Strange But Good Spinach Dip

February 15, 2013 By Laura

Green food has my heart.

Next year I may revolt and turn Valentine’s Day into an ode green food.

Dip is always good in my book. Well, almost. I’m sure there have been nasty dips made. One of my favorite dips – Spinach – is beautifully green. The problem with most spinach dips is that they are loaded with cheese/fat/salt/other stuff I can’t have. And where’s the protein?!

I went back to my vegetarian days for the solution. Tofu and nutritional yeast. I swear there is nothing these two ingredients can’t do.

Blending the two together with my favorite spices created a creamy, cheesy base for my spinach dip. Cinnamon and nutmeg may seem like strange additions, but they are really good with greens! They complemented the smoked paprika to give this dip a fabulous depth.

Of course I then I un-veganized the recipe. Twice.

For lunch I made a crust from 2T Kamut flour, 1T coconut flour, 1T apple cider vinegar, and just enough water to make it pancake batter consistency. Then I cooked it a pan like a pancake before topping it with my Spinach Tofu Dip, zucchini, and balsamic chicken and placing it under the broiler to brown.

Then for Meal 6 I mixed my dip with shredded chicken in a ramekin and baked it for 10 mins to make a creamy spinach-chicken treat. The dip alone would be awesome wamred in the oven and eaten with crusty bread.

It tasted even better because my chicken was FREE! Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods took much longer than promised to get the Naked (read: no salt) rotisserie chicken out of the oven. I waited SO long to get it that they comped my whole chicken! They may be pricey, but Whole Foods has the BEST customer service. Amazing Valentine’s Day present. 🙂

______________________________________________________________________________________

Cheesy Spinach Tofu Dip

9 oz firm tofu
3 cloves garlic
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 C frozen spinach, thawed

Place all ingredients except the spinach in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth.

Squeeze excess moisture out of spinach, then add to blender.

Pulse until just combined; there should still be large pieces of spinach.

Makes 1 3/4 C.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I want to see YOUR strange but good food!

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

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

***

Single’s Awareness Day isn’t so bad. I visited to my two loves: the gym and Whole Foods. Good workout + free chicken = happy blogger.

When was the last time you experienced excellent customer service?

Did you do anything strange for Valentine’s Day? Keep it clean, ya’ll… 😉

Happy Singles Awareness Day

February 14, 2013 By Laura

I like being ~~married to the gym~~ single.

I couldn’t even handle having a cat in my life.

What I can handle is eating red food. I’ve been traveling too much to make anything special, but if I make it to the grocery store today I may eat something red.

In the meantime, I did manage to round-up my favorites… and separate them into courses. ~~This is what happens when you blog on an airplane.~~

Then I couldn’t help myself – I made a new sugar-free, high protein microwave cake when I got home from the airport. It was late, the pics are dark… but this is what happens when you are without chocolate cake and Nuttzo for days. Cravings must be satisfied! Recipe at the end.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal (To-Go!)

♥

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

♥

Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie

♥

Mains

Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

♥

Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

♥

Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce

♥

Dessert

Beet Protein Frozen Custard

♥

Strawberry Smoky Almond Tart

_______________________________________________________________________________________

This last dessert is the one I made upon arriving home last night. I had a fierce peanut butter and chocolate craving, and this sugar-less treat fit the bill. And did I mention it has 30g of protein???

If you stop the microwave while it still looks a tad jiggly on top, you’ll have a gooey, molten cake. Which is exactly when I did, and highly recommend. Then I topped it with a healthy serving of Nuttzo (which I am obsessed with), and a festive strawberry heart.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Microwave Cake

2 T peanut flour
1 scoop (2T) chocolate protein powder
1 T cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 T pumpkin puree
1/4 C egg whites
1/4 unsweetened almond milk (or water)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 drops chocolate liquid stevia (I used NuNaturals)

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add wet to dry and stir to combine.

Transfer to a small, greased bowl (I used coconut oil). Microwave until just done, ~ 45-60 secs.

Transfer to a plate, top as desired, and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritionals: 180 calories, 4g fat, 150.8mg sodium, 11.2g carbohydrates, 4.8g fiber, 1.5g sugar, 31.5g protein

I received this jar of NuttZo free of charge through participation in a FitFluential campaign. I was not otherwise compensated; all opinions on the product are my own (I already ate the stuff religiously). Check out NuttZo on Twitter and/or Facebook!

***

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I think this is the perfect night to curl up with a glass of red wine, some popcorn, and dark chocolate while watching Grey’s.

Do you have big Valentine’s plans?

What is your favorite Valentine-themed food? I dig those Reese’s hearts… the shapes have more PB!

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

January 28, 2013 By Laura

Sometimes I get a wild hair and do nutty things.

Like signing up for 8 hour races, totally untrained.

The good thing is that I’m just a stubborn as I am nutty. If I sign up for a race, I’m going to do it! Next to proper training, the most important thing you can do is fuel properly.

Photo credit: Pangea Adventure Racing

For last weekend’s adventure race, I made absolutely sure I had what my body needed. A big part of that was these bars. If they won’t keep you going, nothing will.

I’ve seen recipes for homemade granola bars, yet for some reason I was too lazy to make them. But… I figured that if I could do a race like this, then I could muster the energy to make my own fuel. After seeing Lindsay’s Quinoa Breakfast Bars I knew mine HAD to include quinoa – good, filling carbs.

When I’m running, I don’t like to take in massive amounts of protein because it can cause cramping. The moderate amount in these bars helps keep you sated and energized.

They also include brown rice syrup for energy – endurance is not the place to try to sub with Stevia. The chia seeds are great for hydration, and contribute healthy fats along with the nuts. Lastly, I added ginger. Ginger is known to help calm the tummy, something I was worried about having just recovered from the stomach flu.

Finally, the most important part: TASTE. These are phenomenal. Not so sweet as to exhaust your palate, but just enough to complement the peanut butter. The way the oats and quinoa softened during baking bring to mind a fudge-y peanut butter. I also loved having the bite from the larger pieces of nuts.

Bonus: They held together in a baggie during the race, and the extras have worked well frozen and reheated as a quick snack/yogurt topper.

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

1/4 C brown rice syrup
1/4 C nut butter (I used 2T almond and 2 T peanut, freshly ground)
2 T coconut oil (melted)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C quinoa, cooked
3/4 C rolled oats
1/4 C vanilla protein powder (I used Growing Naturals Rice-based)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 T chia seeds
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/2 C nuts (I used crushed pistachios and walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square muffin pan or an 8×8-inch pan.

Combine the syrup, butters, and vanilla in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, oats, protein powder, cinnamon, ginger, and chia seeds. Stir in egg, mixing well to avoid clumps.

Add the wet mixture to the bowl, again stirring well to distribute the ingredients and form a dough. Fold in nuts.

Spoon the dough onto prepared pan, spreading into a flat layer. Bake for 18-20 mins, until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from tins or cutting into squares.

Makes 11 squares. ~~(I must have eaten too much dough…)~~

Approximate nutrition: 183 calories, 9.5g fat, 21.6g sodium, 18.5g carbs, 3.2g fiber, 5.2g sugar, 7.g protein

***

I am all registered for the Blend Retreat! Hope to meet /reunite with many of you there! 🙂

What is your favorite race fuel?

When was the last time you got a wild hair? What did you do?

Strange But Good Blends + Cocoa-Cayenne Sweet Potato Oatmeal

January 25, 2013 By Laura

I’m slow sometimes.

Ok, a lot of times… especially in the morning.

Last year was the first time I’d ever heard the term “Blend.” Now I have some amazing blends. These people continually inspire me, push my thinking, and are some of the best friends I’ve ever had.

My Blend, Kat, writes a bi-weekly a guest post on this blog. Yesterday she included a recipe for Cocoa-Cinnamon-Cayenne Roasted Sweet Potatoes. I wanted them for breakfast… so I blended her recipe with a breakfast many of you have daily – oatmeal – to start my day with a strange but good treat!

If you are volume eater (and I am), you’ll especially love this. The sweet potato and the egg whites fluff this up so it’s like a giant bowl of sweet potato custard! The cocoa is more a secondary flavor – I didn’t want to be straight up eating dessert – but you could add more if you want.

Don’t be afraid of the cayenne. Start with a little and go from there. The hint of heat on the end of eat bite is a fun surprise to the palate!

Cocoa-Cayenne Sweet Potato Oatmeal

1/4 C oatmeal
1/4 C mashed sweet potato
2 tsp cocoa
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne (adjust to your liking)
1/2 tsp maple extract
1/2 C egg whites (optional)
Optional toppings: ground flax, cacao nibs, and blueberries

Cook oatmeal as usual.

Meanwhile, mix together sweet potato, cocoa, cinnamon, and maple extract (you could also use vanilla) in a small bowl. You may need to add water to keep it moist.

When oats are just down, stir in sweet potato mixture until well-combined. If using, add egg whites. Stir constantly to ensure that eggs are well-incorporated and don’t become scrambled.

Transfer to bowl, add toppings, and enjoy!

One of my best blends, Heather, made a Strange But Good recipe that was linked up here a couple of weeks ago! Our other best blend, Heather 2, created this scrumptious Lip Smackin’ Vegan Mac, which Heather 1 used to top her burrito stuffings. Strange but awesome!

I cannot WAIT to try this recipe!

Speaking of Blends… registration opens for the Blend Retreat opens SUNDAY! ~~Doesn’t someone want to sponsor me?~~

Check out the site. Register. Trust me. This was the BEST retreat I’ve ever been on . Lindsay, Janetha, and Katie did a fantastic job getting sponsors, organizing activities, and leaving enough down time for us to all get to know each other.

It’s also where I fell in love with Heather!

Alright, my strange but good blends… show me your weird food!

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

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

***

Thank you all sooooo much for all of the kind words about the adventure race. This weekend… I’m resting. 🙂

What is your favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes?

Are you going to Blend???

Be Weird

January 24, 2013 By Laura

I’m no stranger to weird.

Or strange… but good!

When I saw the title of Kat’s guest post today I grinned. This girl rocks my weird world. You know it’s a sign of a good friend with a 3 hour trail run/hike flies by.

What doesn’t fly by is the soreness after a long day of exercise. After that run and then this past weekend’s race I am no stranger to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). But I do have a solution! Or… a relief strategy. Some of you will think it’s weird but…

Seriously. If you can keep moving, that soreness will move on out. The day after my 8 hour race I walked 3 miles and jogged 1. By Monday I was back in the gym with my trainer. It’s not a miracle cure, but it DOES help.

Note: Be smart – if it’s beyond normal soreness, you have a strain or an injury, or you are sick REST is what you need. If you are just tight, walk it out!

Enough about me… read on for my weird friend Kat and her killer Strange But Good recipe.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

BE WEIRD, TAKE CHANCES, BE YOURSELF!

Let your spirit move you!!!! Do things that inspire you! That is my theme this week, this year, this lifetime.

I’m going to San Francisco today. It’s my first time as an actual tourist there. I used to go to California for wrestling tournaments in college. Read: All I saw were the insides of hotels and gyms. This time I will be going wine tasting, cheese tasting, and running a trail race on Sunday!! The Steep Ravine trail run (only the 25K distance I think) will be my favorite part! *sounds steep* (Editor’s note: Only 25k?! Kat is a trail running beast.)

I have learned to travel the world and make time for friends you haven’t seen in ages and some great, beautiful races. I will see my friend Jaime, from college (see her blog – Event Crashing at its finest ), who is amazing, and a few other friends. Jaime is the kind of friend you can take your hairless cats to a laser show with. No, that’s not a joke. We did that.

Jaime and I a couple years ago at Dave & Busters

Jaime and I a couple of years ago at Dave & Busters

When I was little, the last thing I wanted to be was weird. Now I embrace it! I think it is one of the reasons I take to Laura. She embraces her unique weirdness just like I do. (Editor’s note: Awwww! I heart you.)

A huge part of enjoying life, for me, is taking chances, doing things I’ve never done before, and being totally okay doing everything and anything that moves me. It creates more smiles, and more smiles means less stress! So let’s get out of the box today and share things that make us weird, happy, and stress-free, and brings a smile to your face. All photos were taken within the last two years.

Ride your bike 100 miles wearing a lei

Do Yoga Poses Anywhere and everywhere – let people stare!

Volunteer to model for a friend.. then become the cover of their look book

Run as far as you can through the woods… surprise yourself

The point of all this is… is that you must have random, fun, sporadic and unique moments in order to make the most out of life. Life is not meant to be suffered through, it’s meant to be enjoyed. That is why I spent a lot of time doing things that are outside of my comfort zone (or used to be).

Other things that make me smile include uncommongoods.com. I could browse that site ALL day! Amazing stuff like this:

Yes, that’s right

And just as good as weird, fun, and sporadic moments are – weird, fun and sporadic foods help you smile! I know, I know, another recipe.. but I have been cooking a LOT. (Editor’s note: That is encouraged here 🙂 )

After my amazing training day with Laura, I made dinner for my friend Martha. A cocoa rubbed pork tenderloin with … dun dun dun… Cocoa Cinnamon Cayenne (CCC) Sweet Potatoes (feel free to ask for the pork tenderloin recipe.. but honestly, they’re all the same).

Cocoa Cinnamon Cayenne (CCC) Sweet Potatoes

Cocoa Powder – 1/4 cup
Cinnamon – 1.5 tbsp or so
Cayenne – 3 tsp-ish
White pepper – a sprinkle
Salt – a couple sprinkles
Sweet potatoes

I used two types of sweet potatoes – regular and Japanese. I coated them in melted coconut oil (~2 tbsp), and tossed them in the CCC mixture. Disclaimer: I never actually measure

Place in a 375* oven for ~20 mins, stir, leave again (~20 mins).

They are absolutely delish! Ask Martha.

Serve with a homemade apple chutney (this was amazing… you can also ask for that recipe if you want… lots of mustard seeds… more savory than sweet).

Sweet potatoes finished in dish

The way I cook is….

…whatever I feel & the way my spirit moves me.

The best part of all of this… the recipe, cooking for friends, and randomness… is that a random and happy life is just that… a happy life!

When you live inspired, you will inspire others.

***

I love this post by Kat… I’m inspired daily by her determination and “can do” attitude. Time to get inspired in the kitchen for tomorrow’s Strange But Good link up! I hope you will all join! 🙂

What recently inspired you? Have you done something inspired/out-side the box?

Tell me something really positive!

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff + WIAW

January 23, 2013 By Laura

I must confess something.

Don’t worry, this isn’t another TMI post.

I haven’t had a perfect Junk-Free January. Being sick and doing some crazy endurance work has derailed me. However, I did lay off the booze and I really don’t regret the times I ate deliciousness like this:

I listened to my body and my body wanted calories. Trashy calories. Post-stomach flu and post-crazy racing I’d lost a couple of LBs. They have been found. 🙂

This could also have something to do with a killer Chest and Bicep workout with my trainer on Monday. We did supersets, alternating between chest and bis, to get done in an hour. I benched pressed about 8 lbs more than my body weight and then preacher curled a little more than half my body weight. And now I can’t lift a glass of water.

________________________________________________________________________________________

I’m back on track for this WIAW. Still hungry ALL the time, but I’m keeping it clean and fueling my body with good stuff. It’s crazy how your body still demands replenishment days after a big event!

Check out my 7 meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how others dined this week!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I broiled a grapefruit according to this method with coconut butter, cinnamon, and cardamom. That was “dessert” after I demolished an herbs de provence egg white omelette.

Meal 2:

A rare thing happened – I went to the gym in the morning. Never fear – hell didn’t freeze over. I’m still not a morning person – this trip wasn’t exactly early. It was a killer leg day though!

I packed a protein-rich treat to refuel in the car before an appointment:

This was delicious chocolate pudding made with 1/2 C Greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, almond milk, and cinnamon.

The topping was a crumbled Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal, straight from my freezer. I’m so obsessed with these.

Meal 3:

Lunch was an old favorite: Salmon Pizza with Sweet Potato “Sauce.” I used tortilla crust and topped it with spinach, artichokes, and onions.

Meal 4:

I developed an addiction to Whole Foods’ Naked (read: no salt) roasted chicken. Not a cheap habit, but worth my sanity as I hate touching raw chicken. Every Sunday I buy one and pull off all the white meat to eat throughout the week. Today I ate it chicken salad-style, but with a hummus mix rather than mayo.

Hummus Chicken Salad

Shredded chicken
Broccoli slaw
Red peppers, chopped
Hummus
Apple Cider Vinegar
Cumin and red pepper flakes, to taste

I didn’t measure, but the hummus and ACV is about a 1:1 ratio.

Meal 5:

I could hardly wait for dinner. I’ve been eyeing Kristina’s Cholar Dal recipe for a couple of weeks and this frigid day seemed the be the perfect time to try it out.

It was AMAZING! I licked my plate clean. I ate it alongside some pan-seared tempeh and roasted brussels, broccoli, and mushrooms.

There is something in my head that will not allow me to simply follow a recipe. Here are my modifications:

Added 1/2 red pepper
Used 1/4 C tomato paste rather than fresh tomatoes
Added 1/4 tsp fenugreek and 1/2 tsp coriander
Increased cayenne to 3/4 tsp
Didn’t use the salt, butter, and dried chilis

Meal 6:

Please don’t get bored with me. I love carrots. And peanut butter. And eggs. PB & Ceggs. Again.

Meal 7:

Casein is good to have at night for muscle recovery. unfortunately, I can’t stand the texture. No matter – I really like having dairy before bed. Maybe a carry over from a youth filled with nighttime ice cream bowls?

This creation is going to be in heavy rotation. I’m scraping the bottom of the bowl and trying to convince myself that I don’t need another as I type this. It’s like blueberry cheesecake with hot brownie on top.

Need I say more?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff

1/2 C cottage cheese
1/4 C blueberries
1/4 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch of cardamom
6-7 drops liquid stevia
Water or milk
1 rice cake

Place everything except the rice cake in a blender with enough liquid to blend. Blend until mostly smooth.

Pour over a rice cake. Tops as desired – I warmed a Cookies ‘n Cream Think Thin bar in the microwave and crumbled it on top with more fresh berries and cinnamon.

Devour.

Note: if you don’t have butter and coconut extracts, simply sub vanilla and/or almond extract.

***

The protein count for the day: 183.2g. Nailed that one!

Don’t forget to join the Strange But Good link up this Friday!!! 🙂

What trashy calories does your body crave? When do you give in?

What is your most recent fitness accomplishment/milestone?

Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

January 21, 2013 By Laura

I am not a morning person.

That’s an understatement.

After hitting snooze too many a few times, I’m forced to race through my morning routine. I squeeze in a quick workout, shower, try to make my face look presentable for work, and inhale breakfast. This means I NEVER have time for something a decadent as baked oatmeal.

Then light bulb went off. Pre-Baked Oatmeal. I made this Raspberry version last spring, but wanted to create one for the winter months.

Sweet Potatoes are one of the seasonal items I most look forward to. The sweet potato helps to bind these bakes together, and provides a creamy texture that is excellent against the chewy rolled oats.

Aside from the pie-like taste they add, sweet potatoes also pack a ton of nutrients. They are rich in Vitamins B6, C, D, and are good sources of iron and magnesium.

When you freeze them, all you have to do is pull one or two out and pop it in the microwave to defrost. 45 seconds later you can be ~~shoveling~~ delicately eating your oatmeal on the run.

Yes, this baked oatmeal recipe was created to be made in advance to freeze… however, I dare you not to eat one hot out of the oven. I “iced” mine with a mixture of Greek yogurt, cinnamon, and a couple of drops of liquid Stevia.

Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

1 ½ C canned or mashed sweet potato
1 egg
½ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp maple extract
3 C rolled oats
1 T cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
20 drops liquid stevia
¾ C Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease with cooking spray.

Mix together sweet potato, egg, milk, and extracts. Stir in oats, spices, baking powder, and sweetener. Mix in milk and stir until combined.

Pour batter evenly into tins. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Enjoy a few fresh, and allow the remaining to cool completely before placing in a freezer bag for storage. For a quick breakfast, remove muffin from the freezer and microwave ~30 seconds (until warmed through).

Makes 12 muffins.

Notes:

Use a flax egg (1T ground flax + 3T water) to make the recipe vegan
Use Gluten-Free Oatmeal to make these gluten-free
Can sub ¼ C sugar for the Stevia
Using Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla rather than skim milk saves you 42 calories in this recipe

Be sure to check out Silk Pure Almond website and Facebook page to see more delicious, creative recipes!

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential, LLC. All opinions are my own. Learn more about Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened on Facebook andTwitter.

***

Thank you all SO much for all of your support during the past weekend’s race. It was SO much fun, and we didn’t come in last. 🙂 I’m working on a recap!

Are you a morning person?

What is your favorite “quick” breakfast?

Strange But Good Mornings

January 18, 2013 By Laura

Strange doesn’t wait for 5 o’clock!

Neither does my mother… she’s in Mexico! 😉

Remember Kat’s “Amazing Kitchen Mistakes” post? We’ve been on the same wave-length eating similarly, so I apparently am also making happy accidents.

Have you ever under estimated how much is left in a bottle? I thought there was just a drop of butter extract left when I dumped it into my oatmeal… it was more like 1/2 a teaspoon. I thought I’d ruined it. Too much extract can be nauseating (and I don’t need more of that!). It turn out, too much butter extract in your oats is like eating cookie dough for breakfast. Strange, but unbelievably good.

Cookie Dough Oatmeal

1/2 C oatmeal
1 C water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
5-6 drops liquid Stevia
1 T peanut flour (or nut butter, to taste)
My toppings: pomegranate arils, Greek yogurt, more cinnamon

Cook oatmeal as usual, adding flavors in the last 2-3 mins (or when your microwave finishes). Stir in peanut flour when just done, adding addition liquid as needed.

Add toppings. Inhale.

I’m not the first person to do eat quinoa in the morning… but it’s still uncommon enough to be strange. And it’s good!

What took me so long it beyond me, but quinoa for breakfast is amazing. If you haven’t tried it, you must. Particularly this cinnamon-y version. The heaping scoop of cinnamon with the coconut butter had me dreaming of an airport treat that shall not be named.

I just realized this looks a lot like the oatmeal above. I had a lot of pomegranate.* Sorry.

*Did you hear the FTC found “POM Wonderful health claims to be deceptive?”

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Quinoa

1/2 C quinoa, cooked with a cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp coconut butter
1 tsp ground flax
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Milk, to taste (I used ~ 1/8 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
My toppings: pomegranate arils, Morningstar maple breakfast sausage

Stir it all together, top with your favorites, and enjoy!

In order to kill two craving with one stone for Meal 2, I added a poached egg to the last of my mom’s Matzo Ball Soup. The strange part isn’t even the egg. It’s HOW I poached it. My lazy arse poached that thang in the microwave.

Let me be the first to tell you that runny, silky, yolk porn goodness streaming into a hot bowl of soup is heaven on a spoon. So good that I wanted to be spooned after it was over.

Microwave Poached Egg

1 egg
1/2 C water
1 T apple cider vinegar

Fill a small bowl (I used a cereal bowl) with water. Add 1 T of apple cider vinegar (this is important – it keeps the egg white intact). Microwave until boiling hot, about 2 mins.

Crack the egg and gently drop it into the water. Whites will begin to cook/thicken, and you may need to use a spoon to carefully direct them around the yolk.

Microwave for another 20-30 seconds. Remove immediately from water and place in soup, atop salad, on bread, etc.

Now for the link up! The rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

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

***

This time tomorrow I’ll be in a forest in FLA… in the midst of an 8-hour adventure race. Ahhhh! #strangebutcrazy

Also, I forgot to mention I was featured in FitFluential’s Ambassador Spotlight yesterday! Check it out here.

Have you ever made breakfast quinoa? What are your favorite mix-ins?

What #strangebutgood creations have you enjoyed lately?

Strange But Good Spinach Dip

Cheesy Spinach Tofu Dip

Happy Singles Awareness Day

Breakfast

Mains

Dessert

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Microwave Cake

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

Nutty Quinoa Fuel Bars

Strange But Good Blends + Cocoa-Cayenne Sweet Potato Oatmeal

Cocoa-Cayenne Sweet Potato Oatmeal

Be Weird

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff + WIAW

Meal 1:

Meal 2:

Meal 3:

Meal 4:

Hummus Chicken Salad

Meal 5:

Meal 6:

Meal 7:

Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff

Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

Strange But Good Mornings

Cookie Dough Oatmeal

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Quinoa

Microwave Poached Egg

Follow Me!

Popular Posts

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