Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Eating with a Top Chef

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OK, maybe not with…

 

 

I did eat AT Richard Blais’ new Atlanta restaurant, The Spence.  God bless cheat day.  Chef Blais was the runner-up in season 4 of Top Chef, and then went on to win Top Chef All-Star season 8.  He’s famous for his use of molecular gastronomy and ambitious flavor combinations.

His fearless approach to food was evident throughout The Spence’s menu:

 

Even the Parker rolls were presented with pizzaz (good thing, because I’ve always found their taste to be blah).

Dinner Rolls with a schemer of butter sprinkled with sea salt

 

For my appetizer, I couldn’t resist the gazpacho.  It was listed on the menu as “Canned Soup of Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho.”  I’d take this over Campbell’s any day.  It was served atop radishes, smoky-toasted croutons, and what I think was a horseradish granita.

The presentation alone was worth the choice:

 

My friend and dining mate, Kathleen, chose the beet salad.  It was a mix of roasted and raw beets, blue cheese, soft-boiled egg, and wasabi.  The textures were perfection, though I could have gone for more heat… but you guys know how I am about fire.

 

On the to main event.  I need to preface this by saying there are dishes the menu that were much more ambitious that what we ordered.  The menu needs some explanation and – oddly enough – our server wasn’t recommending the more unusual items, even when asked.  Did she not trust our pedestrian palates?

If I go back, I’m throwing caution to the wind and ordering the pork belly.  It is brought to the table under a glass dome of rich smoke and unleashed for your viewing (and smelling) pleasure.  The people next to us were over-the-moon about this dish.  It smelled so good I almost jumped into the guy’s lap when they removed his lid.

 

I selected the Cobia (a mild white fish).  It was cooked to perfection – done sous-vide and finished on the grill to give it a nice crust. It was topped with a salsa of kaffir lime, pineapple, capers, and crisp green beans.  Even better was the pine nut cream – it was like dinner-appropriate nutty whipped cream.

 

Kathleen ordered the Spatchcock chicken with asparagus and sea beans.  The chicken itself was ho-hum (again, we should have ordered better), but the sea beans and a peanut dust served alongside the chicken were fantastic.

 

Last but not least: dessert.  I had been looking forward to the carrot cake and peas, but it wasn’t available that evening (they change the menu weekly).

No matter, one bite into my selection and I forget the cake. I chose the Burnt Banana Ice Cream served with chocolate mousse mixed with lightly candied peanuts and drizzled with caramel.  I could have licked the plate.  The ice cream was just as good as it sounds, and the mousse was thick yet not too sweet.  The well-balanced dessert that left me feeling satisfied rather than gluttonous.

 

Kathleen was craving cheesecake.  She ordered what was listed on the menu as “Ricotta Cheesecake, Blackberry, and Graham.”  This looked NOTHING like a cheesecake, but was impressive, nonetheless. It was incredibly light and was easily the most creative cheesecake interpretation I’ve seen.

 

The bill was presented with an old-fashioned key resembling the restaurant’s logo.  I wonder how long before all of those are stolen?

It was quite pricey, but you will leave with a smile on your face once you eat the gift from the kitchen – a tiny creme-filled spiced cookie sandwich.

 

You’ll leave with an even bigger smile if you man-up boldly interrupt Chef in the middle of dinner service for a quick photo-op.  In all seriousness he was very gracious, stopping to chat with several tables and patiently posing for photographs.

 

He asked if I was a “good blogger or a bad blogger.”

I think I’m good… I’m certainly not mean.  Most of the time.

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I almost forgot the workout recap time!   Figure competition training is still ON and I am loving it.  It is taking a massive amount of discipline, but I know the reward will be well-worth it.  Ever try doing barbell squats with a heinous sunburn on your shoulders?  I don’t recommend it.

I think there are a few noticeable changes in muscle-size.  Or at lease that what my mom and my BFF tell me.

 

Workout Recap (7/2- 7/8):

  • Monday – Back/Triceps, 2 mile walk
  • Tuesday – Shoulders/Glutes (w/ trainer), 3 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Chest/Biceps, 3 mile walk, jet-skiing
  • Thursday – Legs, 2 mile walk
  • Friday – Back/Triceps
  • Saturday – Shoulders/Glutes, 2 mi walk
  • Sunday – 15 min bike ride, 2 softball games

***

Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts, comments, messages, and tweets after Friday’s post.  It was a tough day, but you all put a smile on my face. 🙂

Have you ever eaten at a “celebrity” chef’s restaurant?  Did it live up to expectations?

What was the best thing you ate this weekend?

 

Blueberry Protein Tart + WIAW

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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!

Meal 1:

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 is a Blueberry Protein Tart.  I ate it for breakfast, but it would make one helluva dessert too!
The inspiration for this creation was Tessa’s own creation.  I am not allowed the peanut butter she added, and I needed to reduce the size because when you eat 7 meals a day they need to be a tad smaller (yet still protein rich – that’s a whole other challenge).
Despite the omission of peanut butter, my crust was fantastically chewy and fudgey.  And the “cream filling” was just perfect.  If you haven’t invested in peanut flour, you should do so ASAP.  I’m not kidding.
Recipe at the bottom of this post.

Meal 2:

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.

Meal 3:

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.

Meal 4:

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!

Meal 5:

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.

Meal 6:

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.

Meal 7:

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).

Blueberry Protein Tart - delicious (mostly) make-ahead clean breakfast!

Blueberry Protein Tart

For the Crust:

  • 1/4 C cereal
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or liquid of choice)
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or your favorite sweetener)
For the Cream:
  • 3 oz (1/2 container) Greek yogurt
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 5-6 drops vanilla liquid stevia

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

***

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?

Fundays + Tomato Basil Beet Salad Guest Spot

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Forget Sunday-Funday.

 

This weekend was one big Funday!  Friday – for my cheat day – I went to my favorite underground supper club, Push Start Kitchen with my best friend.  Zack was serving a vegetarian dinner and once again blew it out of the water with his creative flavor combinations and impeccable execution.  God bless cheat day.

L to R: the table; amuse – a corn masa with red chili jam and pickled okra; appetizer – chilled zucchini soup with tempura pumpkin flowers, house-made ricotta with preserved lemon, arugula, and smoked chile jam; main – roasted chile, Israeli couscous with collards, black plum mole, crisped tamale “croutons,” cotija cheese, and hears of palm; dessert – arroz con leche with candied lemon, melon sorbet, lychee foam, and basil and sour cherry gelee.

 

Saturday I took an easy bike ride through the park and hit up the Green Market for some tomatoes and a beautiful bunch of basil grown right there in the park.  Doesn’t get more local than that!

 

Saturday evening I got to see some of my favorite bloggers at a going away party for Heather and her hubby Kirk.  They are off to Colorado!  We are sad to see them go, but we had a great time catching up and goofing off. 

L to R: Heather, Lindsay, Tina, and me.

 

Heather cooked up a fantastic (vegan) Mexican feast, even specially preparing ground tempeh so that I had something I could eat (going out on a strict diet is HARD).  I really loved her bean dip too – it was just the right amount of spicy.

I didn’t partake in the Cayenne-spice chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, but am told they were phenomenal.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Tiffany @ Como Water invited me to write a guest post for her blog.  Please click here to check it out, and check out her blog.  It is a plethora of delicious, plant-based eats!

This dish I made for her is a Tomato Basil Beet Salad.  Who knew this beets and tomatoes would be such a win?  I mean, I thought it would taste good, but whoa.  This simple salad of beets, tomato, basil, and onion blew me away.  A bit of lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper balanced the beet flavor and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes almost made it seems like dessert.

 

The other item that blew me away was a feta cheese. 

 

Last week I talked about the yogurt I received from Olympus; however, they also included a feta cheese in the package.  This creamy treat is imported from Greece, and is the BEST feta I’ve had in recent memory.  I’m not even exaggerating.  It was impossibly creamy, and have just the right amount of salt to bring out the feta tang.

For the full recipe, check out my guest post on Tiffany’s blog, Como Water.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Recap time.  I’m on day 10 of my figure competition training and still loving it!  I had an appointment with my trainer Saturday.  It was a tough one – I got busted for my lack of protein on my “cheat” day (note to self: Steve reads blog… watch yo self) and was justly punished treated to a killer leg workout.  I’m really excited about my progress in a short amount of time.  I was able to squat 30% more weight than I could just a week and a half ago!

Thank god this week was only 3 softball games… ’cause it is HOT.  The obligatory #proof pic:

Workout Recap (6/25- 7/1):

  • Monday – Chest/Biceps, 2.5 mile walk
  • Tuesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Back/Tris
  • Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes, 2.5 mile walk
  • Friday – Biceps/Chest, 2 mile walk
  • Saturday – Legs/Hams (w/ trainer), 20 min bike ride, 1.75 mi walk
  • Sunday – 3 softball games

***

Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes of Special K’s new granola bars!  Contest ends TONIGHT at 11:59p.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Is it in the 100s where you are?

 

Mexican Crustless Chickpea (Vegan) Quiche

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In my constant quest for protein, I’ve become obsessed with chickpea flour.

I’ve always loved socca.  Chickpea flour is also quite good in Seitan Chorizo.  But what other uses are there for the protein-filled flour?  I need a lot more in order to get my daily 150g of protein!

I’ve been teasing you guys all week on the blog and on Instagram with pics of this dish:

It’s a vegan quiche!  Even if you are not vegan, you’ll love this one.  I’ve been noshing on it for lunch all week.  The Mexican-inspired ingredients of cumin, onion, and peppers give it a ton of flavor (which only gets better on days 2 and 3). 

 It lacks the traditional quiche crust, making it gluten-free.  However, it doesn’t lack a crust!  The chickpea flour forms its own thin crust around the edges and bottom of the quiche, giving you something satisfying to bite into.

Inspired by Janet ‘s Mediterranean Crustless Quiche.  If you haven’t check out Janet’s blog yet, please do.  I’ve made many of her recipes verbatim and they have all been outstanding!

Mexican Crustless (Vegan) Quiche

Mexican Crustless Chickpea Quiche

  • 4 C loosely packed cups spinach, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1/4 C red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 C cilantro, rough chopped
  • 2 C chickpea flour
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T avocado oil (can use olive oil)
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • S&P, to taste
  • 3 C water

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9″ spring-form pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the vegetables and cilantro.

In a large blender (I used my Vitamix), combine the chickpea flour, oil, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and water.  Blend until smooth and frothy.

Combine the chickpea mixture with vegetables and stir to combine.  Pour mixture into greased pan, making sure it is evenly distributed.

Bake at 475 for ~50 minutes, of on the convection setting at 450 for 40 mins.  The quiche should brown on top, and a cake tester should come out clean.  Allow to cool slightly before removing from spring-form.

Serves 6.

Approximate nutritionals (per slice): 175 calories, 4.8g fat, 24.1 carbs, 5g fiber, 5.7g sugar, 8.8g protein

***

Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes of Special K’s new granola bars!  Contest ends Monday, July 2nd.  (Side note: Can you believe it’s almost JULY?!)

Have you ever made a vegan quiche before?  I want to try one with tofu, too!

What are your favorite quiche or savory pie fillings?

A Protein-Filled Wednesday + a Snack Giveaway!

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Snacking is the new name of the game for me.

Yesterday I revealed my new fitness goal to you all – to compete in a figure competition.  This means HUGE change in my plant-based diet.  Now I have to focus more on protein than plants, and I’m eating constantly… but my goal is to to keep to a vegetarian protein diet.

The Basic Plan:

  • 7 “meals” per day (I eat every 2 hours)
  • 20-25g of protein at each meal
  • 120 oz of water daily
  • 1 serving of fruit for the first 2 meals, and at meal 7 (“dessert”)
  • 1 serving of veggies for meals 3-6
  • 1/2 C carbs at meal 1, 3, 5, and 7 (beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes count as carbs)
  • Limited fats – flax at meal 1, nuts at meal 2, olive oil at meals 3 and 5

The good parts: no calorie counting or macro tracking; I get a cheat day once a week; I already love protein shakes

The hard parts: only eating 1 serving of veggies at a time is hard; eating that much protein on a veg diet is REALLY hard; eating all the time sounds fun at first, but I am really never hungry (except for when I wake up); eating every two hours take a ton of planning; all of that water has me running to the bathroom every 30 mins.

Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme of “Sensible Snacking” this month is just perfect for my new plan.  I am snacking all day!

Check out a day in  the food life of a wanna-be figure competitor; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s day of eats!

Meal 1:

Janetha hipped me to the fact that I was appropriately celebrating National Chocolate Pudding Day at breakfast

I made a chocolate-peanut butter protein pudding/spread to top my Ezekial bread.  This was accompanied by 1/2 cup of cherries (good for inflammation/muscle recovery).

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding:

  • 1 T GNC Soy chocolate protein powder (check out the review here)
  • 1 T peanut flour
  • 1 T ground flax seed
  • 2 T unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Meal 2:

It’s blueberry season!  They are so sweet right now, making of an especially tasty shake… even if it did splash on my brand-new white shirt.  Note to self: don’t drink smoothies and drive.

Blueberry-Ginger Smoothie

  • 1 scoop Vega vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/2 C blueberries
  • 1 in piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C spinach (I “cheated” and added veggies… I can’t help myself!)
  • 1 T sunflower seeds
  • Ice + water, to taste

Meal 3:

Leftovers!  Some of you may have seen the vegan quiche I posted on Instagram.  With a chickpea flour base, this high-protein dish made 6 slices which I will be bringing for lunch all week.  I enjoyed it with a side of sprouts.  For those that asked, I promise the recipe will come tomorrow!

While the quiche is high-protein, it’s not quite high enough.  No worries – it gave me an opportunity to have dessert with my meal.  A little sweet and a little savory, I loved this cardamom-laced treat!

Cardamom-Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Mix

  • 1/2 C cottage cheese
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 4-5 drops NuNaturals orange liquid stevia
  • 1 T unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk

Meal 4:

Here is where it gets hard to keep eating.  At this point I’ve downed 60g of protein and I’m feeling satisfied.  However, I’m not even half way through my daily meals!

Remember this seitan chorizo I made a couple of months ago?  I froze what I couldn’t eat for future uses.  I’m beyond happy I did that!  It gave me the protein I needed for the meal, re-heating well and retaining its flavor and moisture.  It was fantastic with the last of my Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix.

Meal 5:

I had an appointment with my trainer at 8p (more legs – OMG), so I wanted my dinner-time meal to be easy to digest.  That can only mean on thing.  Liquid Sweet Potato Pie-Shake.  Meal 5 requires veggies, carbs, and protein.

Since sweet potatoes count as a carb, I ate a side of celery sticks as well.

Meal 6:

This also served as my post-workout recovery meal.  It was also my favorite meal of the day!  This rendition of overnight (over-day?) oats was cool and refreshing after a excruciating really hard workout.  If you’re from Georgia, you know it doesn’t get any better than peaches and cream this time of year.

Creamy Peach-Ginger Overnight Protein Oats

  • 1 peach, mashed
  • 1 scoop GNC Whey vanilla protein powder (see review here)
  • 1/3 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup raw oats
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4-5 drops vanilla liquid stevia
Stir it all together and allow to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Meal 7:

I cheated.  I ate meal 7 as meal 6 (fruit, carbs, and protein).  Truth be told, I’m having a really hard time working in 7 meals.  I am hitting the protein goal of 150 grams, so I’m not going to worry about it until I’m told otherwise.  🙂

Now for the part you really wanted to hear about – the giveaway!

I was contacted by Special K just before heading to Chile with an opportunity to try their new granola bar.  I don’t eat a lot of processed foods/bars, but I was intrigued by their new concept.  They sent me the samples just in time for me to pack these up as a tasty plane snack.

Of course, I shared with my concierge, Kim, who was in love with the sweet treats.  She couldn’t believe that the bars are just 110 calories and contain only 7g of sugar.  Perfect for sating your mid-afternoon sweet tooth.  They also deliver 4g of fiber and 4g of protein.

My favorite part? The Special K Granola Bars come in my favorite flavors – Dark Chocolate and Chocolatey Peanut Butter.  The chocolate-peanut butter will rock your socks off.  

Yes, they are processed and they have more than 5 ingredients.  If you’re that isn’t a problem for you, you will be really happy with these bars.  They have a great crunch and won’t leave you feeling weighed down.

The lovely people at Special K have offered to let one reader try a box of each flavor.  Here’s how to enter to win:

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win 2 boxes of @SpecialKUS granola bars at @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1po #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Twitter Follow Special K, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What is your favorite sweet tooth satisfier?

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Monday, July 2nd.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 3rd.

***

And again with the sore legs/glutes.  Thank god the counter is close enough to my toilet to provide support for lowering down.

Do you prefer to eat 3 solid meals, or snack throughout the day?

What is your favorite protein-rich meal?

Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix

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It would be impossible to make this dish any more healthy.

Filled with raw, fresh veggies, you would probably ascend into some new level of raw health food heaven if you ate it all in one sitting.  Either that or have some serious gas.

When I saw this recipe for a Detox Salad from Angela @ Oh She Glows, I knew I had to make it post-Chilean tour of gluttony.  In my version I use her base of cauliflower and broccoli, but added some extra nutrients with kale and mushrooms.  I love the meaty earthiness the mushroom adds!

To dress the veggie mix, I used fresh lemon juice and my new Chilean spice blend, merkén.  You can read more about it here, but it’s basically a mix of red chilies, coriander, cumin, and salt.  Spicy and smokey!  The other blend in the pic above is a sea weed flake mix: dulse, laver, and sea lettuce.  I picked it up a Whole Foods recently and am addicted to the briny, slightly sweet flakes.

All mixed up it looks like trail mix, hence the name.  However, I wouldn’t recommend adding chocolate in this type of trail mix. 🙂

Recipe at the end.

I finally have workouts to recap!  This week I was back on it full-blast.  I’m embarking on a new fitness endeavor… after my first leg/glute workout with a trainer on Monday, I was so sore that I could barely walk until Friday.  At one point I (slowly) lowered myself to the floor to do push ups, gave up at 40, and then just laid there in downward dog for a sold half hour.  More this new punishment journey tomorrow!

Today I am sore from playing 4 softball games in 90 degree weather.  I drank 150 oz of water and I STILL had a headache until bedtime.  At least I my socks looked cool.

Workout Recap (6/18- 6/24):

  • Monday – Ab Ripper X, Legs/Glutes (w/ trainer), 40 push-ups
  • Tuesday – Tris/Chest, 1.5 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Shoulders, 3 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – Biceps, 3.5 mile walk, 100 push-ups
  • Friday – Back/Tris (w/ trainer), 2.5 mile walk
  • Saturday – Butt/Shoulders, 20 min bike ride
  • Sunday – 4 softball games

The Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix - this might be the healthiest thing you could put in your mouth!

Ultimate Veggie Trail Mix

  • 1 small head broccoli, stems removed
  • 1/2 small head cauliflower, stems removed
  • 1 large carrot, shredded or finely chopped
  • 2 large kale leaves, finely chopped
  • 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, diced
  • 2 T red onion, minced
  • 1/4 C pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp merkén (or mix of smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, and salt)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Dulse or lavar flakes (optional)
  • 4-5 drops NuNaturals orange liquid stevia (or other sweetener, to taste)
  • S&P, to taste

In a Vitamix or food processor, process the broccoli until fine. Place in a large bowl.  Repeat with cauliflower, then with carrots.

Stir in kale, mushrooms, onion, pumpkin seeds, and rosemary.  

In small bowl, stir together lemon juice and seasonings to taste.  Pour over salad and mix well.  Allow to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes ~5 cups.

Approximate nutritionals: 94 calories, 5.9g fat, 8g carbohydrates, 2.7g fiber, 2.6g sugar, 5.1g protein.

***

I brought this trail mix to the ball field for lunch.  Amazingly, people didn’t stare.  They must have been too busy having heat strokes.

Have you made any good blogger recipes lately?

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Chilean Cooking School + WIAW

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It took several days, but we located Chilean food.

As I said in my first recap post, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Chilean food in Chile.

Determined food-lovers, my travel mates and I did mange to find some more “authentic” eats after making our way to the Chilean coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.

For What I Ate Wednesday this week, I am jumping ahead in our travel story to share some tasty Chilean treats with you.  The highlight was an amazing cooking class with the fabulous Boris.  This may not be true snacking, but I eat more snacks than meals when traveling so I can try EVERYTHING.

Check out my Chilean eats below; then click here to hop on to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see what the rest of the blog world else ate Wednesday!

Breakfast:

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast in a neighborhood that was right in between Valpo and Vina.  It was built in 1934, and has since been restored to a fabulous accommodation.  Doesn’t this looks like a Crate & Barrel magazine? 

Casa Olga provided us breakfast each morning.  We were served strawberry yogurt, pears, passion fruit, bananas, kiwi, cereal, toast, jam, ham and cheese (I passed on this – too much for breakfast!), coffee, and – best of all – freshly squeezed orange juice.

Here is the view we enjoyed every morning:

Their dog, Shay, wanted a seat at the table too!

Funny side note: when I asked for water at breakfast, they asked if I drank too much… they are not accustomed to drinking water in Chile!

Lunch:

This is the experience I have been most excited to share with you guys!

Katherine had to leave early, so Julia and I kept ourselves entertained by taking a Chilean cooking class.  The company, Chilean Cuisine, offers hands-on cooking classes in Valparaiso.  Our charismatic Chilean instructor, Boris, took us to the kitchen to choose the menu before escorting us to the local market to purchase the ingredients.

Much to my surprise, Boris had found my blog via my email signature and read up on it in advance!  He even read the “About Me” section and learned that I do NOT like white potatoes.

“Today we are NOT going to eat potatoes” was written on the board. How cool is that?

Boris lead us through a cookbook to help us choose the menu.  We decided on making cheese empanadas, Chilean pebre (salsa), hake fish terrine with avocado carpaccio, pumpkin and cranberry bean stew… and green chili and basil pisco sours. 🙂

First up, the market.  In the rain.  I don’t take public transportation often (Atlanta isn’t conducive to that)… and I especially don’t take it in the rain.  However, Boris kept us so entertained and energized that I hardly minded!  He also hung our wet jackets and shoes by the fire place to dry while we cooked – thank you, Boris!

Left to right, clockwise: Boris with a fish head, the market, Calabaza pumpkin, Calabaza trash (it was everywhere!),  fruit stand, a massive bucket of CHIA, eggs for sale, drying my jacket, and thawing our feet

Back at the kitchen, we began to prepare the meal feast.

A few fun highlights:

  • See my socks in the first pic?  Those were borrowed from the owner, Martin, because our shoes were soaked and it was too cold to cook barefoot.  Thank you again, Martin!
  • I love empanadas.  I cannot wait to try some fun combos here at home, and to try them baked.  Boris wasn’t amused when I started adding ingredients to the cheese… but the chilis and some cumin were really good additions!
  • We used a lot of merkén.  Merkén is a unique spice blend native to Chile consisting of dried and smoked red chilies (ají cacho de cabra or goat’s horn), toasted coriander seeds, cumin and salt.  I loved it and brought home a couple of bags!
  • The fish terrine was cooked like a poor man’s sous vide.  We wrapped the fish mixture (fish, onions, bread crumbs, egg, spices) in plastic wrap and placed it in simmering water for ~10 minutes.  Very cool method – I can’t wait to try it with other items.
  • I was in charge of seasoning the stew.  You all know how I love heat… I added so much merkén that is made Boris tear up… I thought it was perfecto. 🙂
  • Boris surprised me with beets – he saw me admiring them at the market and snuck them into our bag.  They were wonderful simply boiled with olive oil and salt.

We took a ton of this food to-go to share with our Navy officer-friends.  We were told it was a nice break from ship food. 🙂

Clockwise, Left to Right: Boris (a classically trained dancer) teaching us a dance while shaking chili-basil piscos, raising a glass to surviving the dance, Julia rolling out empanada dough, empanada pre-fry, frying empanadas, the final product (plus some sopapillas), eating our delicious empanada (topped with salsa), fish terrine (pre-slicing), terrines and avocado salad, salsa and beets, pumpkin bean stew (one of the most delicious things I ate on this trip), taking a bite, mas vino, Boris with dessert, dessert – lucuma ice cream with meringue.

Dinner:

I lied.  The Chilean food ends here.  For dinner we met up with the Navy boys for a final farewell.  Dinner was at an Italian Place called Pasta e Vino.  This was the #1 spot recommended to us – by travelers and Chileans alike!

It was quite good!  Those Chileans know their Italian food.

Clockwise, Left to Right: Restaurant window, beautiful candle in the window, the dining room, menu, wine of the evening – a big 2007 Chilean red blend, amuse – pumpkin soup, bruschetta topped with prosciutto, bell pepper filled with goat cheese and prawn and wrapped in phyllo, my entrée: the eggplant gnocchi in goat cheese sauce with toasted almonds, Captain’s entrée: pumpkin ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese (my favorite of the night), Julia’s entrée: spinach fettuccine with ham and walnut (spelled “wall nut” on the English menu) in a cheese sauce, XO’s entrée: fettuccine with ham in a white wine-lemon sauce with parmesan crisps, apple crumble with chocolate ice cream and caramel, panna cotta topped with a berry compote, sambuca en fuego x2.

Snacks:

Like I said, we basically snacked our way through the entire trip.  My favorites?

Banana Split Gelato

Never enough empanadas!

***

Are you beginning to understand why I had to do a juice cleanse when we returned? 🙂  One more recap to go – the tour of the US Navy ship!!!

Have you ever taken a cooking class in another country?

Do you prefer to stay at hotels or bed & breakfasts when you travel?

Argentina… errr… Chile!

By

What do you do when you get booted off of a flight to Buenos Aires just before takeoff?

Those of you who caught this post already know.  You get on the next flight out… which happened to be Santiago, Chile!

We landed in the morning feeling a little tired, but excited.  The first order of business was to find coffee and wi-fi so we could locate a hotel and form a plan.

Thanks to the Internet and a very nice Chilean man in the airport restaurant we booked a hotel in a nice neighborhood called Providencia and were on our way in just a couple of hours.

The first order of business was lunch.  Naturally we ended up at a French cafe.  I was craving greens and enjoyed a massive salad topped with egg, asparagus, broccoli, avocado, and olives.   We also enjoyed a glass of wine to mark the first of many beginning of vacation.

We sampled an empananda.  This is once of the most famous South American foods, and one of the most tasty.  It’s basically a pocket of dough filled with cheese and other items (often ham) that is either fried or baked.

More exploring/getting lost ensured before we found these gorgeous fountains.

And then we found wine.

And then we found dinner in a cute plaza called Patio Bellavista.  It was a Peruvian restaurant called Barandiaran.  Go figure.

The dinner was quite good.  That highlight was a shared ceviche dish that was wonderful.  I NEVER thought I’d eat seafood, let alone ceviche; however, I loved the sea bass!  Shrimp is still a bit much for me.

The next day we found parks!  A really cool sculpture park called Parque Las Esculturas:

Followed by an even better park that was filled with exercise equipment!  I busted my ass a move on the elliptical.

I should mention that these were all found on a walk that must have been close to 10 miles.  By the time we reached our original lunch destination in the Bellavista neighborhood we were starving.  Annnnnd… we discovered the restaurant no longer existed.  We did the only thing left to do: ate a greasy lunch at a trashy college dive.

Sometimes you need to be local.  However, when you order guacamole and it’s served with Doritos, you wish you were a little less local.

That was followed up with a “traditional” dish of fries topped with onions, sausage, and fried eggs.  I can’t lie… I didn’t hate it.

Doesn’t that first yolk look like a heart?

Post-lunch we really needed to walk more.  There is a giant mountain/hill called Cerro San Cristobal that holds one of the most popular tourist destinations in Santiago: the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción.  It contains a 14 meter statue of Mary.  We hopped a funicular (a train built in 1925) to get to the top and visit Mary.

View of Santiago from the funicular

The view from Mary, looking down on the outdoor sanctuary and Santiago

The traveling trio with the Andes in the background

Random sight of the day: dude wearing a UGA sweatshirt.  He wasn’t American.

Come se dice “Go Dawgs” en espanol?

Santiago was an interesting experience; however, we were ready to move on after 2 days.  I hate to say it… but it’s a pretty dirty, crowded (7.5 million people) city.

One odd food note – when we sought out traditional “Chiliean” food, we were often directed to other cuisines such as French and Peruvian.  It seems like Chile is sort of like America in that they take foods from other cultures and modify.  It was good, but a shock having travelled more extensively in Europe.

Sadly, there are no workouts to recap this Monday.  Instead I’ll recap my recovery from the trip:

Step 1: Green smoothie bowl

Step 2: Mani/Pedi

Step 3: Arden’s Garden “Love Your Liver” 3-day juice cleanse (this was amazing – no joke)

Icing on the cake: A special delivery of Greek yogurt from Chobani!  Nothing but goodness.  Thank you, Chobani.  I love you much.

My concierge now loves Chobani, too.  I tipped him with a yogurt, and he’s a convert. 🙂

***

Check back tomorrow for some excellent wine and a run in with US Navy officers.

Have you ever been to South America?  Was it what you expected?

Doritos with guacamole… any thoughts?

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