Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

The Cure + Zucchini-Banana Muffins

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As expected, I woke up the morning after Tough Mudder feeling like death warmed over a bit sore. (Check out my recap here.)

The good news is I found The 3-Step Cure.

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box.

Noooo… I’m kidding.  The Cure actually began the night of the race with…

 

1. Fro-Yo

A post-run, post-blogger dinner Dark Chocolate-Vanilla swirl @ Three on the Tree.

Calcium! (Pretty sure I earned this. x1000.)

This is the most tasty yogurt in Atlanta.  I’d bet my first born on it. If I were to have a first born.


2. Brunch

I had an awesome brunch with some good friends at Rosebud, one of my favorite restaurants.  Ron Eyester (@theangrychef) is the chef/owner and he never disappoints (with food or hilariously honest tweets).

Whole Wheat Pancakes w/ Sage-Vanilla Butter. They don't skimp on the butter and you shouldn't either.

Starter Beverage: Jasmine green tea (full disclosure: I wasn’t being noble… no booze until church lets out noon on Sundays in GA).

Appetizers: Biscuits + gravy (my friend who doesn’t even like gravy loved this!) and an epic grits + egg + brisket creation Ron graciously sent out.

Meal: Whole wheat pancakes with sage-vanilla butter, special Rosebud syrup… and a side of grits.  Just because.

Draaaank: The Orange Thing – vodka, gran marnier, and orange pellegrino.  Two thumbs up.

 

3. Spa

The Korean spa, JeJu, in Gwinnett.  $25 for the whole day.

I seriously considered never leaving.

 

Don’t be scared.  There will be nudity (only in the M/F segregated areas!).  There are hot tubs, cold pools, wet and dry saunas, and 7 different “healing rooms.”

They also offer massages (no happy ending), body scrubs, and foot massages.

The healing rooms have different themes.  For instance, the one I spent the majority of my time in was the clay sauna.  It’s good for muscle recovery.

Others include: charcoal for detoxing, jade for inner peace, salt for circulation, etc.  The dome are lined with appropriate substance in each room.

I sent and extra $50 for an hour-long foot massage.  It was the best idea I’ve ever had. If you go there after a race, it’s worth the splurge.

JeJu has wi-fi, towel service, and a Korean restaurant.  You could literally stay there for 24 hours.

 

So, that’s my 3-Step Cure*.  Free of charge.

*This is not to say that I’m not sore today.  I am.  Just less so than I would have been (Translation: I’m able to walk).

Day 3 of recovery started with muffins.

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You’re not going to believe it, but these are vegan, low-sugar, < 100 calories, AND they taste good.

Sneaky Veggie Muffin

Zucchini makes for a dense muffin.  If you want them fluffier, reduce the grated zucchini by 1/2 C.

Relying mostly on banana to sweeten them, these muffins these are a perfect breakfast for those that aren’t in need of an AM sugar-high.  I think you could replace the agave with Stevia… if you try it, let me know!

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These were inspired by the Babycakes vegan cookbook and Marci Gilbert’s Loaf.

Zucchini-Banana Muffins

(a.k.a. The 98 Calorie Muffin)

  • 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
  • 1/2 C spelt flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 C grated zucchini (~2 medium)
  • 1.5 C ripe bananas (~2 medium)
  • 1/4 C light agave nectar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 12 regular-sized muffin tins with Pam/butter/Earth Balance.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (the first 8).

In medium bowl, mush bananas with a fork.  Add grated zucchini, agave, and vanilla and hand mix.

Add the wet to the dry, mixing until just combined.  Fold in the pecans. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan half way through.

Makes 12 muffins.

Approximate Nutrition Info: 98 calories, 2.5g fat, 18.2g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 2.2g protein

***

Do you have a “magic” cure for next-day soreness?

(Hangover cures are appreciated count.)

 

Kabocha Chipotle Soup

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Congratulations on making it to yet another Friday!

In honor of the end of the week, my yearning for solid food, and of my friend beginning my day by asking for restaurant recs, I have decided to make a list…

Top 5 places I would eat this weekend if I could chew:

1. Empire State South (999 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-541-1105) – Hugh Acheson (of 5 & 10 – Athens, GA fame) has struck again.  The staff was incredibly accommodating on V-Day weekend, straining some incredibly flavorful white bean soup and serving a side of celery root puree for my chewing needs.  I also enjoyed a whisky-based Brown Derby cocktail. When I go back, that ricotta dumpling is mine.

Source: atlantabearingsguide.com

2. Victory Sandwich Bar (280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, 770-676-7287) – I don’t think they have a website yet, but I can confirm they do have the following:

  • Jack and coke slushies
  • Punching bag (for the angry drunk in you)
  • $4 sandwiches

Source: first-bite.com

3. Holeman & Finch (2277 Peachtree Road, Suite B, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-948-1175) – I would eat here every night if I could.  This place makes 24 burgers.  They don’t serve them until 10p.  You need to be there by 830p to “reserve” one.

Yes, you will wait.  Yes, it will be chaos.  YES, it is worth it. (Secret: Sunday brunch begins at 12:30p… the burgers are served without bounds.)

Source: Gourmet

Do yourself a favor and try other menu items – they’re ALL good.  And let Greg Best, the rockstar behind the bar, serve you drinks of his choosing.  Trust will serve you well at this fine establishment.

4. La Pietra Cucina (One Peachtree Pointe, 1545 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-888-8709) – Hands down the best pasta in Atlanta.  To start, don’t miss the Proscuitto di Parma with the house-made ricotta and pineapple mostarda.  Then Carla’s Tagliatelle.  Then one of everything for dessert.


Charcuterie.  A glass (or 2) of Amarone. Find a better way to enjoy National Drink Wine Day.  I dare you.

5. Top Flr (674 Myrtle St., Atlanta, GA, 404 685-3110) – Top Flr is one of my “go to” places in town for dinner (read my short review here).  They have a solid wine list, a wide variety of food, and a relaxing, funky atmosphere.  However, this weekend they are getting a special shout out because Sunday will begin their brunch service!  The brunch menu hasn’t been announced yet, but I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

One of my all-time favorite restaurant review quotes comes from Besha Rodell @ Creative Loafing’s coverage of this fine establishment:

“Top Flr is what happens when the kids who used to wait tables and bartend in other people’s restaurants grow up and become their own bosses.”

Back to your regularly scheduled programming…

Surprise!  Its another soup recipe.  But this one has a new squash!!!

Kabocha squash (which means “Japanese pumpkin”).  They look like this:

They are Japanese in origin and have a potato-like texture.  They have an earthy taste and are sweet (though not quite as much as a butternut squash).

Verdict: I’d eat it again.  

In the soup below, the sweet squash went perfectly with the heat from the chipotle.  The carrot and coriander also complimented the sweetness, making the taste more complex.  Topped with avocado, it was like a fiesta in my mouth.  (That’s what she said.)

Kabocha Chipotle Soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (I used Sweetwater Habanero-infused)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 C spinach
  • 1 medium kabocha squash, cooked
  • 2.5 C vegetable broth
  • 3/4 C water
  • 1 chipotle pepper from a can of peppers in adobo sauce
  • Handful cilantro
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • S + P, to taste
  • Avocado slices, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and carrots, sautéing until tender (~7-8 mins).  Add garlic and saute just a minute more (careful not to burn the garlic!).  Add the pumpkin, spinach, broth, water, chipotle pepper, and cilantro.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to combine.  Reduce temp, bringing soup to a simmer until the spinach wilts and flavors combines (~5-10 mins).

Puree the mixture using an immersion blender or stand blender until smooth.  Add seasonings to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnished with avocado, cilantro, sour cream (or greek yogurt!), red pepper flakes, diced tomato, crumbled tortilla chips, etc… you get the idea!

***

Creative food = fun!  Jack and Coke Slushies.  Pineapple with you ricotta and prosciutto.  New squash (as opposed to New Coke, which was a terrible idea).

What’s your favorite unexpected combo/dish/drink?

Sunday Morning Frittata

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Important announcement:

I am now a red head.

Yesterday I visited my friend/stylist at Lava Hair Studio for a much-needed hair cut/color.  I love Karen – I walk in, say “I need a change,” and she creates a whole lot of awesome.

There’s nothing more satisfying about leaving the salon looking like a whole new person.

Pictures soon… I still need to get a new camera after the washing machine incident.

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In the South we are expecting some winter weather tonight/tomorrow.  I think I’m the only one not making a panic-run the grocery store.

This means I am either:

a.) super smart

or

b.) a (soon to be stranded and starving) moron.

I’m actually pretty excited about it.  Last time it snowed here I walked across the street to the park and watched half of Atlanta try to sled on various household items.  Among my favorites:

  • Giant tupperware box lids
  • Trashcan lids
  • Cafeteria trays
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Other people
  • Those reflective silver things people put in their windshields
  • Bicycles with wood “skis” attached in place of wheels (this one gets the Darwin Award)

Southerners are creative.

Unfortunately, along with snow comes frigid temps.  It was 18 degrees when I woke up this morning.  The heaviest coat I have is a fleece Northface jacket.  And did I mention the crazy wind?

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One of my favorite parts of the weekend is Sunday morning.

You can thank me later for the fact that you’re humming “Sunday morning coming down.”

Sunday is usually my “get stuff done” day.  I try to leave the day wide open for running errands/cleaning/working/etc.  That’s all fine, but what makes the morning my favorite is having the unscheduled time to drink coffee, watch the morning news, and make a good breakfast (a.k.a. brunch).

Not that I don’t think oatmeal is a good breakfast.  It’s just that oatmeal can be a quick-fix.  I will (almost) never take the time to make an egg dish during the week.

This morning I decided to raid the veggie drawer and make a spicy frittata.

I love using red pepper flakes to spice things up.  This morning I used the flakes, then remembered the Sweet Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce my artist-sister gave me and used that too!

A little bit goes a long way. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Blurry cell phone picture. Desperate times...

Hands down, this was a Sunday-morning-worthy brunch.

I also used my coffee trick:

Add a couple shakes of cinnamon and a teeny shake of salt to the coffee before brewing.  Try it out – you’ll be surprised at the flavor it adds!

Spicy Frittata

  • 5 Asparagus stalks
  • 1/4 C Yellow onion
  • 1/4 C Red pepper
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 2 Eggs
  • Splash of water
  • Red pepper flakes
  • S + P
  • Sweet Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Rough chop the veggies and saute over med-high heat in an oven-proof pan with EVOO until just tender (about 6-7 mins).

Meanwhile, beat eggs in small bowl.  Add a couple splashes of water.  Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.

Turn down heat and pour eggs over veggies in saute pan and cook until beginning to set (about 5 mins).  Use your spatula to lift edges and tilt pan, allowing egg to run underneath.  Drizzle habanero sauce over top.

Place skillet in oven and cook until the eggs are set, about 7-8 mins.  You may crumble cheese over the top during final 2 mins.

Slide frittata on to your plate and enjoy!

Note: adding a bit of water to eggs makes the more fluffy.  Water actually works better than milk.

Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls

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Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

I’ve been waiting to post this… I misplaced my new camera and didn’t get pic of the finished product.

Good news: Found camera.

Bad news:  It was washed.  In a ski jacket.  By my mom.

Playing in the snow with my sisters

At least we got to play in the whole 1/4 inch of snow…

Soooo… I’m posting this sans final product pics.  But they were pretty!  These would make a great hangover New Years Day breakfast.

Christmas morning was very different this year – I was the first one awake!

I bounced out of bed, ready to open presents at 830a.  Then I waited until 11a for the family to wake up.  Talk about anti-climatic.

Things I did to entertain myself for 2.5 hours:

  • Made/drank coffee
  • Ate 1/2 an apple
  • Whittle My Middle workout
  • Prepared the breakfast roll glaze
  • Chopped veggies for a frittata
  • Ate some granola
  • Unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher

Productive, right?!

In our family, the big-deal Christmas meals are Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch.

Continuing with my theme to trying new things, I decided to make Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls.  These are adapted from the January 2011 Food & Wine.

We enjoyed them with a veggie frittata and a fantastic rose sparkling wine (which I had a picture of on my new/newly cleaned camera).

Of course, we opened presents first. 🙂

My favorite gift this year was a MacBook Air from Mom Santa.  If anyone can teach me how to use it, that would also be cool.

Now for the incomplete rolls.

Ready to roll out after rising.

Rolled out, berry-topped, and sugar-cinnamon sprinkled.

Ready for rise #2!  I let them rise for 2 hours and then placed them in the fridge overnight to beaked fresh on Christmas morning.

Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls

Dough

  • 1 C Milk
  • 2/3 C Sugar
  • 1 1/2 T Active dry yeast
  • 1 Stick Unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
  • 4 1/4 C All-purpose flour (+ more for dusting)

Filling

  • 10-ounce package IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) mixed berries (not thawed)
  • 1/4 C + 2 T Sugar
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch

Glaze

  • 3/4 C Confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 T Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 T Heavy cream
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

For the Dough:

In a small saucepan, warm the milk over moderately low heat until it’s 95°.  Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast.  Let stand until the yeast is foamy, ~5 mins.  Add the softened butter, eggs, grated lemon zest and sea salt.  Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, ~3 mins. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, ~10 mins.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times.  Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, ~2 hours.

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend up the short sides.  Butter the paper and sides of the pan.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10 x 24 in rectangle.

For the Filling:

In a medium bowl, toss the frozen berries with the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Spread the berry filling evenly over the dough.  Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24-inch-long log.  

Working quickly, cut the log into quarters.  Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up.  Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls.  

Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, ~2 hours.

To Bake:

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Bake the rolls for ~20 mins, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling.  Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 mins.

For the Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon with the butter and heavy cream until the glaze is thick and spreadable.

Invert the rolls onto the rack and peel off the parchment paper.  Invert the rolls onto a platter.  Dollop glaze over each roll and spread with an offset spatula.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: The recipe can be prepared through the “Filling” step the day before (I did and it turned out perfectly).  Once risen, simply cover the rolls and refrigerate overnight.  Return to room temperature before baking.

You can also use any sort of berries for the filling.  The original called for raspberries.

Halloween and Squash

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First the fun part – Halloween in San Francisco.

I woke up and ran through the city – along the Embarcadero and through Chinatown.  I didn’t save it on my watch, but it was something like 5.1 miles in 43 mins.  Not bad with all the hills!

Then the day was ON.  After a few minutes in Urban Outfitters where we purchased sumos, Mallory and I had an awesome brunch at Orson (Elizabeth Falkner from Top Chef’s restaurant).

Sumo Thumb Wrestling

We had some “Apple Juice.”

Waiter... there's a sumo in my drink!

Then some toast.

French toast, maple syrup, pumpkin pie butter, and cinnamon cream

And some eggs.

Eggs benedict on house-made english muffin, canadian bacon, spinach, and cheddar mornay sauce

We opted to pass on dessert.

What better way to spend Halloween than at a famous prison?!

Arriving at Alcatraz

Apparently Native Americans occupied the island for 19 months from 1969-1971.  All the history surrounding Alcatraz was really neat.

The Sumos enjoyed the view

Gorgeous day for prison!

I wore stripes, ironically.

Back in San Fran, we took a looooog walk.

Coit Tower

Somehow we ended up in Chinatown right at snack time.

Pork Sticky Buns

The Sumos felt at home

We finally made it home and spent the next hour rushing around to get ready for Halloween!

It was a lazy costume year

We walked through the Mission to get dinner.  Kids there trick-or-treat at businesses (the neighborhood isn’t safe conducive to the pastime).

They aren't as well stocked as Laura would have hoped.

Pit stop for ice cream at Humphry Solcombe before dinner (priorities, people!).

Bacon in ice cream. Brilliant.

Once we devoured finished our dessert, we headed to El Metate for dinner.

El Metate = El Tasty

Tacos with corn tortillas are my favorite.  I ordered one veggie and one salsa verde shredded pork.  The tortilla chips on the side were freshly baked into a nice, thick chip.  The spicy array of treats from the salsa bar were delish too.

Taco heaven

My friends had the veggie burrito and the fried chicken.  Do yourself a favor and don’t ever get the fried chicken.  It was sinfully good and I’ll be craving it for a looooong time.  The guac was also hauntingly good.

Finally, we were off to celebrate All Hallows Eve and oogle other people’s costumes!

The Sumos are party animals!

Now that I’ve posted about all that food… what am I eating on the detox?!

… 

Read More »

The most important meal of the day

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On Sunday, that meal is brunch.  Yesterday I tried out the new brunch at the Inman Park Pure with one of my favorite partners-in-crime.

Reason #1 she is one of my favs: we ordered dessert first.  I think it may have even been her idea.

Churros y Chocolate Caliente

Churros are basically Spain’s answer to doughnuts beignets.  They’re fried and then coated in cinnamon and sugar.

The exterior of these was perfectly crisp, not greasy at all.  The inside was airy – the dough was just cooked through.  Watch out, Krispy Kreme.

Airy churro goodness

Served with a cup of hot chocolate perfection.  It wasn’t too sweet (a must given the fried sugary goodness) or too heavy (to the point that we questioned whether it was made with skim milk).  In fact, it only got better as we dunked the churros in it.

From the partner-in-crime:

I can’t not smile when I’m eating these.

Georgia has a silly law that you can’t serve alcohol in a restaurant on Sundays until 12:30p (after the good Southerns have attended church services).  After the churros were inhaled eaten, we were allowed to enjoy a mimosa.

Mimosa

Then it was on the the main: breakfast burrito.  It had a Mexican name that I naturally forgot to write down, but it was basically a chorizo, potato, and egg burrito (beans on the side, thankyouverymuch).

Breakfast Burrito

The burrito was topped with a medium salsa (just tiny kick to it), avocado slices, and oxaca cheese.  I ordered a side of salsa verde too!

Burrito insides

It was good.  Not great. The chorizo wasn’t very flavorful and the eggs were a bit over done. The rice a dry and would have benefited from more seasoning.  The salsas were definitely the best thing on that plate.

The guy at the table next to use ordered a breakfast version of salsa-verde soaked chicken fajitas.  Should I go back (and I will – those churros are crave-worthy), I’ll be ordering that. 🙂

We also took time to walk around the Inman Park neighborhood.  There are so many cute shops!  I bought a Life magazine from 1944.

July 3, 1944

It is so neat to leaf through and look at the ads and story topics (there are 10 pages dedicated to color printing!).

The discovery of the day was an adorable market, Savi.  It had some neat food items and a great beer/wine selection.  They aslo do beer and wine tastings – we were fascinated by the wines on tap, priced by the ounce for a self-serve tasting.

The owner was friendly and talked with us for a good 10 minutes about the wine selection.  He even offered to hunt down my beloved wine from a Barcelona trip 3 years ago.  They have a cozy–looking fire place and seating area.  I see a wine tasting in my near future!

In true Sunday fashion, I took a nice nap when I got home.  Then went for a ~4 mile run.  I think I could have gone longer.  It was such a nice night and my legs were feeling strong.

That was a nice surprise, as I’ll be adding miles to my runs in preparation for the 10K Gobble Jog with my baby sis on Thanksgiving.

This morning’s Whittle My Middle:

  • Front plank: 90 secs
  • Side plank:  60 secs each side
  • Torso twists: 50 reps
  • Plank ups: 14 reps
  • Boat pose: 25 reps
  • Bicycle: 4 sets of 30 reps
  • Side plank w/ twists:  15 reps each side
  • Double crunches: 30*

*I just added this one in today.  These are great for working the whole core, crunching your upper and lower half together.

Source

I’m headed out the the airport to pickup a co-worker on the way to our team retreat.

In other news, I am turning into my mother.  I washed the sheets before leaving town so that I will come home to clean sheets.  Is anyone else this crazy?!

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