Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Banana Creme Brownie Parfait + WIAW

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Bad smells piss me off.

You know when you’re in the gym and someone has offensively bad body odor?  That makes me insane.

I think I was that girl.  With garlic, not BO.  During leg day on Monday with my trainer, he asked what I had eaten that day.  I sheepishly had to admit to have excessive garlic.  He could smell it on my skin!  Is that weird?  I’ve never noticed that… have you?

On the flip side, there was a guy in the weight room yesterday morning that smelled really good.  I was going to thank him, but I thought maybe that would be creepy.

Speaking of training… no changes in my nutrition plan to report this week.  Yet.  

While I’ve been obviously gaining muscle, I haven’t actually gained weight.I think we’re increasing carbs a bit, and adding some addition little more fat.  I’m excited about the increase in fats – I’ve been craving avocados!  I also get to start doing some sprints.  Apparently sprinters have nice bums… I have no bum.  That asset is an important one in figure competitions.  😉

Lolo may not have earned a medal, but I will admit her body is bootylicious.

I’m going to assume you didn’t come here to talk about BO and butts… let’s move on to the What I Ate Wednesday  goodies.

Check out my summertime appropriate eats below, then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s summer eats!

Meal 1:

This is an old pic; I now use Optimum Nutrition Orange Amino Energy mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water.  Enjoy this first thing, about 30 mins prior to meal one for its benefits related to energy, digestion, and skin.  I don’t even drink coffee anymore thanks to this.

I added another treat to my digestive system this week too: Good Belly.

These kind people sent me coupon to try out their probiotic shots.  I was pleased to see that there is a no-sugar-added option!  The taste was good – fairly neutral actually.  Probiotics are known to help keep your body’s bacteria in balance, and help the digestive system.  Nothing yet to report on the digestive end (get it?  end?  tee hee!), but I am a believer in the benefits of probiotics.

Isn’t the smiley face cute?

As I mentioned last week, I’m doing some meal-order-swapping around my workouts.  Since I went to the gym early, I swapped meals 1 and 2, meaning I need a fruit and a protein first thing and my post-workout meal would include my carb.

I’m on a PB & Feggs (fruit + eggs) bender.  Remember these PB & Jeggs?  Or these PB & Aggs?  This week it’s PB & Peggs!

I knew it would be good since I liked the others, but I didn’t remember exactly how awesome warm peaches are.  I used the now in season donut peaches to make what might be my favorite Feggs creation to date!

PB & Peggs:

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 donut peach, cut into ~1/2 in pieces

See this post for detailed instructions.

Meal 2:

Post-workout I felt like a little treat.  I’ve had Brittany’s Sweet Potato Pancakes bookmarked for a while, and had just mashed some sweet potatoes.  Perfect timing.  I followed her recipe closely.  My sweet potato mash was about 1/2 C.  I used just 1/2 a scoop of protein powder and added 2 tsp of chia seeds.  I only needed 1 T of the milk.  Oh, and I was verrrry generous with the cinnamon.

For my topping, I mixed equal parts Sunbutter and coconut flour with enough water to form a paste.  I also threw on some caramelized bananas, using the same method from my French Elvis Toast.

Meal 3:

This lunch packed some color!  I made Lauren’s Beet Burgers earlier in the week… only I got too creative with the recipe and they won’t hold together.  They did taste fantastic (especially with the extra garlic I added… sorry again to my trainer)!  I used my burger crumbles to top a spinach salad sprinkled with nooch.

My carb and additional protein was a slice of my favorite P28 High Protein Bread with a schemer of artichoke spread sprinkled with red pepper flakes.

Meal 4:

I pride myself in making different meal constantly.  Repeats don’t happen often in my kitchen… until recently.  I’m absolutely obsessed with the Capella Cake Batter Flavor Drops I shared here last week.  This and the Carrot Cake Batter Shake happened at least 2x a week these days.  Good thing carrots are so sweet and flavorful this season!

Meal 5:

I was inspired by Heather’s field trip to the Asian market to make my own tofu Tofu Spring Rolls.  Heather even sent me this handy tutorial on how to roll them.  Seems easy enough…

Apparently I am not as skilled as my broccoli kissing friend because mine didn’t exactly hold together.

I'll keep working on it...

At least the sauce was good.  It was a simple spicy peanut sauce made from peanut flour, water, lime juice, and sriracha.

Served with a side of quinoa that I tossed in a very small amount of miso tamari, rice vinegar, avocado oil, and red pepper flakes.  It was healthy fried rice!

Meal 6:

I happened to see on Pinterest that someone pinned my parsnip fries.  It was a great reminder to make them again!

Of course, I couldn’t do it the same way twice.  And when I ate this it was 9:30pm, which to me = dessert time.

Cinnamon sticks with a protein frosting dipper.  Holy yum.  I simply tossed my parsnips in a teeny bit of coconut oil and a ton of cinnamon before roasting.  The dip was vanilla protein powder, stevia, a splash of vanilla, and water to mix.  I also added a few drops of the Capella Cake Batter Flavor Drops. Easy and OMG good.

Meal 7:

They say that everyone has a twin somewhere.  I don’t know about that, but I certainly have a food twin.  Meg @ A Dash of Meg and I share the same palate.  I’ve made several of her dishes and am always blown away.  She is a HUGE source of inspiration not only for healthy eating, but also for pushing harder in the gym.

It was her recipe for a Chocolate Brownie and Raspberry Parfait that inspired this lovely creation that I downed like a fat kid at recess.

 

This Banana Creme Brownie Parfait rocked my socks off.  A couple of my favorite summertime potluck desserts are banana pudding and brownies.  This killed two cravings with one stone.  As I slowly worked my way through the wine glass (that’s right – I eat wine parfaits), the creme was soaking into the brownies leaving a decadent, spongy, slightly gooey bedtime snack of champions.


Banana Creme Brownie Parfait

For the Brownie:

For the Creme:

  • 1 C plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp banana extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Bananas

 Mix the brownie ingredients in a small bowl.  Microwave until just done, ~ 1 min.  

Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt ingredients.

To assemble: layer yogurt, brownie pieces, and bananas in a pretty glass (yes, it must be pretty), alternating until you’re out of each.

Enjoy!

***

Are you keeping track?  I managed 158.5g of protein – all vegetarian!

Does body odor make you mad?

What is your favorite way to eat eggs?  Have you tried the PB & Feggs?  Or do you think I’m insane?

PB & Aggs + Carrot Cake Batter {WIAW}

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I’m a big fan of modifications.

Have you seen the dishes I bastardize exercise creative license with?

This week my nutrition plan has had one awesome modification.  After mentioning that I almost hurled last week after shoveling down lunch right before a workout, my trainer gave me an life stomach saving tip.  If a workout is scheduled right after a carb meal (Meal 1, 3, 5, or 7), then I can switch the order of the meals.  So instead of my scheduled Meal 3 carb + protein + veggie combo, I could have swapped it for Meal 4 which is just a veggie + protein.

3 Benefits to This:

  1. Quick protein boost before a workout (and a little energy from the sugar if this occurs in the morning when I get fruit rather than a veggie)
  2. Complex carbs post-workout are great for muscle repair/recovery
  3. No risk of regurgitation

Similar to running, you don’t want to lift heavy on a full tummy.  It’s hard work and being full just makes you feel draggy.  When you’re in prep for a figure competition the last thing you want is to have a junk workout.  I’ve been relishing in this modification all week.  It has done wonders for my energy at the gym, as well as my comfort level!

Enough tummy talk.  We have a new theme this week for What I Ate Wednesday!

Seasonal eating is a big deal to me.  Food that is in season tastes better, and it is less expensive.  Not to mention the fact that you can support your local farmers by purchasing your product through them rather than from far away places like Chile.

Check out my (mostly) summertime appropriate eats below, then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

Meal 1:

I’m recycling the pic from last week of aminos mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water.  I drink this down 30 mins prior to meal one for its benefits related to energy, digestion, and skin.

As I mentioned above, I’m doing some meal-order-swapping around my workouts.  Since I was about to hit the gym, I swapped meals 1 and 2.  So… Meal 1 = Meal 2, meaning I need a fruit and a protein.

You follow?

Last week’s PB & Jeggs were so good I did a little remix of that idea.  Rather than using mixed berries, I uses apples to create PB & Aggs!  (Any Aggie fans out there?)

I shook it up a little to be more like PB & Agg Pie. (Is that taking the naming thing too far?)

PB & Aggs:

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 2 T water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 drops lemon liquid stevia
  • 1 small apple, cut into ~1/2 in pieces

See this post for detailed instructions.

Meal 2:

Post-workout I ate what was supposed to be Meal 1.  Hooray for post-workout complex carbs!  This is a seasonal cherry-ginger protein smoothie bowl (with spinach, obv) topped with homemade granola.  It was simple but hit the spot. 

Meal 3:

I often make it through the day with entirely vegetarian protein sources, but today I enjoyed a tuna burger with a said of salsa.  I’d love to share the recipe with you, but to be honest it was a little dry.  The flavor was good… I will keep tweaking and report back.

For my seasonal sides, I enjoyed carrot sticks and raw asparagus.  Produce is so sweet this summer!  I read somewhere that it is due to the extreme heat.  Apparently, some good does come out of 100+ temps! 

My complex carb was a slice of Ezekial bread with some Sunbutter.  After a nasty failed attempt at making my own sunflower seed butter, I sucked it up and bought a jar.

Worth.  It.

Meal 4:

Another seasonal veggie favorite is zucchini.  I’ve seen a lot of pics posted around the web of some massive zucchini. I wish I’d taken one of this sucker before I cut it up because it was a beast.

Eaten with no salt added cottage cheese mixed with peanut flour, nutritional yeast, and sriracha.  It was a sort of Thai peanut sauce!  To be honest… I went a little heavy on the nooch. 😉

Meal 5:

Apparently last Wednesday was particularly inspiring to me.  For dinner, I repeated yet another meal from the week.  What can I say, I fell in love with the (gluten-free) Cauliflower pizza!

I made the crust just like this one, but topped it with a local tomato, red onion, aged balsamic, a farm fresh egg, and a bastardized vegan version of spinach pesto.

 

The pesto creation was quite tasty – lots of herb-y, fresh flavor.  Here’s how I did it:

Vegan Spinach-Rosemary “Pesto”

  • 1 C fresh spinach
  • 1 large sprig of rosemary
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 tsp olive oil
  • A bit of water (just enough to blend)

 Place it all in the blender and mix until smooth.

If you haven’t made this yet… well, I feel sorry for you.

Meal 6:

Carrot cake is something of a tradition in my family.  It’s not surprising that my favorite protein shake is this carrot cake creation.  It’s what inspired the following snackage.  I had already had a smoothie at Meal 2, and since I try to vary my protein sources, I racked my brain to figure out what other sources I could get 20g of protein from.  The answer?  Greek Yogurt!

Ladies and gentlemen (do any dudes read this blog?!), I give you a bowl full ‘o Carrot Cake Batter:

This protein-packed snack reminds me of that recipe handed down from my MamMaw.  The freshly grated carrot and the hint of nutmeg make this batter is scarily close to the “real” thing.  I have eaten it as Meal 6 every night this week.  Admittedly, some cream cheese icing would be nice.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 7:

I’m in comfort-dessert food mode.  Pumpkin Pie Mush, anyone?  I’m going to turn orange.

This has been done ad nauseam in blog-land, so I won’t beat a dead horse.  Basically, you mix together your desired amount of oats, protein powder, pumpkin, water or other liquid, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, stevia.  Let sit in fridge for at least an hour.  Devour.

Carrot Cake Protein Batter

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1 T vanilla protein powder
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (optional)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 7-8 drops liquid stevia, or sweeter of your choice

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.  Depending on the thickness of your yogurt and the absorption of your protein powder, you may need to add a bit of liquid.

Note: This is also delicious with peanut flour, PB2, or coconut flour in place of the protein powder.

***

Are you keeping track?  I managed 149.1g of protein.  Even more exciting (to me) is the fact that I actually kept my sodium down to 1,137mg.  Shityeah.

What are your favorite summer foods?

Have you ever actually gotten sick during a workout?  I think I would die.

Vegan Protein Sources + Recipes

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I’m not vegan…

…but I’ve dabbled in the vegan space, and I do acknowledge that my body loves a plant-based diet.

Since I’ve started training for a figure competition, I’ve introduced more diary, eggs, and fish into my diet.  I have to get ~150g of protein per day, so I felt it was the best decision for me to add those items back in.  (I have not added back in meat, which I think is the biggest offender when I felt like I was dragging in the past.)

That’s not to say that the average person can’t get enough protein on a vegan diet though!  Most people only need 0.7-0.8g of protein per pound of body weight.  If you are strength training to gain moderate muscle tone, try to get 1g per pound.

 

Much of my protein does still come from vegan sources, so I was excited to be asked by Kevin (@instagramfitness) to help put together a “clean eating” guide to vegan protein sources.  With input from myself, @_mr_nice_watch and @petitefi, Kevin designed this awesome chart:

Buckwheat clarification: 1C cooked = 6g protein. The 24g number is uncooked. Sorry!

 

Some of my favorite ways to incorporate the vegan proteins above:

Ginger-Lime Edamame and Black Bean Burgers

Cherry-Balsamic Chickpea Salad

Sweet Potato Asian Lentil Loaf

Seitan Chorizo

Salade Niçoise

Check out Kevin’s Tumbler site for more clean eating ideas – there are a few of great charts and info on the following topics:

  • Nuts & Seeds, Dairy, Oils & Fats and Condiments & Minerals
  • Veggies, Fruits, and Grains
  • Hydration and (Non-Vegan) Protein
  • How to estimate the protein, fats, carbs you should strive for each day

***

I would be remiss if I didn’t give shout out to my favorite vegan protein powder, Growing Naturals, and my favorite protein-rich “condiment,” peanut flour, from iHerb.

What is your favorite plant-based protein source?  Do you have any recipes to share using these protein sources?

What are you most looking forward to this weekend? 

Peanut Butter & Jeggs + WIAW

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Two things make me euphoric: good food and hard workouts.

Yesterday I was on the receiving end of both.  My spreadsheet delivered today!

Breakfast was mind-blowing.  Meal 2 is a new go-to protein source.  Lunch – although it was inhaled – was delish. Meal 4 wasn’t exciting, but the GNC Vanilla Whey tastes cake batter-ish when mixed with water.  Dinner… well, if it was legal to marry pizza I would.  Meal 6 was fun and close to being a new staple.  Dessert was a new (to me) recipe from one of my fav bloggers.

On the training front, I had a GREAT workout with my trainer.  I squatted 1.5x my body weight.  That’s a HUGE jump in just over a month of training.

Click for source

During a workout it can be overwhelming to push and go all-in.   That’s when you know you’re doing it right – when you are out of your comfort zone and breathing hard (provided you are using a good form and common sense).  I hit that point during my 4th drop sets of horizontal leg presses.

I looked up at my trainer and said “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”  Then, with his encouragement, I just kept going.

Click for source

It was HARD, both physically and mentally.  I was careful not to say “can’t,” but I won’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind.  I shoved it out of my mind, and after the workout was incredibly proud of myself.

Which leads me to the 4th installment of the Fitness-themed What I Ate Wednesday.  If you’ve been following, I’m aiming to get ~150g of protein each day as I train for a figure competition (hopefully in NOVEMBER!!!).

In an effort to vary my protein sources, I try not to repeat meals throughout the day (ex: I don’t want to have 7 protein shakes, or 4 servings of scrambled egg whites).  Today’s eats included a whopping 5 different sources of protein!

Check out my vegetarian protein-loaded day below; then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

 

Meal 1:

Like I do every morning, I enjoyed a glass of my aminos mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water. I swear it gives me more energy than a cup of coffee… in fact, I no longer make coffee in the morning.

30 mins later I did enjoy a coffee-laced breakfast parfait:

It was a fabulous as it looks.  No joke.  Recipe tomorrow because I cannot hold this one in much longer.

Meal 2:

A new go-to: Peanut Butter & Jeggs.   I do enjoy savory eggs, but sometimes you just want a PB&J.  Meal 2 doesn’t get a carb, and PB&J doesn’t pack 20g of protein (the minimum I need at each meal)… so I got creative.

Egg whites, peanut flour, berries… it’s not as weird as it sounds.  Really.  Recipe at the bottom.

This might be weird: dose anyone else like the little crunchies left over from scrambles?  They’re especially good when they are laced with PB.

Meal 3:

Lunch was wolfed down.  I was slammed at work and running out the door for a lunchtime appointment with my trainer for the afore mentioned leg day.

This was a tasty combo… but I spent the drive to the gym wondering if eating all this so close to a workout would make me hurl.

On my plate:

  • Thai baked tofu
  • Spinach
  • Sweet potato
  • 3 bean mix 

Thankfully, I didn’t vom during my workout.

Meal 4:

This is what eating for fuel looks like:

GNC Whey Vanilla Protein I received as part of this Fitfluential protein powder review, mixed with water to form a “pudding.”

Followed by a giant carrot when I got home.

Meal 5:

I’m still swooning over this meal.  It’s one of the best I’ve had in recent memory… and that’s saying a lot.

Cauliflower pizza perfection (recipe here).

Topped with baby bellas, red onion, garlic, red pepper, French sorrel, and purple basil, and drizzled with nooch “sauce” (1 T nutritional yeast + 1 T water) before placing back in the oven for 15 mins.

Once cooked, I topped it with a balsamic reduction, red pepper flakes, and this KASS vegan grated parm (which is actually really good!):

Meal 6:

After being corrected by Coach last week (seriously… he busted me in the comments section), I did NOT skip meal 6.  This is a new creation… one I’m still working on.  As soon as it’s 100% I’ll share. 🙂

No coach, these aren’t protein macaroons. 

Served with celery sticks and “honey” mustard.  I say “honey” because it’s just Dijon with a drop of lemon Stevia.

I read this one someone’s blog but now I can’t remember where… please claim it if it’s your idea.  Sorry!

Meal 7:

Dessert was this Blueberry Protein Microwave Cake I’ve had bookmarked from my friend Sarena @ The Non-Dairy Queen.

Just a couple of modifications: I left out the oats, reduced the egg whites to 1/4 C, and used just 1/8 tsp  of baking soda.  I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and used lemon stevia in the coconut “frosting.”  Mine only needed 4 mins in the microwave.

It was friggin’ fantastic.

 

Peanut Butter & Jeggs

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 2 T water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1/2 C berries

In a greased pan on med heat, scramble egg whites until 3/4 done (still a bit runny, ~2-3 mins).  

Meanwhile, mix together peanut flour, water, cinnamon, and stevia to form your peanut butter (note: you could always use 2 T of your favorite nut butter here).

Add peanut butter and fruit to the eggs.  Scramble together and allow egg whites to complete cooking (~1-2 mins).

Plate and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

This day of eats was entirely vegetarian, and I managed 156g of protein.  And it included 2 of the best meals ever.  OMG.

Have you made a cauliflower pizza?

Any guesses about what meal 6 is?

Boycotts and Friday Finds

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 Please excuse my soap box.

 

If you live in the South (a.k.a.: the land of Chick-fil-a), then you have probably heard the Chick-fil-a COO made a statement that Chick-fil-a supports anti-gay causes.  This isn’t a political blog, but I was outraged that I felt the need to speak up.

 

One of the great things about this country is our freedom of speech.  However… it’s hard for me to believe that in 2012 any company would waste their breath with such discriminatory sentiments.  Grow up, Chick-fil-a.

Yes, they have a right to do whatever they please with their influence and their money.  So do I.  That’s why I signed HRC’s pledge to let Chick-fil-a know that I don’t support discrimination.  And I can live without your waffle fries dipped in Polynesian sauce.

 *steps off box*

________________________________________________________________________________________

Now for some positive reporting!  It’s FRIDAY!!!  In honor of my favorite day, here are some of my favorite recent “finds.”

Products, recipes, and blogs I’ve been loving lately:

1. New Flavors

Cake Batter.  Sizzlin’ Bacon.  Double Chocolate.  Caramel.

 

 

My favorite is the Cake Batter.  The others were ok, but the Bacon was a little disappointing.  It’s basically like liquid smoke.

These were ordered online thru Capella… the Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli hipped me to the fact that they are even cheaper here.

 

 

2. Peach Protein Powder

The guys at my local nutrition store gave me a sample packet of this Peach Sensation protein powder made my Allmax Nutrition.  I wasn’t familiar with the company before, but I will be now!  This stuff was really good.  The ingredients are pretty clean, and it’s low in sodium and carbs, and contains no sugar.

 

 

I blended it with cinnamon, ginger, and a little water to make a spiced peach protein smoothie.

 

 

3. Runny Eggs, Protein Bagels, and Roasted Cauliflower

Ok, that’s 3 things… but they are all so good!  I got permission from my trainer to have an egg yolk!  this is big news because I am obsessed with runny eggs.  It goes perfectly atop my other new obsession – P28 Protein Bagels.  Just 1/2 a bagel has 14g of protein.  Egg + Bagel = 20g protein

 

 

I also am on a cauliflower bender.  Today’s was cheesy chocolate.  I kid you not.  1/2 tsp cocoa powder, 1 T nutritional yeast, 1 T rice vinegar, 2 drops lemon stevia.  Roast.  Devour.

 

 

4. Surprises in the Mail

I came home last night to a package from the far away land of Canada.

 

 

Meg @ A Dash of Meg sent me a bag of her favorite ginger-flavored David’s Tea!  If you don’t know Meg, you should.  This is literally the sweetest girl I’ve ever “met.”  And we have discovered we’re food twins.  And this tea smells like heaven.

 

 

5. Green Spiced Protein Pancakes

I have made some pretty bad pancakes in my day.  This was not one of those days.

When I saw this green pancake recipe by Sara @ Stories and Sweet Potatoes (isn’t that the best blog name?), I knew I had to give them a whirl.  My tweaks were:

  • Add nutmeg 
  • Subbed 2 T of coconut flour for quinoa flour
  • Left out yogurt

 

 

I made the batter the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight.  In the morning I dumped it in a well-greased (PAM) pan and made one tasty, gigantic pancake.  Note: Don’t skimp on the spices – go big in order to give the monster some flavor.  

Topped with cinnamon, apple, and sugar-free maple syrup.

 

 

Bonus: Cold Soup

Ok, this is a little self-promoting, but I really have been loving cold soup in the hot weather.  So much so that when rockstar athlete and foodie Lauren @ Oatmeal After Spinning asked me to write a guest post for her, I decided that would be the soup topic du jour.

 

 

Click here to check out my Peach-Cucumber Chilled Soup guest post, and say hi the the vacationing Lauren!

 

***

Quote from Trainer Abdul yesterday during a particularly fun set of leg presses:

Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself.

 

What is your favorite “find” as of late?

Is there a quote or saying that gets you through “just one more” in workout or situation?

 

Tzatziki Chickpea Tuna Salad + Giveaway Winner

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I did something I haven’t done since I was in middle school.

 

I ate canned tuna.  My mom used to make tuna salad every Sunday after church.  She mixed in pickles, apples, onion, mayo… it was a hodge podge.  Every Sunday.  One day I decided I no longer liked seafood, and that was the last of the tuna for me.

This was not me.

 

The Chicken of the Sea (canned tuna) is a cornerstone of the bodybuilding diet.  In my quest for new ways to add protein to my diet, it was only a matter of time until tuna salad had to return.  It’s easy to make, portable, and is actually better on day 2.  It’s also filled with protein, fat-free (if you get it packed in water), and has virtually no bards.  The perfect lunch to take to work.  

 

When I decided to give it a go, I knew I had to do something different (no offense, Mom).

In my salad, I incorporated smashed chickpeas for a variation in texture.  The ‘peas were easier for me to think about eating than tuna.  

If you are vegetarian, this would be a great salad with just the chickpeas!

 

Mayo is (of course) not permitted on my nutrition plan, so I opted for a version of tzatziki sauce to stir into my salad.  This slimmed-down version of the Greek classic is Greek yogurt-based, adding even more protein.  It is also full of flavor from the herbs and garlic, leaving no trace of fishiness in the salad.  Watch out for garlic breath though!

 

The verdict?  I’ve taken this for lunch twice this week.  Apparently I really like tuna salad.  Winner, winner… chicken-of-the-sea dinner!

Note: I made my chickpeas from dried peas rather than canned to keep the sodium low.  If you do this and have left over, try roasting them for a fun snack like I did here.

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Before the winner dinner recipe, I suppose you guys are more interested in the winner of The Simply Bar Giveaway?

Congratulations to….

Layla!!!

You are the winner of a sample pack of Simply Bars.  Send me an email with your address and I’ll pass it along to the Simply Bar crew. 🙂

Thank you all for entering, and for sharing your goals.  Click here and read through the comments – they are really inspiring!

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Tzatziki Tuna Chickpea Salad

For the Salad:

  • 1 can of tuna (packed in water)
  • 1/2 C chickpeas, smashed
  •  1/2 C red pepper, diced
  • Cilantro (optional, for garnish)

 

For the Sauce:

  • 1 container Greek yogurt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1T chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 C fresh dill
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 large jalapeno
  • 1/2 large cucumber, finely chopped

 

For the Salad:

Combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

 

For the Sauce:

Place all ingredients except cucumber into blender and blend until smooth.

Stir in diced cucumber and enjoy!

 

Makes 2 servings, with some sauce leftover.

***

I saw on Nightline last night that chin implants are the fastest growing plastic surgery procedure… because people don’t like the way they look online.  Wow.

Is there a meal from your childhood that you still can’t/won’t eat as an adult?  Meatloaf, anyone?

Would you ever get a chin-plant?

 

Indian Ginger Tempeh Stir-Fry + WIAW

By

Something very strange happened yesterday.

I woke up not wanting to eat anything.  That’s not too odd.  Often I prefer to wake up and hit the gym first thing, without breakfast.  That has had to change for two reasons:

  1. My heavier lifting, longer workouts mean I’m hungry about 3/4 of the way through
  2. My 7th meal would end up being at midnight since meal 1 wasn’t until 930 or 10a (way too late for me)

That’s why this morning I ignored the part of me that wanted to skip breakfast before my workout and shoveled down my “oats.”  When I returned from the gym it was time for meal 2 and I still didn’t feel like cooking or eating.  Nothing sounded appealing, and that didn’t change throughout the day.  I reworked my spreadsheet at each meal just trying to find something that sounded tasty.

This never happens.  I always at least enjoy the process of cooking.  Maybe I’m getting sick?  I hope not!

 

Sorry for the blah intro to the 3rd installment of the  “Food, Fun, and Fitness” What I Ate Wednesday.  I’ll bust out of this funk by next week.  I can assure you that (most of) my food still tasted good… I just didn’t feel like eating it.

Check out my vegetarian protein-loaded day below; then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

Meal 1:

The day started out as usual with a glass of my BCAAs mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water.

I’ve been repeating some of my favorite protein-filled breakfasts lately (like this Blueberry Protein Tart that I’ll be eating again tomorrow).  There have been a few crave-worthy meals!  Today I did my Paleo Oatmeal again, but this time using peanut flour instead of protein powder and vanilla instead of almond extract.

Meal 2:

The second meal of the day is a little weird, but it’s what I could get down post-workout.  Today was shoulders and glutes.  I pushed it to the limit and after my workout all I wanted was something to drink. 

These Isopure drinks are great because the entire bottle is 40g of protein!  I drink 1/2 at a time.

That was accompanied by an apple and my sorry attempt at sunflower seed butter.  It was a nasty sticky mess (which didn’t help my lack of motivation to eat).  #fail

Meal 3:

Lunch was really, really good.  One of my comfort foods is an egg sandwich, so I made just that.  I scrambled some egg whites with garlic and basil before stuffing it between 1/2 of a protein bagel.

The awesome people at P28 sent me a bag of bagels to sample and I am addicted.  It’s the first time I’ve had a bagel in years.  You definitely have to toast it, but who eats a cold bagel anyway?!  They are chewy and nutty and have 28g of protein per bagel.  Now I need to get my hands on the sliced bread and the rumored new product – wraps!

On my bagel I spread a mix of sriracha and cottage cheese before adding the egg, then stuck it in my George Foreman for a quick press.  Served with a side of roasted cauliflower, coated in a quick sauce of nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic, and rice vinegar.

This actually hit the spot. 

Meal 4:

This was the least satisfying thing I had all day.  I wanted a chocolate protein shake.  I wanted it super creamy, like a milkshake.  This did not hit the spot.  I won’t even go into details.  I’m still irked.

Meal 5:

Again, I couldn’t think of what to make and didn’t want anything.  So I went to my new staple – an Indian tempeh stir-fry.  I ate the same thing for dinner yesterday, and I ate it last Friday too.  It’s bizarre for me to repeat a meal so often, but it’s damn good.  This ginger-spiced, garlicky dish comes together quickly, and is easily changed up with different sides or mix-ins.

Last Friday I served it over parsnip rice, Monday night over a ton of fresh spinach, and last night I added zucchini and red pepper to the mix.

Confession: I tried to serve it over zucchini “pasta,” but I can’t figure out how to work my new spiralizer. 

My carb source with it last night was a sweet potato + cinnamon.

Recipe at end. 

Meal 6:

Eh.  I didn’t want meal 6 and I knew I was going to clear my protein goal for the day.  So I skipped it.  Sorry, Coach.

Meal 7:

Dessert is not a meal I ever skip.  Tonight was a bowl of Pumpkin Protein Dough with blueberries that I microwaved for ~15 secs with a bit of sugar-free maple syrup.

There’s not much  of a recipe.  Here’s what I  mixed together:

  • 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 
  • 2T of pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 C cereal
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 7-8 drops liquid Stevia 
  • Almond milk (maybe 2-3T?)

Stir together and let is sit in the fridge for 30 mins to let the cereal get soggy and form a dough-like texture.  Nosh away!

Indian Ginger Tempeh Stir-Fry

  • 1/2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 T ginger, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 T green onion, chopped
  • 1/4 C red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 T rice vinegar
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1 serving tempeh, crumbled or grated
  • 1/2 zucchini, cubed
 Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add ginger, garlic, onion, pepper, and jalapeno.  Saute 1-2 mins, until fragrant.

Add spices and vinegar, stirring to combine.  Add water, tempeh, and zucchini, again stirring to combine.  Simmer until liquid evaporates, ~5 mins.

Plate and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving (easily doubled).

***

This day of eats was entirely vegetarian, and I managed 145g of protein.

Do you ever just not feel like eating?

What do you eat before working out?  Anything?

Planning to Eat Healthy + WIAW

By

Eating healthy on the go takes planning.

I’m sure this isn’t news to any of you.  It’s become particularly evident to make lately as I’ve changed my habits to incorporate more protein and begun eating 7 small meals a day.  Serious training goals take serious planning.

For starters, I keep track of my meals in a spreadsheet.  This way I’m never stuck searching for ideas and/or desperate and hangry for food.  By keeping it on Google Docs, I can easily edit and make additions as I get ideas throughout the day.

It also makes for easy grocery shopping – I can make my list in record time now!  (P.S. check out yesterday’s post for a chart to navigate grocery store.) 

Last week I mentioned that I was struggling to find a wider variety of vegetarian protein sources.  The resulting increase in dairy resulted in my skin is breaking out.  Since then I’ve reduced my dairy to 1-2 servings a day, and my skin has magically cleared up!

One way I’ve kept up my protein intake without the dairy is to incorporate fish into my diet.  If you’ve been reading for a bit, you know that I’ve dabbled with being vegetarian and even vegan.  For me, it was about how much better I felt without meat in my diet.

Mom and I learned together how to bake fish in parchment last Friday evening!

While I do intend to keep my diet as plant-based as possible, I am enjoying experimenting with seafood (something I only started to like a few months ago), and haven’t noticed it dragging me down like I did with meats.

July is becoming my favorite months for a few reasons:

  1. It’s my birthday month  (4 more days!)
  2. The fruits and veggies we’ve been getting at local markets have been particularly delicious
  3. Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.”  You guys know that’s perfect for me these days!

Check out my latest adventures in protein-loading below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Pre-Game:

I woke up early, but my weights workout isn’t until late tonight since I have a date with my trainer.  I’ve grown accustomed to  moving in the morning, so I decided to jump on the treadmill for a power walk while watching a little GMA.  Not wanting breakfast yet, but needing energy I drank down a glass of my Fitmixer Aminos. mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar (great way to start the day for energy and errr… digestion…).

Meal 1:

Anytime I have an appointment with my trainer, I try to eat a little heartier throughout the day.  Not stuffing myself, but I want to be sure I have adequate energy because he pushes me to the limit and then some.

I don’t repeat many meals, but last week’s Blueberry Protein Tart was so delicious that I couldn’t wait to eat it again.

Same tart base and peanut butter icing, but I this time used peaches rather than blueberries and sprinkled the top with ground flax and cinnamon.

Meal 2:

Did you know eggs can be cooked in the microwave?  It sounded weird to me at first, but it worked out perfectly.

I microwaved 3/4 C egg whites mixed with black pepper and ~1T water (to make them fluffier) for 2 mins.  Then I stirred it up with some tomato and basil before popping it back in for 15 secs.

 

Topped with pumpkin seeds and red pepper flakes.  I’m positive the work microwaves have never been used for such a creation. 🙂

Meal 3:

Lunch was last night’s leftovers.  Here’s where the fish comes in.  I baked a halibut in parchment with rainbow chard, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese 5-Spice, and a little coconut oil.  It was pretty tasty.  Even though my boss said it smelled… that is a problem with seafood.

Enjoyed with some sesame Wasa crackers. 

Meal 4:

Here’s my serving of dairy – a mixture of no salt added cottage cheese, peanut flour (a.k.a.: my crack), and a bit of liquid Stevia.  Side of cucumber sticks.  This is literally the tastiest cucumber I’ve ever had.  Unbelievable amount of flavor. 

Meal 5:

Remember yesterday’s vegan Protein-Packed Ancho Bean Burgers?  I took one to work for dinner!  Yup – I ate dinner at work.  My trainer appointment was at 9p and I had a Genius Bar appointment at 7p… no point in going home.

All wrapped up in a giant piece of chard with artichoke spread and radishes.

Meal 6:

This was a post-workout shake to cure my leg shakes.

I received a couple of protein powder samples from JBT Labs.  This was a chocolate flavor.  My first reaction was that it was ok… I decided to add chocolate extract to the mix, as well as some Stevia.  There was also 1/2 a zucchini, spinach, and ice in the mix.

At first I was worried because the blender made it frothy. Some people like that… I prefer creamy.

I stored it in the freezer most of the day, but it thawed a good bit between my errand and the workout.  Lo and behold, after it had sat all day the mix and de-frothed and was DELICIOUS.  It seems obvious now, but when faced with frothier powders I will let the mixture have time to rest and settle post-blend.

Meal 7:

Last meal = dessert.  I almost didn’t eat this one because I was so tired from the gym.  But… I knew my muscles would thank me.  Especially when I have an early morning workout planned.

Mashed up strawberries, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, and almond milk.  Let chill in fridge for 30 mins or so.  Devour.  Go to bed.

***

This day of eats contained 6 different protein sources, and I managed 157g of protein.

Do you bring seafood for lunch?  How do you deal with the fishy smell?

How do you keep track of your weekly meals?

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