Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Chilly Weather Eats + WIAW

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Wednesday comes quickly on short weeks!

Short weeks are good and bad.  I love the extra weekend time… but I was at work until 8p last night paying for it.

It’s chilly and drizzling rain here, so I had planned to go to kickboxing for a good, mindless workout.  The last class starts at 730p.

On the bright side, I hit the gym in my building and tried out a new back/bicep workout that I’ll be sharing soon. 🙂

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On such a short week I nearly forgot to take pics for WIAW!

 

I did remember nearly everything in the nick of time.  Mas importante because I had a special treat for breakfast.

 

Breakfast:

I pre-gamed breakfast with some cantaloupe because it was going to take a minute before I picked up the main show.

 

FREE Chick-fil-A!!!  It is free breakfast entrée week (with a reservation).  I was pumped to try out their new oatmeal.

I came prepared with my own peanut butter (I never said I was normal).  They provided brown sugar, nuts, and dried fruit as toppings, but I’m not a dried fruit fan and the nuts were all sugar-coated.  Too much sugar in the morning!

The oatmeal itself was pretty good.  The fact that it’s multi-grain gave it a good texture.  It was cooked well – not watery, which I generally find to be the problem.  Only 120 calories and 5g of sugar, but I liked that it had 3g of fiber and 4g of protein.  That said, the serving was fairly small and I was really glad for the peanut butter!

 

Lunch:

Inspired by the cool, rainy weather I made a delicious Indian Eggplant Lentil Stew Monday night and thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today.

Side note: Tech wont their first game against Western Carolina Girl’s School Saturday!!!

 

Lentils have many benefits.  They are:

  • High in protein an fiber = filling
  • Good source of iron and magnesium
  • Take on virtually any flavor from other foods/seasonings
  • Low-cost
  • Good left-over!

 

This recipe will be up tomorrow!!!

 

 

Snacks:

Not pictured, but I am pretty predictable consistent:

  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar
  • Nuts – I caved and ate the Chick-fil-A sugar-coated.  They were good.  🙂
  • Kombucha Green Tea
  • Broccoli and carrot sticks dipped in my new find: Spinach-Artichoke Hummus

 

This hummus is a new Whole Foods find by Nature’s Healthy Gourmet.  You really get the good artichoke flavor in it!

Nature’s Healthy Gourmet is a small company based out of Florida that specializes in vegetarian and Kosher foods.  Nature’s hummus is also dairy- and gluten-free.  If you can find it, this hummus is worth a try!

 

Dinner:

Since I got home from work so late I opted for a lighter dinner.  A salad with raw french green beans, sprouts, and mission figs.

 

Did you really think that’s all I ate?  Bwhahahaha!

 

That salad was protein’d up with sriracha-marinated tempeh and hummus dressing (the aforementioned hummus mixed with a bit of apple cider vinaigrette).

I finally learned how to spell sriracha!!!  Gotta celebrate the small victories. 😉

 

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

***

Please excuse the grainy iPhone pics for the next few days… my camera is broken!

It seems that every fast food place offers oatmeal now – do you ever purchase it in a crunch?

Is is getting cooler where you are?  Bring on the fall weather!

 

Free Chick-fil-A Breakfast!

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I was going to take the entire long weekend off from blogging…

…but THIS I had to share.

This week (8/6-8/10) Chick-fil-A will be giving away a FREE BREAKFAST entree to those with reservations.

 

Don’t eat fried chicken before noon?  No worries – you have options:

  • Spicy Chicken Biscuit
  • Sausage Biscuit
  • Chick-n-Minis
  • Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit
  • Chicken, Egg, and Cheese on a Sunflower Multigrain Bagel
  • Multigrain Oatmeal


To make a reservation, click here.

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Since I’m posting… here’s the weekly recap.  I was in 5 cities in 5 days this week and managed to workout every day (except Friday, which was a planned rest).  It wasn’t easy, but it can be done!

 

Workout Recap (8/29-9/4)

  • Monday – Biceps/Back, 2 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – 45 mins elliptical, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – 4 mile run, 30 mins legs, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Tris/Chest, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Rest
  • Saturday – 4 mile run, short swim, 100 push-ups 
  • Sunday – Tennis, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups

***

If I have to go back to work tomorrow, at least there’s free breakfast!  So. Excited.

What was the best part of your long weekend?

Have you tried Chick-fil-A’s oatmeal yet?

 

WIAW: The Rockies Edition

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Starting the week 3 hours behind is weird.

 

I woke up Monday morning in Denver, CO.

  • The Good: I woke up super early because I was on East Coast time
  • The Bad: By the end of the day I was pooped
  • The Weird, cont.: Now I’m in Chicago… in another time zone

 

Have you guys ever been in the Denver airport?  Having a massive airplane inside the airport gives it extra cool points.

I checked into the Hampton Inn (which was surprisingly well-kept/updated) and discovered that they had little pictures outside each guest room.  Pretty cool – they were all different!

However… don’t you think mine was a little risque?!

I swear I’m not running a prostitution business out of my hotel room.

Waking up super early meant I got in a couple of good workouts.  Hooray for hotel gyms!  Note the motivational sign across the mirror.

The WIAW part of my week is… weak…

Don’t kick me out, Jenn!

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Breakfast:

Luke-warm hotel instant oatmeal.  Made with water.  Eaten out of a styro-foam bowl with a plastic spoon.  Thank god for peanut butter.

Instead, let’s pretend I ate some of this:

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal with homemade quick blueberry “jam” was one of my better ideas.

I may stop for zucchini on my way back from the airport Friday…

Lunch:

How one conference could offer SO MUCH bad food is beyond me.

This was some sort of attempt at enchiladas.  I picked out the chicken and made a salad with the shredded lettuce.  Maybe one of those tortilla chips was eaten – they were ridiculously salty (even for a generic brand).

Snacks:

Not pictured, but these items were key to my survival:

  • Apple taken from the hotel breakfast bar
  • Peanuts I saved from my flight
  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar from home

 

 

Plus copious amount of tea to keep warm in the very well-air conditioned room and remain heavily caffeinated.

 

Dinner:

Again, not worthy of a picture.  It was an airport salad with 2 cucumbers and 2 tomatoes (not kidding).  I did manage to convince them to give me some hummus then regretted it.

This would have been much more delicious:

 

A big salad with hummus dressing (basil hummus mixed with a bit of apple cider  vinaigrette) and a side of roasted brussel sprouts (coated with herbed dijon mustard and olive oil).

Served with 1/2 a Food for Life Sprouted Grain and Seed English muffin and a big ‘ol scoop of my new favorite oil-free, vegan condiment:

Beet Sunflower Pesto.

 

You should try the pesto.  No need to like beets.  Guaranteed.

***

For a whole slew of eats MUCH better than mine, please hop over to Peas and Crayons. 

Do you prefer East Coast time?  West?  Somewhere in between or far away?

Let me live vicariously through you – what deliciousness are you eating this week?

Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls

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Let’s talk about balls.

 

Hee hee… yes, I’m 10 years old…

Delta is my home-away-from-home this week.  Lots of work travel.  It’s only appropriate that I highlight my favorite Delta snack – Biscoff.

biscoff

 

Ever since Miss Smart benevolently bequeathed unto me a scrumptious jar of my very own Biscoff spread, I’ve been fantasizing innovating new and decedent different ways to use it.

I’m officially on the sauce.  Soft serve sauce, that is. 🙂

 

Enter: Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls.

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconut balls… here they are standing in a row…

 

No joke – these really are like eating a big, satisfying bite of Biscoff cookie dough.

This edible cookie dough is a bite-sized ball of brown-sugar and coconutty deliciousness.  At less than 60 calories, 2.5g of sugar, and 1 gram of protein, they aren’t that bad for you!  I’m not claiming Biscoff to be a health food, but the other ingredients are. 🙂

 

A couple of these balls make a great pre-workout snack – easy to grab and go with a teensy sugar boost to pick you up.  They even have a whole gram of protein each!

 

These may be the best balls yet.  And I really, really loved S’more Balls.

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Don’t worry, you’re getting the recipe…. AFTER you tell me if you’ve been doing push-ups!

I’m really proud of myself – I did them all but one day this week.  The day I skipped was one where I did the P90X Tricep workout, which is push-up-heavy.

 

I also tried out a new-ish ab exercise.  Hayley @ Oat Couture posted 4 and 6-minute versions of a plank sequence she does.  It reminded me that I’ve been slacking in the planking (click here for my plank advice).  It really is the single best thing you can do (aside from cardio) to improve your abs.  Click the links below to see Hayley’s plank progression with her demo pics (she has perfect form!).

 

Workout Recap (8/1-8/7)

 

The running was a bit lacking this week because I was SO SORE from the P90X leg workout that I was struggling to do much (that’s what I get for slacking on legs).

However, I did bang out 9 miles on Sunday (in 1:12:14!!!) AND I committed to running Atlanta’s Thanksgiving Half Marathon with some friends. I can’t wait!

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Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls

  • 1/2 C Biscoff spread
  • 1/4 C applesauce
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 T coconut flour
  • 3 T white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 C rolled oats
  • 2 T unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

 

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine wet ingredients until smooth.

Slowly mix in flours, followed by the oats. Lastly, mix in shredded coconut.  

Scoop ~2 tsp of dough onto parchment-lined tray and roll to form balls. Freeze or refrigerate until dough firm.

Enjoy!

Makes ~20 balls

Notes: If you don’t have access to Biscoff spread, substitute your favorite nut butter.  If you do that be sure to taste as you go – you may need to add maple syrup or other sweetener.  You may also sub in other flours – or use all coconut for gluten-free dough!

Approximate Nutritionals: 58 calories, 2.9 g fat, 6.8g carbs, 0.9g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 1g protein

***

Thank you for your input on the dessert for Feast Noir!  I think I’m going with the Peach Tart… but those brownies will happen SOON too!

What are your favorite balls?  (Keep it clean!)

Have you been doing push-ups?!

 

Mexican Raw Bulgur Bowl

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The “ayes” are in.

By “ayes” I mean the votes I received to my new specs.  I made everyone in the eye store vote (by everyone I mean 6-7 people).  Post-eye store I posted pics my top 3 choices for you guys and then left you in suspense. (Admit it.  You were still wondering about it. 😉 )

This is my serious, glasses-wearing face

Gucci won.  (If they had carried D&G, they probably would have won – yes, I’m like that.)

Speaking of seeing things… (<— most cleaver topic transition ever)

The recipe on my bulgur package caught my eye as I was making my Blueberry-Cilantro Bulgur Salad.  It was for a tabbouleh, but that’s not the interesting part (though it sounds good).  The part that jumped at me was how the bulgur is prepped.

Raw.

Apparently you can soak it for 15 mins and voila – raw bulgur.  I told you it’s like oatmeal!

As such, I made it for breakfast-ish.  Ish because I ate it for breakfast, but many of you would consider this to be a lunch or dinner dish.  To each their own.

Added bonus: it’s NOT hot (like overnight oats!) – perfect after a sweaty morning run!

Mexican Raw Bulgur Bowl

The crunch from the raw bulgur was awesome, especially with the creaminess of the avocado.  Even if you can’t stomach it for breakfast, try it out at lunch.  It’s a great way to add more raw food (and protein!) to your diet. 🙂

Think about it: many people put salsa on their eggs.  You can often find avocado on breakfast sandwiches.  Why wouldn’t you put it on bulgur?

Mexican Raw Bulgur Bowl

Mexican Raw Bulgur Bowl

  • 1/4 C bulgur (uncooked)
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 T salsa
  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 1 T fresh cilantro
  • S+P, to taste

Combine the bulgur and water in a bowl.  Let stand for 15 mins.

Fluff with fork.  Top with salsa, avocado, and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy!

***

It’s Friday!!!!!  I can’t even complain about this week – it FLEW by.

Do you think I made the right choice on the glasses?  Don’t tell me if you hate them.

Do you like sweet or savory breakfasts better?

Breakfast Bulgur + a Giveaway!

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Promises, promises.

 

Do you ever get yourself out the door to run by promising your body you only have to do 3 miles?

That’s what I had to do yesterday.  And then this happened.

Stats:

  • Distance – 9 miles
  • Time – 1:12:51
  • Average pace – 8:06

That calls for a substantial breakfast.

Thankfully I’d planned ahead (unknowingly, but I’ll take what I can get!).  As I was eating my Blueberry Cilantro Bulgur Salad the other night, it occurred to me that bulgur is a lot like oatmeal.

 

It has a similar flavor profile.  It’s only a bit nuttier, which is a plus in my book.  Another plus is the protein content – 1 serving has 5g!

 

Using a bit of almond extract here with the NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia and vanilla extract highlights the bulgur’s nuttiness and makes the dish even more rich.

This was one hearty, satisfying breakfast!

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I’ve been playing a lot with the samples NuNaturals sent me lately.  I’ve truly been impressed with the quality – it doesn’t leave an artificial taste in my mouth, even when added to smoothies!

Some of my favorite uses so far:

 

NuNaturals sweetened their package (ha ha – get it?  sweetened? 🙂 ) by offering to giveaway products to 4 readers!

 

The Fantastic 4 Winners will receive:

1 box of NuStevia Packets

and …

1 bottle of NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia (my favorite!)

To enter:

  • Leave a comment telling me the kitchen creation you’d like to try making with NuNatural Stevia
  • Follow me on Twitter (@Sprint2thetable)
  • Tweet about this give away (you might say “@Sprint2theTable is giving away 2 @NuNaturals products to 4 readers! http://wp.me/p16jDn-DF #GIVEAWAY”)

Leave a separate comment telling me you did each of these items for multiple entries!

 

The contest will end Sunday night at 11:59pm.

Winners announced Monday morning!!!  Good luck!

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Banana Bulgur Breakfast Bowl

  • 1/2 C cooked bulgur
  • 1/2 large banana, mashed
  • 1/4 C Greek-style yogurt
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T goji berries 
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 10 drops NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • Splash of almond extract
  • Shake of salt

 

Mix everything together in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.  Wait until morning (or at least 3-4 hours).  Devour.

***

Please tell me these accidental crazy runs happen to you too?!

If you’re looking for something new to try this weekend, check out Pea & Crayons new (awesome) round up:

What are you doing this weekend? (Besides entering my giveaway.)

Have you tried natural sugar alternatives yet? 

 

Friday Download

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Just when I thought it would never get here…

TGIF!!!

 

I’m exhausted from this week.  Tonight I’m unwinding with an Italian wine tasting and dinner with some good friends, new and old.  6p can’t arrive soon enough!

Ah, Napa... how I miss you.

 

Wine-ing Winding down for the week, I decided to do a little “getting to know you” post.  I loved this quiz Jess @ Healthy Exposures did… I’m copying her. 🙂

 

How do you like your eggs? 

Any way but hard boiled!  Qu-egg-sadilla–style is a rare repeat dish (translation: favorite).

 

How do you take your coffee/tea? 

Black.  Like my soul. 

 

Source: Post Collegiate Cats

 

Favorite breakfast food? 

This is the hardest decision I’ve had to make all day.  It’s like picking a favorite child!

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding

or

Zucchini Oatmeal

 

 

Peanut butter: Smooth or crunchy? 

Typically I choose crunchy.  TJ’s Roasted Valencia, so be specific.

 

If it’s homemade, it’s got to be smooth (mainly because I’m not skilled enough to make it crunchy).

I AM skilled at making it spiced though – Spiced Almond Butter.

 

What kind of dressing on your salad? 

Oddly, I’m not a big dressing person.  I usually go for the salsa or hummus.

More recently I’ve been diggin’ the Bragg’s Liquid Amino spray bottle.

 

 

Coke or Pepsi? 

I don’t drink soda unless I’m on an airplane and really feeling run down.  At that point I will only drink Coke (Atlanta, represent!) and I need a side of peanuts.

 

While scouring the ‘net for a pic of Coca-Cola and peanuts posing together, I learned that some people actually put the peanuts in the coke.

Source: Biscuits and Such

Have you ever heard of/done this?!

 

You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? 

4 words: Whole Foods hot bar.

 

You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?

*GASP*

Pizza isn’t something to be lazy about!  It must be the good, authentic Italian variety.  If I’m feeling lazy I get it to go (they don’t deliver) from Antico Pizza.

It is best eaten fresh there with a 40.

 

 

You feel like cooking. What do you make? 

Please visit: Sprint 2 the Table for more on my love affair with food/baking/all things culinary this topic. 🙂

 

 

Do any foods bring back good memories?

Some say smell brings you back.  I say food does.  One of my earliest memories is rolling out pie crust with my grandmother.

I also have many a fond memory of making peanut butter cookies and brownies with my mom and wrestling my sisters for the honor of getting to lick the bowl.

It’s serious business for my sisters and me.

Do any foods bring back bad memories?

Gin.  Does that count as food?  *gag*

 

 

Is there a food you refuse to eat?

I’ll try almost anything once… but I did draw the line a couple weeks ago at Escorpian.

 

What was your favorite food as a child? 

Grilled PB&J.  With Cheetos and chocolate milk.  Total comfort food.

The PB gets all melty and the bread is so yummy-crunchy in contrast.  Saltiness from the butter.  Sweet from the jelly.

Source: Funny Spoon

 

Grilled PB&J

  • JIFF creamy PB
  • Grandmother’s homemade muscadine jelly
  • 2 slices of trashy white bread
  • Land ‘O Lakes butter (salted)

 

Make sandwich.  Don’t skimp of the PB.  Butter each side of the bread.  Toast in pan until golden brown on each side.  Inhale.

 

 

Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? 

Picky doesn’t even begin to describe me as a child.  Nothing green touched my mouth (unless it was covered and smothered in ranch).  I didn’t like cheese.  Or eggs.  Absolutely no cooked veggies.  No water.

If it had any nutritional value (except peanut butter), I wasn’t going near it.  My poor mother.

Now I won’t drink a smoothie WITHOUT adding spinach or kale.  Proof that there’s hope for anyone!

 

Favorite junk food? 

Waffle House.  Double your hash browns for 30 cents more.

Source: Late Night Debates

 

 

Do you have any weird food habits? 

See above comment about spinach in smoothies.  Also see breakfast question for zucchini oatmeal.  Or above answer revealing an odd penchant for WaHo.

 

 

Favorite dessert? 

Anything involving chocolate and peanut butter.  Together. In cake-like harmony.

*cue the music*

Source: Blisstree

 

***

Do I talk about peanut butter too much? 🙂

You can play too!  Is there a food you refuse to eat?

Does food bring back any memories for you?

 

Thirsty Thursday

By

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?

 

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