#MoveHappy Week 2: Quest Bars & Nutrex

July 7, 2014 By Laura

Long weekends make me happy.

We really should implement a 2-day work week, 5 day weekend policy.

This weekend was full of happy movement. Atlanta is home to the world’s largest 10K, the Peachtree Roadrace. It’s held every year on the 4th. This is my 5th race; I’ve only missed one since 2008! I haven’t been running much, but my goal was to finish in under an hour. I rolled out of bed early Friday morning and took the train to the start line.

I debated going to the convention in town… but nah.

Marta is smarta

…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

July 8, 2013 By Laura

Treat ‘yo self.

That is my favorite saying from my friend Sarena.

This weekend I (rice crispy) treated my self and my friends! My best friend’s favorite treat is the crispy variety. In honor of the holiday weekend, I decided to make her a batch. Of course, I couldn’t just follow a recipe… regular ‘ol rice crispy treats have been done before!

What I came up with was a chocolate and peanut butter crispy treat. While these will never be a health food, they are slightly cleaner than the treats of your youth (recipe at the bottom). Here are a few of the cuts/subs I made:

Cut the amount of marshmallows and butter in half by using natural peanut butter
Replaced the bit of butter with coconut butter
Used brown rice crispy cereal rather than the usual snap, crackle, pop brand

One of my favorite things about these bars is that they aren’t as sticky-sweet as the traditional treats. Cutting back on the marshmallows really helps!

Before taking them to my friend’s house, I had to share then with a couple of my favorite people: Lee and Carol! We ran the Peachtree Road Race (the world’s largest 10K) together on July 4th. Clearly that deserved treats!

Lee and Carol both gave me the thumbs up, so I bought the concoction to the bestie’s house for dinner that evening. They received a stamp of approval there too – from 4 adults, a 2-year-old, and a couple of crumb-eating dogs.

Bonus: they paired really well with a certain impulse buy (thank you, Whole Foods):

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Banana Beer from Rogue. I figured it would be really good or repulsive. The taste was quite layered – chocolate up front, then a hint of peanut butter, and finally the banana came on the end. Surprisingly it wasn’t too sweet, but there is no way I could have drunk a bottle. We split tastes between 4 people – it was just the right “side” with the chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats.

As you might imagine, it was a pretty marvelous 4th of July. Head over to Katie’s link up to see what everyone else is smiling about today!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

4 C marshmallows
2 T coconut butter
1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
4 C brown rice crispies

Place marshmallows, coconut butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips in a non-stick pan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to combine. (Note: if it is too thick, stir in almond milk 1T at a time.)

Quickly add rice crispies and stir to combine. Press mixture into an 11 x 13 pan.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.

Remove from fridge and cut into squares to serve.

***

After a holiday weekend of eating out, I’m looking forward to more home cooked meals this week!

Did you run any races this weekend?

Are you a rice crispy treat fan? What fun flavor would you like to try?

Back to the Gym + WIAW

July 3, 2013 By Laura

Patience is a virtue.

That’s what I keep trying to tell myself.

Monday I was cleared by my surgeon to begin light exercise. Good thing because I had already scheduled an appointment with my trainer for that night. 😉

Going back to working out after surgery (or any long break) is humbling. I started with a leg extension weight 100 lbs lighter than I did 3 weeks ago.

We did a lot of lower body – mostly body weight stuff – and then 2 isolated bicep and 2 isolated tricep exercises. It was really light, but I realized I’d have to go slow… especially when the twins got hot and swelled up. It was crazy!

I’m going to do something similar on my own today. Being careful. It’s really hard knowing what I could do before, and seeing how much I lost in my arms in such a short time. BUT it’s not forever. I got there before, and I can do it again. *deep breaths*

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This WIAW was fun for me because I was actually hungry from working out! It’s a totally different feeling than regular hunger, one I didn’t fully appreciate before!

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

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Breakfast:

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

For my meal I wanted something sweet… but I also wanted a runny egg. Remembering my favorite Waffle House meal, I decided to try something similar (but much healthier) at home – french toast topped with a runny egg! I also added some warmed blueberries and toasted coconut.

Who needs syrup when you have #yolkporn?

Mid-Morning Snack:

No Salt deli turkey and an orange. I ate these with my fingers while I bottled my latest batch of kombucha. I was trying to get out the door for my first run post-surgery… ain’t nobody got time for silverware!

The curry leaves in the background went into a kombucha bottle with some of the orange.

I was running to get my race number for Thursday’s Peachtree Road Race. It’s the world’s largest 10K and I was cleared by the doctor to run/walk it since it’s actually going to be cool outside thanks to the deluge of rain we’re getting. The expo is only 2.5 miles from my place, so it was an easy jog, followed by a long break to browse the expo and buy new shoes before 2.5 miles back (shoes in hand).

New Newtons!

Lunch:

It was NOT cool yesterday. ~~Boob sweat is a whole new thing… whoa.~~

By the time I got back all I wanted for lunch was a smoothie bowl. Big, green, and topped with muesli, this hit the spot while I sat on the couch icing the twins. Almost remembered the pic too late!

In my bowl:

Protein powder
Spinach
Zucchini
Butterscotch extract
Banana extract
Stevia
Ice + Water

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Does anyone else have to think before they type kabocha vs. kombucha? Kabocha is what I had for snack. I have pre-roasted it in cubes, but I like to do a second roast to re-heat and crisp it up. Before the 2nd roast I tossed it in cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne (my favorite flavor combo).

The sauce is my go-to: peanut flour, unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, a couple drops of vanilla liquid stevia, and a splash of almond extract.

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!

Dinner:

This is what happens when I get bored. I made a dinner requiring more thought than usual. People comment that sometimes my meals seem elaborate or strange… but they typically don’t take very long and I prepare certain foods similarly. Last night I tried something new-ish and inspired by a treat in the mail from Skinny Noodles (soy-free shirataki):

The item I couldn’t wait to try was the rice. I dislike rice… but non-rice? That I can get on board with! ~~I never said I was~~ ~~normal.~~ The “rice” is really more like Israeli couscous… but that’s a plus in my book.

Tip when using shirataki: make sure you rinse it really, really well and follow the instructions to heat it in the microwave to get rid of the funk (it smells fishy when you open the package).

What I came up with was a herbed rice with veggies, which I topped with salmon. It was really, really good. One of those meals you make for yourself and then get a little sad there’s no one else there to taste it!

There’s not real recipe – I didn’t measure anything – but here are the ingredients:

Cardamom Salmon

Salmon
Cardamom (just a little)
Cayenne
Black pepper
Lemon
Rice Vinegar
Red onion
Garlic
1 drop orange liquid stevia
Fresh rosemary
Baked at 450 for 12 mins
Fresh curry leaves

Shirataki Rice

Red onion
Garlic
Fresh rosemary
Lemon juice
Red pepper
Zucchini
Cayenne
Ground ginger
Black pepper
Ginger
1 serving “rice” (added after veggies sautéed)
2 tsp nutritional yeast (added at end to thicken)

Dessert:

This is one of my all-time favorites to end the day – Carrot Cake Protein Batter. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve had one of these. After surgery I couldn’t use the grater for the carrots, so making my favorite batter wasn’t possible!

I was starving so I loaded up on the toppings: muesli, walnuts, and cacao nibs. There was also a unpictured scoop of PB. 😉

***

Thank you all so much for the supportive comments on my Instagram and Facebook posts about being able to get back in the gym. The encouragement means a lot as I (patiently) work my way back.

Don’t forget – one more day to enter the Designer Whey Sustained Energy giveaway!

Have you ever made something so good you were sad not to share it? What was it?

Are you a victim of the kabocha craze? I propose we rename it Crack Squash.

This Bud’s For You

July 12, 2011 By Laura

Apparently I have tiny ear canals.

Finding ear buds that stay in my ears while running has been next to impossible.

I’ve purchased pricey ear buds that come with various sized rings to place around the buds to no avail. They still bounce right out of my ears while I’m running. Or the sweat builds up and they slide out. That’s hot.

At the expo for the Peachtree Road Race this year I came across a booth selling the alleged fix to my problem.

Auria uses an XFit technology that claims to keep earphones in place, resist sweat, provide quality audio, and still allow for surrounding sounds to be heard (safety first, y’all).

The buds “rest on the cushy parts of ears called the tragus and the anti-tragus… ECO rings work to optimize the fit of our earphones to individual ear shapes.”

True story – my abnormally small ear canals are proof.

They don’t actually go IN your ear; the speakers reside at the opening of you ear canals. This allows external sounds to be heard (important if you run in a busy, traffic-filled city like I do!). Surprisingly, this doesn’t compromise one’s ability to hear the music – presumably since the speakers are still right at your ear canals.

I did run with these in the Peachtree. They worked like a charm – MUCH better than the others I was using. Lesson learned. Other lesson learned: chewing gum while I run makes me look challenged.

They also offer fancy models that have volume controls, microphones, and iPhone controls. I opted for the basic Provoke model, as I am ghetto and just run with my iPod Shuffle. I’m also cheap – these were only $23.99.

***Disclaimer: They didn’t give me anything to write this. Not even a damn discount. I just think it’s a great product. However, if they do want to send me free stuff, I’ll gladly accept. 🙂 ***

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Today I didn’t really cook anything – I blended protein shakes, washed veggies for salads, and paid restaurants (first slice of cake on birthday week – woo hoo!).

Other than this beautiful, delicious salad:

Spinach, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, chickpeas, mustard + red wine vingar

I don’t have anything earth-shattering to share food-wise.

Instead I’m sticking with the running theme and sharing ~~the least embarrassing parts of~~ my current workout playlist with you.

Yes, I have been known to listen to music with explicit lyrics. Followed by Sarah Bareilles.

Lately I get most inspired to crank out another mile by Sugarland. I love Wide Open, the song they wrote for the last Olympics.

“Every life has a moment where sweat meets fate / On your mark, get ready, get ready now…”

***

Speaking of, I’m off for a morning run. Olympic sprinter-style ~~in my head~~.

What gets you pumped to go another mile?

Have you found any running accessories you couldn’t live without?

Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

July 7, 2011 By Laura

Working out can actually help alleviate soreness.

That’s what “they” say anyway. So I got up and ran a looooong 5K distance yesterday in hopes of working out some of that delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from Monday’s Peachtree Road Race.

Stats:

Distance – 3.14
Time – 25:31 mins
Pace – 8:06 mins

DOMS is the pain/stiffness you feel 1-2 days after a tough workout. It refers to the little tears in the muscle rebuilding after you’ve broken them down – and it is an important part of the muscle-building process. Light exercise, easy stretching, and massages are all good ways to alleviate DOMS.

Note: DOMS is not to be confused with injury or pain from doing too much too fast. If you’re experiencing that soreness, you need to REST.

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The food you eat post-workout is also important. Lots of nutrients are a must – I like to load up on protein, fruits, and veggies.

Peaches are all over my Peach State right now. The season is ON and sweet, juicy peaches are everywhere.

Fun fact: after the July 4th Peachtree Road Race they hand out peaches in addition to the usual bananas and bagels.

For lunch I decided to use some of the peaches my grandfather gave me from his trees in a soup. With a side of (not pictured) chicken.

This chilled gazpacho is a great light, summery started or side dish. The serrano adds an unexpected bit of heat on the end of each crisp, sweet bite.

I didn’t add sugar/honey/agave, but you certainly could if you like a sweeter soup or your peaches aren’t as flavorful. If you aren’t a fan of heat, reduce the amount of or leave out the serrano pepper.

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Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

1 large peach
1/3 C cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 C yellow pepper, diced
1/2 oz goat cheese
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced in half
1/2 serrano pepper
1/8 C cilantro
1/4 C coconut milk (not canned – the So Delicious variety)
S+P, to taste

Combine sliced peaches, cucumber, yellow pepper in a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese, vinegar, olive oil, a couple shakes of salt, and garlic clove. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the garlic from the mix and throw away. Pour the remaining contents of the bowl into a blender and add serrano pepper, cilantro, and milk.

Puree until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper; you may also add agave or honey for a sweeter soup.

Refrigerate until well-chilled, allowing flavors to combined (at least 2 hours).

Pour into 1-2 bowls and enjoy!

Makes ~1 cup.

***

A HUGE thank you to everyone for the comments you made in response to yesterday’s post. You guys made my day so much better. 🙂

What do you do to recover after a hard workout?

Mexican Sweet Potato Salad + WIAW

July 6, 2011 By Laura

Have you guys been watching all of the Casey Anthony news?

I’m no lawyer, but I am shocked she was found not guilty.

How is it that people who are so terrible and that don’t contribute good to the world walk around alive and free? Why are people who were amazing human beings, who gave back, who cared for others are taken too soon?

Mr. Billy Joel, why is it that only the good die young?!

I should probably have warned you that today marks 3 years since my dad was taken by cancer. 3 very fast years. It’s hard to believe…

Not. Fair.

Maybe I write about it too much, but my dad ~~had~~ continues to have such a huge impact on my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. On the 4th I ran the Peachtree Road Race wearing a ribbon (orange for leukemia) in his honor.

A big FU to the people out there who are just taking up space or – even worse – are harming others. You’re lucky to have the opportunity to live. Don’t waste it taking from others.

***Stepping off soap box***

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Lucky for anyone reading this today is WIAW! I have something less depressing to post about!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast

These Apple-Carrot Muffins I made a few months back are awesome. Super filling, especially with the massive glob of PB I iced it with.

Lunch

Garden Lites Zucchini Souffle. These are surprisingly good for frozen food! Thanks to the egg, they are pretty filling as well.

Even though I microwaved it, the edges were a crispy (read: not rubbery) texture. The egg helped make the inside of my souffle fluffy rather then mushy like any frozen meals.

Snacks

Pretty standard – I was super busy at work.

Side note: my dad used to love Think Thin bars. He liked Chocolate Fudge, but I think Chocolate Toffee is the only way to go.

Dinner

I was underwhelmed by my dinner out, so instead I’m going to share a particularly delicious salad I ate this weekend.

It is no secret that I do NOT like white potatoes. I do not like thick french fries, potato salad, mashed potatoes, twice baked potatoes. I just don’t, ~~Uncle~~ Sam I Am.

The 4th of July is a potato salad-centric holiday… so I made a version that I like!

Obviously, it had to be Mexican-inspired. Nothing says 4th of July like México.

Spinach also must be incorporated. It is my salad. Bwhahaha! Of course there was cheese – I used Daiya
pepper jack but honestly it didn’t nearly spicy enough. Use regular pepper jack if you eat dairy!

This was a winner. The spices made the salad taste “special” and I was able to join the potato-salad eating. ~~Mine was better than that white potato stuff.~~

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Mexican Sweet Potato Salad

1 sweet potato, baked and cubed
1/2 C black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small tomato, diced
1 C spinach
1/4 C red onion, diced
1/4 C pepper jack cheese (I used Daiya)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander
Juice from 1/4 lime
Drizzle of EVOO
S+P, to taste

Prepare first 6 ingredients and mix in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Adjust spices to taste.

Pour vinegarette over salad and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Makes 1 entree ensalada or 2 sides.

***

Tonight I’m looking forward to a meal by a chef you may have seen in Food & Wine. 🙂

Does it make you made when justice isn’t served?

Do you think karma will take care of it in the long run?

There Ought to Be a Law

July 5, 2011 By Laura

There ought to be a law against going to work the day after ~~the 4th~~ any holiday.

At least I have yesterday’s appearance on the Food Buzz Top 9 to boost me this morning!

That hummus really was good.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who buzzed me and WELCOME to new visitors!

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Yesterday’s Peachtree Road Race was really good.

I ran the world’s largest 10K in 51:08. A new PR!

A time under 50 mins would have been awesome, but I can’t complain about anything sub-55. And I finished in plenty of time to cheer on a lot of the finishers. 🙂

Post-race I met up with some good friends and enjoyed ~~brunch~~ their company. Brunch was terrible – they ran out of EGGS, which meant I didn’t get to eat much of anything until 4 hours after finishing the race.

Fine if you run out of food, but at least tell me so I can order something different. ~~Like the spine my stomach was eating.~~

We made up for it in ~~beverages~~ fun at the next location.

The sign didn’t lie – it was the bar we were looking for.

Diesel (870 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, 404-815-1820) provided a knowledgable bartender and possibly the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had.

The D’Yer Mak’Er consisted of mozzarella, roasted tomato goat cheese, swiss, cheddar & bacon on rye. The rye made the sandwich… YUM.

How about some icing on the grilled cheese cake? Watermelon beer.

Our awesome bartender recommended this Hell or High Watermelon Beer by 21st Amendment after I requested something with flavor, but light. Not too much alcohol content (who really needs an 11% alc beer?). Not too sweet.

It hit the spot. I thought the watermelon would make it too sweet for me, but it was much lighter than many of the “berry” flavored beers out there.

The watermelon flavoring was more “real” than candied/artificial. It is a wheat beer, but remains light and crisp Nice amount of bubble. Nothing overly complex, but a refreshing beer after a long day.

***

It rained last night so no fire works for me… the 9.5 hours of sleep I got instead was incredible.

How was your weekend? Did you get to enjoy a race and/or fireworks?

Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2011 By Laura

Saturday’s lake day didn’t result in any Jim Beam-fueled chants, but my friend Kristy did make the most patriotic jello shots the world has ever seen.

They were just as good as they look!

We also enjoyed a great spread – everyone made something to share. I sweat we didn’t plan the Mexi-theme… obv nothing says the 4th like Mexican. 🙂

The goods included (back to front): watermelon salad, Tostidos, peach-avocado salsa, my chipotle corn hummus, veggie sticks, and bean salad.

Not pictured: sandwiches ~~and a ridiculous amount of beer~~.

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2 hours until the Peachtree Road Race!!! I’m so pumped. This year will be my 4th one.

4th on the 4th. Tee hee.

This is also probably the best running-shape I’ve been in. I’m especially excited to see how this impacts my endurance – Atlanta is a hilly city!

I hit up the expo yesterday to pick up my number and peruse the freebies (free Vega Sport powder samples!). Parking downtown is a nightmare, so I decided to jog there and back. Not a terrible idea until i was half way through the run home and reallllly wishing I wasn’t carrying that bag full of freebies. 🙂

After a hydration-filled day, I got in bed early in hopes of being well-rested. This was only moderately successful since

I was too excited to sleep and
I firmly believe it is impossible to feel well-rested at 5:30 am (it’s still DARK!).

Nevertheless, I have my gear ready to go and I’m drinking a cup of coffee with my pre-race Chia Banana Pudding.

I made the pudding the same as the linked recipe, but added a bit of almond extract and cinnamon. LOVE the additions!

Items to Remember Not to Forget:

Race number
Safety pins
Ribbon (orange for Leukemia)
KT Tape
Inhaler
Gum
Watch
Shuffle + ear earphones
MARTA (ATL’s Metro) card
Sport Bean samples

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Last week I decided to begin posting a weekly workout recap on Mondays. Even though it’s a holiday, I’m sticking to it and using this to add to race motivation!

My running was light due to the pesky Achilles injury, but I really enjoyed a weight-focused week.

Workout Recap (6/27-7/3)

Monday – Yoga for Runners, 30 mins stationary bike intervals
Tuesday – Biceps/Back, 84 push-ups
Wednesday – Legs, P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
Thursday – 4 mile run, Core, 84 push-ups
Friday – Tris/Chest (w/ 1 mile of intervals), 84 push-ups
Saturday – Lake day! (that counts… right?), 84 push-ups
Sunday – Shoulders, P90X Ab Ripper X, 4.5 mile run

***

It’s already been quite the weekend! I have a feeling I’m going to want a post-long weekend vacation day.

What’s the most fun you had over the long weekend?

Did anyone else enjoy jello shots? 🙂

***UPDATE: I did it in 51:08!!!***

#MoveHappy Week 2: Quest Bars & Nutrex

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats (Lightened Up)

Back to the Gym + WIAW

Breakfast:

Mid-Morning Snack:

Lunch:

In my bowl:

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Dinner:

Cardamom Salmon

Shirataki Rice

Dessert:

This Bud’s For You

Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

Peach Cucumber Gazpacho

Mexican Sweet Potato Salad + WIAW

Breakfast

Lunch

Snacks

Dinner

Mexican Sweet Potato Salad

There Ought to Be a Law

Happy 4th of July!

Workout Recap (6/27-7/3)

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