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Appetites and Adventures

Weird Holiday Flavors + WIAW

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40% of the items in a grocery store are new each year.

I’d rather have an actual Oreo Blizzard

According to what Michael Pollen found in his research.  I doubted this until I realized that new flavors and formulas count.  Think about all the variations done on Oreos – peanut butter, mint, 100 calorie packets… it’s endless.

An article on So Good Blog called out food-makers for going too far on the holiday variations.  Specifically cited is Chocolate Eggnog (agreed – but I don’t like nog) and Pumpkin Cream Cheese (he’s crazy… pumpkin was practically born on a bagel).

On my list is peppermint-flavored items.  I like peppermints, but please don’t add the flavor to perfectly good food.  Like coffee.

 

Enough about bad foods.  It’s What I Ate Wednesday!

 

Pre-Workout Breakfast:

When I workout first thing in the morning I usually don’t eat anything more than a nibble of peanut butter or a date.  That is unless I wake up STARVING!  After the killer workout yesterday I must have been burning food like a mad man woman in my sleep!

I heated a Van’s Organic Blueberry Waffle in the oven and topped it with banana, cinnamon, and sugar-free syrup.

Perfect for my needs… I did a solid hour with some heavy weights.

Post-workout snack:

Since the pre-workout was only a waffle, I was ready for more after I finished in the gym.  My post-workout 20g of protein (must-have to build muscle!) came in the form of a (green) sweet potato protein shake.

Sweet Potato Protein Shake

  • 3 T sweet potato puree
  • 1 C spinach
  • 3/4 C unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of guar gum (to thicken)
  • Shake of salt
  • Ice + water, to taste

*Normally I add Stevia or banana to sweeten my shakes, but the So Delicious and the sweet potato provided enough sweetness on their own!

Lunch:

If you read my post yesterday you may have seen a lovely salad.  So lovely that I had a repeat for lunch today.

 

Those carrot patties are really incredible (hot or cold) and I love having my Basil Walnut Pesto creation (also on yesterday’s post) in the salad mix.  The sweet bursts from the pomegranate seeds make for a fun salad.  (Read: Trying to avoid staining the shirt I wore to work.)

Dinner:

This barley-based “risotto” was even better than I expected!

This recipe will come tomorrow, along with a special feature –

I scored an interview with Chef Cindi Avilia, who works in recipe development for Lightlife!

Snacks:

I had a little biscuit-baking fail… and snacked on my misery while deciding that yes, they really were un-servable (is that a word?).

There was also a citrus Kombucha involved.  I love Kombucha.

Old pic… same drink, sans jerky

I made 100 Sparkling Cake Balls (cake balls made with sparkling wine, in case you missed it) for orders received (so exciting – people are BUYING my food!)… which called for a little pairing experiment. 😉

***

Head over to Peas and Crayons to celebrated the Humpty-Hump on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Have you seen any crazy holiday flavors?  Which ones do you like or dislike?

What’s your best holiday baking fail?

Pumpkin Protein Bars

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Get “pumped” up.

Maybe not quiiiiite as pumped as Hans, Franz, and Arnold.

 

Weights are my winter my focus though.  When you are lifting weights, you need to take in enough protein to build muscle and achieve that toned look.  (Click here for more on Building Muscle/Protein Intake) 

Getting enough protein is sometimes hard to do on a diet that is plant-based.  No worries.  I baked my way to getting protein… and it even involves pumpkin!  Bonus: they are low sugar.

 

 

These pumpkin bars are easy to make – just one bowl and you’re done.  They are extremely moist (thank you, pumpkin).  If you like a more “cake-like” bar, just add more flour.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the bars freeze really well.  Unbelievably, I think they got even better post-freeze with a quick 20 seconds in the microwave.

 

 

I cut mine up in to pretty small squares.  I did the nutritionals for one square, but I eat 2 at a time.  That’s 5g of protein for 100 calories and <3g of sugar.  Perfect for a little pre-workout fuel.

Recipe at the bottom!

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My ankle has been jacked up (yep, that’s the technical term) since the Thanksgiving Half Marathon so I’ve been loyal to my commitment not to run. 🙂  Of course, since I can’t run I really WANT to go for a run.  *sigh*

I did try something new this week – spinning!  I did it once before in high school and my butt was so sore after I swore I’d never do it again.  10-ish years later, the pain is butt a memory (haha) and I got back in the saddle.  It was so much fun!  The hour flew by – we had sing-a-longs, did “hill” intervals, sprinted it out, and did something called jumps.  I can’t wait to do it again!

 

Workout Recap (11/28-12/4)

  • Monday – 30 mins stationary bike intervals, Biceps/Back, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – My Favorite Intervals, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups 
  • Wednesday – Tris/Chest/Abs with trainer, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – 100 Workout, Kickboxing 
  • Friday – Shoulders, Bike intervals, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – Spinning, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday – Elliptical intervals (1 hour!), Glutes, 100 push-ups

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Pumpkin Protein Bars

Adapted from this Jamie Eason LiveFit Recipe.

  • 1/4 C xylitol
  • 1/4 C NuNaturals Baking Fiber Blend
  • 1 – 4 oz. jar baby food prunes
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 2 C pumpkin puree (or 1 can)
  • 1 C quick cooking oatmeal
  • 1/2 C chickpea flour
  • 1/4 C coconut flour
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • ½ cup almond milk

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare large Pyrex (9 x 13).

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.  Spread evenly in pyrex and bake for 20-25 mins.

Makes 26 squares.

Note: You could use apple sauce or date paces in place of the prunes.

Approximate nutrition per square: 50 calories, 0.7g fat, 9.6g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 1.4g sugar, 2.5g protein

***

I have a case of the Mondays.

Do you spin?

What is your favorite thing to eat before and after a good workout?

 

Chili Time + WIAW

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Three days ago it was 70 degrees.

 

 

Yesterday morning I braved the airport amidst snow flurries.  Ok, ok, it was more like slightly freezing drizzle.  I hope this doesn’t mean we have a crazy, ice-filled winter!

 

Today I’m lucky because not only is it my favorite What I Ate Wednesday:

 

It’s also Spicie’s Foodie‘s November Your Best Recipe reveal!  Click here to check out my Red Wine Cake Balls and everyone else’s best dish of the month on her blog.

On to the eats!

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Pre-Flight Breakfast:

I love to make muffins, but never am able to eat a dozen alone while they are fresh.  My solution is the freezer.  You can always bet I have 3-4 muffins varieties just 30 seconds away from being breakfast-ready.  Perfect for those of us who aren’t morning people.

 

 

My pre-flight rush breakfast involved these Pumpkin-Zucchini Muffins (low sugar!) and my recently concocted Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter.

Scarfed down in the car to fuel a morning jaunt through Concourse A. 🙂

 

The beverage portion of my breakfast happened in the airport – my traditional Starbucks coffee treat and some water.  Flying dries me out!

 

 

 

Lunch:

Having landed wayyyy before our meeting was to begin, my boss and I stopped in a Starbucks (this time I had an unpictured Orange Blossom tea) to get some work done… followed by a surprisingly delicious lunch near our destination.

Bocci is a new Italian spot in Clayton, MO (a suburb of St. Louis).  Their northern Italian-style soups hit the spot after walking through some serious cold St. Louis wind!

 

 

I ordered the Aquacotta – a tomato soup with mushrooms, onions, basil… and a poached egg!  Italian egg drop soup?!  I broke the egg and the yolk ran out, adding a wonderful creaminess to the brothy tomato.  With copious amounts of Bocci’s crack foccacia-like bread sticks dipped in olive oil, balsamic, and parm.

Moment of Boss Appreciation: You’ll notice I got a pic.  My boss didn’t even flinch when I whipped out the camera to go paparazzi on my food.  My job satisfaction went through the roof today.

 

 

Dinner:

I made my first chili!  It is a vegan tempeh chili… with 2 “secret” ingredients.  I could have made it hotter, but that’s nothing a little Sriracha didn’t fix!

 

 

Short on time so the recipe will come tomorrow!

 

 

Snacks:

We landed right at dinner time, but I wanted to get a workout in.  I downed a Sweet Tango Apple to tide me over until chili-time.  Sarah introduced me to this variety – if you ever see one grab it immediately!  Of course I had my pretzels on the plane too.

I also had a late-night protein shake for dessert:

 

 

Strawberry-Banana Shake

  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 Strawberry EAS
  • 1 tsp ground flax
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Ice

 

***

Check out Peas and Crayons to see how everyone else celebrated Hump Day on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

Did you get any snow?

What is the best thing you’ve eaten post-Turkey Day? (P.S. Quit eating leftovers!  6 day post-meal that meal is growing bacteria!)

 

Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter

By

“Everything But the Kitchen Sink” Butter might be a more appropriate name.

Often on cloudy days I get wild hairs in the kitchen.  Today was no exception – for some reason I decided to clean out my nut collection.  Maybe it’s all the balls I’ve been making lately.

This spread was cinnamon-flavored before it the nut butter idea was born.  Someone once told me you can make your own cinnamon powder by grinding up cinnamon sticks.  Fresh cinnamon sounds like a cool idea, right?

Maybe I should have done some research or purchased a VitaMix.  My blender wasn’t up to the task.  I shifted gears and eventually used a coffee grinder (which does work, btw), but not before cracking the lid of my blender and adding some groovy permanent cinnamon marks to the bottom.

Anyhow, the cinnamon does taste good.

With a cinnamon-dusted counter top blender in mind, the nut butter idea was born.  Toss in some nuts, blend, and add more cinnamon.  Taste.  Eye coffee grinder.  Stream of consciousness wanders to cacao nibs (they’re like coffee beans, no?).

Result?  A winter-y nut butter with cocoa crunches and cinnamon swirls that makes you want to stir it into apple cider.

Perhaps dipping apples into it is a smarter choice… I’ve had enough kitchen excitement for one day. 🙂

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Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter

  • 4-5 Brazil nuts
  • 1/2 C hazelnuts
  • 1/4 C peanuts (salted)
  • 1/8 C walnuts
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T cacao nibs

Place the nuts in a blender and blend until beginning to become creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.  Add cinnamon and continue to blend until smooth,  pausing once or twice to adjust taste as you may want to add salt depending on your preference.

Lastly, add the cacao nibs and pulse just enough to incorporate.  The goal is to have some crunchy bites remaining.

Notes: If your nuts aren’t blending into a cream, add a bit of olive, canola, or coconut oil.  You may also use chocolate chips in place of cacao nibs, or omit completely.

***

Every time I make nut butter I wonder why I ever use store bought.  Check out this spiced almond butter for a more savory flavor.

Do you make your own nut butter?

What is your favorite spread?

Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie + WIAW

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Deck the halls with tubs of frosting.

 

Last Wednesday I mentioned that holiday baking had begun.  If it began then, it has EXPLODED now.  There are 3 different containers of icing in my fridge right now.  It’s a little ridiculous.

P.S. Does any one have tips for freezing icing?  How about making room in the freezer to store said icing?

 

It’s Hump Day!  Time for another installment of Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.  As always, check out Peas and Crayons to see the ever-growing collection of what everyone else dined on.

 

Pre-Breakfast:

This morning began with a 4 mile run.  Normally I don’t run after eating (I get bad cramps), but I woke up starving.  Balls.

 

 

Lisa @ Healthful Sense recently posted a this recipe for Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls and I had 2 left in my freezer.  Perfect pre-run stick-to-your-ribs snack.

I followed her recipe except I left out the Stevia (my banana was sweet enough), added almond extract, and subbed cacao nibs for the chips.

Apparently it worked – 4 miles at an average pace of 7:20.  Fastest time yet!

 

 

Breakfast:

It was a 65 degree muggy morning, so I was hot and sweaty from my run.  Perfect time for a Sweet Potato Pie shake!  (Recipe at the end… yes, its green. 🙂 )

 

Pre-Mix

 

If you haven’t tried almond extract before, I highly recommend it.  It gives smoothies an almost cookie-esque flavor that I crave.

 

Lunch:

I’ve been inspired by a lot of bloggers lately – today I used this this Vegan Pumpkin Mac ‘N Cheeze sauce from Angela @ Oh She Glows to coat my barley.

 

Pumpkin Barley ‘n Cheeze

 

My modifications: halved the recipe, subbed olive oil for butter, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence, and sauteed 1/2 a fresh red bell pepper.

It was fantastic – I loved having the bell pepper to chew on and the addition of red pepper flakes gave it a pleasant heat.

 

 

Dinner:

Last night I worked late and then baked for the office potluck today (just wait until you see what I made – OMG).  Dinner was a hodge podge I cooked.

 

 

Sparkling Squash, roasted tomato, white asparagus (which oddly doesn’t make your pee smell like the green stuff), toast with this Pumpkin Basil Cheese Spread by none other than our WIAW host (Jenn @ Peas and Crayons)… and stuff I was baking…

 

I know, I know… another teaser… I promise it’s all coming soon!

 

The Sweet Dumpling Squash was surprisingly good.  It was a new (to me) variety – I had Prosecco left over from a certain baking endeavor (which may or may not be pictured above).  People cook with wine all the time… why not the bubbly?  In it went!  Add in some red bell pepper, scallions, spices, and vegetable broth and you have a lovely (mashed) Sparkling Squash!

 

Snacks:

I had a new flavor of the Think Thin bar – Cookies and Cream.  Better than the Chocoalte Toffee after the recipe change… still not my fav.

 

Snack #2 was Kombucha and jerky.  Vegan, gluten-free jerky.  Hickory Smoked VEGAN Jerky.

 

Jerky + Kombucha

 

The awesome people at Primal sent me a whole box of flavors to sample and I couldn’t be more happy.  It’s made from soy protein and is 100% vegan.  So far I love the Mesquite Lime and the Hickory the most… Hot and Spicy tomorrow though!

 

One of my favorite thing about Primal’s jerky is that they are just under 100 calories and contain 10g of protein.  That protein is key to a satisfying snack!

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Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie

  • 1 C spinach (optional)
  • 1/2 large sweet potato (baked)
  • 1/2 C Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp maca powder
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp Guar gum
  • Shake of salt
  • Stevia drops, to taste
  • Water + ice, to taste

 

Place everything in your blender of choice and mix until smooth.  Bottoms up!

Note: It’s a long ingredient list, but the spices are super-easy.  I don’t even measure anymore, so it takes all of 30 seconds to make this smoothie.

***

Thank you to everyone who “Buzzed” my Fig and Feta Shortbread Cookies – check it out: I made the FoodBuzz Top 9 today!!!

Do you like vegan versions of traditional meat products?

 What is the best thing you’ve been inspired by another blogger to make? 

 

Boozy, Herby Fig Jam

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Fig.  Balsamic.  Lavender.  Booze.

Is there a more perfect combination?  I don’t think so.

Growing up my grandmother always made muscadine jam using muscadines right fresh from my grandad’s vines (where I was stung on the lip by a bee, couldn’t be a flower girls in my aunt’s wedding, and was scarred for life 🙂 ).

Grandaddy’s Vineyard (I think this was taken by my baby sister, Madison)

The jam was sweet and fresh, the perfect accompaniment to a slice of toast in the morning or a grilled PB&J on a cold winter evening.  Basically, it’s the jam.

After I moved out of my mom’s house, my jam supply was cut off!  Hearing about my cravings for it, my grandmother began giving me jars for Christmas.  The perfect gift!  She would even make a meat sauce with it that is wonderful on pork or tempeh mixed with spicier, Asian-inspired flavors.

Christmas back in the day… can you tell which one I am?

All of this to say I never had any idea how to make jam.   Truthfully, I never felt particularly move to try.  Why bother when my Grandmother is my supplier?!

Until I stumbled upon this article about a jam stand (not to be confused with a jam band) in NYC and began thinking about the possibilities…

They make Drunken Monkey Jam – banana, rum, and lime.  Best.  Idea.  Ever.

But it is winter and those are summer flavors.  Then I saw this fig conserve by the lovely Grubarazzi.

In my version I replaced the honey with a bit of agave and Stevia.  It wasn’t detectable at all – probably because the figs were so ripe and sweet.  I also increased the rosemary and added Grand Marnier.  The orange liquor was awesome with the savory rosemary flavor and the touch of acid from the balsamic.

Is it my grandmother’s jam?  No.  It’s a different jam, and I still ate it with joy.

I even ate some with peanut butter on toast one morning, reminiscent of my childhood grilled PB&J.

Fig and Rosemary Jam

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Keywords: appetizer side snack breakfast brunch vegan vegetarian low-sugar nut-free low-sodium low-carb balsamic fig rosemary fall

Ingredients (1 jar)

  • 1 C fresh black mission figs, quartered and stemmed
  • 2/3 C water
  • 1 T light agave nectar
  • 10 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Vanilla Stevia
  • 1 T good-quality balsamic (I used a 12-year aged)
  • 2 T Grand Mariner (optional)
  • 2 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp Guar Gum

Instructions

In a sauce pan stir together ingredients (except Guar) and bring to a boil.

Reduce to simmer, cover pan, and let cook for 20 mins, or until liquid reduces.

Mash with a fork to break up the fig (chunks will remain).

Stir, returning lid and simmering as necessary until most of liquid is evaporated and the mixture begins to thicken.

Mix Guar Gum with a tsp of cold water and immediately pour in to pan.

Stir immediately, as mix will thicken nearly instantaneously.

Transfer to a standard jelly jar (or other glass jar) and allow to cool before covering. Store in fridge.

Powered by Recipage

***

My first “real” jam.  I’m over the hump – beware!

What is your favorite jam flavor?

What new things have you tried lately?

A Taste of Everything

By

Saturday was one of those days where I feel like I never stopped eating.

In other words, it was a perfect day.

 

 

After the panels, we made our way to the Tasting Pavilion.  There was definitely a buzz in the air as the bloggers lined up to be let in.

 

 

Inside there were companies offering samples of everything from coffee to wine, chocolates to endive, vegan meal bars to lamb-filled phyllo.

 

 

I left no corner undiscovered as I bounced from table to table in a state of foodie euphoria.

 

Some favorites:

 

Oren's Nuts

 

Espolon tequila drink made with COCOA bitters (recipe at the end!!!)

 

Decadent, thick balsamic (aged 8 years) from House of Balsamic

 

Mission Minis Cupcakes – the chocolate PB (eaten, thus not pictured) was the best

 

21st Amendment's craft brews - loved them all, but Allies Win the War took the prize

 

The Girl & The Fig’s Black Mission Fig Jam

 

 

The best part was yet to come…

at 2pm a crowd formed around the Alexia display.  None other than Tyler Florence had arrived.

 

Everything was fine until someone shouted and a mob formed!  Tyler was surrounded and security couldn’t restrain the hysterical group of women (and a few men).

 

The police arrived with tear gas and mob shields.  It was like a scene from a movie!

 

 

I’m kidding.

 

It was a very calm line.  I waited patiently, along with the other bloggers and received an autograph photo.  Tyler and I chatted for a moment about the demo he would be giving at the banquet later that night, and I got a pic with him.

 

Why doesn't Picnik have an "add lipstick" feature?

 

 

Tyler’s demo that evening was also mob-free.  Pre-demo/dinner there was a cocktail hour where we snacked on the 4 finalist recipes for the new Alexia flavor.

 

 

No surprise, my favorite was the Thai-Spiced Sweet Potato

 

 

The reception was a great experience because I was able to meet even more bloggers – including Mamma Pea (who told me she thought I would be taller in person… I thought she’d be shorter 🙂  ).

 

 

 

I also got to hang with some of the same people we met the night before.  Our table was a fun one!

 

Pictured: Karen, Lauren, Maissa, Christin, Me, Sarah, and Lori.  (Thanks to Sarah for sharing this pic!)

 

Last but certainly not least – I spent some QT goofing off with my new favorite person – Andy (a.k.a. orange pants).

 

Andy and Me

Andy's pants

 

 

For his demo, T-Flo (his new nickname, pass it on) made a fantastic-smelling sage pork chop with sautéed cabbage.

 

T Flo's meat

Gentle hands to saute the cabbage

TV screen shot of the plated dish

"My name is T Flo, and my pork is fantastic."

 

 

Unfortunately that was NOT what we had for dinner.  It was kind of a cruel tease because Tyler’s sage and seared pork smelled incredible.

What we had:

 

Banquet menu

 

Even FoodBuzz couldn’t make hotel banquet food taste good…

I requested the vegetarian meal, which consisted of wheatberries, leek, tomatoes, and carrots.  Sounds ok, but in reality it was overall greasy and tough.  Ho hum.  

 

Looking on the bright side, I did get to practice my iPhone photography on Karen’s surf n’ turf main!  The lighting was terrible, but one of these was shot with a point-and-shoot and the other with my iPhone.  

Can you tell which is which?  

 

I like to call these “I’m still learning.”

 

 

Until next year, my friends!  P.S. Come to Atlanta!!!

 

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Here’s the tequila-cocoa bitters recipe, as promised.  If you serve this at your next party, please invite me.  So.  Good.  🙂

 

La Bandita

  • 2 oz Espolon tequila
  • 3/4 oz Wild Turkey American Honey
  • 1/4 oz Frangelico
  • 2 dashes Angostura cocoa bitters

 

Shake and serve chilled!

***

If Thomas Keller had been there, I probably would have started a mob.

 

Have you ever had good banquet food?

 

Who is your favorite “celebrity” chef?

 

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