Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Happy Singles Awareness Day

By

I like being married to the gym single.

monopoly cats

I couldn’t even handle having a cat in my life.

What I can handle is eating red food.  I’ve been traveling too much to make anything special, but if I make it to the grocery store today I may eat something red.

In the meantime, I did manage to round-up my favorites… and separate them into courses.  This is what happens when you blog on an airplane.

Then I couldn’t help myself – I made a new sugar-free, high protein microwave cake when I got home from the airport.  It was late, the pics are dark… but this is what happens when you are without chocolate cake and Nuttzo for days.  Cravings must be satisfied!  Recipe at the end.

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Breakfast

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal (To-Go!)

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal (To-Go!)

♥

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

♥

Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie

Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie

♥

Mains

Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

♥

Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

 ♥

Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce

Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce

♥

Dessert

Beet Protein Frozen Custard

Beet Protein Frozen Custard

♥

Strawberry Smoky Almond Tart

Strawberry Smoky Almond Tart

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This last dessert is the one I made upon arriving home last night.  I had a fierce peanut butter and chocolate craving, and this sugar-less treat fit the bill.  And did I mention it has 30g of protein???

If you stop the microwave while it still looks a tad jiggly on top, you’ll have a gooey, molten cake.  Which is exactly when I did, and highly recommend.  Then I topped it with a healthy serving of Nuttzo (which I am obsessed with), and a festive strawberry heart.

PB Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Microwave Cake

  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1 scoop (2T) chocolate protein powder
  • 1 T cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1 T pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 C egg whites
  • 1/4 unsweetened almond milk (or water)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 drops chocolate liquid stevia (I used NuNaturals)

 

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Add wet to dry and stir to combine.  

Transfer to a small, greased bowl (I used coconut oil).  Microwave until just done, ~ 45-60 secs.  

Transfer to a plate, top as desired, and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritionals: 180 calories, 4g fat, 150.8mg sodium, 11.2g carbohydrates, 4.8g fiber, 1.5g sugar, 31.5g protein

I received this jar of NuttZo free of charge through participation in a FitFluential campaign. I was not otherwise compensated; all opinions on the product are my own (I already ate the stuff religiously). Check out NuttZo on Twitter and/or Facebook!

***

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I think this is the perfect night to curl up with a glass of red wine, some popcorn, and dark chocolate while watching Grey’s.

Do you have big Valentine’s plans?

What is your favorite Valentine-themed food?  I dig those Reese’s hearts… the shapes have more PB!

 

What I Ate in Ohio

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Road food can be scary.

 

Opossum, McDonald’s, gas station dinners…

If you do frequent gas stations for dinner on the road, you might be excited by this news… Lay’s is testing some new flavors: Chicken & Waffles, Cheesy Garlic Bread, and Sriracha.

Lay's Chicken & Waffles

Apparently you’ll be able to find all 3 flavors in the next week or so.  Lay’s is then offering customers a chance to vote for their favorite in May.  The flavor with the most votes stays, the other 2 are voted off the island discontinued.

I don’t even need to taste them.  I vote for Sriracha.  It could be Strange But Good… or it could be nasty.

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I assure you, I avoided Lay’s on my business trip.  Remember last WIAW when I was packing all my food to-go?  This week we left earlier, so you get to see all that food in action.  I’ve been whipping out my prepared meals (and iPhone camera) with pride!  Ohio doesn’t know what to think of me.

Check out this post for a super-detailed explanation and tips for traveling with healthy foods!

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

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Meal 1:

My hotel stay hasn’t stopped me from my morning cocktail.  I have had to change the mix a bit – liquids are the one thing I can’t pack with me, so rather than using apple cider vinegar in the mix I asked the hotel to give me a lemon to add.  I juiced half the lemon to mix with my water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos in a recycled Fiji bottle.

One gripe: the hotel actually CHARGED me for the lemon.  Thank you, Cambria Suites.

FitMixer ACV Morning Cocktail

 

I’ve been rocking my Caffeinated Protein Oatmeal.  The hotel has been giving me cinnamon to add, which I love.  I also grab a side of fruit – today was pineapple and honeydew.

Caffinated Protein Oatmeal

This morning’s oats consisted of :

  • Oatmeal (pre-made at the continental breakfast bar)
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Coffee
  • Bacon (just a little crumbled on top. 🙂 )

 

Meal 2:

I am loving my no-salt turkey deli meat.  It’s a great option to pack up and take anywhere.  It’s also not too heavy, making it a tasty snack at 10:30am.  Enjoyed with pumpkin seeds and an apple.  There was also a lot of coffee and water involved.

 

Meal 3:

Lunch was two parts.  Our client was having a Fat Tuesday lunch and invited us to join the potluck.  I took small bites of the best stuff… including a littttttle bit crock pot lava cake (OMG it was fabulous).  Added to my plate was a turkey burger I brought from home.

 

Then I hit the cafeteria salad bar:

 

Meal 4:

I have really been loving the Balsamic Grilled Chicken from Trader Joe’s.  It only has 65g of sodium and it isn’t dry in the least.  I cut it into strips for easy-eating in conference rooms.  Eaten with carrot sticks, also pre-cut and brought from home.

 

There was a mid-afternoon sweet tooth satisfier: Extra’s Lemon Square dessert gum.  I’m so glad I finally found this flavor.  It’s 2nd only to the Apple Pie!

Extra Lemon Squares dessert gum

Meal 5:

My co-worker and I hit the gym before dinner last night.  This was a treat because we’ve been going after… not ideal to lift on a full tummy.

The downside was that we were starving by the time we finished and settled for dinner in the hotel.  We both ordered the salmon over green chili grits and a side of steamed spinach and mushrooms.  It wasn’t bad… but quite salty!

Hotel salmon

 

Meal 6:

I was actually hungry but not for this.  I miss eggs.  The powdered eggs on the breakfast bar don’t cut it.  Whatever.  I ate a turkey burger and pretended it was topped with a runny egg.  The zucchini and cauliflower with it were really good.  Cauliflower is a new road-snack for me.  It holds up well!

Here’s what to do when you don’t have a plate: cut up the burger and microwave it in a hotel glass.  Then stack your veggies on top so you can get it all in one picture. 

 

Meal 7:

Another yogurt creation!  I looked forward to My Strawberry-Cinnamon Fro-Yo all day.

This was a single serving plain Greek yogurt and mixed with mashed strawberries, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, and a couple of stevia drops.  Then I froze it at home to take with me, and then turned the hotel fridge to the max to keep it pretty frozen here.  Two days later, this was the perfect texture – half-frozen like fro-yo!

Strawberry Cinnamon Fro Yo

***

The protein count for the day: 163.1g.  One more day and I’m hoooooome!

Which Lay’s flavor would you try?  Any?

Have you tried the Dessert gum yet?  I resisted at first, but have declared it Strange But Good.

 

Healthy Travel Food + WIAW

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I am traveling for work this week.

Ohio

In the cold.  So very, very cold…

Finding healthy food option is one thing if I’m headed to a bigger city, but when I head to smaller towns I know I have to PLAN.  With less than 2 months until my next competition, I’m not “wasting” cheat days on crappy travel food.  I mean, did you see this post?  Why would I eat fast food when I can save it for dinners like that?

The night before I go, I pack up vitamins and supplements.  And then I pray that I don’t get arrested for traveling with white powder (it’s just BCAAs and glutamine!).

Traveling with supplements

I also gather my protein powders, gum, my own salt-free spice blend, “emergency” bars and tuna.  Most of these items are “back up” in case I get stuck somewhere.

Healthy travel snacks

Last, I portion out proteins and veggies.  This trip I am taking chicken burgers, lamb, no salt deli turkey meat, balsamic grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, snow peas, and Greek yogurt (see Meal 7 pic below – mixed with fruit and frozen for safe travel).

Protein and veggies to go

Check out this post for a super-detailed explanation and tips for traveling with healthy foods!  And yes, I made it through security with ALL of this, no questions asked.

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This WIAW my task was to eat everything left in my fridge.  I not-so-secretly love these days because they lead to come fun concoctions!

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

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Meal 1:

As usual, I enjoyed my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).

Upon hearing on GMA that it was National Pancake Day, I consulted the Pancake Queen’s blog for an appropriate breakfast.  I settled on her Ginger-Pear Pancakes.

Ginger-Pear Pancakes

These were heavenly!  I followed the recipe, with a few additions:

  • Added 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • Added 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Used ground ginger
  • My pear was an Asian Pear
  • Made syrup by mixing sugar-free syrup, almond milk, and cinnamon

Meal 2:

This week I had the find of a lifetime at Trader Joe’s.  NO SALT canned salmon that is boneless and skinless!!  Now I can make my Lemon-Thyme Zucchini Salmon Cakes without the nauseating task of de-boning and skinning the can.  *shudder*

That’s not what I made today though.  Today was a blood-salmon salad!  It’s not a gross as it sounds… it’s a blood ORANGE salad.  Hee hee.

Salmon and Blood Orange Salad

Blood Salmon Salad

  • 1 can no salt salmon
  • 1 blood orange, sectioned
  • 1/4 C chopped fennel
  • 2 T plain Greek yogurt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Meal 3:

Lunch was a two-part affair.  Part 1 was mahi mahi and a roast of brussels, fennel, and eggplant tossed in coconut vinegar and herbes de provence.

Mahi Mahi and roasted veggies

Part 2 was “dessert.”  Sweet potato topped with cottage cheese and tons of cinnamon.

Let’s pretend I didn’t add more cinnamon post-pic… 

Sweet Potato with cottage cheese and cinnamon

Meal 4:

I roasted a leg of lamb before work yesterday.  I’m told that’s not normal.  Either way, it was delicious!  And it was a great mid-afternoon meal with spinach, cabbage, and nutritional yeast!  Does anyone else top their meat with vegan cheese-like substances? 😉

Lamb salad

Meal 5:

This was my last meal before making a mad dash to the airport.  I had 1/2 a serving of chili left, a little deli turkey, avocado, and smokey blue cheese.  Down the hatch and sprinting… 2 the airport.

Chili

Meal 6:

Airplane meal!  I knew I’d have to eat this cold, and a salad seemed more appealing than a burger… so I crumbled a chicken burger and mixed it with Greek yogurt, carrots, and zucchini.  Chicken Burger Salad!  People were appalled fascinated.  Better than peanuts, no? 

Chicken Burger Salad

Meal 7:

This is one of my yogurt creations.  I took a single serving plain Greek yogurt container and mixed it with blood orange, cinnamon, and a couple of stevia drops.  Then I froze it overnight to take with me.  This serves two purposes: it keeps it cold enough for travel and acts as and extra ice pack for my cooler.

Being on the road doesn’t mean I can’t have a clean dessert… with a little treat on top.  A crumbled Quest peanut butter cup!

Blood Orange Greek Yogurt

***

The protein count for the day: 171.4g.

Have you had any interesting run-ins with airport security?

Do you pack healthy food for the road?  What are your favorites?  This week’s Strange But Good link up is going to be fun with all my packed eats! 😉

Strange But Good Fruit

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How can you go wrong with fruit?

 

Unless it’s old and mealy…

I’ve been all about fruit this week.  Mom and I went to the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market last weekend.  This epic food market just keeps going – we spent nearly 4 hours there!  It was filled with foods I’ve never even imagined before.

Like egg fruit (also known as canistel):

Egg Fruit

 

This delicious fruit has the consistency of a hard-boiled egg yolk… sounds strange but I SWEAR it’s fantastic.  It’s taste is sweet with a vanilla-like.

The inside reminds me of an avocado with its large seed:

Source: http://informedfarmers.com

Source: informedfarmers.com

 

After some reasearch I learned that you can use it wherever you’d use a winter squash or pumpkin, and that it makes a tasty milkshake (no word on whether it brings all the boys to the yard).

Naturally, I created a protein-rich midnight snack.  This was made much like my Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff.  If you can’t find egg fruit, this would also be good with pumpkin or butternut squash.  This is one thick, creamy vanilla pudding.

 

Egg Fruit Cheesecake Fluff

Egg Fruit Cheesecake Pudding

  • 1/2 C egg fruit
  • 1/2 C no salt cottage cheese
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk

 

Put ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Top with your favorites – I made a coconut fluff from equal parts coconut flour mixed with almond milk and sprinkled cacao nibs on top.

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No access to egg fruit?  I have another fruity creation!

For lunch this week I took my no salt turkey deli meat and made a fruity salad with it.  Mixing it up with Greek yogurt added a terrific tangy creaminess.  This was strangely complimented by a “sweeter” combo of blueberries, cardamom, and nutmeg.

Nuts and Berries Turkey Salad

Nuts and Berries Turkey Salad

  • 3 oz no-salt deli turkey, shredded
  • 2 T Greek yogurt
  • 1 T coconut vinegar (any white vinegar would work here)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 C berries
  • Walnuts

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 Noe for YOUR strange but good food!

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

In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!  Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

 

Sprint 2 the Table

 

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




***

I'm excited for more strangeness this weekend because one of my favorite weird-o foodies, Heather, is in town!!!

What's the strangest produce you've ever tried?

Have you eaten anything strange this week?  Do share!

 

Plump My Ride + WIAW

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Cars are getting bigger.

 

MTV, can you Plump My Ride?

Seriously though… people are getting too FAT for their cars.  It’s not just the car seats.  Buttons – like the one to roll down your window – have to be made bigger to accommodate “bigger” fingers.  This article reports that video back-up screens were added because “necks are too thick for drivers to turn around and look.”

 

dv1554011

 

It’s a safety issue too – most car safety features like airbag and seatbelts are designed to protect a person of average size (163 lbs).  AND a recent study says that 800,000 car accidents a year in the US are caused by drivers with obesity-related sleep apnea.

I never, ever considered this issue before.  Mind = blown.  Time to put down the keys and walk a little more?

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This WIAW I managed to stay away from Waffle House.  My trainer changed up my diet and I’m enjoying more healthy fats while keeping a good amount of carbs.  I’m still ramping up, but so far I feel fantastic.  2 months until competition time – ahhh!

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

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Meal 1:

As usual, I enjoyed my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).  30 mins later I ate a pancake topped with a mix of peanut flour, sugar-free syrup, and cinnamon along with fresh blackberries.

No recipe for the pancake…  I testing and it wasn’t my fav.  The topping rocked though!

Pancake

 

 

Meal 2:

As I took this pic, my co-worker was literally standing over my shoulder quizzing me about my food.  You mean it’s NOT normal to bring salmon sashimi for snack at work?

Salmon Sashimi and mango

 

This was fantastic.  I love the rich salmon with the sweet mangoes and the crunchy roasted seaweed.  I made a wasabi dip by mixing wasabi paste into a paleo hummus gifted to me by a friend.

 

 

Meal 3:

Lunch was a mix of leftovers and new.  Last week I made extras of the dal I had for dinner, so the last serving made an appearance.  I ate it with swordfish (it’s been wayyyy too long since I’ve had this!) and fresh broccoli.

Random fact: I only like broccoli raw.

 

 

Meal 4:

A little before Meal 4 I had a Good Belly – I’ve never used these consistently before, so I’m experimenting with these to see what effect probiotics have one me (if any).  I also have been rocking the water today – 120 ounces down!

Observations so far: I like that they offer a no-sugar added “Straight Shot” that tastes good, love that it smiles at me… and I went #2 twice today.  That never happens.  TMI, I know…

Good Belly Straight Shot

 

Back to the food.  I had a new discovery – no salt deli meat!  Whole Foods has no salt added turkey.  It made my day.  And my turkey salad.

Greek Turkey Salad

Greek Turkey Salad

  • No-salt added deli turkey, torn into small bits
  • Celery
  • Greek yogurt
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Lemon juice
  • Rosemary
  • Red pepper flakes

 

I didn’t measure… just poured and mixed until the consistency was like chicken salad..

 

 

Meal 5:

I need to ban myself from making pizza on WIAW nights… but yeah, I made my (cheese-less) cauliflower pizza crust again.  It’s just so easy and good!

 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza - no cheese

My toppings:

  • Balsamic chicken
  • Korean watercress
  • Onion
  • Basil
  • Cloth-aged cheddar
  • Balsamic nutritional yeast sauce (Nooch + balsamic + red pepper flakes)

 

 

Meal 6:

Post-gym good carbs and whey: a mix of mashed butternut squash, whey protein powder, and cinnamon.  I realize this looks like poo… it tastes better than it appears.

 Whey and butternut

 

 

Meal 7:

Remember last week’s Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff?  I am obsessed.  So I made another version, this one with bananas and peanut flour.  I’m still smiling.  I could live on this peanut butter-y goodness.  Topped with cocoa syrup, FTW.

Banana Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Fluff

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Banana Peanut Butter Cheesecake Fluff

Banana Peanut Butter Cheesecake Fluff

  • 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 1/4 C mashed banana
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1/4 tsp butterscotch extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cardamom
  • 6-7 drops liquid stevia
  • Water or milk
  • 1/2 C brown rice crispies

 

Place everything except the cereal in a blender with enough liquid to blend.  Blend until mostly smooth.

Pour over a cereal.  Top as desired – I made a chocolate sauce with cocoa powder, almond milk, and stevia.

Devour.

Note: if you don’t have butter and butterscotch extracts, simply sub vanilla and/or almond extract.

***

The protein count for the day: 179.3g.

What do you think about this obese driver issue?  Had you heard about it before?

Do people at your office stare at your food?  Yes?  You should join the Strange But Good link up this Friday! 😉

 

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff + WIAW

By

I must confess something.

 

Don’t worry, this isn’t another TMI post.

I haven’t had a perfect Junk-Free January.  Being sick and doing some crazy endurance work has derailed me.  However, I did lay off the booze and I really don’t regret the times I ate deliciousness like this:

Waffle House chocolate chip waffle

 

I listened to my body and my body wanted calories.  Trashy calories.  Post-stomach flu and post-crazy racing I’d lost a couple of LBs.  They have been found. 🙂

This could also have something to do with a killer Chest and Bicep workout with my trainer on Monday.  We did supersets,  alternating between chest and bis, to get done in an hour.  I benched pressed about 8 lbs more than my body weight and then preacher curled a little more than half my body weight.  And now I can’t lift a glass of water.

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I’m back on track for this WIAW.  Still hungry ALL the time, but I’m keeping it clean and fueling my body with good stuff.  It’s crazy how your body still demands replenishment days after a big event!

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

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I broiled a grapefruit according to this method with coconut butter, cinnamon, and cardamom.  That was “dessert” after I demolished an herbs de provence egg white omelette.

Broiled grapfruit and eggs

 

 

Meal 2:

A rare thing happened – I went to the gym in the morning.  Never fear – hell didn’t freeze over.  I’m still not a morning person – this trip wasn’t exactly early.  It was a killer leg day though!

I packed a protein-rich treat to refuel in the car before an appointment:

Leg day and refuel

 

This was delicious chocolate pudding made with 1/2 C Greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, almond milk, and cinnamon.

The topping was a crumbled Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal, straight from my freezer.  I’m so obsessed with these.

 

 

Meal 3:

Lunch was an old favorite: Salmon Pizza with Sweet Potato “Sauce.”  I used tortilla crust and topped it with spinach, artichokes, and onions.

Sweet Potato Salmon Pizza

 

 

Meal 4:

I developed an addiction to Whole Foods’ Naked (read: no salt) roasted chicken.  Not a cheap habit, but worth my sanity as I hate touching raw chicken.  Every Sunday I buy one and pull off all the white meat to eat throughout the week.  Today I ate it chicken salad-style, but with a hummus mix rather than mayo.

Hummus Chicken Salad

Hummus Chicken Salad

  • Shredded chicken
  • Broccoli slaw
  • Red peppers, chopped
  • Hummus
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Cumin and red pepper flakes, to taste

 

I didn’t measure, but the hummus and ACV is about a 1:1 ratio.

 

 

Meal 5:

I could hardly wait for dinner.  I’ve been eyeing Kristina’s Cholar Dal recipe for a couple of weeks and this frigid day seemed the be the perfect time to try it out.

It was AMAZING!  I licked my plate clean.  I ate it alongside some pan-seared tempeh and roasted brussels, broccoli, and mushrooms.

Cholar Dal, tempeh, and roasted veggies

There is something in my head that will not allow me to simply follow a recipe.  Here are my modifications:

  • Added 1/2 red pepper
  • Used 1/4 C tomato paste rather than fresh tomatoes
  • Added 1/4 tsp fenugreek and 1/2 tsp coriander
  • Increased cayenne to 3/4 tsp
  • Didn’t use the salt, butter, and dried chilis

 

 

Meal 6:

Please don’t get bored with me.  I love carrots.  And peanut butter.  And eggs.  PB & Ceggs.  Again.

PB & Ceggs

 

 

Meal 7:

Casein is good to have at night for muscle recovery.  unfortunately, I can’t stand the texture.  No matter – I really like having dairy before bed.  Maybe a carry over from a youth filled with nighttime ice cream bowls?

This creation is going to be in heavy rotation.  I’m scraping the bottom of the bowl and trying to convince myself that I don’t need another as I type this.  It’s like blueberry cheesecake with hot brownie on top.

Clean Blueberry Cheesecake

Need I say more?

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Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff

  • 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 1/4 C blueberries
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract
  • 1/4 tsp coconut extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cardamom
  • 6-7 drops liquid stevia
  • Water or milk
  • 1 rice cake

 

Place everything except the rice cake in a blender with enough liquid to blend.  Blend until mostly smooth.

Pour over a rice cake.  Tops as desired – I warmed a Cookies ‘n Cream Think Thin bar in the microwave and crumbled it on top with more fresh berries and cinnamon.

Devour.

Note: if you don’t have butter and coconut extracts, simply sub vanilla and/or almond extract.

***

The protein count for the day: 183.2g.  Nailed that one!

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

What trashy calories does your body crave?  When do you give in?

What is your most recent fitness accomplishment/milestone?

 

Flu Fighting + Oatmeal Cookie Shake

By

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

I just didn’t realize how easy…

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

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

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

Flu remedy

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

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Enough unpleasantry!  Let’s drink cookie shakes!

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

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

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

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shake

Oatmeal Cookie Shake

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

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

Add toppings and drink your dough!

Notes:

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

Oatmeal Shake Nutrition

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

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

***

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

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

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

My Morning Cocktail + WIAW

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I love a cocktail.

Shameless, I tell you.

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

My Morning Cocktail:

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

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

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

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

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

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

WIAWbutton

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

Meal 1:

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

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

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

Meal 2:

The best part about a higher fat diet is bison.

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

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

Meal 3:

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

Meal 4:

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

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

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

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

Meal 5:

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

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

Meal 6:

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

Meal 7:

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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