Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls

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Happy New Year’s Eve!!!

I’ve been waiting to post this… I misplaced my new camera and didn’t get pic of the finished product.

Good news: Found camera.

Bad news:  It was washed.  In a ski jacket.  By my mom.

Playing in the snow with my sisters

At least we got to play in the whole 1/4 inch of snow…

Soooo… I’m posting this sans final product pics.  But they were pretty!  These would make a great hangover New Years Day breakfast.

Christmas morning was very different this year – I was the first one awake!

I bounced out of bed, ready to open presents at 830a.  Then I waited until 11a for the family to wake up.  Talk about anti-climatic.

Things I did to entertain myself for 2.5 hours:

  • Made/drank coffee
  • Ate 1/2 an apple
  • Whittle My Middle workout
  • Prepared the breakfast roll glaze
  • Chopped veggies for a frittata
  • Ate some granola
  • Unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher

Productive, right?!

In our family, the big-deal Christmas meals are Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch.

Continuing with my theme to trying new things, I decided to make Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls.  These are adapted from the January 2011 Food & Wine.

We enjoyed them with a veggie frittata and a fantastic rose sparkling wine (which I had a picture of on my new/newly cleaned camera).

Of course, we opened presents first. 🙂

My favorite gift this year was a MacBook Air from Mom Santa.  If anyone can teach me how to use it, that would also be cool.

Now for the incomplete rolls.

Ready to roll out after rising.

Rolled out, berry-topped, and sugar-cinnamon sprinkled.

Ready for rise #2!  I let them rise for 2 hours and then placed them in the fridge overnight to beaked fresh on Christmas morning.

Sweet Berry Breakfast Rolls

Dough

  • 1 C Milk
  • 2/3 C Sugar
  • 1 1/2 T Active dry yeast
  • 1 Stick Unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
  • 4 1/4 C All-purpose flour (+ more for dusting)

Filling

  • 10-ounce package IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) mixed berries (not thawed)
  • 1/4 C + 2 T Sugar
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch

Glaze

  • 3/4 C Confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 T Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 T Heavy cream
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

For the Dough:

In a small saucepan, warm the milk over moderately low heat until it’s 95°.  Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast.  Let stand until the yeast is foamy, ~5 mins.  Add the softened butter, eggs, grated lemon zest and sea salt.  Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, ~3 mins. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, ~10 mins.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times.  Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, ~2 hours.

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend up the short sides.  Butter the paper and sides of the pan.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10 x 24 in rectangle.

For the Filling:

In a medium bowl, toss the frozen berries with the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.  Spread the berry filling evenly over the dough.  Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24-inch-long log.  

Working quickly, cut the log into quarters.  Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up.  Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls.  

Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, ~2 hours.

To Bake:

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Bake the rolls for ~20 mins, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling.  Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 mins.

For the Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon with the butter and heavy cream until the glaze is thick and spreadable.

Invert the rolls onto the rack and peel off the parchment paper.  Invert the rolls onto a platter.  Dollop glaze over each roll and spread with an offset spatula.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: The recipe can be prepared through the “Filling” step the day before (I did and it turned out perfectly).  Once risen, simply cover the rolls and refrigerate overnight.  Return to room temperature before baking.

You can also use any sort of berries for the filling.  The original called for raspberries.

Healthiest Crackers Ever Made

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Baby Sis and I went for a rockstar run.  We braved the cold (and the dark) and conquered 7 MILES!

The best part: when we got home, we both said we could have gone longer.  I  never thought I’d be saying this… but I didn’t mean to start running more than 2-3 miles at a time.  It just happened.

Note to self: File under “Things that I  never thought I’d say.”

Stats:

  • Distance – 7 miles
  • Time – 60:00 mins
  • Avg Pace – 8:57 mins

I think we are going to be just fine for our Thanksgiving 10K Gobble Jog. 🙂

Disclaimer: We made a pit stop at Old Navy about half way though for 10 mins for a quick peek. Girls will be girls…

Prior to the run, I did my Whittle My Middle with Mom.  She held a very impressive 90 second plank!

Following the run, Baby Sis and I completed the Yoga for Runners DVD, which really helped keep the soreness to a minimum today for both of us.

The narration is a tad cheesy, but its effective!

For some reason I have a hard time making myself take time to stretch after a workout, but I am always glad when I do.  I need to get better about doing it!

On to the big cracker win!

Unbelievably, I figured out how to make cleanse-approved crackers.  These are probably the healthiest crackers ever created.  AND they are packed with flavor!

Mixing the fillings

At first there were 2

Then there was 1

Asian-Spiced Flax Crackers

  • 1 C flax meal (mine were roughly ground)
  • 1/4 C chia seed
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 kale leaf
  • 1/4 C cilantro
  • 1/4 C mint
  • 1/2 jalapeño (seeded)
  • 1/8 large yellow onion
  • 2 T tamari miso
  • 2 T lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 T cumin
  • 1 T coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Combine flax meal and chia seeds in a medium bowl.  Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add the puree to the seed mixture and stir until combined evenly.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat (non-stick aluminum foil works too!).  Spread mixture about 1/8 in thick onto sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 2 hours, until firm enough to flip.  Flip the cracker and bake 2 hours more.  Turn off the oven and leave crackers in to dehydrate overnight.

Break into pieces and they are ready to eat!

Notes:  You may crack the oven door if crackers are too moist.  Ideally you would use a dehydrator for this, so feel free if you have one!

***

The fail part: I tried for a sweet flax cracker but adding coconut butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.  The butter made it too moist (ewww…) and we had to turn it into a topping for the grilled pineapple.

The final day in San Fran

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We didn’t want to leave, but if you have to end a trip this was the way to do it.

Laura arranged for us to have massages at her spa.  I got the hot stone massage and Mallory got wrapped in eucalyptus leaves.  The ladies lounge had a misting room, hot tub, sauna, and steam room.  Naturally, we spent and additional hour lounging after our massages.  If you are in the Bay Area, I highly recommend checking out Burke Williams.  Ask for Taylor or Tuesday!

After a light lunch at one of the cafes in the Ferry Building (and some dessert sampling), we walked around Pier 39.  Check out the sock store.  Before we knew it, it was time to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Proud side note: I Whittled My Middle before we left!!!

The Sumos enjoyed the Trolley

Did I mention the Giants were in the World Series?!

Classic San Fran – Giants, Trolley… and a German flag?!

Dinner was something totally different  – raw food at Cafe Gratitude.

Everything on the menu was raw and vegan (except for 3-4 items… but they were still vegan!).

I am grateful

You order an item like our appetizer – nachos.  But the nachos are called “I Am Honoring.”

And they consist of flax chips with sunflower seed “refried beans” over mixed greens with guacamole, salsa, & cashew nacho cheese.

I am Honoring

Then, when they bring them out, the server places the dish in front of you saying “You are honoring.”

Side note: raw refried beans are wayyyy better than the real thing.

My favorite was the lasagna Laura ordered: layered zucchini, cashew mozzarella, olive tapenade and pesto topped with marinara, cashew ricotta and Brazil nut Parmesan.

I Am Fabulous

Mallory’s was good too – a sushi bowl consisting of quinoa tossed w/kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, scallions & herbs in sesame-ginger sauce.

She said she couldn’t believe how much it tasted like sushi.

I couldn’t believe she ordered something called “I Am Accepting.”

I Am Accepting

Since I can never get enough Mexican, I ordered the enchilada – a live vegetable tortilla with sprouted seed filling, topped with spicy salsa verde & cashew sour cream. It was served with cilantro coleslaw and quinoa.

It was good.  Better after they brought out the hot sauce.

I really just wanted to say “I Am Elated”

Then there was dessert.  Why stop the gluttony on the last day?

I didn’t get a picture of mine, but I can declare that I AM SUPER.  At least when it comes to the dark chocolate nugget I ate.

Mallory was Devoted in the form of a coconut cream pie.

I Am Devoted… to dessert 🙂

Laura was the winner (IMHO) with a scoops of vanilla and chocolate nut-milk ice cream.  I was praising her choices.

Verdict: I wish we had something like this in Atlanta.  I will always prefer “real” cream pie, but this is a great alternative.   The lasagna is crave-worthy and I am happy anytime I can get a good quinoa dish.

Something cool happened while we were in the restaurant…

The GIANTS won the World Series!!!

The city erupted – it was really neat to be there and watch everyone (literally) go nuts.

Go Giants!

I would tell you what we did next… but I’d have to kill you.

We went to one of those super-secret unmarked bars.  We knocked on the door and have to give a password to get in!

It was well worth the effort – I had the best cocktail of my life.  The Citizen Cane.

And just like that, the awesomeness was over. 🙁

Back at the ranch… the cleanse update…

Day 3 was better.  My headache was gone, but I was still feeling pretty low-energy.

Despite this, I completed P90X Biceps and Back – with the Ab Ripper X at the end.  Then I promptly fell asleep for 45 mins.

If you haven’t tried it, I recommend the DVDs.  I’ve never followed the program exactly (would LOVE to hear if anyone has!), but they are some great workouts when you aren’t motivated to pull together your own.

We were starving before dinner, so I made baked kale chips as an appetizer.  They have been written about ad nauseam in the blog world – for a good “how to” check out Smitten Kitchen’s play-by-play.

Washed, dried, and coated with EVOO, salt, and red pepper flakes

These didn’t last long around Baby Sis and Mamma

On to the main event… I tried my first spaghetti squash!  I couldn’t get over how much like real spaghetti this was!  The consistency of the squash was such that I almost didn’t miss the noodles.

We prepared an awesome tomato sauce to go with it. (Kale chips are delish dipped in tomato sauce, btw.)

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

  • 1 Spaghetti squash
  • 2-3 T EVOO
  • 1/2 C Yellow onion
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 750g (~24 oz) Tomato puree
  • 1/4 C Parsley
  • 1 tsp  Oregano
  • Red pepper flakes, sea salt, and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 Basil leaves

Cut the squash in half (can soften in microwave first).  Remove the seeds.  Place in a glass baking dish, cut side down, in about 1 in of water.  Microwave for 7-8 minutes, or until shell is tender when pierced with a fork.  (Yes, we were lazy hungry… you can also do this in the oven at 350 for about 45 mins.  I thought the microwave worked fantastically.)

Remove the flesh with a fork.  Place in serving bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute until softened and beginning to brown(about 4 mins).  Add tomato puree and adjust heat until sauce comes to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Add the parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep warm over very low heat.

Top with sauce, fresh basil, and chopped onions.

Other potential adds: Parmesan, capers, olives, rosemary, peppers, carrots, wine.

I would also have used chunky (not puree) tomatoes (San Marzanos are my fav), but Baby Sis doesn’t like the big pieces.

Now for the most exciting news… We found a cleanse-approved dessert!!!

No one said it had to be pretty…

Pineapple-Raisin Crisp

  • 1 Pineapple
  • 1/4 C Raisins
  • 2 tsp Coconut butter
  • 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1/4 Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

Core pineapple and cut into 1 in rings.  Toss with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and cayenne. 

Heat coconut butter in ridged grill pan over medium heat on stove top.  Add pineapple rings and grill for ~4 mins on each side (until grill marks form and the pineapple becomes fragrant).  Add raisins just before pineapple is done.

Top with granola or flax/chia seeds for extra crunch!  My topping as a roasted mizture of flax seeds, chia seeds, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and coconut oil (remnants of a partial fail I’ll disclose tomorrow).

Verdict: I would eat this again, cleanse or no.  Grilled pineapple is satisfyingly sweet and the bit of heat from the cayenne is enough to keep it interesting. 🙂

My Future Hometown

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Our first full day in California was spent in Napa.  I could write pages on this place.  I could move to this place.

Here’s the impressive part – I woke up and did 30 mins on the hotel elliptical and Whittled My Middle.  (Can’t remember the exact numbers to post!)

Before hitting the road, we have to have breakfast!

Best. Coffee. Ever.

 

Laura took us to a place in her neighborhood called Philz Coffee.  The walk there included instructions to “watch out for puke on the sidewalk.”  Admittedly, I was skeptical.

A 10 minute walk later and I was drinking the best coffee I have ever had and enjoying an unbelievably amazing VEGAN scone. 

Trust the local!

Apple Pecan Vegan Scone

 

Then we were off to Napa!

First stop: Mumm

Favorite Taste: Sparkling Pinot Noir or Brut Rose

Notes: Great way to begin the day – all sparkling wines, helpful staff (they even gave us extra vintages to compare!), and a stunning view.

Cheers!

 

Second stop: Groth

Favorite Taste: 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes: The wines were very good.  I even bought a Chardonnay (I typically don’t care for them).  The presentation could have been better, but definitely still worthy of a stop.

Yep – It’s pink.

Pit stop: Brix for lunch

Favorite Taste: Crusty bread and butter sprinkled with pink salt

Notes: Brave the 45 min wait at Mustard’s instead.  We actually sent back a $21 burger… and they brought it back in worse shape.

Basic, but good!

 

Third stop: Cakebread

Favorite Taste: 2007 Syrah

Notes: The wines were decent and the view was great… but not our favorite experience.  It is the only one I would have skipped.

The view from Cakebread

 

Fourth stop: Sullivan

Favorite Taste: 2005 Coeur de Vigne

Notes: By far the best winery in every regard.  The tasting was personal (we met the vineyard owner!), the tasting room manager was knowledgeable and so nice.  And the wines… perfect.

I want to live HERE.

 

We even met the owner’s son.  He is in charge of the wine making… and gave us a sip of this juice:

Good even before fermentation!

 

After such a great experience, we decided it was the perfect winery to end on.  And we were hungry.

 

Pit Stop #2: Rutherford Grill

Best Taste: Green Chili Cake Cornbread

Notes: Thanks to Fred, the tasting manager at Sullivan, we ordered the chili cornbread.  You should too.

This could have been served as cake. Seriously.

 

After a hunt for gas (no stations for 10 miles!), we got lucky with dinner.  Table for 3 at Redd.

I could talk forever about how the fine gentleman cocktail waiter served our drinks and said – and I quote:

“Allow me to bid you cheers, ladies.”

Or how the pork belly was heaven-sent.

Glazed pork belly, apple puree, burdock, and soy caramel

 

Or how the sweet and sour glazed butternut squash in the fall salad paired perfectly with the Roquefort cheese and apples.

Fall Salad

 

Or the dessert.  Oh, the dessert. The cherry on top of a meal so incredible that it moved us to tears.

Peanut butter milk chocolate gianduja, peanut honeycomb parfait

But I wouldn’t want to make anyone jealous. 🙂

Back in the real world…

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The 21 day challenge.

Mom and I are doing the Standard Process Cleanse (lord, do I need it after the Cali gluttonous foodie experience).

For the first 10 days, you are only allowed veggies and fruit.  More raw than not.  Preferably organic.

And shakes with their special protein powder.

At day 11 we can add certain fish and chicken.

Obviously, we needed to raid the DeKalb Farmer’s Market to start off right!

Lots of these

None of these!

So, the blog will focus on clean, vegan eating for the next 10 days.  Followed by clean, vegan-except-for-chicken eating for the remaining 11.

First lesson: if you can’t add any sweetener, don’t put cranberries in a shake.  *pucker*

She’s gone country… wine country, that is

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First off, Happy Birthday to my awesome mom!!!

(It was yesterday, but who’s counting?)

My baby sis drove in from college to surprise her (Mamma cried) and we took her to dinner at Miller Union.  Of course, I forgot to bring my camera to capture one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. BUT, if you are in Atlanta go eat there.  Immediately.  If not sooner.

My Recommendations: Miller Thyme cocktail, a glass of the Frederic Mabileau St. Nicolas de Bourgeil Loire France 2008, creamy grit fritters, skillet NY Strip, any of the veggies, and the warm plum crisp.  And don’t bother sticking to a “diet” – dig into the bread they bring out.  It’s worth it.

 

After dinner, Baby Sis came home with me for a sleepover and to try a 6am boot camp.  I was shocked we woke up in time.

Between the humidity and crazy workout involving lots of stairs, we worked up an appetite!  I made the Grilled French Banana Sandwich from last week and served it with apple sliced on the side.

Guess where I’m going tomorrow!?

It was just a good the second time around!  Next time I’m doing it with Chocolate Almond Butter.

Baby sis was also my guinea pig.  I tried out a version of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Peas and Thank You.

It was soooo good I started drinking this and ALMOST forgot to take a pic!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

  • 4 c strongly brewed coffee (I used 4 c water to 6 T coffee)
  • 1 1/2 c skim milk
  • 5 T canned pumpkin
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Brew coffee.  Meanwhile, heat milk, pumpkin, and spices until hot (about 2 mins) on the stove… or in the microwave (I can be lazy in the morning).  Pour mixture into blender and blend on high until frothy.

Pour frothy milk mixture into 2 large cups (I had some leftover), and add coffee.  Mix lightly and serve.

AND I did my Whittle My Middle moves.  The stats:

  • Front plank: 90 secs
  • Side plank:  60 secs each side
  • Torso twists: 50 reps
  • Plank ups: 16 reps
  • Boat pose: 25 reps
  • Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
  • Side plank w/ twists:  12 reps each side

I’m all out of order though!  Rewind to Monday.

I started my week here:

Serenbe Inn

This was my cabin:

Magnolia Cabin

Serenbe (“Be Serene”… get it?!) is this awesome 1000 acre sustainable community just 45 mins outside of Atlanta.  My team at work had a short retreat there – it felt days away from the city.  We had meetings, ate some awesome farm-to-table food at The Farmhouse (our chicken at dinner came from a farm 30 mins away!), and I went on a 4 mile trail run.  Two thumbs up.

I also learned about their Southern Chef Series.  They bring in popular chefs (Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch fame is coming in January!) and for a small fee you get to cook dinner with them, stay over night, and make breakfast together in the morning.  That’s my kind of retreat!

After all the fattening delicious Southern cooking, I was craving some oats.  Do you ever put chocolate chips in your pumpkin bread/muffins/pancakes?

In honor of the gorgeous fall leaves, I decided to add some orange to my chocolate overnight oats.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Oats

Chocolate-Pumpkin Overnight Oats

  • 1/4 c oatmeal
  • 1/2 c milk
  • 1/2 scoop Juice Plus powder
  • Generous shakes of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg

Toppings:

  • Pumpkin puree
  • Pecans

There has been some nasty weather in Atlanta and this was the perfect breakfast on a rainy fall morning!

Fast forward again.

I’m ending my week here:

San Francisco, here I come!

And here:

Watch out, Napa!

My BFF and I are going to San Francisco and Napa to visit an old friend for Halloween.

Back in a few days with lots of stories, pictures, and wine! 🙂

http://www.millerunion.com/site/

The most important meal of the day

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On Sunday, that meal is brunch.  Yesterday I tried out the new brunch at the Inman Park Pure with one of my favorite partners-in-crime.

Reason #1 she is one of my favs: we ordered dessert first.  I think it may have even been her idea.

Churros y Chocolate Caliente

Churros are basically Spain’s answer to doughnuts beignets.  They’re fried and then coated in cinnamon and sugar.

The exterior of these was perfectly crisp, not greasy at all.  The inside was airy – the dough was just cooked through.  Watch out, Krispy Kreme.

Airy churro goodness

Served with a cup of hot chocolate perfection.  It wasn’t too sweet (a must given the fried sugary goodness) or too heavy (to the point that we questioned whether it was made with skim milk).  In fact, it only got better as we dunked the churros in it.

From the partner-in-crime:

I can’t not smile when I’m eating these.

Georgia has a silly law that you can’t serve alcohol in a restaurant on Sundays until 12:30p (after the good Southerns have attended church services).  After the churros were inhaled eaten, we were allowed to enjoy a mimosa.

Mimosa

Then it was on the the main: breakfast burrito.  It had a Mexican name that I naturally forgot to write down, but it was basically a chorizo, potato, and egg burrito (beans on the side, thankyouverymuch).

Breakfast Burrito

The burrito was topped with a medium salsa (just tiny kick to it), avocado slices, and oxaca cheese.  I ordered a side of salsa verde too!

Burrito insides

It was good.  Not great. The chorizo wasn’t very flavorful and the eggs were a bit over done. The rice a dry and would have benefited from more seasoning.  The salsas were definitely the best thing on that plate.

The guy at the table next to use ordered a breakfast version of salsa-verde soaked chicken fajitas.  Should I go back (and I will – those churros are crave-worthy), I’ll be ordering that. 🙂

We also took time to walk around the Inman Park neighborhood.  There are so many cute shops!  I bought a Life magazine from 1944.

July 3, 1944

It is so neat to leaf through and look at the ads and story topics (there are 10 pages dedicated to color printing!).

The discovery of the day was an adorable market, Savi.  It had some neat food items and a great beer/wine selection.  They aslo do beer and wine tastings – we were fascinated by the wines on tap, priced by the ounce for a self-serve tasting.

The owner was friendly and talked with us for a good 10 minutes about the wine selection.  He even offered to hunt down my beloved wine from a Barcelona trip 3 years ago.  They have a cozy–looking fire place and seating area.  I see a wine tasting in my near future!

In true Sunday fashion, I took a nice nap when I got home.  Then went for a ~4 mile run.  I think I could have gone longer.  It was such a nice night and my legs were feeling strong.

That was a nice surprise, as I’ll be adding miles to my runs in preparation for the 10K Gobble Jog with my baby sis on Thanksgiving.

This morning’s Whittle My Middle:

  • Front plank: 90 secs
  • Side plank:  60 secs each side
  • Torso twists: 50 reps
  • Plank ups: 14 reps
  • Boat pose: 25 reps
  • Bicycle: 4 sets of 30 reps
  • Side plank w/ twists:  15 reps each side
  • Double crunches: 30*

*I just added this one in today.  These are great for working the whole core, crunching your upper and lower half together.

Source

I’m headed out the the airport to pickup a co-worker on the way to our team retreat.

In other news, I am turning into my mother.  I washed the sheets before leaving town so that I will come home to clean sheets.  Is anyone else this crazy?!

Cooking in Salt

By

First, I have to say that I did deliver on my promise to complete the Whittle My Middle every other day.  Yesterday I was a little slow, but got it done.  I was so sore from boot camp.  Here are the numbers I put up:

  • Front plank: 60 secs
  • Side plank:  60 secs each side
  • Torso twists: 25 reps
  • Plank ups: 10 reps
  • Boat pose: 20 reps
  • Bicycle: 2 sets of 30 reps
  • Side plank w/ twists:  10 reps each side

Last night I had a really cool meal prepared by a friend.  I know its odd to describe a meal as “cool,” but I had never seen this method in action before: Beef in a Salt Crust.

This isn’t the actual beef but I think she made it based on an Alton Brown recipe, so the pic is from his recipe.  Basically, you beat egg white until they are frothy, add some herbs (fresh from her garden!), and a TON of kosher salt.

It looks crazy to dump all of that salt on a perfectly good piece of meat!  After it bakes for ~20 mins, the salt hardens into a crust.  When it’s done, the salt breaks away and you are left with your beef.  It was soooo cool to see and the taste was delish.  Not too salty!

Boot camp #2 tonight.  I may have to break out the running pants for the first time this season – it is finally feeling more like fall outside today!

Protein Powder #2 + Asian Tofu

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Powder #2

This morning I made hot oatmeal with the chocolate Vega powder.  (I know it technically is not just a protein powder, but neither is my current Juice Plus.)  It wasn’t my favorite.

In the oats:

90% of my breakfast decision was influenced by the fact that I still have these giant blueberries.  I love blueberries in hot oatmeal because they get all melty and juicy from the oatmeal heat.  YUM.

In addition to the berries, I used 1/2 the packet of Vega.  Half a serving gave me 5.5g protein, 0g sugar, and 55 cals.  I took a taste and promptly added a generous pile couple ‘o shakes of cinnamon.

I’ve made chocolate oats before… but these looked a bit… green.

Color, I can get over.  But they also tasted a little off.  You know when stuff tastes healthy?  My oatmeal tasted too healthy.  (Not that this prevented me from eating it.)

I’m still going to eat the other half, but this may be better in a fruit-filled smoothie.

New Challenge today – I started my first boot camp!  It was definitely a challenge.  We started with 5 mins of stairs.  One guy puked.  I did not.  Lots of boot camp-ish stuff (marching bands, planks, push ups, dips, etc.).  Then sprints.  Lots and lots of sprints (maybe this will help my 5K time?!).  The workout was rounded out with ab work.  I’m already sore.

Two things I’m really proud of:

  1. I stayed up with the “in shape” guys the whole time
  2. I ran to the boot camp and home after.

After that craziness I was starving.

Thankfully, dinner was less… green… than lunch.  I diced some extra-firm tofu and tossed it in an Asian-style marinade before boot camp.

When I got home, I put the mixture in a grill pan on medium heat.

Meanwhile, I sautéed some red onion and asparagus with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

 

Then I tossed all of that with arugula, carrots, celery, and cucumbers.

I couldn’t get this on the table fast enough!

Asian-Marinated Tofu

  • 2/5 block Extra-firm Tofu, cubed1T Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 1T Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 tsp Red Curry Paste
  • 1/2 tsp Thai Chile Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic, minced (about 1 small clove)

Whisk marinade in medium bowl and toss with tofu cubes.  Marinate ~1 hour. 

Grill on stove top over medium heat until browned (about 4-5 mins on each side).  Remove from heat and enjoy!

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