Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Back to Reality with Sizzlefish + WIAW

By

Competition diets aren’t realistic. long-term

 

Disclosure: The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Sizzlefish.

Eating like I have been leading up to my competition was a short-lived reality… again, it isn’t how you should eat forever.  This week I’m thrilled that food is back to being fun again this week.  I haven’t had time for a proper grocery store run, but I’ve had some help!

 Sizzlefish shipment

 

Sizzlefish provided me with a Sizzlefish sampler of their Omega-3 Protein Mix.  It included Coho salmon, Atlantic salmon, sablefish, rainbow trout, catfish, Atlantic cod, haddock, and catfish.

Did you know that studies have shown that a diet high in fish, particularly fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids, enhances athletic performance and health?

Sizzlefish

 

My fish were frozen at the peak of quality, pre-portioned, and shipped on dry ice to have on-hand when I was back to “normal” food.  After cutting fat, I couldn’t bust into this fast enough!

I came home late from a crazy work day, it was the perfect thing to quickly cook up.  I was surprised by how fresh the frozen fish was!  Check out my dinner below for more.

Side note: wouldn’t this make a an awesome holiday gift?!  Mamma may be received a Christmas shipment from Sizzlefish… 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Since I haven’t done a full re-stock yet, this isn’t quite a normal WIAW, but it’s much improved from last week!

WIAWbutton

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

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

My healthiest addiction began my day – Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. 

Breakfast is not long turkey or chicken – hooray!  I traveled all the way from Colorado with this almost-empty jar of Justin’s almond butter in order to make overnight oats in a jar.  Can you believe Heather’s hubby was going to throw it away?!  All that nutty deliciousness hiding at the bottom of a mixture of oats, Greek yogurt, and goji berries laced with cinnamon and ginger.

Justins OOIAJ

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Lisa, my competition buddy and co-worker, surprised me with homemade cocoa cookie bites.  I asked if they were “healthy” and she said they are all-organic.  Works for me! 😉

See the black dot on my pinky?  That’s where I slammed a weight on my hand 3 weeks ago!  Blood blisters are the gift that keeps on giving.

 

Lunch:

A quick trip to Whole Foods the night before resulted in a lunch of smoked rotisserie chicken mixed with shallots, paprika, nutritional yeast, ACV, and pepper over a slice of sesame Ezekial bread, mustard, and spinach.

This was the first time I’d seen smoked chicken at Whole Food – it is the best rotisserie I’ve ever gotten there!

smoked rotisserie chicken

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Think Thin was nice enough to send me a little treat a few weeks back.  I hadn’t gotten to dive into the box yet, but it has come in handy this week!  I really enjoyed the Caramel Fudge flavor as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.  With the rest of the cookies from earlier… 

Think Thin

 

Dinner:

Dinner was when I enjoyed my Sizzlefish.  I got home really late, but was still able to have a good dinner!  I couldn’t decide whether I wanted salmon or trout, so I had both.  Life is short, why choose?

I had put them in the fridge the night before to haw, so when I got home I tossed them under the broiler with lemon juice and pepper for about 7 mins along with roasted veggies I’d picked up from Whole Foods.

Sizzlefish

 

Dessert:

I feel really lame… but I wasn’t hungry for dessert after eating dinner at 10pm.  Instead, I had another holiday kombucha and called it a night.

***

I am so very excited to buy all of the foods at the international market this weekend!  Grocery shopping should be an Olympic sport.  I’d medal.

Have you ever had frozen seafood?  What is your favorite?

Have you started thinking about holiday shopping yet?  Would you gift food?  I couldn’t believe it when I realized Thanksgiving is next week!

 

The One Where Food Became Fuel

By

Food, in the simplest of definitions, is fuel.

I missed that memo.

Food, for me, has always been entertainment.  It’s art.  It’s an experiment.  It’s what I do when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired, bored… I love food.  End scene.

You might imagine that a limited diet is my worst nightmare.  I’ve been trying to prove you can still be creative on a competition diet.  You can… but the last week of cutting is HARD.  You’ll notice from last week’s WIAW at 4 days out, I still had a lot of variety.  This time around I decided to try something new.  Being more boring traditional.

I cut fat and am sticking to lean proteins (mostly tilapia).  My main veggie is asparagus.  My carbs are oatmeal in the morning and sweet potato after that.  I’m not hungry at all… but my palette is bored out of its mind.  Food has become fuel.

4 days out

Why am I doing this?  Quite simply, to see if it’s necessary.  I want to compare last weekend to this weekend.  Will it make a difference if I eat more like everyone else the week before a competition?  Only my abs time will tell!

The fascination with experimentation is what’s keeping me on track this week!

I almost feel like I should apologize for the repetitive nature of this WIAW.  I am 4 days from my 4th figure competition.  It’s the last one for a long while… I promise next week will be more interesting.

WIAWbutton

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

Breakfast:

I still start the day with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

Breakfast was oatmeal with a ton of cinnamon, honey, and pomegranate atop a homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties.  I really do love the turkey “sausage.”  It’s something I would make in the off-season too – they’re a great clean, low-sodium alternative to the store-bought stuff.

As usual, I ate it in the car on the way to work.  Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait!

Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait

Mid-Morning Snack:

Surprise, surprise.  Tilapia.  I did add some variety with cucumbers, red bell pepper, and purple sweet potato chips (with cinnamon).

tilapia and purple sweet potato

Lunch:

Fish variety at lunch – I had Perch with my asparagus.  The asparagus I sautéed during food prep with shallots, garlic, lime juice, and herb.  I’m really loving the perch – it’s super mild.

perch and asparagus

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Tilapia.  Again.  Added some variety in two ways: I used purple asparagus and I made it into ribbons!  Purple asparagus is thicker, so it makes it a bit easier to shred into ribbons.  Fuel can be fun.  Ish.

asparagus ribbons

Dinner:

Dinner was is my favorite treat – Sea Bass.  It even makes asparagus taste better.  Purple sweet potato is like dessert.  I topped it with some nutritional yeast for a nutty accent.

sea bass and purple sweet potato

Dessert:

It’s not really dessert anymore.  Tilapia topped with a blend of Mexican spices and cucumber with salt-free mustard.  Nom.

***

I prepped all my food to take to Denver today for this weekend’s competition.  Tilapia and curry-roasted asparagus are on tap for the plane.  Others on the flight are going to love me. #sorryimnotsorry

Do you view food simply as fuel?  Fun?  Something else?

How do you keep it interesting in the kitchen?

A Day of Food at 4 Days Out

By

Change is often slow.

 

The bane of my impatient existence.

Change does come to those who stay the course.  When I started training for competitions I had some muscle tone, but was underweight and had literally run my ass off.  I posted about my journey here so I won’t rehash.  What I will say (again) is that there is NOTHING you can’t accomplish with hard work and the unwavering belief that you can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Yes, I’m still small for Figure; I know I have a long way to go.  This weekend’s show is the most competitive one I’ve ever done and I know I won’t place.  That doesn’t lessen my excitement to have the experience, and to be around so many inspiring competitors.  AND – regardless of the outcome – I’m pretty damn proud of this progress in about a year and a half.

Progress pic 2013

Competing isn’t easy.  Some days I don’t want to get up and do cardio or eat healthy food or hear snarky comments from people… but it is worth it.  The good days and the personal satisfaction outweigh the bad.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: find something you’re passionate about and go do it to the fullest extent.  It could be running, lifting, painting, writing code… whatever!  You will be more fulfilled and SO MUCH happier – it has made all the difference for me.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Enough inspirational mush!  This WIAW I am 4 days from my 3rd figure competition!  Bring on the lean protein, complex carbs, and yes… the asparagus. 

WIAWbutton

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

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

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

Breakfast was pancakes.  Not as good as my usual.  These were just oat flour, an egg white, baking powder, and cinnamon.  BUT… I got to have pancakes!  The sauce was the best part.  I mashed up raspberries, added a dash of maple extract, and microwaved them for ~10 secs to create a syrup.  I’d eat that outside of competition prep!

With a side of Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken.

oat cakes and raspberry sauce

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Leftover Parrot Fish with asparagus and sugar peas.  Nom.

The fish looked prettier on Instagram 2 nights ago.  For those that were curious on Monday, the fish was tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. It was a mild white fish, on the meaty side and slightly buttery.

parrot fish

 

Lunch:

I froze last week’s leftover lean beef burgers for lunches this week.  It was just as good warmed up and eaten with sweet potato rounds, asparagus, and red peppers.

Some have asked why I eat the majority of my asparagus raw.  The reason is VERY important: I like it better raw.  It has a sweet crunchiness.

burger

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I gave in to a cliché and went back to an old recipe this week… Tequila Lime Tilapia.  Tilapia is “the” source of protein for many in the bodybuilding community.  Variety is a better choice for me; if I had to eat the same thing every meal I’d never make it.  Tilapia is fine in moderation though!  Especially with tequila.

The fish and calabaza squash were cooked during my Sunday meal prep.  I reheated them ate at it with a quick raw salad of yellow cherry tomatoes and white asparagus tossed in a mix of nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and a homemade Mexican spice blend.

Tequila-Lime Tilapia

 

Dinner:

Dinner was a roasted veggie fest – part of this week’s food prep was a giant pan of white and green asparagus, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, green onion, and fresh herbs in Meyer lemon juice.  I also tossed pieces of the actual lemon in the pan too.  It’s completely edible and not too sour after a good roast.

Eaten with my favorite protein: Sea Bass.

sea bass and roasted veggies

 

Dessert:

No more diary and no more protein powder in my diet… it’s Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken and carrots for dessert.  Admittedly, this is NOT my favorite part about competing.

chicken dessert

***

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~Diane Ackerman

What are you passionate about?

Do you prefer veggies raw or cooked?  I generally like ’em raw… though I do love a good char roast.

 

Sexy Food + WIAW

By

Food is sexy.

Food porn is a real thing.

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

sexy sriracha costume

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

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

sexy bacon costume

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

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

________________________________________________________________________________________

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

WIAWbutton

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

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

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

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

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

Peanut Coffee Overnight Oats

Peanut-Coffee Oats in a Jar

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

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

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

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

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

Mid-Morning Snack:

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

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

chocolate beet protein shake

Lunch:

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

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

burger and yuca chips

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

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

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

perch and veggies

Dinner:

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

chicken and veggies

Dessert:

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

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

Banana Peanut Butter Mugcake

Banana Peanut Butter Mugcake

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

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

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

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

Makes 1 cake.

***

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

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

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

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake + WIAW

By

Here comes the rooster.

Bonus points if you can name that song..

sriracha

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

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

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

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

WIAWbutton

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

Breakfast:

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

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

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal

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

In a small pot prepare oatmeal and TVP as normal.  

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

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

Mid-Morning Snack:

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

Sheepshead fish

Lunch:

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

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

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

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

salmon cucumber rolls

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

Dinner:

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

Dessert:

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

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

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

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake

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

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

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

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

Makes 1 cake.

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

***

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

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

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

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

By

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

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

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

1. Wake Up, Eat, Get Dressed

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

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

Cheesecake TVP Oatmeal

2. Go to Competition Suit Fitting

No pic till competition day… but I LOVE it!

My suit

3. Posing practice and Back/Tri Workout

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

Clearly this called for a photoshoot.

4. Meet with 1st Personal Training Client

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

5. Grocery Shop

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

sheepshead fish

6. Cook Dinner

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

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

7. Clean Out/Organize Work Emails

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

8. Eat dessert

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

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

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

Overall, it was a marvelous weekend!

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

Pumpkin Almond Protein Batter

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

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

Top with your favorites and enjoy!

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

***

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

Have you ever tried Icelandic yogurt?

What does a typical Saturday look like for you?

Strange But Good: Thai Peanut Salmon

By

Fish is a diet staple for me.

Oddly, I refused to eat seafood until 2 years ago.

When you eat as much seafood as I do, it’s bound to get a little strange.  I’ve had some fails, but often it pretty good!

Today’s recipe involves salmon and peanut butter, as I further attempt to prove that peanut butter is good on anything.

Thai Peanut Salmon

This isn’t so far out there.  Many of you have had Pad Thai before.  That’s just noodles and shrimp (or chicken/tofu) in a peanut sauce.  This is a similar concept, but baked.  I used my Thai Peanut Sauce as the topping.  I think it work really well here with the rich, slightly sweet salmon.

I topped mine with fresh basil and ate it with raw asparagus and BBQ Cauliflower Bites.  This would also be fantastic on a salad or on pastas.  Maybe with red bell pepper and carrots?  

__________________________________________________________________________________

Thai Peanut Salmon

Thai Peanut Salmon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place salmon, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet (you can use a non-stick sheet, but the foil makes for an easier clean up).

Prepare peanut sauce and spread evenly across salmon.

Bake until salmon is just cooked through, 10-12 minutes.  This may vary based on the thickness of the filet.

Plate and enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.

__________________________________________________________________________________

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

Sprint 2 the Table

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


***

Sarah, don’t comment.  I know you think this is normal.  You embody strange.  But good. 😛

Can anyone name something peanut butter (or nut butter of your choosing) is not good on?

Have your taste buds changed a lot over the years?  Do you like seafood?

PB & Pear Eggs + WIAW

By

Technology gets me excited.

 

Clearly I need to get out more.

Being a figure competitor means my food scale is my most-used kitchen tool.  I need to weigh my proteins to make sure I have enough, and I can more easily get accurate serving sizes for other items.  Even if you don’t eat like a crazy person, scales are a HUGE help in baking.  I no longer use measuring cups!

countertop and prep pad

 

I read about this Countertop + Prep Pad with glee.  This device can determine the exact nutritional content of whatever you’re making and track your eating habits.  Beyond the traditional accurate weighing of ingredients, it has a BlueTooth connection and an app which displays your data.  You place food on the scales, indicate what it is, and the app shows the nutritional data (with macros, micros, and ingredients).  It even tracks goals for you!

It’s available to pre-order now for $149.95 (delivery in November).  I’m soooooo tempted…

(I randomly ran across this… they didn’t pay me or anything.  It’s just cool.)

________________________________________________________________________________________

This is WIAW I am back to “normal.”  I food prepped well this week, and was able to keep on track through back to back meetings.  It’s a fun busy though. 🙂

WIAWbutton

Read on for my 4 weeks out eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast:

Ever the creature of habit, a had my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  Sam posted she’s been starting her day with ACV for a year… made me realize I’m at about 2 years.  Whoa.

My meal was a win.  Normally I go to bed thinking about breakfast, but last night I didn’t have an clear vision.  It came in the morning though!  Pear.  Cardamom.  Eggs.  Peanut sauce.  Totally normal.

PB & Pear Eggs to go

Cardamom is one of those “a little goes a long way” spices, but just a pinch can make a dish something spectacular.  Especially when that dish involves pear.

I plated this for a pic before pouring it into a solo cup to-go.  See bottom of post for the prettier pic and full recipe. 

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Crab salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, hummus, and pepper.  I love crab.  I really love crab that is 20% off.

Crab, arugula, tomato, and hummus salad

 

Lunch:

Dijon Baked Chicken (so glad I made a TON of froze it), roasted bok choy, and yuca fries with salsa.  I am newly obsessed with yucca fries.

Yuca (also known as Cassava) is a thick, starchy tuber.  It’s sort of like a potato, but a little sweeter and drier.  It’s also really hard to slice… but, like kabocha, it’s worth the effort.  I sliced mine into fries and roasted it on 425 til it was crispy (maybe 25 mins?).

Yuca fries

For a funny story about my lunch here.

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I make a lot of food… which means sometimes I forget about recipes.  This week I remembered one I really loved: BBQ Cauliflower Bites.  Yesterday I ate it at work with asparagus and a veggie burger with beer mustard.  Happy girl, I was.

BBQ Cauliflower and veggie burger

 

Dinner:

Dinner was a pleasant surprise.  I was SO SORE after leg day that I decided to take a rest day and detoured to Whole Paycheck Foods on the way home for some fresh fish.  I ended up with flounder, a fish I’d never prepared at home before.

I baked my flounder for 10 mins at 425 with fresh lemon, pepper, and lemon-thyme a co-worker brought me from her garden (thanks Allison!).  Eaten with half a roasted yellow acorn squash and broccoli slaw over a bed of arugula.

Lemon flounder and acorn squash

Dessert:

It’s finally feeling like fall in Atlanta, so a warm dessert was in order.  I Made my 150 Calorie Microwave Chocolate Cake (using pumpkin puree instead of applesauce) and topped it with berries and pumpkin fluff.

Chocolate Pumpkin Mug Cake

Pumpkin fluff is amazing.  It’s just equal parts pumpkin puree, Tru Whip (cleaner cool whip from WF), cinnamon, and butter extract.  Just do it.

________________________________________________________________________________________

PB & Peaggs

PB & Peaggs

  • 2/3 C egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cardamom

For the Sauce

  • 1 T peanut flour (or nut butter)
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 3-4 drops liquid Stevia
  • 1 small pear, chopped

 

Scramble together then first 4 ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until almost done.  Meanwhile, mix together peanut sauce.

Add the peanut sauce and pear, stirring to combine.  Cook just long enough to warm through. 

Devour.

***

Let’s revisit my leg day.  I am so sore.  So very sore.  GROW LEGS!

Do you use a food scale?  Would you buy this hard-core one?

Have you tried anything new lately that you’re loving? I’m a flounder fan now!

 

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!