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Narcissism + WIAW

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Facebook is an indicator of narcissism.

Raise your hand if you’re in trouble…

According to a recent study, there is a link between the number of “friends” you have and narcissism.  The participants were assessed on the based on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).  Who knew that even existed?!

The study wasn’t fully representative, but the theory is that a high friend count indicates you need excessive attention.

Clearly these people never played in a ~100 person roller derby league or went to grad school.  That’s like 50% of my friend count!

 

But I digress.  Today is the last  green themed What I Ate Wednesday!  Give my day of eats some attention, and then give Jenn’s blog some attention by clicking here to see what everyone chowed down on.

 

Breakfast:

I was in a rush, so I did a quick 15 min HIIT workout before breakfast… which left me starving.  I scarfed another Raspberry Barked Oatmeal To-Go (perfect in-a-hurry-meal), along with slices of the best grapefruit I’ve ever eaten.

This fruit was so sweet I couldn’t believe it wasn’t an orange or maybe an Ugli fruit.

Lunch:

Again with the busy theme, I ate lunch on the road.  Literally – I was driving with my knees with a cell phone in one hand and my burrito bowl in the other.

Safe, I know… at least is didn’t try to take a picture!

I wish I had gotten a pic because Willy’s is the only Mexi-rito chain I have seen that offers tofu.  Vegan tofu burrito bowl, FTW.

Snacks:

Random, but yummy:

  • Cashews
  • Squash sticks dipped in marinara
  • TJ’s Sweet Potato Chips + Eggplant Garlic Dip (sooooo good!)
  • Grapes
  • Beer… it was a pre-tennis snack! 🙂
  • Rick’s Picks Mean Beans – spicy pickle green beans

Dinner:

A quick post-tennis veggie stir-fry served with apple slices, and seed bread over a bed of mixed greens.

In my quickie stir-fry:

  • Yellow cauliflower
  • Squash and zucchini
  • Collard greens
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Liquid aminos
  • Thyme
  • S+P

Dessert:

One of these Chewy Granola Cookies from the freezer.  I love a low-sugar quickie dessert.  I may have had 2.

***

In the theme of narcissism…. it’s the last time I’ll post my weekly vote plea.  A nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com blew me away.  I know I’m never going to reach the 1000+ vote mark, but I’d be honored if you felt inclined to click here and vote for me. 🙂

What is your favorite burrito-chain order?

Let’s talk Facebook… do you believe the theory?  How narcissistic are you?

Do You Chia? [ChiaSeed Recipes]

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We all had chia pets growing up.

The adult thing to do with EAT the chia.  The seeds, not the pet… actually, I wonder if you could eat the pet…

Today I am guest posting on my friend Heather’s blog – Better with Veggies.  This vegan-rockstar endurance athlete is tearing up the slopes on a snowboarding adventure!

Click here for a little chia education and some tasty (and easy!) recipes like…

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding

Blueberry Pear Overnight Oat Chia Pudding

Sweet Potato Chia Pudding Pie

Chocolate Breakfast Pudding

***

I’m going to be sweating it to keep up with blog this week… work is out of control!  Sorry if I am slow to comment.

Do you use chia seeds?  What’s your favorite way to incorporate them? 

Have you ever walked around with seeds stuck in your teeth?  Why don’t people tell you these things?!

Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca Pizza

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I am a purple people pizza eater.

Does anyone else remember this movie?

The blog world has exploded with pizza crusts lately – sweet potato, cauliflower, coconut flour, and the ever-popular socca.

You guys may have noticed that I have a little sweet potato addiction.  This sweet potato crust from Lindsay first caught my eye.  I bought all of the ingredients and got fired up to make it … so what do I do?

Change of plans.  I spotted the roasted beet in my fridge and made a Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca Pizza.

Purple food rocks.

Socca is a basic 1:1 mix of chickpea flour and water; for there you can add in other flavorings (click here for my go-to version)  People either make it on the stove top (like a pancake), or in the oven.  Some start it in the pan and finish it off in the oven, which is my preferred method.

The combination of the roasted beets and richness from the roasted garlic was fantastic.

I topped it pizza-style with kale, asparagus, kumquats, onion, and nutritional yeast.  That resulted in one fantastic, colorful spring dinner.

One downside: there weren’t any leftovers to eat cold from the fridge for breakfast.

Roasted Garlic-Beet Socca

  • 1/2 C chickpea flour
  • 1/2 roasted beet
  • 6 cloves roasted garlic (if using raw, only add 1-2 cloves)
  • 1/3 C water
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Kale
  • Kumquats
  • Asparagus
  • Yellow onion
  • Nutritional yeast (or cheese – goat would be great here)
  • Red pepper flakes

Preheat oven on broil.

In a blender, mix flour, beet, garlic, water, and pepper.  Heat a small, oven-proof pan over medium-high.  Add a generous splash of olive oil to the pan to grease.

Pour enough batter to cover pan surface (1/8-1/4 in thick).  Cook until bottom is lightly browned and top is dry to touch (~3-4 mins).

Top with kale, kumquats, asparagus, onion, nutritional yeast (or cheese), and red pepper flakes.  Place in the oven under broiler for ~4-5 mins, until veggies begin to brown.  Be sure to watch closely!

Carefully slide off the pan with a wide spatula onto a plate to eat hot.

Makes 2 “crusts.”

***

Sorry for the late post yesterday – I wanted to wait for the Fitness Magazine interview to post!  Thank you for the support.  So flippin’ excited. 🙂

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Have you ever had a kumquat?

Double Feature

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Remember double features at the movie theater?

 

You could pay for one ticket and see 2 movies.  Some of you just snuck in, I know. 😉

I haven’t seen them do that in so long!  We should start a petition to bring it back in time for Oscar season next year.  This year I spent too much money going to see the nominees.  And I did NOT like Shame.

 

While this post has nothing to do with movies, it does contain some features!

First up, I was THRILLED (and shocked) when Fitness Magazine reached out to me and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview and submit a recipe for a spot in their “Fit Blogger We Love” series.

 

 

Click here for the full interview and to find out what my fitness mantra is.

 

Feature #2 is a guest post.  I’m guesting Kimberly @ Badger Girl Learns to Cook (not to be confused with Honey Badger).

 

 

Click here to check out my reasons for seasonal eating, and for one of my favorite spring recipes: Meyer Lemon Ricotta Penne with Asparagus.

Note to my plant-based peeps: You can use the “cheese” from the recipe in the Fitness Mag feature to make the penne dish vegan.

 

Annnnd a Bonus Feature:

My Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go made the Food Buzz Top 9 today!

 

 

Thank you SO MUCH for the Buzz, and welcome new readers!

***

My mantra right now is “one more day until Friday!”

What was your favorite Oscar-nominated move this year?

Do you have a fitness mantra?  What is it?

 

A Cure + WIAW

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The mystery has been solved.

I think.

Since mid-January I haven’t been able to run due to a strange knee pain.  After seeing a PT and seeing no improvement, I paid a visit to my old chiropractor.  This is the guy that fixed my right knee a couple of years ago.  Why did I wait so long to see him for my left knee?

The theory is that I have Patellofemoral Syndrome.  In English, I have Runner’s Knee.  Damaged cartilage under my knee cap (patella) from years of abuse.  I didn’t realize your knee cap wasn’t supposed to crunch when you push down on it…

 

 

The plan is for me to see the Doc regularly and do some daily “homework.”  I have one exercise to strengthen my inner quad, a quad stretch, a way to push on my knee cap to break up scar tissue, and then I end with 10 mins of ice.  In one week I try running again and see what happens.

 

Speaking of afflictions… in Georgia we have had record pollen counts.  Thank god I don’t have allergies.  A stuffy nose would certainly affect my taste, which would make Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday less fun!  Who wants to eat when they can’t taste?

The green theme continues… and is especially appropriate since I ate lunch outside and fell victim to the yellow-green pollen film.

 

 

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Breakfast:

I pre-gamed my workout with this Raspberry Barked Oatmeal To-Go.  Delicious from the freezer and zapped in the micro for 30 seconds.

 

 

My post workout protein smoothie was a lovely red and green.  Translation: brown. 

 

It was this Beet-Citrus creation from Valentine’s Day; however, I added more spinach this time.  Hence the brown.


Lunch:

Like any good American, I love Mexican.

Today’s lunch featured a couple of tacos made from collard greens.

 

In my tacos:

  • Pinto bean dip
  • Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burger
  • Carrots
  • Avocado
  • Tomato
  • Salsa verde
  • Cumin
  • Nutritional Yeast

 

Best new lunch idea in recent memory.  These are going into regular rotation!

 

 

Snacks:

It was a carb-y snack day.  Mostly brought to you by Trader Joe’s: Rice and Bean Chips, Sweet Potato Chip Rounds, Popcorn, and a Cherry-Dark Chocolate KIND bar.

 

 

Un-pictured: kombucha and mixed nuts.

 

Dinner:

A  night out with mama at a new -to-us place called Three Sheets.  Cute name, right?

Hummus, falafel, veggies, and lamb for mom.  Of course, there was a bottle of wine involved. 🙂

***

I wish I could type what I’m thinking right now… la-la-la-la-la….

Weekly vote-begging time! I was honored with a nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  I know I’m never going to reach the 1000+vote mark, but I’d be flattered if you felt inclined to click here and vote for me. 🙂

Are you getting dumped on by pollen too?

What is your favorite Trader Joe’s treat?

 

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

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I am not a morning person.

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.

That is until now.

In honor of National Nutrition Month I was contacted by a representative from Driscoll’s Berries to share a recipe I use to fuel up.  I was not compensated in any way; the only stipulation was that the recipe must use fresh raspberries as an ingredient.

Berries are one of the seasonal spring items I most look forward to.  Aside from the deliciously sweet taste they add to dishes, they also pack a ton of nutrients.  Raspberries have a high fiber content and are rich in antioxidants, which can fight inflammation and degenerative disease processes in the body.

Baked oatmeal is a favorite breakfast in my house.  Until recently it was also a rare breakfast.  Who has time to bake in the morning?!

Then light bulb went off.  Pre-Baked Oatmeal.

These baked oatmeal bites were made in advance to be frozen.  All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost.

Baking these in muffin liners is especially convenient for shoveling delicately eating your oatmeal on the run.

Bananas help to bind these together; and those bananas with the pieces of raspberry provide pleasant bites of sweetness.  Depending on your berries and bananas, you may not need to add any sweetener!  It’s still early in the season, so I added a bit of liquid Stevia.

These also make for a great snack while cheerleading. 🙂

Not in the mood for berries?  Check out the Sweet Potato version!

These baked oatmeal bites can be made in advance and frozen for a quick breakfast or snack. All you have to do is grab one or two from the freezer and pop it in the microwave to defrost!

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal To-Go

  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 C raspberries, lightly mashed
  • 1 egg (I used a flax egg – 1T ground flax + 3T water)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp maple extract
  • 2 C rolled oats
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 drops liquid stevia
  • 3/4 C unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Topping ideas: Walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, shredded coconut

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

Mix together banana, raspberries, flax egg, and extracts.  Stir in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and sweetener.  Mix in milk and stir until combined.

Pour batter evenly into tins.  Sprinkle with desired toppings, pressing lightly into batter.

Bake 20-25 mins, 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).

Note: Depending on the size and ripeness of bananas, you may need to adjust amount of liquid used.  Don’t worry if you don’t have maple extract; you can also use maple syrup (be sure to adjust sweeteners) or omit.

Makes 12 muffins.

***

Warning: these muffins won’t last very long. 

What is your favorite spring produce?

Do you take time of a nice breakfast, or eat on the go?

Feeling Irish on a Green WIAW

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I’ve never had a Shamrock Shake.

Out of curiosity I want to try one of the “healthy” Shamrock Shakes everyone has been posting… but I really don’t like mint desserts.

This time 2 years ago I was in Ireland!  Time flies… I was there on St. Patrick’s Day by accident.  When I booked the trip that happened to be the week I had free.  It wasn’t until we were leaving that I realized it was St. Patrick’s!  Only me.

Check out my Top 5 Things to Do in Ireland and the souper spinach-asparagus soup pictured below by clicking here.

Since I don’t post on weekends, it seemed that today is the perfect time for an Irish shout out because it’s a green-themed What I Ate Wednesday.

Green is my favorite food-color; however, I managed to fail a little at eating food that was colored green.  It was all plant-based though!

 

Breakfast:

Surprise, surprise… I had a smoothie!  Thank god it’s getting warmer because my smoothie addiction is only growing as I find more and more things I can thrown into the Vitamix.

I’ll be drinking all of my smoothies this week from my trusty Guinness pint glass. 🙂

In my smoothie:

  • Spinach
  • Raw beet
  • Carrot
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Flax meal
  • Ginger
  • Maca
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Almond extract
  • Stevia
  • Ice + water

Lunch:

Salad box!  This is such a convenient way to travel – I toss veggies and dressing in a half-eaten container of greens to take to work.  Easy and there are no dishes to clean up!

In my box:

Snacks:

I was bad about picture-taking with all my snacks.  Un-pictured was a kombucha, a sweet potato with nooch, and a handful of almonds.  My Piñata apple did make it (barely)!

A new (to me) waffle was scarfed down as well.  I normally buy the Kashi brand, but I liked this Nature’s Path waffle even more!

The actual waffle didn’t make it to the camera, but I assure you it was delicious with protein sauce (protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon, and stevia).

Dinner:

Parsnip rice finally happened.  I think I like it even better than parsnip fries!  I enjoyed it with roasted veggies and a cashew-curry sauce that will be posted tomorrow!

***

Doesn’t it feel like it should be Friday already?

Vote-begging time! I was honored with a nomination as a “Best Healthy Eating Blog” for the 2012 Fitterati Blog Awards on FitnessMagazine.com.  Not to sound desperate (I’m never going to reach the 400+vote mark, I know), but pretty please click here and vote for me. 🙂

How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year?

Have you ever traveled to a city/country specifically to celebrate a holiday there (other than to grandma’s house for Christmas 🙂 )?

Defining a Good Weekend

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Define a good weekend.

 

For me, it means a relaxing 2 days filled with friends and good food.  Throw in a hair cut and some killer workouts and I’m a happy girl.

Confession: I didn’t do a good job of eating clean… but I did do an excellent job of eating delicious. 🙂

 

1. A+ Restaurant Dining, Vegan-Style

A family friend was passing through town and treated me to dinner at Empire State South.  This is one of Hugh Acheson‘s restaurants.  The Executive Chef, Ryan Smith, was recently nominated for Food & Wine’s Best New Chef).

The win happened when I scored a custom vegan meal thanks to the sage advice of Heather and JL, and the talent of Chef Smith.  Knowing ESS to be meat-heavy (their charcuterie is amazing), I called ahead to make reservations and ask if they could accommodate a vegan diet.  They could, and did!  It was better than previous meat-filled meals I’ve had there!

First, the wine: 2004 Angelo Sassetti “Pertimali” Brunello di Montalcino.

 

2004 was a great year for Brunello and this was no exception – light and plummy, with a little earthiness on the end.  Perfect with my veggie-based meal!

First custom dish of the night was an app that I couldn’t get enough of.  This was a dish of seasonal mushrooms, fried wild rice, pickled sunchokes, roasted and pickled beets over a schmear of peanut puree.

 

My main was equally good.  There is no way I can remember it all… but it was a roasted brussels dish with farro, mustard seeds, carrot, pea shoots, roasted garlic, and a ramp jam.

 

2. Dessert Happened (second helpings happened too)

Dinner at mamma’s house with mixed company meant 2 berry pies were made – one vegan and one “regular.”  Both used a vegan pre-made pie crust, mixed berries, and an oatmeal-granola topping.

My vegan pie had xylitol mixed in to sweeten it, and the other had butter and regular sugar in it.  No one could tell the difference. 🙂

 

3. Cheap Affordable, Delicious Wine 

This wine was a hit at mom’s dinner party.  The Epicuro Aglianico is an el cheapo bottle from Trader Joe’s.  Well, originally it’s from southern Italy but you know what I mean.   This is the best under $10 bottle of wine (it’s $4.99) I’ve had in recent memory!

 

4. New Hair

Getting my hair cut/colored is my favorite thing in the world to do.  This is shorter than I’ve ever had it… I’m still shocked every time I look in the mirror!  Holla to the rockstars at Lava Hair Studio.

Karen (stylist-wizard) and me

 

5. Romance Rekindled

Don’t get too excited.  I’m talking about my love-affair with Dulce Vegan, a local vegan bakery and cafe.  It’s on the other side of town… meaning it’s a whole 15 minutes away and I’m usually too lazy busy to drive there.

 

Between CrossFit and softball practice yesterday, I made the trip and indulged in a helluva TLT – tempeh “bacon,” arugula, and tomato with chipotle aioli on house-made millet bread.  It was as delicious as it sounds.  Especially that bread – OMG.

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CrossFit has been SO much fun.  Totally intimidating, but fun.  I leave workouts starving – an increased appetite must mean I’m working hard!  I’ve amped up my protein shakes and become religious about eating every 2 hours.  They preach the paleo diet, which I’m not into… I’ve even been craving MORE carbs since starting.  Good or bad, I’m feeding my body what it wants!

 

Workout Recap (3/5 – 3/11):

  • Monday – CrossFit, This Pinterest workout (5x)
  • Tuesday – CrossFit, This BodyRock, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – CrossFit, This BodyRock (weighted part 2x), 100 push-ups
  • Thursday –  Yoga, This workout, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Tris/Chest, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – This BodyRock (with 20 reps on weights)
  • Sunday – CrossFit, Softball practice, Bike intervals

***

I didn’t have to change my bedroom clock for daylight savings time… because I never changed it last fall… 

What is your definition of a good weekend?

Do you crave more carbs depending on the type of exercise you do?

 

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