Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Blends for Life

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Blogger + Friend = Blend.

 

Blend 2012 was one of the BEST weekends I’ve ever had.  This past weekend ~70 women descended on Boulder for a weekend of fitness, food, and FUN.

 

Me and Heather, post-boot camp

 

Tina, Heather, and I took off from Atlanta Friday afternoon to attend the Blend Retreat.

I’d only met a two of the non-ATL attendees in “real life” before, but I can honestly say that I ended the weekend with several new close friends.  It was one of those experiences where you meet someone and feel like you’ve known them forever (I’m pretty sure Heather is my soul mate.)

 

 

Armed with drink tickets and cupcakes, we kicked of the weekend with a group dinner.  Right away it became obvious that is was going to be a laid-back, drama-free weekend.

It also became clear that we were going to blow up Instagram. #blend2012

 

Here's to new Blends!

 

My table-mates

Right to Left: Greg, Lauren, Kelly, Heather, Core Power, Fitmixer reps,Elizabeth, Me, Caylee, and Christine. Photo courtesy Janetha.

 

Both mornings we woke up to an hour-long boot camp.  Day 1 was led by Tina and Lindsay (check out the workout here on Tina’s blog).  Day 2 was led by one of our sponsors at Chobani.  Both days kicked my butt… but Fitmixer’s Amino Acids drink helped us power through.

This view didn’t hurt either:

 

 

Saturday we took a casual 4 mile hike on the Flat Irons up a trail called Royal Arch.

It lead us to the top of this beauty:

 

Flat Irons

 

It took a little climbing, huffing, and puffing…

 

Unbelievably no one wiped out on the way down!

 

The view at the top was well-worth the climb (and post-climb soreness).  I wish I could do this every weekend!

 

We made it!!

 

Know what else is worth it?  A post-hike snack of Coconut Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter and Cookie Dough Nutty Butter, homemade by your FoodBuzz roomie/fellow weird food-living buddy, Sarah.

 

Me and Sarah

It really does taste like cookie dough. Be verrrry jealous.

 

After much-needed showers, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for those fun stories.  Let’s just say that there was tequila shots and a tattoo involved… 😉

 

You guys know I’m not a crier, but when as our taxi pulled away from the cabins on Sunday I may have felt a little lump in my throat.

 

Until next year, my friends...

 

I do have one problem after the weekend… what am I going to do with all this schwag?!  Oh wait… I’ve already eaten a lot of it…

 

 

***

Thanks to Lindsay, Janetha, and Katie for pulling off an incredible retreat.  You guys wore me out so thoroughly that I actually took a rest day.

Have you ever met online/blogger-friends in “real” life?

Do you like to hike?  What’s the best trail you’ve been on?

 

Purposeful Running

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Today I have a guest spot!

 

 

I was flattered to have been asked by Laura @ Mommy, Run Fast! to write a post for her series, Purposeful Running.  Click here to check it out Laura’s site and my post on why I run.*

*Disregard the fact that I haven’t been able to run much due to my knee… in the words of Ah-nold: I’ll be back!

 

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Blend was amazing!  More to come this week!  For now, a workout recap:

 

Workout Recap (4/30 – 5/6):

    • Monday – This Pinned workout, Bis/Back w/ plyo, 2.3 mile run/walk
    • Tuesday – This Pinned workout, P90X Cardio, 100 push-ups
    • Wednesday – Shoulders w/ plyo, 2 mi run/walk, 100 push-ups
    • Thursday – This Quad + Core tabata workout, 2.5 mi run, Legs/Core
    • Friday – This Pinned workout, 3 mi walk/run, upper body weights
    • Saturday – Blend Boot Camp and Hike
    • Sunday –  Blend Boot Camp

***

 I need a weekend after my weekend!

What was the best part of your weekend?

If you are a runner, why do you run?

 

Sneaky Monday

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Can you believe it’s already Monday?

 

I’m so tired I almost can’t stand it.  Why?  Because I woke up at 2:30am.

Apparently I fell asleep with my phone in my room.  My sheets were still in the dryer, so I crashed on the couch… and when my mom called I didn’t hear the phone.  This worried her and when I hadn’t gotten back to her by 2am she decided to drive 30 minutes to make sure I was ok pay me a visit.  No joke.

 

Here’s the Top 5 from the weekend:

 

1. Zucchini Bread Oats

 

 

I stayed at my mom’s one night and made these again after a brief hiatus.  She hadn’t had them and was skeptical… turns out she loved Zucchini Bread Oats!

 

2. Sticky Toffee Pudding

 

 

I went to a dinner party at my friends Katherine and Giles’ house.  Joined by Heather and her husband Kirk, we had a fantastic vegan fest.  My contribution was this Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Recipe to come soon… I need to take some better pics. 🙂

 

3. Foodie Penpal

 

 

The revel isn’t until the end of the month… but my foodie penpal package arrived!  The box she shipped it in got me excited. 

 

4. PB&J Yogurt

 

 

This was is my new love.  How can you go wrong with anything PB&J-esque?  In my yogurt was:

  • 1 C Greek yogurt
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 5-6 drops vanilla Stevia
  • 1/2 C strawberries

 

5. Softball Sunday

It was another softball Sunday!   We won one game and lost one.  No split this week though. 🙂

 

 

One of my teammates rides a unicycle.  I love this time of year. 

 

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I thought my knee was cured this weekend when I ran a mile pain-free.  Then I tried for 1.5 the next day and was back in pain… *sigh*

It’s more P90X for me.

 

Workout Recap (4/2 – 4/8):

  • Monday – This Pinned workout, P90X Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
  • Tuesday – This Pinned workout, P90X Yoga
  • Wednesday – P90X Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – This Pinned workout, P90X Kenpo, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – P90X Legs/Back, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – This Pinned workout, 4 mile walk, 1 mile run, Ab Ripper X
  • Sunday –  1.5 mile run, 2 softball games

 

***

I’m looking forward to a low-key week.  Knock on wood.

Has your mom ever driven to your house to check on you?

What was the best part about your weekend?

 

Catering, Cupcakes, and Chillaxing

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This was the sort of weekend where you stay so busy you aren’t really sure it ever happened.

Not that I’m complaining – catering and cupcakes iced with a little chillaxing is a good time.

This week I am looking forward to sharing some fun new recipes with you, but for today I’ll stick to the highlights.  Here is the Top 5 from a weekend so crazy that I was in bed by 11p last night (that’s unheard of for me).

1. Say Cheese

Though I spent a lot of time prepping Saturday’s catering gig, I took a little break to make a hummus, veggie, and cheese board.

A wandering afternoon in the cheese department while was supposed to be catering-shopping lead to the discovery of a new favorite cheese.  Mitica Quadrello di Bufala (buffalo’s milk cheese).

I’m not ashamed to admit… I couldn’t stay vegan for the love of cheese.

2. Wedding Shower Catering

This was my second “official” catering job and it went really well.  The event was a was a joint wedding shower for a bride and groom.  I was asked to come up with a “Southern” menu for ~30 people.

On the Menu:

  • Chipotle Roasted Corn Hummus (remember this from last summer?) with veggies and chips
  • Spring Endive Boats
  • Caper and Chive Deviled Eggs
  • Mac ‘n Cheese Minis
  • Whiskey BBQ Turkey Sliders
  • Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

If it’s any indication of success, there was hardly any food leftover. 🙂

Recipes coming throughout the week!

3. Easter Bunny

Sunday I woke up still exhausted from the previous day’s catering; however, I was energized by the fact that the Easter Bunny had come!

I will always spend the night at my mom’s on holidays.  Shameless.

4. Poolside Mimosas

A girl’s day by the pool with my mom and baby sister was just what I needed.  That and a tasty mimosa.

We laid out, talked, and ate a poolside Easter lunch of watermelon salad, endive salad, pretzel bread, carrot soufflé, and mac ‘n cheese.  I was too busy chillaxing to take pics of any of it. #fail

5. More Cupcakes

4 dozen Chocolate-Nutella cupcakes in one weekend clearly wasn’t enough.  We came in from the pool and wanted something sweet.  Being a good kid, I whipped up some vanilla bean cupcakes to go with the last but of Nutella icing.

This recipe will be coming soon!

This week I was all about the P90X.  I’m still not following the prescribed program, but I did a workout with Tony Horton just about every day this week.  Good thing because my diet was abysmal.

#PROOF

Workout Recap (4/2 – 4/8):

  • Monday – P90X Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X
  • Tuesday – This Tuesday Trainer Tabata workout from Lindsay (50 sec work, 10 secs rest, 2x), 6 min plank rotation, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – P90X Tris/Chest, Ab Ripper X
  • Thursday – P90X Cardio X, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – P90X Biceps/Back, Ab Ripper X
  • Saturday – 100 push-ups, 90 squats, rest/cater
  • Sunday –  P90X Plyo, 100 push-ups

***

And now the reveal you’ve all been waiting for.  What was the “lie” from Friday’s post?  #9 “Monday night I ate octopus for the first time.”  

Many of you guessed the right answer, but for the wrong reason.  I have NEVER eaten octopus.  The tentacles creep me out.

Did the Easter Bunny come visit you?

What food prevents you from ever going vegan/vegetarian, or – if you are vegan/vegetarian – what food was hardest for you to stop eating?

Being Serene

By

Sunny weekends seem shorter.

 

I never want them to end!  

Before diving head first into a crazy week, here are the top 5 highlights that I remembered to take a picture of:

 

1. Serenbe Cooking Demo

While at my team’s retreat we were treated to a cooking demo by the founder of Serenbe, Marie Nygren.  Serenbe (“be serene” spelled backwards) is a small sustainable community just outside of Atlanta.  It reminds me of Seaside (where The Truman Show was filmed), but without the ocean.

 

Marie led us though a short cooking demo in her home.  She prepared collard greens two ways, kale, and cabbage.  It was all delicious… and her house was GORGEOUS!

 

 

2. *Almost* Justin Timberlake Sighting

Justin Timberlake is in Atlanta shooting “Trouble With the Curve,” with Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams.  Below is the camera crew.  No Justin… but I swear I saw Jessica Biel walking down the street the other day.

 

 

3. Softball Sunday

My team won!!!  The second game.  

Our problem is that we aren’t morning people.  We don’t wake up until half way through the first game.

 

My groin woke up too early thanks to play at first base.  I did a full split and caught the ball for the out.  And pulled my groin.  Ouch.

 

 

4. Powdered Hummus?

On my weekly trip to Whole Paycheck Foods I came across hummus powder in the bulk bins.  The instructions say all you need to do is add is water and olive oil.

Does this sound awesome or weird?

I haven’t tried it yet, but will report back soon!  They also had a powdered black bean dip.

 

 

5. Green Thumb

I’ve mentioned before that I have killed every plant I have owned.  I even killed mint.  Yesterday I helped my mom plant flowers.

 

They are so pretty, right?!  I hope my black thumb doesn’t affect them.


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I miiiiight be allowed to try running again tomorrow.  I go back to the doc and he’s going to give me the green light.  Or not.  I’m a little nervous since by the end of softball today it was a little sore from running bases, but nothing like before.

This week was a little light on workout intensity… and the clean eating… but I’m not going to kick myself too hard over it.  Sometimes you just need to take it easy.

 

Workout Recap (3/26 – 4/1):

  • Monday – This BodyRock, stationary bike, 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – This workout by Lori, 100 push-ups, 20 mins of P90X Cardio… then quit in favor of playing tennis. 🙂
  • Wednesday – P90X Tris/Chest, Ab Ripper X
  • Thursday – This Pinned Workout (3x), 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Rest
  • Saturday – This BodyRock, Back/Bis, 100 push-ups
  • Sunday –  Softball 2x, P90X Plyo, 100 push-ups

 

***

I totally forgot it was April Fool’s yesterday.  We should have the whole month to mess with people!

Did you play any April Fool’s Pranks?

Have you seen powdered hummus before? Is it good?

 

Manic Monday

By

I wish it was Sunday…

‘Cause that’s my fun day.

There was not an inch of free space on any Atlanta patio yesterday.  The weather was perfect – 70 degrees and clear blue skies.

My softball team, Laid Back, had our first games of the season.  We lost both by 1 run… but we had a great time!  I got to do my signature split off of 1st base.  I think I pulled my hip.

Super-old pic!

Here are a few more things that made this weekend fabulous:

1. My Sister, the Rockstar

Have a listen to Goose & Fox’s (my sister’s band) new song, “Fearless.”

 

2. iHerb Delivery

This was my first time ordering from iHerb.com and I was really pleased!  I ordered Sun Warrior vegan protein powder (my favorite) and more peanut flour.  They even threw in a sample bag of tea!  Orders over $40 receive FREE 1-3 day shipping.  I had my goods the NEXT DAY.  Perfect for someone who expects instant gratification.

Additionally, I got $10 off my order because it was my first time.  If you are interested, here’s the code: USO924.

3. Monday Night Brewing

Just when I thought I knew ever beer in Atlanta, I found this local craft brew from Monday Night Brewing at a local pub called Augustine’s.

The glass reads: “Weekends are Overrated.”

I should have stolen this glass.

It is called “Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale.”  A little smoky with notes of chocolate, I instantly loved this cleverly-named  Scottish-style brew.  Tasty beer and the company was even better. 😉

4. Tattoo Consultation

I have been planning this tattoo forever.  After procrastinating on the design, I finally asked my best friend’s husband, Greg, to sketch it out for me.  He did a great job on the sketches, and I had a clear vision to bring to the talented Danielle at Only You Tattoo.  It’s really special to me that Greg drew it; he and my bestie mean the world to me.

Danielle is a talented woman – April 28th was her first available appointment.  I’m 1 month away from new ink!

5. Whole Foods Hot Mess Bar

A little Sunday evening dinner treat.  The bar was LOADED with vegan options tonight – BBQ seitan, tofu cacciatore, vegan mac & cheese, vegan spaghetti with “meat” sauce… and raw kale salads galore!

I also ran into one of my favorite singers in the produce sections… I didn’t say hi…. but it was cool!

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Last week I mentioned that I may have found the root of the problem with my knee.  I was told to take it easy this week… I kind of did.  Against advice, I did run in the softball game.  It was just short sprints between bases… but I didn’t feel pain!  *crossing fingers*

 

Running makes me feel more sane.  It’s my release.  Saturday morning 5Ks give me something fun and athletic to look forward to every weekend.  If Dr. Justin fixed it… I’ll set up a shrine to him in my room.  LOL!

Workout Recap (3/18 – 3/25):

***

I’m speaking to a bunch of MBAs at my alma mater today about post-careers… nervous!!

Have you tried peanut flour yet?  What are you waiting for?!

What do you do to keep your mind healthy?

Double Feature

By

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?

 

Monday Mentions

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In typical fashion, I spent the weekend on the go.

 

Between the summer-ish weather and having to sit in the office all week, I couldn’t get enough of the great outdoors.  All of the St. Patrick’s festivities and running events made it feel like spring festival season!

Here’s a little highlight reel:

 

1. Dining Out Vegan

I’m still rocking the vegan thing and have gotten some cool meals.

 

 

The first pic is from the best Thai restaurant in Atlanta – Panita Thai.  It looks like a shack from the outside, but the food is incredible.  I ordered my eggplant-tofu dish “Thai hot.”  Cindy, the owner/our server looked skeptic but did as requested.  That may be the last time I order something THAT spicy… but my ego I ate it.  Cindy was impressed.

 

The bottom 2 pics are from ONE Midtown Kitchen.  The service-level was absolutely incredible.  Chef Drew VanLeuvan created a custom appetizer and entrée for me.  Or server, Bernadette, even brought out apple slices and asparagus stalks for me to munch on pre-dinner since I couldn’t eat the bread sticks!

My app consisted of roasted apples with ginger sorbet and roasted cabbage.  The entrée that Chef created was an asparagus salad with pickled strawberries, orange segments, toasted hazelnuts, sugar snaps, micro greens, and a balsamic reduction.  It was a lot of apples and asparagus, but it was fantastic.

Note: Chef Drew is leaving soon to start is his own restaurant.  Sad news for ONE, but very exciting for the talented chef.   I’ll be frequenting his new spot (and ONE, of course).

 

2. Baking Bender

The baking bug hit me.  I made Sarah’s Sweet Potato Soda Bread (with just a little creative recipe-license – sooo good), a new oatmeal thing (recipe coming tomorrow!), and my Chewy Granola Cookies.

Who says you have to be running to carb-load?!

 

3. Summer in the Winter

Technically this is still winter.  Atlanta didn’t get that memo – it was in the 80s all weekend!  Some dude in the condo across from me was in the pool (see evidence below).  I went on a long walk in the park with a friend on St. Patrick’s Day.  As you might imagine, we saw many entertaining things.  The pic below is some sort of photo shoot that was happening.  Doesn’t it look like the guy is photographing her butt?!

 

 

4. Cheerleading

The Publix Marathon & Half Marathon were this weekend.  I rolled out of bed early to cheer on fellow bloggers Heather, Lindsay, Lee, and Tina.  It was my first time cheerleading a race, and I was surprised at how much fun it was to spectate and encourage the runners.  I somehow missed Heather and Lindsay.  Tina waved and she powered by in her hot pink socks… I was busy stuffing my face like a fat kid with a muffin and missed the pic.  Fail.

I did get Lee!  She claimed she was struggling, but she looked fantastic!

 

 

5. Refuel

Refuel brunch without running is totally acceptable, right?  I joined the runners for brunch at Stone Soup Kitchen.  Heather found this gem – they had several vegan options, all delicious.  Heather and Kirk (her husband, who also ran) ordered Vegos Rancheros that looked to-die-for.  I had a tofu scramble with green peppers, red onion, jalapenos, mushrooms, arugula, and red hot sauce.  It was SO good.  I also had a side of grits, but discovered that vegan grits aren’t my favorite.

 

L to R: me, Tina, Lee, Kirk, Heather, Lindsay, and little Clara

 

You may have noticed the coffee.  The caffeine break is officially over. 🙂

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The workouts were pretty good this week.  I was missing my weight workouts.  CrossFit means I don’t have the time or energy to do both most days.  Friday and Saturday I decided to skip the CrossFit and return to my trusty weights. I was shocked to find during Saturday’s P90X Chest/Tri workout that I could actually do more push-ups!

 

 

The BodyRock videos continue to get better and better.  I love that they are adding “bonus” rounds and using some weights now!  That makes some of these solid 30-45 mins workouts.  It may seem like I slacked on the push ups, but between BodyRock ad CrossFit I got my fill. 🙂

 

Workout Recap (3/5 – 3/18):

 

***

There’s something about this weather that makes me believe I shouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Did you run a race the weekend?  How did it go?

Does it feel like summer where you live?  Are you happy about it, or missing a true winter?

 

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