Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Sexy Food + WIAW

By

Food is sexy.

Food porn is a real thing.

But what about food costumes?  Forget the “traditional” sexy cat.  This article brought to light a new concept: sexy food Halloween costumes.

sexy sriracha costume

With costumes like this, sriracha has no need to invest in advertising!

Then we have bacon.  Whats sexier than a salty piece of meat?

sexy bacon costume

 Sure, they’re good for a laugh… but would you really wear one of these costumes?  I guess a lot of people would.  If they didn’t make money, no one would sell them!

GiGi clearly thinks salad qualifies as sexy. (← hilarious video!)

________________________________________________________________________________________

This WIAW I am 10 days from my next figure competition!  My food may not be sexy in the traditional sense of the word, but it tasted pretty good! 🙂

WIAWbutton

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

As usual, I started the day I with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

My breakfast was a new effort to have a quick hot meal in the morning.  I normally make my oats the old-fashioned way in a pot, but I decided to try a (partial) overnight protein-right creation.  Overnight oats, microwaved in the morning with egg whites.  

It worked really well!  Even better was the almost-empty Nuttzo jar I transferred it to.  Easy to eat in the car and even more decadently delicious when I reached the hot, creamy, nutty butter at the bottom.  Food porn at its best!

Peanut Coffee Overnight Oats

Peanut-Coffee Oats in a Jar

  • 1/4 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 C coffee (I used peanut butter mocha flavor)
  • 1 T peanut flour*
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Stevia or other sweetener, to taste
  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • Almost-empty nut butter jar (optional, but highly recommended)

In a small bowl mix oatmeal and spices.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, add egg whites and microwave to cook.  I cooked mine in 3 30 second intervals, removing to stir each time so eggs blended in rather than scrambled

Pour into a jar, if using, and top as desired.  I used strawberries.

 *Peanut flour from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I have a serious addiction to my Chocolate Beet Protein Shake.  Perfect post workout cool down, topped with rice cakes.

Protein shakes are great to make in advance and freeze to take to-go during the week.  I pop it in the microwave on defrost of about a minute and a half and it’s the perfect spoon-eating consistency.

chocolate beet protein shake

Lunch:

I’ve been craving red meat lately, so I bought super lean ground beef and mixed it with pico de gallo to make burgers.

Eaten atop an arugula and cucumber salad with a side of cassava (yuca) chips.  ZooPals ears make for the perfect sexy chip holders. 

burger and yuca chips

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I tried another new fish from the farmer’s market this week: perch.  It’s pretty commonly found (I think), but I’ve never chosen it before.  I love its richness, but perch is a small fish so there were quite a few teeny bones.  At least I didn’t have to floss…

The veggies were a pre-roasted mix of carrots, purple sweet potato, asparagus, zucchini, and garlic.  Eating the rainbow is sexy, no?

perch and veggies

Dinner:

Dinner was a quick saute of white asparagus, turban squash, sugar peas, and sage in lemon juice, coconut oil, and paprika, along with baked chicken (made during Sunday food prep) and some unpictured almonds.

chicken and veggies

Dessert:

No more diary before my competition means no more Greek yogurt bowl desserts.  And no more peanut butter (goodbye, Nuttzo).

This isn’t going to stop me from having dessert though!  I made a Banana-Peanut Butter Mugcake using peanut flour and banana.  I topped it with cocoa powder sauce.  What’s sexier than a peanut butter, banana, and chocolate ménage à trois?

Banana Peanut Butter Mugcake

Banana Peanut Butter Mugcake

  • 2 T peanut flour (or peanut butter)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
  • 1/2 small banana, mashed (~50g)
  • 1 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 3 T egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • ~4-5 drops NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia
  • Optional: cocoa powder sauce

Place dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Add banana and wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Transfer to a large, greased (I use PAM) coffee mug and microwave for ~1 min.

Tip the cake out onto a plate and top as desired.  My cake was topped with cocoa powder sauce (cocoa + cinnamon + stevia + water), cacao nibs, and unsweetened coconut flakes.

Makes 1 cake.

***

Don’t forget to enter the ThinkThin protein bar giveaway – contest ends at midnight!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

Do you prep breakfast in advance?  What is your favorite?

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake + WIAW

By

Here comes the rooster.

Bonus points if you can name that song..

sriracha

Many of us have fallen in love with the spicy sauce, but did you know it has an interesting back story?  Yesterday I came across this article explaining  the history of “the world’s coolest hot sauce.”

It’s inventor and CEO, David Tran, came to the US from Vietnam in 1980 homeless.  Unable to find a hot sauce to satisfy him in the States, he simply made his own with hybrid red jalapeño peppers, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic.  He only hoped to make a sauce worthy of a traditional Vietnamese pho.  He just discovered that sushi chefs have been using it for years to make spicy rolls!  His use of a specific fresh chili is what sets him apart – and manufacturing is dictated by their 10 week, 100 million pound harvest.

Even more mind-blowing is that he has never hired a single salesman, spent any money on advertising, or used social media.  “It’s all been word of mouth,” Tran says.  As a marketing professional, this blows my mind!

I don’t know where my brain was last week when I said 3 weeks.  THIS WIAW I am 3 weeks from my next competition!  Just a couple of diet tweaks so far, and we added 15 mins of HIIT cardio.  Anticipation of asparagus is high…

WIAWbutton

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!

Breakfast:

As usual, I started the day I with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

My breakfast was warm and comforting one on a chilly, rainy morning.  Pumpkin pie-esque oatmeal, with a serious protein punch.  I really like adding eggs and TVP for texture as well as protein; it makes this into a custard-like bowl of oatmeal.

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal

  • 1/4 C TVP
  • 1/4 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 1/4 c pumpkin purée
  • 1.2 tsp cinnamon,
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • Stevia or other sweetener, to taste

In a small pot prepare oatmeal and TVP as normal.  

When just done, add remaining  ingredients, stirring rapidly to incorporate eggs before they scramble.

Pour into a bowl (or coffee mug) and enjoy!

Mid-Morning Snack:

Leftovers from this Sheepshead fish I prepared over the weekend, along with some roasted veggies.  And a few unpictured rice cakes.

Sheepshead fish

Lunch:

Cod, hummus, red pepper slices, cucumber, and sweet potato doused in cinnamon.  Standard fare for Gantt chart reviewing.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I love that I can get salmon sashimi from the massive international market here.  It’s fresh and it’s cheap.  Often I eat it plain, but I saw Jenn’s cucumber rolls and had to give it a go.

I only had 4 survivors (I need more practice), but they are so much fun to eat!  I rolled them up with red peppers and asparagus, and dipped it all (including that sweet potato) in wasabi.

salmon cucumber rolls

As delicious as it was, the best part was that my pancake-on-stick-eating coworker said it was so “pretty” that he wanted one.  I handed it over and he loved it!  Our food comparisons have become a running office joke… I love these guys.

Dinner:

Dinner was a super-quick saute of bok choy, green onions, sugar peas, and garlic in lime juice, coconut oil, and an Indian spice blend.  It turned out so well that the rest was just details – chicken (made during Sunday food prep) and injera (Ethiopian teff bread).

Dessert:

I’ve been on a giant Greek yogurt bowl kick lately.  That has to stop.  3 weeks out from my competition my trainer sad no more.  The idea is to eliminate foods that could bloat.  Dairy is one of them.  No worries.  I’ll just have Red Velvet Cake.

The deliciousness below is basically my 150 Calorie Chocolate Protein Cake, but I used Cocoa Cardio* instead of cocoa powder.  Topped with popcorn, cacao nibs, and Nuttzo.

 *Cocoa Cardio from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake

  • 22g chocolate protein powder (I used 2/3 scoop Growing Naturals)
  • 1 scoop (7.5 g) Cocoa Cardio*
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
  • 3 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 egg white (or flax egg)
  • 2 T pumpkin puree (can also use applesauce)
  • ~8 drops NuNaturals orange pure liquid stevia
  • Optional toppings: popcorn, cacao nibs, nut butter

Place dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.

Transfer to a large, greased (I use coconut oil) coffee mug and microwave for 1:30 mins.

Tip the cake out onto a plate and top as desired.  My cake was topped with nut butter, cacao nibs, and popcorn.

Makes 1 cake.

 *Cocoa Cardio from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!  You can also leave it out or use cocoa powder and 1/8 C beet puree to keep it red. 

***

Thank you all of all of the kind comment on yesterday’s post.  It’s sometimes hard for me to tap into the more emotional side – I use humor more often than not. So thank you for being empathetic and kind.

Are you a sriracha fan?  What’s your favorite thing to add it to?

Have you ever attempted a homemade Asian roll?  Oddly, I found the cucumber easier than dealing with rice paper or seaweed.

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

By

The closer I get to my competition, the more fun I have.

Ask me again in 2 weeks and I may tell you different.

Right now life revolves around the gym, food, and work.  I love all three of these, so why wouldn’t I be ecstatic?  Here’s how my typical Saturday goes down:

1. Wake Up, Eat, Get Dressed

I started my day with a delicious combo of oats, TVP, egg whites, cinnamon, ginger… and cheesecake.

The cheesecake part was thank to a Loranne Cheesecake Flavoring.  I topped with frozen cherries and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Cheesecake TVP Oatmeal

2. Go to Competition Suit Fitting

No pic till competition day… but I LOVE it!

My suit

3. Posing practice and Back/Tri Workout

I did this at my trainer’s gym, which I love because it’s an actually a training gym vs. a fitness club.  The icing on the cake was that I was the only one there for the last half of the workout, which was amazing.

Clearly this called for a photoshoot.

4. Meet with 1st Personal Training Client

I am SO excited to be working with a former roller derby teammate.  She is going to kick ass in the gym too!

5. Grocery Shop

I hit out massive Buford Highway Farmer’s Market and bought a TON of food for less than $70.  Including this new to me fish – Sheepshead:

sheepshead fish

6. Cook Dinner

I couldn’t wait to try my Sheepshead, so that’s what I had.  It’s delicious – a mild, meaty white fish that’s low in fat and high in protein.

Seafood is one thing I prefer to prepare simply.  I baked this fish with lime and a dusting of Indian spices.  Eaten with bok choy sautéed with garlic, green onion, and coconut oil, and roasted portobello with a runny egg, and a slice of Ezekial.

7. Clean Out/Organize Work Emails

This was a productive activity while watching FSU beat the you-know-what out of Clemson.  Goooo ‘Noles!!!

8. Eat dessert

The following is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Designer Whey and Smari.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Dessert is my favorite par of the day.  Even better was the fact that I got to try 2 new things: Designer Whey Vanilla Almond Protein Powder and Smari Icelandic yogurt.  I normally make my protein bowls with Greek yogurt, but I am loving this Icelandic too!  It’s very similar to Greek in that its super thick, high in protein (higher than Greek, actually!), and the plain is low in sugar.

I decided to create a pumpkin protein bowl using the ingredients.   What resulted was a Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter that made me a little sad when I was over.  It tasted like cake batter.

Overall, it was a marvelous weekend!

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

  • 1/2 C pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 scoop Vanilla Almond Protein Powder 
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • Pinch of cloves
  • 5-6 drops stevia
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Optional toppings: cocoa powder sauce (cocoa powder + liquid + stevia), cherries, cacao nibs, popcorn

Combine everything in a small bowl and mix until smooth.  You may need to add more liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Top with your favorites and enjoy!

*You can sub any vanilla protein and add 1/4 tsp almond extract

***

Did you notice anything in that pic of me?  I went dark for the winter… every time I look in the mirror I double take at the dark haired girl.

Have you ever tried Icelandic yogurt?

What does a typical Saturday look like for you?

Strange But Good: Beefy Oatmeal with Blackberry Salsa

By

Where’s the Beef?

 

It’s a legit breakfast food.

This sounds strange… but it isn’t SO odd.  Many people have eaten savory oats.  Oats are just another carb.  We make lots of savory carb-y things.  Why not add beef?  And while we’re at it, eat it for breakfast!  This is what happens when you’re out of eggs.

Side note: This recipe could VERY easily be made vegan by using TVP in place of the beef.

Beefy Oats

 

The salsa is the most awesome, lazy recipe ever.  Mash up blackberries and stir in jarred salsa (extra hot).  Done.*

*That’s not totally true.  I added a drop of lemon stevia because my berries sucked and weren’t sweet at all.

 

So hear me out.  Yummy beef.  Chewy oats laced with rich flavors of cumin and smoky paprika.  A little sweet ‘n spicy to top it off.  That sounds more good than strange!

Aftermath

Warning: It will look like you slayed something when you stir it up to eat.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Beefy Oatmeal with Blackberry Salsa

Beefy Oatmeal with Blackberry Salsa

  • 1/2 oatmeal, cooked
  • 3 oz lean ground beef, cooked
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of smoked paprika
  • 1/4 C blackberries (or other berries)
  • 2 T salsa

 

Cook oatmeal, stirring in precooked ground beef* and spices just before done.

Meanwhile, mash up berries in a small bowl and stir in salsa.

Pour oats into a bowl and top with salsa.  Be amazed.

*My beef was pre-cooked with a Mexican spice blend.  If yours is plain, you may want to add more spices on this recipe.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Sprint 2 the Table

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂


***

I’m posting a cookie recipe next week… my co-worker who isn’t a healthy food person said “these are actually good!”  I’m calling it a win. 

Have you had savory oats?  Do you like them?  Do you think I’m nuts?

What is your favorite oatmeal add-in?  Don’t say nut butter.  We all know that’s good. 😉

 

Fluffy Cauliflower Protein Pancakes

By

Cauliflower is surprisingly versatile.

Or maybe I’m surprisingly strange?

Either way, these are good.  Cauliflower may seem like a strange thing to make pancakes with, but it’s one of those veggies (like spinach) that doesn’t have a strong taste.

Fluffy Cauliflower Protein Pancakes 2

 I had to do a few trials, but persistence paid off.  My first trials were without the oats, but it does need that addition to thicken properly.

What results in a super-fluffy pancake hiding a little extra veggie punch that NO ONE will ever guess is in there.  I added a quick blackberry syrup and decorated with some toasted sunflower seeds, which added a nice crunch to every bite.

Fluffy Cauliflower Protein Pancakes 1

A couple of tips:

  • Cut the cauliflower into small pieces to so that they will blend smoothly
  • Make sure to grease the pan well to make flipping easier
  • Don’t touch the pancakes until they are ready to flip.  If you mess with them, it will take away from the fluff factor.

Fluffy Cauliflower Protein Pancakes

Fluffy Cauliflower Protein Pancakes

For the Pancakes:

  • 2 T oatmeal
  • 100g (~2/3 C) cauliflower
  • 1/4 C egg whites
  • 1 T (1/2 scoop) vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract (optional)
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia

For the Blackberry Syrup:

  • 1/4 C blackberries, mashed
  • 1 tsp sugar-free syrup

In a blender (I used a Magic Bullet), pulse the oats into a flour.  Place in mixing bowl.

Place cauliflower in the blender cup with egg whites and mix until smooth.  

Add oats back in, along with the remaining ingredients.  Blend until combined.

Cook in a well-greased skillet (I used PAM).

Meanwhile, mix together syrup ingredients in a small bowl.  Place in the microwave for ~10 seconds to warm and “melt” the berries.

Plate the ‘cakes and drizzle with syrup.  I also added sunflower seeds as a crunchy garnish.

Serves 1.

 

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Sprint 2 the Table

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

***

This week has certainly been strange… it’s so cool in Atlanta it feels like October!  Normally this would be awesome, but I’m crossing my finger for a little warmth because I’m supposed to try paddle boarding for the first time this weekend!

What is your favorite way to sneak in extra veggies?

Do you like to make pancake breakfasts?  Or are you an oat/egg/yogurt/other person?

Bake Sale for Kids + WIAW

By

Bake sales are the best.

 

Homemade baked goods are the most “worth it” treat.

Amanda @ Run to the Finish has teamed up with Women’s Health and will be running and fundraising for the FEED Project, which seeks to feed hungry US kids.  Their RUN 10 FEED 10 program is really cool – you run a 10K and 10 children in your community are fed with the proceeds.  (Amanda has a discount code you may use here.)

But you don’t HAVE to run!  You can opt to just eat. 🙂  Amanda is hosting an online blogger bake sale where 100% of the donations will towards feeding these kids.

feed 10

Bidding began yesterday (I’m behind – sorry!), and bids will be accepted until August 7th 9AM EST.  Winners will be contacted and asked to donate the specific amount via CrowdRise.

Hurry over and bid on your auction deliciousness here.  There are tons be homemade items from bloggers (and products from several sponsors) available for bidding.  A batch of my vegan, no-sugar added Chewy Granola Cookies are up for grabs… you might even get a little something extra. 😉

granola-cookie

________________________________________________________________________________________

These WIAW meals were half eaten at work and half on the road.  I didn’t do the most elaborate job of planning, as I am enjoying my final week of “freedom” before I start competition prep in earnest!

WIAWbutton

Read on for my traveling food, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) happened, as usual.  I swear this is the biggest addiction in my life.

I had an early morning meeting, so I made sure my breakfast was ready to grab a go.  Overnight oats in a cottage cheese container!  Almost as good as a PB jar… 

This raspberry and maple-laced concoction was really good!  And easy to eat from my lap on the way to work.

Raspberry Maple Overnight Cottage Cheese Oats

Raspberry-Maple Overnight Oats

  • 1/4 C cottage cheese
  • 1/4 C oatmeal
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp maple extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 C almond milk

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Like I mentioned last week, I have been into the Trader Joe’s Balsamic Chicken.  It’s one of the few packaged things I buy, but when I’m traveling a lot this is a great (low sodium) item to keep on hand.

Eaten with veggies I pre-roasted on Sunday with some marinara sauce and nutritional yeast.

TJs Balsamic chicken

 

Lunch:

I was running out of my office to get my stuff ready for the airport (and squeeze in a workout… shhhh!), so this almost didn’t even get pictured.  A mix of no salt deli turkey, celery, hummus, and cayenne.

It was so quick I called it the lazy girl’s turkey salad. 😉

lazy turkey salad

 

Afternoon Snack:

I have become obsessed with post-workout Chocolate + Beet Protein Smoothie Bowls.  I used this recipe again, but added spinach and topped it with muesli and kabocha squash.

No exaggeration, I could eat this every meal.

chocolate-beet protein shake

 

Dinner:

Dinner was eaten in Florida.  I hopped a plane, ate some unpictured pretzels, and went right to dinner with my co-worker.  We hit up Columbia, a famous Cuban spot and Florida’s oldest restaurant.  It was delicious!

We started with giant warm, crusty loaves of Cuban bread and the 1905 Salad.  The bread was amazing… the salad… I’d say it’s basically a Chef’s salad with no egg and a ton of dressing.  I also enjoyed a margarita – one of the best I’ve ever had!

Columbia restaurant stuffed shrimp

Terrible pics… it was dark!

My main was massive.  The server highly recommended the Camarones Rellenos “Jesse Gonzalez.”

I thought shrimp would be light-ish… I learned that it’s not when it’s stuffed with lump crab and a generous helping of butter.  Did I mention it was served with rice, beans, and roasted veggies?  And that my co-worker ordered sides of yucca and fried plantains?

Call me happy and roll me home.

 

Dessert:

You know I’m full when I can’t even imagine eating dessert.  Hell froze over.

***

Tomorrow I fly back home and Thursday I drive to South Carolina.  Despite the craziness all I can think about is 1) When do I get to go to the farmer’s market to get “my” food and 2) How am I going to fit a workout in Thursday and Friday?

Have you checked out the bake sale?  What item is catching your eye? 

Does the combo of beets and chocolate sound #strangebutgood to you?  I thought it was normal until I told my co-worker about it…

 

Strange But Good: Tomato Brownie Cakes

By

You may think I’ve lost it.

And you may be right.

I made mini brownie cakes.  With a tomato.  It sounds strange, but hear me out.  Tomatoes are technically a fruit.  Baking with fruit is good.  So why not?  

These mini cakes were marvelously moist.  Fresh, in-season tomatoes from the market are juicy and pretty sweet on their own.  Between that and the banana, the resulting healthy brownie is a chocolate treat that isn’t overwhelmingly rich, but still clearly a dessert.  At the end there is the tiniest hint of something fruity… but you can’t pick out the tomato at all (I tested it with several people).

Tomato Brownie Cake plain

You might notice that I left the oats whole in my cakes; that’s because I like the extra chew.  I also added a little coconut flour because I’m addicted to the wonderful, almost silky, texture it lends.  There is also protein powder involved (I just can’t help myself). You can sub in more flour for any of these if you prefer.

Like all good cakes, I decided this needed icing.  And sprinkles.  My icing was a simple mix of Greek yogurt, a bit of stevia, and vanilla.

Tomato Brownie Cake

Bonus: tomatoes are a great source of vitamins C, A, and K, potassium, fiber, and the cancer-fighting lycopene,

Try it.  You’ll like it.  Your friends will like it.  Your kids will like it.  Just don’t tell them what they’re eating until after they take a bite. 😉

Tomato Brownie Cakes

Tomato Brownie Cupcakes

  • 1 small tomato
  • 1 small banana (~6 inches)
  • 1 C water
  • 2 T cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C raw oats
  • 1/2 C spelt flour
  • 1 scoop (30g) chocolate protein powder
  • 2 T cocoa powder
  • 1 T coconut flour
  • 1 T stevia (or other sweetener)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1/4 C egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, blend tomato, banana, and water until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and mx in remaining ingredients except the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites until foamy (you can also use the blender for this), then fold them into the batter.

Pour into prepared cupcake tins and cook for 15-20 mins.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Approximate Nutritionals (for 1 cake): 51 calories, 1.7 g fat, 34.6g sodium, 7.3g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber, 1.1g sugar, 3.3g protein

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Sprint 2 the Table

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂


***

I had the best time reading all the guesses when I posted this pic on Instagram.  So many great ideas; many are sure to inspire future #strangebutgood baking. 🙂

What is your favorite fruit to bake with?

Would you ever consider trying a tomato brownie?  Be honest.

Weekend Update + WIAW

By

I get behind in my over-sharing.

Thank god for Instagram!

There has been a lot going on lately that I’ve just run out of time to blog about!  Hump Day seems the perfect time for a download.

I’ve been getting some good runs in (between all the summer storms).  This is taken on the GA Tech campus.  Saturday marked 5 years since my dad died.  Without intention, I found myself heading to his alma mater for a run.

It was nice to run by all the places we used to walk past on game days and relive some of my own memories from grad school.  The rain didn’t hold off for long – about 5 mins after I took this pic the sky turned black and it started pouring.

GA Tech

Sunday I met some of my favorite Atlanta bloggers for lunch at Dough Bakery, my favorite local vegan spot.  That’s (very pregnant) Alayna, Tina, Lee, me, and Heather.  Heather is former Atlanta blogger… she left us for Colorado. 😛

I always have so much fun with these ladies.  We talked and ate for a long time before I had to run back home to get ready for dinner.  That’s right  – I said run.  I ran a total of 6.65 miles there and back thanks to Atlanta’s new Beltline trail!  I’m lucky my friends would be seen with me sweaty and dressed like a bum.

Atlanta Bloggers

The dinner I was running home to was at one of Atlanta’s best new restaurants: King + Duke.  I’m too lazy to write  full review, but let me just say… if you are in ATL or are coming to visit make a reservation.  So.  Good.

Their wine program is excellent, which you know makes me happy, and the food is even better.  Don’t skip the roasted beet and carrots with feta and harissa, the roasted bone marrow with smoked mushrooms, blackberries, and short rib marmalade, and the “Dates & Ale” (a fantastic sticky toffee pudding with Sweetwater IPA cream).

Marrow at King + Duke ATL

Meat butter

________________________________________________________________________________________

This WIAW was less indulgent than this weekend.  Thank god.  I love going out to eat, but whoa.  I was dragging on Monday after eating half my meals out over the weekend.  I jumped back on the healthy eating train with reckless abandon.

WIAWbutton

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) was of course the start to my day.

If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I have a mini crisis: my air conditioning quit working.  I live in the South.  It is HOT.  I was really glad I thought ahead and made a nice, cool breakfast: overnight oats!

This bowl is a little different because I combined a few protein sources.  The oats, cottage cheese, and protein powder made for the most deliciously creamy bowl of cheesecake-like oats I’ve ever had!

Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

  • 1/4 C oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF)
  • 1/4 C cottage cheese
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Blueberries
  • Stevia, to taste
  • 1/2 C almond milk (or other liquid)

Combine everything in a bowl, cover, and place in fridge overnight.

Remove from fridge in morning.  You may need to add additional liquid, especially if you choose to heat it.

Top as desired and enjoy!

Note: I order my peanut flour from iHerb – I like it better than PB2 because it is less processed and doesn’t have the added sugar and sodium.  Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I love making random mixes with no salt deli turkey.  Often I do fruit, but today I had some celery to use up.  I broke up the turkey and mixed it with nutritional yeast, cayenne, pepper, herbs de provence, and apple cider vinegar.  Then I chopped up my celery (and some of the celery leaves) and stirred that in.

Deli turkey salad

Lunch:

I’m getting low on groceries, so I had to bust out the emergency veggie burger.  If you’re going to eat frozen food, the Lightlife burgers are pretty tasty.

Eaten with spinach salad, celery, kabocha, and a quick dressing made from spinach hummus, apple cider vinegar, cumin, and red pepper flakes.  Yes, I spent time “plating” this at work.  People stared.

Lightlife veggie burger salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

This was fancy-looking, but I’d made it the day before.  Baked swordfish in a foil pocket with veggies and Indian spices.  It was fast and the clean up was easy – just throw away the foil!

I posted the recipe here on Facebook if you’re interested.

Indian Baked Swordfish

Dinner:

Did I mention my A/C is broken?  It was 85 degrees and humid in my condo.  I couldn’t think of a single thing to eat for dinner because I was SO hot.  So I got creative.

Egg pizza.  The idea was to cook the egg in a big pan so it would be thin like a pizza crust, then top it and finish in the oven under the broiler.  It would have been perfect had a greased the middle of the pan a little better.  It stuck.  No worries… I just ate it out of the pan.  Less dishes to wash!

egg pizza

My toppings: broccolini, edamame, tomato, spinach, and ricotta salata.  It was really good!  Will try it again, this time properly greased to get onto a plate.

Midnight Snack:

I ate some snacks at my mom’s… she made a quiche and had these yummy chocolate-salted nut things from Trader Joes… but it was just bites and when I got home I still needed a little something.

Despite the heat, I wanted cake (when do I NOT want cake?).  I made my favorite 150 Calorie Chocolate Microwave Cake, topped it with a peanut flour “icing,” and served it with a side of cookies and cream Arctic Zero.  And a little Stevia-sweetened Smuckers strawberry jam… it went really well with the peanut butter icing!

150 calorie chocolate cake

***

In less than I week I turn 30.  And I identify with just about all of these 30 Signs You’re Almost 30.  My mom likes to remind me of #19.

What do you eat when it’s too hot to eat?

Do you make and effort to have your food look pretty at work?  It’s so much nicer than eating out of tupperware!  This should probably be added to the signs you’re almost 30…

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!