Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

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The closer I get to my competition, the more fun I have.

Ask me again in 2 weeks and I may tell you different.

Right now life revolves around the gym, food, and work.  I love all three of these, so why wouldn’t I be ecstatic?  Here’s how my typical Saturday goes down:

1. Wake Up, Eat, Get Dressed

I started my day with a delicious combo of oats, TVP, egg whites, cinnamon, ginger… and cheesecake.

The cheesecake part was thank to a Loranne Cheesecake Flavoring.  I topped with frozen cherries and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Cheesecake TVP Oatmeal

2. Go to Competition Suit Fitting

No pic till competition day… but I LOVE it!

My suit

3. Posing practice and Back/Tri Workout

I did this at my trainer’s gym, which I love because it’s an actually a training gym vs. a fitness club.  The icing on the cake was that I was the only one there for the last half of the workout, which was amazing.

Clearly this called for a photoshoot.

4. Meet with 1st Personal Training Client

I am SO excited to be working with a former roller derby teammate.  She is going to kick ass in the gym too!

5. Grocery Shop

I hit out massive Buford Highway Farmer’s Market and bought a TON of food for less than $70.  Including this new to me fish – Sheepshead:

sheepshead fish

6. Cook Dinner

I couldn’t wait to try my Sheepshead, so that’s what I had.  It’s delicious – a mild, meaty white fish that’s low in fat and high in protein.

Seafood is one thing I prefer to prepare simply.  I baked this fish with lime and a dusting of Indian spices.  Eaten with bok choy sautéed with garlic, green onion, and coconut oil, and roasted portobello with a runny egg, and a slice of Ezekial.

7. Clean Out/Organize Work Emails

This was a productive activity while watching FSU beat the you-know-what out of Clemson.  Goooo ‘Noles!!!

8. Eat dessert

The following is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Designer Whey and Smari.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Dessert is my favorite par of the day.  Even better was the fact that I got to try 2 new things: Designer Whey Vanilla Almond Protein Powder and Smari Icelandic yogurt.  I normally make my protein bowls with Greek yogurt, but I am loving this Icelandic too!  It’s very similar to Greek in that its super thick, high in protein (higher than Greek, actually!), and the plain is low in sugar.

I decided to create a pumpkin protein bowl using the ingredients.   What resulted was a Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter that made me a little sad when I was over.  It tasted like cake batter.

Overall, it was a marvelous weekend!

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

  • 1/2 C pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 scoop Vanilla Almond Protein Powder 
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • Pinch of cloves
  • 5-6 drops stevia
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Optional toppings: cocoa powder sauce (cocoa powder + liquid + stevia), cherries, cacao nibs, popcorn

Combine everything in a small bowl and mix until smooth.  You may need to add more liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Top with your favorites and enjoy!

*You can sub any vanilla protein and add 1/4 tsp almond extract

***

Did you notice anything in that pic of me?  I went dark for the winter… every time I look in the mirror I double take at the dark haired girl.

Have you ever tried Icelandic yogurt?

What does a typical Saturday look like for you?

Flipping Out + Designer Whey Winner

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Flipping out isn’t always a bad thing.

 

Let’s be real though – usually it isn’t pretty.

When I saw strongWOMAN Tara post about tire flipping, I immediately texted my trainer and asked if we could incorporate that into our session that night.  I have no idea why I do these things to myself.

I didn’t realize how heavy tires were!  I did the first two lengths of the gym with a 225 lb tire.  Just when I was patting myself on the back, he decided we needed to up the weight.  The next 2 lengths were done with a 265 lb tire.  That’s when the real hell fun began.

This is the last bit:

For some reason he refused to bring me a beer after that… then made me do more legs!  How rude!

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Just in case you didn’t come here to watch my huff and puff, I’ll go ahead and do as promised. Remember this giveaway?

The winner for the Designer Whey 1 year supply of protein is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations!!!  For those of you who’d still like a sweet protein deal, check out Jody’s site for a discount code on you next order of Designer Whey!

You better believe I had a healthy serving of Designer Whey after tire day!

***

I knew my butt would be sore, but my forearms are also STIFF after that flippin’ tire.

Have you ever flipped a tire?  Would you willingly do so?

Do you yell or grunt when you’re lifting something especially heavy?  I can’t help it!

 

Satisfying Creamy Asian Kale Salad + WIAW

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There are no short cuts.

That doesn’t seems to stop people from trying .

Satisfries?  Really Burger King?  According to this article, the fast food chain has developed a lower fat french fry.*  One serving is 190 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium.

*Yes, they are really called Satisfries

satisfries

Apparently Satisfries taste like regular fries – they are made with the same oil as the full-fat version.  The trick is that Burger King uses an oil-repelling agent in the better that lowers the fat content.

This is kitchen wizardry, not a nutritious french fry.  I can’t stand when companies do this because it’s misleading to consumers.  Yes,ultimately it’s up to the individual to do their research… but they DON’T.  They see these products come out and think eating fries for lunch every day is a good choice (with a burger and a diet coke).

Right or wrong, the timing couldn’t be better.  The U.S Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts on their menus next year.  I wonder how many more menus items like these will be popping up?

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This is WIAW was crazy.  I was in back to back meetings and pretty much only left my office long enough to pee and run to the fridge for more food.  Thank god for food prep.  I’m sure people think I’m nuts.

WIAWbutton

Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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Breakfast:

I’m still going with my new Aminos in my morning cocktail.  I am liking it!  It’s not a sweet, but I think that’s nice on my taste buds early in the AM.

The food part… well, let’s just say I won’t be leaving the house without tasting my breakfast first ever again.  This was going to be a genius idea – mixing ingredients for an oatmeal mugcake the night before so all I had to do was nuke it in the morning.  2 mistakes: I tried a totally new recipe and I microwaved it WAY too long.

mugcake fail

At least the Cats mug made me smile.

Mid-Morning Snack:

Porgy with celery sticks and my lentil hummus.  Porgy was a new fish to me.  I really liked it – it’s heartier, more similar to chicken than a flaky fish.

Bonus: Progy is fun to say. porgy fish

Lunch:

This was salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and a massaged kale salad.

The dressing (massage lotion?) was my take on Heather’s Creamy Chickpea Salad.  If you’ve never use tofu in dressing before, you MUST try it.  I can’t believe how creamy and delicious this was!

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • ~10 shiitake mushrooms, diced
  • 1/2 C chopped asparagus
  • 3 ounces firm tofu
  • Fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp dulse (seaweed flakes)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

Toss together kale, mushrooms, and asparagus.

Blend together dressing ingredients, and massage into kale mix.  

Can eat immediately, but best if allowed to marinate overnight so that veggies soften and flavors infuse..

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Pork Belly of the sea! Sea bass is my favorite fish.  Hands down.  I ate it in my office with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I keep in my desk).

sea bass

Dinner:

Dinner continues to be more snack-like on my new schedule.  I snacked on some (unpictured) granola before hustling to the gym.  When I came home after 9p, all I wanted was my chocolate-beet smoothie.

I was out of beet powder (my Whole Foods quit carrying it!!!), so I tossed in a raw beet!  The Vitamix blended it like a champ.  Topped with more granola, then inhaled.

chocolate beet smoothie bowl

Then I needed round two.  Double roasted kabocha and peanut flour sauce.

I could eat this every meal.

roasted kabocha and peanut sauce

Dessert:

I’m so sad about this… I made my Carrot Cake Batter Protein Bowl using French Vanilla Designer Whey.  Was planning to top it with a Banana Nut Quest Bar.  And I did.  But not before I burned it.  I ate it any way, obv.  Note to self: Don’t put your Quest bars under the broiler and walk away.

Topped with cocoa powder-coconut flour sauce and Nuttzo.  Because that makes everything better.

burned quest

***

Don’t forget to enter the Designer Whey giveaway for a 1 year supply worth $500.  Contest ends tonight at 11:59p!

Satisfries.  Do you buy it?  Would you buy it?

Do you keep a stash of spices in your desk or purse?

Protein Jackpot: Designer Whey Giveaway

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It’s no secret that I’m a protein monger.

 

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Designer Whey.  

Given my addiction, I was thrilled when Designer Whey asked me to help them celebrate their 20th anniversary.  Birthdays are a BIG deal in my family, and Designer Whey is doing it up right.  They are giving away a FULL YEAR supply of products!!!

There are a few ways to enter to win at the end of this post. 😉

designer whey giveaway

While whole proteins (eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, legumes, etc.) should be you main sources of protein, but I believe that having protein powder in my diet is beneficial for several reasons.

Protein Powder “Pluses”

  1. Protein “Filler”: It can be added to meals that are normally lower in protein (smoothies, oatmeal, etc) to help keep you full longer
  2. Convenience: When I travel (which is frequently), I always have a stash of powders.  You never know when you’re going to be caught without a meal option!  It’s also the perfect hotel breakfast.  I use chocolate protein powder and coffee to make a gourmet hotel breakfast – Mocha Oatmeal!
  3. Flavor Variety: For me, variety is key to staying on track.  I can’t stand to eat the same thing all the time, so I love using different flavored powders as a boredom-beater.  They can also act as a good base of customized flavors, like this Oatmeal Cookie Dough Shake
  4. Muscle Fuel: After lifting, having an easily absorbed protein aids in building lean muscle and in recovery.  Muscle burns fat.  It will actually help lean you out.  It’s the food you eat that bulks you.  Feed muscles, not fat cells *steps off soap box*

weight lifting

 

There are two types of protein I like to use: plant-based and whey.

For the whey protein, my go to is Designer Whey and has been ever since I was introduced to them via FitFluential.  Since then, I’ve been creating like crazy with it!

 

Balsamic Strawberries and White Chocolate Cream

Balsamic Strawberries and White Chocolate Cream

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

(Mr. Olympia-approved!)

 

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

 

 Microwave Carrot Cake

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

 

Microwave Zucchini Bread

Microwave Protein Zucchini Bread

Apparently I decided to thoroughly test it’s ability to be baked… I can assure you, it bakes very well. 😉

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So now for the really good part.  How do YOU win the Protein Jackpot?*

*Protein Jackpot:  noun; the chief prize in a game or contest; protein jackpot consists of twelve (12) 12oz Designer Whey French Vanilla protein powders; twelve (12) Designer Whey protein bar 12-ct boxes (4 12ct Peanut Butter Crunch boxes, 4 12ct Triple Chocolate Crunch boxes, and 4 12ct Caramel Chocolate Crunch boxes); twelve (12) Designer Whey Protein 2GO 5-ct boxes (4 5ct Lemonade boxes, 4 5ct Tropical Orange boxes, and 4 5ct Mixed Berry boxes); six (6) Designer Whey High-Protein Ready-to-Drink Shakes 4-packs (3 4-packs French Vanilla and 3 4-packs Gourmet Chocolate).  Approximate Retail Value of Grand Prize: $500

designer whey 20
1. Click HERE and order your free tattoo. Snap a photo of you and your tattoo, then send it in for a chance to win.

2. Enter my giveaway below for 1 year supply, worth $500!  (The giveaway is open to US residents only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***

After a crazy weekend full of plumbing problems and staying on track with food prep, I cannot thank you enough for your encouraging words on last Wednesday’s post.  They sparked me and helped me smile through it all.  You guys ROCK!  And you’re marvelous.

MMIM

Have you ever tried Designer Whey? If so, what’s your favorite way to use it?

What is your favorite protein powder recipe?  Share it in the comments!

 

Happy 4th of July!!!

By

Happy 4th of July!

fireworks

 

In honor of the 4th, I’m taking a llittle break, but I did promise to let you know who won the Designer Whey giveaway!

These 6 ladies are going to have an especially happy 4th…

DW Giveaway

***

My 10K is done!!!  Time to celebrate with a few treats… See you all tomorrow for a #strangebutgood Friday!

Does anyone else have to work tomorrow?

How are you celebrating the 4th?

Sustaining My Energy + Giveaway

By

Forced rest is tiring.

This may be the understatement of the year.

Energy begets energy… sitting around does just the opposite.  Come 4 o’clock, my eyes have been glazing over and I am ready to be done working.  Since that’s not an option, I’ve been enjoying a new pick-me-up.

Designer Whey – the makers of my favorite whey protein powder – came out with a new Sustained Energy Protein Powder.  Thanks to Designer Whey and FitFluential, I received this package to try:

Designer Whey Sustained Energy

How is the different from the regular whey?

  • Each scoop has 16g of protein, 5g of fiber, 1g of sugar and 100 calories
  • The Endurance Blend™ is formulated to provide stimulant-free, sustained energy
  • Added fiber helps control hunger
  • High in vitamins A, C and E to aid in workout recovery, and in calcium and vitamin D for yer bones
  • 19 essential vitamins and minerals, including the B vitamins that energize your metabolism
  • Flavors are Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Velvet

I 100% love the taste of both the chocolate and vanilla.  I didn’t notice a sky-rocket effect on energy, but I did wake up after eating my smoothie bowl.  At 4p, this was a great snack to curb hunger and tide me until dinnertime.

Unable to simply mix powder with liquid and drink it, I created a Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl for my afternoon snack.  With spinach… because isn’t everything better green?!  The cardamom and ginger made for a fun, refreshing flavor on a hot Atlanta afternoon!  (Recipe at the bottom)

Cardamom Ginger Protein Smoothie

Of even more interest to you…

Designer Whey is offering a giveaway!

SIX (6!!!) of you will have the chance to win your own Sustained Energy protein powder in either the Chocolate Velvet or Vanilla Bean.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Giveaway OVER***

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New tasty protein powders and giveaways are obviously marvelous… so is the fact that Marvelous diva Katie, welcomed a new baby this weekend!  Congratulations, Katie!!!

Marvelous Monday

A few other Marvelous things:

I went to the Monday Night Brewery on Friday night.  They were the location Gather‘s launch party.  It was awesome.  Lots of good food, good beer… and beer rests in the bathroom.

Monday Night Brewing

Saturday I took shots.  Juice shots, that is.  This is called the “Grand Slam” at Arden’s Garden.  It’s shots of wheatgrass, ginger, lemon, and cranberry.  That ginger is intense.  They also gave me a little smoothie sample to chase it with.

Arden's Garden Grand Slam

Lastly, this girl’s recap of her visit to Atlanta and absolutely made my day.  I miss her already.  #bloggercrush 

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Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl

Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl

  • 1 scoop Designer Whey Sustained Energy (or other protein powder)
  • 1 C fresh spinach (optional)
  • 1/2 C no-salt cottage cheese
  • 1/2 in piece fresh ginger (or /14 tsp grated)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cardamom
  • Ice, to taste

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Add additional ice to achieve thicker, ice cream-like consistency.

Enjoy!

***

This morning I have my follow-up with the surgeon.  He better clear me to workout!!!

What marvelous things did you do this weekend?

What do you do when you need a mid-afternoon pick me up?

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

By

There is a saying I’m sure you’ve heard: “Never trust a skinny cook.”

big butts cannot lie

I must call BS.  Look at Giada – she resembles a bobble head and she makes a killer cheesecake!

Despite my best efforts, I’m probably not the largest cook around.  But you can trust me.  If you don’t trust me, you can certainly trust Lauren and Alicia, who both trusted my Spaghetti Squash Pie this week:

Spaghetti Squash Pie

Spaghetti Squash Pie

I’m especially excited to make a Mexican version of this one.  I bought all of the stuff, but then went for Indian food last night.  Whoops!  It was tasty though.  Maybe I should make a curry version…

In case you’re wondering what spaghetti pie has to do with the title of this post… well, I forgot… Skinny cooks… trusting me… tasty healthy oatmeal bars!  Ok, I’m back with you.

Today’s Oatmeal Cookie Bars started out as cookies, hence the name.  Months ago my trainer requested a protein oatmeal cookie.  Unfortunately, the hard part about baking with protein powder is that is make the batter quite thin unless you add a lot of flour, which make them really high in carbs.  This lesson presented itself to me again as I went to scoop my batter onto the baking sheet.  Souper-runny.

No matter, that’s why I bought a bar baking pan.  If you don’t have a bar pan a muffin tin will work just fine, or you can make one big cookie cake!

I added a little more flour, mixed the thing up again, and poured it into the pan.  And by some pope-tacular miracle of God, it worked.  And it was good.

These aren’t overly sweet, which was my goal.  It is a deep oatmeal and cinnamon flavored bar, with bites of earthy chocolate from the carob chips.

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Despite wanting cookies, I appreciated the moist, cake-like quality of these bars.  It worked well with the oatmeal texture and at just 128 calories, you can slather a generous amount of nut butter on top of a warm bar as “icing.”

Not that I’ve been doing that. 😉

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Pre-workout snack

The best part came when I took the fresh batch to the gym.  Lee Haney (8x Mr. Olympia!) was there finishiing up a session and he took a bar to try… and he said they were DELICIOUS!  I die.

In conclusion: If you don’t trust this cook, trust an 8x Mr Olympia and try these. 😉

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

  • 1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 2/3 C tagatose (or other sweetener)
  • 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water), or 1 regular egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp brown sugar extract (optional)
  • 1/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 C protein powder (I used 1.5 scoops of Designer Whey White Chocolate)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 C Scottish oats
  • 1/4 C carob chips (or chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, sugar, egg, and extracts until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, protein powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, carob chips, and walnuts.

Scoop batter onto grease square tine (or muffin tin). Bake them for 10-12 mins, until golden. Let sit on baking sheet for ~5 mins before transferring to a rack to cool.

Makes 12 bars.

Approximate nutrition: 128 calories, 6.6g fat, 14.3g carbohydrates, 2.7g fiber, 2.2g sugar, 6.8g protein.

Note: These can easily be made vegan by using a vegan protein powder.

***

I am especially grateful to Lauren and Alicia because they gave me a pie to post about on Pi Day! 😉

Are you celebrating Pi Day?

Skinny cooks.  Can you trust ’em?

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

By

My Mam Maw made the best carrot cake.

I know we all say this, but I’m not kidding.  I think it could have won awards.

It’s probably her I have to blame for my carrot obsession.  Oatmeals, shakes, protein batters, overnight oats… I put carrot in EVERYTHING.

I’ve even been making my own cake.  Healthy and with protein, of course.  Mam Maw is turning in her grave.

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

The traditional cake is loaded with oil and sugar.  It’s iced with cream cheese and more sugar.  How could it NOT be good?

Anyway, this isn’t one of those cakes.  This cake won’t make you feel like you need to run a marathon the morning after AND it still tastes good!  2g of fat and 6g of sugar, plus a whopping 24.5g of protein.  That’s without the “icing.”  I have been whipping these up with my Designer Whey protein powder post-workout.

Carrot Cake you can feel good about in under 10 mins.  That wins in my book!  This cake has all the spice of a traditional cake, and is incredibly moist!

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

It took me a few tries to make this.  It kept exploding in the microwave!  Did I mention I hate cleaning the microwave?

Making it in a cereal bowl vs. a mug really helped.  I did that and adjusted some measurements to finally get a cake in one piece.  The first explosions still tasted good though:

Carrot Microwave explosion

I really liked having the icing on there too.  It’s a simple cottage cheese mix, but that creaminess takes the cake.  Hee hee.

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Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

Based on my Chocolate 150 Calorie Protein Cake recipe.

  • 1/2 C grated carrot
  • 1 scoop white chocolate Designer Whey protein powder (28g scoop)
  • 1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 T water (or other liquid)
  • 1 T applesauce (no sugar added, can also use pumpkin puree)
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/8 tsp butter extract (optional)
  • ~5-6 drops NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia
  • Optional toppings: “Icing” (see below), cinnamon, cacao nibs

Grate carrot and set aside.

Place dry ingredients in bowl and stir to combine.  Stir in wet ingredients.  Mix in grated carrot.

Transfer to a greased (I use PAM) cereal bowl and microwave for 2-2.5 mins (mine took 2:15).  Tip the cake out onto a plate and top as desired.  

My cake was topped with a cheese cake icing made by combining cottage cheese with stevia and maple extract.

Makes 1 cake.

Approximate Nutritionals (will vary based on protein powder brand used): 154 calories, 2.1g fat, 183.7mg sodium, 13.4g carbohydrates, 0.7g fiber, 6g sugar, 24.5g protein.

***

As for Mam Maw’s cake… I have the recipe.  It may make an appearance on here for some holiday… 😉

What is your favorite cake?

Did you have any odd names for your grandparents?  I called my other grandmother “money” for a while.  She worked at a bank. 😉

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