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Appetites and Adventures

Survival of the Crossfit-est + PB Banana Shake-which

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Crossfit is no joke.

 

Source: list09.com

 

I took Dynamics this weekend.  Dynamics is the 5 hour “training” course you are required to take before they throw you to the wolves you can join a regular class.  I left that class feeling alright.  We did a couple of workouts.  I finished second both times – just behind a guy who rock climbs and looked like he was born in a gym.

Walking into class last night I realized I was nervous.  These people are hardcore about their workouts.  Would I be good enough to not embarrass myself?

 

Click for source

 

I’m pretty confident when it comes to gyms. I have worked out for the better part of the last 5-6 years.  I lift free weights in the “boys” section.  This was a whole new ballgame.

Self-doubt set in full-force.  I caught myself looking at the pic below and thinking “there’s no way I could do that.”

 

Click for source

 

The first move was deadlifts.  3 lifts, 2 min rest, add 50 pounds, 3 more lifts, 2 min rest, add 50 pounds, and so on.  Women start at 85 lbs.  I got through that 85, but decided to play it safe and add just 20 lbs.  Did that and added 20 more.  Did that.  Got irrationally scared.  Started to do 3 more when the time gods smiled upon me and we were DONE.

One girl lifted 300 lbs!!!  I’m pretty sure I looked like a version of this:

 

Click for source

 

Then we did the WOD.

(WOD = workout of the day.  I’m so fancy with the lingo. 😉 )

  • 4 mins pull ups
  • 3 mins handstand push-ups
  • 2 mins push-ups
  • 1 min double under jump rope (I have yet to master the double under.  Thank you, hopeless white girl coordination.)

 

Click for source

 

First day thoughts:

  • It’s very humbling to feel intimidated in the gym
  • You shouldn’t be intimidated, just give it all you have
  • Crossfit-ers are very friendly people
  • I learned that I kind of like handstand push-ups
  • I’ve been working hard, but it’s time to get out of my comfort zone
  • A “can-do” attitude can take you far… growth comes from pushing past the point of can’t
  • This style of workout makes me ravenous

Click for source

 

I’m scheduled to go back to Crossfit tonight.  In the wise words of my best friend’s mother: “Don’t let that dog know you’re scared of it!”

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Naturally, I came home and made a smoothie to end all smoothies.  This dream shake was served in a Guinness pint glass.  The excess was slurped from the Vitamix spatula.

 

 

It’s only a few days into March, but my Crossfit-bruised ego is ready to declare smoothie victory.  This is the best smoothie of the month.  Not just because it was consumed out of a beer mug (though that didn’t hurt).

 

Avocado.  Banana.  Peanut flour.  Spinach.  Avocado and banana make for an incredibly creamy smoothie.  Add peanut flour to that and you have a liquid PB + Banana shake-wich.

I’ve recently been adding a lil’ lemon to smoothies too.  I find it helps draw out flavors, not to mention that lemons are good for digestion!

 

 

Praise Jesus I can’t fit my face into the actual blender to lick up the remnants… I would lose a tongue on those blades.

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PB + Banana Shake-wich

  • 1 C spinach
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 wedge lemon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
  • 5-6 drops stevia
  • 1/8 tsp guar gum (optional)
  • Ice + water, to taste

 

Put it all in the blender and mix until smooth!

 

Top with nuts/seeds if so desired.  My topping is a crumbled Endurance Crackers (recipe here from Oh She Glows).

Makes 1 pint. 

***

Thank you all for the Best Healthy Eating Blog votes (click here to vote) AND for the FoodBuzzin’ – My Vegan Salade Nicoise made the Top 9 yesterday!  You guys totally made my day. 🙂

Have you ever been to a Crossfit gym?

What is your favorite post-workout meal?

 

Life is a Challenge

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Apparently I am a glutton for punishment challenges.

 

Challenge #1

It’s been 25 days since I’ve had any animal product.  So what do I do?  Sign on for the 30 Day Vegan Challenge being hosted by Amanda @ Run to the Finish.

 

 

Now that I’ve committed to 30 days, I am terrified I can’t do it.  What happens when I go out to eat and all I can have the the wilted side salad?  This may seem like a no-brainer for most, but dining out is like an expensive Olympic sport for me.

 

I mentioned that while on the cleanse I saved about $350 a week – that’s how bad my foodie habits were.  Hence, the new Vitamix.  I earned that present! 🙂

Eating a plant-based diet feels good to my body.  I know this, and I want to fuel myself the right way.  Heather @ Better with Veggies gave me the advice to focus on the things I CAN eat (she also has a great post up today about being a plant-strong athlete).  There are so many delicious veggie dishes in the world, and I am at my happiest when I’m being creative in the kitchen.

 

Eating green and saving green.  FTW.

 

…But would it be wrong to give myself another present at the end of this 30 days?  Maybe I’ll take the plunge and book a French vacation…

 

 

Challenge #2

This is a much-needed challenge – I’m cleaning out my closet!

The great and wonderful Pinterest gave me the idea to do a 6 month closet clean out.  This pin went under my “Brilliant Ideas” board.

 

I swear I own clothes that aren't black and grey...

 

The idea is to flip all your hangers to face the wrong way. As you wear items, you return the hanger to face the “right” way when you replace the clothing.  After 6 months’ time you donate anything that is on a hanger turned back out.  I love the added benefit or a charitable donation!

I’ve been at it for 1 week and so far have noticed that I wear the same things.  A LOT.   People at work must think I only own 3 outfits, all of them black.

***

I love the added motivation of a challenge, as well as the camaraderie when you’re taking it on with friends!

What would you treat yourself with if you saved $1,400 in one month?  Good god, that sounds like a lot when you add it up…

Have you signed on the a challenge recently?  Want to join me in one of these? 🙂

 

Raw Sweet Potato Hummus + WIAW

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Can eating too much orange food really tint your skin?

I think I may be in danger.  

Between the carrots and sweet potatoes I’ve been eating today, I’m going to look like a Jersey Girl.  GTL!

For real – it’s called Carotenosis.

 

Luckily Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday doesn’t go green until March.  Orange fits perfectly with the February vegetable theme.

 

Breakfast:

This morning I met my boss for breakfast a “famous” local breakfast spot, The Flying Biscuit.  While boss-man is used to my picture-taking, my stomach wasn’t used to waiting so late to eat.  Totally forgot to take a picture.

No matter.  My tofu scramble wasn’t that great.  I would have rather had my homemade Indian-Inspired Tofu Scramble:

Lunch:

My Foodie Penpal, Laura, has created a monster.  I made another round of Bibimbap using the ingredients she sent me in this month’s package.

It’s an addiction.  That crunchy rice and  spicy sauce ain’t whack.

Click here to check out the recipe I posted yesterday.  The only change today was that I served it with cucumber rather than carrots.

Snacks:

First us was my first juice creation in the Vitamix.  It was all veggie and all delish!  This was a post workout snack, so I added my Sun Warrior protein powder.  I was worried that would make it a weird consistency, but it was quite pleasant!

In my juice:

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp maca
  • 1 C spinach
  • Handful of wheat grass
  • 1/4 C parsley
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 in piece of ginger
  • 3-4 drops stevia
  • 2 in piece of cinnamon (I tossed a real stick in and it WORKED!)
  • 1/2 C water

Snack #2 was a recipe I’ve had marked from Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen.  Can you guess what this deliciousness is?

RAW Sweet Potato Hummus.  It was insanely good, and an embarrassing amount was consumed… much of it straight from the blender.  I made a few modifications (recipe at the end of this post).

The only difference in using a raw sweet potato is that it isn’t quite as sweet as it would be if it had cooked and caramelized a bit.  To me, this makes it a perfect hummus candidate.

The liquid smoke added a neat dimension with the nutty-sweet tahini, and the spices were just enough to give it a kick on the end.  Even cooler was the addition of Meyer lemon and miso.  These added some sweetness, along with a little tang and saltiness!

Of course, I also had my daily Kombucha!  Served from my growler of Buchi Fire from Whole Foods.

Dinner:

The orange didn’t stop at snack time.  Even post-cleanse I have been craving an increasing amount of raw food.  For dinner I ate the rainbow in the form of this giant salad.

In my salad:

  • Spinach
  • Broccoli and radish sprouts
  • Shredded red cabbage
  • Cucumber
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Tomato
  • Onions
  • Sweet Potato Hummus Dressing (1 T hummus + 1 T apple cider vinegar + 2 drops stevia)
  • Angela @ Oh She Glows’ Endurance Crackers

Angela’s Endurance Crackers have been on my list to try for a long time as well.  I needed something to go with all that hummus, so today seemed the perfect day to try them out!  My only modification was to use 2 tsp of the Ras al Hanout spice blend made for my Babaganoush Soup rather than her onion-salt-herb blend.

If you haven’t tried this recipe, I highly recommend it.  I’d love to try a sweet-cinnamon version in the future!

Dessert:

Cinnamon-Vanilla Ice Cream.  The Vitamix was me on a wintertime ice cream bender.  I was working late and felt yet another treat bowl was in order.  Thank god it can be made healthy!  This purple bowl inefficiently hides a “secret” ingredient.

The ice cream blend is really easy – unsweetened vanilla almond milk, vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, and ice… and the secret ingredient.  Purple Cabbage.

I know you think I’ve lost it, but I swear on my shoe collection that not a trace of cabbage taste could be detected.

 

Sweet Potato Hummus

Modified from this recipe from Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen

  • 1 medium sweet potato (raw and unpeeled)
  • 2 T tahini
  • 4-5 drops liquid smoke
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 Meyer lemon
  • 1 T water
  • 1 tsp yellow miso
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 T fresh thyme

Toss everything in food processor or blender and until smooth.

Note: If using Vitamix, toss the whole lemon in; otherwise, only use the juice of the lemon.

Make 1.5 cups.

***

Spicie Foodie’s “Your Best Recipe” for the month of Feburary is up today!  Hop over to her site to check out my Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes and everyone else’s awesome contributions!

Do you ever intentionally try to eat more raw food?

Do you watch Jersey Shore?  I’m amazed at how passionate people are about it!

Cleanse Recap + A New Addition

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There is a new addition in my family.

 

Hang with me and you’ll see what the addition is and why I went for it…

Friday night we had another cleanse buddies dinner.  My friend Kathleen decided to begin the cleanse on Friday, so Mallory and I had a great time re-hashing our experiences with her.  (Click here for the “rules” and post #1.)

 

My first experience doing this cleanse was in November of 2010.  It was HARD.  My eating habits were not clean – I ate too many burgers, drank too much booze, and had a sugar addiction.  Needless to say, the first few days were a shock to my body.  I was tried, cold, and grouchy.  And constipated.

1 week before the 2010 cleanse

 

This time around I didn’t have as difficult a time.  My eating habits had remained fairly clean since that first cleanse; however, I noticed some old habits beginning to creep in and wanted to give my body a little reminder of how good clean feels.

 

Some observations:

  • Caffeine wasn’t as hard as I thought to give up.  My friend, Mallory, who also cleansed noted that after day 4 she actually had MORE energy without her previous 5-6 caffeinated beverages a day habit.
  • My overall energy level was excellent.  I slept better and the circles under my eyes lightened.
  • Digestively speaking… I’ve always struggled with “regularity.”  That was all better by day 3 of the cleanse.
  • At the risk of TMI, I must warn you to beware of gas – all of those greens are potent.  It’s healthy, but others around you may not appreciate that. 😉
  • My daily exercise didn’t change, and there wasn’t any difference with the amount of effort I was able to exert.  In fact, I increased my weight toward then end of week 2.  Popeye was on to something!
  • Creatively this cleanse has been a win.  Tighter food parameters force you to think outside of the box, which has resulted in some of the best meals I’ve had in a while.
  • Weight loss was NOT my goal.  I maintained my weight throughout the cleanse.  Again, my eating habits didn’t drastically change and I made an effort to have an extra protein shake or chia pudding every day.  My cleanse buddy’s eating habits changed pretty drastically… she lost 10 lbs!!!  Congrats, my bestie!
  • Hunger was never a problem.  People were always asking “aren’t you starving?”  Nope.  You would be shocked how filling veggies can be.  I actually was forcing myself to eat more some days!  I also planned ahead (see tips below) to make sure I was never caught without a food option.

 

 

The most common question I’ve been asked is surrounding how time-consuming making all of this food is.  The short answer is that yes, it takes more time.

The longer answer is that it isn’t that hard if you PLAN.  I have a full-time job and am perpetually running late – I’m not someone who has hours to spend on cooking during the week.  My cleanse-buddy has a full-time job, a 7 month old baby, and a husband that travels all week.  If we can eat clean, you can too!

 

 

Here are some ways to make clean eating easier, whether you are cleansing or simply trying to eat better.

Preparation tips:

  • Bookmark/pin/note recipes you like and write down your weekly menu.  This way when you go to make your grocery list and/or prepare meals, you can do so quickly and not worry about scrounging through the fridge to see what you could throw together.
  • Reserve time to prepare food.  On Sunday nights I make a big pot of soup, roast veggies (squash, beets, eggplant, etc), pre-cook wild rice and/or lentils, and pre-cut veggies.
  • Always keep snacks on hand.  If you are anything like me, when you don’t have anything to eat you go into “panic” mode and have the urge to grab whatever is nearby.  Don’t let that happen!  Keep veggie sticks, fresh fruit, and other healthy snack items on hand so you never have to worry.
  • Don’t be afraid to get creative.  Creative doesn’t mean difficult (these roasted tomatoes looked impressive, but were incredibly easy), but it does mean you won’t get bored with your food and abandon clean eating.  There’s no need to eat a salad every meal.
  • Prepare extra food.  Leftovers make great work-bag lunches and are easy to grab when you end up getting home later than you intended.
  • Get a good blender.  Smoothies are fast and easy, especially in the morning as you’re rushing to get ready for work.  They are also an easy way to get extra protein by adding a scoop of a good (low-sugar) protein powder, and an extra serving of veggies add a cup of spinach (the only evidence is the color).  I love my Magic Bullet because it makes the drink right in the cup… I also love my new toy.

 

A HUGE bonus to the cleanse was cost savings.  My pre-cleanse spending habits cost me about $300 more each week than I spent on the cleanse.  That means I’ve saved $900 in 3 weeks.

My bad influence friend Kathleen suggested that I take that some of that money and use it on something to help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Aaaaaand that brings me to the new addition.

 

I got a VITAMIX!!! I’ve had it for 2 days and it has already changed my life.  They are pricy…. but I think it’s going to be worth every penny.

Saturday night I celebrated with Sweet Potato Ice Cream.

Vitamix > Magic Bullet

 

Sunday morning I celebrated with a thick Carrot-Mango-Ginger Smoothie.  I’ve never had such a smooth, delicious breakfast.  I’ll be adding ginger to everything I can now; it added a great zing without overshadowing the sweetness from the carrot and the mango.

Check out the recipe at the bottom of this post.  I’m dying of happiness.

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This week was a little ADD in terms of workouts.  I didn’t have a clear focus of what I wanted to do and have (once again) been slacking on cardio.  I find it really hard to do without being able to run!

I DID do my final BodyRock fit test.  Extreme soreness had me waiting a couple of days, and clearly I didn’t stick to the 30 days exactly.  Each move is done for 50 seconds, with a 10 second rest in between.  I didn’t really except to see much more progress… but I did make a little more!  Funny thing is that I’m getting worse at burpees.  I blame the push-ups leading in to them.

 

There were a couple of fun new workouts this week.  Atlanta Fitness Diva gym contacted me asking if I’d like to try a workout.  Of course I would!  That took place Thursday and kicked my butt.  Literally.  We focused on glutes and I am STILL sore.  They are a but pricey to join, but I really enjoyed the small-group circuits we did.

 

The other new addition was the GAINfitness app.  Cait @ Beyond Bananas posted about it last week.  This app will let you tell it time, equipment available, and what you want to focus on and then put together a workout for you.  All you do it hit “start” and it walks you through with a timer for rest periods!  Check out  Cait’s post for a more thorough explanation.

 

Workout Recap (2/20 – 2/26)

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Carrot-Mango-Ginger Smoothie

  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1/4 large mango
  • 1-in piece of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (or other liquid)
  • 1 tsp maca (optional)
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 capful vanilla extract
  • 6-7 drops liquid stevia
  • Ice, to taste (I used a LOT)

 

Place everything in blender and mix to combine.

Top as desired (I sprinkled some flax and cinnamon), and enjoy!

***

Sunday I was honored to make the FoodBuzz Top 9 for my Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes.  Thank you for the Buzz, and welcome new friends! 🙂

Also, it’s time for the February edition of Spicie Foodie’s Your Best Recipe.  Click the badge for more info on joining, and be sure to check back when recipes are posted on March 1st!

Do you have a Vitamix?  Please share recipes! 🙂

Do you have any tips for eating well?

 

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