My Morning Cocktail + WIAW

January 9, 2013 By Laura

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!

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

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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!

Turkey Beer Chili

January 3, 2013 By Laura

No drinking in Junk-Free January.

Booze cooks out, so I’m calling the recipe “in bounds.”

With the holidays over, you may have some extra beers lying around your house. Don’t let them go to waste! Even if you don’t drink beer, it’s a good idea to keep them on hand.

Beer can act as a tenderizer, adds lightness to batters (think: beer bread), and leaves behind a light hop/barley flavor in stews. I used a pilsner in this chili recipe, but a lager would work well too.

Chili is meant to be hearty, not soup-y (in my not-so-humble opinion). Mine is a beast of a bowl. Between the turkey and the beans (the more you eat ’em, the more you…), it’s nearly thick enough to eat with a fork.

Depending on your preference, ground chicken or crumbled tempeh would also work well here.

I like the smokiness of a Tex-Mex-style chili, so I added some liquid smoke and used fire-roasted tomatoes. If you don’t have smoke you can simply leave it out, or add smoked paprika in place of some of the ancho chili powder.

Mexican food is one of my favorites, so I made sure to add in jalapeno and cumin. The heat is pleasant – not overwhelming – and just what the doctor ordered in the suddenly arctic weather we are having in Atlanta. Seriously… what happened to our Southern California-like weather?

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Turkey Beer Chili

1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp avocado oil (can use olive)
1/2 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 T ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
10-15 drops liquid smoke
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted, low sodium)
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1/2 C pilsner beer
1/2 C low sodium veggie broth
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Fresh chives and Greek yogurt, to top

Heat a large pot over med-high heat. Spray with olive oil or cooking spray and place turkey in pot. Stir the turkey and cook until no pink remains (~ 5 mins).

Add the olive oil and the onion to the pot. Cook over medium heat until softened (~5 mins). Add the garlic and jalapeno, cooking until fragrant (~2-3 mins). Add spices and stir to combine.

Add the carrot, pepper, tomato puree, beans, liquid smoke, and beer. Stir and bring to a boil. Mix in broth and vinegar, then cover. Allow to simmer and thicken over low heat for 30-45 mins. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve, garnished with chives and Greek yogurt.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: To make gluten-free, replace beer with more broth or GF beer. To make vegan, use tempeh in place of turkey.

Approximate Nutritionals: 316 calories, 8.7g fat, 57.1mg sodium, 26.9g carbs, 7.2g fiber, 5.5g sugar, 30.9g protein

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2 reminders: the h.h. gregg $100 gift card giveaway ends at midnight (click here to enter), and don’t forget to link up your Strange But Good creations tomorrow (click here for logo and details).

What is your favorite style of chili?

Have you fully recovered from the holidays? I’m still spinning a bit.

2012’s Popularity Contest + WIAW

January 2, 2013 By Laura

2012 was a great year for discoveries.

I can’t believe I survived without some of these things before.

I feel like I’ve gotten to know so many inspiring people (like YOU). Becoming a member of the FitFluential community has been a huge game changer. The members of that community are constant sources of motivation and positive energy. I’ve discovered new blog, learned a lot, and been able to learn about new products (shameless plug: perfect example is my Polar HRM from h.h. gregg – check out the review/giveaway here).

Another amazing discovery was Instagram. It’s unbelievable how much it’s changed the way we interact. I love that when I can’t decide what to eat, I can just scroll through my feed. It has been a fun way to have conversations with people throughout the day! It’s basically Twitter with pictures and open comment threads! I also love seeing recipes people are interesting in. I forget that just because I make a certain snack every week doesn’t mean everyone else does!

I also have to give a holla to my morning cocktail. Apple Cider vinegar became an addiction in 2012. I drink it every morning with my Fitmixer Aminos (fruit punch flavor). It is delicious and has totally replaced my need for coffee in the morning. Love. It.

One last love. Peanut flour. I cannot imagine my life without it. I use it in savory sauces, smoothies, PB & Jegg-like creations, Elvis French Toast… to quote the Texas Pete lady: “I put that shit on everything.” You can order it online through iHerb.com. Use code USO924 to get $5 off your order!

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This popularity contest is my first WIAW post of 2013… What I Ate in 2012! Below are the Top 10 Sprint 2 the Table posts of 2012 (based on page views). Click on titles to link to the recipe.

Check out the Top 10 below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how other started out their 2013.

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Most Poplar Recipes of 2012

1. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

These take the prize for my favorite veggie sneak. If you tasted these, you would have NO idea they have zucchini. OR that they are basically sugar-free.

2. Banana Creme Brownie Parfait

What’s better than brownies? Brownies with (healthy) icing.

3. Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

Seeing this recipe pop up in the top 10 made me realize I’ve been making new versions and not sharing. I’ve share a new twist on this soon! I always have a few in the freezer for quick breakfast or snack.

4. Peanut Butter & Jeggs

I would like to vote this my favorite invention – and worst pic – of 2012!

5. 150 Calorie Chocolate Protein Cake

I’m actually eating one as I draft this post. This cake is my most repeated dish of 2012!

6. Vegan Goat Cheese Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

I made these for a French-themed book club while I was eating vegan. The meat-eating crowd ate them with no problems!

7. Chewy Granola Cookies

Otherwise known as “the ones that mom likes.” She requests them. 🙂

8. Sprouting Chickpeas

It shocked me to learn how easy sprouting is!

9. PB & Aggs (Peanut Butter and Apple-Eggs) and Carrot Cake Protein Batter

I don’t know which of these made this post popular… but I eat both ~~almost~~ weekly.

10. Basic Protein Shake Recipe and Protein Powder Review

This is one of my favorites because it’s the post where I announced I was training for my first figure competition!

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I’m so excited to start Junk-Free January! My sister came over for dinner last night, and we enjoyed a tasty kombucha cocktail over out collards and black-eyed peas.

What was your favorite recipe last year?

Did you have any group/social platform discoveries on 2012?

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash + Holiday Amazingness

December 27, 2012 By Laura

Mind-readers scare me.

No, I didn’t go to a psychic to find out of the world would really end.

My friend a bi-weekly guest blogger (Kat), sent me her post last night and it appears we have been miles apart but on the same wavelength.

In the past, Kat has blogged about yoga, running + nutrition, and even homemade peppermint mochas! I really excited that today she’s sharing her first entree recipe. This girls loves food just as much as I do.

I’m at the gym working off my cookies, complete with a new top thanks to ~~my mom~~ Santa…

Top by Lucy

…and with a new toy! A fitbit one to replace my old ultra:

I hope you enjoy Kat’s first recipe today – while I haven’t had the pleasure of eating this dish (yet), I can tell from the pics and ingredient list that it’s a great, clean way to bring us into the New Year!

Who relaxes during the holidays?!?!

Yeah, I didn’t either. I think I raced through the holidays!

Recap. I flew into Orlando for a party on Friday (my mom had an end of the world party – she is such a hippie), worked all day Saturday, traveled over an hour to Dad’s on Sunday, Dad’s parents Monday night (for the first time in almost a decade), Tuesday with Mom and then later to her mom’s, and later to my sister’s boyfriend’s family. Talk about a holiday marathon (many of you know the drill)… but I have so much to be grateful for and it really felt like Christmas for me this year. Nevertheless, glad to be home!

This had my whole family laughing…even my dad.

It can be hard to keep up, but it’s also nice to catch up with family, have some sister love, and enjoy the holiday spirit with old and new friends. I managed to keep up my runs, and get plenty of quality time.

Honestly, none of the time would have been quality because I would have been completely mentally unbalanced without my runs. It just gets my head in the right place. Man, Laura and I have a similar philosophy… she recently wrote about having no excuses NOT to work out recently! (Editor’s note: You can click here to check that out). I even got to run through my old neighborhood – yeah, the one I grew up in. It’s crazy that what felt like a long run when I was 15 (about 3 miles) felt like such a short run to me today!

Holiday Run Time – Getting your head in order! No excuses!

Keeping with Laura’s theme from her past few blogs about cleaning up your kitchen and the winter weigh in about letting yourself indulge in your favorites (without going overboard), I managed to keep a pretty healthy diet too!

It’s totally okay to let your family and friends know what you do and do not eat. (Editor’s note: Yes! And you’d be surprised how often they feel the same way!) My mom, sister, and I told my Grammy we wanted to eat light and healthy, and that’s exactly what she did for Christmas lunch/brunch! She put up a wonderful spread of super healthy food. I also made it through without any dreaded gluten mistakes!

Christmas Brunch at Grammy’s

Needless to say, I have also been having meals at home that feel like winter indulgences but are also SUPER healthy! My first – real – recipe to share. Firstly, I LOVE squash, all squash, so it was hard to decide which “recipe” to share. But, I have been into stuffing my squashes lately, and acorn squash is a great size for stuffing – with almost anything, I would argue!

I always think of quinoa as a summer-y light and healthy meal, but made the right way, it can be comforting and winter-y too! I made this for a friend last week, and it was satisfying and comforting, but keeping with the kitchen workout. (Editor’s note: Where’s MY quinoa?!)

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 medium acorn squash
½ cup of quinoa
1 cup of water or vegetable stock
½ cup of mushrooms
¼ red onion
¼ cup frozen peas
Some chopped kale and/or arugula
Touch of cayenne
Maybes: thyme, basil, rosemary
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan to top, and your pasta sauce of choice (I like Whole Foods’ 365 brand)

Disclaimer: I don’t actually measure anything when I cook so please take all of these as amazingly close guestimates as to what actually happens in the kitchen

There are two ways to roast the squash, depending on how you want to present. You can either chop the top off, scoop out the seeds, put the top back on and throw it in the oven… or just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and throw it in the oven at about 375 (prettier presentation for two people).

Roast the squash first, and roast the squash about 20-30 minutes. While this is happening, cook your quinoa (boil water, add quinoa, 10 minutes pass, turn of the stove, leave the lid on until totally absorbed – basically follow the instructions on the box), and then sauté your onions, then add your mushrooms and frozen peas (and any other fresh veggies you have in your fridge), as well as your kale/arugula.

Combine all of your quinoa with the veggies, and add your spices and potentially herbs (I like thyme and rosemary for this one). Mix.

Remove the squash form the oven, stuff the mixture into the squash, top with a ton of Parmesan cheese and put it back in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese browns.

Remove and top with warm pasta sauce.

This is delicious, packed with protein from the quinoa, but low calorie and super filling!

I need to work on taking pictures of my food, and writing recipes (so feedback please!!!). But, I guarantee this will be a great way to switch up what you’re eating while bringing in some healthy New Year’s habits!

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Don’t forget tomorrow’s 3rd #strangebutgood link up! Click here for the details, and grab the image below to share in your post:

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Did you make a point tell anyone what you needed to eat/not eat for the holidays?

What is your favorite squash?

Brandied Baked French Toast

December 26, 2012 By Laura

What didn’t I eat Wednesday may be a more appropriate title.

I may have over-done it on the sweets…

Do you look forward to the holidays being over? After I left my mom’s last night, I was sad to be going home alone, but at the same time a little relieved to get back into a normal routine.

I do hate leaving this beautiful scene though!

Today I was going to take another “break” from blogging. Then I realized a) I don’t really have anything else to do and b) this would be a fun way to shock myself into going cold turkey on the sugar. I didn’t get pictures of it all, and we slept in so it is kind of a random slew of snack rather than meals. You’ve been warned.

We didn’t totally fail at Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme this month… but it could have been ~~better~~ less sugar-filled:

Check out my Christmas eats, and then be sure to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons and see what everyone else ate on this most wonderful day of the year!