Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

My Last Supper

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I can be so predictable.

 

If only my life could be predictable…

Allie was in town this weekend for a training session with my trainer… excuse me… OUR trainer. 🙂

She came in Friday night and since we are on the same nutrition plan (minus the sodium restriction for her) so I volunteered to make dinner.  Obviously, I made cauliflower crust pizza.

 

 

We had a little pizza-topping party.  Allie’s (in the back) had a veggie burger and asparagus.  Mine (in the front) had tomato sauce, sauteed kale and red pepper, butternut squash, and chicken.

 

And then we went to Whole paycheck Foods where we bought pumpkin hummus.  I also got a kombucha on tap.  Typical bloggers.

 

When we got back home I made PB & Ceggs (Peanut Butter & Carrot Eggs – the vegan tofu version).  I won’t bore you with yet another pic of those.

The next day we woke up and I had what will probably be my last runny egg before my competition before we headed to the gym for a leg session and posing practice.  Obviously, we were armed with a cooler of smoothies, proteins, and veggies.

 

 

This was the most predictable 24 hours 2 bloggers could have.  And it was a BLAST.

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The unpredictable was just as fun.  We trekked up the highway to my hair stylist, Karen at Lava Hair Studio (I drive an hour to see her – that’s dedication).  Allie got a trim too – how cute are those blunt edges?!  Karen decided brown with red undertones were the way to go for the show – I have NO vision; I always ask her to do whatever she think would be cool.  I think she made the perfect color choice!

 

 

Annnnnd… then we had my last supper.  Last cheat supper, that is.  Allie and I met new guest blogger Kat at STG Trattoria,

We started with a bruschetta of butternut squash, ricotta, and arugula.  It was supposed to have cashews but they didn’t make it on our plate.  It was good… but the added crunch and richness of cashews would have made it better.

For our main, Allie and I split a pizza.  Yes, more pizza.  This was an Italian-style crust and was topped with ricotta salatta, sweet onion, mint, and lamb sausage (Allie ordered her half sans lamb).  The lamb sausage was was flavorful without being over-powering or greasy.  I loved the char on the crust; however, the middle was a big soggy.  It was a solid effort.  You better believe there wasn’t a crumb left!

 

 

Of course, I couldn’t pass up one last dessert.  Our chocolate mousse was topped with whipped ricotta, macerated strawberries, sea salt, and olive oil.  This may have been my favorite part of the meal – the mousse was dark, letting the strawberries provide much of the sweetness.  The olive oil and sea salt on top was absolutely perfection.  I love a dessert that is rich without being painfully sweet.

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Workout Recap

I’m starting to freak out a little.  Watching other people prep, I never understood why they were so obsessive and worrying over every little detail… and then I woke up Sunday morning feeling guilty about the last cheat meal and began reading every body building forum I could find.  My abs are not wonderful.  They have always been my most-hated body part.  I blame genetics and a really short torso.

After talking myself off the ledge, I went to the gym and had a great workout.  Apparently 100 daily (assisted) pull-ups develop the muscle under your arms as well as your back.  Excuse the bewildered look.  It was a tough arm day.

 

 

Workout Recap (10/15 – 10/19):

  • Monday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1 mile incline walk 100 pull ups
  • Tuesday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, Calf raises, 1.25 mile incline walk
  • Wednesday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1 mile walk 100 pull ups
  • Thursday – REST, 100 push ups
  • Friday – Back/Tris, (180 pull-ups were part of the workout), Calf raises
  • Saturday – Legs (with trainer)
  • Sunday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, Calf raises

***

OMGOMGOMG… less than 2 weeks!!! I bought my bling this weekend too. 🙂

Are you loyal to a hair stylist?

What would your last cheat meal be?

 

Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal” + WIAW

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Just when you you’re getting used to a “special” diet…

…you have to go on a business trip.

I actually like travelling for work.  Airports and hotels don’t phase me one bit.  Unless I’m 17 days from a figure competition and have a diet more strict than I ever thought possible.  Between the protein, super-clean eating, and max of 500 mg of sodium per day the trip I’m taking today has been a lesson in food prep.

#sorryimnotsorry

I’m hoping to put all this together for a fun post… but that requires me remembering to take pics tomorrow!  In the meantime, my friend Kat is going to write guest post for me tomorrow!  She’s awesome – a rockstar endurance athlete, avid foodie, and law student.  I think she unlocked the secret to adding hours to a day.

Kat is going to be doing a bi-weekly feature, so please drop by and say hi to her tomorrow when she introduces herself!

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We’re still rolling with this month’s Halloween-themed  What I Ate Wednesday.  I did alright for breakfast and meal 7…. I’m not sure if the rest ties in, but it was delicious and seasonal!

Check out my “special” low sodium, high protein, super-clean eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how festive everyone else got this week!

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I downed a grapefruit while I waited for some deliciousness to cook (not that the grapefruit wasn’t delicious… but it can’t compare).

TVP Protein “Oatmeal” has become a low-sodium staple, but I’ve had this particular version 2 days in a row so far.  It’s vegan, gluten-free, protein-filled, and involves pumpkin.  What’s not to love?

The fall spiced TVP “oats” with a creamy protein pumpkin pie mixture swirled in… I can’t even describe.  It’s the most decadent deliciouness!  Full recipe is at the bottom. 

Meal 2:

As much as I’ve been making salmon and fruit mixes lately, I don’t know if I can still call them #strangebutgood.  Strange or not, this was a good mix!

In my not-so-strange but good mix: curried salmon, pepitas, blackberries, and arugula.

Meal 3:

It’s the steak of the sea again!  Swordfish has become a weekly staple for me.  This one I grilled with onion, Herbs de Provence, pepper, and lemon juice.  Eaten with sautéed asparagus and shiitakes, and 1/2 a sweet potato.  On a hippo plate ’cause I was a hungry, hungry hippo yesterday.

Meal 4:

So I braved raw chicken again.  Last night I grilled a bunch to bring for lunch this week.  As much as I hate touching it, I do like the taste when it’s cooked to perfection (read: not dried out).

I always prepare it 1 or 2 different ways.  That way I don’t have  a pound of chicken that all tastes the same.  This piece had onion powder, pepper, oregano, cayenne, and lemon juice.  Eaten with cucumber and carrots. dipped in a quick sauce made of nutritional yeast, paprika, and cumin.  Yes, I recycled the plate.

Meal 5:

Apparently Tuesday night is pizza night.  I’ve become addicted to making a “crust” out of Kamut flour (no sodium, relatively high protein).  I make it just like socca crust, adding whatever flavors I’m in the mood for.  Lat night I added garlic, rosemary, and paprika.

My Indian-ish Pizza:

  • Curried chicken
  • Mint ricotta spread 
  • Red onion
  • Fennel
  • Zucchini
  • Arugula

The ricotta mixture  of the week was simply fat-free ricotta with fresh mint, paprika, and a little water to thin.  Like last week, I sautéed the veggies before topping the pizza and sticking it under broil for a few mins.  That mint in the ricotta was awesome with the curry chicken!

Meal 6:

For once I wasn’t in to mood for something sweet yet!  Probably because I was up prepping food for a business trip.  (Holy mother of planning – travel on a “special” diet is interesting.  More to come on this strategic extravaganza.)

I made one of my favorite simple salads.  Arugula with asparagus tossed with lemon juice and freshly ground pepper.  The protein on top is swordfish (the same pre-grilled batch from lunch).  Three cheers for food prep.

Meal 7:

Guess who’s still under her sodium for the day.  THIS girl.  Woo hoo!  Make that day 2 of successful sodium control.  My reward was a Butternut Squash Pudding.

I mixed no-salt cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and mashed butternut squash with cinnamon, nutmeg, maple extract, and vanilla stevia.  Topped with melted cherries.  #strangebutgood

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Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal”

  • 1 serving TVP Protein “Oatmeal” (without the egg whites)
  • 2 T pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (1T)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cloves
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1.5 T water (or other liquid)

Cook TVP oatmeal as instructed here.

Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make your pumpkin pie “filling.”

Once TVP is cooked, transfer to a bowl and swirl in the pumpkin filling.  Top as desired (I used cinnamon and cacao nibs).

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 166.1g.  The all-important sodium count: 535.7mg (a little over, but I get some allowance for naturally occurring sodium in veggies).

Quick shameless plug: in case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post for another way to vary your workout.  It’s the 2nd in my “Work It Out” series!

Has anyone started tracking or cutting back on sodium since last week?  Is it harder than you expected?

What is your favorite food to pack for the road?

Strange But (Mostly) Good

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Strange is good, but not always.

 

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

 

I don’t know if I can get on board with this.  Maybe the Cinnamon & Sugar.  Pumpkin Pie Spice is really pushing it.  Certainly NOT the White Chocolate & Peppermint.

The Huffington Post agrees with my assessment.  They compared the Cinnamon & Sugar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  They couldn’t take more than a bit of the White Chocolate & Peppermint, calling it a “horrible abomination to humanity.”  These interesting chip flavors are set to debut in November.

 

Who am I to judge?  Some of you may think items on this Friday’s “Strange But Good” list are just as revolting.

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1. Banana-Cottage Cheese Toast.  With Bacon.

I mixed up some no-salt cottage cheese, 1/2 a mashed banana, cinnamon, peanut flour, and just enough almond milk to keep it from being dry.  Then I slathered it on top of a toasted piece of P28 High Protein Bread… and topped it with a teeny bit of crumbled bacon.

Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy.  This breakfast was everything I could want.  Clearly this was before the great sodium cut.

Side note: one of my favorite ATL chefs, Kevin Gillespie, now has an online show.  Check out “The Bacon Show.”

 

2. Dilly Salmon and Raspberry Salad

After the blood orange and curried salmon salad success I posted on Wednesday, I decided to keep going with the salmon combos.  This salmon was pre-coked in dill and lemon, them I shredded it and mixed it with raspberries, fresh basil, and crushed Marcona almonds.  Ah-mazing.

That bite from the raspberries was perfect with the salmon and the crunch factor from the almond sent me over the edge.  A healthy fat win.

 

3. Vegan Softserve with Sriracha

While Allie was in town last weekend, we hit up Dough Bakery, one of my favorite vegan spots in Atlanta.  They offer vegan softserve cups, cones, or shakes. I opted for the cone with sprinkles… and then I eyed the Sriracha left over from our biscuits.

Sweet and spicy… I wanted it to be better than it was.  It needed another component.  Maybe if it had been a sriracha chocolate sauce?  Strange… still mostly good.

 

They also had zombie cupcakes.  I refrained, but I had to share this picture of Halloween strange But Good-ness: 

 

4. Semi-Homemade Hotel Breakfast

PSA: The Homewood Suites in Ft. Worth, TX doesn’t serve oatmeal everyday.  They alternate them with grits (welcome to the South).

Luckily I had a BYOP (bring your own protein) back up plan.  I’m surprised the TSA didn’t take my bag with all the goodies I packed.

Into my bowl went:

  • 1/2 a mashed banana
  • Mini-box of Cheerios
  • 1 serving protein powder (pre-mixed with flax before I left)
  • Sugar-free syrup (first time I’ve seen that on a b’fast bar!)
  • Peanut butter

 

It wasn’t half bad!  I wish there was cinnamon, but the stuff they had was pre-mixed with sugar.  Remember to mash the banana first if you’re working with one bowl.  It gets messy if you try mashing with the cereal in the bowl (not that I would know…).

My awesome boss didn’t even blink an eye. 🙂

 

5. Vegan PB & Zeggs*

I know I posted this with the recipe on Wednesday, but I have to give it another shout out.  Since the loss of egg whites, I needed a new way to enjoy my PB& Jeggs creations.

Scrambled tofu is a great, low sodium alternative to eggs!  I am so in love with my Peanut Butter and Carrot scramble (PB& Ceggs)… naturally I had to try it with zucchini too.  New favorite Meal 6 is PB & Zeggs.

My only changes were to use grated zucchini in place of carrot and used almond extract in place of the maple.  Topped with extra cinnamon because I’m an addict it’s good for you.

*I suppose I should name this PB & Zofu… but that just doesn’t sound as good!

 

Bonus Round:

This is a bonus because I’m not telling you what it is until Monday!  Let’s just say it was delicious.  Any guesses?  2 hints: it was for Meal 2 on Thursday…. and it contained 20g of protein. 🙂

***

I’m thinking of hosting a bi-weekly (weekly?) “Strange But Good” round-up.  Would anyone be interested in participating?

Would you try those funky Pringles flavors?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten this week?

 

Attack of the Killer Sodium + WIAW

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Sodium is in everything.

Except peanut flour, thank god.

With less than 4 weeks to go until my figure competition, my diet has gotten more strict.  The latest adjustment it sodium.  I’m only allowed 500 mg a day.  No more bacon, sorry.

It turns out sodium is everywhere – even in thing that aren’t processed   Egg whites, for instance.  My trainer said I don’t have to cut egg whites until 2 weeks out, but if I eat them my sodium for the day will most certainly be over.  And the super expensive crab in my fridge?  Forget it.

We’ve seen a lot in the media lately about sodium, and how much is added to our foods.  Too much sodium can lead to problems like high blood pressure, heart failure, osteoporosis (this one was news to me), kidney stones, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and hormonal imbalance.  You don’t need to cut to the extent that I am, but The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day.

When I first started watching my intake, I was shocked to see how much was in items you’d never think to check.  Protein powder is a culprit – I had one egg protein that was about 500 mg!  Other unusual suspects: coffee drinks, bread, cereal, and pretty much every condiment known to man.

You don’t have to have salt (or fats, or sugars…) to add flavor to foods!  Try some making your own blends for use on protein, veggies, and beans…

  • Italian: I make my own sodium-free tomato sauce with garlic, onion, basil, oregano and, parsley
  • Thai: For a spicy peanut sauce, try peanut flour mixed with rice vinegar, lime, sriracha, garlic, and cilantro (similar to what I did here in my: Chili Nutty Tofu)
  • Mexican: This is an easy one – toss in some lime, cumin, cilantro, garlic, and cayenne like I did in this Mexican “Rice” Bowl
  • Mediterranean: This is a staple-combo in my kitchen with its lemon peel, garlic, mint, oregano, dill, and onion
  • Indian: I rubbed a simple mix of lime, garlic, ginger, onion, curry, cumin, coriander, and garam masala on the salmon I used in Meal 2 below

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Another sodium-free item is pumpkin.  Perfect for this month’s Halloween-themed  What I Ate Wednesday.  See if you can guess how much sodium I took in…

Check out my low-sodium, #strangebutgood (that’s scary, right?) eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is scaring up their food this month!

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I enjoyed a protein mush.  Failing miserably with the sodium intake yesterday, I skipped the eggs for breakfast and went for sodium-free pumpkin.

Pumpkin Protein Mush

  • 2 T oats
  • 1/4 C pumpkin puree
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 T ground flax
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp butterscotch extract
  • 5-6 drops stevia
  • Liquid, to mix
  • Topped with banana

Meal 2:

Forget #strangebutgood.  This was strange but amazing.  There are only 4 ingredients if you pre-cook the salmon!

I loved the savory curry against the sweet salmon and the citrus in the blood orange.  Bonus: blood orange is certainly a Halloween-appropriate food.

Curried Salmon and Blood Orange Salad

  • 3 oz curried salmon (pre-cooked with the Indian spices mention in first part of this post)
  • 1 blood orange, sectioned
  • 1 T fresh basil
  • 1 T roasted squash seeds (tossed in coconut oil, cinnamon, and cardamom before roasting)

Meal 3:

If tuna is the chicken of the sea, then swordfish is the steak of the sea.  This is hands-down my favorite seafood.  And it’s fairly low in sodium.  Score.

Served with a Golden Dumpling squash, diced and roasted with thyme, Dora the Explorer edamame, and raw cauliflower.

Know what only has 1.7 mg of sodium?  Sugar-free York Peppermint Patties.

Meal 4:

I am still addicted to this Tequila-Lime Tilapia recipe.  Today I had it with a side of carrots.  Yes, I recycled the lion plate from lunch. 

Meal 5:

Last week I mentioned that I rarely chicken.  Even more rare that eating it… I COOKED it.  Raw chicken is one of the most disgusting things in the world to me.  In my low sodium quest, I pulled out a cooking binder I made years ago and prepared a modified (low sodium, low-fat) version of a marinade I used to love.  It turned out really well!  I still hate raw chicken.

I DO love pizza.  It seemed like everyone on Instagram last night was making pizza, so I jumped off that bridge too.  I was going to make a socca crust, but realized that Kamut flour has less sodium.  I mixed 1/4 C with just enough water to form a batter and cooked it like a pancake in a pan.

On My Pizza:

  • Chicken
  • Ricotta spread 
  • Red onion
  • Fennel
  • Zucchini
  • Arugula

The ricotta mixture was simply fat-free ricotta with fresh herbs, cayenne, and white balsamic.  I sautéed the veggies before topping the pizza and sticking it under broil for a few mins before inhaling the deliciousness.

Meal 6:

I ate meal 5 too late, so I didn’t get to excited about Meal 6.  And I only had 75 mg left for the day.  And I wanted eggs.  I was whiny.

Then something awesome happened.  I remembered tofu.  Scrambled tofu, specifically.  Oh yes… we have VEGAN version of PB & Jeggs.  A carrot cake-inspired PB & Ceggs.

Just as glorious as the “real” thing.  The carrot cake-like spices make this veggie and protein-packed meal a dessert.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 7:

If you guess I went over my sodium…. you’d be right.  I have to ask my trainer tomorrow, but I’m guessing protein trumps sodium so I went ahead and exceeded 500 mg to get another 20 of protein.

The most sodium-free way I could think of to do this was no salt cottage cheese and peanut flour.  Since I get a carb too I went for some pumpkin in the mix.  Flavorings included cinnamon (it’s sick how much I love the stuff), nutmeg, cardamom, almond extract, vanilla stevia.  Topped with figs.  Nom.

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Vegan PB & Ceggs (Peanut Butter & Carrot “Eggs”)

  • 4 oz tofu, crumbled
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (can use vanilla)
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 3 T water (or other liquid)

Place crumbled tofu in a greased (I used PAM) pan over medium-high heat.  

“Scramble” tofu until warmed through (~2-3 mins).  Meanwhile, mix together peanut flour, spices, extract, stevia, and water to form your peanut butter sauce (note: you could always use 2 T of your favorite nut butter here).

Add peanut butter and shredded carrot to the eggs.  Scramble together and allow to cooking ~1-2 mins more until hot.

Plate and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 169.4g.  The all-important sodium count: 576.5mg.

Quick shameless plug: in case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post for a new technique you can use to bust through plateaus in your workout.  It’s the first in a “Work It Out” series I’m doing!

Have you ever tracked your sodium intake?  Did it surprise you?

What is the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?

A Taste of Atlanta

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Bloggers make the best house guests.

 

This weekend my girl Allie @ Forgotten Beast came to Atlanta for a visit and to train with my trainer, Steve, at House of Payne.  Allie is also training for a figure competition.  She definitely lives up to her blog name – girl is a BEAST!

Steve made us strike a pose for a post-training mug shot:

 

We trained, we had posing practice… and then we ate our way through Atlanta. 

Allie eats a plant-based diet, so I knew I had to take her to one of my favorite vegan places in town, Dough Bakery. We split the “egg and bacon” biscuit above along with some vegan soft-serve before walking around one of Atlanta’s funkier neighborhoods (Little 5 Points).

For dinner we hit up Cakes & Ale where we split basically half of the menu and took pictures of it.  All tasty, but our favorite was the brie, and marinated greens with walnut croutons.  Our second favorite was the absolutely fabulous staff (Hi William!).  We rounded out the night with a craft beer from Brick Store Pub.  Allie is a fan of the craft, and this place has a beer menu that reads like fine dining restaurant’s wine list.

 

 

We stayed up too late chatting and eating the remainder of my S’more Bars.  It was awesome.  And I begged her to move to ATL.

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The next day we continued to eat our way through Atlanta.  It was the day of my cooking demo at Taste of Atlanta!

 

 

I was terrified, but SO glad to have Allie there for moral support.  My friend Kathleen also came; it means so much to have friends there when you jump so far outside your comfort zone.  You guys were also so great with the encouraging comments and tweets this weekend!

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but there were spectators that weren’t my friends.  I thought when they said they’d provide 2 burners that it would be little  stop top… notssomuch.  It was a Bunsen burner.  Between that and the wind, the Butternut Squash-Apple Soup took what felt like forever to make.  Just browning the garlic took 10 mins.

 

The view from the stage during set up

 

Overall, it did go well.  The burner eventually warmed up (thank you to the amazing volunteers who helped get it going), and I was able to prove that this is a soup you could make on a campsite.  🙂

I did have an amateur fail: I was so flustered by the end that I forgot to add the turmeric.  Thank god Sweetwater Growers’ infused olive oil and fresh herbs were so flavorful the soup still tasted good.

 

 

Thank you to Scott and Sweetwater Growers for asking me to demo my recipe using their Red Pepper-infused olive oil.

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Workout Recap

Last week I mentioned we added 100 pull ups (assisted ) to my daily routine.  I did them most days… travel and long workouts threw me off a little.  My goal this week is to buy a pull up bar so it’s easier for me to get them done each and every day.

But that’s not as exciting as posing pics, right?  Yes, I asked permission before plastering Allie’s ass on the internet.

 

Workout Recap (10/1 – 10/7):

  • Monday – Shoulders/Glutes, Calf raises, 100 pull-ups, 1 mile walk
  • Tuesday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull ups, 2 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Thursday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups
  • Friday – Rest, 100 PUs, 1.5 mile walk
  • Saturday – Legs (with Trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Sunday – Rest, 2 mile walk

***

I’m 4 weeks out from my competition… the diet is getting crazier.  More on that and a new fitness feature tomorrow! 

When was the last time you had to go outside your comfort zone?

Have you ever met your “online” friends in real life?

 

Presidential Fall Quiz

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We all like a good quiz.

 

Or is that just me?

Today I have 2.  One is Presidential in nature.  Don’t worry.  I’m not getting political on you.  This is all about what they EAT.  (Source article here.)

 

Check out the following food items and see if you can guess whether President Obama or Mitt Romney like to nosh on…

  1. Peanut butter and honey sandwich (I forgot about these!  My mom used to make them for us all the time.  YUM!)
  2. Meatloaf cakes (Cakes?  Was the loaf not enough?)
  3. Pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria (There is often pizza at fiestas…)
  4. Chili (This nominee also enjoys Gas X)
  5. Organic applesauce (This is tough… organic = hippie/democrat, but also expensive/rich)
  6. Pumpkin pie (Not to be confused with warm apple pie… or Stifler’s mom)

(answers at the end of this post)

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 Quiz #2 is all about fall.

I saw this quiz on Matt’s blog and thought it looked like fun.  Since I’m in Tex-ass right now for work, I thought it was especially appropriate to “borrow” a quiz from a native Texan.

 

1. Apple picking or pumpkin picking?

Apples. We used to drive to the North GA mountains as a kid to pick apples. My favorite part was the little stores with their apple doughnuts and hot cider. And if we were good we got to stop for fudge in my favorite mountain town. I always got chocolate-peanut butter (not much has changed…).

My parents were brave getting 3 kids high on sugar and before an hour drive home.

 

2. Favorite apple recipe?

I am not a big fan of cooked apples, but I love my PB & Aggs (I add the apples at the very end so they are warm but still crisp) and my Apple-Carrot Muffins. 

 

3. Favorite pumpkin recipe

That’s tough! Right now I’d say either my Pumpkin Protein Pancakes or Pumpkin Tiramisu Parfait. Side note: I do NOT like pumpkin pie. It’s too much.

 

4. Favorite soup recipe 

Aside from the Butternut-Apple Soup I’m making for my Taste of Atlanta demo on Sunday (‘scuse the shameless plug), I adore Babaganoush Soup. It almost makes me look forward to cold weather. Almost.

 

5. Football: on TV or in the stadium?

It depends on the temperature outside, the importance of the game, and the quality of the seats. If it’s a good game that I want to watch closely and the seats aren’t good, I’d rather be inside. If the seats are good and it’s 75 degrees I’m all about the energy of the stadium! If the weather is good, the seats are bad, and I don’t care about the game I’d also rather be in the stands. It’s complicated.

 

6. Favorite football team to cheer for?

It was Georgia Tech. Until they lost to Middle Tennessee Girl’s School last weekend.

 

7. Daylight savings time: Love it or hate it?

I like to sleep in, so falling back is fine by me. Springing forward sucks. I still don’t fully understand why we do this…

 

8. How do your workouts change during the fall months?

They don’t change much now that I’m focused on weight lifting.  They gym is temperature controlled.  When I was running, I would typically do other forms of cardio (like kickboxing or this interval workout) when it got too chilly. The cold air hurts my lungs.

Also, I have Raynaud’s disease so that is not fun when it’s freezing out.  White, numb fingers and toes that last for hours is creepy.

 

9. Any fashion essentials for fall weather?

Boots.  With or without the fur.  Definitely without the whole club lookin’ at herrrr.

 

10. Do your meals change when the weather changes?

For sure! I try to eat seasonal produce, and most of my meals are warm.  Have I mentioned I hate being cold?

You’ll see a lot of Italian-inspired foods like this vegan Eggplant Rollatini.

11. Favorite fall dessert?

Dessert isn’t seasonal for me.  I don’t like cooked apples or masses of pumpkin, so none of the traditional pies.  We do have a Kentucky Derby Pie that is made every Thanksgiving.  Bourbon, pecans, and chocolate chips… you really can’t go wrong.

12. Best thing about fall?

I love the colors when the leaves change, crisp mountain air, and FOOTBALL!

13. Worst thing about fall?

Cold. I’d be happy with 75-80 degree temps year round.

14. Best thing that will happen in Fall of 2012?

It’s already busy, but I’m looking forward to my first figure competition!

I also can’t wait to hang out with Allie this weekend (possibly again in Nov for NPC Nationals), and hopefully seeing Heather in November. Love my weird-o foodie friends.

______________________________________________________________________________________

I almost forgot!  The Presidential preference answers are…

  1. Peanut butter and honey sandwich: ROMNEY
  2. Meatloaf cakes: ROMNEY
  3. Pizza from (in Chicago): OBAMA
  4. Organic apple sauce: ROMNEY 
  5. Chili: OBAMA
  6. Pumpkin pie: OBAMA

***
Allie comes in town tonight!!!  Saturday we have leg day and go to posing practice with my trainer.  Dine like kings queens at Cakes & Ale.  Cooking demo Sunday.  Could this weekend rock any harder?!

Tell me one of your fall favorites.  Any seasonal recipes to share?

How did you do on the Presidential food quiz?

 

I Feel Scrambled + WIAW

By

I feel scrambled.

It’s our busy season at work and I’ve been traveling, working, and not doing much sleeping.  There are so many things I’ve fallen behind on.  I’m seriously behind on blog reading, returning emails, and blogging topics.

I totally neglected to share an awesome offer from my friend Calee with you all.  She’s offered a 15% discount when you use code “sprint2thediscount” in her Etsy shop.  I first saw her goods at the Blend Retreat last year and fell in love.

A couple of my current favorite designs: 

I’m going to stop feeling sorry and move on to some positive news.  Last week I talked about the threat of a bacon shortage.  Apparently there will be no baconpocalypse.

It wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t blog about bacon, right?

I was almost too grossed out by this pic to post it…

According to a Mother Jones article, the swine shortage will “shave just a pound per capita off of US bacon production in 2013.” that means there are still 45 pounds of bacon per person for the year.  Is that enough for you?

The real scare is fish.  Climate change will sharply reduce the productivity of the oceans, meaning less seafood.  the most affected ares are in the South, so those of us in the US and Europe probably won’t feel the bite.

It’s a new month (can you believe it’s already October?!), which means a new  What I Ate Wednesday theme.  Jenn just got even cooler in my eyes for going PINK this month for Breast Cancer Awareness.  we’ll be sharing out Halloween-themed treats… as if bloggers needs any more reasons to eat pumpkin. 😉

 Check out my sometimes spooky, sometimes pink eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is getting their Halloween on this month!

Meal 1:

Like every morning, I enjoyed my morning cocktail: a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos.  I ran out of my favorite and I was forced to use a sample pack.  It’s grape flavored.  Not my favorite… to be fair, I don’t like grape flavored anything.  I was desperate.

After a quick 2 mile walk, I enjoyed a new scrambled egg-creation.  Egg whites, sweet potato, and a spiced maple-peanut sauce.  PB & Speggs?

Served with a side of pear sprinkled with cinnamon.

This combo was the highlight of my day.  Peanut butter and sweet potatoes were made for each other and you guys know I love my PB & Jeggs creations.  The addition of some maple extract and a little nutritional yeast further blurred the sweet-savory line, creating a breakfast I’ll be repeating ad nauseam.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 2:

Spooky Green Frozen Custard at 11am?  Why not?

Vega was nice enough to send me their Vega One French Vanilla protein powder to sample.  Obviously, I couldn’t just eat it plain… so I made a frozen custard and topped it with a crumbled Endurance Cracker from Angela.

It had a wonderful flavor!  I tried a little plain to test it out first, and I think it would be still be good without the flavor additions.  My only complaint is that I’d like to see another 5g of protein (it only has 15g) and fewer carbs (11g).  I fixed the protein problem by adding tofu, which made this a creamy custard-like frozen treat.

French Chai Pear Frozen Custard

  • 1 serving French Vanilla Vega
  • 3 oz tofu
  • 1 pear
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • Pinch cloves
  • 1/3-1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 5-6 drops liquid Stevia
  • Ice, to taste
  • Guar gum (optional, but will thicken and add creaminess)

Meal 3:

My lunch went pink!  I’ve been all over prepared salmon burgers found at Whole Foods.  They are frozen, but not bad!  This one is the Lemon Dill flavor.  I topped it with my Sweet-Potato Chipotle Spread and served it with a side of chopped red cabbage and asparagus tossed in a lemon-rosemary white bean dip.

Meal 4:

I posted this brown meal on Instagram and a commenter informed me brown food is the most appealing to humans, and that blue is the least.  Weird, huh?

This was certainly appealing post-workout:

Tempeh and cauliflower roasted in a sauce of nutritional yeast, sriracha, and lime juice, along with a fried egg. #yolkporn

Normally I don’t roast veggies mid-day.  It seems like to much trouble to heat up the oven.  Well, my own was already hot from giving the butternut below a thorough roast while I was at the gym…

Meal 5:

I was going to have another cauliflower crust pizza.  After taking too long in Whole Foods I decided to spare you make a quick stir fry.

Rarely do I eat chicken.  Tonight I was running really late and picked some up at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was pre-grilled.  I knew it would be dry.  I bought it anyway.  It was dry.  Note to self: Don’t shop hangry.

In the Mix:

  • Dry Chicken
  • Eggplant
  • Brussels
  • Asparagus
  • Red Cabbage
  • Red Onion
  • Garlic
  • Marinara
  • Ricotta

Meal 6:

Another late night working.  Another #strangebutgood candidate.

This is sort of like my Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream, except this one adds a cheese cake component.  I know it sounds strange… but I blended in some cottage cheese.  It added just the right amount of cheesecake tang.  It’s also less green in color because I used zucchini as my veggie rather than spinach.  Topped with cinnamon. 

Meal 7:

Have you tried Heather’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cake yet?  You should make it ASAP.  I’m on my 4th.

The perfectly moist and delicious microwave cake was incredible.  Again.  This time I subbed 1T ricotta + an additional 1 T almond milk for the pumpkin (another WF #fail – they were out of pumpkin) and topped it with a scoop of Chocolate-Peanut Butter Arctic Zero.

Sweet Potato Scramble with Spiced Maple-Peanut Sauce

  •  1/2 C egg whites
  • 1 tsp flax
  • 1/2 C sweet potato, pre-cooked and lightly mashed
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1.5 T water (or other liquid)
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract
  • 2 drops liquid stevia
  • Pinch of cloves

Scramble egg whites and flax over medium heat until almost done.  Add in sweet potato and toss to combine.  Cook 1 min more, just until the potato is warm.

In a small bowl mix together remaining ingredients to make the sauce.  Pour over the scramble and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 164.1g.  A little low… this work/workout schedule craziness is killin’ me, Smalls!

What is the last thing you forgot in the oven?  Anything?

It seems like everyone is stressing lately – are you entering the busy season full-force too?

Super Tuesday

By

You’re unique.

 

Just like everyone else.

It seems like everyone has done a “September Superlative” post!  I’m being a copy cat… but in a unique way because I’m doing it late.  😉

 

1. Most Popular:

Microwave Protein Cookie + WIAW – This nutty, protein-filled 30 second cookie was the most viewed post in September.  I also loved this post because it highlights a few of the many reasons women should lift weights. 

 

 

2. Most Likely to Win a Bar Fight

This Tequila-Lime Tilapia would kick your dinner’s butt.  And it would walk out in a perfectly straight line ’cause the booze (mostly) cooks out.

 

 

3. Most Versatile

What isn’t better layered like a parfait?  I’m awarding my Protein Parfait the Most Versatile because I’ve made it a million ways.  The original was a Tiramisu Protein Parfait, but September’s flavor-of-the-month is a Pumpkin Tiramisu.

 

A few friends have made their own versions.  Check out this Chocolate-Peanut Butter version from Sarena:

 

 

4. Most Unique

This is a no-brainer.  #sorryimnotsorry to be Captain Obvious, but most unique is all about the “Strange But Good” posts.   I’m craving peaches, so I’m going to call out the post with the Salmon-Peach Salad:

 

 

But you should check out the follow-up post for more #strangebutgood… like Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream.  If that’s still not enough strange, click on over to Lauren’s blog.  She’s featuring some weird combos today, including my PB & Jeggs!

 

 

5. Most Photogenic

It’s no secret that I abhor taking pics.  It’s a necessary evil for me as a blogger… so when I get one that I really like, I get excited.  This Fig and Edamame Salad with Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette was pretty and delicious (fashionable and functional?). 

Honorable Mention

This isn’t a September post, but I have to give it some love… my Mexican Cauliflower “Rice” Bowl was included in Fitness Magazine’s 11 Easy Lunches to Lose Weight!

***

I wasn’t cool in high school, so no superlatives for me.  Even more reason to Bogart an entire blog post giving them to myself.  Bwhahaha!

Did you get a superlative in school?

What would your superlative be for the month of September?  Brag on yo’ self!

 

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