Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Simply Happy Its Friday

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It’s a hard day to be appreciative.

Today marks 4 years since we lost my dad to cancer.  It seems the perfect time to focus on things that make me happy, especially since my dad always made me smile.

I’m copying a billion other bloggers completing the A-Z Simple Things That Make Me Happy quiz.

 

A – Antennas.  I’m busy and cheap.  That has equated to me not having cable for nearly 3 years.  I did invest $20 in an antenna so I can watch the basics (ABC, NBC, etc.), and that keeps me satisfied.

B –  Baseball.  I love baseball, even when my team can’t consistently beat the Cubs.  What’s up, Braves?!

C – Chocolate.  Need I say more?

D – Dad.  Anyone who tells you the pain of losing a parent will get easier is a liar.  However, I am grateful every day that I had such a great man in my life for nearly 26 years.  I couldn’t have asked for a better role model and coach.

At The Cloister @ Sea Island for Father’s Day years ago. He’d probably kill me for posting a pic of him in a robe… bwhahaha!

E – ESP.  Maybe not in the crazy sense, but the sort that just nudges you to go left instead of right.  Those times you look back on and thank god some inexplicable pull made you chose path A over B.

F – Food.  I love food.  Creating it, looking at it, eating it.  Food is the shit.

G – Goose & Fox.  It’s my sister and her boyfriend’s band and they make me smile.  They are really good!  I’m not just saying that because she’s my sister.

H – Hair Stylist.  I love mine.  Her name is Karen.  I’ve been going to her since I was 15.  I’d drive an hour to go see my friend and get my hair rocked.

I – Internet.  I vaguely remember going to the yellow pages for the pizza delivery number… weird.

J – Juice Plus.  It’s the supplement I take everyday and I swear I haven’t gotten sick since I started using these rather than regular multi-vitamins.

K – Kombucha.  It’s no secret I’m in love with the stuff.  Good for the digestion, if you know what I mean.

L – Legs.  I’m grateful that I have 2 strong legs that carry me wherever I want to go.

M – Music.  It can evoke emotion in me faster than anything else – smiles, laughter, or choked up with tears.

N – No Limits.  The only thing holding you back is you.  Once you own that, you can do anything.

O – Oatmeal.  Arguably the most versatile food.  It can be sweet, savory, spicy… you can blend it in smoothies, turn it into flour, cook it in your eggs.  In the words of the Texas Pete lady, “I put that shit on everything.”

P –  Protein Shakes.  Without them, I would NEVER be able to get the 150g pf protein a day that I need while training.  And you can easily funk them up like I did with this Zucchini Bread Smoothie.

Q – Quality Time.  We are pulled in some many directions, it’s nice to be able to take time to relax and really talk to those you love.

R – Recipage.  It makes life so much easier… even though I’m still only half way through transferring my recipes.

S – Summer Storms.  I love a good thunderstorm to lull me to sleep (and they cool down the city!).

T – Teams.  I love playing on a team.  Solo sports/workouts are great, but the camaraderie of a good team is something I hope everyone can experience in life.

U – Underwear.  Can you imagine how uncomfortable jeans would be without it?

V – Vacations.  I love traveling and seeing new parts of the world.  Like Navy ships in Chile!

W – Weight lifting.  It’s my favorite workout.  Lifting makes me feel confident and strong.

X – Xylitol.  This all-natural sugar-replacer allows me to have sweet treats without all the sugar.  Like my favorite Granola Cookies. 

Y – Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market.  This local market is open year-round and is THE spot to go in Atlanta for fresh, cheap produce, flours, and chia seeds.  They always have things I’ve never heard of, which I consider to be an added bonus.

Z – Zero.  I don’t drink soda… but I do love a Coke Zero with a bag of pretzels on an airplane.

***

My Strawberry Smoked Almond Tart made the FoodBuzz Top 9 yesterday!  Thank you SO  much for the Buzz! 🙂

How about you?  What simple thing are appreciating today?

Any fun weekend plans, or lots of lying low after the 4th/Canada Day?

Blueberry Protein Tart + WIAW

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Happy 4th of July!

I wasn’t going to post today, but how could I miss my favorite day of the week – Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Last week I talked a lot about the nutrition plan I’m on to achieve my new fitness goal (competing in a figure competition).  I’m still packing in the protein and keeping it (mostly) vegetarian.  I’m struggling to find a wider variety of protein sources.

One thing I noticed last week was that my skin is breaking out from the increase in dairy.  Greek yogurt and cottage cheese had become protein-staples.  I’m aiming to just cut back a bit this week, limiting it to 1-2 servings of dairy per day, to see if that helps.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.”  Girl reads my mind with these themes!

Check out my protein-filled fuel below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness treats!

Meal 1:

Last week I talked about how I’m now eating 7 meals a day.  Meal 1 occurred yesterday at 8am.  Knowing I had an appointment with my trainer later, I focused on getting as much energy as possible from my morning eats.

Workout energy can be quite tasty!

This is a Blueberry Protein Tart.  I ate it for breakfast, but it would make one helluva dessert too!
The inspiration for this creation was Tessa’s own creation.  I am not allowed the peanut butter she added, and I needed to reduce the size because when you eat 7 meals a day they need to be a tad smaller (yet still protein rich – that’s a whole other challenge).
Despite the omission of peanut butter, my crust was fantastically chewy and fudgey.  And the “cream filling” was just perfect.  If you haven’t invested in peanut flour, you should do so ASAP.  I’m not kidding.
Recipe at the bottom of this post.

Meal 2:

This was my pre-workout meal.  In effort to limit the dairy, I made a massive tomato and egg white scramble with basil and a drizzle of balsamic.  I’m also allowed 1 T of sunflower seeds, which I sprinkled on top of the mix.

Meal 3:

This meal is like lunch.  Since it was also my post-workout meal, a protein smoothie was in order.  I have to eat immediately after my workout to build muscle, so portability is key.  I also packed cereal for some carbs to top my smoothie and a water mixed with Amino Energy to drink during and after the workout for energy and recovery.

This is one of my new favorite smoothies.  Carrot Cake.  I’ve tried it before, but I think this particular combo is the winner.  A couple more trials and I’ll post the recipe.

It did get the thumbs up from both trainers who sampled it.

Meal 4:

This is like an afternoon snack.  That means I can have a protein source (25g) and a 3/4 C serving of veggies.  Hmmmm… a protein-packed nori roll?  Is that possible?

Yes, yes it is.  I mixed a scoop of protein powder and ~1 tsp of wasabi with water to form a paste.

I slathered my nori rolls with it and filled them with sprouts, beets, raw asparagus, and raw cauliflower.  Not too shabby for a snack on the fly!

Meal 5:

Usually I have some sort of dinner in mind, but today I was drawing a blank on where my dinner protein would come from.  My protein ended up being partially in the form of beans, and some of the secret was in the sauce.

Note: I know several will comment that I should eat more to beans, quinoa, and lentils for vegetarian/vegan protein sources.  The problem with that is that they count as carbs.  I am limited to 3/4 C of carbs at meals 1, 3, and 5.  3/4 a cup of beans is about 12g of protein.  That leaves 8-13g protein I’d still need for that meal!

For this protein-rich salad, I combined 1/2 cup of fava beans and cannellini beans with 3 oz Greek yogurt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and lavar flakes.  Then I tossed it all with beets, sprouts, green pepper, and onion.  Topped with 1/4 C edamame, basil, more nooch, and red pepper flakes.

Sort of like a bean-based chicken salad.  Sort of.

Meal 6:

By this time of day I am sick of eating.  That’s something I never thought I’d say!  Meal 6 was a quick scramble of soy-based ground “beef,” egg whites, and zucchini topped with nooch and radish.

Meal 7:

Last meal.  This – I am told – is my “dessert.”  I’ve pulled some good ones, but tonight I was just proud of myself for getting in the 7th meal.  Typically I’m too stuffed by meal 6 to get anything else in mah belly.

1/2 banana covered in Greek yogurt and frozen with bowl of peanut butter protein pudding (protein powder, peanut flour, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon).

Blueberry Protein Tart - delicious (mostly) make-ahead clean breakfast!

Blueberry Protein Tart

For the Crust:

  • 1/4 C cereal
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or liquid of choice)
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or your favorite sweetener)
For the Cream:
  • 3 oz (1/2 container) Greek yogurt
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia

For the Crust:

Place your favorite cereal in a blender and mix until it’s dust.  Pour into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon, protein powder, and chia seeds.  Stir in stevia and milk.  (Note: You may have to adjust liquid amounts depending on the powder and cereal you use.)  It should form a sticky ball.  

Spread the crust mixture evenly across a small plate (~1/4 in thick).  Refrigerate over night, or at least 20 mins.

For the Cream:

In a small bowl combine yogurt, peanut flour (you could sub more protein powder here), and stevia.  

Spread evenly atop your crust.
Top with the fruit of your choice and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving.

Approximate nutritionals (without toppings; can vary widely depending on cereal, powder, and yogurt used): 219 calories, 6.9g fat, 22.4g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 4.3g sugar, 23.6g protein

***

In case you’re curious, I managed 154.5 g of protein with these eats. BAM.

How do you refuel post-workout?

What is your favorite 4th of July dish?

Loving Friday + Zucchini Bread Smoothie

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On Wednesday I thought it was Friday.

 

That makes for a looooong week.  It’s not even a holiday weekend.  We only get 1 day off for the 4th.  Grrrrr…  Let’s focus on the good.

 

It is indeed finally FRIDAY!!!  And I have a cheat day!  After 1 week on the nutrition plan, I’m more than ready.  I’m sure most people look forward to these days so they can have pizza or cookies.  I’m just looking forward to a day where I don’t have to eat 7 protein-packed meals.

Vegetables are what I crave.  Raw, leafy delicious vegetables.  In fact I’m going to a vegetarian underground dinner tonight.  I love veggies.  *blissful sigh*

 

Here are 5 other things I’m feeling love for today:

1. Sunshine and Sunroofs

It may be 100 degrees, but I still love the sunshine.  Also, I love my car.  I couldn’t own one that lacks a sunroof!  Smog be damned.

 

2. Olympus Greek Yogurt

One of the packages I returned home to post-Chile was from Olympus.  They sent me a TON of yogurt to sample, and I am so grateful.  This is one of the best I’ve had in a long time.  Theirs is directly from its namesake – one of the only Greek yogurts in the US to be imported from Greece.  It’s SUPER thick and creamy, and it only has 88 calories (as opposed to the typical ~130).  This leaves plenty of room for me to add my own mix-ins.

 

In my bowl:

  • 1 6oz container non-fat Olympus Greek Yogurt
  • 2 T peanut butter flour
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 C blackberries (cut in half and roughly mashed)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 4-5 drops vanilla liquid stevia

 

3. Fitmixer

I swear I’m not a product whore.  This stuff has legit been a lifesaver in this first week of heavy weights with my competition training.

The Fitmixer Amino powder has made a big difference in my recovery time and energy level (note: I like the fruit punch much better than the grape flavor), and their chocolate protein powder is actually tasty.

 

4. Nutty Butter

Ok, I do admit to being Sarah’s pimp.  I order my first batch of her Nutty Butter and I am in nut heaven.  Whatever you do, get the Cookie Dough.  The Oatmeal Cookie is a close second.  You really can’t go wrong with any of them.

 

5. Zucchini Bread Smoothie

I came up with this little oddity when trying to find a snack that had 20-25g of protein and a vegetable (Meal 4 of the nutrition plan).  When I threw everything in the blender I was nervous.  This was a weird one even for me.

Miraculously, the combo worked!  Despite the arctic temperature of my office, I slurped down this creamy glass of goodness faster than you can say “protein.”

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Zucchini Bread Smoothie

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 medium zucchini
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/4 C 1% cottage cheese
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 in piece fresh ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 7-8 drops vanilla liquid stevia
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Ice, to taste
Place all ingredients into blender and mix until smooth.

***

I might even have a salad for breakfast.

What would/do you crave on a “cheat” day?

What are you loving right now?

 

A Protein-Filled Wednesday + a Snack Giveaway!

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Snacking is the new name of the game for me.

Yesterday I revealed my new fitness goal to you all – to compete in a figure competition.  This means HUGE change in my plant-based diet.  Now I have to focus more on protein than plants, and I’m eating constantly… but my goal is to to keep to a vegetarian protein diet.

The Basic Plan:

  • 7 “meals” per day (I eat every 2 hours)
  • 20-25g of protein at each meal
  • 120 oz of water daily
  • 1 serving of fruit for the first 2 meals, and at meal 7 (“dessert”)
  • 1 serving of veggies for meals 3-6
  • 1/2 C carbs at meal 1, 3, 5, and 7 (beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes count as carbs)
  • Limited fats – flax at meal 1, nuts at meal 2, olive oil at meals 3 and 5

The good parts: no calorie counting or macro tracking; I get a cheat day once a week; I already love protein shakes

The hard parts: only eating 1 serving of veggies at a time is hard; eating that much protein on a veg diet is REALLY hard; eating all the time sounds fun at first, but I am really never hungry (except for when I wake up); eating every two hours take a ton of planning; all of that water has me running to the bathroom every 30 mins.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme of “Sensible Snacking” this month is just perfect for my new plan.  I am snacking all day!

Check out a day in  the food life of a wanna-be figure competitor; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s day of eats!

Meal 1:

Janetha hipped me to the fact that I was appropriately celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day at breakfast

I made a chocolate-peanut butter protein pudding/spread to top my Ezekial bread.  This was accompanied by 1/2 cup of cherries (good for inflammation/muscle recovery).

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding:

  • 1 T GNC Soy chocolate protein powder (check out the review here)
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 T ground flax seed
  • 2 T unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Meal 2:

It’s blueberry season!  They are so sweet right now, making of an especially tasty shake… even if it did splash on my brand-new white shirt.  Note to self: don’t drink smoothies and drive.

Blueberry-Ginger Smoothie

  • 1 scoop Vega vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/2 C blueberries
  • 1 in piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C spinach (I “cheated” and added veggies… I can’t help myself!)
  • 1 T sunflower seeds
  • Ice + water, to taste

Meal 3:

Leftovers!  Some of you may have seen the vegan quiche I posted on Instagram.  With a chickpea flour base, this high-protein dish made 6 slices which I will be bringing for lunch all week.  I enjoyed it with a side of sprouts.  For those that asked, I promise the recipe will come tomorrow!

While the quiche is high-protein, it’s not quite high enough.  No worries – it gave me an opportunity to have dessert with my meal.  A little sweet and a little savory, I loved this cardamom-laced treat!

Cardamom-Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Mix

  • 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 4-5 drops NuNaturals orange liquid stevia
  • 1 T unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk

Meal 4:

Here is where it gets hard to keep eating.  At this point I’ve downed 60g of protein and I’m feeling satisfied.  However, I’m not even half way through my daily meals!

Remember this seitan chorizo I made a couple of months ago?  I froze what I couldn’t eat for future uses.  I’m beyond happy I did that!  It gave me the protein I needed for the meal, re-heating well and retaining its flavor and moisture.  It was fantastic with the last of my Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix.

Meal 5:

I had an appointment with my trainer at 8p (more legs – OMG), so I wanted my dinner-time meal to be easy to digest.  That can only mean on thing.  Liquid Sweet Potato Pie-Shake.  Meal 5 requires veggies, carbs, and protein.

Since sweet potatoes count as a carb, I ate a side of celery sticks as well.

Meal 6:

This also served as my post-workout recovery meal.  It was also my favorite meal of the day!  This rendition of overnight (over-day?) oats was cool and refreshing after a excruciating really hard workout.  If you’re from Georgia, you know it doesn’t get any better than peaches and cream this time of year.

Creamy Peach-Ginger Overnight Protein Oats

  • 1 peach, mashed
  • 1 scoop GNC Whey vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/3 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup raw oats
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4-5 drops vanilla liquid stevia
Stir it all together and allow to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Meal 7:

I cheated.  I ate meal 7 as meal 6 (fruit, carbs, and protein).  Truth be told, I’m having a really hard time working in 7 meals.  I am hitting the protein goal of 150 grams, so I’m not going to worry about it until I’m told otherwise.  🙂

Now for the part you really wanted to hear about – the giveaway!

I was contacted by Special K just before heading to Chile with an opportunity to try their new granola bar.  I don’t eat a lot of processed foods/bars, but I was intrigued by their new concept.  They sent me the samples just in time for me to pack these up as a tasty plane snack.

Of course, I shared with my concierge, Kim, who was in love with the sweet treats.  She couldn’t believe that the bars are just 110 calories and contain only 7g of sugar.  Perfect for sating your mid-afternoon sweet tooth.  They also deliver 4g of fiber and 4g of protein.

My favorite part? The Special K Granola Bars come in my favorite flavors – Dark Chocolate and Chocolatey Peanut Butter.  The chocolate-peanut butter will rock your socks off.  

Yes, they are processed and they have more than 5 ingredients.  If you’re that isn’t a problem for you, you will be really happy with these bars.  They have a great crunch and won’t leave you feeling weighed down.

The lovely people at Special K have offered to let one reader try a box of each flavor.  Here’s how to enter to win:

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 2 boxes of @SpecialKUS granola bars at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1po #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Twitter Follow Special K, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite sweet tooth satisfier?

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Monday, July 2nd.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 3rd.

***

And again with the sore legs/glutes.  Thank god the counter is close enough to my toilet to provide support for lowering down.

Do you prefer to eat 3 solid meals, or snack throughout the day?

What is your favorite protein-rich meal?

Cleaning Out My Fridge + WIAW

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Don’t cry for me, I’m running away to Argentina!

 

How is someecards so brilliant?!

I’m off to South America for a week, but have some awesome guest posts lined up.  Interesting things like wine & food pairings from France, healthy margaritas, and a couple of ass-kicking workouts.  Please come check out my friends!

In effort to use all of my perishables, this What I Ate Wednesday is a total hodge podge of snacky meals.  Once again, Jen read my mind because this month is a snack-theme WIAW:

 

Check out my snacky day below, then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see what everyone else is sensibly snacking on!

Breakfast:

I started out with my pre-workout Aminos (and post-workout).  I was still half asleep and forgot tot take a pic though.  Post workout I almost forgot… but caught myself just in time.  Thanks to green smoothies, my 2.5 lb spinach bag is nearly GONE! 

Ginger-Avocado Protein Smoothie Bowl

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • Spinach
  • 1/4 large avocado
  • 1 in piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 6-7 drops liquid stevia (or other sweetener)
  • Ice + water, to taste
  • Raw oatmeal, to top

Lunch:

I actually repeated an old recipe!  Sort of.  I needed to use a bunch of carrots, so I made this Carrot Miso Soup.

Some changes:

  • I did it in the VitaMix so the carrots are technically raw (I did still saute the onion and garlic)
  • Added 1/2 a jalapeno
  • Used a couple of fresh mint leaves (I liked the cilantro better, FYI)

Dinner:

This was a serious hodge podge of purple.  Totally appropriate for the Queen’s royal jubilee, no?

I marinated shredded purple cabbage, edamame, beets, and mint in a mixture of rice vinegar and sriracha for a few hours.  Then I sautéed tempeh in coconut oil, cumin, cayenne, and a pinch of cardamom.  Tossed it all together for a a surprisingly delicious dinner!

PSA: Eating that much cabbage will give you gas.  It could also be the spinach…

Snacks:

Let’s be honest – even my meals were snacks today.

Clockwise from the top left: radishes and celery with a peanut flour and sriracha sauce; new favorite yogurt flavor – spiced pear; sprouted adzuki beans and blueberries; protein mess (protein powder, peanut flour, chia seeds, cinnamon, liquid stevia, and water); last bit of homemade strawberry kombucha.

Unpictured: another scoop of Aminos is 1/2 a glass of water before my run with Carol.

Andddddd… I made some airplane-worthy trail mix (thanks for the ideas you guys left in the comments yesterday).  What’s better is that I recycled an almost-empty cashew bag making it!  This is a s’mores-inspired mix:

(I Want) S’More Trail Mix

  • Cashews
  • Pepitas
  • Marshmallows
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Love Grown Raisin Almond Granola
  • Cinnamon

***

My fridge-purge was perfectly timed – I have just enough for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, then it’s off to the BRAND NEW ATL International terminal and Buenos Aries!

Do you do the fridge clean-out before trips?

What is your favorite “sensible” snack?

Zombies are Coming + WIAW

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Zombies have taken over the South.

Well, the idea of zombies has.  Seriously – zombies are “cool” now.  Clearly I am not cool because I don’t get it.  They taped an episode of some zombie TV show outside of my office a few months ago, people are all about zombie movies… and today I saw this while driving:

If they are coming, at least I was behind a Zombie Apocalypse Response Vehicle.

Time for something I DO understand: What I Ate Wednesday.  How about a zombie themed WIAW next, Jenn?

Check out my eats below; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see what everyone else ate Wednesday!

Breakfast:

I had an appointment with a trainer later in the afternoon, so this morning I skipped over my traditional protein smoothie in favor of the last Pumpkin Zucchini Muffin in my freezer.

I topped it with a peanut icing (peanut flour, almond milk, and cinnamon), and enjoyed it with Banana Cream Pie yogurt… which I stirred more peanut flour and cinnamon into.  Nom.

Lunch:

Total salad porn.  It tasted just as decadent as it looks.

In my salad:

  • Spinach
  • Cabbage
  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Tomato
  • Sprouted adzuki beans
  • Cashew pieces
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Local, farm-fresh runny egg

Dinner:

After the first Italian Baked Broccoli Slaw win, I had to try it again.

This one was similar, but I used a few different veggies.  I think I like this even better!  The red onion was the perfect addition.  Other additions:

  • 1/2 package broccoli slaw
  • Portobello mushroom
  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Zucchini
  • Radishes
  • Red onion
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Herbs de Provence
  • 1 C roasted garlic marinara sauce
 I just realized how weird that combo sounds… but really, what isn’t good when slathered in marinara sauce?

Snacks:

It was a snack-y day.  This may not look like much, but check out my lunch and dinner.  You better believe I snacked on all those veggies while I was chopping them for each meal.

Clockwise from the top left: Sweet Potato Pie Protein Shake (in a bowl with a cherry on top), watermelon (the first perfect one of the season!), Fitmixer Berry BCAA Powder mixed in water, carrot sticks, and a new late-night muffin creation (recipe to come).

***

Needless to say, I just got carried away stocked up at the Farmer’s Market.  You would think I had a family of 5 with all the veggies in my fridge.

Are zombies “in” where you live?  Do you get it?

What is the best thing you ate this Wednesday?

ACL Tear + WIAW

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It doesn’t happen often, but yesterday I almost cried.

It took me 2 months to get into the ortho Dr., but I finally made it.  After an hour-long wait (grrrr…), I was called back to the exam room.  The Doc was great (he’s a talker, which explains the wait).  He does a lot of work on the Atlanta Braves, among other sports teams.  Unfortunately that resume didn’t lessen my injury.

The Dr. actually said I was pushing my body to the extreme… and that made me feel proud.  Isn’t there a quote about taking up too much room if you’re not living on the edge? 😉

It turn out that the pain is my left knee is due to a torn ACL.  I always thought that when you tear an ACL you couldn’t even walk!  Apparently there are varying degrees of tears.

Next step is to go for an MRI to confirm the extent of the damage – he’s betting I have some lateral meniscus repair work that needs to be done too.  I can’t even get in for that consult until late June (hazards of choosing a popular Dr.), which puts me having surgery around August.  4-6 months after that I’ll be back in fighting shape.  That’s 2013.  Ugh.

Nonetheless, I’m pretty depressed.  I was hoping it was just a strained something.  At least I have What I Ate Wednesday to make me smile. (Jenn, can I get  a hug??) 

Check out my eats below; then click here to hope on over to our host – Jenn @ Peas and Crayons – to see what everyone else ate Wednesday (or – more than likely – Tuesday).

Breakfast:

I was told that plyo probably isn’t be best thing for me to be doing with a torn ACL (that explains all the knee pain after…).  Good thing I got in one last P90X Plyometrics workout pre-doctor visit this morning!

I re-fueled with a Laura-style Frapp: loaded with protein and spinach!  Yes, it looks weird.  But it was good.

Green Protein Frapp

  • 1 C chilled coffee
  • One scoop vanilla protein powder
  • Giant handful spinach
  • 1.2 large banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp guar gum (to thicken)
  • Ice

Lunch:

Salad.  In a box.  It seems simple, but eating right out of the container make me happy.  If only I could get a salad into an almost-empty PB jar.

In my box:

  • Mixed greens
  • Asparagus
  • Cauliflower
  • Cucumber
  • Tempeh croutons (lemon-pepper tempeh, sautéed in a pan and cooled)
  • Hummus dressing (1 T spinach hummus + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar)

Dinner:

I’ve been eating almost totally vegan since the Food & Wine Festival gut-buster.  The availability of local farm-fresh eggs at this weekend’s farmer’s market in the park was too much to pass up.

Dinner was an egg scramble with hatch chili salsa, sautéed kale, Daiya pepper jack cheese, red pepper flakes served over a sprouted grain tortilla.

Snacks:

There were many, but I was too depressed and too busy at work to take pics: lots of cashews, kombucha, dried sea weed, Think Thin bar… and some other depression-snacks stuff I can’t remember.

***

Have you ever had knee surgery?

If you are vegan/vegetarian, what food do you “miss” the most?  If you’re NOT , which food most keeps you from trying (if any)?

Pigging Out

By

Literally.

The first day of the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival ended with a party called “Pig Out” at local restaurant, JCT Kitchen.

We were greeted by a lovely lady from Delta who was handing out Mason jars for the special cocktails crafted for the event: the Island Mule and the Heritage Punch.  Both were delish, but I settled on the slightly-less-sweet punch.

The outdoor space was decorated beautifully – lights were strung up every where and there were candles in Mason jars in every available nook.  The hour-long line to get food was made more bearable by the gorgeous surroundings… and the guy walking around with a tray of tomato sandwiches.

Once we reached the buffet line, we were blown away.  Everyone received 2 plates piled high with food!

I wish I’d written down everything… The top plate on the left in the pic below contained cole slaw, perfectly-crisp fried chicken, and a tamale covered with the best mole I’ve had in a long time.  The boat of BBQ (top right) had brisket, ribs with a delicious sauce, and pulled pork.  It was all very good, but I only had a bite of each meat.  I was nervous about my stomach not being used to it and I was still full from the tasting tents!

Besides, I had to make room for the mini-desert pies!  The chocolate with peanut butter icing was my favorite, followed closely by the key lime… and the crust from the coconut.

We pigged out under the stars while listening to music from a live band playing one well-timed cover after another.  *Bliss*

Normally I am not a fan of buffets…  or of any food prepared in mass quantity.

My hat goes off to everyone involved with this meal.  There wasn’t one thing I wouldn’t have recommended to a friend!  And I am picky.

Alas, gluttony has taken its toll on my body (not that I’m complaining… I made my bed!).  The past couple of days there has been a lot quality time in the gym (bring it, Tony Horton!) and some awesomely-funky colored liquids going on:

***

One… maybe two… more posts and then I’ll put this festival to rest.  Until next year. 🙂

What are your thoughts on buffets/food prepared for the masses?

What are your go-to recovery foods/drinks when you need to reset?

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