Thirsty Thursday

July 21, 2011 By Laura

It’s about a million degrees outside.

The only thing I want for breakfast on these days is a big arse smoothie!

My mornings usually consist of the following:

Rolling out of bed
Wetting down my crazy spiked up hair (short hair + restless sleep = rockstar AM ‘do)
Brushing my teeth
Eating a date or spoonful of PB
Throwing on running clothes
Running or the gym

The date/PB keeps me going to 4-6 miles – more than that and I’d need more substance – but in this heat I’m never very hungry when I first get back.

The solution? A smoothie! It’s easier to drink than eat post-run and the coldness helps me stop sweating (yes, I even sweat post-shower) before going to work.

Ever since the jaw-breaking incident, I’ve been pretty creative with making a substantial drink.

99.9% of the time I use a protein powder – bonus is that is adds sweetness without excess sugar. You can also use dates, Stevia, honey, agave to get the right level of sweet sans protein.

I also ALWAYS toss in a cup o f spinach or kale. You really can’t taste it and you get all those nutrients. Why wouldn’t you add it?

My Top 5:

(click the names for recipes)

1. Sweet Potato

This is a go-to for me. I usually have a sweet potato laying around. Usually half eaten from the previous meal.

Adding the potato makes this smoothie sweet, super creamy, and reminiscent of the pie (in a good way – I don’t actually like the pie… maybe a consistency thing?).

2. Avocado-Banana

Avocados after the perfect ingredient – they give your drink a creamy shake-like texture and have virtually no taste.

I’m always guilty of letting 1/2 an avocado go to waste – I eat part on a salad, the other half turns brown, and I toss it (basically throwing away a dollar per!). Until I discovered that you can freeze avocado. Cut it into quarters and toss it in tupperware (with your collection of frozen bananas 🙂 ).

3. Butternut Squash-Cherry

I hate to play favorites… but this one is my favorite. It’s like a cherry bomb with squash! Yes, I realize that doesn’t sound as appetizing to normal people as it does to me.

Seriously though. Again with the creaminess, but this one has that rich, winter squash sweetness too. You already know (I hope!) that cherries and chocolate are a great combo. Just think of the nutrients in this one little drink!

By now you should be bouncing up and down with excitement in your desk chair. Try it – you’ll know I’m not nuts.

4. Savory Protein Lassi

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Indian food. It borders on addiction. As such, I naturally love lassis. Mango is good, but they can sometimes be too sweet.

When I saw a more savory lassi on a local menu, I knew I needed to amp it up with protein and call it a recovery drink. Indian-style.

5. Mocha Banana

I cannot believe I almost forgot about this creation! Banana + chocolate + coffee. It is a great way to use the leftovers from your pot o’ coffee, ensuring that you’ll be properly caffeinated for the day.

If you are really hard core – and I am – you’ll crumble a chocolate muffin on top too. Guess what I’ll be having for breakfast… *still kicking self for going so long without this smoothie*

***

Many say they couldn’t get tired of oatmeal or peanut butter or cookies… I couldn’t get tired of smoothies.

What’s your favorite smoothie?

What the one thing you could never tire of?

Chef Summer Series – Hugh Acheson

June 3, 2011 By Laura

Before I write about yet another ~~gluttonous feast~~ delicious dinner…

Let’s talk about running in 90 degree temps.

I took off today a little later than planned (see the last pic in the post for an explanation). It was already closing in on 90 when I got outside to run. Nothing like a little sweat. My original plan was 7 miles.

My Reality:

Distance – 5 miles
Time – 41:58
Pace – 8:32

A good pace, but I think it’s just because I hauled it home at the end just to get it over with. Seriously.

I have NEVER felt like I might puke during a run before.. Until today (no, it wasn’t the champagne, thankyouverymuch). It was so hot and I was sweating so hard… not pretty. I need hot weather running tips. Or I need to wake up earlier.

There was a treat waiting for me when I got back. The vegan SunWarrior Protein Powder I ordered arrived! Vanilla flavor.

Still sweating, I got to work making a huge green vanilla-almond shake with my new powder.

I wanted SO badly to like it. The ingredients/nutrients are awesome.

It’s chalky and not-so-tasty. Any one want a full (minus one scoop) bag of this? I’ll ship it to ya!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s talk about something much more delicious! Wednesday night was a dinner of epic proportions.

One of the new friends I met while going solo to the Food and Wine Festival and I went to the first in a Chef’s Summer Series put on by ONE. Midtown Kitchen.

The series of dinners consists of 5 course meals with pairings prepared by some of Atlanta’s best chefs in conjunction with ONE’s chef, Drew Van Leuvan. Last night’s meal with Hugh Acheson from Empire State South was outstanding!

James River Oyster with limoncello and lemon verbena

L to R: Summer Squash, Warm Bucheron, Veal Sweetbread, and Weisswurst all over Salsa Verde

Beets, Radishes, Arugula, Nasturtiums, and Pickled Ramps with a Charred Vidalia Cream

Beef Tartare with Cured Local Yolk, Crisp Tendon, Baby Fennel, and Tomato

Riverview Pork Loin with Braised Belly, Mixed Bean Escabeche, Sorghum & Green Tomato Chow Chow

Tres Leches with Blackberries, Lime Sugar, and Vanilla Lime Sorbet

The food was amazing. Except the oysters. I do NOT like them, Sam I Am. ~~Other than the ocean food,~~ I can’t even choose a favorite course.

The flavors on each plate were spot on – they played off of each other such that each bite was better than the last. Well done, Hugh and Drew!

Did I mention each course had champagne pairings?!

The champagne pairings were interesting. I thought by the end they were a bit of a stretch (5 champagne pairings = HARD). ~~And I probably more champagne last night than I drank in all of 2010 combined. Ouch.~~

My favorite by far was a Chateau St Michelle Luxe. It paired really well with the tartare, something I didn’t think a sparkler could effectively do. At $20/bottle, it’s a get deal too!

We are planning to attend a few more. June 29th with Bruce Logue from La Pietra Cucina is next on my list. La Pietra is one of my top 5 restaurants in Atlanta!

***

Talk about a champagne high! I’m going to take a teensy break from drinking. At least until Supper Club Saturday. Supper Clubs and Dinner Series are really popular here.

Do you have a lot of dinner events/clubs in your area?

Do you like the sweeter champagnes or dry? Or do you care (mimosas anyone)?

Protein Powder #2 + Asian Tofu

October 12, 2010 By Laura

Powder #2

This morning I made hot oatmeal with the chocolate Vega powder. (I know it technically is not just a protein powder, but neither is my current Juice Plus.) It wasn’t my favorite.

In the oats:

90% of my breakfast decision was influenced by the fact that I still have these giant blueberries. I love blueberries in hot oatmeal because they get all melty and juicy from the oatmeal heat. YUM.

In addition to the berries, I used 1/2 the packet of Vega. Half a serving gave me 5.5g protein, 0g sugar, and 55 cals. I took a taste and promptly added a generous pile couple ‘o shakes of cinnamon.

I’ve made chocolate oats before… but these looked a bit… green.

Color, I can get over. But they also tasted a little off. You know when stuff tastes healthy? My oatmeal tasted too healthy. (Not that this prevented me from eating it.)

I’m still going to eat the other half, but this may be better in a fruit-filled smoothie.

New Challenge today – I started my first boot camp! It was definitely a challenge. We started with 5 mins of stairs. One guy puked. I did not. Lots of boot camp-ish stuff (marching bands, planks, push ups, dips, etc.). Then sprints. Lots and lots of sprints (maybe this will help my 5K time?!). The workout was rounded out with ab work. I’m already sore.

Two things I’m really proud of:

I stayed up with the “in shape” guys the whole time
I ran to the boot camp and home after.

After that craziness I was starving.

Thankfully, dinner was less… green… than lunch. I diced some extra-firm tofu and tossed it in an Asian-style marinade before boot camp.

When I got home, I put the mixture in a grill pan on medium heat.

Meanwhile, I sautéed some red onion and asparagus with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

Then I tossed all of that with arugula, carrots, celery, and cucumbers.

I couldn’t get this on the table fast enough!

Asian-Marinated Tofu

2/5 block Extra-firm Tofu, cubed1T Toasted Sesame Oil
1T Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Red Curry Paste
1/2 tsp Thai Chile Sauce
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Garlic, minced (about 1 small clove)

Whisk marinade in medium bowl and toss with tofu cubes. Marinate ~1 hour.

Grill on stove top over medium heat until browned (about 4-5 mins on each side). Remove from heat and enjoy!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5077127060_93cc39ddbe.jpg

Intervals, Abs, and Monsters… Oh My!

October 12, 2010 By Laura

I’m a little behind due to all of the weekend’s festivities! I tried a new workout this weekend and LOVED it. Intervals that weren’t boring, killer biceps/back moves, followed by a core routine from Oh She Glows. All topped off with a Green Monster smoothie, inspired by the Green Monster Movement and fueled with protein powder from my Mission: Protein Powder exploration.

The interval workout is based on one from Fitness Magazine. It incorporates the stationary bike, elliptical, and treadmill and take 30 minutes total. Those 30 minutes flew by – I swear. (Note: RPE refers to your “rate of perceived exertion”)

The break down:

Bike

Minutes 0-5 @ level 1-3 (about 3 RPE)
Minutes 5-7 @ level 5-7 (about 7 RPE*)
Minutes 7-8 @ level 6-8 (about 8 RPE*)
Minutes 8-9 @ level 8-9 (about 9 RPE*)
Minutes 9-10 @ level 9-10 (about 10 RPE*)

Elliptical

Minutes 10-11 @ level 3-4 (about 3 RPE)
Minutes 11-13 @ level 7-9 (about 6 RPE*)
Minutes 13-15 @ level 9-12 (about 8 RPE*)
Minutes 15-18 @ level 12+ (about 9 RPE*)
Minutes 18-20 @ level 9-12 (about 8 RPE*)

Treadmill

Minutes 20-24 @ level 3.5-4.2 (about 3 RPE)
Minutes 24-25 @ level 5.2-6.5 (about 7 RPE*)
Minutes 25-27 @ level 4-4.5 (about 3 RPE*)
Minutes 27-29 @ level 7 (about 8 RPE*)
Minutes 29-30 @ level 3 (about 2 RPE*)

Then is was time for 30 mins in the weight room working on back and biceps.

All of this was topped off with the Whittle My Middle 30-Day Challenge #2 completed by Angela at Oh She Glows back in January. My goal is to do this daily for the next month. Results to be posted here. Anyone else in???

My starting points:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 20 reps
Plank ups: 12 reps
Boat pose: 20 reps
Bicycle: 3 sets of 30 reps
Side plank w/ twists: 12 reps each side

How do you follow up a killer workout like that?

…

Mission: Protein Powder

October 10, 2010 By Laura

Yesterday was GA Tech’s homecoming game against Virginia. It was great to see my fellow alum’s at the tailgate. Smoak (on the left) even loaned me his festive bow tie!

Go Jackets!

We won the game and I had a great time catching up with my baby sister. I was a bit worried about the outcome, since we haven’t been looking terribly strong and for some reason they didn’t schedule a high school for us to play. Ye of little faith. Other than a couple of turnovers, we looked great.

Today’s run: my pace was a little slower, but I was still pleased with my time since I was sore from yesterday’s run and all the walking we did (my quad has been pulled since July). I came back and did 15 mins of ab work too (more punishment for Friday night’s beer).

Distance: 3.65 miles
Duration: 31:28
Average Pace: 8:57

After all that, I had to get my protein in… which brings us to…

Mission: Protein Powder

I am in the market for a new protein powder. The one I have now is a Juice Plus powder. The flavor is good, but it only has 13g of protein (most powders have 20-25g) AND it contains 12g of sugar (no wonder it is so tasty!).

Yesterday I went to Whole Paycheck (my term of endearment for Whole Foods) and purchased a 1 serving packet of every brand of protein powder they carry. To do a true test I probably should have gotten all the same flavor… but variety is the spice of life.

Protein galore!

First batter up:

Jay Robb - Strawberry

I used this to make this morning’s breakfast – Berry Overnight Oats.

I mixed all the ingredients and placed in the fridge overnight. This morning, the mix had not absorbed as much of the milk as usual… it looked a bit soupy. Maybe this powder isn’t as absorbent?

Either way, it tasted good! I added some blueberries for a topping. These are the biggest blueberries I have ever seen. Nearly the size of a quarter! The strawberry protein powder made the oats taste like strawberry Nestle Quik. This is a very good thing, in my opinion. 🙂

Berry Overnight Oats

1/4 C Oats

1/2 serving Jay Robb Strawberry Whey Protein powder

1/2 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Goji berries

Blueberries

Mix the oat and powder in a bowl. Add milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Add small handful of goji berries.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from fridge and stir. Add blueberries (or topping of your choice).

The Verdict: Pretty good. I loved the strawberry Quik taste (warning: it could be a bit sweet for some people). Half of the packet gave me 12.5g protein, 0g sugar, and 55 cals. My only complaint is how runny my oats were, but that can easily be remedied by not using as much milk. I have the other half of the packet to go and I’m thinking this would make an awesome Green Monster.