Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

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?

 

I’ll Have a Pint

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…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?

 

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

By

Have you ever walked past a display in the produce section and been stopped in your tracks by a (good) smell?  Last night my nose located some fresh strawberries at the grocery store that I couldn’t resist.

It was enough to inspire a breakfast repeat (a rarity).  Strawberries and Cream Oats were just as amazing the second time around.

My brain cells pulled through again and I remembered Leanne’s recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream.

Shout out to Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit for keeping me in good supply of low-sugar treats (and for teaching me to spell pursuit… it’s just one of those words for me…).

I fully intended to make a nice, normal strawberry ice cream.  Then I spotted those pretzels and rekindled my romance with sweet + salty.

Shout out to my job for keeping me in good supply of Delta Airlines’ pretzels.

This Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream was quite tasty.  The pretzels were awesome in it.  Even if you don’t add them – *gasp* – do use a shake or two of salt to bring out the strawberry sweetness.

Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream

  • 3/4 C light coconut milk
  • 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum
  • 1 package of Delta pretzels, slightly broken up (probably 3-4 regular pretzels)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the pretzels in a blender and blend until smooth-ish (I left a few bits of strawberry).

Pour into ice cream maker and make as directed by manufacturer, adding pretzels in the last 1-2 minutes.

Scoop into 2 bowls and enjoy!  (One at a time.)

Notes:

– According to Leanne, you can do this without an ice cream maker by pouring into a bowl and freezing 1.5-2 hours.  You need to remove every 30 mins to whisk so it doesn’t make a strawberry ice cube.  You’d probably want to add the pretzels in the last 15-30 mins

– You could use agave, honey, or stevia rather than maple syrup to sweeten this

– You can probably do this without the Guar Gum.  It’s a thickener, so your ice cream will be more cream-like with it

***

The Royal Wedding is tomorrow!  Are you waking up to watch it?

I was going to resist… but I may do a strategically-timed-uncharacteristically-early morning workout.

Avocado-Mango Soup

By

Warm weather is finally here to stay!  I complained all winter about the frigid temps… subsequently swearing not to complain about heat.  So I won’t.  (Someone please remind me of this in July.)

Unfortunately along with the heat has come some crazy storms.  No matter, I need to do a few treadmill runs to test my new kicks by Newton.

 

Newton Motion

Cool, huh?

Apparently these are also magic shoes – they supposedly help you to land midsole (thus alleviating some impact, reducing injury, and improving efficiency), and return energy back to you. From their website:

“When your midfoot/forefoot LANDS on the ground, the technology’s four external actuator lugs are pressed into hollow chambers inside the shoe’s midsole via an elastic membrane (ACTION). This movement absorbs shock.  As you LEVER inside the shoe, the lugs release their stored energy and propel you forward through a burst of energetic return (REACTION) from the Action/Reaction Technology™.”

I love new “toys.”  Happy 24:10 to me.

I’ll report back when I’ve formed an opinion. 🙂

In the spirit of warmth, I made the season’s first cold soup.

There’s nothing more refreshing than a fresh avocado.

Except when you blend it with mango and call it soup.

Mangoes, like avocados, can be frustrating to buy.  It seems like they are either hard as rocks or well past their prime.  The time is NOW to find some good ones!

Purchase them a bit on the firm side and let them finish ripening at home for a day or two.  If you need to stall the process, simply stick them in the fridge.  Works like a charm to extend the life of your fruit another couple of days.

When they are just right, use them for this delicious soup.  It’s crisp, refreshing, and has just a teensy kick from the jalapeno.  It is a great summer appetizer, or compliment to a quesadilla, grilled chicken, taco salad, or all of the above!

Best of all, it’s all natural, loaded with good fats, and will “fill you up without weighing you down” for dinner.

Avocado-Mango Soup

  • 1 medium avocado
  • 1 champagne mango
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • Juice from 1 small lime
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious)
  • 6 T fresh cilantro
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • S+P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender (a Magic Bullet works perfectly!) and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust spices as needed.

Spoon into 2 bowls, garnish as desired, and enjoy!

Potential garnish: red pepper (pictured), salsa, toasted walnuts/almonds/etc, tomatoes, pineapple, coconut shreds, cotija… anything else you typically like with your Mexican food.

***

I’m curious about Vibrams…

Have you tried any “specialty” shoes?

Do you treat yourself with new gear after a run?  

Limoncello Easter

By

Knowing full-well Easter is yet another eating holiday, I woke up and got my workout out of the way first thing.

I’m a HUGE proponent of breakfast; however, pre-cardio I cannot eat.  My stomach has a tendency to cramp, so I have to wait 2 hours after eating/drinking to bounce.  This makes morning cardio hard – without food my energy stores are low and I find it hard to keep up the intensity.

Today I tried eating prunes beforehand.  Yes, prunes.  Like what your granny eats. In addition to the obvious benefit (fiber), they are loaded with antioxidants and high in Vitamin A.  In conclusion, eat prunes to stay regular, preserve youth, and fuel a workout.

It worked like a charm!  Not heavy, sticky enough not to slosh, and a natural sugar shot to amp me up.  I rocked out 30 mins of a slightly modified version (I needed more of a challenge!) of my go-to interval workout:

Bike

  • Minutes 0-5 @ level 1-3 (3 RPE)
  • Minutes 5-7 @ level 5-7 (7 RPE)
  • Minutes 7-8 @ level 6-8 (8 RPE)
  • Minutes 8-9 @ level 8-9 (9 RPE)
  • Minutes 9-10 @ level 9-10 (10 RPE)

Elliptical

  • Minutes 10-11 @ level 4 (3 RPE)
  • Minutes 11-13 @ level 8-9 (6 RPE)
  • Minutes 13-15 @ level 9-10 (8 RPE)
  • Minutes 15-18 @ level 12 (9 RPE)
  • Minutes 18-20 @ level 9-10 (8 RPE)

Treadmill

  • Minutes 20-23 @ level 3.8 (3 RPE)
  • Minutes 23-26 @ level 6.5 (7 RPE)
  • Minutes 26-29 @ level 7.5 (8 RPE)
  • Minutes 29-30 @ level 8 (9 RPE)

Followed by 45 mins of back and biceps.  Plus 100 stability ball sit ups and 75 push ups.

Bring on the second helping of dessert!

Nothing says Easter like family.  Well, family with a side of champagne, mint, cornish hen, lamb, and veggies.

First, an aperitif.  Limoncello Champagne Cocktails from Bon Appetit.

Mine were made with 1T of agave rather than 2T of sugar, but otherwise I followed the recipe.  The mint and limoncello mix will be a funky  shade of green (not that green drinks both me!), but after adding the lemon juice and champagne it turns a pretty Easter yellow.

Don’t use a $50 bottle of champagne for this – just be sure it’s dry.  The limoncello-mint mixture steal the show.

Our lighter fare consisted of a strawberry-almond salad, cucumber + tzatziki, tomatoes, and fresh fruit.

Then the dinner drinks: Limoncello Collins a la Food & Wine.

Light and refreshing, this concoction combines limoncello, gin, and freshly squeezed lemon juice with club soda and mint.  Two glasses thumbs up.

Time for the mains!

Lamb grilled on the Big Green Egg

Cornish Hen, also done on the Egg

Ann’s potato au gratin and bacon-brussels sprouts (soooo good!)

Spinach Bread Pudding with Feta and Lemon 

My contribution was the Spinach Bread Pudding with Feta and Lemon.  This was found on the Food & Wine site, but was actually a 101 Cookbooks creation.  It’s a lightened version of a savory bread pudding, and I think I ate half of it myself.  Fantastic.

Next time I would increase the amount of mustard to 2 T and the lemon zest to at least 1 T.  I like a pronounced tangy flavor.

The bread I used was a whole grain bread made from Sweetwater 420 beer.  I also used an awesome/fancy whole grain mustard, and a block of impossibly creamy French feta cheese.

These items, along with the picture below, were obtained at Whole Foods on Saturday night.

The end to my Easter was a little prettier than that…

I wish I had dessert pics… Mom made an incredible chocolate fudge pie and I made the Olive Cookies, this time with rosemary instead of basil.  *le sigh*

***

How was your Easter?

Do you have any tricks to eating pre-morning workout?

Have a Happy Monday… and say no to crack!

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