Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Will Blog for Food

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Food is my favorite topic.

 

 

When I was my friend Parita @ My Inner Shakti post this quiz about her food preferences… well, I was a little too jazzed to fill it out.  Honestly, I probably would have completed it even if I wasn’t going to share it on the blog.

***Warning: there are a lot of yummy junk food-related questions.  Do not fill this out late at night near a plate of brownies.  Not that I would know anything about that.***

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Coke or Pepsi?  I quit drinking soda at least 8 years ago… but Coke is far superior to Pepsi.

Lemonade or Fruit Punch?  I don’t drink a lot of juice either, but I do love homemade lemonade on a hot day.

Carmel Apple or Cotton Candy?  It’s been years since I’ve had either!  I have to say the caramel apple wins – that used to be a “treat” for us as kids when my parents took us to the mountains.

Butterfinger or Snickers?  Really tough… but I’m going with Snickers.  Especially if it’s frozen.

Pudding and Jell-O?  No contest – chocolate pudding.  I cannot stand jell-o (sorry, Bill Cosby).

Turkey or Chicken?  I haven’t had either since Janurary-ish, but I always preferred chicken to turkey.  Turkey is always dry!

American or Provolone Cheese?  Neither?  I like stronger cheeses such as goat, gouda, and really funky blues.

Crackers or Cookies?  Silly survey.  Cookies > Crackers.  Particularly if they are homemade and chocolate.  Like these Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies:

 

Pretzels or Chips?  Chips – but they have to be the fancy kind from places like Whole Foods – Sweet Potato or Salt & Pepper flavors are my favorite.  No Lays here!

Mexican food or Japanese food?  Yet another silly question.  I love Mexican.  The hotter the better.  I even eat it for breakfast in this Raw Mexican Bulgur Bowl:

 

Chinese food or Italian food?  Italian food.  In Italy.  Did you check out my food and wine tour back in October?

Pie or Cake?  Cake.  The chocolate kind.  Though one of my favorite quotes is about pie: “When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it’s not, mmmmmmmm, boy.” – Jack Handy

Ice Cream or Cookies?  It’s seasonal – I love a fresh-baked cookie, but on a hot summer day ice cream wins every time.  Either way, it must involve chocolate. 🙂

Pasta or Pizza?  Pizza – but it must be “real” Italian-style pizza.  No Pizza Hut here.

Soda or Juice?  Kombucha!!!

Chocolate Bars or Chocolate Truffles?  Truffles.  Dark chocolate and filled with something boozy like whiskey ganache.  This quiz is making me HUNGRY.

Apples or Bananas?  Apples!  I love them as a pre-workout snack.

Salad or Soup?  Salad… unless it’s really cold outside.  Then I want this Butternut-Apple Soup:

 

Cauliflower or Broccoli?  Just a year ago I would have said neither.  However, with all of the fun cauliflower recipes floating around the blog-world lately, I’ve caved.  I love cauliflower.  Still won’t touch the cooked broccoli (raw is ok).

Onion Rings or French Fries?  Onion rings of they aren’t too greasy.  Fries if they are sweet potato and have a kick to them.

Blizzard or McFlurry?  Blizzard!  With Snickers.  I’ve never even had a McFlurry.

Fried or Poached Eggs?  Fried eggs – cooked perfectly and over an english muffin with truffle salt.

Crepes or Pancakes? Pancakes!  Can’t beat a fluffy stack covered in syrup green slime protein icing and blueberry sauce:

 

Hashbrowns or Roasted Potatoes?  I don’t actually like potatoes, so I’m going with hashbrowns “well-done” (so you can’t tell they are potatoes) with onions and jalapeno.

Oatmeal or Cereal?  Oatmeal.  No contest!

***

Don’t forget to enter my NuNaturals giveaway – there are 4 chances to win the new NuNaturals Orange and Lemon Liquid Stevias!  Click here to enter.

How about you?  Pick a couple and tell me more about what you love to eat!

Did anyone else watch Dancing with the Stars last night?  It’s so weird to see Urkel all grown up!

 

Guest Post: Corey from Learning Patience

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I’m traveling all week for work so I’ve asked a couple of awesome ladies to write guests posts!

 

First up is Corey @ Learning Patience.  I’m lucky to have recently discovered her blog – I’ve loved reading about her adventures all the way from Trinidad!

Read her post below, and then go check out her blog for more of her incredible-looking recipes AND her recent forays into surfing.

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Hello Sprint 2 the Table Readers!

I’m Corey from Learning Patience!

I’m super excited to be guest posting for Laura today and it’s my first ever guest post!

Whoo hoo

I love Laura’s blog – she is such a motivation to get off your butt and workout or try and do 84 pushups a day!  (I’m only up to 70.)

I recently started Learning Patience when I became and expat in June!  My husband & I moved from Houston, TX to the beautiful island of Trinidad!  My blog is a lot about new recipes I’m trying out (I LOVE to cook), our adventures living as expats for the first time, the fun travels we take, how we stay fit and anything else that crosses my mind!

The other night, I created these vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms for my husband and I and they were SO good!  He loved them and he is a big meat-eater!  They are healthy, flavorful, filling and best of all – Easy to Make!

Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients – serves 2

  • 2 large Portobello mushrooms 
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste 

For the stuffing

  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped  (we love garlic)
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 lime – juiced
  • About 1/3 cup of cooked couscous

 

Ready to Cook
Sautee olive oil, corn, pepper, garlic and spices on medium high heat until pepper softens – juice lime into mixture.

I wear glasses too!

 

Make couscous – set aside.

Heat grill pan on medium high heat  (or outdoor grill)

Brush mushrooms with olive oil and place on grill pan

After 4 or so minutes flip mushrooms over and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes.  Season well with salt and pepper.

Plate mushroom then fill with couscous, vegetable mixture, top with scallions, tomatoes & shredded smoked mozzarella.  Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

I would love to meet you all – Hop on over to Learning Patience and come check out some of my other healthy & not so healthy recipes!

Thanks for having me Laura!

***

Isn’t Corey awesome?!

Who else wants to organize a blogger trip to Trinidad to surf visit Corey’s kitchen? 🙂

Watermelon Cotija Salad

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Baby showers require games.

Party games typically aren’t my forte, but I received a brilliant suggestion for a baby shower game:

Guess What the Baby Ate

Yep, I went there.

The game is to line up diapers filled with mushed up candy bars, then have party guests try to guess what candy is in each.

Tip: soften each a bit in the microwave and use the food processor to mix.

Our diapers contained:

  • Butterfinger
  • Mounds
  • Peppermint Patty
  • Reeses
  • Snickers.

The game got competitive!  Guests took to taste-testing in order to win.  Baby Ruthless.

These ladies were the winners!

I will never look at my favorite candy bars the same way.

On to more visually appealing foods!

Of the items I made, one of the favorites was a watermelon salad.  (I just realized that between the Strawberry Chantilly and the watermelon there’s a bit of a pink theme to this baby boy’s a shower!)

If you glance at much  of what I eat, you’ll notice that I love a salty-sweet combo.  Watermelon is no different!

This watermelon salad gets it’s saltiness from Cotija cheese.

Cotija a salty, crumbly cow’s milk cheese.  Basically, it is Mexico’s answer to feta.

It is great as a garnish on salads, tacos, enchiladas, or simply crumbled on a good tomato with cilantro and pepper. It is also delish on watermelon salad.  🙂

Watermelon Cotija Salad

  • 1/2 medium sized watermelon, chopped into 1-inch pieces (~6 C)
  • 1/3 C chopped red onion
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • 3-4 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1/2 C cilantro, chopped
  • S+P, to taste

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and serve immediately.

***

Do you typically play “games” at bridal shower or baby showers?

What are your favorites?

Push-Ups + Socca Pizza

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75 push-ups.  Every day.

That’s my favorite way to make sure my arms are summah-time ready.  This is – in my opinion – the best exercise to do in order to tone your upper arms and back.

I’m telling you – anyone can do this.  Here’s how:

1. Proper Form

  • In the low position, your upper and forearms should be at a 90 degree angle and your hands should be under your shoulders.  Start out laying on the ground to be sure you’re correctly lined up.
  • Keep your core tight – don’t sag you butt OR stick it in the air.  You want a straight line from head to ankles (much like the bikini-belly planks earlier this week!).
  • Don’t let your chest touch the floor – it should be 2-3 inches from the floor in the lowest position.
  • Breathe!  In going down, out pushing up.

2. Find Your Starting Point

In order to determine how many sets to do each day, you need to learn what your max is.

Using the aforementioned proper form, get on the floor and to as many push-ups as you can.  Go on, do it!  Pretend the person in the cub isn’t starting…

Whatever number you reached is your max.  Write it down!

3. Divide and Conquer

Divide your max number in half.  The result is the number of push-ups you’ll be doing 3x each day with 30-60 seconds of rest in between.

For example:

  • Say you did 20 push-ups in your max set (which is where I began)
  • Half of 20 is 10
  • This means you need to do 3 sets of 10 push-ups each day

Rest for 30-60 secs between sets.  You’ll probably need 60 seconds when you begin; as you get stronger, cut down on the rest time a bit.

4. Keep Pushing

Don’t stop here!  Re-test yourself once you are able to complete your sets more easily.  This might be take 1 week, or it might take 3 weeks.  Move at your own pace, but don’t sacrifice form.

If you have trouble with your wrists, try making a fist and doing push-ups on your knuckles so that your wrists aren’t bent.  If you have free weights, you can also use those to keep your wrists straight.

Push-ups are awesome because they engage multiple muscle groups – from your core to your calves.

Added bonus: you can do them anywhere!  I do them in hotel rooms when traveling to get my blood pumping in the morning.

Results, yo.

When I started, I maxed out at 20 push-ups in a row.  I’m up to 50 in a row and do 3 sets of 25 for a total for 75 each day.

Speaking of… it’s about time to re-test…

 

Steph @ Bite by Bite opens her bake sale today to benefit Team in Training and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Please click here to check out the bake sale!!! As I said perviously, my dad passed away from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.  The proceeds will go to an organization that can really put it to good use.  Much more research is needed!

My contribution is a cookie that my dad enjoyed: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.

Recipe to come (not today as promised… I got distracted planning a baby shower)!!! The basics include: dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, almonds, and crunchy fleur de sel glittered across the top.

Last night I was inspired by Sarena @ The Non-Dairy Queen.  She had Socca Pizza for Mother’s Day!

I’ve been craving pizza lately and I’m ALWAYS craving Mexican, so I made a Mexican-inspired socca pizza.

This came out perfectly.  It was just the right amount!

I’ll definitely try it with cheese rather than nooch next time (I was OUT!) BUT I really liked it with the nooch.  Between the flavorful salsa and the eggy-ness, I didn’t miss it.

After eating pizza topped with a runny egg, I don’t know if I’ll ever eat “regular” pizza again.  So.  Good.

Mexican Socca Pizza

  • 1/2 C chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp Essence of Emeril
  • 1/2 C water

Toppings:

  • Salsa
  • Minced garlic
  • Celery
  • Artichokes
  • Zucchini
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Egg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease 9-in round (cake) pan.  (I used olive oil spray.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and spices.  Gradually whisk in water.  Pour into pan and bake for 8-10 mins.  Meanwhile, prep any veggies you will be adding to the pizza.

When socca is done, cross your fingers that you greased the pan enough and flip it out onto a baking sheet or pizza stone.  Add your sauce and toppings – EXCEPT the nooch and egg.  Place in  oven for 6-7 mins, until veggies are nearly at desired level of tenderness.

Remove from oven to add the egg and the nooch.  Bake for 4-5 more mins, until the egg is just beginning to set.  Be sure not to over-cook the yolk.

Remove from oven and let cool briefly before plating and devouring!

***

Thanks for all the input on my rug yesterday. 🙂

What’s the weirdest thing you eat on your pizza?  

Ever try it with an egg?

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?

 

Avocado-Mango Soup

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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?  

Spice Up Your Dessert

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I don’t want to run.

At all.  

This frigid, icy weather has taken a toll on my workout motivation.  Yet I did.

Want to know the secret steps to success when you’re held captive by the weather?

  1. Make a plan – mine was a incline interval run
  2. Write it on a piece of paper
  3. Get dressed in workout gear (it helps you commit to going!)
  4. Get on the “dreadmill” WITH the written plan in front of you
  5. Promise yourself that if you go 10 mins and still feel terrible, you can stop
  6. Promise yourself a giant spaghetti squash dinner and a glass of wine
  7. Wait for about the 8 min mark
  8. Motivation/resolve sets in. At this point you realize you will go the full time and survive.

I have no idea how I got through that one, but I did.

Then I ate this:

Thank god for the cleanse and my discovery of Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti.

My derby teammates, the Sake Tuyas, are having a sleepover this weekend.  Everyone is bring a dish and the theme is Mexican.  Because I am crazy, as I was laying in bed last night I was contemplating the possibilities (doesn’t everyone lull their self to sleep thinking about food?).  Then it hit me.

When I made these Black Bean Brownies, I thought I had hit the jackpot.  But… no. There’s something better out there.

Black beans are in (I think) every taco at Moe’s (clearly an authentic Mexican specimen).

This alone qualifies them for the potluck.  But why stop there?

Amp it up and add some spicy-goodness!  The addition of cinnamon and spice and everything nice adds a depth of flavor that is not to be missed.

Protein-rich, fudgy brownie with ~150 calories per serving (less than the original since I reduced the sugar and egg). Does it get any better?

Mexican Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

  • 3/4 C cocoa powder
  • 1/2 C salted butter, melted
  • 1/2 C applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 15 oz canned black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 C walnuts (chopped)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 T instant coffee
  • 1 1/4 tsp roasted ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 3/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • Shake of kosher salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 C light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325° F.  Prepare an 11 x 7 in pyrex dish by lining with parchment paper or lightly oiling with Baker’s Joy/Pam/butter/etc.

In large bowl, mix together melted butter, applesauce, and  cocoa powder until combined.

Place the beans, 1/2 C of walnuts, vanilla extract, and 3-4 spoonfuls of the cocoa mixture into a food processor.  Blend until smooth (~ 1 min).  It will be very thick.  Set aside.

Add to the cocoa mixture the remaining 1/2 C walnuts, instant coffee, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and mix well.  Add bean mixture to cocoa mixture, manually stirring until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer until light and creamy (~ 1-2 min).  Add agave nectar and beat well.  Fold the egg mixture (reserving 1/8 C to drizzle over top if desired) into the bean and cocoa mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into prepared pan.

Bake for ~45 mins, until the brownies are set.  Cool completely in the pan before cutting. You may need to refrigerate first – these are extremely soft.

Optional: Sprinkle top with a mixture of cinnamon, chili powder, and powdered sugar.

***

Now to do a quick core workout before bed.  If I can just get started…

What are your secrets to motivation for a bad-weather workout?

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