Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Mango-Cucumber Lentil Salad

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Found on the packaging for a set of pots:

Creepy McCreeperson

The marketing person that approved this should be fired.  LOL!

 

Buuuut… who am I to talk?  I eat cold spinach-strawberry soup for breakfast.  And I like love it.

It’s not easy being green

I also think it’s funny to try on my bridesmaid dress (alteration success!) and send punk rock pics of myself to the bride-to-be:

All dressed up and no where to go

Welcome to my pre-5K Friday night:

  • Pasta/pizza dinner with my bestie
  • Trip to HomeGoods
  • Talk self out of unnecessary fro-yo trip
  • Download pics
  • Make sure bridesmaid dress alterations are correct
  • Cup ‘o tea
  • Watch movie bossman gave me – Glengarry Glen Ross

 

What 5K, you ask?  Welllll… I decided a couple of days ago to do it. By myself.  For no good reason.

File under: you might be a runner if…

So here I am at 6a on a Saturday morning drinking coffee, eating a banana, and blogging pre-race. Happy as a clam.

Earning this evening’s bachelorette party-dinner, one race at a time. 😉

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In case you’re trying to decide what to do with all of the produce you bought whilst at Whole Paycheck Foods, over-excited about spring… I have a good one for ya!

For that reason, this time of year is killer on my grocery budget (or lack thereof).  However, this meal is low cost, fairly quick to assemble, and can be made in advance (in fact, its even better on day 2 once the flavors meld).

 

 

Beluga Lentils with a simple vinaigrette, tossed with onion, jalapeno, mango, and cucumber.

 

Served up with a sweet potato, topped with coconut butter and roasted cinnamon.

True, that frozen soup was a decent lunch as far as frozen foods go.  But THIS was well-deserved after a week of quickie lunches.  There will be a repeat tomorrow.

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Mango-Cucumber Lentil Salad

  • 1/4 C beluga lentils
  • 1 1/4 C water
  • 1/4 C red onion
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
  • Juice from 1/2 a lime
  • 1 T EVOO (is used basil-infused)
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • S+P, to taste
  • 1 small mango (I used a champagne mango)
  • 1/2 cucumber

 

Rinse the lentils, then put them in a small pot with the water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer gently until lentils are cooked, ~25 mins.  They will be tender, but hold their shape.

Meanwhile, mince the garlic cloves & chop the onion very finely. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion & garlic and cook over a very low heat until well softened but not coloured, about 10 – 12 minutes. Then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, dice the onions, jalapeno, mango, and cucumber.  Place a small amount of EVOO in a pan and sauté onions until almost translucent, ~5 mins.  Add jalapenos and sauté 1-2 mins more (you want to mellow the flavor a bit without losing the crunch).

Whisk together the lime juice, EVOO, vinegar, cumin, and S+P.

When lentils are cooked, drain and place in a bowl to cool.  Pour the vinaigrette over the lentils and gently stir with a fork so that lentils are coated.

Mix in the mango and cucumber, season with S+P as needed.

Makes: 1 serving, easily multiplied

***

This rain may force an afternoon snooze for me!

Did you run a race today?  

If you are going out tonight (post-race?!), will you be taking a nap?

 

Black Bean Burgers

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It wasn’t just a fluke last week!  The Sleep Cycle app once again got me out of bed in time to exercise before work this morning.  Amazing.

The real test will be tomorrow.  I have a one-month membership to a local gym (thank you, Groupon).  A friend of mine swears by a certain 630am class… and I committed to meeting her there tomorrow.  At 630am.

*deep breath*

I can’t remember the last time I woke up that early.

The icing on the cake is that I haven’t tried spinning since high school.  I made it through one class, then vowed “never again” after it left my crotch feeling bruised.

TMI?!?

If last week was Indian week, then this week is faux-burger week.

Last night being burger-less became unbearable.

There is no way I can chew a real burger (plus I’m not so sure I want to go back to red meat), but a soft, black bean burger seemed do-able.  Off to the kitchen I went to create.

The result was awesome.  I couldn’t stop at just the burger.  Inspired by the recent over-saturation onslaught of burger-creations in Atlanta, I added a fried egg and some tasty (mayo-free!), spicy pimento cheese.

I used the American Gra-frutti gluten-free pimento cheese I wrote about last week.  Again, I’m not gluten-free.  I just like good food.  This stuff is GOOD.

Whole Paycheck Foods had a tasting this weekend where I was able to try American Gra-frutti’s “They’ll Never Know” gluten-free chocolate chip cake.  It was awesome.  Not too sweet and, as promised, I would have never known there was anything different about it.

The burgers are vegan… the egg on top notsomuch.

 

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

  • 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/4 C fresh parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 C red onion, chopped
  • 1/3 C whole wheat panko
  • S + P, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and blend until coarsely chopped.  Add spices, blending once more and adjusting to taste.  Incorporate the onion and panko at the end, blending just a moment (if you, like me, prefer a little texture).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Place on lined (or non-stick) baking sheet and cook for ~45 mins (or until firmed up), flipping 30 mins in.

Makes 4 burgers.

***

Do you enjoy trying “specialty” foods even though you may not have “special” food needs?  

What’s the best new product you’ve discovered lately?

Indian Week

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PSA: Sleep Cycle is the best app ever.

 

Wild ass claim…

From their website, Sleep Cycle is a “bio-alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase.” Since using it, I have woken up on time (or early!) and not pressed snooze the first time.

By far, the most useful app I’ve downloaded to-date.  I’d give it an Oscar. For the second morning in a row… I had time to go to the gym!!!

And make a tasty breakfast:

Roasted grapefruit with fresh nutmeg, cinnamon, and coriander.  Side of Greek yogurt + chia seeds.  Coffee.

If you’ve never tried a roasted grapefruit, I highly recommend it.  It is an easy and grapefruit is in season right now.

For a “how-to,” check out this post.

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This week has inadvertently become Indian cuisine week… (more after the jump)   … 

Read More »

Raw Raspberry Applesauce

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Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil was full of you-know-what.

I woke up this morning to this:

Pretty.  But COLD.

The other downside (for school kids) is that the snow didn’t stick enough to cancel school.  Boo hiss!

News flash: For the first time, I was glad snow didn’t leave the city crippled.  I’m getting old. 😉

Most people love apple pies, baked apples, applesauce, etc.  I do not. I do love apples, but once they are cooked the flavor changes and they just don’t seem “right” anymore.

Not being able to chew, apples are definitely off-limits.

Or so I thought.

I owe Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit a HUGE thank you.  She shared her recipe for Raw Raspberry Applesauce with me yesterday!

Of course, I had to make it immediately… if not sooner. 😉

It’s perfect.  You could eat it for breakfast or snack or dessert.  In a box, with a fox…

In fact, I’m going to eat it with some greek yogurt later today.

Want a bite?

It is amazing how much this has the consistency of applesauce, yet retains the crisp, fresh apple taste.

It’s saucy, and it’s just my type. (Please read the previous sentence to the beat of the Beastie Boys’ “Crafty.”)

Raw Raspberry Applesauce

  • 1 medium apple (use a sweet variety, like Gala)
  • 1/4 C raspberries
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1/4 packet Stevia (add more as needed)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • Juice from 1/4 of fresh lime
  • Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Notes:

You may have to scrape down/stir a few times in between blends.  Don’t add too much liquid or you will have apple soup instead.  Which is fine, but would be disappointing if you wanted the sauce.

Depending on the sweetness of your apple or berry, you will need to adjust Stevia amounts.  You can use honey or agave instead.

You could use any berry here, or none at all!  I’d love to try it with blueberries.

Chili Tuesday Tofu

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This may be a sign of weakness… but I am COLD!

Thank god I don’t live in Boston.

Down South is is rainy, dark, and cold.  Someone please remind me of this when it is July and I’m whining about the heat.

After a looong day at work, I was excited to get going with round 1 of yesterday’s recipe intervention!  Tonight I heated things up with a version of the Nutty Spicy Tofu from Foodie Fresh.

I know I said it would be to cookies, but I was short on time.  And avocados.

Based on preference and ingredients, I did make a few adjustments.  Baked tofu is almost fluffy, and I love the nut butter with the spice.  This was damn good!

Aren’t you guys loving the blurry cell phone pics?

Chili Nutty Tofu (revised)

Cut the tofu in half horizontally and press the tofu for 30 mins to an hour to remove water.

Mix the remaining ingredients (except the lime) in a medium bowl.  Cut the tofu into cubes, add to marinade, and allow to marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cook the tofu on the baking sheet for 25 minutes.

Serve with sticky rice, cilantro, and lime slices.

And Japanese beer. 🙂

***

Verdict: Amazing!  I have never baked tofu before (I always make it in a grill pan) and it turned out really well.  The marinade gave it a good crust on the outside and the flavors complimented each other perfectly.  I may add some orange zest next time for a little extra citrus zing!

Off to derby practice again!  I wish I had a camera so I could post a pic of the killer bruise on my butt/upper hip. 🙂

Snowmygawd!

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We’ve moved on from the snow to ice.  This city is shut down.  Even derby practice has been canceled all week!  In case you were wondering, ice is significantly less fun than snow.

Peachtree St. (the main drag through Atlanta) is literally a sheet of ice.  No joke – this dude was ice skating down the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iudRPyX4934

This is 2 blocks from my condo.

Being trapped has done a lot for productivity – I have gotten 2 big deliverables done for work, changed my sheets, hand washed dishes (I always put off doing hand wash-only dishes), worked out everyday, done laundry, and some other random “to do” items.

I did get out on Monday night for some fun.  Atlanta was in par-tay mode! 🙂

Picture taken by random guy on the street:

Told you I'm a red-head!

Last night I made some rockin’ roasted sweet potatoes.  I couldn’t take a picture, but my sister requested that directions be posted.  Here you go, Alli:

Lavender Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • 1 Giant Sweet potato
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp Dried lavender blossoms
  • 1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 T EVOO

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop well-rinsed (I don’t peel mine) sweet potato into 1/2 in cubes and spread out on foil-lined baking sheet.  Toss with herbs, salt, and EVOO.

Roast in oven for ~40 mins, tossing once at 25 min mark.  Remove and enjoy!

***

I read an interesting article from my Active.com daily email.    It discusses training for a race vs. weight loss.

Many people begin running for weight loss.  One of the common stories I see is that of people signing up for a 5K as motivation to begin running and drop a few lbs.  I don’t think this article is necessarily referring to those people – this seems more related to longer races or more competitive racers – but it is an interesting read and can provide some perspective.

Major take-aways:

  1. Your body needs more calories when you’re seriously training.  This is not the time to cutting to under 1,500/day .
  2. Strength training shouldn’t be a focus while training.  Muscle burns fat, but lifting seriously can exhaust you and add more muscle than is ideal for a race.
  3. Endurance require some carbs.  Losing weight does not.  Eat more protein if you are trying to lose.  Sub in some carb-cals for the protein when you are in training.
  4. Many of the fitness magazines are highlighting the awesome weight-loss results you see from cardio intervals.  True story.  Just don’t make these the bulk of your workout if you are trying to run a marathon – they aren’t a substitute for a long run.
  5. “Fasting” workouts are when you workout first thing without any food on your stomach.  In theory, they burn straight fat rather than burning off carbs first.  I’m not a fan of these in general (it can also mean muscle breakdown as you body struggles to fuel the workout), but you especially don’t want to do this for longer/endurance runs.

***

What are your thoughts?  Can you focus on weight loss and training?  Anyone a fan of the fasting workout?

Speaking of… I’m off to the gym!  Gotta do what you can to warm up. 🙂

Starbucks Deals + Ending the Cleanse

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Who wants 12 days of Starbucks deals???  Saving Money Living Life has delivered yet again.

Click for source

The Starbucks Deal: Text 12DAYS to 29943 to sign up for Starbucks’ 12 days of Sharing.  Beginning December 1st you will receive one deal per day.

Merry Christmas, Coffee Addicts! 🙂

The woman at SMLL posts some awesome deals AND always manages to save an impressive amount at Publix (like getting $90 of stuff for ~$45). I wish she’d figure out how to do it at Whole Paycheck Foods!

I also learned about a FREE holiday music sampler iTunes download People Magazine through SMLL.  Check out the deal on People’s website.

Speaking of coffee, I have a one-track mind today.  The SP Cleanse is OVER!!!  Mom and I celebrated with some midnight ab work (I know… we have never been normal).

I also had my second personal training session last night.  I am still really loving it.

Some highlights:

  • 20 push-ups in a row, followed by 2 sets of 10 (boy-style = no knees)
  • 65 sit-ups in 2 minutes
  • 20 oblique-ups
  • Lots of bicep curls, pull-downs, and triceps

Our last supper was a salad with Garlicky Grilled Eggplant (recipe at end).  It didn’t get the gorgeous grill marks, but tasted great.

In my salad:

  • Zucchini
  • Cucumber
  • Carrots
  • Sweet potato
  • Garlicky Grilled Eggplant

This morning I am supposed to begin adding foods back one at a time in order to identify any food allergies/sensitivities (I may have chosen two things to add…).

In my oats:

  • McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
  • Arrowhead 4-Grain + Flax
  • 1/2 tsp Coconut butter
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • Blueberries

Have I mentioned how much I missed oatmeal???

I am aiming to add low or gluten-free carbs before going all out since that seems to be a common sensitivity.

Garlicky Grilled Eggplant

  • 1 Eggplant
  • 2 T EVOO
  • 2 T Balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Garlic cloves, minced
  • S & P to taste

Cut eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices.

In small bowl, whisk together EVOO, balsamic, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Brush liberally onto eggplant.  Place eggplant on grill (or grill pan) for 10-14 mins, flipping once halfway through.

Note: You will probably have some of the vinaigrette leftover – don’t toss it!  It is good drizzled over the grilled eggplant and makes for a great salad dressing.

Cleanse = Fries

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The Cleanse is going really well.  I love that I’m trying so many new things and my energy level is great!

Funny what I don’t crave – the thought of fried food makes me nauseous.  Not that I ate a lot of fried foods before, but I did have a penchant for tater tots and really good fried chicken.

And what I do crave – ice cream.  I have never eaten a lot of it.  Right now I would run over my own mother for a bowl. (Just kidding, Mom!!!)

I ran 3 miles on the treadmill last night to test my new running shoes.  The guy at Fleet Feet recommended inserts, so I’m testing those too.  The jury is still out.

What I don’t like:

  • The inserts feel hard (not rocks, but harder than just shoes)
  • Inserts make me feel like my heel isn’t deep enough in the shoe
  • The show may be a bit narrow… they do stretch though…

What I like:

  • With the inserts, my overpronation problem felt much improved
  • The length is perfect
  • The laces don’t slip (they are the wavy kind)
  • They are pretty  🙂

Sooooo… I’m not sure what to do.  I will definitely need a couple more treadmill tests before deciding.

Side note: I used to run exclusively on a treadmill and couldn’t imagine running without a TV.  Tonight I realized I now much prefer running outside and was bored to tears on the “hamster wheel.”

I had work  to do and was up until nearly 1 am, so no Whittle My Middle.  However, I got up this morning and did it!

Here’s the latest:

  • Front plank: 90 secs
  • Side plank:  60 secs each side
  • Torso twists: 40 reps
  • Plank ups: 14 reps
  • Boat pose: 25 reps
  • Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps, 1 set of 40
  • Side plank w/ twists:  15 reps each side

Has anyone ever heard of the snack cake diet? I am considering it after my cleanse… 😉

Rutabaga fries. They almost taste like real fries.  Seriously.

I like mine extra crispy

These fries are really, really good.  I’m pretty sure the San Francisco McDonald’s franchises are going to begin serving them with Happy Meals (sans toy, of course).

Rutabaga Fries

  • 1 rutabaga
  • 1T olive oil
  • 2 rosemary springs
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sea salt (ground to “flaky” texture)
  • 3-4 shakes of cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel rutabaga and cut into thin fry-like slices. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.

Rough chop rosemary and mince garlic.  Sprinkle over rutabaga slices.  Add sea salt and cayenne.  Toss until each piece is coated.

Spread evenly on non-stick baking sheet.  Place in oven ~20 mins, turning twice.  Remove, taste, and adjust spices as needed.

Note: Omit the cayenne if you don’t like you nose to run!

How about some vegan cheese sauce with that?  We can’t have real cheese on our cleanse, but this isn’t bad.  It definitely doesn’t taste like actual cheese, so I hesitate to call it that… but there weren’t any leftovers!

 

Cheesy Vegan Non-Cheese Sauce

  • 1/4 C Tahini sauce
  • 1/4 C EVOO
  • 1 T Miso Tamari

Place ingredients in mixing bowl and combine until smooth.

***

Whether it be food, running, low-rise jeans, etc… are you ever shocked by how your preferences change?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2

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