Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

5 To Go + Healthy BBQ Sauce

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This week is a lesson in endurance.

“Prolonged endurance tames the bold.” – Lord Byron

When I was playing roller derby, we used to have Monday night endurance practices.  After 2 hours of balls-to-the-wall skating until you wanted to puke, Coach Jim would line up up for 30 more laps.  He’d always announced the little “surprise” at the end of practice by saying “30 to go!”

I always started out going as fast as possible to get it over with, but by the last 5 my legs were shaking and the only reason I was still moving was so I could go home.

Today I only have “5 to go.”  My first figure competition is Saturday.  I’m tired.  Each day I’m pushing myself as hard as possible with every workout, running sprints, doing 30 mins of posing practice, and keeping up with my 100 pull ups.  That familiar “if I can just push through this last bit, I can rest” feeling has returned.

Not to mention the diet changes… more on that Wednesday!

With those diet changes, I can’t even eat this BBQ sauce.  I’m glad I did it when I did!

For those who aren’t 5 days out from a competition, this is a great open for a clean BBQ sauce.  It has no sugar or sodium added… and it’s actually good.

Healthy BBQ Sauce - sugar and salt free!

There are two schools of thought on BBQ Sauce – one likes a more ketchup-like sauce, and the other is a vinegar-based sauce.  I don’t feel the need to choose!  My sauce is tomato-based and laced with that satisfying vinegar tang.

Healthy BBQ Sauce - sugar and salt free!

Thick and satisfying, this is the perfect topping for just about any protein.  You could even toss some red pepper and broccoli slaw in it for a quick BBQ veggie roast.  That was a really a really tasty combo.

In this photo shoot, I sliced tempeh into thin strips and coated one side with the sauce.  I baked it at 375 for 10 mins, then flipped and coated the other side and baked for another 8 mins.  Easy!

Healthy BBQ Sauce - sugar and salt free!

Served here with side of roasted winter squash, asparagus, zucchini, carrots, red onion and sage.  My leftover sauce is n the freeze for safe-keeping for when I can have this again!

Recipe after workout recap…

Workout Recap

There’s nothing more disappointing than seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and having it suddenly shut off.  Friday I got my final workout plan from my trainer.  I thought Sunday was going to be a rest day… it wasn’t.  Turns out you don’t workout 2 days before a show, so there will be no rest until Thursday.  Lovely.

We took measurements at Saturday’s workout.  I haven’t gained much in terms of inches – my waist and chest are actually smaller – but my body fat is certainly lower!  I’d like to find one of those Bod Pods to get an accurate measurement at the end of the week.  I’d also like to have to time to actually go do it.

There will be pic ad nausea post-comp, but for now a little sneak peak…

Workout Recap (10/20 – 10/28):

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

Healthy BBQ Sauce - sugar and salt free!

Healthy BBQ Sauce

  • 15 oz can tomato sauce (no salt added)
  • 1/3 C apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T ancho chili powder
  • 1 T smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Liquid smoke, to taste

Place tomato sauce in a small pot over medium heat. Add vinegar and spices, stirring and tasting as you go. Add the liquid smoke to taste. Start with 5-6 drops and add from there – a little goes a long way! Allow to simmer 5-6 mins more to allow flavors to combine. Taste and adjust flavors again before serving.

Note: You might add a bit of Stevia or other sweetener here if you like a sweeter BBQ sauce. I prefer the vinegar-based.

***

It sounds like I’m complaining… but I’m just tired.  I’m really excited/nervous/ready to get ‘er done!!!

Do you prefer vinegar or ketchup-like BBQ?

What inspires you to push through?  Any good quotes or songs to share?

Healthy Traveling Food (BYOP)

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Operation Bring Your Own Protein (BYOP) is in full swing.

Keeping it clean while traveling is daunting.  Traveling while on a competition diet is downright terrifying.

When I realized I was going to have to fly to a client meeting at 3 weeks out from my competition, I immediately panicked started planning.  Eating 7 meals per day is hard enough without throwing airport security, conference rooms, and clients into the mix.

10 Healthy Travel Tips

I had to think about what I could transport, how I could keep it at a safe temperature (food poisoning isn’t the ideal way to cut pre-contest), and what I could do to avoid disrupting meetings when I needed to eat.

The packing process was simple.

I gathered all of the dry/room temperature foods and packed most of them in my suitcase.

The refrigerated stuff I measured out in advance and divided it into baggies.  This was my effort to avoid the last-minute panicked rush to get out the door.  All I needed to do was pull everything out and put it in a cooler when it came time to leave (the panicked rush still ensued… but food prep wasn’t the cause).

The following 8 meals were all eaten on the fly (tee hee).  I thought a meal-by-meal explanation would be easiest to follow, but there are bullets tips at the bottom if you don’t feel like reading the whole post (I know it’s long).

1. Airport Dinner

My flight was scheduled to depart at dinner time.  For this meal, I needed a protein, a carb, and 2 vegetable servings.  Of course, my flight was delayed… which was fine since it enabled me to spread out and eat dinner at the gate.

  • Chicken
  • Spinach salad (squirted with lime just before leaving the house)
  • Zucchini and celery sticks
  • Butternut squash cubes

2. Plane Snacks

No peanuts for me!  This meal required a protein and a vegetable.  I enjoyed homemade fro-yo.  The night before leaving, I mixed peanut flour, cinnamon, and a little Stevia into a single serving container of Greek yogurt.  Then I wrapped foil around it and stuck it in the freezer.

By the time I was ready for this snack, it had thawed just enough to be a fro-yo treat!  It was also dark on the plane – sorry for the fuzzy pic.

Added bonus: the frozen container helped keep my other items in my bag cool.

3. Dessert

I bought an orange, but spied apples in the hotel lobby and opted for that instead.  I made a peanut butter-chocolate protein “pudding” dip for my apple using protein powder, peanut flour, and water.  Stirred up in a hotel cup (I never use the glass cups – according to an ABC expose those are NOT properly cleaned).

4. Room Service Breakfast

The night before I filled out the breakfast order form and hung it on my door.  (Tip: time the delivery so that it also acts as wake up call.)  Breakfast consists of fruit, a protein, and a carb.  I request oatmeal prepared with water only (no milk, butter, or salt), fresh fruit, and coffee.  Pretty basic, right?

Then I request some special sides: ice water and tons of lemon (a cleansing way to start the day since I couldn’t bring my apple cider vinegar cocktail), and cinnamon.  Sometimes I ask for peanut butter too, but that wasn’t on the meal plan this week.

In my oatmeal went ground flax seed and protein powder brought from home, the hotel cinnamon, and blueberries from the fruit plate.  Brown is beautiful.

5. A Bathroom Snack

Meal 2 had to be eaten at an awkward time.  No one else in the meeting was eating, and I needed a protein and a fruit.  I packed my Curried Tuna Salad (sans apple) in a baggie.  It is delicious, but curry and tuna have a strong scent.

One of the benefits of being female is that I can bring my bag to the bathroom without anyone questioning me.  this is exactly what I did.  I camped out in the Ladies with my tuna and a fruit squeeze.  I promise it tasted better than it looks in that baggie.

6. Bringing In Lunch

Predictably, they ordered sandwiches for lunch.  I needed a protein, a carb, and a vegetable.  I can’t have “regular” bread or deli meat, so I brought my own carb and protein.  Curried chicken and butternut squash cubes.

I took a gamble that they would have vegetables and I was right.  Carrot sticks and celery, courtesy of the deli.

7. Taxi To-Go

My afternoon snack is a protein and a vegetable.  I had one last serving of chicken – this time it was an herbed flavor.  I saved celery to eat at the end of the trip, as it’s the most travel-friendly veggie.  It can take a lot of abuse!

8. Airplane Food Doesn’t Have to Suck

Well, it doesn’t suck when you bring your own.  I had a packet of low-sodium tuna, peanut flour, a seasoning packet, red pepper flakes (stolen from pizza day at my office), and previously frozen edamame.  In the airport I purchased a salad.  They didn’t have a plain one, so I had to throw out the deli meat.  I hate to waste, but what was I going to do with all that salty deli meat?

On the plane I assembled my meal.  From the flight attendant, I requested water to mix my peanut flour and seasoning.  I put the tuna and edamame on the salad, then drizzled my spicy peanut dressing on top.  Delicious and pretty!

The lady next to me was a sleep and didn’t even stir at the smell of tuna.  😉

See?  Not that hard, as long s you plan!

Here are the 10 things I keep in mind on every trip.

Top 10 Healthy Travel Tips

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

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***

It seems complicated at first; however, this process was really quite simple.  I have done it repeatedly, and use the same tips to pack for long work days and in-town conferences.

Do you have any travel tips to share?

What “kid” food do you buy for yourself?

Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken + WIAW

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You don’t realize how much you love something until it’s gone.

I only endorse this statement as it relates to food. 😉

This week’s diet change s to seriously cut sugar to help my abs come in. *crossing fingers*  This means I go from 3 servings of fruit a day to 1 serving of berries (they are low in sugar) at Meal 1.

Next week I cut fats, which will suck.  I’m cherishing my nuts (#thatswhatshesaid) and salmon while I can this week!

In other news, I finally bought and hung my pull up bar!

  I did 100 pull ups UNASSISTED yesterday.  Don’t be too impressed – I did 10 sets of 10 and it took a while. 😉

I didn’t do so well at making my eats Halloween-themed for  What I Ate Wednesday.  It’s getting harder to do anything super-creative, but I did my best!   Check out my “special” low sugar, low sodium, high protein, super-clean eats below (it makes me tired just listing all that), and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how normal people ate in spirit of Halloween this week!

Meal 1:

I’m repetitive.  Yes, I had my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos). Followed by TVP Protein “Oatmeal.” 

Today’s was a vegan version (no egg whites).  To get a little more protein, I used Greek yogurt to make it Strawberries ‘n Cream.  All I did was mash up strawberries with the yogurt, stevia, ginger, and vanilla.  Simple and delicious! 

Meal 2:

I made Cinnamon-Flax Chicken!  Does this count as #strangebutgood?  If you don’t eat meat, I would bet money that this would be delish with tofu.  Recipe at the bottom of this post.

It was good, but the sides were even better.  Kale chips coated in a sugar-free simple syrup and apple pie spice.  Simple syrup sounds fancier that it was.  I mixed together some sugar-free maple syrup and water so it was thin enough to coat my kale, then added apple pie spice.  I also tossed in some zucchini, which was also tasty!

Meal 3:

Once again… the steak of the sea makes an appearance in my kitchen!  Every Sunday I make a big batch of protein, and Swordfish is my #1 favorite.  It is such a rich fish that it tastes buttered.. but it’s not!  This was grilled with Herbs de Provence, garlic, paprika, and lime juice.

Eaten with pre-roasted calabaza squash with sage and onion, portobello slices, and parsnip “rice” with celery leaves. I would eat this competition diet or not!

Meal 4:

I had to attend a conference, so into a cooler went a salmon salad.  This week’s salmon was baked with lemon juice, mint, and sage.  I chopped it up and tossed it with chopped celery, beet, and zucchini. 

Meal 5:

It was legs day, so I had a date with my trainer to do my hack squats (blech), followed by posing practice.

I took a liquid dinner to go. This shake is a combo of my Sweet Potato Pie and Carrot Cake shakes.  Sweet potato, carrot, tofu, protein powder, spices… and some celery for good measure.  Oh, and I hand mixed in some oats.  The Vitamix will blend anything.  Literally. 

Meal 6:

Is it weird to crave brussels at 9:30pm? That’s what I wanted, so that’s what I had.  Roasted in a sauce of nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, cumin, paprika, garlic, and a little coconut extract.  The coconut was the perfect pair with my (low-fat) coconut-curry marinated grilled chicken.  Fun-flavored protein, ftw. 

Meal 7:

Dessert!  No more fruit at night… I’ve missed my cherries on top, but this didn’t disappoint despite the fact that it looks like a giant poop.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Bread Pudding

  • 1/2 slice no-sodium Ezekial bread, ripped into tiny pieces
  • 1/2 C no-salt cottage cheese, 
  • 1T peanut flour
  • 1T cocoa powder
  • 2T pumpkin puree 
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cocoa extract
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Stevia

I added some water to mix it, then microwaved it for a few seconds.  Warm chocolate-pumpkin bread pudding.  It looks odd… but I assure you it tasted incredible.  New protein dessert staple.

Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 2 tsp ground flax
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

 Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (I used convection).

Rise your chicken, and place on a hard surface to pound with meat tenderizer.

Mix together flax, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Coat chicken with the mixture.  It should be wet enough from rinsing for the coating to stick without using an egg.

Place in oven for 8 mins, then flip to bake for an additional 6-8  mins.  If using convection, simply bake ~10 mins.  The chicken is done when it is white all the way through.

Note for my plant-based friends: This would rock with tofu too!

Serves 1, easily doubled (I made 4).

***

The protein count for the day: 170.9g.  The sodium count: 574.9mg.  And my new one to watch – sugar – was 28.6g.

I also want to thank everyone for your encouraging words on Monday’s post.  It’s a little scary, but all of your support means the world.  I did feel much calmer after your comments and tweets! XOXO

Do you pay attention to the sugars in your diet?

Have you had any delicious Halloween treats yet?  Let me live vicariously through you!

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?

Curried Apple Tuna Salad

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Did you see Friday’s Strange But Good?

The mystery stranger was a Curried Apple Tuna Salad.  You guys know I’m a fan of the sweet and savory.  This recipe is a perfect storm!

The tuna salad my mom made for lunch after church on Sunday’s always included apple.  I stopped eating seafood for years, but I always enjoyed the crispness of chopped apple in salads.  When I was looking for a new way to jazz-up my tuna salad, it was an obvious addition.

Mom also added a boat-load of mayo to our tuna (Hellman’s not Duke’s).  Mayo is certainly NOT on my diet these days.  No big deal – I haven’t liked the stuff for years.  But I do need something to add moisture to my tuna, and to make the flavor less like… errrr… canned tuna.

 

 

The sauce I came up with is a rich tahini curry.  Tahini’s sweet sesame flavor is perfect with a little nuttiness from nutritional yeast.  Both are natural pairs with the warm, almost ginger-like curry powder.

Turmeric is a big component of yellow curry powder.  I’ve always loved the flavor, but it is also a great source of antioxidants.  Just a teaspoon of curry powder has as many antioxidants as ½ cup of red grapes!

Arugula is one of my favorite greens.  In fact, it may be my absolute favorite.  Its peppery taste is perfect with curry, and the sweet apple balanced those stronger flavors.

This is an awesome tuna salad for those who don’t particularly like tuna salad.

Recipe at bottom.

Workout Recap

This week we moved up to doing 15 reps of each exercise.  You wouldn’t think 3-5 more reps would make a big difference, but I assure you it DOES!  Between that and the 100 pull-ups, I stayed sore all week.  It hurts so good.

Saturday I picked out my suit (if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen the fabric), and this week I need to go find costume jewelry and get some super-dark make up for my soon-to-be orange skin.  The sodium cut and the pull-ups are working.  I’m really starting to see a difference in my body.  It’s pretty cool… though I have a lot to work on in the next 19 days.  Time is flying!  

Workout Recap (10/8 – 10/14):

  • Monday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 2 mile incline walk
  • Tuesday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1.5 mile incline walk
  • Wednesday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 1.75 mile incline walk
  • Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes, 100 pull-ups, 2 mile walk 
  • Friday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 1 mile walk
  • Saturday – Legs (with trainer)
  • Sunday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 2 mile walk

Curried Apple Tuna Salad

  • 2 oz canned Albacore tuna*
  • 1/2 apple, diced
  • 1/2 C arugula
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp tahini
  • 1/4 tsp curry powder
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Combine the tuna, apple, and arugula in a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients with enough water to form a sauce.  Pour sauce over the tuna mixture and stir to combine.

*Note: Tempeh would work well here to make this vegan.

Makes 1 serving, easily doubled.

***

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Do you like tuna salad?

Was there a dish your family had on certain days of the 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.

________________________________________________________________________________________

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

By

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.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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.

______________________________________________________________________________________

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?

 

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?

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