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Satisfying Creamy Asian Kale Salad + WIAW

September 25, 2013 By Laura

There are no short cuts.

That doesn’t seems to stop people from trying .

Satisfries?  Really Burger King?  According to this article, the fast food chain has developed a lower fat french fry.*  One serving is 190 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium.

*Yes, they are really called Satisfries

satisfries

Apparently Satisfries taste like regular fries – they are made with the same oil as the full-fat version.  The trick is that Burger King uses an oil-repelling agent in the better that lowers the fat content.

This is kitchen wizardry, not a nutritious french fry.  I can’t stand when companies do this because it’s misleading to consumers.  Yes,ultimately it’s up to the individual to do their research… but they DON’T.  They see these products come out and think eating fries for lunch every day is a good choice (with a burger and a diet coke).

Right or wrong, the timing couldn’t be better.  The U.S Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts on their menus next year.  I wonder how many more menus items like these will be popping up?

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This is WIAW was crazy.  I was in back to back meetings and pretty much only left my office long enough to pee and run to the fridge for more food.  Thank god for food prep.  I’m sure people think I’m nuts.

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Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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Breakfast:

I’m still going with my new Aminos in my morning cocktail.  I am liking it!  It’s not a sweet, but I think that’s nice on my taste buds early in the AM.

The food part… well, let’s just say I won’t be leaving the house without tasting my breakfast first ever again.  This was going to be a genius idea – mixing ingredients for an oatmeal mugcake the night before so all I had to do was nuke it in the morning.  2 mistakes: I tried a totally new recipe and I microwaved it WAY too long.

mugcake fail

At least the Cats mug made me smile.

Mid-Morning Snack:

Porgy with celery sticks and my lentil hummus.  Porgy was a new fish to me.  I really liked it – it’s heartier, more similar to chicken than a flaky fish.

Bonus: Progy is fun to say. porgy fish

Lunch:

This was salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and a massaged kale salad.

The dressing (massage lotion?) was my take on Heather’s Creamy Chickpea Salad.  If you’ve never use tofu in dressing before, you MUST try it.  I can’t believe how creamy and delicious this was!

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • ~10 shiitake mushrooms, diced
  • 1/2 C chopped asparagus
  • 3 ounces firm tofu
  • Fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp dulse (seaweed flakes)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

Toss together kale, mushrooms, and asparagus.

Blend together dressing ingredients, and massage into kale mix.  

Can eat immediately, but best if allowed to marinate overnight so that veggies soften and flavors infuse..

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Pork Belly of the sea! Sea bass is my favorite fish.  Hands down.  I ate it in my office with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I keep in my desk).

sea bass

Dinner:

Dinner continues to be more snack-like on my new schedule.  I snacked on some (unpictured) granola before hustling to the gym.  When I came home after 9p, all I wanted was my chocolate-beet smoothie.

I was out of beet powder (my Whole Foods quit carrying it!!!), so I tossed in a raw beet!  The Vitamix blended it like a champ.  Topped with more granola, then inhaled.

chocolate beet smoothie bowl

Then I needed round two.  Double roasted kabocha and peanut flour sauce.

I could eat this every meal.

roasted kabocha and peanut sauce

Dessert:

I’m so sad about this… I made my Carrot Cake Batter Protein Bowl using French Vanilla Designer Whey.  Was planning to top it with a Banana Nut Quest Bar.  And I did.  But not before I burned it.  I ate it any way, obv.  Note to self: Don’t put your Quest bars under the broiler and walk away.

Topped with cocoa powder-coconut flour sauce and Nuttzo.  Because that makes everything better.

burned quest

***

Don’t forget to enter the Designer Whey giveaway for a 1 year supply worth $500.  Contest ends tonight at 11:59p!

Satisfries.  Do you buy it?  Would you buy it?

Do you keep a stash of spices in your desk or purse?

Filed Under: Products, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, Designer Whey, dessert, dinner, kabocha, lunch, protein, quest bar, seafood, smoothies, snacks, vitamix, WIAW

Peanut Flour Love + WIAW

August 28, 2013 By Laura

What’s more exciting than packages?

Chocolate cake.

I came home last night to a delivery from iHerb.  After a massage and a trip to Whole Foods, it was the icing on the chocolate cake.

Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!

iHerb order

Many of these are new to me – toffee stevia, Walden Farms caramel, and the peanut butter protein powder.  I have been out of tahini and coconut flour for a while, so I’m excited to use those again.  I bet I can use it all together!

Do you think I got enough peanut flour?  I love that stuff.  It’s better than the other stuff (ahem… PB2) because it’s just the de-fatted nuts.  No added sodium or sugar.

What should you do with your peanut flour?  Allow me to help…

Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Ice CreamSP ice cream

Tofu Noodle Stir Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Tofu noodles with peanut sauce

Rum Butter Kabocha Bowl

Rum Butter Kabocha Bowl

Sweet Potato Scramble with Spiced Maple-Peanut Sauce

SP Scramble with PB Sauce

Sweet Potato Pan-lette

SP Eggs

French Elvis Toast

P28 Bread French Toast

There’s a lot more where that came from… check out my Recipage.  I may or may not have an addiction…

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This WIAW was a good one.  I was much more prepared this week to stick to my plan.  I’m using more quinoa to help me hit my carbs.  This time I made extra to keep in the freezer for quick access next week too.

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

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Breakfast:

Of course I had my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) to start my day out right.

Then it was on to the #yolkporn.  I made Toad in a Hole with my P28 bread and local eggs.  I ate it with a side of kiwi and cottage cheese mixed with cinnamon.

Toad in a Hole with P28 bread

Mid-Morning Snack:

This was my post-workout refuel.  I made a Chocolate-Beet Protein Smoothie with extra spinach.  Topped with my custom granola and blueberries.

Side note: It drives me insane when people call them “bloobs.”  Is that silly?  #sorryimnotsorry

Chocolate Beet green protein smoothie

Lunch:

Cod that I baked in marinara sauce and mushrooms with a side of quinoa mixed with hummus, white bell pepper, and broccoli slaw.

It was pungent, so I also had one of the office soft mints. 😉

Cod

Afternoon Snack:

Sandwiches aren’t a staple in my life, but I’m really liking them lately!  This was turkey made at the local farmer’s market on Ezekial bread with local greens and hummus.

The salad was a Quinoa Tabbouleh.  The recipe will come tomorrow!

Turkey sandwich and quinoa tabbouleh

 This is when the day got awesome.  I left work to get a massage… where I realized exactly how badly I need to get them regularly.  My back was a knot forest.

Kombucha is good for muscle recovery, so naturally I headed to Whole Paycheck Foods to get a one on tap.  And a few other things I didn’t really need.

Buchi Fire

Shamelessly staged a photo shoot in the parking lot.

Dinner:

Ripped Recipes shared my Cheese-less Cauliflower Crust recipe on Instagram last night… which sparked a craving.  Pizza time!

I topped mine with marinara, broccoli slaw, baked tofu, and a slice of Daiya Provolone.  I eat cheese, but I actually love Daiya.  I do not; however, think it tastes like real cheese.

Cheese-less cauliflower crust

I am finally getting smart about making this pizza – I make a few crusts at a time to keep in the freezer for quick week night dinners.  MUCH better than pizza from the freezer section!

Side note: I recently discovered and really like Ripped Recipes as a resource for creative, protein-rich ideas.  Have you guys ever heard of them?

Dessert:

I really, really love carrots.  Hence – once again – my Carrot Cake Protein Batter.  I added some of the protein powder from my iHerb box and used a tiny bit of the Walden Farms caramel.  Both were a little fake.  The custom granola crack and the figs were good!

peanut butter carrot cake protein batter

***

The peanut flour farmers should really pay me.  Or I should at least get a break on my state taxes (it’s made here in GA).

Have you ever ordered from iHerb?  What are some of your go-tos?

What are some of your favorite carbs?  Oatmeal?  Quinoa?  Others?

Filed Under: Products, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, Daiya, dessert, dinner, Kombucha, lunch, peanut flour, pizza, protein, Ripped Recipes, seafood, smoothies, snacks, tofu, vegetarian, vitamix

Samsung Galaxy Camera + WIAW

August 21, 2013 By Laura

Once in a blue moon I surprise myself…

 

Get it?  Last night was a blue moon…

I’ve always lamented having to take pictures of food.  I just want to make it and chow down.  My inner fat kid doesn’t like to wait for a photo shoot.  

Then there’s the transfer of pics to the computer.  Then editing.  That is less painful than I build it up to be, but it doesn’t stop me from some serious procrastination.  In short, I’m lazy and I’d rather do everything on my iPhone via Instagram.

But a new toy has come into my life and saved the day.  Thanks to Verizon and the Fitfluential Ambassador program, I was given a Samsung Galaxy Camera with Verizon 4G LTE network to try.  ***As always, all opinions are my own.***

camera

I was entertained on the drive to the mountains by taking pics of my iPhone and posting them to IG from my camera… while playing with IG on my iPhone too.  Simple minds, simple pleasures…

 

The Samsung Galaxy is basically a iPhone in camera form.  It even has a preloaded Instagram app to make over sharing stupid easy.  Sharing is done quickly, directly from the camera over Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

Instant gratification, for the win. 😉

20130817_193701

Foggy Blue Ridge Mountains

 

Some of you camera enthusiasts might appreciate that fact that it’s a 16 megapixel and 1080p HD video camera that features a 21x optical zoom lens.  I appreciate that there are pre-set modes allowing a total novice to take decent pics – even at night.  (Never fear for the camera geeks – there’s also an Expert Control mode to manually adjust shutter speed.)

Check out the blue moon last night:

20130820_212250

Taken using the “Night” setting

 

The large HD LCD touch screen makes it convenient to edit photos and videos right from the camera.  You can share it on any number of social networks, add it to your Dropbox, and even email it to yourself!

Mind = blown

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This WIAW was a bit disorganized.  Deciding to stay an extra day in the mountains meant I missed my farmer’s market run (Worth.  It.).  Most of this was obtained from the freezer or from a 15 min sprint 2 the local grocery chain. 😉

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Read on for my odd-ball food, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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Breakfast:

My favorite addiction, my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and  Fitmixer Aminos) started my day out productively… if you know what I mean…

It was an egg-y morning.  I made a quick omelette seasoned with cumin, cayenne, and cilantro.  It was stuffed with avocado and turkey.  That was followed up with a side of grapefruit.

eggs and grapefruit

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

This was my post-workout refuel.  I made a Zucchini Bread Protein Smoothie , only I subbed 1.5 oz of tofu for the cottage cheese and left out the spinach (I’m all out!).  I topped it with my custom granola from last week.  Really, really loving it!

And a cherry on top (followed by a few more on the side).

Zucchini Bread Smoothie

 

Lunch:

Swordfish (surprisingly good from the freezer) with red bell pepper, zucchini, and a slice of Ezekial bread.

Steak of the Sea

Afternoon Snack:

Another lazy man’s turkey salad.  I ripped up some no salt added turkey meat from the deli and mixed it with celery, red pepper flakes, cumin, nutritional yeast, and apple cider vinegar.

I ate my Dora edamame on the side.  Kid food is 100% acceptable as a single adult, no?

dora edamame

 

There was also a new gum involved.  I really liked the Pomegranate flavor, and I appreciate the crew at Pur Gum sending me these samples … but I wish the flavor had lasted more than 5 mins. 🙁

pur gum

 

Dinner:

Sea Bass (also surprisingly good from the freezer) with some hard-core roasted brussels and Injera (Ethiopian bread made of teff flour and water).

injera and sea bass

“Dessert” was what I was really excited for… roasted kabocha!  I topped it with peanut flour sauce and more of my custom granola.

cocoa roasted kabocha

 

Dessert:

Still struggling to hit my carbs, I added a little extra yum to my Carrot Cake Protein Batter.  I stirred in oats and topped it with my custom granola (again) and a cocoa powder sauce.  And cherries. I’m still a little low, but it was close!

Taken and shared on IG via my Samsung Galaxy camera!

Taken and shared on IG via my Samsung Galaxy camera!

***

You know I’m excited about a camera when I go wandering through the park after dark to take pics of the moon.  I’m a little shocked I didn’t get mugged…

Have you ever even heard of a smart camera like this?  How long until cameras and phones are always one in the same? 

Do you like “real” pictures or are you an iPhone photographer?

 

Filed Under: Products Tagged With: breakfast, dessert, dinner, kabocha, lunch, protein, Samsung Galaxy Camera, seafood, snacks, Verizon, WIAW

What I Ate On My 30th Birthday

July 17, 2013 By Laura

Birthdays should be drawn out.

 

I’m celebrating mine for a solid week.

Today I leave for a fabulous birthday trip with two of my best wine-os friend: Lisa and Heather.  At 21 we celebrated with cheap shots and beer, at 30 we spend too much money on fine wine and taking mud baths.  I choose 30.

The celebration have been on going though!  Later in the post are some birthday eats, but I wanted to share my favorite treats first.  My actual birth DAY was fabulous – I was totally overwhelmed by the comments on this post and on Instagram.  If you get a chance, look back at everyone’s “lessons learned” in the post comments.  So much wisdom!

I had a wonderful dinner with my family, including my best friend who is basically my sister.  We missed my Portland sister though!

Mallory, me, Mom, and Madison

Mallory, me, Mom, and Madison

 

Mom nailed the gift department – I told her not to buy clothes or anything.  There’s not much I need… but I wouldn’t turn down a little Napa spending money.  She made that happen in a rockstar way.

Nothing says “I love you” like cash credit!

 

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get better, I received this gem from Lauren.  Lauren’s fur babies, to be more precise.

Does it get any cuter?!

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This WIAW is actually what I ate on my birthday.  I had some favorites, and some indulgences.  It was exactly as it should be on one’s 30th  birthday.

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

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Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) was served martini-style in honor of my birthday.  Who doesn’t want to start their 30th year out with a draaaank?

Morning-tini

Morning-tini

 

This is an old favorite.  I don’t know why it’s been so long since I’ve made PB & Ceggs, but it’s what I wanted for my birthday.  This is the perfect time of year to make it because the carrots are so sweet and juicy!

This is the version with an egg scramble, not the tofu in the linked recipe.  It’s good both ways though!  Even better with sprinkles:

PB & Ceggs

 

Lunch:

This was a desperation meal.  I leave for Napa today and I knew I’d be eating out for a couple of meals due to birthday celebrations so I didn’t do my usual grocery trip.  Bring on the canned tuna!

This mix is tuna, nutritional yeast, cayenne, cumin, pepper, herbs de provence, turmeric, and balsamic vinegar.  I tossed it with the end of a bag of spinach and ate it with a slice of P28 protein bread… on a ZooPals plate to preserve my youthfulness. 😉

Dinner:

Finally time for my birthday meal!  My mom treated baby sister, my best friend, and me to dinner at Seed Kitchen & Bar.  I was really excited because I got to try a new-to-me fish: Wreckfish.  Wreckfish is like a cross between Sea Bass (my favorite!) and Halibut.

Wreckfish at Seed

We did have to send my dish back (wayyyy overcooked), but on the second round it was perfection.  Our server was nice enough to give me the sides from another special, so I was able to have caramelized brussels and roasted cauliflower on my birthday.  It was a giant plate of my favorite things!

 

Dessert:

Simple and delicious.  As my “cake,” I ordered a fresh-baked and slightly undercooked chocolate chunk skillet cookie a la mode.  Mom and baby sis were allowed one bite each. 😉

Birthday skillet cookie

***

I forgot to take a picture of the 3 cards I received at dinner.  All were related to boobs.  Way to go, Family! 😉

Have you ever tried Wreckfish?

What is your favorite thing to eat on your birthday?  

 

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: breakfast, cocktails, cookies, dessert, dinner, lunch, Napa, restaurants, seafood, WIAW, wine

Weekend Update + WIAW

July 10, 2013 By Laura

I get behind in my over-sharing.

Thank god for Instagram!

There has been a lot going on lately that I’ve just run out of time to blog about!  Hump Day seems the perfect time for a download.

I’ve been getting some good runs in (between all the summer storms).  This is taken on the GA Tech campus.  Saturday marked 5 years since my dad died.  Without intention, I found myself heading to his alma mater for a run.

It was nice to run by all the places we used to walk past on game days and relive some of my own memories from grad school.  The rain didn’t hold off for long – about 5 mins after I took this pic the sky turned black and it started pouring.

GA Tech

Sunday I met some of my favorite Atlanta bloggers for lunch at Dough Bakery, my favorite local vegan spot.  That’s (very pregnant) Alayna, Tina, Lee, me, and Heather.  Heather is former Atlanta blogger… she left us for Colorado. 😛

I always have so much fun with these ladies.  We talked and ate for a long time before I had to run back home to get ready for dinner.  That’s right  – I said run.  I ran a total of 6.65 miles there and back thanks to Atlanta’s new Beltline trail!  I’m lucky my friends would be seen with me sweaty and dressed like a bum.

Atlanta Bloggers

The dinner I was running home to was at one of Atlanta’s best new restaurants: King + Duke.  I’m too lazy to write  full review, but let me just say… if you are in ATL or are coming to visit make a reservation.  So.  Good.

Their wine program is excellent, which you know makes me happy, and the food is even better.  Don’t skip the roasted beet and carrots with feta and harissa, the roasted bone marrow with smoked mushrooms, blackberries, and short rib marmalade, and the “Dates & Ale” (a fantastic sticky toffee pudding with Sweetwater IPA cream).

Marrow at King + Duke ATL

Meat butter

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This WIAW was less indulgent than this weekend.  Thank god.  I love going out to eat, but whoa.  I was dragging on Monday after eating half my meals out over the weekend.  I jumped back on the healthy eating train with reckless abandon.

WIAWbutton

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

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Breakfast:

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

If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I have a mini crisis: my air conditioning quit working.  I live in the South.  It is HOT.  I was really glad I thought ahead and made a nice, cool breakfast: overnight oats!

This bowl is a little different because I combined a few protein sources.  The oats, cottage cheese, and protein powder made for the most deliciously creamy bowl of cheesecake-like oats I’ve ever had!

Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

  • 1/4 C oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF)
  • 1/4 C cottage cheese
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Blueberries
  • Stevia, to taste
  • 1/2 C almond milk (or other liquid)

Combine everything in a bowl, cover, and place in fridge overnight.

Remove from fridge in morning.  You may need to add additional liquid, especially if you choose to heat it.

Top as desired and enjoy!

Note: I order my peanut flour from iHerb – I like it better than PB2 because it is less processed and doesn’t have the added sugar and sodium.  Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I love making random mixes with no salt deli turkey.  Often I do fruit, but today I had some celery to use up.  I broke up the turkey and mixed it with nutritional yeast, cayenne, pepper, herbs de provence, and apple cider vinegar.  Then I chopped up my celery (and some of the celery leaves) and stirred that in.

Deli turkey salad

Lunch:

I’m getting low on groceries, so I had to bust out the emergency veggie burger.  If you’re going to eat frozen food, the Lightlife burgers are pretty tasty.

Eaten with spinach salad, celery, kabocha, and a quick dressing made from spinach hummus, apple cider vinegar, cumin, and red pepper flakes.  Yes, I spent time “plating” this at work.  People stared.

Lightlife veggie burger salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

This was fancy-looking, but I’d made it the day before.  Baked swordfish in a foil pocket with veggies and Indian spices.  It was fast and the clean up was easy – just throw away the foil!

I posted the recipe here on Facebook if you’re interested.

Indian Baked Swordfish

Dinner:

Did I mention my A/C is broken?  It was 85 degrees and humid in my condo.  I couldn’t think of a single thing to eat for dinner because I was SO hot.  So I got creative.

Egg pizza.  The idea was to cook the egg in a big pan so it would be thin like a pizza crust, then top it and finish in the oven under the broiler.  It would have been perfect had a greased the middle of the pan a little better.  It stuck.  No worries… I just ate it out of the pan.  Less dishes to wash!

egg pizza

My toppings: broccolini, edamame, tomato, spinach, and ricotta salata.  It was really good!  Will try it again, this time properly greased to get onto a plate.

Midnight Snack:

I ate some snacks at my mom’s… she made a quiche and had these yummy chocolate-salted nut things from Trader Joes… but it was just bites and when I got home I still needed a little something.

Despite the heat, I wanted cake (when do I NOT want cake?).  I made my favorite 150 Calorie Chocolate Microwave Cake, topped it with a peanut flour “icing,” and served it with a side of cookies and cream Arctic Zero.  And a little Stevia-sweetened Smuckers strawberry jam… it went really well with the peanut butter icing!

150 calorie chocolate cake

***

In less than I week I turn 30.  And I identify with just about all of these 30 Signs You’re Almost 30.  My mom likes to remind me of #19.

What do you eat when it’s too hot to eat?

Do you make and effort to have your food look pretty at work?  It’s so much nicer than eating out of tupperware!  This should probably be added to the signs you’re almost 30…

Filed Under: Recipes, Restaurants, Running Tagged With: breakfast, dessert, dinner, lunch, oats, protein, restaurants, running, salad, seafood, snacks, WIAW, workout

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake + WIAW

June 26, 2013 By Laura

Summer is here in earnest.

Convenient since I’m not supposed to get hot.

I am a sun baby, so not being able to be outside playing makes me sad.  The follow-up with the surgeon is July 1st… I have a leg day scheduled with my trainer that night.  If the Dr. doesn’t clear me to do it, I may cry.  Restlessness is in FULL force.  I do take walks, but have to be careful to keep them to the early morning or late evening when it’s (supposedly) cooler.

On my walks I have learned it’s impossible to “act natural” while taking pics of yourself along a busy street.

A few (more) fun post-augmentation updates:

  1. Shaving your armpits is really, really hard when the girls are in the way.  Hopefully this will get easier as they drop… there was a forest growing there until yesterday morning.  Gross, I know.
  2. I can now drive a car comfortably – at first I knew that if I had to make a fast maneuver I was a goner.  I was very, very careful.
  3. A lady at the mall looked right at the twins.  Their first stare.  Awwww!
  4. Getting dressed is interesting.  At time its frustrating because don’t look right while I’m still “settling,” but this weekend I was really excited to be able to wear 3 tops I (stupidly) bought and never wore because I lacked the chest to keep the tops from sliding down and showing my bra.
  5. Insomnia has returned.  I had it bad in my younger days, but once I started working out that changed.  I guess I wore myself out!  Now that I’m “resting” I’m just NOT sleepy.  Also, I can no longer sleep on my stomach which makes it harder to fall asleep.

This WIAW marks my first day back in the office post-surgery.  I actually was working last Monday, but there was NO was I could get dressed and be in an office all day.  Thankfully, being a consultant means it’s really easy to do your job from anywhere – including the couch.

wiaw sensible snacking button

Read on for my post-surgery eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s snack-y ideas.


 

Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) remains a staple.  I’ve taken to adding a shake of cayenne too.  Because I’m hard-core.

I took my walk in the early morning coolness.  Walking should be relaxing, but really all I could think about was breakfast.  Inspired by Kammie’s guest post last week, I decided to turn Red Velvet Cake into a breakfast item.  In the form of a cheesecake bowl.

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake bowl

I found beet powder at Whole Foods which gave this its red tint.  If you can’t find that, you can use beet puree or simply omit it (Red Velvet cake is just cocoa cake with red food coloring anyway).

This high-protein, low carb, sugar-free bowl of cheesy cake is guaranteed to put a smile on your face to start the day.  I’ve had it 2 days in a row.  I used cottage cheese to cream it up, but Greek yogurt would work too.  Make it vegan by using almond or coconut yogurt!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I love my seafood and fruit combos.  This was salmon baked with lemon juice and fresh rosemary, then mixed with blueberries and red pepper flakes.  Sweet with a little heat and hint of citrus.

Salmon and blueberries

Lunch:

Meal prep Sundays make it possible to bring food that my coworkers openly stare at.  I was asked to explain what everything on my plate was, and then was told I bring “elaborate” foods.  I was flattered.

Doesn’t everyone eat spinach shirataki noodles topped with ground turkey, broccoli slaw, and a sauce of nutritional yeast, spices, and apple cider vinegar?  No?

Shirataki, turkey, and broccoli slaw

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I ordered these Keto Slim bars from iHerb.com after reading the good reviews they received.  I’m pretty pleased!  the sodium is a bit high (200mg), but the sugar is low (2g) and it contains 21g of protein!

It does have sugar alcohols.  I don’t watch that too closely (it’s pretty rare I eat processed foods), but if you have problems with them you won’t want this bar.  It also has fun stuff like almonds, spirulina, kelp, and beets greens!

KETOSlim

Note: iHerb is also where I get my peanut flour and a lot of fun extracts/vitamins/random other things.  Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

Dinner:

It was a long day at work.  I struggle with one co-worker in particular and it was a major source of stress today.  I wanted a drink.  To sooth my nerves, I made pizza and took a twilight walk. 

Crab Cauliflower Crust Pizza

The pizza crust was my cheese-less cauliflower recipe.  For a sauce I mixed together beer mustard, nutritional yeast, cayenne, and liquid smoke.

To top it, I sautéed onion and garlic, and wilted some arugula briefly at the end.  I put than on the crust with crab and my sauce.  Back in the oven to warm before adding cilantro and a drizzle of fig balsamic glaze to finish it.

Gluten free cheeseless cauliflower pizza crust

You can pick it up and eat it by the slice!

It looks like a lot of effort, but I had dinner on the table in under 30 mins.  AND I made a second crust to keep in the freezer.  Who needs store-bought frozen pizza?!

Dessert:

Still wanting to treat my nerves, I broke out my Quest bar stash!  I cut half a Chocolate Brownie bar into squares and baked it on a piece of parchment paper at 350 for 12 mins.  I added a schmear of peanut butter to each bite before adding them to part 2 of my dessert.

Part 2 was a bowl of cinnamon–raspberry cottage cheese.  I mixed no salt cottage cheese, cinnamon, almond extract, vanilla Stevia, and mashed raspberries together in a bowl.  Then I microwaved it for ~15 seconds to warm it a bit.

cinnamon-raspberry cottage cheese bowl with baked quest bar

Yes, I’m on a cottage cheese bender.


Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake

  • 1/2 C no salt cottage cheese
  • 1/4 C almond milk
  • 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1 T cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp beet powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8-10 drops vanilla stevia

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Cover and place in the fridge overnight (or at least an hour).

In the morning, remove from fridge and stir again.  If too thick, you may add more milk.

Enjoy!

***

Don’t forget! Click here to enter the giveaway for a FRS Healthy Energy trial kit.  Winner announced tomorrow. 🙂

Do you have to wear yourself out in order to go to sleep?

What is your favorite protein bar?  Did you try Kammie’s Red Velvet Bars from last week?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, breast augmentation, dessert, dinner, gluten-free, KETOslim, lunch, protein, seafood, Shirataki, snacks, WIAW

Post-Surgery Surprises + WIAW

June 19, 2013 By Laura

I’m baaaack!

You missed me, right?!

Just over a week after surgery, I’m feeling more “normal” (in my own, #strangebutgood way) and the swelling is starting to go down.  They say some people freak out at first, but – thanks to many of you and some good friends – I had a good idea of what to expect post-surgery.

That’s not to say there weren’t some surprises…

5 Post-Surgery Surprises

1. All modesty will go out the window.  You will not care that you are naked in the shower at your mom’s house and she is (gently) scrubbing the surgeon’s pen marks off of your chest.

Proof that mamma doesn’t mind – she gifted me with a little boobie prize. 🙂

Victoria's Secret

2. Using a knife is impossible.  I can cut most* things now, but at first I couldn’t apply enough pressure to cut a pear.

*I still cannot cut the kabocha squash taunting me on the counter

3. Surgery and/or anesthesia does a number on your digestive system.  My muscles were so tight it took an effort to pee.  And let’s not even talk about the issues with going #2.

stopped up

4. Not being able to stretch your arms is torture, particularly after being propped up on a couch for days.

5.  The boobs will not be a normal shape.  I knew this and didn’t really freak out (thanks in part to the pain meds).  They have to settle.  No matter who warns you of this, it’s still bizarre the first time you see them.


This snack-themed WIAW is dedicated to post-surgery eats.  Another observation to add would be my appetite.  I have NEVER experienced a loss of interest in food.  When I’m happy, I eat.  When I’m depressed, I eat.  When I’m bored, I eat.  When I have surgery… I don’t care to eat.  Instead, I snacked.

wiaw sensible snacking button

Read on for my post-surgery eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s snack-y ideas.


Morning Snacks:

This was eaten just because I had to take my medicine.  Bribe me with pain pills the day after surgery and I’ll find something to eat!  I mixed almond milk with half a scoop of vanilla protein powder and cinnamon, added multi-grain Cheerios, and topped with sliced peach.

protein cereal

Greek yogurt did taste good to me.  I finished off a container of Fage mixed with cinnamon and vanilla liquid stevia.  Topped with delicious spring blueberries and cereal crumbles.

Fage greek yogurt bowl

When you are stir crazy and just can’t get excited for breakfast, a good alternative is to walk to your local coffee shop (relax Mom, it was only 2 blocks) for an Americano and some light-hearted Wall Street Journal reading.

Coffee and newspaper

Later in the Day Snacks:

Greens are good for you.  I tried to get my fill of the fresh stuff, and add protein where I could!

This salad was baby kale topped with no-salt deli turkey and nutritional yeast.  Side of heirloom tomato and basil, shredded butternut squash salad (thank you, Whole Paycheck), and blackberries.

fresh veggies

More salad with kale, turkey, butternut, and tomato.  This time I added avocado and pineapple (good for inflammation!).

I also sprinkled lemon juice, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cumin on top for flavor.

salad with pineapple

That thing about not wanting food?  I take that back.  I always want #yolkporn.

On my first day home I grabbed a Tempeh Mole Muffin from the freezer and topped it with a delicious local egg.  Eaten with a side if cucumber slices.

Tempeh Mole Muffin and egg yolk porn

The nice people The Good Bean at sent me some roasted chickpeas to try out.  I sampled them all… most were a bit salty  (I prefer to make my own roasted chickpeas), but I really liked the cinnamon flavor!  They also sent a few of their fruit and no-nut bars, of which I loved the chocolate (surprise, surprise).

The Good Bean

Actual Meals:

I was really proud of myself on Sunday night – I cooked dinner for Mom and me all by myself!  I started rattling off my meal idea to Mom and her reaction was “Have you ever made that before?”  I said no… but doesn’t it sound GOOD?  #strangebutgood

What resulted was a sort of fried rice.  Except I used spaghetti squash instead of the rice, and topped the whole thing with sea bass (that wasn’t exactly cooked by me… it was leftovers).  I started by sautéing some pre-cut veggies – red pepper, leeks, asparagus, and zucchini.  Then I added the spaghetti squash, and then the eggs.  Mix it together, plate, and top with sea bass!  Easy. 🙂

Fried spaghetti squash

The other “real” meal I ate was on my first night home.  Kat (who blogs here every other Thursday), came over and made me a delicious meal!  She made perfect shrimp and served it over a fresh salad of mache lettuce, avocado, raw corn, and cherry tomatoes.

It was all great, but The real star was her baked goat cheese balls (balls!).  She simply formed a ball of soft goat cheese, rolled it in a mix of hazelnut flour and curry spice, and baked it.  I don’t know if she’ll post her exact recipe next week (Kat???), but I’m going to have her write it out for me at least!

shrimp salad

We also enjoyed it with a shared bottle of rosè.  My first wine in over a week.  Sweet nectar of the gods.

A Treat:

Mom surprised me with fro-yo!  Chocolate and strawberry topped with coconut shreds… we added the blueberries and cacao nibs at home.  Holla at being cheap saving money!

Pinkberry yogurt

***

I seriously considered posting a pic that shows how swollen and high the twins were… everything was covered… but that mayyyy be too far even for me.  More appropriate pics will come when things calm down.  😉

Have you ever lost interest in food?

Do you ever bring your fro-yo home to add toppings yourself?  I thought this was a brilliant move by my mom!

Filed Under: Recipes, Strange But Good Tagged With: breakfast, breast augmentation, dessert, dinner, protein, salad, seafood, snacks, yogurt

Positive Thoughts and Perfect Sea Scallops

June 13, 2013 By Laura

Stay positive.

By 2013 they can’t figure out an anesthesia that allows you to eat after midnight?!

On the positive side, it’s only a few hours.  I can do anything for a few hours.  And I had an awesome dinner at Villians, a new sandwich shop in Atlanta.

Villians Mumm-Ra lamb belly pita

This deliciousness is called a Mumm-Ra.  It’s kind of a lamb gyro – but with lamb belly, honey mint yogurt, marinated tomato, bell pepper, and onion.  They served it in a thick pita that I couldn’t stop eating.  easily the best pita I’ve had.  The lamb was a bit greasy and salty, but it filled my belly well. 🙂

I can’t wait to go back when I’m not panic-eating.  They had some really good-looking vegetarian sandwiches too!  I want to try their tofu “salami.”  And they have Hell or High Watermelon, a beer by 21st Amendment, on tap.  Must have.

I’m going to stop rambling (I do that when I’m nervous) and turn it over to Kat!  Thank you again for the overwhelming amount of supportive comments and well-wishes.  I’ll respond as soon as I can!  For now… I’m of to get some boobs.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Positive Thoughts and Perfect Scallops

I can’t believe TODAY is Laura’s surgery (Editor’s note: neither can Laura)!  Sending good vibes for a safe and successful procedure!  I can’t wait to see the results (Editor’s note: pervert!) and go shopping with her for clothes that will fit her new body!  I also can’t wait until Monday when I am planning on making her dinner at her place (Editor’s note: I cannot thank you enough!!).

In my world right now, bar review is kicking my ass, and it’s taking everything in my power to keep sane.  Part of that is being super scheduled.  BOO!  Missing one day is a way bigger deal than I thought it would be.

A Sample Day of Bar Review:

  • 9am-1pm: Class
  • 1pm-2pm: Break
  • 2pm-6pm: Homework (Reconciling notes with outlines plus TONS of practice questions)
  • 9pm-10pm: Review for next day

 

Yes, this is my whole summer, 5 days per week, until I take the bar exam on July 30 and 31st.  End in sight!  Send me positive vibes for good studying!  (Editor’s note: you are going to ROCK this thing!)

PositiveThoughts

In the meantime, in trying not to lose my mind, I have been trying to keep a lot of positive mantras and thoughts to make sure this whole bar review experience is a positive one!

I am going to pass the bar the first time!

Go Do Them

I’ve also been rewarding myself for all of my hard work.   Last post, you saw my new bike.   This time, I have my new car to show you!

She’s a 2013 VW Tiguan:

New VW Car

Seriously, every time I drive her, I am reminded of how hard I have worked and how far I have come.  I was driving such a piece of crap before, and this truly feels like a reward.

I am now a firm believer in rewarding yourself for your triumphs (Editor’s note: Amen to THAT!). (Let’s not talk about my new insurance policy cost).

There she is again!

There she is again!

Everyone seems to name their cars. I’m thinking I like “Skipper,” “Skip” for short, but I’m not sold on it.  Maybe you guys can help!  (Editor’s note: I still like Terra!)

 

My other reward for all the hard work I am currently putting myself through is trail runs and time with friends (and family).  I recently got to do some more trail runs with friends and by myself!  Remember – BALANCE.

People ask how I have time for this during bar review.  My response is always, “You have time for the things that are important to you.”  TRUTH!  (Editor’s note: Can I get another AMEN?!)

Trail Race with Friends

Trail Race with Friends

What’s also important to me is healthy living, eating healthy, and enjoying fun, new food!  This week, my mom came to visit.  Typically, we go out a lot.

This time, we had 2/3 of our dinners “in” at my place!  It was so wonderful. I also found my new FAVORITE preparation for Sea Scallops.

Scallops

First, I have to say that I absolutely and totally hate over-cooked scallops.  Being that it’s one of my favorite foods, and I used to date a chef who makes the most perfect scallops in the world, I am hard to please in this area.  But this is what mom asked for, so I thought I would give it a try using a different method… and it was BETTER.

There are a few keys to this in my opinion: temperature, type of pan, seasoning, and oil.

Scallops

12 Steps to Perfect Sea Scallops

  1. Use an aluminum pan with no non-stick coating
  2. Place the pan on the burner a little higher than medium heat, but NOT medium high
  3. Put enough coconut oil in the pan to coat the bottom of the pan
  4. Wait until you see the heat rising from the pan (~3-5 mins)
  5. Take the “mussel” off the scallop (it’s the little tough piece that connects the scallop to the shell… it comes right off)
  6. Season the Sea Scallops with sea salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides.
  7. Once the pan is hot, use tongs to place each scallop carefully in the pan
  8. KEY: Wait until you see them start to caramelize on the bottom of the pan (~5 mins… but really, color is most important). Once they do, you can easily turn them without them sticking to the pan
  9. Use the tongs to turn them over, one at a time
  10. Turn off the heat (Yes, do NOT cook them over the heat on both sides… this will OVER-COOK them)
  11. Take the pan off the heat
  12. Wait 3 minutes before serving

 

The coconut oil gave them the perfect flavor and I think it helped to seal in moisture.  Turning off the heat after you fully sear one side keeps it from overcooking.  They do NOT need to be cooked on both sides.

Scallops

These are served with organic beets, sautéed with onion and the beet greens that came on the beets!  (Editor’s note: I LOVE beet greens!!!)

Mom and I also shared a cheese plate before dinner that I forgot to take pictures of!

Dessert

For dessert, we shared this coconut avocado mousse (using a double of this recipe), but added a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a splash of vanilla, and a couple teaspoons of maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt.  No individual dishes necessary.  YUM!

I also treated myself to 3 new pairs of running shoes. I’ll review them next time, after I have time to test them all out!

***

I just love how Kat write what I need to hear.  I can’t wait to share with you what tastiness she cooks for me Monday!!!!

What is your trick for scallops, if you have one?

Any new car name ideas?  Does your car have a name?

Filed Under: Guest Post, Recipes, Running Tagged With: Kat, scallops, seafood

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