Mexican Cauliflower “Rice” Bowl + Giveaway Winner

May 4, 2012 By Laura

Rice has never been appealing to me.

It’s always been sort of boring to me. Like a waste of plate space. I’d rather have more veggies or a big piece of crusty bread. I even order my burrito bowl from Willy’s without rice.

When I started seeing cauliflower rice recipes floating around Pinterest, I had to check it out for myself. Finally, was way to re-create rice-based meals without having to waste space on actual rice. Other benefits: it doesn’t take an hour to cook, it’s loaded with fiber, and one cup is only 28 calories!

I’d like to say that Cinco de Mayo was the inspiration for making this bowl Mexican… but really it’s just because I eat something Mexican-ish nearly every day.

This is the simplest recipe – you simply put the cauliflower in a blender or food processor and pulse until it resembles rice. I added some red pepper to mine to make it more flavorful and festive-looking.

Topped with carrots, black beans, avocado, pineapple, and cilantro and then smothered in a spicy salsa verde, this bowl looked like a fiesta! It made for a filling lunch that didn’t weigh me down and make me yearn for a siesta.

I really loved how the cauliflower really did resemble rice, and the way it took on the other flavors in my Mexican bowl. If I hadn’t made it myself, I would have had no idea I was eating cauliflower!

Before we get to the recipe… I guess you want to know if you won the Nature Box giveaway. 🙂

The lucky winner is….

Carrie @ Fueled by Plants

Email me your address and I’ll get it to Nature Box in time for the May box delivery!

Mexican Cauliflower “Rice” Bowl

1 head cauliflower
1/2 red pepper
1/2 C black beans
1/2 C pineapple, cubed
1/4 C red onion
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 carrot, diced
Cilantro
Salsa
Cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, S+P, to taste

Cut cauliflower and red pepper into pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Pulse the pieces until they are the size and consistency of rice.

Transfer the “rice” to a medium bowl. Top with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with cumin, a pinch of cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and S&P, to taste.

Enjoy!

***

I procrastinated packing last night… so I better get to it before my afternoon flight. I can’t believe the Blend weekend is FINALLY here!!!

How will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

Are you a fan of rice? Have you ever made a rice alternative?

Nature Box Giveaway + Foodie Penpals

April 30, 2012 By Laura

It’s Nature. In a box.

Sort of.

Nature Box is a monthly mail order snack company. For $19.95 they will send you a box with 5 new healthy, all-natural snacks each month.

They were kind enough to send my April’s box to sample, and the snacks inside did not disappoint!

In my box:

Cranberry Granola
Dried Currants
Dried Pears
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Salt & Pepper Pistachios

My favorite was the Spicy Pumpkin Seeds (obv – I love me some heat). Each bag contained 3-4 generous servings… not a bad deal for $20! That’s only $5 a bag. It’s less than your latte. 😉

***Disclaimer: I was provided with this box at no charge. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

So what’s in it for you?

Nature Box would like to offer one reader their May box for free! Receive up to 4 entries by:

Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win May’s healthy snack box in the @NatureBox giveaway at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1hN #giveaway
Be Social: Facebook Like NatureBox, Twitter Follow NatureBox, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
Comment: What is your favorite healthy snack?

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, May 3rd. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 4th.

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Speaking of boxes…

I also received a fun box in the mail from my Foodie Penal – Elizabeth @ I am Guiltless. Why fun? Check out the packaging:

Alas, there wasn’t any beer inside. The goodies she sent were tasty though!

In my Foodie Box:

Quinn popcorn – lemon & sea salt flavor
Rice noodle soup
Loose-leaf green tea AND a tea ball
Vega Sport powders
Cherry-Almond Rise bar (OMG – this was amazingly good!)

To sign up for a Foodie PenPals in May, send an email to the brilliant Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com with the following info:

-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address (if you’ve got one)
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)

-Whether you are a US resident or Canadian

Join in by May 4th as pairings will be emailed on May 5th!

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And the wrap up…

The running is still “eh” thanks to my bum knee. I’m taking it sloooow (which kills me), but it is nice to be able to do a little bit. ~~Even if that little bit isn’t pretty.~~

Thank god for weights. I love them. And Pinned workouts. The end.

Workout Recap (4/23 – 4/29):

Monday – This Pinned workout, Tris/Chest, 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
Tuesday – P90X Plyometrics, 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
Wednesday – Bis/Back, Ab Ripper X, 2.5 mi walk
Thursday – This Quad + Core tabata workout, 4.3 mi walk/run, 100 push-ups
Friday – This Pinned workout, 3 mi walk/run, Shoulders
Saturday – Tris/Chest, Ab Ripper X
Sunday – This Pinned workout (OMG – 1 legged burpees suck… love/hate them), Softball, 100 push-ups

***

The tattoo is awesome. Pics and the back-story tomorrow! Oh… and there will be cupcakes. 😉

What are your thoughts on ordering food (via subscription, co-op, online grocery, etc.) vs. going to the store yourself?

Have you ever done one-legged burpees?

Home Brewing + WIAW

April 18, 2012 By Laura

I drink a lot…

…of KOMBUCHA!

At $3 a bottle, it’s an expensive habit. When Stacy Tweeted to tell me about a deal on OpenSky (click for invite!) for a Kombucha Home Brewing Kit from Kombucha Brooklyn I jumped at the opportunity.

My kit came with a jar, tea bags, sugar, and my very own scoby. The instructions were ~~idiot-proof~~ easy to understand… with very little effort I’m 14-28 days away from home-brewed kombucha!*

*I fully realize that you can brew Komubcha without buying a kit. Still, $30-something to get started is still less than what I spend on the stuff at Whole Foods. And I actually DID it.

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Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to my daily eats. Despite some terrible food choices over the weekend (french fries happened… I can’t say I regret it), I’m back on track this week and greening it up with everyone for What I Ate Wednesday!

Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is hosting What I Ate Wednesday this month in the theme of veggies:

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

Breakfast:

After a quick tabata-style workout found on Pinterest, I needed to cool down before getting in the shower. Don’t you hate when you’re still sweating AFTER getting out of the shower?

I slurped down up a little Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie topped with hemp seeds while I got a head start on work email.

Lunch:

Massive collard greens are everywhere in Georgia grocery stores. Traditional Southerners cook them with things like ham hocks.

Not me! I use the greens as raw taco shells!

I filled my “tacos” with raw asparagus, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red pepper flakes, and a massive amount of my new favorite hummus. The spinach-flavored hummus is made by a company called Roots. Not sure how widely available it is, but I found this a Whole Foods. The rest of the container was enjoyed with some Sesame Wasa crackers on the side.

Snacks:

Unpictured was the daily Kombucha, a piece of dark chocolate, and handful of cashews.

An apple with peanut butter and a surprise from Nature Box did make it for a photo shoot:

I really loved the Smokey Pepitas and Dried Pears. More to come on this awesome company later!

Dinner:

Baked is my favorite way to do tofu. The outside gets all crunchy and the inside becomes marshmallow-fluffy.

Tonight’s dinner was a Baked Sesame Tofu with lemon roasted asparagus and an heirloom tomato.

Tomato season has arrived down South! That was the sweetest tomato I think I’ve ever had. I made the mistake of cutting the tomato too early… only 2 little slices remained to go with dinner.

What was left of my tom was delicious with the light spice and nuttiness of the tofu marinade. Recipe to come tomorrow!

Dessert:

It was a healthy post workout dessert – a chocolate protein shake topped with cereal. Packed with spinach, of course.

***

I can’t believe I didn’t like tomatoes until a couple of years ago.

How are you doing with the Veg Pledge? Have you been incorporating an extra veggie serving each day?

Have you ever brewed your own Kombucha? How about beer?