Happy Thanksgiving

November 25, 2010 By Laura

Quick post before we get on the road to Charlotte. My mom and baby sis are spending Thanksgiving with family at my cousin’s house. I’m already excited for dinner and I haven’t even had lunch. 🙂

The Gobble Jog this morning was AWESOME! I finished the 10K in just over 55 mins (official times aren’t up yet).

That’s my best time yet! I didn’t walk at all, despite some pretty intense hills. And the last 1/2 mile of the race was at an incline (ouch).

***Edited to add official time – 55:38:01!!!***

We passed the Big Chicken on the way there.

In case you haven’t heard of this must-see attraction random 56 ft. chicken in the ‘burbs of ATL, it is a historical landmark. Built by a Georgia Tech grad (Go Jackets!) long, long ago, the massive chicken tops the Marietta KFC.

Only in Georgia, people. 🙂

Speaking of chicken… back to the Gobble Jog.

Baby Sis did a great job despite having strep throat.

AND…

Mom ran her first 5k!!!

So proud of us all.

The Happy Runners

Hope everyone has a fantastic Turkey Day!

Go Time + Sweet Potato Falafel

November 24, 2010 By Laura

The baking has begun.

Welcome to the holiday season.

Can you guess what this is?

My neighbor and baking-extraordinaire made TURKEY cupcakes! Unbelievable.

The stuffing is made of tiny cubes of pound cake and the greenery is cereal. I wish I was that creative/talented!

For my first non-cleanse dinner, I made Sweet Potato Falafel based on these by 101 Cookbooks.

Sweet Potato Falafel

2 Medium sweet potatoes, cooked
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Turmeric
2 Garlic cloves, minced
Juice of half a lemon
1 C Rice flour*
1 T EVOO
1 T Toasted sesame oil
Sprinkling of chia seeds
Salt and pepper

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, coriander, lemon juice and flour into a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste, add EVOO and sesame oils, then mush with fork until smooth with no chunks. Place in fridge to firm up for 30 mins. The mix should be more gooey than wet. If needed, add a bit more EVOO or flour (the water content of sweet potatoes varies).

Preheat the oven to 400F. Using a tablespoon or a falafel scoop, scoop the mixture on to an oiled tray. Sprinkle seeds on top and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins, until the bases are golden brown.

Makes about 15 falafel.

*Amp up the protein by subbing half of the rice flour for Growing Natural’s Rice Protein Powder.

These were great with a salad and leftover grilled eggplant!

Now for the fun, dessert-like things baked. 🙂

1. Angela’s Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies (check it out on Oh She Glows)

2. Kentucky Derby Pie (the alco/choco-holic’s version of pecan pie)

This is one of my favorite “treats.” Mom has been making it forever.

It is fantastic, easy to make, and perfect to gift a friend or bring to a dinner party.

Kentucky Derby Pie

1/2 C Salted butter, melted
1 C Sugar
1 C Light corn syrup (I use the Karo)
2 T Bourbon (I use Jack and pour those tablespoons generously over the bowl)
3 Eggs
1 C Semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsels
1 C Pecans, lightly chopped
Pie crust (making your own is a pain unnecessary – use the Pillsbury. It tastes just fine!)

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Add bourbon and eggs. Mix well. Fold in nuts and chocolate. Pour in pie shell (I grease the pie dish before putting the shell in because the insides usually seep over and make it the crust stick).

Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins (this has taken up to an hour before… depends on your oven). It will poof up a bit and may crack in the middle. When it’s done it shouldn’t be real jiggly, but will have a little movement. It will brown. Let it cool before you serve it! It is made to pair with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of bourbon coffee.

3. Flour-less Chocolate Crack Cake

It is important to taste as you go

Carefully pour into springform

Move your fingers, Mom!

Top with sea salt and drizzle of EVOO

This is good. Close to perfect. Recipe to come when I make a few tweaks.

In anticipation of the 10K tomorrow morning, I tasted the baked goods verrrrry lightly. And then I drank a neon-Green Monster. 🙂

Neon colors taste better

Then I looked at the baking aftermath and shuddered.

***

In the thankful spirit of the season, here are some things I am particularly thankful for this year:

My mom
My sisters
Great friends
A new job that I love
Sticktuitiveness
The ride

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Fall Soup Perfection – Butternut-Apple

November 13, 2010 By Laura

We are half way through the SP Cleanse! I have to say… I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed it.

What I have learned so far:

Eating clean does wonders for my energy level (hello, 7 mile run!)
It also helps me to sleep like a baby
I can be pretty creative with finding a variety of foods to eat
I like love spaghetti squash
My mom is a fun person to cleanse with (and is an amazing cook… but I already knew that)
When I don’t eat enough/often enough, I get headaches and I over-eat
Carbs (even rice) at lunch cause me to crash hard at about 230p like clockwork
Lentils get old really fast (If I ever see another lentil again, it will be too soon. No joke.)
I don’t crave things I thought I would: pizza, beer, totchos, meat (except for lamb and pork, oddly enough)
Things I do crave are mostly healthy: oats, hummus, crusty bread, ice cream (weird – I am more of a cake person), red wine, good cheeses (mainly gouda and herbed goat cheese)
I actually do possess some self-control

The point of this was NOT to lose weight, but to cleanse my system and jump start some better habits.

That being said, I am down a few lbs and I am damn happy about it! 🙂

Ok. I am about to post the best cleanse-approved recipe so far.

We had a roasted butternut squash in the refrigerator begging to be used. Despite our veggie diet, we had not made a good soup yet.

Hours after she ate this Butternut Squash Apple Soup, my mom kept saying “Laura, that soup was amazing.”

(This really meant a lot – see above comment about what a good cook she is!)

This recipe is on the sweet side due to the apples, but packs a little heat on the end thanks to the red pepper-infused olive oil.

Local product shout-out: I love Sweetwater Growers’ infused olive oils. They carry them at Whole Paycheck Foods and Kroger in Atlanta – I’d be interested to know if you have seen them in other states!

I <3 infused ingredients

Butternut Squash-Apple Soup

1 T Red pepper infused olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Butternut squash, pre-cooked and diced*
2 Apples, diced (I used Gala)
1/4 C Yellow onion, diced
1T Rosemary (fresh)
5 C Vegetable broth
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
Freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and roast until just beginning to brown.

Add pre-cooked* butternut squash, apples, onion, rosemary, and veggie broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 10 mins (until apple is tender).

Using a hand mixer or blender, puree ingredients. Add additional seasonings – turmeric, salt, and pepper. Mix and allow to cook 5-10 mins more.

Pour into bowls, drizzle with rosemary-infused olive oil, garnish with fresh rosemary spring, and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Notes: You can use regular olive oil and add red pepper to taste. Be creative with the seasonings! I would love to try this with some cinnamon and nutmeg, or with so cumin and smokey paprika for a spicier soup. Don’t be afraid of the salt – it does a lot to bring out the sweet apple taste (I used a blend of sea salt and herb-infused).

*To pre-cook squash: Cut in half (soften in the microwave if too hard to cut). Place cut side down in a baking dish and fill with ~1 inch of water. Roast in 350 degree oven for 45 mins, or until outside skin is soft to touch.

***

Time for my experiment of the day: Will running errands in my running clothes mean that I will go to the river for a run before heading back home? 😉

Is your mom a good cook?

Do you like a sweet ‘n spicy combo?

Cleanse = Fries

November 9, 2010 By Laura

The Cleanse is going really well. I love that I’m trying so many new things and my energy level is great!

Funny what I don’t crave – the thought of fried food makes me nauseous. Not that I ate a lot of fried foods before, but I did have a penchant for tater tots and really good fried chicken.

And what I do crave – ice cream. I have never eaten a lot of it. Right now I would run over my own mother for a bowl. (Just kidding, Mom!!!)

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill last night to test my new running shoes. The guy at Fleet Feet recommended inserts, so I’m testing those too. The jury is still out.

What I don’t like:

The inserts feel hard (not rocks, but harder than just shoes)
Inserts make me feel like my heel isn’t deep enough in the shoe
The show may be a bit narrow… they do stretch though…

What I like:

With the inserts, my overpronation problem felt much improved
The length is perfect
The laces don’t slip (they are the wavy kind)
They are pretty 🙂

Sooooo… I’m not sure what to do. I will definitely need a couple more treadmill tests before deciding.

Side note: I used to run exclusively on a treadmill and couldn’t imagine running without a TV. Tonight I realized I now much prefer running outside and was bored to tears on the “hamster wheel.”

I had work to do and was up until nearly 1 am, so no Whittle My Middle. However, I got up this morning and did it!

Here’s the latest:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 40 reps
Plank ups: 14 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps, 1 set of 40
Side plank w/ twists: 15 reps each side

Has anyone ever heard of the snack cake diet? I am considering it after my cleanse… 😉

Rutabaga fries. They almost taste like real fries. Seriously.

I like mine extra crispy

These fries are really, really good. I’m pretty sure the San Francisco McDonald’s franchises are going to begin serving them with Happy Meals (sans toy, of course).

Rutabaga Fries

1 rutabaga
1T olive oil
2 rosemary springs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt (ground to “flaky” texture)
3-4 shakes of cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel rutabaga and cut into thin fry-like slices. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.

Rough chop rosemary and mince garlic. Sprinkle over rutabaga slices. Add sea salt and cayenne. Toss until each piece is coated.

Spread evenly on non-stick baking sheet. Place in oven ~20 mins, turning twice. Remove, taste, and adjust spices as needed.

Note: Omit the cayenne if you don’t like you nose to run!

How about some vegan cheese sauce with that? We can’t have real cheese on our cleanse, but this isn’t bad. It definitely doesn’t taste like actual cheese, so I hesitate to call it that… but there weren’t any leftovers!

Cheesy Vegan Non-Cheese Sauce

1/4 C Tahini sauce
1/4 C EVOO
1 T Miso Tamari

Place ingredients in mixing bowl and combine until smooth.

***

Whether it be food, running, low-rise jeans, etc… are you ever shocked by how your preferences change?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2

Healthiest Crackers Ever Made

November 8, 2010 By Laura

Baby Sis and I went for a rockstar run. We braved the cold (and the dark) and conquered 7 MILES!

The best part: when we got home, we both said we could have gone longer. I never thought I’d be saying this… but I didn’t mean to start running more than 2-3 miles at a time. It just happened.

Note to self: File under “Things that I never thought I’d say.”

Stats:

Distance – 7 miles
Time – 60:00 mins
Avg Pace – 8:57 mins

I think we are going to be just fine for our Thanksgiving 10K Gobble Jog. 🙂

Disclaimer: We made a pit stop at Old Navy about half way though for 10 mins for a quick peek. Girls will be girls…

Prior to the run, I did my Whittle My Middle with Mom. She held a very impressive 90 second plank!

Following the run, Baby Sis and I completed the Yoga for Runners DVD, which really helped keep the soreness to a minimum today for both of us.

The narration is a tad cheesy, but its effective!

For some reason I have a hard time making myself take time to stretch after a workout, but I am always glad when I do. I need to get better about doing it!

On to the big cracker win!

Unbelievably, I figured out how to make cleanse-approved crackers. These are probably the healthiest crackers ever created. AND they are packed with flavor!

Mixing the fillings

At first there were 2

Then there was 1

Asian-Spiced Flax Crackers

1 C flax meal (mine were roughly ground)
1/4 C chia seed
1 carrot
1 kale leaf
1/4 C cilantro
1/4 C mint
1/2 jalapeño (seeded)
1/8 large yellow onion
2 T tamari miso
2 T lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Combine flax meal and chia seeds in a medium bowl. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the puree to the seed mixture and stir until combined evenly.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat (non-stick aluminum foil works too!). Spread mixture about 1/8 in thick onto sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 2 hours, until firm enough to flip. Flip the cracker and bake 2 hours more. Turn off the oven and leave crackers in to dehydrate overnight.

Break into pieces and they are ready to eat!

Notes: You may crack the oven door if crackers are too moist. Ideally you would use a dehydrator for this, so feel free if you have one!

***

The fail part: I tried for a sweet flax cracker but adding coconut butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. The butter made it too moist (ewww…) and we had to turn it into a topping for the grilled pineapple.

Halloween and Squash

November 5, 2010 By Laura

First the fun part – Halloween in San Francisco.

I woke up and ran through the city – along the Embarcadero and through Chinatown. I didn’t save it on my watch, but it was something like 5.1 miles in 43 mins. Not bad with all the hills!

Then the day was ON. After a few minutes in Urban Outfitters where we purchased sumos, Mallory and I had an awesome brunch at Orson (Elizabeth Falkner from Top Chef’s restaurant).

Sumo Thumb Wrestling

We had some “Apple Juice.”

Waiter... there's a sumo in my drink!

Then some toast.

French toast, maple syrup, pumpkin pie butter, and cinnamon cream

And some eggs.

Eggs benedict on house-made english muffin, canadian bacon, spinach, and cheddar mornay sauce

We opted to pass on dessert.

What better way to spend Halloween than at a famous prison?!

Arriving at Alcatraz

Apparently Native Americans occupied the island for 19 months from 1969-1971. All the history surrounding Alcatraz was really neat.

The Sumos enjoyed the view

Gorgeous day for prison!

: I wore stripes, ironically.

Back in San Fran, we took a looooog walk.

Coit Tower

Somehow we ended up in Chinatown right at snack time.

Pork Sticky Buns

The Sumos felt at home

We finally made it home and spent the next hour rushing around to get ready for Halloween!

It was a lazy costume year

We walked through the Mission to get dinner. Kids there trick-or-treat at businesses (the neighborhood isn’t safe conducive to the pastime).

They aren't as well stocked as Laura would have hoped.

Pit stop for ice cream at Humphry Solcombe before dinner (priorities, people!).

Bacon in ice cream. Brilliant.

Once we devoured finished our dessert, we headed to El Metate for dinner.

El Metate = El Tasty

Tacos with corn tortillas are my favorite. I ordered one veggie and one salsa verde shredded pork. The tortilla chips on the side were freshly baked into a nice, thick chip. The spicy array of treats from the salsa bar were delish too.

Taco heaven

My friends had the veggie burrito and the fried chicken. Do yourself a favor and don’t ever get the fried chicken. It was sinfully good and I’ll be craving it for a looooong time. The guac was also hauntingly good.

Finally, we were off to celebrate All Hallows Eve and oogle other people’s costumes!

The Sumos are party animals!

Now that I’ve posted about all that food… what am I eating on the detox?!

…

Read More »

She’s gone country… wine country, that is

October 28, 2010 By Laura

First off, Happy Birthday to my awesome mom!!!

(It was yesterday, but who’s counting?)

My baby sis drove in from college to surprise her (Mamma cried) and we took her to dinner at Miller Union. Of course, I forgot to bring my camera to capture one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. BUT, if you are in Atlanta go eat there. Immediately. If not sooner.

My Recommendations: Miller Thyme cocktail, a glass of the Frederic Mabileau St. Nicolas de Bourgeil Loire France 2008, creamy grit fritters, skillet NY Strip, any of the veggies, and the warm plum crisp. And don’t bother sticking to a “diet” – dig into the bread they bring out. It’s worth it.

After dinner, Baby Sis came home with me for a sleepover and to try a 6am boot camp. I was shocked we woke up in time.

Between the humidity and crazy workout involving lots of stairs, we worked up an appetite! I made the Grilled French Banana Sandwich from last week and served it with apple sliced on the side.

Guess where I’m going tomorrow!?

It was just a good the second time around! Next time I’m doing it with Chocolate Almond Butter.

Baby sis was also my guinea pig. I tried out a version of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Peas and Thank You.

It was soooo good I started drinking this and ALMOST forgot to take a pic!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

4 c strongly brewed coffee (I used 4 c water to 6 T coffee)
1 1/2 c skim milk
5 T canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Brew coffee. Meanwhile, heat milk, pumpkin, and spices until hot (about 2 mins) on the stove… or in the microwave (I can be lazy in the morning). Pour mixture into blender and blend on high until frothy.

Pour frothy milk mixture into 2 large cups (I had some leftover), and add coffee. Mix lightly and serve.

AND I did my Whittle My Middle moves. The stats:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 50 reps
Plank ups: 16 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
Side plank w/ twists: 12 reps each side

I’m all out of order though! Rewind to Monday.

I started my week here:

Serenbe Inn

This was my cabin:

Magnolia Cabin

Serenbe (“Be Serene”… get it?!) is this awesome 1000 acre sustainable community just 45 mins outside of Atlanta. My team at work had a short retreat there – it felt days away from the city. We had meetings, ate some awesome farm-to-table food at The Farmhouse (our chicken at dinner came from a farm 30 mins away!), and I went on a 4 mile trail run. Two thumbs up.

I also learned about their Southern Chef Series. They bring in popular chefs (Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch fame is coming in January!) and for a small fee you get to cook dinner with them, stay over night, and make breakfast together in the morning. That’s my kind of retreat!

After all the fattening delicious Southern cooking, I was craving some oats. Do you ever put chocolate chips in your pumpkin bread/muffins/pancakes?

In honor of the gorgeous fall leaves, I decided to add some orange to my chocolate overnight oats.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Oats

Chocolate-Pumpkin Overnight Oats

1/4 c oatmeal
1/2 c milk
1/2 scoop Juice Plus powder
Generous shakes of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg

Toppings:

Pumpkin puree
Pecans

There has been some nasty weather in Atlanta and this was the perfect breakfast on a rainy fall morning!

Fast forward again.

I’m ending my week here:

San Francisco, here I come!

And here:

Watch out, Napa!

My BFF and I are going to San Francisco and Napa to visit an old friend for Halloween.

Back in a few days with lots of stories, pictures, and wine! 🙂

http://www.millerunion.com/site/

The most important meal of the day

October 25, 2010 By Laura

On Sunday, that meal is brunch. Yesterday I tried out the new brunch at the Inman Park Pure with one of my favorite partners-in-crime.

Reason #1 she is one of my favs: we ordered dessert first. I think it may have even been her idea.

Churros y Chocolate Caliente

Churros are basically Spain’s answer to doughnuts beignets. They’re fried and then coated in cinnamon and sugar.

The exterior of these was perfectly crisp, not greasy at all. The inside was airy – the dough was just cooked through. Watch out, Krispy Kreme.

Airy churro goodness

Served with a cup of hot chocolate perfection. It wasn’t too sweet (a must given the fried sugary goodness) or too heavy (to the point that we questioned whether it was made with skim milk). In fact, it only got better as we dunked the churros in it.

From the partner-in-crime:

I can’t not smile when I’m eating these.

Georgia has a silly law that you can’t serve alcohol in a restaurant on Sundays until 12:30p (after the good Southerns have attended church services). After the churros were inhaled eaten, we were allowed to enjoy a mimosa.

Mimosa

Then it was on the the main: breakfast burrito. It had a Mexican name that I naturally forgot to write down, but it was basically a chorizo, potato, and egg burrito (beans on the side, thankyouverymuch).

Breakfast Burrito

The burrito was topped with a medium salsa (just tiny kick to it), avocado slices, and oxaca cheese. I ordered a side of salsa verde too!

Burrito insides

It was good. Not great. The chorizo wasn’t very flavorful and the eggs were a bit over done. The rice a dry and would have benefited from more seasoning. The salsas were definitely the best thing on that plate.

The guy at the table next to use ordered a breakfast version of salsa-verde soaked chicken fajitas. Should I go back (and I will – those churros are crave-worthy), I’ll be ordering that. 🙂

We also took time to walk around the Inman Park neighborhood. There are so many cute shops! I bought a Life magazine from 1944.

July 3, 1944

It is so neat to leaf through and look at the ads and story topics (there are 10 pages dedicated to color printing!).

The discovery of the day was an adorable market, Savi. It had some neat food items and a great beer/wine selection. They aslo do beer and wine tastings – we were fascinated by the wines on tap, priced by the ounce for a self-serve tasting.

The owner was friendly and talked with us for a good 10 minutes about the wine selection. He even offered to hunt down my beloved wine from a Barcelona trip 3 years ago. They have a cozy–looking fire place and seating area. I see a wine tasting in my near future!

In true Sunday fashion, I took a nice nap when I got home. Then went for a ~4 mile run. I think I could have gone longer. It was such a nice night and my legs were feeling strong.

That was a nice surprise, as I’ll be adding miles to my runs in preparation for the 10K Gobble Jog with my baby sis on Thanksgiving.

This morning’s Whittle My Middle:

Front plank: 90 secs
Side plank: 60 secs each side
Torso twists: 50 reps
Plank ups: 14 reps
Boat pose: 25 reps
Bicycle: 4 sets of 30 reps
Side plank w/ twists: 15 reps each side
Double crunches: 30*

*I just added this one in today. These are great for working the whole core, crunching your upper and lower half together.

Source

I’m headed out the the airport to pickup a co-worker on the way to our team retreat.

In other news, I am turning into my mother. I washed the sheets before leaving town so that I will come home to clean sheets. Is anyone else this crazy?!