It’s my birthday week!!!
So I made myself a cake.
Actually, I made this cake on the 4th of July… but I consider the whole month my birthday. Therefore, this was a marriage equality-4th of July-birthday cake.
Regardless of the occasion, there’s no better show-stopper than cutting into this Rainbow Layer Cake at a party and revealing the vivid layers of color.
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Any holiday that involves good food is my favorite.
Bonus if it includes fireworks.
This 4th of July I have no clue what we will do… it’s my first not in Atlanta. Usually I run the Peachtree Road Race… maybe I’ll run my own 10K? Or maybe I’ll just have a marathon cooking session…
Either way, below are a bunch of recipes that I think would make for a tasty 4th, whether you are home or away, American or just like delicious food!
Oh yeah… and this happened:
SCOTUS marriage equality ruling
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Long weekends make me happy.
We really should implement a 2-day work week, 5 day weekend policy.
This weekend was full of happy movement. Atlanta is home to the world’s largest 10K, the Peachtree Roadrace. It’s held every year on the 4th. This is my 5th race; I’ve only missed one since 2008! I haven’t been running much, but my goal was to finish in under an hour. I rolled out of bed early Friday morning and took the train to the start line.
I debated going to the convention in town… but nah.
Marta is smarta
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Happy 4th of July!
aka National Sunburn Day.
I have a tradition of running the Peachtree Roadrace (the world’s largest 10K) and enjoying the sweltering heat sunshine. Since I’m off doing that, today’s #strangebutgood is a round of of things you might like to enjoy during your weekend festivities.
Some are stranger than others, but I assure you they’re all good. And they’re relatively quick and easy – especially the oh-so-addicting S’Mores Brownies!
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
If you’re not a blogger, you can still share your recipes on Instagram with the #strangebutgood hashtag.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 
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I may have to cool off at the mall. There are sales… all the things… this won’t end well.
What are your plans for the 4th?
What is your favorite poolside treat?
Treat ‘yo self.
That is my favorite saying from my friend Sarena.
This weekend I (rice crispy) treated my self and my friends! My best friend’s favorite treat is the crispy variety. In honor of the holiday weekend, I decided to make her a batch. Of course, I couldn’t just follow a recipe… regular ‘ol rice crispy treats have been done before!
What I came up with was a chocolate and peanut butter crispy treat. While these will never be a health food, they are slightly cleaner than the treats of your youth (recipe at the bottom). Here are a few of the cuts/subs I made:
One of my favorite things about these bars is that they aren’t as sticky-sweet as the traditional treats. Cutting back on the marshmallows really helps!
Before taking them to my friend’s house, I had to share then with a couple of my favorite people: Lee and Carol! We ran the Peachtree Road Race (the world’s largest 10K) together on July 4th. Clearly that deserved treats!
Lee and Carol both gave me the thumbs up, so I bought the concoction to the bestie’s house for dinner that evening. They received a stamp of approval there too – from 4 adults, a 2-year-old, and a couple of crumb-eating dogs.
Bonus: they paired really well with a certain impulse buy (thank you, Whole Foods):
Chocolate, Peanut Butter Banana Beer from Rogue. I figured it would be really good or repulsive. The taste was quite layered – chocolate up front, then a hint of peanut butter, and finally the banana came on the end. Surprisingly it wasn’t too sweet, but there is no way I could have drunk a bottle. We split tastes between 4 people – it was just the right “side” with the chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats.
As you might imagine, it was a pretty marvelous 4th of July. Head over to Katie’s link up to see what everyone else is smiling about today!
Place marshmallows, coconut butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips in a non-stick pan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to combine. (Note: if it is too thick, stir in almond milk 1T at a time.)
Quickly add rice crispies and stir to combine. Press mixture into an 11 x 13 pan.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.
Remove from fridge and cut into squares to serve.
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After a holiday weekend of eating out, I’m looking forward to more home cooked meals this week!
Did you run any races this weekend?
Are you a rice crispy treat fan? What fun flavor would you like to try?
In honor of the 4th, I’m taking a llittle break, but I did promise to let you know who won the Designer Whey giveaway!
These 6 ladies are going to have an especially happy 4th…
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My 10K is done!!! Time to celebrate with a few treats… See you all tomorrow for a #strangebutgood Friday!
Does anyone else have to work tomorrow?
How are you celebrating the 4th?
Can you imagine running a 10K in 27:36?
The 24-year-old winner of this year’s Peachtree Road Race (the largest 10K in the world) did it. His name is Peter Kirui. He’s Kenyan. Surprise, surprise.
Peachtree runners
I spectated for a bit this year, but didn’t run. It’s a little disheartening because it’s the first I’ve skipped in 5 years. My knee and my trainer both have put a halt to my running, so I passed my number along to my boss’ wife. She didn’t win the women’s division. That prize went to Mamitu Daska from Ethiopia, who finished the 6.2 mile run in 32:22.
After a little cheerleading, I hit the gym to lift weights before heading to the lake for a day of getting sunburned fun in the sun. Having done shoulders with my trainer on Tuesday, chest and biceps yesterday, a jet ski ride, and a sunburn… I can barely lift my arms. Good thing its leg day!
Post-lake there were fireworks. My BFF and I hit the country club where we grew up for a 20 minute display that would rival and city production.
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The breakfast I began the day with for-sure kept me moving all day.
Several people had told me about Paleo “Oatmeal,” but I wast in a hurry to try a Paleo meal when I can have the real thing. You see, the Paleo diet shuns bread-y carbs. This oatmeal doesn’t actually include oats.
Despite my hesitation, curiosity got the best of me and I’m so glad it did. This creamy oat-less oatmeal is going in constant rotation.
The banana gets that yummy caramelized taste, and I was surprised and how much this actually LOOKED like oatmeal.
Even better, it came together quickly and delivered and TON of protein to my tired muscles. I amped it up more in my version with protein powder (I used Sun Warrior Vanilla here). The addition of butter extract really have it that oatmeal taste – you know the one. When you were a kid and would have a glob of melty butter on top of your oats… alongside wayyyy too much brown sugar. It’s cool, we didn’t know and better
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Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl until well-combined.
In a small saucepan, cook mixture over low-med heat, stirring frequently to avoid lumps and reach oatmeal-like consistency (~5 mins).
Top your “oatmeal” with your favorite oatmeal topping. I went with blueberries.
Serves 1.
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I’m a little annoyed with myself for getting so badly burned. Doh.
Did you run a race? Enjoy a fireworks show? Both?
Have you tired one of the Paleo oatmeal bowls before? Any thoughts on the program? It wouldn’t work for me right now, but I’m curious about others’ experiences!
Happy 4th of July!
I wasn’t going to post today, but how could I miss my favorite day of the week – Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.
Last week I talked a lot about the nutrition plan I’m on to achieve my new fitness goal (competing in a figure competition). I’m still packing in the protein and keeping it (mostly) vegetarian. I’m struggling to find a wider variety of protein sources.
One thing I noticed last week was that my skin is breaking out from the increase in dairy. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese had become protein-staples. I’m aiming to just cut back a bit this week, limiting it to 1-2 servings of dairy per day, to see if that helps.
Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.” Girl reads my mind with these themes!
Check out my protein-filled fuel below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness treats!
Last week I talked about how I’m now eating 7 meals a day. Meal 1 occurred yesterday at 8am. Knowing I had an appointment with my trainer later, I focused on getting as much energy as possible from my morning eats.
Workout energy can be quite tasty!
This was my pre-workout meal. In effort to limit the dairy, I made a massive tomato and egg white scramble with basil and a drizzle of balsamic. I’m also allowed 1 T of sunflower seeds, which I sprinkled on top of the mix.
This meal is like lunch. Since it was also my post-workout meal, a protein smoothie was in order. I have to eat immediately after my workout to build muscle, so portability is key. I also packed cereal for some carbs to top my smoothie and a water mixed with Amino Energy to drink during and after the workout for energy and recovery.
This is one of my new favorite smoothies. Carrot Cake. I’ve tried it before, but I think this particular combo is the winner. A couple more trials and I’ll post the recipe.
It did get the thumbs up from both trainers who sampled it.
This is like an afternoon snack. That means I can have a protein source (25g) and a 3/4 C serving of veggies. Hmmmm… a protein-packed nori roll? Is that possible?
Yes, yes it is. I mixed a scoop of protein powder and ~1 tsp of wasabi with water to form a paste.
I slathered my nori rolls with it and filled them with sprouts, beets, raw asparagus, and raw cauliflower. Not too shabby for a snack on the fly!
Usually I have some sort of dinner in mind, but today I was drawing a blank on where my dinner protein would come from. My protein ended up being partially in the form of beans, and some of the secret was in the sauce.
Note: I know several will comment that I should eat more to beans, quinoa, and lentils for vegetarian/vegan protein sources. The problem with that is that they count as carbs. I am limited to 3/4 C of carbs at meals 1, 3, and 5. 3/4 a cup of beans is about 12g of protein. That leaves 8-13g protein I’d still need for that meal!
For this protein-rich salad, I combined 1/2 cup of fava beans and cannellini beans with 3 oz Greek yogurt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and lavar flakes. Then I tossed it all with beets, sprouts, green pepper, and onion. Topped with 1/4 C edamame, basil, more nooch, and red pepper flakes.
Sort of like a bean-based chicken salad. Sort of.
By this time of day I am sick of eating. That’s something I never thought I’d say! Meal 6 was a quick scramble of soy-based ground “beef,” egg whites, and zucchini topped with nooch and radish.
Last meal. This – I am told – is my “dessert.” I’ve pulled some good ones, but tonight I was just proud of myself for getting in the 7th meal. Typically I’m too stuffed by meal 6 to get anything else in mah belly.
1/2 banana covered in Greek yogurt and frozen with bowl of peanut butter protein pudding (protein powder, peanut flour, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon).
For the Crust:
For the Crust:
Place your favorite cereal in a blender and mix until it’s dust. Pour into a small bowl and stir in cinnamon, protein powder, and chia seeds. Stir in stevia and milk. (Note: You may have to adjust liquid amounts depending on the powder and cereal you use.) It should form a sticky ball.
Spread the crust mixture evenly across a small plate (~1/4 in thick). Refrigerate over night, or at least 20 mins.
For the Cream:
In a small bowl combine yogurt, peanut flour (you could sub more protein powder here), and stevia.
Spread evenly atop your crust.
Top with the fruit of your choice and enjoy!
Makes 1 serving.
Approximate nutritionals (without toppings; can vary widely depending on cereal, powder, and yogurt used): 219 calories, 6.9g fat, 22.4g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 4.3g sugar, 23.6g protein
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In case you’re curious, I managed 154.5 g of protein with these eats. BAM.
How do you refuel post-workout?
What is your favorite 4th of July dish?
