Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Spinach-Walnut Pesto + WIAW

By

It’s cherry season!

Cherries are one of my favorite grab-and-go snacks, as well as a favorite dessert addition.

Apparently they have a ton of health benefits too!

  • High in anti-oxidants
  • Act as anti-inflammatories
  • May help fight cancer
  • Loaded with minerals (potassium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese)

It’s also WIAW!  This is one of my favorite “events” (Jenn @ Peas & Crayons is a genius for thinking this up) because I love getting inspiration from what others are creating/eating, and I love finding new blogs to read in all my spare time.

You know when you’re sick, have no appetite, and nothing sounds good?  This lead to a day full of eclectic snacks and small meals.

Why did my immune system miss the memo that it’s 90 flippin’ degrees outside?!

Breakfast

Sick –> comfort food –> oatmeal.

Sweet berries + salty cottage cheese = oatmeal deliciousness

Cherry oatmeal!  I made this the old-fashioned way on the stove top.  In my comfort oats:

  • Almond milk
  • Cottage cheese
  • Cherries
  • Blueberries
  • Cinnamon

Lunch

Salad on the road:

  • Spinach
  • Orange sections
  • Edamame (which sunk to the bottom)
  • Liquid aminos

To dress this salad, I used the orange juice and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.

If you haven’t tried this yet, I highly recommend doing so.  Liquid Aminos are NON-GMO soybeans and purified water.  The taste is similar to soy sauce, though its much more mild and less salty.  Added bonus: it comes in a spray bottle!

Snacks

Brazil Nuts

Think Thin Chocolate Toffee Bar

with…

New PB! Sunland Almond and Roasted Valencia

I added sriracha

Dinner

My spaghetti squash with it’s leeks and lovely Spinach-Walnut Pesto looked like this when I started:

Then I attacked it!  Mmmmm…

I  love spaghetti squash to begin with, but adding a bright, lemon-y, flavorful pesto made it amazing.  I also tossed it with some sautéed leeks.  Topped off with freshly ground pepper to set it all off.

Never tried spaghetti squash?  It’s mild flavor and spaghetti-like texture means you can use it in place of pasta in virtually anything. Click here for a “how to.”

Perfect welcome for Summer on the solstice. 🙂

Spinach-Walnut Pesto

  • 2 C fresh spinach
  • 1/4 C fresh basil
  • 1/4 C walnuts
  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
  • Juice from 1/2 a small lemon
  • S+P, to taste

Toss all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until mixed.  You may need to stop and scrape down the sides occasionally.

Makes 9-10 tablespoons.

***

Master sommelier Andrea Robinson says the perfect solstice pairing is a glass of champagne.  Had I felt better, I would have indulged!

Did you do anything to celebrate the solstice?

What are your favorite comfort foods with you don’t feel well?

Spinach Squash Soup and WIAW

By

Thanks for all the well-wishes about my Achilles!

 

I’m taking it easy. *le sigh*

It still hurts, but the pain isn’t as sharp anymore.  Well, it wasn’t so bad until I tried for a new max set of push-ups (are you doing yours?!).  And then I did this tricep workout (minus the sprints).  I suppose those activities use the Achilles for stability purposes… lame.

 

Back to resting… and entertaining myself by making soup!  I could hardly wait for WIAW to share it. 🙂

Happy #21 to WIAW!

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast

I  had to do a repeat!  It’s rare, but the oh-so-good Zucchini Oatmeal lured me in 2x in as many days. 🙂

I was a little sad when the bowl ended

 

 

Lunch

Did you know one sweet potato packs more fiber than a serving of oatmeal?!

 

Brussels, sweet potato with my homemade spiced almond butter, and coconut curry tempeh.

I <3 pretty food

 

Aren’t those brussels pretty like flowers?!  #bigdork

There was also going to be a pile of kale chips… but I burned the you-know-what out of them.  Whoops.

 

Snacks

Avocado Protein Shake with chocolate protein powder (don’t knock it til you try it!)

That’s my chocolate cookie sinking in the middle

The last bit of the orange blob deliciousness – i.e. Butternut Rosemary Hummus:

Still just as good – eaten with spelt pretzels, cherry tomatoes, and celery

Dinner

Have you ever heard of a Delicata Squash?  I had not until a recent trip to the farmer’s market.

 

Further research revealed that it is an heirloom squash.  It is, indeed, delicate.  Small-ish and probably less and 1/2 a pound in weight.  I’d compare it to a butternut squash, as it is on the sweeter side of the squash family.

Like other winter squash, it contains a ton of Vitamin A, carotenoids, and can act as an anti-inflammatory.

I read that you can eat the skin (it’s much more thin that that of a butternut), but I opted to peel mine since it was being used for a soup.

Did you think I’d repeat the entire day?  *Gasp*

 

I made a Spinach Squash Soup!  It was filled with all sorts of vitamins, a little heat, and some fantastic flavors like…

Roasted garlic. The other day I posted about roasted garlic and the secret to always having it on-hand (I roast several heads at once and freeze it).  Today was a perfect example of that idea paying off.  Regular garlic would certainly work here (though I’d cut back to 2-3 cloves), but the depth roasted garlic adds was a perfect accent in this soup.

Served with more socca.  I’m an addict.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Spinach Squash Soup

(Inspired by this recipe from 101 Cookbooks)

  • 1 T habanero-infused extra virgin olive oil (I use Sweetwater Growers’ version)
  • 4 cloves roasted garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1 Delicata squash (~1.5 C), cut into 1 in cubes
  • 1 medium zucchini (~ 1C), roughly chopped
  • 1 C chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2.5 C fresh spinach leaves, loosely packed
  • Juice of 1/3 lemon
  • S+P, to taste

 

In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.  Add the garlic and onions and saute 1-2 mins, just until soft.  Add in both squash, stock, and water.  Stir to combine, also adding salt, cumin, and coriander.  Bring to a simmer and cook ~15 mins until squash are soft.

Stir in the spinach, allowing it to just begin to wilt.  Stir in the fresh lemon juice.  Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender until smooth.  Taste, adjusting seasonings as desired.  Ladle into bowls, top as desired (I used tomatoes, pepper, and nutritional yeast), and serve.

Note:  If you don’t have habanero olive oil, don’t skip the heat – this soup would definitely be too bland without it.  Add a couple of diced jalapenos (or pepper of your choosing) when you toss in the onion and garlic.

Makes 2.5 cups.  (I wish I’d doubled it to make 5!)

***

What are you eating for WIAW?

Are you a good “patient” when it comes to resting after an injury?

 

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

By

I’ve made Blueberry Pie Oatmeal:

Carrot Cake Oatmeal:

Mexican Oatmeal:

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal (OMG – this was good):

… my oats have been a variety of fun colors!

One thing they have NOT been is green.  Until now.

I like zucchini bread for breakfast.  Zucchinis are in season and especially delicious from the local farmer’s market.  These factors lead me down a path to an obvious breakfast conclusion… Zucchini Oatmeal.

Often I will spread nut butter on my zucchini bread, so I decided to follow suit here with a glob of almond butter…

… but it needed something extra.  Jelly?!

I popped a few blackberries in the microwave and ended up with a blackberry syrup of sorts. Zucchini Oats, PB&J-style.

Much like the bread, the zucchini is seen but not heard tasted.  If you are a fan of a sweeter zucchini bread, try it out with some chocolate chips!  I like to keep my b’fast a little more savory on Monday mornings.  Start the week out with my sweet tooth at bay. 🙂

Zucchini-Oatmeal

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

  • 2/3 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 C oatmeal (I used McCann’s Quick Cooking)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • splash of almond extract
  • shake of sea salt
  • 1/2 C grated zucchini
  • handful chopped pecans
  • 1/2 T almond butter
  • blackberry “syrup”

In a pot, combine first 6 ingredients and cook according to your oatmeal’s package instructions.

Just before done (1-2 mins), add the zucchini.  Stir well and cook another 1-2 mins.  The zucchini should add moisture, but if the oats get too dry add a little water or milk.

Meanwhile, place berries in microwave-proof bowl and heat for 20-25 seconds.  This makes a delicious, all-natural berry syrup!  You may want to add some sugar/syrup… but for my taste, the berries were sweet enough without it.

Remove from heat and top with almond butter, berries, or other toppings.

Makes 1 serving.

***

I hit up the Farmer’s Market this weekend and cannot WAIT to have a veggie-filled week.  #thingsineverthoughtiwouldsay

What’s your favorite oatmeal creation?

Do you look forward to getting back on track after a fun-filled weekend?

Roasted Butternut and Red Pepper Lentils

By

This work-week began on Sunday with a quick-trip to DC for a meeting.

 

Upside: I am already home!

Downside: this morning’s breakfast was luke-warm hotel oatmeal.

Buuuutttt… for the first time EVER room service brought me the PB I requested!!  Thank you, Marriott.  🙂

_______________________________________________________________________________

When I head out of town, I take note of all of the items I don’t want to let go bad.  Then I try to use them all.  It’s my own Top Chef Challenge.  Bring it, Gail Simmons!

I needed to devour some rosemary, cilantro, red pepper, butternut squash, and bok choy.  A little random, but that’s never stopped me before!  Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

Enter: a rockstar lentil dish.


 

After the Arabian Nights-themed Underground Supper Club, I was feelin’ Eastern-inspired.  Spices commonly used in this region are a great compliment to roasted veggies, so I was eyeing that butternut squash.

I was going to saute the red pepper, but those are great roasted too… so in it went with the squash.  The bok choy almost got roasted too, but that seemed a bit risky.

 

I’m not going to lie – this turned out 100x better than I could have ever hoped.  I wasn’t even thinking about using it for the blog until I tasted it.  Then I was all:

“Crap.  Now I have to attempt to photograph brown food again.”

 

Often people are leery of adding mint.  I was too… but DO NOT skip it.  The little bit I used brought out the spices and mint goes really well with cilantro.

 

The toasted cashews were an afterthought, but if you have them on had I’d say don’t skip that either.  The nutty taste with the mint and cilantro… file under: things that make you go mmmm!

____________________________________________________________________________

Roasted Butternut Red Pepper Lentils

  • 3 C butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 C red pepper, chopped
  • 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt


  • 1 C black or green lentils
  • 2.5 C water


  • 1/2 C yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch bok choy, roughly chopped


  • 1/4 C cilantro, minced
  • 1 T mint, minced
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • S+P and EVOO, to taste
  • 1/4 C toasted cashews


For the Butternut-Red Pepper Roast:

Toss squash and red pepper cubes with rosemary, olive oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt. Spread the mixture across a foil-lined baking sheet and roast 15 mins.  Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10-15 mins, until tender.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.


For the Lentils:

Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 mins in a small bowl, then rinse and drain.  Cook lentils in boiling, well-salted water just until tender but firm, ~20 mins.  Optional: rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.  I prefer to leave mine a tad hard and transfer t a bowl without rinsing.


For the Onions and Bok Choy:

In a shallow pot, saute onions in a bit of olive oil over med-high until translucent (~4-5 mins).  Add garlic and bok choy and saute for an additional 4-5 mins, until bok choy begins to wilt.  Transfer to a plate and let cool.


For the Cashews:

As the butternut mix is cooling, place cashews in the over for 3-4 mins, toss and allow to toast another couple of mins until beginning to brown.  Watch them carefully!

 


Combine lentils, squash mix, bok choy mix, vinegar, and additional olive oil (if needed).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Garnish with cilantro, mint, and cashews.

Divide among 2-4 plates (would make a filling meal for 2) and enjoy!

 

It looks like a lot of steps, but I promise it goes by quickly because you’re doing them all simultaneously.

***

Traveling early in the week makes me feel like it should be Thursday or Friday already.

Is anyone going to the Healthy Living Summit in August? I’m in the market for a roomie if you’re looking!

Does your spell check recognize “bok choy?” Mine doesn’t.

 

What I Ate Wednesday II

By

Let’s talk protein powder.  

I use it a lot.

Looking at my restaurant food pics, you’d think I was a bigger meat eater.  However, at home I rarely eat meat.  My diet is more plant-based.  This means I have to work hard to get in the protein I need.

The usual suspects are all staples in my diet: tempeh, tofu, lentils, quinoa, eggs, greek yogurt, etc.

Tempeh Crab-Free Cakes (click for recipe)

I also lift weights 4 times a week.

After a weight workout it’s generally recommend that you get 20g of protein within 30 minutes in order to help build muscle and aid in recovery.  Sometimes that’s hard to do on the go, so I use protein powder. You can add it to virtually anything!

Shakes:

Pineapple Upside-down Shake

…or in oatmeal:

Banana Almond Butter Overnight Oats

Tonight I’m trying a new (to me) form of protein: Casein Protein Powder.

More on Casein:

  • It makes up 80 percent of the protein in cow’s milk
  • Helps further build muscle mass
  • Moves through the digestive tract slower than whey protein
  • Is ideally taken before bed since the majority of muscle repair/regrowth happens when you’re asleep (slooooow release of protein thru the night –> better muscle recovery)

Many women balk at the phrase “build muscle.”  Truth be told, most women have to work very, very hard to build muscle.  Lifting weights and taking in some extra protein isn’t going to make you look like this.*

*Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to look like this.  To each their own.

AND an extra pound of muscle can burn 50-100 calories per day!

On to the brilliant Peas and Crayons’ What I Ate Wednesday! Eats from Tuesday.  And yes, it involves protein powder. 🙂

Breakfast:

This was a quick, protein-filled, late-to-work-and-eaten-in-the-car breakfast.  It tasted like banana pudding on bread.  For real.

Banana Pudding Bread

  • 2 slices Ezekiel bread
  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Toast the bread.  While toasting bread, mush up your banana and mix with protein powder and milk (you can adjust liquid depending on your consistency preference).

Spread the banana deliciousness on your toast and enjoy!

Lunch:

I really love when there’s just the right amount of spinach left to make a salad right in the container.  So.  Easy.

In my salad:

  • Spinach
  • Cucumber
  • Black beans
  • Radishes
  • Carrots
  • Sprouts
  • Salsa

Dinner:

This Sweet Potato Kale Pizza was one I bookmarked to try months ago. It was worth the wait.

My modifications were few:

  • Halved the recipe to make one big pizza
  • Instead of massaging the kale with the EVOO mix, I used Madras sauce
  • Cherry tomatoes instead of slicing a large one (roasted them on the pizza perfectly!)
  • Parmesan rather than “raw” parm

This was ridiculously filling satisfying.  I’ll be doing this again and experimenting with other toppings!  (I’m thinking coconut butter and garam masla next.)

Check out the recipe by Callie @ Rawxy here.

Snacks:

Items I forgot to take pics of include…

  • Chocolate Toffee Think Thin Bar
  • Celery + Hummus
  • Blueberries
  • Almond milk

Apparently I’m in the mood to list things today…

***

Do you use protein powder?  Have you ever tried Casein?

How else do you get your protein?

Yo Quiero Mexican Food

By

Happy Cinco de Drinko Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is a day I look forward to every year.  Surprisingly not just because of the margaritas!  (I’ll have mine on the rocks with Patron Silver and Cointreau.  No salt!)

What I really love is the excuse to eat Mexican food for every meal.  And the fact that it makes my need to an afternoon siesta totally excusable. 🙂

 

I’m planning a quick lunchtime bi/back session in the gym, so I’ll follow that with a Me-EGG-xican Quesadilla.  Eggs (post-weights protein!) + nooch + salsa + jalapenos + tortilla.

 

Tonight I’m hopping to get in a 5 mile run and a mani/pedi before hitting up a special Souper Jenny Mexican Grilled Cheese Night.  Rumor has it she’s serving up a grilled ham, avocado and mango with monterey jack on a jalapeno cheddar bun.  Can you think of anything more scrumptious???

If you live in the Atlanta area, check Souper Jenny out – she’s my favorite lunchtime soup/salad treat!

 

So… where did that leave me for Mexican breakfast?

__________________________________________________________________________________

This is the reason I’m running late today:

Mexican Oatmeal.  Complete with spices.  All you need are some basics… and a brightly-colored spoon!

Admittedly, I was nervous about adding cayenne to oatmeal.  If you read my blog regularly, you know I love to burn my mouth add some heat to meals.  Oatmeal though?  It seemed risky.  But, I can always make more… so I went for it!

It totally worked! I only added a few shakes (less than 1/8 tsp), but that was just enough to add a teensy kick at the end.  With the cinnamon and cocoa, it was reminiscent of a Mexican Hot Chocolate.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Mexican Oatmeal

  • 1/2 C oatmeal
  • 1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla (more if your milk isn’t already vanilla-flavored)
  • 2-3 shakes cayenne pepper
  • Salt, to taste


Add all of the ingredients to a pot, stir, and cook oatmeal as directed.

Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and add desired toppings.  I used cacao nibs and honey.  Nuts would have been fantastic too!

***

How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

What’s your favorite Mexican dish?

 

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

By

Have you ever walked past a display in the produce section and been stopped in your tracks by a (good) smell?  Last night my nose located some fresh strawberries at the grocery store that I couldn’t resist.

It was enough to inspire a breakfast repeat (a rarity).  Strawberries and Cream Oats were just as amazing the second time around.

My brain cells pulled through again and I remembered Leanne’s recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream.

Shout out to Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit for keeping me in good supply of low-sugar treats (and for teaching me to spell pursuit… it’s just one of those words for me…).

I fully intended to make a nice, normal strawberry ice cream.  Then I spotted those pretzels and rekindled my romance with sweet + salty.

Shout out to my job for keeping me in good supply of Delta Airlines’ pretzels.

This Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream was quite tasty.  The pretzels were awesome in it.  Even if you don’t add them – *gasp* – do use a shake or two of salt to bring out the strawberry sweetness.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

  • 3/4 C light coconut milk
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum
  • 1 package of Delta pretzels, slightly broken up (probably 3-4 regular pretzels)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the pretzels in a blender and blend until smooth-ish (I left a few bits of strawberry).

Pour into ice cream maker and make as directed by manufacturer, adding pretzels in the last 1-2 minutes.

Scoop into 2 bowls and enjoy!  (One at a time.)

Notes:

– According to Leanne, you can do this without an ice cream maker by pouring into a bowl and freezing 1.5-2 hours.  You need to remove every 30 mins to whisk so it doesn’t make a strawberry ice cube.  You’d probably want to add the pretzels in the last 15-30 mins

– You could use agave, honey, or stevia rather than maple syrup to sweeten this

– You can probably do this without the Guar Gum.  It’s a thickener, so your ice cream will be more cream-like with it

***

The Royal Wedding is tomorrow!  Are you waking up to watch it?

I was going to resist… but I may do a strategically-timed-uncharacteristically-early morning workout.

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!