Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Starting Off 2012 Right

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Notice anything new?

 

Look up… there’s gullible written on the ceiling.

I kid.  Look at the top of the screen.  I have a new HEADER!!!

 

The amazing, talented, and hilarious Holly @ The Healthy Everythingtarian designed it for me.  If you don’t already read her blog, then you should start.  She is a great writer and makes some of the most yummy-looking food on the web.

 

In addition to the new header starting my 2012 off right, I did a couple of other things to kick off the New Year:

Dinner with some of my best friends

 

 

An awesome drink

(ok, a few awesome drinks…)

Blind Eye - mezcal, raspberry syrup, cynar, lemon, and cava

 

 

Pumpkin Zucchini Muffin with Peanut Butter “Icing” for Breakfast

(click here for recipe)

 

Peanut Butter Icing

  • 1 T peanut four
  • Splash unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

 

12K run for 2012

 

Green Smoothie

 

Banana Avocado Smoothie

  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp Maca
  • 1 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 4-5 drops liquid stevia
  • Ice + Water, to taste

 

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Remember when I said I’m not a Resolution-maker?

 

I lied a little… I set 5 goals for 2011:

  1. Run another Half Marathon – Check!
  2. Work on my fitness, focusing on nutrition and building muscle – Check-ish.  There was a little holiday indulgence and I only made it to a 2 pack.
  3. Develop more original recipes – Check!
  4. Surround myself with good people – Check!  I have the best friends. 🙂
  5. Advance at work – Check!  I was accepted into a leadership program and exceed my goals for 2011.

 

Writing down goals DOES work – I hit all 5 (with those small exceptions).

 

In 2012 I just want to start off with this in mind:

 

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Last week was a little crazy with the unexpected travel, but I managed to squeeze in 6 days of workouts.  I started 2012 with a 12K run.  Doing it in kilometers was a little cheat… but I can’t just bust out 12 miles like Matt. 😉  I was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt since I haven’t been running.  My pace was even good at a 7:37 min/mile average.

Workout Recap (12/26 – 1/1)

  • Monday – TRX suspension class, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – This BodyRock, Elliptical – 45 mins, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Rest, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Kickboxing, TRX
  • Friday – Tris/Chest
  • Saturday – Kickboxing, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday – 12K run (in honor of 2012), 100 push-ups

***

I’m looking forward to a kick ass 2012!

How did you start off the new year?

What are you most looking forward to this month?

 

Indulging in 2012

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Happy New Years Eve!!!

 

 

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

 

Top 5 Hangover Helpers:

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

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

 

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

 

Want a Foodie Penpal of your own?

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

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

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

***

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

What are your big plans tonight?

Any hangover cures to share? 🙂

 

Top 11 in 2011

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2011 was a big year.

 

 

I began this blog at the end of 2010 (yes, I missed my blogiversary), and I cannot believe how much my life has evolved since.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers out there.  You have inspired me in so many ways – introducing me to new foods, pushing me to think of new flavor combinations, motivating fitness and healthy living by example and through kind comments.

 

Resolutions aren’t my cup ‘o tea – I like to tackle goals as I think of them throughout the year.

In lieu of posting those and in honor of a rockin’ 2011, I decided to list the top 11 posts for the year.

 

Often I see bloggers comment that they don’t necessarily agree with the top posts… but in this case I largely agree.  There are a couple of soups/stews not on the list – but you guys apparently like breakfast and dessert (and I have no room to judge)!  Out of these 11 my top 3 are #1, 2, and 7.

 

Top 11 in 2011

1. Sparkling (Champagne) Cake Balls (these would be great to bring to a NYE party – toast with balls!)

 

2. Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding (with an overview on the benefits of chia)

 

3.  Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal

 

4. Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies

 

5. Coconut Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (with an overview on the benefits of coconut flour)

 

6. Coconut Milk Greek Yogurt (with PBJ Vegan Yogurt recipe)

 

7. Cherry Balsamic Chickpea Salad (this was one of my favorite meals of the year)

 

8. Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls

 

9. Liquid Sweet Potato Pie

 

10. Garam Masala Daal (this post also includes my favorite Banana Cashew Chia Pudding recipe!)

 

11. PB&J Pancakes (gluten-free and vegan!)

Thank you to everyone who has read this blog, left a comment, passed along my link, written an inspiring blog… I am honored to have you all in my life and wish nothing but the best for us all in 2012!

***

I stopped posting on weekends… but check back tomorrow for a special Saturday post that might come in handy this weekend.

If you are a blogger, are your “most viewed” recipes the one you like the most?

What is your biggest hope or goal for 2012?

 

Resolution-Worthy Brownies

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As always, I have started out the new year running.  Between work, derby, training, and family stuff, I have been home long enough to sleep 4-5 hours.

Just like I like it.

 

I really do try not to be a glutton for punishment, but I just have to own it: I hate to be still.

Does anyone else schedule their life to the very limit?!

Some where in between all the running around with my hair on fire, I did manage to find time to perfect (IMHO) a dessert recipe to address any lingering holiday-fudgy-goodness hunger pangs.

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In the grand tradition of good intentions, many of us are beginning 2011 with renewed zeal for healthy living.

We are also coming off of a 2-month sugar binge.

Have we learned nothing from Intervention?  Addicts need to be weaned off of the juice! 🙂

 

What better way to do this than with bean-filled desserts?!

 

 

Beans, beans… good for your heart…

You can’t tell there are beans in these fudgy bites.  I even tested them out with a few discerning co-workers and my building’s concierge.  No one suspected anything was amiss.

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Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

  • 3/4 C Cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C Salted butter
  • 1/2 C Applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 15 oz Canned black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 C Walnuts (chopped)
  • 1 T Vanilla extract
  • 1 T Instant coffee
  • Shake of kosher salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ C Light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325° F.  Prepare an 11 x 7 in pyrex dish by lining with parchment paper or lightly oiling with Baker’s Joy/Pam/butter/etc.

Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave.  Stir in applesauce and  cocoa powder until combined.  Place the beans, 1/2 C of walnuts, vanilla extract, and 3-4 spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture into a food processor.  Blend until smooth (~ 1 min).  It will be very thick.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining 1/2 C walnuts, the rest of the melted chocolate mixture, instant coffee, and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer until light and creamy (~ 1-2 min).  Add agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add bean mixture to butter mixture, manually stirring until blended well.  Then add the egg mixture (reserving 1/4 C to drizzle over top if desired), and hand mix until just combined.  Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake for ~45 mins, until the brownies are set.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting.  You may need to refrigerate first – these are extremely soft.

***

How curious are you about the nutritional info?!?! 🙂

I was.

If you cut them into 20 squares, here are the approximate

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 182.8

Fat: 10.0 g

Cholesterol: 49.6 mg

Sodium: 44.8 mg

Carbohydrates: 22.4 g

Fiber: 1.9 g

Protein: 3.0 g

There you have it.  Fudgy brownies that are under 200 calories and possess some redeeming qualities.

Try them out.  Guarenteed money back if you can taste the beans.*

*I’m not sending you any money, so don’t even try it.  I know you can’t taste the beans anyway, scammers. 🙂
 

Non-Evil Burritos?

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There should be a law that requires some ramp-up time before work gets insane again post-holiday. 

After a slow couple of weeks, the need to focus and crank out work is a shocking blow.

But I can’t complain… no one will listen. 😉

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The return to work means the return of fast, travel-friendly lunches.

I am a big fan of anything I can prepare the night before.  Some of my go-tos:

  • Leftover chickpea patties + salad
  • Grilled chicken + salad
  • Hummus + veggies with a slice of bread (bagged separately – soggy bread = foul)
  • Wraps with pesto/sweet potato butter/hummus/eggplant dip/anything else in my fridge (pre-bagged ingredients to be constructed quickly at work)
  • BIG smoothies (I have a new obsession with avocado+banana+ vanilla protein powder)

Sometimes my laziness is off the charts even these quickies aren’t quick enough.  That is when I go to my frozen meal collection.

One of the biggest problemos challenges with frozen food is finding tasty meals with decent nutrition content – they need to heat up without turning to rubber while not including ingredients I can’t pronounce.

As with any meal, if I can incorporate Mexican food I am a joyful girl.

Necessito el burrito en mi stomacho.

The mini Evol Burrito Veggie Fajita is anything but evil.  At 160 calories, 2g fat, and 5g protein, it makes a great afternoon snack.   A ingredient list in plain english makes it downright angelico.

Warning:do NOT over-do it in the mircowave.  The tortilla will get chewy.  I’d cook it half way and then cut it in half to finish heating (less nuking time = less rubber).

According to the website there are tons of flavor and size options.  My supermarcado didn’t carry the premium burritos, but when this one appears I’ll be first in line to buy it!

***

Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments and emails in response to my 2011 Goals.  I am so lucky to have such amazing family and friends. 🙂

In keeping with my fitness goals, I kicked it at kickboxing last night with the newly resolute.  Tonight we have derby practice.  Tomorrow… maybe some HIIT???

Do you look forward to March when people get bored of working out and the gym is less crowded?  It may be evol, but I look forward to the crowd levels returning to normal.

2011 Goals

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In the summer of 2008, my dad passed away after a 4.5 year battle with cancer.  He was the most amazing man, and I continue to miss him every day.  I feel his influence in everything I do – particularly over these past few months as I have made a commitment to live in a more healthy manner.

Dad was a lover of food.  His mom (my grandmother) made a carrot cake you’d step over your own mother to get to.  It was tradition to eat “Hot Choc” (chocolate gravy) and biscuits the morning after Thanksgiving… the more you could stuff in your belly, the better.  Miraculously, no one in my family was/is obese… but Dad realized he could stand to loose a few.

As with anything else in his life, Dad set his mind to becoming more healthy and achieved his goal.  He cut out the “bad” carbs and sugars (no more eating Cool-Whip directly from the container) and began exercising regularly.

One of Dad’s favorite sayings:

You can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Dad, still smiling!

Dad lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years.  When I don’t want to get off my butt and exercise, I am inspired by the fact that even when he was sick and in Houston for treatments, he could be found on the treadmill, walking to keep his strength up.

Dad’s girls with the Rambiln’ Wreck

Dad was also a Georgia Tech grad, and I’m glad he at least knew that I was in the MBA program there.  Sadly, when I graduated he wasn’t here to see it.

With my uncle, also a Techie

Graduation day was a little easier with Dad’s college roommate and best friend, Randy, there cheering me on.  Randy presented me with a card at dinner, full of congratulations and advice.

The family, Me, and Randy at graduation

One thing he encouraged me to do was to write down goals.  He said I’d be surprised how many of them I would accomplish by doing this, even if I never looked at the list again.  Of course, I put the card aside and got caught up in the working world once again.  When I bought my condo I ran across his card and decided to take his advice (better late than never, right?).

Wonder of all wonders, he was correct.  I documented 6 month, 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals.  6 months later, I’d accomplished all but one of my shortest term goals.

Amazing how that works. 🙂

So, with my dad’s strength and determination at my back and Randy’s advice on my mind, I am documenting my 2011 Goals here.

1. Run (another) 1/2 Marathon

After the Gobble Jog in my Half shirt

I did it in 2009 and swore I never would again.  It took me a while, but I am ready for #2.  The one I have my eye one is the Publix Georgia Half Marathon (formerly known as the ING).

2. Work on my fitness

This goal is two fold…

2a. Continue to be more responsible with how I fuel my body

I developed some pretty unhealthy habits over the past couple of years.  Since cutting out/reducing my intake of processed foods, desserts, alcohol, and red meat, I have felt SO much better.  My goal is to continue on this path, and continue to improve in the area of moderation.

2b. Build more muscle

I’m a beast

Overall I’d like to be more toned.  And I want a 6-pack.  I know it isn’t feasible to keep it forever, but I want it even if it is for 5 minutes.

3. Develop more original recipes

Plotting dinner

This is both a blogging and personal development goal.  I love to cook/bake/create.  In 2011, I’d like to learn more about flavor combinations and the “science” behind baking.

4. Surround myself with good people

I’m busy.  Really busy. Time is precious – too precious to spend it on people who drag you down.  In the past I have made the mistake of spending time with people who negative and hinder personal growth.  This year I want to spend my time with friends who are positive, healthy, and fun.

The best of friends

5. Advance at work

I’ve been in my new job for almost 6 months.  Don’t get me wrong – there is still lots to learn.  But I’m ready to step it up more.  I’d love to begin developing a solid niche and build my reputation in my company.

Cheers to my dad, to achieving goals, and to a fantastic 2011!

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What are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2011?

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