Today’s Good Thing

September 1, 2014 By Laura

Anyone remember The Martha Stewart Show?

Or am I showing age? LOL!

Martha used to talk about “today’s good thing” on her show each day. My mom and I thought this was hilarious. So did Snoop.

This weekend I went shopping. Nothing fit. I can’t zip dresses over my back. It was not a fun trip… but I got what I wanted. I’m do want to keep growing and competing… but it’s still hard to swallow.

What does this have to do with today’s good thing? Nothing other than a) I got what I wanted and b) I’m focusing on good things today rather than wallowing.

Good Thing #1

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Healthy Office Snacks + WIAW

August 20, 2014 By Laura

My office is a bar.

A snack bar. The brewery is next door.

Eating healthy on the job doesn’t have to be hard… or boring! I keep my office stocked with a few things that can accent any meal I bring (or buy, in an emergency).

Flavor Shelf – red pepper flakes, cinnamon, NuNaturals cocoa syrup, nutritional yeast, coffee, and solo cups. (The cups are my boss’ – I keep my Georgia Tech Tervis on hand.)
Water – I drink at least a gallon a day
Snack Basket – stuffed with Quest bars (got the boss hooked), roasted chickpeas, jerky, and EmergenC
Fridge – tupperware meals from home, mustard, more of the Oatmeal Cookie Protein Balls, and almond milk*
Other things I keep around: nut butter, hot sauce, rice cakes, and an “emergency” frozen meal.

*The coffee is a great pick-me-up treat when combined with the chocolate syrup, cinnamon, and almond milk!

This WIAW is my version of fast food. I meal prepped on Sunday. Since I couldn’t stand very long on my blackened ankle, I knocked it out quick and easy. #twss

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

#MoveHappy in the Mountains

July 28, 2014 By Laura

Being in the mountains mandates some #MoveHappy action.

It’s downright chilly in places!

This week of #MoveHappy I joined forces with Heather! Literally – I spent the entire week in Colorado. Here’s just a quick showing of what we did:

Ready to rock & roll down the river!

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Utah Dining with Blends

June 11, 2014 By Laura

REDRUM.

Please tell me you get the reference…

This is the hotel I’m staying at in NYC:

I have no cleaver intro other than to inform you that it’s taking a lot of self-control not to run down the hall yelling “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!”

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Since I am traveling this week for the second week in a row, I am sharing a few Blend meals with you rather than the random assortment of schwag bag goodies (thank you BLEND sponsors!!!) and conference food I actually ate this week.

Check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s more reasonable delicious creations!

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Heather and I arrived in Utah pretty late on Thursday and went directly to dinner. We did not pass go.

She took me to a plane she’d dined on a recent trip called Silver. It was incredibly good – by far the best meal of the weekend! I started with the Bartender’s Roulette, a drink where you simply tell the bartender what your booze preference is and he makes something up. This was their take on a Manhattan. It involved something cinnamon-y, which made me far too happy.

We started with a couple of apps: a venison carpaccio with housemade granola, parmesan, and micro-greens, followed by the baby octopus with pimenton spices, potatoes, lardo, and fennel. I used my newly found low alcohol/sweet + savory drink trick and ordered the Riesling to accompany the rest of the meal. It was fantastic with the spicy octopus and our main dish, a bone-in pork chop cooked sous vide and then seared. It was served with a kraut with lardon and apples over a schmear of beer jam. Thank god we split a main – the pork was huge, but so incredible it would have been a sin not to finish it.

The next morning I was glad we’d had such a hearty meal because by the time we finished the workout I was famished and ready for breakfast. We did a plyo-style workout courtesy of the Onnit crew, followed by ab work and the afore mentioned planking contest.

Eggs, chicken sausage, tofu scramble, and – the best part – a Quest Chocolate Fudge Cookie Cup. Holy mother of yum. I absconded with an extra for a post-hike snack. #sorryimnotsorry

After breakfast we were off for a hike! It was really neat to be able to take a ski lift up the mountain to our starting point. I’ve never been on a gondola without snow before! The ride was stunning, second only to the incredible views during the hike.

After the hike and a much-needed shower (and post-Quest cupcake seconds), we had another snack time.* I ate all the foods. Kidz Shake had a able of chocolate-banana protein smoothies and amazing date balls that tasted exactly like cookie dough (not kidding – I’m picky about my dough!). There was chocolate from Lily’s Sweets (I’m on a mad hunt for those sugar-free chocolate chips now). Silk brought their “A” game with incredible Cherry-Almond Butter smoothies, and Arctic Zero sampled their new flavors and ice cream bars. You guys HAVE to try the orange – I almost never choose a fruit-flavored dessert but it was fantastic; it tasted like those Flintstone push-ups you eat s a kid! I was in frozen snack heaven.

*Note: If you come to Blend, you will NEVER be hungry.

The food doesn’t end there. We had some down time before our cocktail hour and dinner… which was just enough time to work up an appetite. I didn’t take a TON of pics, but I did manage to get a shot of the best part of the evening meal.

The deliciousness in the middle of the table was a soy-glazed salmon from Sizzlefish. You all know my love to Sizzlefish… I finally got to meet Rob, the founder, which felt like I was meeting a celebrity of sorts because I’ve loved their product for so long!

Speaking of celebrities…

I had a re-enactment of my favorite rockstar picture from last year’s retreat with two of my favorite Blends: Heather and Lindsay.

The next day there was more food, more workouts… and then another dinner out!

We met up with a bunch of blends for a dinner out at Purple Sage. The food was good, but I must say that the company and the wine was the highlight at this dinner: a bottle of Orion Swift’s Abstract with a side of Melissa and Madelyn! (But the duck and the bread pudding did not suck!)

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I love traveling… but OMG I’m ready to be home.

Where would you take your Blends out to eat in your town?

Any restaurant recs in NYC?!

Coca Cola’s Super Bowl + WIAW

February 5, 2014 By Laura

Sometimes I am oblivious.

Ok, a lot of the time…

I’m not one to get too riled up over political issues. At least not in the “the world is going to hell in a handbasket!” way. I DO get fired up over discrimination and stupid political moves. When Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad aired, it didn’t cross my mind that it was controversial. I actually tweeted that it was too long and boring. My attention span only wants short, funny ads, dammit!

So why were people fired up? They thought it was offensive that “America the Beautiful” was sung in different languages, featured many cultures, and *gasp* included a gay couple.

Really?! Last I checked the English language didn’t originate in America. Next year they should air the song being sung in a Native American language with all dark-skinned people.

I’m proud of my hometown’s company for embracing our melting pot country. ~~Even if it was a boring commercial.~~

This WIAW was decidedly uncontroversial. Someone at work even told me my fish smelled good. And she was sincere!

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

Breakfast:

The usual apple cider morning cocktail was followed by a new-to-me oatmeal. I got Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Oatmeal as part of a deal when I ordered more Nuttzo a couple of weeks ago. I will definitely be buying more! I use it to make cinnamon-vanilla egg white oats and topped it with blueberries and Nuttzo.

Mid-Morning Snack:

This week I prepped a big batch of Chili Nutty Tofu. I followed my original recipe, except I used sriracha and made a peanut flour sauce rather than the Valencia PB. It was awesome with an Asian-inspired Napa cabbage, mushroom, and red bell pepper stir-fry (also a part of Sunday’s food prep).

Lunch:

Rotisserie chicken, carrots, and celery dressed with homemade BBQ sauce. My “dessert” was a Korean sweet potato topped with cinnamon. Pretty food tastes better, no?

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Cod with a side of asparagus, zucchini, and parsley mixed with my wasabi-blue cheese dressing.

Dinner:

Trout has become a new staple thanks to SizzleFish. I broiled it for 7 mins with pepper and lemon juice. Meanwhile, I sautéed Napa cabbage and mushrooms in the juice from a jar of kimchi. Quick and easy!

Of course, I needed something sweet, so I made a pre-dessert dessert of my favorite cocoa-roasted kabocha topped with peanut flour sauce (I get my peanut flour on iHerb – use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order) and cacao nibs.

It was so good that I didn’t remember a pic until I was almost done. #sorryimnotsorry

Dessert:

I stopped on my way home from work for a little treat. The Cookies & Cream Quest bar. I can’t believe I had the restraint to wait until almost midnight to eat this.

Mine was broiled for about a minute with the intent of using it to scoop up a Zucchini Batter Protein bowl. The bowl was forgotten based on the favor of the bar. Best. Flavor. Yet.

(Don’t worry – I still finished the zucchini bowl.)

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I am going back for a case of those bars.

Did you have any reaction to Coke’s Super Bowl ad?

Are you a Quest bar fan? What’s your favorite flavor?

Touring Atlanta + Sizzlefish Holiday Giveaway

December 16, 2013 By Laura

Staying in town can feel like a vacation.

Not quiiiiite like going to Tahiti… but you know.

This weekend Sarah graced me with her presence. She drove in Monday night from Birmingham and we spent the next 2.5 days touring rainy Atlanta. It’s fun to entertain out-of-towners because you get to see your city in a whole new way!

Sarah arrived Friday afternoon with cookies in hand. She shared the Vegan Carob Peach Fudge Cookies from her #strangebutgood post Friday. They were the perfect appetizer before we headed to dinner. We did so much I have to break it up into 2 posts. Today is the “doing,” and the Atlanta food tour will happen Wednesday.

Saturday morning we hit my gym for a glute workout. Check out this IG video for a taste of what we did. Sarah hung like a champ! She’s a natural.

After a solid hour of hard work, I told Sarah she was ready to compete… so we practiced a pose (this is why I don’t do bikini):

Naturally this had to be followed with a trip to Buford Highway to shop the massive international farmer’s market, where we met up with Sarena. We were there for 2 hours… only a food-friend can understand how grocery shopping is an entertaining sightseeing activity.

I had told Sarah how cheap it is, but she was still shocked at how little her market finds were! The new-to-me treats this time were a Ponkan orange and some sort of Korean puffed rice crackers. I also found a giant bag of my favorite Chimes peanut butter ginger chews!

That market is massive – it’s like the size of Wal-Mart. You can browse an entire aisle of Mexican hot sauces, or sample baklava at the Easter European bakery or peruse greens you’ve never heard of before. Watching my friend wander around filled with wonder at all the international delights was the best part of my weekend.

Sarah left yesterday. After trying to convince her to stay, I sent her on her way in true blogger fashion – with a to-go container of protein oatmeal. More to come later in the week… I need to leave room to tell you about an amazing giveaway!

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I have been obsessed with Sizzlefish ever since I had the opportunity to try a box via Fitfluential. The fish is delicious – it surprised me how fresh it tastes despite being frozen.

Last week I pulled out a piece of the salmon to cook when I was short on groceries. It thawed while I was at work, so all I had to do when I got home was squeeze some lemon juice, dill, and pepper on top before broiling it for 7 mins. Easy dinner!

So what’s in it for you?

The awesome people at Sizzlefish agreed to do a special holiday giveaway! Not only will you win a box of this Holiday Sampler (worth $59!), but they will also send a box as a gift to a person of your choosing! ~~Feel free to pick me.~~ 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I’m a little sad it rained all weekend – I wanted to take Sarah on a walking tour! From the looks of it, everyone else had rain or snow too. Bring on the sunshine!

What is your favorite fish?

Do you consider grocery shopping a form of entertainment/tourism?

Back to Reality with Sizzlefish + WIAW

November 20, 2013 By Laura

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 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?

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…

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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!

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

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