Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Attack of the Killer Sodium + WIAW

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Sodium is in everything.

Except peanut flour, thank god.

With less than 4 weeks to go until my figure competition, my diet has gotten more strict.  The latest adjustment it sodium.  I’m only allowed 500 mg a day.  No more bacon, sorry.

It turns out sodium is everywhere – even in thing that aren’t processed   Egg whites, for instance.  My trainer said I don’t have to cut egg whites until 2 weeks out, but if I eat them my sodium for the day will most certainly be over.  And the super expensive crab in my fridge?  Forget it.

We’ve seen a lot in the media lately about sodium, and how much is added to our foods.  Too much sodium can lead to problems like high blood pressure, heart failure, osteoporosis (this one was news to me), kidney stones, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and hormonal imbalance.  You don’t need to cut to the extent that I am, but The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day.

When I first started watching my intake, I was shocked to see how much was in items you’d never think to check.  Protein powder is a culprit – I had one egg protein that was about 500 mg!  Other unusual suspects: coffee drinks, bread, cereal, and pretty much every condiment known to man.

You don’t have to have salt (or fats, or sugars…) to add flavor to foods!  Try some making your own blends for use on protein, veggies, and beans…

  • Italian: I make my own sodium-free tomato sauce with garlic, onion, basil, oregano and, parsley
  • Thai: For a spicy peanut sauce, try peanut flour mixed with rice vinegar, lime, sriracha, garlic, and cilantro (similar to what I did here in my: Chili Nutty Tofu)
  • Mexican: This is an easy one – toss in some lime, cumin, cilantro, garlic, and cayenne like I did in this Mexican “Rice” Bowl
  • Mediterranean: This is a staple-combo in my kitchen with its lemon peel, garlic, mint, oregano, dill, and onion
  • Indian: I rubbed a simple mix of lime, garlic, ginger, onion, curry, cumin, coriander, and garam masala on the salmon I used in Meal 2 below

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Another sodium-free item is pumpkin.  Perfect for this month’s Halloween-themed  What I Ate Wednesday.  See if you can guess how much sodium I took in…

Check out my low-sodium, #strangebutgood (that’s scary, right?) eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is scaring up their food this month!

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I enjoyed a protein mush.  Failing miserably with the sodium intake yesterday, I skipped the eggs for breakfast and went for sodium-free pumpkin.

Pumpkin Protein Mush

  • 2 T oats
  • 1/4 C pumpkin puree
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 T ground flax
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp butterscotch extract
  • 5-6 drops stevia
  • Liquid, to mix
  • Topped with banana

Meal 2:

Forget #strangebutgood.  This was strange but amazing.  There are only 4 ingredients if you pre-cook the salmon!

I loved the savory curry against the sweet salmon and the citrus in the blood orange.  Bonus: blood orange is certainly a Halloween-appropriate food.

Curried Salmon and Blood Orange Salad

  • 3 oz curried salmon (pre-cooked with the Indian spices mention in first part of this post)
  • 1 blood orange, sectioned
  • 1 T fresh basil
  • 1 T roasted squash seeds (tossed in coconut oil, cinnamon, and cardamom before roasting)

Meal 3:

If tuna is the chicken of the sea, then swordfish is the steak of the sea.  This is hands-down my favorite seafood.  And it’s fairly low in sodium.  Score.

Served with a Golden Dumpling squash, diced and roasted with thyme, Dora the Explorer edamame, and raw cauliflower.

Know what only has 1.7 mg of sodium?  Sugar-free York Peppermint Patties.

Meal 4:

I am still addicted to this Tequila-Lime Tilapia recipe.  Today I had it with a side of carrots.  Yes, I recycled the lion plate from lunch. 

Meal 5:

Last week I mentioned that I rarely chicken.  Even more rare that eating it… I COOKED it.  Raw chicken is one of the most disgusting things in the world to me.  In my low sodium quest, I pulled out a cooking binder I made years ago and prepared a modified (low sodium, low-fat) version of a marinade I used to love.  It turned out really well!  I still hate raw chicken.

I DO love pizza.  It seemed like everyone on Instagram last night was making pizza, so I jumped off that bridge too.  I was going to make a socca crust, but realized that Kamut flour has less sodium.  I mixed 1/4 C with just enough water to form a batter and cooked it like a pancake in a pan.

On My Pizza:

  • Chicken
  • Ricotta spread 
  • Red onion
  • Fennel
  • Zucchini
  • Arugula

The ricotta mixture was simply fat-free ricotta with fresh herbs, cayenne, and white balsamic.  I sautéed the veggies before topping the pizza and sticking it under broil for a few mins before inhaling the deliciousness.

Meal 6:

I ate meal 5 too late, so I didn’t get to excited about Meal 6.  And I only had 75 mg left for the day.  And I wanted eggs.  I was whiny.

Then something awesome happened.  I remembered tofu.  Scrambled tofu, specifically.  Oh yes… we have VEGAN version of PB & Jeggs.  A carrot cake-inspired PB & Ceggs.

Just as glorious as the “real” thing.  The carrot cake-like spices make this veggie and protein-packed meal a dessert.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 7:

If you guess I went over my sodium…. you’d be right.  I have to ask my trainer tomorrow, but I’m guessing protein trumps sodium so I went ahead and exceeded 500 mg to get another 20 of protein.

The most sodium-free way I could think of to do this was no salt cottage cheese and peanut flour.  Since I get a carb too I went for some pumpkin in the mix.  Flavorings included cinnamon (it’s sick how much I love the stuff), nutmeg, cardamom, almond extract, vanilla stevia.  Topped with figs.  Nom.

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Vegan PB & Ceggs (Peanut Butter & Carrot “Eggs”)

  • 4 oz tofu, crumbled
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (can use vanilla)
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 3 T water (or other liquid)

Place crumbled tofu in a greased (I used PAM) pan over medium-high heat.  

“Scramble” tofu until warmed through (~2-3 mins).  Meanwhile, mix together peanut flour, spices, extract, stevia, and water to form your peanut butter sauce (note: you could always use 2 T of your favorite nut butter here).

Add peanut butter and shredded carrot to the eggs.  Scramble together and allow to cooking ~1-2 mins more until hot.

Plate and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 169.4g.  The all-important sodium count: 576.5mg.

Quick shameless plug: in case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post for a new technique you can use to bust through plateaus in your workout.  It’s the first in a “Work It Out” series I’m doing!

Have you ever tracked your sodium intake?  Did it surprise you?

What is the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?

Shake It Up to Work It Out

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Insanity.

We’ve all heard Einstein’s definition, and many of us keep this in mind in our day-to-day life.  Why not apply it to your workout too?

When you stop progressing, moves become “easy,” DOMS doesn’t make an appearance… it’s a sure sign you have hit a plateau.  It’s time to stop the insanity and do something different.

My first instinct is to change the exercise, but sometimes you can just change how you perform the exercise.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a series on some ways to vary how you perform reps.  

Disclaimer: I am not a certified anything.  I just wor kout a lot.  Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself or don’t look like Jamie Eason after performing these moves.

24’s

The primary challenge with 24’s is endurance.  One set is 24 reps!

Here’s the break down:

  • Perform 8 reps of an exercise that go from the bottom of the movement to the halfway point.
  • Immediately perform 8 more reps that start half way up and go to the top of the movement.
  • Lastly, do 8 reps with a full range of motion.

For example, if you were to do bicep curls with this technique you would do 8 reps in the lower range of motion (arms straight to 90 degrees), immediately followed by 8 reps in the upper range of motion (arms 90 degrees to flexed), and lastly 8 reps through the full range of motion.

How do you use this technique?

You can apply it to virtually any weight-bearing exercise.  Bicep curls are sort of obvious, so here are a couple you might not think to do that I find especially effective:

Lying Leg Curls

Lying Leg Curls using the 24’s technique will burn your hams out better than any other exercise I can think of!

Tip: Be sure that the pads rest on the back of your ankles with your legs are stretched out straight.  Grasp the handles under the bench for support.  Be sure that your pelvic area remains flat on the bench as you curl your legs up.

Two Arm Side Lateral Raises

This one is simple: simultaneously lift your arms out to the side until they are parallel to the floor.

Tip: Keep your core tight and don’t lock your elbows.

Caution: It is easy to “overtrain” with these modifications.  You are pushing your body extremely hard to bust through a plateau.  These moves are not recommended as a long-term regimen.  Avoid doing more than 2-3 of these per muscle group on any given workout.

Check out more fitness ideas, tips, and tricks on my Fitness page!  As always, be sure to get your 20g of protein to help the muscles recover.

***

I did 24’s on the military press the other day and nearly died.  In a good way.

Do you vary your workouts?  How so?

What is your favorite body part to work?  Keep it clean! 😉

Zucchini Whey Muffins + a Demo

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Call me Little Miss Muffet…

 

 

… though I do NOT like to sit on my tuffet.

I do really dig my curds and whey.  Like these curds:

 

 

Bloggers everywhere get excited when they have an empty peanut butter jar.  Overnight oats are tasty and exciting – I won’t argue that!  I will argue that cottage cheese in an almost empty container is equally good.  The name is more cumbersome…

When I have an almost-empty jar, I swirl up my cottage cheese with mix-ins and take it to go.  Easy mid-morning snack at work!  This container included Sunbutter, cinnamon, a little stevia, nutmeg, and a plum.

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Before I get to the whey, I want to share a little happy-excited-nervous news with you guys… I am doing another cooking demo!

This one is at Taste of Atlanta.  Slightly bigger than my gym…

 

 

I’ll be in the “Family Food Zone” tent with Sweetwater Growers (not to be confused with the brewery).  Sweetwater makes amazing infused olive oils and hydroponic basil.

Apparently it’s official because I’m on the website:

 

The recipe I’ll be sharing is for my (vegan) Butternut Squash-Apple Soup that uses Sweetwater’s red pepper-infused oil.  I started making it nearly 2 years ago (around the time of my blog’s birth!) and it remains my favorite fall soup to this day.

There is a rich sweetness from the butternut squash and the apple but it’s balances out with the rosemary and the bit of heat on the end from the red pepper-infused oil.

 

No Vitamix will be used, but I do get to play with my immersion blender.  And my nerves.  Did I mention I’m nervous?  What if no one comes?  what if lots of people come?  What if there is awkward silence?  AHHHHHH!

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Baking.  Baking calms my nerves. Baking with protein powder calms my nerves AND gives me awesome post-workout treats.

 

 

Baking with zucchini also makes me happy… as evidenced by the fact that this is now my third zucchini muffin recipe.  The previous 5 (all low-cal and free of added sugars):

  1. Banana -Maple Zucchini Muffins
  2. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
  3. Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
  4. Zucchini Banana Muffins (98 cals)
  5. Zucchini Banana Protein Muffins (92 cals)

 

 

This one is different, I swear!  This recipe is the first one with whey protein, and it is a bit more savory.  More reminiscent of the traditional bread.  I especially love the hint of coconut with a little warm spice from the cinnamon and cardamom.

These muffins are also flourless.  Almond and coconut flours replace “regular” flour here to lend a nutty richness to this muffin.

 

Super-moist.  Low-carb, high protein.  These are a great pre-workout snack, or a perfect clean addition to your recovery meal.

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Zucchini Whey Muffins

  • 1 medium zucchini grated finely and moisture squeezed out (~1 C, post squeeze)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 C almond flour/meal
  • 2 T coconut flour
  • 1/4 C vanilla whey protein (I used GNC)
  • 2 T Xylitol
  • 1 T NuNaturals Fiber Baking Blend
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/3 C egg whites
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grated my zucchini into a bowl and squeezed out the excess moisture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients.  Stir to combine.

Add in liquids, and mix until just combined.  Fold in grated zucchini.

Grease a muffin tine with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the batter into tins. Baked for 15-20 mins.

Makes 9 muffins.

Approximate nutritionals: 95 calories, 4.2g fat, 45.3mg sodium, 9.2g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.4g sugar, 7.5g protein

***

The good news is that I’ve been so stressed at work that I haven’t fully felt the nerves of the demo until now. 😉

How do you calm your nerves and/or relax?

What is your favorite fall soup?

 

I Feel Scrambled + WIAW

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I feel scrambled.

It’s our busy season at work and I’ve been traveling, working, and not doing much sleeping.  There are so many things I’ve fallen behind on.  I’m seriously behind on blog reading, returning emails, and blogging topics.

I totally neglected to share an awesome offer from my friend Calee with you all.  She’s offered a 15% discount when you use code “sprint2thediscount” in her Etsy shop.  I first saw her goods at the Blend Retreat last year and fell in love.

A couple of my current favorite designs: 

I’m going to stop feeling sorry and move on to some positive news.  Last week I talked about the threat of a bacon shortage.  Apparently there will be no baconpocalypse.

It wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t blog about bacon, right?

I was almost too grossed out by this pic to post it…

According to a Mother Jones article, the swine shortage will “shave just a pound per capita off of US bacon production in 2013.” that means there are still 45 pounds of bacon per person for the year.  Is that enough for you?

The real scare is fish.  Climate change will sharply reduce the productivity of the oceans, meaning less seafood.  the most affected ares are in the South, so those of us in the US and Europe probably won’t feel the bite.

It’s a new month (can you believe it’s already October?!), which means a new  What I Ate Wednesday theme.  Jenn just got even cooler in my eyes for going PINK this month for Breast Cancer Awareness.  we’ll be sharing out Halloween-themed treats… as if bloggers needs any more reasons to eat pumpkin. 😉

 Check out my sometimes spooky, sometimes pink eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is getting their Halloween on this month!

Meal 1:

Like every morning, I enjoyed my morning cocktail: a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos.  I ran out of my favorite and I was forced to use a sample pack.  It’s grape flavored.  Not my favorite… to be fair, I don’t like grape flavored anything.  I was desperate.

After a quick 2 mile walk, I enjoyed a new scrambled egg-creation.  Egg whites, sweet potato, and a spiced maple-peanut sauce.  PB & Speggs?

Served with a side of pear sprinkled with cinnamon.

This combo was the highlight of my day.  Peanut butter and sweet potatoes were made for each other and you guys know I love my PB & Jeggs creations.  The addition of some maple extract and a little nutritional yeast further blurred the sweet-savory line, creating a breakfast I’ll be repeating ad nauseam.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 2:

Spooky Green Frozen Custard at 11am?  Why not?

Vega was nice enough to send me their Vega One French Vanilla protein powder to sample.  Obviously, I couldn’t just eat it plain… so I made a frozen custard and topped it with a crumbled Endurance Cracker from Angela.

It had a wonderful flavor!  I tried a little plain to test it out first, and I think it would be still be good without the flavor additions.  My only complaint is that I’d like to see another 5g of protein (it only has 15g) and fewer carbs (11g).  I fixed the protein problem by adding tofu, which made this a creamy custard-like frozen treat.

French Chai Pear Frozen Custard

  • 1 serving French Vanilla Vega
  • 3 oz tofu
  • 1 pear
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • Pinch cloves
  • 1/3-1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 5-6 drops liquid Stevia
  • Ice, to taste
  • Guar gum (optional, but will thicken and add creaminess)

Meal 3:

My lunch went pink!  I’ve been all over prepared salmon burgers found at Whole Foods.  They are frozen, but not bad!  This one is the Lemon Dill flavor.  I topped it with my Sweet-Potato Chipotle Spread and served it with a side of chopped red cabbage and asparagus tossed in a lemon-rosemary white bean dip.

Meal 4:

I posted this brown meal on Instagram and a commenter informed me brown food is the most appealing to humans, and that blue is the least.  Weird, huh?

This was certainly appealing post-workout:

Tempeh and cauliflower roasted in a sauce of nutritional yeast, sriracha, and lime juice, along with a fried egg. #yolkporn

Normally I don’t roast veggies mid-day.  It seems like to much trouble to heat up the oven.  Well, my own was already hot from giving the butternut below a thorough roast while I was at the gym…

Meal 5:

I was going to have another cauliflower crust pizza.  After taking too long in Whole Foods I decided to spare you make a quick stir fry.

Rarely do I eat chicken.  Tonight I was running really late and picked some up at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was pre-grilled.  I knew it would be dry.  I bought it anyway.  It was dry.  Note to self: Don’t shop hangry.

In the Mix:

  • Dry Chicken
  • Eggplant
  • Brussels
  • Asparagus
  • Red Cabbage
  • Red Onion
  • Garlic
  • Marinara
  • Ricotta

Meal 6:

Another late night working.  Another #strangebutgood candidate.

This is sort of like my Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream, except this one adds a cheese cake component.  I know it sounds strange… but I blended in some cottage cheese.  It added just the right amount of cheesecake tang.  It’s also less green in color because I used zucchini as my veggie rather than spinach.  Topped with cinnamon. 

Meal 7:

Have you tried Heather’s Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cake yet?  You should make it ASAP.  I’m on my 4th.

The perfectly moist and delicious microwave cake was incredible.  Again.  This time I subbed 1T ricotta + an additional 1 T almond milk for the pumpkin (another WF #fail – they were out of pumpkin) and topped it with a scoop of Chocolate-Peanut Butter Arctic Zero.

Sweet Potato Scramble with Spiced Maple-Peanut Sauce

  •  1/2 C egg whites
  • 1 tsp flax
  • 1/2 C sweet potato, pre-cooked and lightly mashed
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1.5 T water (or other liquid)
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract
  • 2 drops liquid stevia
  • Pinch of cloves

Scramble egg whites and flax over medium heat until almost done.  Add in sweet potato and toss to combine.  Cook 1 min more, just until the potato is warm.

In a small bowl mix together remaining ingredients to make the sauce.  Pour over the scramble and enjoy!

Serves 1.

***

The protein count for the day: 164.1g.  A little low… this work/workout schedule craziness is killin’ me, Smalls!

What is the last thing you forgot in the oven?  Anything?

It seems like everyone is stressing lately – are you entering the busy season full-force too?

Super Tuesday

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You’re unique.

 

Just like everyone else.

It seems like everyone has done a “September Superlative” post!  I’m being a copy cat… but in a unique way because I’m doing it late.  😉

 

1. Most Popular:

Microwave Protein Cookie + WIAW – This nutty, protein-filled 30 second cookie was the most viewed post in September.  I also loved this post because it highlights a few of the many reasons women should lift weights. 

 

 

2. Most Likely to Win a Bar Fight

This Tequila-Lime Tilapia would kick your dinner’s butt.  And it would walk out in a perfectly straight line ’cause the booze (mostly) cooks out.

 

 

3. Most Versatile

What isn’t better layered like a parfait?  I’m awarding my Protein Parfait the Most Versatile because I’ve made it a million ways.  The original was a Tiramisu Protein Parfait, but September’s flavor-of-the-month is a Pumpkin Tiramisu.

 

A few friends have made their own versions.  Check out this Chocolate-Peanut Butter version from Sarena:

 

 

4. Most Unique

This is a no-brainer.  #sorryimnotsorry to be Captain Obvious, but most unique is all about the “Strange But Good” posts.   I’m craving peaches, so I’m going to call out the post with the Salmon-Peach Salad:

 

 

But you should check out the follow-up post for more #strangebutgood… like Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream.  If that’s still not enough strange, click on over to Lauren’s blog.  She’s featuring some weird combos today, including my PB & Jeggs!

 

 

5. Most Photogenic

It’s no secret that I abhor taking pics.  It’s a necessary evil for me as a blogger… so when I get one that I really like, I get excited.  This Fig and Edamame Salad with Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette was pretty and delicious (fashionable and functional?). 

Honorable Mention

This isn’t a September post, but I have to give it some love… my Mexican Cauliflower “Rice” Bowl was included in Fitness Magazine’s 11 Easy Lunches to Lose Weight!

***

I wasn’t cool in high school, so no superlatives for me.  Even more reason to Bogart an entire blog post giving them to myself.  Bwhahaha!

Did you get a superlative in school?

What would your superlative be for the month of September?  Brag on yo’ self!

 

More Strange, Still Good

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It’s a theme in my life.

 

Except in the dating scene.  Strange = bad.

Two Fridays ago I wrote a post of some of my favorite Strange But Good concoctions… and 2 weeks later I of course have more to share!

 

Before we dive into the realm of odd: there is an Atlanta blogger potluck meet up this weekend.  If you want to come and haven’t received an email, send me a note and I’ll forward the invite to you!  The more the merrier. 🙂

 

Ok.  Back to the strange fun stuff:

1. Salmon + Blackberry Salad

You guys may have seen this on WIAW…

 

I mixed 4oz salmon, 2 T fat-free ricotta, a little cinnamon, a little unsweetened almond milk, and blackberries.  It was strange but oh-so-good.

 

 

2. Mexican Hot Chocolate Protein Ice Cream

Hot ice cream?  Why yes… there is cayenne in it!  this sweet-heat treat was a fantastic midnight snack.  The green tint comes from spinach… but that’s standard, not strange.

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (or 2 sticks)
  • 1/2 in piece ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (can adjust to taste)
  • 1/4 C unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • 2 C spinach
  • 5-6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
  • Ice, to taste

 

It’s topped with Walden Farm’s Sugar-Free Caramel… but honestly… that’s more strange than good.

 

 

3. Bacon-Ricotta Stuffed Sweet Potato

After news of the impending bacon shortage… I was craving bacon.  I stuffed a locally-grown pre-cooked sweet potato with with ricotta and then crumbled a small piece of pre-cooked bacon on top.  Then I placed it int he oven under broil while I made a quick vegan tempeh stir-fry.

 

Vegan + Bacon = Tasty Dinner.

 

 

4. Zucchini Bread Protein Batter

This is Strange But Good PROOF!  Debbie @ Accidentally Delish gave it a try for WIAW:

 

From Debbie: “You don’t even taste the zucchini. I promise.”

Click here for the full recipe.

 

 

5. Lightlife Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

This was strange but good on 2 counts.  First, this Lightlife Portobello Mushroom Burger tasted downright meaty.  I was shocked – I even went back to check the ingredient list.  All vegetarian!

The best part?  It has a full 20g of protein. 🙂

 

 

Second, the sweet potato as a condiment.  It’s addicting… I’ve topped my salmon tortilla pizzas with it too.  I love sweet with a little heat (as if you couldn’t tell from the Mexican ice cream), and that was perfectly balance here with the sweet potato and chipotle.  Cumin added a warm, earthy flavor that was especially good with the meaty ‘shroom burger.

My dinner guests and I enjoyed the burgers in a very green way – on a field of spinach, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, cilantro, and a few cannellini beans.

 

 

***Disclaimer: As a part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program, Lightlife provided me with a stipend and product for sampling.  All opinions are MINE. 🙂 ***

This series is brought to you in partnership with Lightlife, Live long. Travel light. To learn more, click here http://www.lightlife.com.

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Sweet Potato-Chipotle Spread

  • 1/4 C pre-cooked sweet potato, mashed
  • 1 tsp chipotle in adobo
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin (or curry powder – both are good here)
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk

 

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mash to combine.

Use as a condiment on burgers, pizzas, sandwiches… or a dip for your favorite veggie sticks or chips!

***

I just realized how much sweet potato I’ve been eating.  These local ‘taters are just so tasty!

Do you have a favorite veggie burger?

What is your #strangebutgood this week?

 

My Favorite Topic

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Food.

 

Anyone surprised?

You know how they say men think about sex every 5 seconds?  That’s me with food.   It’s my 50 Shades of Grey.  

When I saw this quiz on Matt’s blog I was filling it out in my head as I read through his answers.

 

Breakfast

1. Favorite cereal as a child?

Lucky Charms.  I used to get in trouble for only eating the marshmallows.

 

2. Coffee or Tea? With milk or without?

Coffee.  Black like my soul.

Since I started having my morning cocktail, I no longer need to drink coffee before noon.  When I’m in the office, I am wondering down to reception to get a mid-afternoon pick-me-up cup!

Sometimes I eat it in Tiramisu Parfaits or drink it in a Pumpkin Frappuccino.

 

3. The one food you eat most often at breakfast?

That’s tough!  I don’t like to repeat meals a lot… but lately I’ve been all about my PB & Aggs.

 

 

Lunch

1. Sandwiches are generally considered a “lunch food.” If you had to choose between a grilled cheese and a peanut butter and jelly, which would you pick?

Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly.  the “real” thing was my favorite growing up, but now days I eat this tofu-laced, low-fat, protein-filled version:

 

2. You can only put four ingredients in your salad (not including greens); what do you throw in the mix? Additionally, which greens and dressing do you pick?

It really depends on the mood!  Right now I’m thinking cucumber, red onion, celery, and walnuts on a bed of spinach and dressed with a mix of hummus, apple cider vinegar, and sriracha.

 

3. One food you can’t live without at lunch?

Again, I’m not a creature of habit!  I like to shake it up, but no matter what I need a little something sweet at the end… like a bite of dark chocolate.  Or these days on my training plan… I have a calcium chew. *sigh*

 

 

Dinner

1. It’s the end of the day. You’re tired, hungry, and your fridge is empty.  If fast food (from a chain) is your only option, where do you go and what do you order?

I’m copying Matt and saying Whole Foods.  Whatever is looking good on the hot bar (usually a bite of everything). It’s the closest thing to fast food that I will eat!

 

2. TV/computer on or off while you’re eating?

Computer.  In fact, I’m filling this out as I eat.

 

3. The one food you eat most often at dinner?

Lately it’s been my Cauliflower Pizza.  It’s a delicious addiction.

 

 

Dessert

1. Choose between these two American desserts: cheesecake or apple pie?

Cheesecake.  I don’t like cooked apples… but really I’d rather have chocolate cake than anything.

 

2. Choose between these two foreign desserts: tiramisu (Italy) or flan (Spain)?

I like them both, but I have to go with tiramisu.  Like the parfait above. 😉

 

3. Ice cream: cone or cup?

Cup.  More toppings.  Duh. 

***

Sometimes I wonder if everyone else thinks about food as much as I do… or if I have OCD.

I want your answers!  Is there anything you HAVE to have in your salads, or for lunch every day?

How much time to you each day spend thinking about food?

 

Stay Calm + WIAW

By

Try to stay calm.

There may  be a bacon shortage.  The LA Times reports that drought conditions caused a reduction in corn and soybean crops, which means less feed for swine… which means less bacon.  Stock your freezers now.

Despite my frequent posting about bacon, I really am not a fanatic.  Yes, I do enjoy the occasional Maple-Bacon Pancake Cookie.  And I think Bacon Toothpaste is funny.

HOWEVER… I bought a mere 2 slices at the farmer’s market to add just a little extra flava-flav to my food this week.  And, I worked bacon into a meal today.

It’s a really stressful week.  Today I craved comfort food, and having developed the habit of reaching for healthy comforts helped me keep it clean… and sticking with September’s What I Ate Wednesday theme: “Fall Into Good Habits.”

Check out my healthy comfort foods below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else maintained healthy habits this Wednesday.

Meal 1:

Like every morning, I arose and had my morning cocktail: a mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine and Fitmixer Aminos.  Then I almost panicked when I realized I’m almost out of my Aminos.

After a quick 2 mile walk, I enjoyed a Stuft Mama-inspired sandwich:

P28 Bread panini-pressed in the George Foreman with cinnamon and flax-scrambled egg whites, sugar-free strawberry jam, a little Daiya pepper jack.  With a side of golden kiwi.

Meal 2:

This is truly random.  Certainly a Strange But Good candidate.  Pre-baked lemon-dill salmon… mixed with ricotta cheese, a little cinnamon, and blackberries.

Strangely delicious leg-day fuel. 

Meal 3:

I spent my lunch break in the gym blowing off some steam busting out some leg work.  When I got back home all I could think about was a giant green smoothie bowl.

In my bowl:

  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Chocolate unsweetened almond milk
  • TONS of spinach
  • Cinnamon
  • Liquid stevia
  • Crumbled Zucchini Protein Muffin to top (recipe for that coming soon!)

Meal 4:

Did I mention work is really, really, really stressful this week.  It called for my protein-comfort snack: PB Cottage Cheese and celery (a riff on my childhood “ants on a log”).

I mix 1/2 C no-salt added cottage cheese with 2T of peanut flour, cinnamon, stevia, and butterscotch extract.  Then I dip my celery.  There may have also been a side of dark chocolate… shhhhh… 

Meal 5:

Clearly I can never get enough pizza.  This week’s pizza meal’s base was my beloved cauliflower crust.

Toppings:

  • Swordfish
  • Bacon (just a little bit…)
  • Avocado
  • Truffle oil
  • Radishes
  • Asparagus
  • Brussels

My crust “dough” felt a little too wet, so I added a little nutritional yeast.  It worked well to soak up a little moisture, and it was really good!

Meal 6:

Still working (it was a late night).  So stressed I had no appetite.  Late nights in college always meant Waffle House… so I made a healthier version of my old order – egg whites with red onion, jalapeno, and spinach.

Meal 7:

Comfort food is the name of the game for this post.  More smoothie bowls!  Meal 7 was a Pumpkin-Chocolate Vitamix ice-cream-like concoction.

In my Fall Smoothie Bowl:

  • Pumpkin puree
  • Chocolate protein powder
  • Cocoa powder
  • Unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Stevia
  • Ice
  • Apple slices on top

***

Does my posting most of this on Instagram ruin the suspense?  Oh!  And the protein count for the day: 195.8g from fall clean eats!

What are you favorite healthy comfort foods?

Do you have a fall chill yet?  It’s still pretty warm here (yay!).

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