Guest Blogging 101

October 18, 2012 By Laura

My cooler is packed, I’m ready to go…

Yes, this is a Rachel Ray bag.

I wouldn’t have done it… but it was the perfect size and isn’t too loud to bring into a business meeting. #sorryimalittlesorry

Packing for this trip was a lesson in being prepared. It didn’t take as long as you would think; doing a massive weekly food prep is the biggest time-saver I know. It certainly saved me here – this is a pic of the 8 meals I’ll have to eat while on the road. Normally I wouldn’t quite go to this extreme, but with just over 2 weeks until my first figure competition, I’m not taking any risks!

Shirt from Rawxies.

I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks when I get back, but today we have a guest blogger! My friend Kat will be doing a bi-weekly guest spot from now on. I told her to write about whatever she wanted… so we’ll all be surprised together! 🙂

Seriously, I trust this girl. She’s a HUGE inspiration when it comes to determination, athletics, and taking time to enjoy life despite being just a busy (maybe ever busier) than I am. I’ll quite rambling and let her introduce herself.

Heeeeeeere’s Kat!

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I’ve never written a blog before, but I think I’m going to become a regular @ Laura’s Sprint to the Table. I don’t Twitter or Instagram, and I’m not great on Facebook, but I LOVE blogs. When presented with an opportunity to do a bi-weekly guest blog for Laura, I couldn’t pass it up!

This is who I am:

My name is Kat, and I would say that I’m random and silly, overly outgoing, and I’m pretty extreme!

I live life to the fullest and I’m not sure I was ever taught how to do something in moderation (editor’s note: go big or go home!). I’m a 3rd year law student (read—so busy I don’t know what to do with myself) with two part-time jobs. I’m also an ultra runner, and triathlete (I say that, but I’ve only ever done two triathlons, both Half Ironman distance – note, extreme). I’ve never run a marathon, but I decided to run a 50 mile Ultra in September. I’m also in the middle of a 30 day yoga challenge—one class a day for 30 days.

That doesn’t sound extreme to you? Then just try it!

I’m also a huge foodie! I love to eat out (a lot of times out of necessity), and cook at home (a real treat because of my busy schedule). I also have a real talent for making the most randomly delicious meals and snacks, without spending more than 5-10 minutes in the kitchen.

Since this is an intro, I thought I would give you a brief overview of why I think I’m a great guest blogger for Laura’s Sprint to the Table! (Yes, I’m also modest…) <– editor’s note: add that to the list of things we have in common.

Ways we are alike:

Focus on fitness – for me it’s part of my daily life in some form or another
Love for all things foodie – we are both completely obsessed with greens and protein
Love for life
Very, very busy all the time!

Ways we are different:

I run long distances—extremely long
My main diet restriction is that I’m gluten-free (and NOT because it’s a trend—I need to be for my health!)
I do yoga
I don’t lift any more (not since wrestling in college, really)

My goal is to show you how you can seemingly pack more hours in to a day by being hyper-efficient, get everything you want to get done, DONE, have a ton of fun, feel like wonder woman, and still sleep 8 hours almost every single night. Yes, it’s possible!

I will probably bore you with my own “strange but goods,” my crazy training schedule, my amazing eat-out adventures, and random crap in between as I see necessary!

Oh, and I would love feedback as I get the ball rolling… since I’m such a newbie at this!

***

I need to make one of those popular “That moment” graphics saying “That moment when you pull out a can of tuna during a meeting.”

Kat’s Questions:

Do you ever feel like you can’t fit it all into one week?!

When did you last say “I’m too busy,” or “I don’t have time to run/workout/etc.”?

Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal” + WIAW

October 17, 2012 By Laura

Just when you you’re getting used to a “special” diet…

…you have to go on a business trip.

I actually like travelling for work. Airports and hotels don’t phase me one bit. Unless I’m 17 days from a figure competition and have a diet more strict than I ever thought possible. Between the protein, super-clean eating, and max of 500 mg of sodium per day the trip I’m taking today has been a lesson in food prep.

#sorryimnotsorry

I’m hoping to put all this together for a fun post… but that requires me remembering to take pics tomorrow! In the meantime, my friend Kat is going to write guest post for me tomorrow! She’s awesome – a rockstar endurance athlete, avid foodie, and law student. I think she unlocked the secret to adding hours to a day.

Kat is going to be doing a bi-weekly feature, so please drop by and say hi to her tomorrow when she introduces herself!

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We’re still rolling with this month’s Halloween-themed What I Ate Wednesday. I did alright for breakfast and meal 7…. I’m not sure if the rest ties in, but it was delicious and seasonal!

Check out my “special” low sodium, high protein, super-clean eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how festive everyone else got this week!

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Meal 1:

After my morning cocktail (mix of Apple Cider Vinegar, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos), I downed a grapefruit while I waited for some deliciousness to cook (not that the grapefruit wasn’t delicious… but it can’t compare).

TVP Protein “Oatmeal” has become a low-sodium staple, but I’ve had this particular version 2 days in a row so far. It’s vegan, gluten-free, protein-filled, and involves pumpkin. What’s not to love?

The fall spiced TVP “oats” with a creamy protein pumpkin pie mixture swirled in… I can’t even describe. It’s the most decadent deliciouness! Full recipe is at the bottom.

Meal 2:

As much as I’ve been making salmon and fruit mixes lately, I don’t know if I can still call them #strangebutgood. Strange or not, this was a good mix!

In my not-so-strange but good mix: curried salmon, pepitas, blackberries, and arugula.

Meal 3:

It’s the steak of the sea again! Swordfish has become a weekly staple for me. This one I grilled with onion, Herbs de Provence, pepper, and lemon juice. Eaten with sautéed asparagus and shiitakes, and 1/2 a sweet potato. On a hippo plate ’cause I was a hungry, hungry hippo yesterday.

Meal 4:

So I braved raw chicken again. Last night I grilled a bunch to bring for lunch this week. As much as I hate touching it, I do like the taste when it’s cooked to perfection (read: not dried out).

I always prepare it 1 or 2 different ways. That way I don’t have a pound of chicken that all tastes the same. This piece had onion powder, pepper, oregano, cayenne, and lemon juice. Eaten with cucumber and carrots. dipped in a quick sauce made of nutritional yeast, paprika, and cumin. Yes, I recycled the plate.

Meal 5:

Apparently Tuesday night is pizza night. I’ve become addicted to making a “crust” out of Kamut flour (no sodium, relatively high protein). I make it just like socca crust, adding whatever flavors I’m in the mood for. Lat night I added garlic, rosemary, and paprika.

My Indian-ish Pizza:

Curried chicken
Mint ricotta spread
Red onion
Fennel
Zucchini
Arugula

The ricotta mixture of the week was simply fat-free ricotta with fresh mint, paprika, and a little water to thin. Like last week, I sautéed the veggies before topping the pizza and sticking it under broil for a few mins. That mint in the ricotta was awesome with the curry chicken!

Meal 6:

For once I wasn’t in to mood for something sweet yet! Probably because I was up prepping food for a business trip. (Holy mother of planning – travel on a “special” diet is interesting. More to come on this strategic extravaganza.)

I made one of my favorite simple salads. Arugula with asparagus tossed with lemon juice and freshly ground pepper. The protein on top is swordfish (the same pre-grilled batch from lunch). Three cheers for food prep.

Meal 7:

Guess who’s still under her sodium for the day. THIS girl. Woo hoo! Make that day 2 of successful sodium control. My reward was a Butternut Squash Pudding.

I mixed no-salt cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and mashed butternut squash with cinnamon, nutmeg, maple extract, and vanilla stevia. Topped with melted cherries. #strangebutgood

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Pumpkin Pie TVP “Oatmeal”

1 serving TVP Protein “Oatmeal” (without the egg whites)
2 T pumpkin puree
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (1T)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch of cloves
5-6 drops liquid stevia
1.5 T water (or other liquid)

Cook TVP oatmeal as instructed here.

Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make your pumpkin pie “filling.”

Once TVP is cooked, transfer to a bowl and swirl in the pumpkin filling. Top as desired (I used cinnamon and cacao nibs).

Serves 1.

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The protein count for the day: 166.1g. The all-important sodium count: 535.7mg (a little over, but I get some allowance for naturally occurring sodium in veggies).

Quick shameless plug: in case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post for another way to vary your workout. It’s the 2nd in my “Work It Out” series!

Has anyone started tracking or cutting back on sodium since last week? Is it harder than you expected?

What is your favorite food to pack for the road?

Work It Out Beyond Fulls

October 16, 2012 By Laura

Sometimes being beyond full is a good thing.

I’m not talking about that oh-so-good chocolate cake on cheat day. ~~But it was good~~.

Thank you all for the great feedback on last’s week’s inaugural Work It Out.

This series is focusing on how to change-up what you’re doing in the gym to make sure you keep progressing. Rather than always change the exercise, we’re looking at how you can simply change how you perform the exercise. Over the next few weeks I’ll be doing a series on some ways to vary how you perform reps.

Again with the Disclaimer: I am not a certified anything. I just work out a lot. Don’t sue me if you hurt yourself or don’t look like Gillian Michaels after performing these moves.

Fulls and Partials

These are really great for moving past “sticking” points where the weight feels heaviest. You can move past the sticky point because that part of the muscle group is exhausted, but that doesn’t mean all areas of that muscle group are exhausted. Partials allow you to essentially work beyond failure by working in smaller ranges of motion.

Perform 10 full reps of a movement, followed by 10 half reps. Do 1st and 3rd sets on the bottom half, and the 2nd and 4th on the top half.

How do you use this technique?

Standing Leg Curls

The standing leg curl is a great exercise for strengthening the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh. Start with a lighter weight, as this machine can put some strain on the knees. Adjust the pads so that they are in a comfortable position around the ankle – you don’t want the pads too high up the calf.

Grasp the support handles, then lift the pad upward as far as it will go toward the butt. Lift and lower the leg in a controlled manner to complete one full rep.

Note: You can perform this exercise on a lying leg curl machine too.

Decline Dumbbell Curls

These are one of my favorites because lying on a decline challenges your brachialis more. The brachialis lies underneath your biceps and attaches the lower portion of the humerus bone in your upper arm to your ulna, a bone in your forearm.

To start, grab a dumbbell in each hand. Lie on an incline bench set to about 60 degrees. Your shoulders should be near the top of the incline, and your legs can be straddled to either side. Fully extend your arms, allowing them to hang in front of you so that they are perpendicular to the floor. Face your palms forward with your elbows in by your side. Raise the dumbbells, contracting your biceps until your arms are fully flexed. Take care that only your forearms move. The upper arms should remain stationary at all times. To complete a full rep, lower the dumbbells until your arms are fully extended.

Note: You can perform using an e-z bar or a barbell too.

Caution: It is easy to “overtrain” with these modifications. You are pushing your body extremely hard to bust through a plateau. These moves are not recommended as a long-term regimen. Avoid doing more than 2-3 of these per muscle group on any given workout.

Check out last week’s 24s, and then get more fitness ideas, tips, and tricks on my Fitness page! As always, be sure to get your 20g of protein to help the muscles recover.

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Know what’s really fun? Doing fulls and partials on hack squats. *dripping sarcasm*

Did anyone try last week’s 24s? What did you think?

Have you ever done fulls and partials? What exercises do you apply them to?

Curried Apple Tuna Salad

October 15, 2012 By Laura

Did you see Friday’s Strange But Good?

The mystery stranger was a Curried Apple Tuna Salad. You guys know I’m a fan of the sweet and savory. This recipe is a perfect storm!

The tuna salad my mom made for lunch after church on Sunday’s always included apple. I stopped eating seafood for years, but I always enjoyed the crispness of chopped apple in salads. When I was looking for a new way to jazz-up my tuna salad, it was an obvious addition.

Mom also added a boat-load of mayo to our tuna (Hellman’s not Duke’s). Mayo is certainly NOT on my diet these days. No big deal – I haven’t liked the stuff for years. But I do need something to add moisture to my tuna, and to make the flavor less like… errrr… canned tuna.

The sauce I came up with is a rich tahini curry. Tahini’s sweet sesame flavor is perfect with a little nuttiness from nutritional yeast. Both are natural pairs with the warm, almost ginger-like curry powder.

Turmeric is a big component of yellow curry powder. I’ve always loved the flavor, but it is also a great source of antioxidants. Just a teaspoon of curry powder has as many antioxidants as ½ cup of red grapes!

Arugula is one of my favorite greens. In fact, it may be my absolute favorite. Its peppery taste is perfect with curry, and the sweet apple balanced those stronger flavors.

This is an awesome tuna salad for those who don’t particularly like tuna salad.

Recipe at bottom.

Workout Recap

This week we moved up to doing 15 reps of each exercise. You wouldn’t think 3-5 more reps would make a big difference, but I assure you it DOES! Between that and the 100 pull-ups, I stayed sore all week. It hurts so good.

Saturday I picked out my suit (if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen the fabric), and this week I need to go find costume jewelry and get some super-dark make up for my soon-to-be orange skin. The sodium cut and the pull-ups are working. I’m really starting to see a difference in my body. It’s pretty cool… though I have a lot to work on in the next 19 days. Time is flying!

Workout Recap (10/8 – 10/14):

Monday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 2 mile incline walk
Tuesday – Shoulders/Glutes, 1.5 mile incline walk
Wednesday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 1.75 mile incline walk
Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes, 100 pull-ups, 2 mile walk
Friday – Chest/Bis, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 1 mile walk
Saturday – Legs (with trainer)
Sunday – Back/Tris, 100 pull-ups, Calf raises, 2 mile walk

Curried Apple Tuna Salad

2 oz canned Albacore tuna*
1/2 apple, diced
1/2 C arugula
1 T nutritional yeast
1 tsp tahini
1/4 tsp curry powder
Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Combine the tuna, apple, and arugula in a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients with enough water to form a sauce. Pour sauce over the tuna mixture and stir to combine.

*Note: Tempeh would work well here to make this vegan.

Makes 1 serving, easily doubled.

***

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Do you like tuna salad?

Was there a dish your family had on certain days of the week?

Strange But (Mostly) Good

October 12, 2012 By Laura

Strange is good, but not always.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

I don’t know if I can get on board with this. Maybe the Cinnamon & Sugar. Pumpkin Pie Spice is really pushing it. Certainly NOT the White Chocolate & Peppermint.

The Huffington Post agrees with my assessment. They compared the Cinnamon & Sugar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. They couldn’t take more than a bit of the White Chocolate & Peppermint, calling it a “horrible abomination to humanity.” These interesting chip flavors are set to debut in November.

Who am I to judge? Some of you may think items on this Friday’s “Strange But Good” list are just as revolting.

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1. Banana-Cottage Cheese Toast. With Bacon.

I mixed up some no-salt cottage cheese, 1/2 a mashed banana, cinnamon, peanut flour, and just enough almond milk to keep it from being dry. Then I slathered it on top of a toasted piece of P28 High Protein Bread… and topped it with a teeny bit of crumbled bacon.

Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy. This breakfast was everything I could want. Clearly this was before the great sodium cut.

Side note: one of my favorite ATL chefs, Kevin Gillespie, now has an online show. Check out “The Bacon Show.”

2. Dilly Salmon and Raspberry Salad

After the blood orange and curried salmon salad success I posted on Wednesday, I decided to keep going with the salmon combos. This salmon was pre-coked in dill and lemon, them I shredded it and mixed it with raspberries, fresh basil, and crushed Marcona almonds. Ah-mazing.

That bite from the raspberries was perfect with the salmon and the crunch factor from the almond sent me over the edge. A healthy fat win.

3. Vegan Softserve with Sriracha

While Allie was in town last weekend, we hit up Dough Bakery, one of my favorite vegan spots in Atlanta. They offer vegan softserve cups, cones, or shakes. I opted for the cone with sprinkles… and then I eyed the Sriracha left over from our biscuits.

Sweet and spicy… I wanted it to be better than it was. It needed another component. Maybe if it had been a sriracha chocolate sauce? Strange… still mostly good.

They also had zombie cupcakes. I refrained, but I had to share this picture of Halloween strange But Good-ness:

4. Semi-Homemade Hotel Breakfast

PSA: The Homewood Suites in Ft. Worth, TX doesn’t serve oatmeal everyday. They alternate them with grits (welcome to the South).

Luckily I had a BYOP (bring your own protein) back up plan. ~~I’m surprised the TSA didn’t take my bag with all the goodies I packed.~~

Into my bowl went:

1/2 a mashed banana
Mini-box of Cheerios
1 serving protein powder (pre-mixed with flax before I left)
Sugar-free syrup (first time I’ve seen that on a b’fast bar!)
Peanut butter

It wasn’t half bad! I wish there was cinnamon, but the stuff they had was pre-mixed with sugar. Remember to mash the banana first if you’re working with one bowl. It gets messy if you try mashing with the cereal in the bowl (not that I would know…).

My awesome boss didn’t even blink an eye. 🙂

5. Vegan PB & Zeggs*

I know I posted this with the recipe on Wednesday, but I have to give it another shout out. Since the loss of egg whites, I needed a new way to enjoy my PB& Jeggs creations.

Scrambled tofu is a great, low sodium alternative to eggs! I am so in love with my Peanut Butter and Carrot scramble (PB& Ceggs)… naturally I had to try it with zucchini too. New favorite Meal 6 is PB & Zeggs.

My only changes were to use grated zucchini in place of carrot and used almond extract in place of the maple. Topped with extra cinnamon because ~~I’m an addict~~ it’s good for you.

*I suppose I should name this PB & Zofu… but that just doesn’t sound as good!

Bonus Round:

This is a bonus because I’m not telling you what it is until Monday! Let’s just say it was delicious. Any guesses? 2 hints: it was for Meal 2 on Thursday…. and it contained 20g of protein. 🙂

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I’m thinking of hosting a bi-weekly (weekly?) “Strange But Good” round-up. Would anyone be interested in participating?

Would you try those funky Pringles flavors?

What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten this week?

Maple TVP Protein “Oatmeal”

October 11, 2012 By Laura

Eggs have a lot of sodium.

Since my sodium intake is now limited to 500 mg a day pre-competition, I had to find a way to get protein at breakfast without relying solely on eggs. Apparently eggs have a ton of sodium… how, I have NO idea.

There is no way I can eat seafood for breakfast ~~without puking~~, and my trainer doesn’t want me eating protein powder all day so it was time to get creative.

Sorry if this offends… I thought it was funny. Because it’s true… #sorryimnotsorry

Oatmeal is great, but it doesn’t come close to meeting my protein needs. I had to think of something to add to it. Enter: Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP).

TVP is made from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted. It’s then cooked under pressure and dried. It is a great source of protein and fiber. It’s gluten-free. In short, TVP rocks.

I’ve used it in savory dishes – like my Chick-less Nuggets – but never thought to use it in something sweeter. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Today’s creation is like a creamy bowl of oats, but with fewer carbs and a ton of protein. I did use one egg white (3T) to make it super-silky, but that’s a negligible amount of sodium compared to the entire CUP of whites I was eating before. There is also a bit of rolled oats in this. If you are cutting carbs, you can leave that out and reduce the liquid a tad.

Flavor-wise this is a massive bowl of fall. I added apple pie spice (you could also use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice) and maple extract.

In my kitchen it smelled like a pie was baking as this cooked on the stove top!

Aside from the taste and creamy texture, my favorite thing about this is that is makes a MASSIVE bowl of “oatmeal.” The TVP expands as it re-hydrates, which makes this volume-eater very happy.

I topped mine with fresh raspberries, but it would be great with any fruit or even a healthy scoop of peanut butter (23 more days until that returns to my diet… not that I’m counting…).

Maple TVP Protein “Oatmeal”

1 C water
1/3 C Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP)
2 T rolled oats
1 tsp ground flax
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp maple extract (can use vanilla)
4-5 drops liquid stevia (or other sweetener)
1/4 tsp brown sugar extract (optional)
3 T egg whites
My toppings: sugar-free maple syrup, raspberries, and cinnamon

Add first 8 ingredients (everything before the egg), stir, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook about 10 mins, until mix thickens.

Pour in egg whites. Allow to cook for 2-3 more mins, stirring frequently so that the egg doesn’t form chunks. The mixture should be silky smooth.

Scoop into bowl and add your favorite toppings.

Note: For a vegan option, add a flax egg or simply leave the egg out.

Approximate nutritionals (without toppings): 0.8g fat, 102 mg sodium, 13.8g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 3.2g sugar, 19.9g protein

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Unrelated: I really like casein protein at night for recovery, but they all seem to have a lot of sodium. Anyone know of a low sodium (<50 mg) brand?

Have you ever used TVP?

What is your favorite hot cereal topping?

Attack of the Killer Sodium + WIAW

October 10, 2012 By Laura

Sodium is in everything.

Except peanut flour, thank god.

With less than 4 weeks to go until my figure competition, my diet has gotten more strict. The latest adjustment it sodium. I’m only allowed 500 mg a day. No more bacon, sorry.

It turns out sodium is everywhere – even in thing that aren’t processed Egg whites, for instance. My trainer said I don’t have to cut egg whites until 2 weeks out, but if I eat them my sodium for the day will most certainly be over. And the super expensive crab in my fridge? Forget it.

We’ve seen a lot in the media lately about sodium, and how much is added to our foods. Too much sodium can lead to problems like high blood pressure, heart failure, osteoporosis (this one was news to me), kidney stones, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and hormonal imbalance. You don’t need to cut to the extent that I am, but The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day.

When I first started watching my intake, I was shocked to see how much was in items you’d never think to check. Protein powder is a culprit – I had one egg protein that was about 500 mg! Other unusual suspects: coffee drinks, bread, cereal, and pretty much every condiment known to man.

You don’t have to have salt (or fats, or sugars…) to add flavor to foods! Try some making your own blends for use on protein, veggies, and beans…

Italian: I make my own sodium-free tomato sauce with garlic, onion, basil, oregano and, parsley
Thai: For a spicy peanut sauce, try peanut flour mixed with rice vinegar, lime, sriracha, garlic, and cilantro (similar to what I did here in my: Chili Nutty Tofu)
Mexican: This is an easy one – toss in some lime, cumin, cilantro, garlic, and cayenne like I did in this Mexican “Rice” Bowl
Mediterranean: This is a staple-combo in my kitchen with its lemon peel, garlic, mint, oregano, dill, and onion
Indian: I rubbed a simple mix of lime, garlic, ginger, onion, curry, cumin, coriander, and garam masala on the salmon I used in Meal 2 below

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Another sodium-free item is pumpkin. Perfect for this month’s Halloween-themed What I Ate Wednesday. See if you can guess how much sodium I took in…

Check out my low-sodium, #strangebutgood (that’s scary, right?) eats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is scaring up their food this month!

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