Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Facebook and Eating Disorders + WIAW

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Facebook may lead to eating disorders.

Last week it was narcissism, this week it’s eating disorders.  Poor Facebook is taking a hit!

 

 

A new study that found that “51% of respondents felt more self-conscious about their physical appearance after looking at pictures of themselves on Facebook.”  These Facebook users are checking out their friend’s photos, which leads them to be more critical of their own physiques.

I don’t know about this… you can compare yourself to other people just walking down the street.

Read the full article on Newser by clicking here.

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Want to know how to feel better?  Eat some veggies!

Yesterday I asked you all to join me in the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to your daily eats.  Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is also taking part in the challenge, so this month her  What I Ate Wednesday theme is…

 

 

Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.

 

 

Breakfast:

Do you ever wake up starving?  After Sunday’s jam-packed day of softball and plyometrics, I was in need of an extra-filling breakfast.  I mixed this concoction and let it sit in the fridge to thicken (~15 mins) while I downed a glass of water and got the coffee started.

Those blackberries on top were incredible – the first perfect berries of the season!

 

 

In my oat bowl:

  • Rolled oats
  • Chia
  • Greek yogurt
  • Chia seeds
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cinnamon
  • Blackberries

 

Lunch:

I failed to take a picture of the final result… but here’s what my veggie-centric lunch consisted of:

 

 

 

I am fully aware that gazpacho is easy to make yourself… but with my crazy schedule, Whole Foods’ soup had to happen.  It was delicious with some red pepper flakes and avocado (unpictured) on top.

I devoured this with some spinach, broccoli slaw, and ak-mak crackers.  These crackers were new to me – they were delicious and reminded me of Wasa crisps.

 

Snacks:

It was a snack-y sort of day – handfuls of this and that here and there.  A few munchies:

 

KIND bars are my new addiction

Bowls of grapes and edamame

 

My two favorite drinks - coffee and kombucha

 

Dinner:

I was starving by dinner time.  You know what that means…

 

 

All that remained were 2 strips of tempeh when I remembered to take a pic.  My cousin and I hit up a local vegetarian spot called World Peace Cafe for dinner.  It was my first time there, but certainly won’t be the last!

That tempeh was sitting on top of a huge salad with shredded beets, carrots, and tomatoes.  On the left is a bowl that held a delicious mushroom–kale–lentil soup.  The crumbs around to bowl belonged to a slice of rye toast.  The tea pot in the background was filled with lemon-gnger tea.

We also split a piece of vegan chocolate-almond cake.  It was divine.

 

***

Adding veggies isn’t so hard… I think I could eat edamame all day long.

Did you incorporate an extra veggie serving to your day?  If so, how?

Any thoughts on the Facebook story?  Do you think it’s any worse than the millions of other way you can compare yourself to others?

 

Sesame Root Veggie Fries

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I can be really lame.

Saturday night I put the French station on Pandora and curled up in my PJs to finish my book for tonight’s book club,  The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry.  It’s my turn to host this week and I terrified everyone with promises of cleansing food.  A flurry of emails volunteering meat, desserts, and wine followed.  Whatever – I think my food is good!  😉

Anyhow… Saturday while reading I snacked on lavar and kombucha… and it was one of the most glorious nights ever.  Cheers to fermented tea, PJs, and being lame.

Here’s what I thought of the book:

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking SchoolThe Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun, easy read. The book is well-written; it isn’t going to be a classic, but if you love food you’ll enjoy it. It is an eye-opener for anyone who’s dreamed of going to Le Cordon Bleu. I don’t know that I could stomach some of the butchering they were required to do! The best part is that she includes recipes for some of her favorite dishes.

View all my reviews

That pretty much sums up my weekend.  I worked out with 2 friends on Saturday morning (2 separate workouts – I was gassed!).  The second work out was followed up with this Butternut-Cherry Bomb protein shake… I made one for my “normal” eating workout buddy too and she loved it despite its color!!!  It kind of made my day.

Other than that it was an anti-social, errand-running weekend.  Perfectly punctuated with fries.  Surprise, I got a little too excited over dinner.

These baked Sesame Root Veggie Fries were better than the real thing to me!  Disclaimer: I don’t actually like white potatoes.

The seasoning I came up with is one I’ll be repeating in other dishes – the sweet coconut oil combined with the nutty sesame seeds, a little cayenne heat, and a touch of cinnamon made my taste buds jump for joy.  It was like some Thai-fry-fusion gloriousness.

Served with a side of dijon-spiked lentils.

I loved the parsnips.  They were the most french fry-like of the mix, and their milder taste lets the seasoning shine.

The beets didn’t wow me.  They weren’t bad, but their flavor overpowered the rub.

You know it’s good when the decision about which piece to save for the last bite is a tough one.  The sweet potato ended up being the last bite – that added sweetness from the potato made it seem almost like dessert.

Recipe at bottom of post.

This week was killer for weights.  I’m still “meh” on the cardio… I attempted to run again on Friday and had to give it up after 1.25 miles due to the pain.  Saturday I was able to tag along with a friend to a spin class.  It was awesome! Such a different workout for me.  A different workout that meant I was so sore Sunday I didn’t do my final BodyRock fit test.  That’s going to happen over a lunch workout today – I can’t wait to see the progress, and to start the February challenge!

I also checked out a new workout in this month’s Food & Wine.  This is a routine I could get into.  Who’s with me? 🙂

Workout Recap (2/13 – 2/19)

Sesame Root Veggie Fries

Inspired by YumUniverse

  • 1 medium beet
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 parsnip
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 – 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp liquid coconut oil
  • S+P, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place sesame seeds, cayenne, and cinnamon into a small food processor (I use my Magic Bullet) and blend until seeds are broken into tiny pieces (~20 secs).

Slice veggies into thin slices and spread evenly across a foil-lined baking sheet.  Pour melted coconut oil over the veggies, sprinkle seed mixture over it, and toss until evenly combined.

Bake for 30-45 mins, tossing once halfway through.

Enjoy!

***

Sunday I was honored to make the FoodBuzz Top 9 for my Butternut Thyme Hummus.  Thanks for the Buzz, friends! 🙂

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Is anyone else in a book club?  What is the last book you read?

Clean(se) Eating + WIAW

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My friends and I went crazy.

Monday we kicked off a cleanse.

21 days of veggies, fruits, and protein shakes.  We also get a serving of lentils or wild rice per day, and on day 11 we can add 1 (4 oz) serving of deep sea fish or chicken (I’ll be adding tempeh). Yep – I’m bringing back the Standard Process Cleanse and taking my friends down with me.

We have been exchanging smoothie pics (mine are the greenest – bwhahaha!), sending desperate emails inspired by caffeine-withdraw… MMSing refrigerator pics…

Mallory’s fridge, post-WF trip

We are also planning cleansing group dinners.  Friday is group dinner #1 and game night.  In lieu of wine, I suggested we make grape smoothies.  If we ferment the grapes ourselves, is it cleanse-approved?

Needless to say, this is going to be the cleanest What I Ate Wednesday I’ve posted in a loooong while. 🙂

AND Jenn read my mind because she’s encouraging everyone to post a veggie-centric WIAW.  Check out Jenn’s blog to see what everyone else at this Wednesday!

Breakfast:

Breakfast is the hardest meal.  There’s not a lot of traditional breakfast food that are “approved” other than smoothies and fruit bowls.  Smoothie it is.

This morning was my all-time favorite smoothie: Liquid Sweet Potato Pie.

I do really like protein smoothies, and often eat them for breakfast post-workout… but some days you just want a warm bowl of oatmeal!

Lunch:

I revived an old cleanse favorite from when mom and I did this in 2010.  This is probably my favorite soup ever: Butternut Squash-Apple Soup.

My only tweak was to use fresh basil instead the rosemary… then I added some dried rosemary too ’cause I love it.

Lunch part 2 was a GIANT salad.  I tend to bring these to work to be eaten directly from the plastic container when I have about half of the greens left.

In my salad:

  • Arugula
  • Raw asparagus (julienned)
  • Leftover roasted zucchini
  • Celery
  • Broccoli sprouts
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Lemon juice + EVOO

Snacks:

Midday veggie break with dip – as much as it may look like a turd, that’s eggplant dip.  Veggies dipped in veggies, FTW.

Post-dinner snack dessert was a protein banana softserv.

In my serv:

  • Frozen banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 5-6 drops vanilla stevia
  • ~1/3 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk
  • With berries on top

Dinner:

Last night Heather came over for dinner.  She was nice enough to loan me her bike for a bit while my knee heals, and I offered dinner (and wine… which I now can’t have) in return.  Luckily Heather is vegan, so my menu options weren’t terribly weird to her.

Cabbage with lentils, beets, spinach, and eggplant “bacon.”  To be honest, I could eat like this all the time.  

Recipe to come!

In lieu of wine, I sipped on fresh kombucha from a growler of Buchi Fire from Whole Foods’ tap.

Stellar customer service story – they were having trouble with the tap at my local Whole Foods.  I waited a solid 10 minutes and the bottle would only fill a little over half way.  The awesome guy working the tap got a manager, who COMPED the contents of the growler.  That right – I got it for FREE… plus 2 regular-sized bottles of Buchi Fire to equal a full growler.

I joke and refer to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck a lot, but they really do offer quality products and a fantastic customer experience.

***

Don’t forget to enter to “Be My Veggie Valentine” and win 1 of 3 boxes of heart-shaped veggie cookies from Cookie Underground!  Click here to enter.

I’m seeing a lot of juice cleanses lately – have you done one?

What is your favorite “clean” food?

Indulging in 2012

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Happy New Years Eve!!!

 

 

In case you do get a little over-zealous while welcoming 2012…

 

Top 5 Hangover Helpers:

  1. Sleep – roll over and pray it goes away
  2. Hydrate – before you roll over and go back to sleep, chug a big glass of water or Gatorade (taking a Motrin or Excedrin Migraine with it may not be a bad idea either)
  3. Exercise – nothing works better than to sweat out all those toxins (not that I would know)
  4. Hair of the Dog – there’s a reason bloody’s and mimosas are breakfast drinks.  They work.  Just watch out or you’ll only have a worse hang over the following day!
  5. Kombucha – It may be in my head, but I swear this stuff lessens a hangover.  Is it the tummy-pleasing enzymes?  The fermentation?  The carbonation?  Who cares.  It works.

 

 

Other ideas include: Waffle House, coffee, (caffeine), Pedialyte.  Mom says orange juice.  Baby sis says Emergen-C before going out and pickles the next day.

 

You can thank us later (when your head stops pounding).

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 In all the excitement I almost forgot to post about my December Foodie Penpal treats!

The amazing Rachael @ The Avid Appetite sent me a package not to be forgotten!

 

 

In it was homemade marshmallows (which were gone in about 30 minutes!), a fantastic loaf of banana bread, KIND bars, and a couple of holiday teas.  Sometimes I think bloggers have ESP – how did she know that banana bread is my favorite loaf and that KIND bars have been on my “to try” list for literally a year?  Thanks, Rachel!!!  And thank you for organizing, Lindsay!

 

Want a Foodie Penpal of your own?

Please send an email to Lindsay @ theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:

-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

She will need to hear from you by January 4th – penpals will be notified on January 5th!

***

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments yesterday AND for the votes to land me in the FoodBuzz Top 9 today (check it out here) – you guys made my 2011!

What are your big plans tonight?

Any hangover cures to share? 🙂

 

Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal + WIAW

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“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

This was the drama club’s “quote” in high school.  You know, the one that everyone had written some where.  I think there is even a video of the club reciting it in unison post-curtain call.

Yes, I was a drama dork.  Not the cool kind that was the lead in musicals.  I did make up backstage.  Secretly, I wished I could act.

Having given up on drama (as an art and a personality trait I avoid like the plague), on Jenn’s infamous What I Ate Wednesday I use this quote in reference to breakfast.

Breakfast:

A breakfast soooo good I didn’t want to take the last bite because that would mean it was over.

Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal is by far my new favorite winter breakfast.  It was like having dessert for breakfast.  If only I’d had marshmallows on hand to top it off properly!

Recipe at the end!

Lunch:

In preparation for the Christmas party catering gig this weekend, I’m focusing on making as much room as possible in my fridge and freezer.

No grocery shopping.  Eating frozen meals and cookie muffin creations to clear freezer space.  Thai food.

Lunch today was a Chicken Enchilada Evol Bowl.  It wasn’t too bad – especially with the Tabasco I “borrowed” from the office fridge.

The bowl microwaved evenly and wasn’t as salty as many frozen meals out there (just over 500).  They used corn tortillas – far superior to flour, IMHO – making it gluten-free.

Speaking of salt, did you hear that the FDA is considering putting a limit on the amount of salt restaurants use?  Apparently the average American eats 11 CUPS of salt in a year.  Gross.

Dinner:

Next to my kickboxing gym there is danger a Whole Foods.  As a treat I sometimes stop in after class for a Hot Bar  Trash Can (a hodge podge of food that exemplifies my inability to choose just one or 2 thing from any menu).

I know it included kale-apple salad, sweet potato-cashew hash, buffalo-garlic tofu, seitan in some tasty red sauce, eggplant-zucchini-asparagus-onions in another tomato sauce, bowtie pasta, ancient grains, lemon-roasted carrot slices (these were REALLY good)… and a ritual… I always reserve a little corner spot for a teensy scoop of that glorious iced chocolate brownie.

Snacks:

I only managed pics of 2 of today’s snacks.

Multi-Green Kombucha on the drive in to work.

Late-night chocolate chip cookie and almond milk (see earlier remark regarding the necessity of clearing out my freezer).

Unpictured: peanuts (I eat like I’m on a plane even when I’m not), Pure Protein bar, coffee, and a pre-workout FRS drink (which I swear does work!).

Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal

Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal

  • 1/2 C oatmeal (I used Bob’s Mill gluten-free)
  • 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 T sweet potato puree 
  • 1/2 tsp chia seeds (optional)

Cook the oats according to package instructions, adding spices and extract once boiling.  

When almost done (1-2 mins to go), add sweet potato and chia seeds.  Taste (careful not to burn your mouth like I did) and adjust flavors as needed.

Topping ideas: pecans, walnuts, marshmallows, maple syrup, brown sugar

Makes 1 serving.

***

Most of today’s pics were tricked-out thanks to my new love – Instagram.

What is your favorite photo app?  Do share!

Do you concern yourself with salt intake?

Weird Holiday Flavors + WIAW

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40% of the items in a grocery store are new each year.

I’d rather have an actual Oreo Blizzard

According to what Michael Pollen found in his research.  I doubted this until I realized that new flavors and formulas count.  Think about all the variations done on Oreos – peanut butter, mint, 100 calorie packets… it’s endless.

An article on So Good Blog called out food-makers for going too far on the holiday variations.  Specifically cited is Chocolate Eggnog (agreed – but I don’t like nog) and Pumpkin Cream Cheese (he’s crazy… pumpkin was practically born on a bagel).

On my list is peppermint-flavored items.  I like peppermints, but please don’t add the flavor to perfectly good food.  Like coffee.

 

Enough about bad foods.  It’s What I Ate Wednesday!

 

Pre-Workout Breakfast:

When I workout first thing in the morning I usually don’t eat anything more than a nibble of peanut butter or a date.  That is unless I wake up STARVING!  After the killer workout yesterday I must have been burning food like a mad man woman in my sleep!

I heated a Van’s Organic Blueberry Waffle in the oven and topped it with banana, cinnamon, and sugar-free syrup.

Perfect for my needs… I did a solid hour with some heavy weights.

Post-workout snack:

Since the pre-workout was only a waffle, I was ready for more after I finished in the gym.  My post-workout 20g of protein (must-have to build muscle!) came in the form of a (green) sweet potato protein shake.

Sweet Potato Protein Shake

  • 3 T sweet potato puree
  • 1 C spinach
  • 3/4 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of guar gum (to thicken)
  • Shake of salt
  • Ice + water, to taste

*Normally I add Stevia or banana to sweeten my shakes, but the So Delicious and the sweet potato provided enough sweetness on their own!

Lunch:

If you read my post yesterday you may have seen a lovely salad.  So lovely that I had a repeat for lunch today.

 

Those carrot patties are really incredible (hot or cold) and I love having my Basil Walnut Pesto creation (also on yesterday’s post) in the salad mix.  The sweet bursts from the pomegranate seeds make for a fun salad.  (Read: Trying to avoid staining the shirt I wore to work.)

Dinner:

This barley-based “risotto” was even better than I expected!

This recipe will come tomorrow, along with a special feature –

I scored an interview with Chef Cindi Avilia, who works in recipe development for Lightlife!

Snacks:

I had a little biscuit-baking fail… and snacked on my misery while deciding that yes, they really were un-servable (is that a word?).

There was also a citrus Kombucha involved.  I love Kombucha.

Old pic… same drink, sans jerky

I made 100 Sparkling Cake Balls (cake balls made with sparkling wine, in case you missed it) for orders received (so exciting – people are BUYING my food!)… which called for a little pairing experiment. 😉

***

Head over to Peas and Crayons to celebrated the Humpty-Hump on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Have you seen any crazy holiday flavors?  Which ones do you like or dislike?

What’s your best holiday baking fail?

I’ll Have a Pint

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…of KOMBUCHA!

 

My crazy schedule has left me lacking in the grocery department.  Thank god for frozen kale – otheriwse I’d be eating normal-colored non-green smoothies! 🙂

I’ve been without my beloved Kombucha since last Thursday.  After pushing it with a looong (for me) run Sunday (and the travel, which always messes with my… ahem… digestion), I needed a stiff Kombucha to help my body chill out.

On my way to pick up my boss from the airport this morning, I remembered Lee telling my they have Buchi on tap at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was screaming my name.

Fire is my flavor of choice

My bosses know of my food-love and let me pick the dinner spots when we’re all in town.  Tonight I chose Empire State South.  A (very worthy) repeat for me, but new to them.  Check out my brunch review here.

Tonight was another stand-out meal:

House Charcuterie – my fav was the Deviled Rabbit

Wild Ramps with warm mortadella, english peas, lemon

Blurry Strawberry Gazpacho with pickled shrimp

 

***Insert pretend picture of my entree: Riverview Pork Loin served with pickled WG tango celery, kale and spring onions***

Dessert barely survived long enough for a picture:

Fried Strawberry Pie with picked strawberry and buttermilk ice cream

This Strawberry Fried Pie was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.  The dough was more beignet-like than greasy fried pie.  A crunchy sugar coating on the outside was perfectly balanced by the tang of the buttermilk ice cream and pickled strawberries.  I’ll be dreaming about this for days.

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Last night I cam across an article about the ideal percentage of carbs and protein for athletes in the Phidippidies (my favorite local running store) newsletter by Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD.

Carb Tips:

  • Ingest 2.3-3.2 g of carbs per pound of body weight for 1 hour/day of moderate cardio exercise
  • During longer runs (1 – 2.5 hours), aim to take in 30 – 60 grams of carbs/hour (120 – 240 calories)
  • It takes the body 24-36 hours to replenish depleted glycogen stores post-exercise (assuming no running in that time)
  • For runners that struggle running with food on their stomach (me!), swishing a sports drink around in your mouth pre-run “This sends a message to the brain that energy is forthcoming and you’ll feel more energetic. Swishing can enhance performance by 2% to 3% if you are exercising on empty.”

 

Protein Tips:

  • In order to best develop muscle, athletes do need more than the 0.4g protein per 1 lb of body weight.  Aim for 0.5 – 0.8 g protein per pound (if you’re trying for bulk you’ll need more… this is geared to runners!)
  • Eat 20 g of protein within 30 mins of weight/resistance work to maximize benefits. Don’t stop there though – “the highest rate of protein synthesis is 3 to 5 hours post-exercise”
  • They don’t necessarily recommend buying a whey protein supplement.  Like any nutrient, it is best consumed in the course of a balanced diet… HOWEVER, many of us who eat a more plant-based diet may need a supplement.  I’m holding fast to my morning post-workout protein shakes!

Read the full article here.

***

Do you pay attention of the carbs/protein you take in?

I recommend tracking your protein intake for at least a day.  I was shocked to see I need about 20g more!


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