Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

It’s a Girl!

By

Yesterday was an awesome day.  It started with the link love and an awesome recipe round up on Angela’s blog (Welcome, new visitors!) and ended with…

…a kitten!

Yesterday I met the perfect baby girl.  She is a loving, 10 month old rescue kitty who purrs constantly.

I think I'm in love

This is the sweetest, most loving kitten in the world.  She walked in and made herself at home.  Note to self – trim her claws!


Her name is Stevie.  As in Nicks.

Stevie was very curious about my breakfast.  We both need to work on NOT begging for food. 🙂

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One of the recipes from yesterday’s round up was from Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga.

I just happened to have everything on hand to make her Microwave Blueberry-Banana Oat Cakes for breakfast.

I made a few modifications, but followed her recipe pretty closely.  I will for-sure be trying this again and experimenting with different fruits/toppings!

Microwave Blueberry-Banana Oat Cakes

  • 1/2 ripe large banana, mashed
  • 1/2 C dry oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • Shake of salt
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1/4 C fresh blueberries

Mash the banana in a microwavable bowl.  Add remaining ingredients except blueberries, stirring to combine.  Fold in blueberries.

Allow to stand ~5 mins, until oats soften a bit. Microwave for 3.5 – 4 mins.

Per Averie: You will know when it’s done because it will not be “juicy” looking anymore and it may have some “holes” on the surface.

After mircowaving, allow to rest for a couple minutes (mine didn’t make it longer than a minute…).  Eat in that bowl or easily invert/remove from bowl and re-plate it, or take as a to-go snack.

I didn’t top mine, but next time I’d love a glob of melty almond butter on top.  PBJ oat cake.  Greek yogurt would also be tasty (icing on the cake!).

***

I’m trying hard to motivate myself to go run after last night’s downpour.

Do you like running in post-rain conditions?  Is it so fresh and so clean or just chilly and wet?

Come on, sunshine!


Chickpeas + Spiced Tomato Sauce

By

The Tough Mudder is just over a week away and I’m only up to 5 miles!

 

 

Stats

Distance: 5 miles

Total time: 42:32

Pace: 8.46

It was a hard 5 miles.  I blame this windy weather.  Is this Chicago or Atlanta?

Did I mention the obstacle course is 11 miles??? I’m getting nervous.

 

In much less-stressful news, Atlanta is finally getting a vegan restaurant.  Welcome, Dulce Vegan Bakery and Café!!! (1994 Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317)

According to What Now Atlanta’s article, the restaurant will open in Kirkwood late this month.  They will serve the typical 3 S menu (soup-salad-sandwich), but they aim to have gluten-free and RAW options.

The raw aspect is most exciting to me.  I love the creativity that goes into raw food and the “high” you feel after eating such a clean meal (can we get a San Fran-like Cafe Gratitude???).

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I put off St. Patrick’s Day food in favor of continuing with my Indian week.  Chickpeas, tomato sauce, and a spaghetti squash were the inspiration.

What had happened was… I wanted spaghetti squash.  I love to eat it with marinara, but after a 5 mile run I needed more bulk.  And garlic spices!

I’ve done spaghetti squash a lot this winter.  You can either cook it in the oven or microwave until soft (8-10 mins).  This time I chose the oven… but I honestly don’t think it matters.

Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Cut the squash in half (soften in microwave first if it’s too hard to cut) and remove the seeds.

3. Place in a glass baking dish, cut side down, in about 1 in of water.  Cook for ~40 mins, or until shell is tender when pierced with a fork.

4. Remove the flesh with a fork.  Place the “spaghetti” in serving bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

 


Chickpeas + Spiced Tomato Sauce

 

  • 1T EVOO
  • 1T coconut oil
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp (~1-inch piece) fresh ginger, chopped
  • 26.5 oz canned chopped tomatoes (1 box Pomi)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
  • S + P, to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oils.  Add the shallot and cook over medium-high heat until translucent, ~3-4 mins.  Reduce to medium heat and add the garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, ~2 mins.  Add the tomatoes, stirring to combine.  Followed by the bay leaf, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, again stirring to combine.

Simmer over low-medium heat until thickened, ~10 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and chickpeas, continuing to simmer until the chickpeas are softened and flavors are combined (~7-8 mins).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve alone in a bowl, or over spaghetti squash (or actual pasta).

Nutritional Approximations (sans squash): 214 cals, 8g fat, 29g carbs, 9g fiber, 6.6g sugar, 6.6g protein (and a good source of vitamin B-6 and Manganese!)

***

Have you done a race you weren’t quite ready for?

Last minute training tips are appreciated. 🙂


Repeat Thursday

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For those of you in the South (or who are lucky enough to have a Chick-fil-a nearby), I have 2 important news items:

1. Tomorrow is FREE FryDay.  All you have to do is go to Chick-fil-a between 2 and 4p and ask for Heinz Dip & Squeeze-free FryDay promotion.  You will be rewarded with a free medium order of yummy waffle fries.  Apparently all this is thanks to the new Heinz Dip & Squeeze Ketchup package, which holds 3x more ketchup than the packets.

2. While you’re there… Chick-fil-a has a new Banana Pudding Milkshake.  This could be heaven.  Never mind the 780 calories and 104g sugar.  That’s in the small size.

Who wants to split one???

If the shake isn’t on your diet, try out this guilt-free Overnight Banana-Cashew Pudding.  I’ve made it two days in a row.  This morning I heated my bowl and OMG was it good.

I also re-made my Mexican Black Bean Brownies.

I reduced the egg and sugar (they are even healthier!), took a new pic (why is dark-colored food SO hard to photograph?!), and improved the instructions.

The latest estimation is that they have around 150 calories per serving (makes 20 healthy-size brownies) 3g of protein!

In the spirit of repeats, I’m about to enjoy the last of my Garam Masala Daal for lunch.

Lentils are still really good leftover.  They are not photogenic. Be sure to add some water when you re-heat to avoid drying.

Tomorrow I promise something more original.  And St. Patrick’s Day worthy.

Get excited.

***

I’m taking a lunchtime run!  Being able to break up the computer-screen daze is a rare – yet welcome – treat.

Do you need a break midday?  How do you escape?


Mojo and Sunshine

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You know you live in the city when…

…you notice brand-new, yet-to-be-bolted-down park benches and the first thought you have is:

I can’t believe no one has stolen those yet!

🙂

The new benches were noticed along my lunchtime run.  The run I was NOT motivated to go on, despite the lovely weather.

The only advice I have to pushing through a run is to break it down, 1 mile at a time.

  • Set a short goal (mine was 2 miles)
  • At that mark, re-assess (I decided to do a 5K)
  • Still not feeling it?  Walk for a minute, or run some stairs to break it up.
  • Determine the end goal (I did enough for an even 4 miles)

Today’s run:

  • Distance: 4 miles
  • Time: 35:50
  • Pace: 8:88/mi

I’m really proud of my time given the fact that it was SO windy out there!

You should always reward yourself after a run like that.

I recommend doing so with this:

How does Angela @ Oh She Glows come up with this stuff?!

Try her Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole.  You won’t be sorry.

I followed her directions exactly, except I halved the banana called for, nixed the maple syrup (I used vanilla almond milk, which I find to be sweeter) and made them in 4 ramekins.

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Good news!

At my follow up appointment, the oral surgeon said I can eat items that I can mush with my tongue.  My tofu is getting its mojo back!

If you’re like me, you open a can of chipoltes in adobo sauce, use 2 or 3, and then forget you still have half the can in the fridge.  Use the other half for this mojo marinade!  It was fantastic.  I used half of the marinade on chicken (for the non-tofu lovers), and remainder in tofu.  I’m told the chicken was good and I know the tofu was.

The marinade does have a kick, but it isn’t bad after marinating/cooking.

In need of a side, I got creative with the sunchokes and sweet potato.  I have never cooked a sunchoke before, but had eaten puréed or sauteed sunchokes at several places (Holeman & Finch does a stand-up sunchoke sauté).

 

 

Sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes) are the root of a sunflower. Raw, they look a like ginger root and can be found at your local farmer’s/speciality market.  Sunchokes have an earthy, almost nutty taste and a potato-like texture upon cooking.

They are good for the intestines, and a source of Vitamin C, potassium, and Iron.  And they taste good!

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Mojo-Marinated Tofu

(slightly adjusted from Tyler Florence)

  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 blood orange, juiced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 3 T EVOO
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 chipolte chiles, in adobo sauce
  • 3 T cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Drain tofu and pat dry.  Cut in half horizontally, placed between towels, and press for 10 mins.  (I placed a large iron skillet on top of mine.)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients.  Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.

Pour over pressed tofu in a bowl or baggie, tossing to coat. Refrigerate for an hour hour, allowing flavors to combine.

Preheat a ridged grill pan on medium heat.  Lightly oil the grill pan.  Drain excess marinade from tofu and grill the over medium heat, cooking for ~4 mins on each side.

***

Sweet Potato Sunchoke Purée

  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled
  • 1 large piece of sunchoke, peeled (about 4 in)
  • 1/2 large or 1 small yellow onion
  • 1/4 C plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
  • S + P, to taste

Dice the the potato, sunchoke, and onion.  Cut into 2 in cubes and place in a medium pot and cover with water.

Add 1/4 tsp salt, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 mins, until tender.  

Drain the vegetables and return to the pan.  Stir in yogurt, milk, nutmeg.  

Using an immersion blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.

***

What new food have you tried lately?  Are you more likely to try it at a restaurant or devise your own concoction at home?


Lemme Upgrade ‘Ya

By

Happy President’s Day!

It seems that most people had to work, but we had the day off since we didn’t get MLK Day.

Productivity was high!  Checked off my to-do list:

  • Run
  • Banana Republic
  • West Elm (I still have the curtains that came with my condo… embarrassing)
  • Verizon
  • Talked to the tattoo guy (more to come on that…)
  • Farmer’s Market (where I managed to spend $50 despite not being able to chew food… foodie fail win)

The run this morning was slow going, but I was fine with that because I was sore from having a GOOD run yesterday!

I attempted a run last weekend and had to quit because my jaw bones were shaking (I have no idea how else to describe it… but it’s like I can feel my bones moving) and my head was pounding.

Anyway, yesterday I did a 5K in 26:40.  Then ran/walked another 1.25 miles.

So a less-than amazing run today was fine by me.  And I treated myself to a post-run latte at Caribou Coffee while reading the paper.

Now I need to figure out endurance before the Tough Mudder on March 12th… follow up with the Doc tomorrow… hopefully he won’t make me stop!

Any way, also in honor of my President’s Day off, I tried a new oatmeal method. Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Voluminous Oatmeal.

I added a little much liquid, but I’m re-doing it tonight to perfect tomorrow morning.  This morning, I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder (post-run refuel!), cinnamon, and peanut butter.  Tasty, if I may say so.

The BEST part of any holiday is the present!

I got an iPhone!

Thank you, Verizon

My first picture with the Hipstamatic app…. it was stressful trying to get everything set up!

***

So, now that I’ve joined modern society…

What are you favorite, must-have apps?


Smooth Operator

By

Day 2 of liquid diet.  

Wasting away to nothing.  Famished.

I kid, I kid.

Still broken.  The whiplash part is worse today and my head is killing me.  And I still look like a swollen Frankenstein-chipmunk:

Exhibit A

But I enjoyed some butternut squash soup with fennel, onions, jalapeños, and Sriracha sauce for lunch. Pureed, of course.

In a moment of psychic planning, I scheduled a photo shoot with Ed Selby last Saturday (the day before I wrecked my face). Ed is an awesome photog.  He sent me an email a few weeks ago asking if he could shoot me.  I was so excited and we set up a time before the season began. Smart, eh?

Below are a few of Ed’s shots.  Pretty awesome, right?  Through the magic of Ed and photoshop, you can’t even see the massive zit I had right between my eyebrows.

The Dr. said that when I feel better I can run and lift weights.  Just no contact sports for a while.

Therefore, I’ve been plotting my body building debut.  Kidding.

What I HAVE been plotting is my race schedule.  I’m revising my 2011 goals to include 1 race a month.

I don’t know if I can stand the pounding enough to effectively train for the Publix Georgia Half in March, but I do really want to run a Half-Marathon again this year.  In preparation, I’m committing to run a race each month beginning March 12th with an adventure race I am already registered for: Tough Mudder.

This is a 10 mile race with obstacles that will have me swinging across a mud pit, walking through fire, and running UP a slippery motorcross slope.  Check out the obstacle map.

It is 4 weeks post-jaw break and it isn’t a contact sport… so I’m good to go!

2 weeks later is the Atlanta Women’s 5K.  That’s more than 1 a month, but I need to make up for January and February. 🙂  All the finishers receive a flower at the end – how sweet is that?!

April 16th I will definitely do a race.  Perfect way to celebrate surviving Tax Day. I was planing on Run the River.  But I just realized that is also the day of the Gerogia Tech Pi Mile (Pi = 3.14… get it?) AND the Sweetwater 420 5K.  The Pi Mile starts at 8a.  The Sweetwater 5K starts at 10a… are you thinking what I’m thinking???

Tonight I am really excited to try the Garbanzo Bean Soup Angela@ Oh She Glows created.

One of the saddest parts about breaking my jaw was the thought of not being able to have hummus.  I could eat it by the spoonful… but people would stare. Angela has solved that problem!

More on that when I make it this evening. 🙂

The smooth creation of the day so far was an Orange Cream Smoothie.

This Orange Cream Smoothies is a glass of creamy, vanilla-orange deliciousness.  Reminiscent of those yummy push-up pops from the ice cream truck. 🙂

Orange Cream Smoothie

  • 1 medium orange
  • 1/4 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1T Twister Power (sprouted omega blend)
  • 1/2 packet of Stevia
  • Big handful of spinach
  • Water + Ice to taste

Throw it in a blender, mix until smooth, and enjoy!

***

Two 5Ks in a day would really only be a 10K with a really long break in the middle…

What races are you planning this year?  

Have you ever done 2 5Ks in a day?

Inspiration

By

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day!  It was nice to have a reprieve from the cold and ice even if it is grey and raining today.  I ran around the park before dinner and it was almost too crowded to run.  People-watching FTW.

Speaking of watching…

My friend Courtney shared a link to Food Gawker in the comments section yesterday.

I’ve long been a fan of the site, but it was a great reminder to visit another awesome sight: Food Porn Daily.

If you can look here without getting excited… kudos to you my friend. Don’t judge me. 🙂

It is from these sites, restaurant menus, and other blogs that I get the most  inspiration.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a dish in one of these resources and run to the store for ingredients to make my own version.

Source: citynoise.com

Yesterday was one of those “buy all of these items you’ve been wishing you had on hand” days.  We have a massive Farmer’s Market in Atlanta that has fantastic prices on veggies, spices, and wine.  This place is epic.  It is such a zoo so impressive that they have a strict “no cameras” policy.

It is easy to get carried away in there… and I’m proof.  I live alone.  There is NO reason I should leave there with more than $50 in groceries.  Yesterday I almost hit $100.

In my defense, I was out of a lot of the basics.

And apparently I’ve been reading a lot of Indian recipes lately.

Garam Masala, curry, tumeric, cinnamon, coconut, ginger, tahini, chickpeas, chickpea flour (99 cents for a large container!)… it is going to be a fun week for cooking!

This is also going to work perfectly with my Recipe Pack Rat goals (does anyone else think “Rat Pack” when reading that?) – I have 5 Indian recipes saved and I already vowed to make Spicy Roasted Chickpeas.

I also would LOVE to try may hand at dessert hummus (how did I not think of this?!) by Evan at The Wannabe Chef.

Sunday morning I may have to try a Michelada. Thank you for a non-tomato hangover cure alternative, Tami @ Running with Tweezers.

Also purchased: a few squash varieties, wonton wrappers, pumpkin puree, San Marzano tomatos, too many oranges, bananas, jalapenos, poblanos, avocados, garlic, onion, kale, spelt flour, yeast, lentils, soba noodles, almonds, hazelnuts, dates, and roasted red peppers.

***

Suggestions for how to use all of this are welcome. 🙂

Apple Pie @ Breakfast

By

This morning I received a call from my boss.  He needs me to proof several (mucho importante) documents before they go to a client.  We had the following conversation:

Boss: It is important that these are perfect.

Me: Sure – no problem.

Boss: Do whatever you need to do in order to maintain focus – read one, go for a rune, read one, go for a run.

Me: (LMAO)

🙂

Cool or scary that he knows this about me?!

Did I mention how much I love my job?

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Obviously, I need to be well-fed to complete this task.  I’ve been looking forward to testing out the Apple Pie Oatmeal creation by Angela @ Oh She Glows.

I adjusted it a bit for my taste.  I added the apples later in the process to ensure they held onto their crunch, and included ginger.  Of course, I had to top it with PB because apples + PB go together like peas + carrots.  Jenny.

Eating this was a Friday morning religious experience amazing.

 

Warning: Blurry cell phone pics coming to an end SOON!


Apple Pie Oatmeal

  • 1/3 C oats (I combined multi-grain and Scottish)
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 Braeburn apple, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 T peanut butter
  • 1 T pumpkin seeds

In a small pot over med-high heat, mix the 1/3 cup oats, chia seeds, spices, milk, water, and applesauce.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.  When the mixture is just beginning to thicken, add fresh apple pieces. Pie Oatmeal is done when the mixture thickens and the liquid is absorbed.

Pour into a bowl and add toppings of choice.  I used peanut butter and pumpkin seeds.

***

How well does your boss know you?

Well enough to know midday running produces maximum concentration?

 

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