’s counting.

Tip: add a little sweet in your coffee without adding much in the way of sugar and calories by ordering a black coffee (in this case an Americano) with light whip on top.

Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to add a little “fall” flavor.

Need other ideas to entertain yourself while waiting to board?  Take pictures of unsuspecting travelers in matching Hawaiian shirts.  Priceless.

Upon boarding, it was time to enjoy BYOB on a plane.  That’s bring your own beer breakfast.

I finally copied took the advice of Sarah @ Smart Kitchen and made my own yogurt in a recycled cup.

Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

This container of orange fall deliciousness is Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt.  I don’t understand how every yogurt maker out there doesn’t offer this flavor – it may be the best idea ever.  Do you hear me, Atlanta Farm Fresh???

Add some vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and it’s like pie filling you can shamelessly eat for breakfast.  Recipe at the end of this post.

Lunch:

Here’s the part where I add some previous meals to replace the eats that weren’t worthy of picturing. 🙂

Vegetable Chickpea Soup.  Vegan, gluten-free, and damn good.

This recipe will be up tomorrow!!!

Snacks:

Not pictured, but snack time was pretty junky good:

  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar (side note: I’m sad – they changed the recipe and they aren’t as good.  I won’t be buying them again. 🙁 )
  • A few of my co-worker’s chips
  • Fun Size M&Ms (free in first class)
  • Beer (again, cheers to the upgrade!)

Dinner:

I was craving pasta on Sunday night so I took a little trip to Decatur to give No.246 another chance (I was totally underwhelmed the first time).  Round 2 was much better!  I sat at the bar, which turned out to be a great decision. The bartender, Brenda made some great suggestions and I enjoyed our conversation

I began with a tasty salad of radicchio, endive, granny smith apples, walnuts, and bacon (not pictured).  The pasta I chose was a Trofie.  Trofie is made with flour and water (no eggs).  It’s hand-rolled into little squiggly shapes.  246 serves it with a chicken liver, pork, and beef bolognese.

At first it was just good…  then Brenda gave me some chili infused olive oil.  That kicked it up and notch and gave the dish the “pop” it needed to succeed.

Pairing: Nebbiolo, Damilano, Alba 2008 – this was a great suggestion from Brenda.  It is a bigger wine, stony/earthy taste.  It stood up well to the meaty pasta dish.   OMG I’m going to be in Alba in a couple of weeks!!!

No. 246 is on it’s way.  The basics are there, the kitchen just need to get over this apparent fear of spices.

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

Combine everything in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) and mix until smooth.  You may need to add more liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Top with nuts of your choice and enjoy!

Note: you can make this ahead – I did.  The flavors melded and intensified overnight.

***

Can you tell I’m ready for fall by the looks of these dishes?!

What foods (if any) do you bring on planes?  

What’s your favorite pasta dish?

Chilly Weather Eats + WIAW

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Wednesday comes quickly on short weeks!

Short weeks are good and bad.  I love the extra weekend time… but I was at work until 8p last night paying for it.

It’s chilly and drizzling rain here, so I had planned to go to kickboxing for a good, mindless workout.  The last class starts at 730p.

On the bright side, I hit the gym in my building and tried out a new back/bicep workout that I’ll be sharing soon. 🙂

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On such a short week I nearly forgot to take pics for WIAW!

 

I did remember nearly everything in the nick of time.  Mas importante because I had a special treat for breakfast.

 

Breakfast:

I pre-gamed breakfast with some cantaloupe because it was going to take a minute before I picked up the main show.

 

FREE Chick-fil-A!!!  It is free breakfast entrée week (with a reservation).  I was pumped to try out their new oatmeal.

I came prepared with my own peanut butter (I never said I was normal).  They provided brown sugar, nuts, and dried fruit as toppings, but I’m not a dried fruit fan and the nuts were all sugar-coated.  Too much sugar in the morning!

The oatmeal itself was pretty good.  The fact that it’s multi-grain gave it a good texture.  It was cooked well – not watery, which I generally find to be the problem.  Only 120 calories and 5g of sugar, but I liked that it had 3g of fiber and 4g of protein.  That said, the serving was fairly small and I was really glad for the peanut butter!

 

Lunch:

Inspired by the cool, rainy weather I made a delicious Indian Eggplant Lentil Stew Monday night and thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today.

Side note: Tech wont their first game against Western Carolina Girl’s School Saturday!!!

 

Lentils have many benefits.  They are:

  • High in protein an fiber = filling
  • Good source of iron and magnesium
  • Take on virtually any flavor from other foods/seasonings
  • Low-cost
  • Good left-over!

 

This recipe will be up tomorrow!!!

 

 

Snacks:

Not pictured, but I am pretty predictable consistent:

  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar
  • Nuts – I caved and ate the Chick-fil-A sugar-coated.  They were good.  🙂
  • Kombucha Green Tea
  • Broccoli and carrot sticks dipped in my new find: Spinach-Artichoke Hummus

 

This hummus is a new Whole Foods find by Nature’s Healthy Gourmet.  You really get the good artichoke flavor in it!

Nature’s Healthy Gourmet is a small company based out of Florida that specializes in vegetarian and Kosher foods.  Nature’s hummus is also dairy- and gluten-free.  If you can find it, this hummus is worth a try!

 

Dinner:

Since I got home from work so late I opted for a lighter dinner.  A salad with raw french green beans, sprouts, and mission figs.

 

Did you really think that’s all I ate?  Bwhahahaha!

 

That salad was protein’d up with sriracha-marinated tempeh and hummus dressing (the aforementioned hummus mixed with a bit of apple cider vinaigrette).

I finally learned how to spell sriracha!!!  Gotta celebrate the small victories. 😉

 

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

***

Please excuse the grainy iPhone pics for the next few days… my camera is broken!

It seems that every fast food place offers oatmeal now – do you ever purchase it in a crunch?

Is is getting cooler where you are?  Bring on the fall weather!

 

Free Chick-fil-A Breakfast!

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I was going to take the entire long weekend off from blogging…

…but THIS I had to share.

This week (8/6-8/10) Chick-fil-A will be giving away a FREE BREAKFAST entree to those with reservations.

 

Don’t eat fried chicken before noon?  No worries – you have options:

  • Spicy Chicken Biscuit
  • Sausage Biscuit
  • Chick-n-Minis
  • Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit
  • Chicken, Egg, and Cheese on a Sunflower Multigrain Bagel
  • Multigrain Oatmeal


To make a reservation, click here.

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Since I’m posting… here’s the weekly recap.  I was in 5 cities in 5 days this week and managed to workout every day (except Friday, which was a planned rest).  It wasn’t easy, but it can be done!

 

Workout Recap (8/29-9/4)

  • Monday – Biceps/Back, 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – 45 mins elliptical, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – 4 mile run, 30 mins legs, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Tris/Chest, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Rest
  • Saturday – 4 mile run, short swim, 100 push-ups 
  • Sunday – Tennis, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups

***

If I have to go back to work tomorrow, at least there’s free breakfast!  So. Excited.

What was the best part of your long weekend?

Have you tried Chick-fil-A’s oatmeal yet?

 

PBJ Pancakes (gluten-free and vegan!)

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Friday should always be pancake day.

I made some last week as a treat and am wishing that what I was eating today.

Alas, I am 1 focus group, 1 executive presentation, and 1 flight away from my long weekend.

To those who were on Twitter last night: I did survive the Copperhead sighting.

As seen at the Sheraton Airport Charlotte Hotel

Would you have checked out of the hotel?  I did not.  It wasn’t in my room… but let’s just say last night wasn’t the best sleep I’ve ever gotten.

After Tweeting about the incident, Starwood Hotels responded and comp’d my room… too bad it was billable to the client anyway.

They should have comp’d my glass of vino.

 

Let’s focus on the good:

You guys know about my obsession with peanut flour.   I’m convinced it’s good in any form: Veggie Dip, PBJ Vegan Yogurt Deliciousness, Spicy Peanut Sauce…

…and now, PANCAKES.

Yummy, fluffy, pea-nutty, vegan, gluten-free pancakes.

At first I was going to drown drizzle these in maple syrup.  Then it dawned on me: jelly goes peanut butter like peas and carrots.

45 seconds later, I had homemade raspberry syrup – and it’s only sugar is from the fruit itself.

Approximately 5 mins after that, I had this:

Moral of the story: skip the Denny’s gut-busters and BYOP (bring your own pancakes), PYT.

PBJ Pancakes 

For the Cakes:

For the Jam:

Mix together ground flax and water.  Set aside for 2-3 mins, allowing the mix to gel into a flax “egg.”

In small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Add liquids and flax egg, stirring until just combined. Spoon on to warm pan (med-high heat), forming 1-2 pancakes.  Flip half way through… you guys know how to make pancakes. 🙂

Meanwhile, place the berries and stevia in a small bowl.  Place in microwave ~45 seconds.  Remove and stir.

Plate pancakes and top with “jam.”  Enjoy!

Notes: Any flour should work here.  You can also use a regular egg or 2 egg whites in place of the flax egg.

Makes 1-2 pancakes.

***

You guys had some awesome comments/insights in response to yesterday’s obesity discussion.  Thank you SO much  – I really enjoyed the different perspectives. 🙂

Is there anyone out there that doesn’t like PBJ?

What fun are you getting into this long weekend?

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