Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Travel Food

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Quick post today because I have to get some work done before heading back HOME!

There have been tons of bloggers sharing tips for eating on the road lately.  All I can say is that having food with you is a lifesaver.

Road breakfast of champions

I’m running a little late because I had to get a run in this morning.  Too many days sitting still in a conference room!

Stats:

  • Distance: 3.14 miles
  • Time: 25:54
  • Pace: 8.13

Not bad!

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Steph @ Bite by Bite has posted a preview of her online bake sale! Steph running with Team in Training and is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Check out the many drool-worthy items here.

 

My contribution are a batch of my dad’s fav Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies.

Sale opens on Friday! 🙂

***

Do you travel with food?  What are your favorite items to bring?

 

Bikini Belly Secret

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Want to know the single most effective exercise you can do to flatten your belly?

Plank.  I swear by it.

Side Plank

The above was my side plank yesterday morning.  My form is usually a little better… it’s hard to plank and take a picture of yourself in the mirror! 🙂

Here’s my daily recipe for a bikini belly***:

  • Regular plank – 2:30 mins
  • Left-Side Plank – 1:30 mins
  • Right-Side Plank – 1:30 mins

***In my opinion.  Don’t sue me if it doesn’t make you look like Jackie Warner!***

The thing to remember when planking is to keep your butt down – don’t be sticking it in the air.  Don’t sag it to the ground either though.   You want to be in a perfect line.  Your elbows should be directly in line with your shoulders (it will help keep them from hurting!).  Keep your hands relaxed.

Same goes for the hips when side planking.

Keep them in line – no sticking them wayyy up or sagging wayyy down.  Straight.  Line.  The elbow on the floor should be directly in line with your shoulder.

Don’t start with a 2:30 min plank if you are new to planking.  Start with what you can do and work your way up.

Form is important here or you won’t be effective.  2 minutes with bad form is just a waste of 2 mins.

Growing up, Mom used to feed my sisters and me chicken fingers with a dip made of honey and mayo.

We didn’t like mustard.

This is my 7-year old mental state: Mayo + Honey = Delicacy.  Cheese = Terrible.

I’ve mentioned before how picky I was.  I didn’t even like CHEESE.  Thankfully, I grew out of that.

Mom shares my passion for all things cheesy, so for Mother’s Day I got her her very own basket ‘o fancy cheese!

The nice ladies at Star Provisions, a specialty market in Atlanta, let me taste until I found just the right ones for the basket.  It was hard work, but I sacrificed for Mom.

In the basket:

  • Valdeon – Cow AND goat’s milk blue cheese from Spain.  This spicy, buttery blue is wrapped in sycamore leaves.  It is hands down then best blue I’ve ever tasted.
  • Winnimere – Cow’s milk from Jasper Hill in Vermont (made seasonally – Nov-April).  Washed with lambic-style beer and wrapped in strip of spruce bark cut, it has a fantastic woodsy taste.
  • Wabash Cannonball – Goat’s milk cheese from Capriole Farm in Indiana.  It has 3 layers of goodness, the last being a rind of gorgeous ash and mold.
  • Little Martha – Salty cow’s milk from Flat Creek Lodge in Swainsboro, GA; named by Star Provisions after the Allman Brothers’ song.
  • Potter’s Crackers – Hazelnut Graham
  • Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Bar – Dark with Salt and Pepper

Did anyone else’s stomach just growl?

There are all TOTALLY different cheeses… but if I were forced to choose a favorite it would be the Cannonball.  The layers added so much to the complexity.  It’s like nothing I’ve had before.

Mom!  Which is your fav?!

***

I’m running to a meeting, so the Mother’s Day Brunch review is coming tomorrow!

What do you find to be the most effective ab exercise? Do you plank?

What is your favorite cheese?

A Schizophrenic Foodie

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A schizophrenic foodie.

 

I go from eating pork belly one day to vegan lavender-chocolate chip scones the next.

 

Get in mah belly!

Cream who?

 

Does anyone else do this craziness?

 

I can’t help my schizophrenia.  I love, love, love good, gourmet food.  That 7-course tasting menu at Woodfire Grill was a whole new level of fantastic.

Kevin Gillespie, I don’t care if some people say it’s just Top Chef hype.  You can cook a damn good meal.

 

By the same token, I fully appreciate a creative, vegan baked good.  And I shamelessly pre-gamed lunch with that scone.  They were still making the walnut pesto for my sandwich… and I was STARVING after a long-ish run.

 

Stats:

  • Distance: 6 miles
  • Time: 52:01
  • Pace: 8:67

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Dulce Vegan (1994 Hosea L. Williams Dr. NE Atlanta, GA 30317) opened in the Kirkwood neighborhood 2 weeks ago.  It is a vegan bakery that also serves a daily sandwich – on vegan bread, of course.

I got to speak to one of the owners (and maker of the scone deliciousness) while I waited.  Don’t you love when people are so clearly excited about what they do?

 

From the traffic during my 45 min visit, it looks like people aren’t phased at all by the fact that the store is vegan.

A good cupcake is a good cupcake, right?!

Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free chocolate cupcakes

After my pre-lunch scone, I enjoyed my sandwich: fresh walnut-pesto, balsamic tofu, spinach, and tomato.  And mayo.  All vegan.

The bread was fantastic – I love the satisfying crunch to the crust.  The firmly pressed tofu was also good – the balsamic went really well with the pesto.

My only complaint was the volume of the condiments.  The pesto – while good – was very flavorful.  The amount on the sandwich was a bit overwhelming.  They could have left off the mayo altogether – it didn’t add anything.

 

Don’t skip the scone.  Nom nom.  Nom.  And I officially have a crush on said scone-baker.

Topping off such a day is hard… but I managed to put a koozie to good use.  With a kombucha on my building’s roof.  *big dork*

***

I’m usually eat a vegetarian diet… but I do love the occasional meat-filled indulgence at restaurants.  I’m a scared-of-commitment veg.

Are you schizo with your eating or do you follow a strict vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian/other diet?

 

Yo Quiero Mexican Food

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Happy Cinco de Drinko Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is a day I look forward to every year.  Surprisingly not just because of the margaritas!  (I’ll have mine on the rocks with Patron Silver and Cointreau.  No salt!)

What I really love is the excuse to eat Mexican food for every meal.  And the fact that it makes my need to an afternoon siesta totally excusable. 🙂

 

I’m planning a quick lunchtime bi/back session in the gym, so I’ll follow that with a Me-EGG-xican Quesadilla.  Eggs (post-weights protein!) + nooch + salsa + jalapenos + tortilla.

 

Tonight I’m hopping to get in a 5 mile run and a mani/pedi before hitting up a special Souper Jenny Mexican Grilled Cheese Night.  Rumor has it she’s serving up a grilled ham, avocado and mango with monterey jack on a jalapeno cheddar bun.  Can you think of anything more scrumptious???

If you live in the Atlanta area, check Souper Jenny out – she’s my favorite lunchtime soup/salad treat!

 

So… where did that leave me for Mexican breakfast?

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This is the reason I’m running late today:

Mexican Oatmeal.  Complete with spices.  All you need are some basics… and a brightly-colored spoon!

Admittedly, I was nervous about adding cayenne to oatmeal.  If you read my blog regularly, you know I love to burn my mouth add some heat to meals.  Oatmeal though?  It seemed risky.  But, I can always make more… so I went for it!

It totally worked! I only added a few shakes (less than 1/8 tsp), but that was just enough to add a teensy kick at the end.  With the cinnamon and cocoa, it was reminiscent of a Mexican Hot Chocolate.

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Mexican Oatmeal

  • 1/2 C oatmeal
  • 1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla (more if your milk isn’t already vanilla-flavored)
  • 2-3 shakes cayenne pepper
  • Salt, to taste


Add all of the ingredients to a pot, stir, and cook oatmeal as directed.

Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and add desired toppings.  I used cacao nibs and honey.  Nuts would have been fantastic too!

***

How are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

What’s your favorite Mexican dish?

 

What I Ate Wednesday

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Jenn @ Peas and Crayons hosts a weekly event called “What I Ate Wednesday.”

 

Basically, you post the foods you ate any day of the week.  It’s a fun way to see what others are creating and share your own concoctions!

 

Below is what I ate Tuesday (obviously not today since it’s barely Wednesday).  It was a fun day… one of my snacks involved picking out my mom’s Mother’s Day gift!  Mamma occasionally stops by the blog, so that will have to remain the “mystery snack” for now! 🙂

 

Breakfast:

Mocha-Banana Shake

  • 1/2 dark chocolate EAS (protein drink – you could sub milk + cocoa or chocolate milk)
  • 1 scoop cookies & cream protein powder (GNC)
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1/2 C coffee
  • Banana
  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Sprinkle of guar gum

 

Blend and slurp it up!  Topped it with a chocolate-carrot muffin mini that I’m still working on perfecting.

 

I’m definitely doing this again – it was the first time I used my leftover coffee in a shake and I loved the addition!


Lunch:

I made this Big Green Salad a few weeks ago and didn’t post it – arugula, spinach, and cucumber with oven-roasted shallots, asparagus, artichokes, and edamame.

What I actually had was a blah salad from the work cafeteria topped with over-cooked grilled chicken.  It was over-riced and not worth a pic.

Snacks:

I love these Think Thin mini-bars.  They are a great mid-afternoon chocolate-fix with 6g protein and 0g sugar.

 

A handful of walnuts…

dipped in …

Doesn’t everyone dip their nuts in nut butter?!  My walnuts went fabulously with my homemade Spiced Almond Butter.

***Insert mystery snack here***

 

Dinner:

Mexican Scramble

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2/3 C Mexican Smart Ground “beef”
  • 2 T shallots
  • 1 small jalapeno
  • Cumin, coriander, S+P (to taste)

Saute the shallots and jalapeno.  Add “beef” to pan and saute 5-6 mins.  Season to taste, remove from pan, and set aside.  Place egg whites in pan and cook halfway (~1-2 mins on med heat).  Add “beef” mixture back to pan, stir into egg, and continue cooking until eggs are just done.

 

My scramble was served over a bed of spinach and topped with Mamma Pea’s aptly-named Mmmm Sauce.  With a side of carrot sticks.

“Fake” meat can be hit or miss.  I definitely eat it on occasion, and have tried out many different brands.  This one was pretty good!

 

Late-Night Snack:

 

I had a sample package of Cascadian Farm’s Cinnamon Crunch cereal from a race give-away that was calling my name.  It was a tasty dessert-snack with unsweetened almond milk.

 

Nightcap:

Yogi’s Kombucha Hot Tea.  Delish!

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What did all this tastiness fuel?

  • 30 mins of leg work this morning
  • 1 crazy work day
  • 40 mins of intervals this evening
  • 75 push ups

***

What did YOU eat?

Have you gotten your mom a Mother’s Day present yet?

Better not forget!


I’ll Have a Pint

By

…of KOMBUCHA!

 

My crazy schedule has left me lacking in the grocery department.  Thank god for frozen kale – otheriwse I’d be eating normal-colored non-green smoothies! 🙂

I’ve been without my beloved Kombucha since last Thursday.  After pushing it with a looong (for me) run Sunday (and the travel, which always messes with my… ahem… digestion), I needed a stiff Kombucha to help my body chill out.

On my way to pick up my boss from the airport this morning, I remembered Lee telling my they have Buchi on tap at Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was screaming my name.

Fire is my flavor of choice

My bosses know of my food-love and let me pick the dinner spots when we’re all in town.  Tonight I chose Empire State South.  A (very worthy) repeat for me, but new to them.  Check out my brunch review here.

Tonight was another stand-out meal:

House Charcuterie – my fav was the Deviled Rabbit

Wild Ramps with warm mortadella, english peas, lemon

Blurry Strawberry Gazpacho with pickled shrimp

 

***Insert pretend picture of my entree: Riverview Pork Loin served with pickled WG tango celery, kale and spring onions***

Dessert barely survived long enough for a picture:

Fried Strawberry Pie with picked strawberry and buttermilk ice cream

This Strawberry Fried Pie was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.  The dough was more beignet-like than greasy fried pie.  A crunchy sugar coating on the outside was perfectly balanced by the tang of the buttermilk ice cream and pickled strawberries.  I’ll be dreaming about this for days.

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Last night I cam across an article about the ideal percentage of carbs and protein for athletes in the Phidippidies (my favorite local running store) newsletter by Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD.

Carb Tips:

  • Ingest 2.3-3.2 g of carbs per pound of body weight for 1 hour/day of moderate cardio exercise
  • During longer runs (1 – 2.5 hours), aim to take in 30 – 60 grams of carbs/hour (120 – 240 calories)
  • It takes the body 24-36 hours to replenish depleted glycogen stores post-exercise (assuming no running in that time)
  • For runners that struggle running with food on their stomach (me!), swishing a sports drink around in your mouth pre-run “This sends a message to the brain that energy is forthcoming and you’ll feel more energetic. Swishing can enhance performance by 2% to 3% if you are exercising on empty.”

 

Protein Tips:

  • In order to best develop muscle, athletes do need more than the 0.4g protein per 1 lb of body weight.  Aim for 0.5 – 0.8 g protein per pound (if you’re trying for bulk you’ll need more… this is geared to runners!)
  • Eat 20 g of protein within 30 mins of weight/resistance work to maximize benefits. Don’t stop there though – “the highest rate of protein synthesis is 3 to 5 hours post-exercise”
  • They don’t necessarily recommend buying a whey protein supplement.  Like any nutrient, it is best consumed in the course of a balanced diet… HOWEVER, many of us who eat a more plant-based diet may need a supplement.  I’m holding fast to my morning post-workout protein shakes!

Read the full article here.

***

Do you pay attention of the carbs/protein you take in?

I recommend tracking your protein intake for at least a day.  I was shocked to see I need about 20g more!


CSAs and Honky Tonks

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This weekend I went to Nashville for the first time.  One of my friends from grad school, Julia, moved there after we graduated.  Another friend from school, Katherine, and I jumped in the car and went for a fun-filled visit.

We arrived late Friday night and STARVING.  Julia had pizza ready to go on the grill.  It was my first time eating homemade grilled pizza and I loved every bite!

Grilled pizza with zucchini, squash, and mushrooms

 

Saturday morning we had a special treat – Julia took us to her local CSA for the weekly pick up.

 

Madison Creek Farms was a neat little farm filled with some of the most scrumptious-looking produce I’ve ever seen.  The owner, Peggy Lynn Marchetti, was one cool lady – she is obviously passionate about the clean food she grows AND she farms in dangly earrings.  Rock on.

Peggy also writes a blog!  Check her out @ The Female Farmer.

I'd never seen peas on the plant before!

 

Lettuce so beautiful I wanted to roll in it. And eat it. In that order.

 

I'm ruined - I'll never be satisfied with Publix berries again.

 

My awesome friends - Katherine and Julia

 

Gorgeous flowers - does anyone know what kind it is?

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Local Mexican place, Baja Burrito, came highly recommended.  It was just as good as advertised.  If you go, don’t skip the pineapple salsa!

Chipolte chicken burrito in a bowl

 

We also did some very successful shopping.  I found TWO new dresses!

All that hard work shopping deserved ice cream from a shop called Hot & Cold in Hillsboro Village.  They sell Jeni’s Ice Cream, which is hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever had.

 

After the saint behind the counter patiently allowed me to sample every flavor, I settled on scoops of Bangkok Peanut (peanut butter and toasted coconut with cayenne pepper heat at the end – YUM) and Riesling Poached Pear (literally tasted and had the texture of a pear).

Note: Jeni’s can be found at various places around the U.S.  In Atlanta, you can pick up a pint at Star Provisions.

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All that deliciousness didn’t ruin our appetite for dinner.  Julia took us to one of her favorite places, Margot Cafe & Bar.

The menu changes daily based on what’s fresh, but it is always a French-Italian-style cuisine.  I’m assuming it is always good… ’cause this was incredible.

The host seated us at a table right by the open kitchen.  I was unnaturally excited.

That's Margot!

 

We split appetizers:

 

  • Warm olives with roasted fennel and oranges – the fact that the olives were served warm really set this off
  • Sugar snap peas with mint and ricotta salata – mint sauce with this was genius
  • Crunchy sourdough bread

 

The main was so incredible that I forgot to take a picture of my gorgeously prepared entree – a grilled artichoke stuffed with spinach and parmesan and served over basmati rice.

 

Dessert barely lived long enough to be pictured – a cheesecake with polenta crust and strawberries.

 

We finished up a little after 11p and hit the honky tonks.

Beer flight at Flying Saucer

 

Rockabilly band at Robert's

 

Keeping it classy, livin' the High Life

 

I may be little too old to close down a bar… but damn if it isn’t still fun every once in a while. 😉


 

The Sunday drive home went pretty quickly.  Katherine and I drove together and I had fun quizzing her about her 5 marathons.  She’s almost convinced me to try it.

At the very least she inspired me to come home and bust out this killer run:

  • Distance: 8 miles
  • Time: 1:07:20
  • Pace: 8:40

***

Thanks for a stellar weekend, Julia and Katherine!

How was your weekend?  Did anyone else get shut down a bar? 🙂


Spiced Almond Butter

By

Who’s up reading blogs while watching the incessant Royal Wedding coverage?

 

I’m up super early to jump on the treadmill… so I can feel productive while rotting my brains out watching the damn wedding.

 

Update #2 on the new Newton running shoes: I LOVE them.  A lot. I so feel energized and have noticed an increase in speed (this is a big deal on the treadmill – I’m much slower indoors).  I busted out some intervals yesterday like a champ.

 

Recently I read a couple of interesting items on FitSugar:

  • Two thirds of consumers call themselves knowledgeable about food. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to proclaim themselves foodies.
  • Gen Y-ers tend to gravitate toward salty snacks, heat-and-eat breakfast, and easy meals — whereas their 50-plus parents are cooking from scratch, three times a day.

 

Aren’t 20-somethings considered part of Gen-Y?  Kind of funny that the “foodies” are also part of the group that gravitates toward packaged breakfast and “easy” meals.

The 50+ parents cooking from scratch surprises me a little.  I feel like I see that generation relying more and more on packaged food and/or dining out as the kids leave home.

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Speaking of “easy” meals… I made my first nut butter!

I had a bag of almonds begging to be toasted.  Toasted nut butter sounds like a flavorful option, no?  Then I decided I wanted to spice things up.  Spiced almonds are good.  Why not spiced almond butter?

 

 

Turns out nut butter is fantastic toasted and spiced.  Friday = get nuts and toasted!

This would also be amazing thinned out with almond milk or other liquid and used as a sauce!

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Spiced Almond Butter

  • 1 C almonds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread almond evenly on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 mins, stirring half way through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Place almonds into blender and blend until almond begin to turn into a paste.  Scrape down the sides as needed.

Add spices and continue blending until smooth and… butter-like…

Transfer to an airtight container.  Lick bowl.  Store butter in the refrigerator.

***

Clearly I don’t fit into the prepackaged, “easy” meal group.

Do you prepare your meals every day?  Do your parents do it?  Your significant other?

 

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