Souper Saturday

January 22, 2011 By Laura

Getting out of bed is the hardest part of going to Saturday morning practice.

I got out of bed at 7am. I don’t get up that early for work.

At 8am this morning we began a 3 hour derby practice. SO glad I woke up.

A couple of amazing guest skaters – Rice Rocket and Varla Vendetta – were in town to lead a workshop. I’m not gonna lie – I was derby crushing. We learned some new drills and were able to do a quick scrimmage with our teams.

Then – because I am extra crazy – I came home and ran 3 miles. In 26 minutes!!! This is pretty fast for me. It is freezing outside and I think my body was just trying to get warm. 🙂

I love a souper-motivated Saturday. I also love Souper Jenny. Jenny makes creative, tasty soups fresh daily, along with salads and a couple of sandwiches. I have been known to:

Drive 30 miles from my old office to eat there for lunch
Save her daily email menus to remember a particularly interesting flavor combo
Completely change my plans to eat dinner there on Thursdays for Grilled Cheese Night

All this to say that I finally attempted my own soup.

(I did make the Butternut Squash Apple, but I’d read like 40 recipes first. This one I just went into the kitchen and threw stuff together. 🙂 )

It isn’t half bad. In fact, it is pretty damn good!

Perfect for lunch after a frigid run.

White Bean, Butternut Squash, and Kale Soup

EVOO
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C (1 can) vegetable broth
3 C chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi)
1 C (1 can) cannellini beans
3 celery stalks
1 sweet potato
1/2 medium butternut squash
4 C kale
3 stalks fresh rosemary (~3 T)
1 T fresh lime juice
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp red pepper
1 tsp roasted cinnamon
S & P to taste

Chop all veggies into bite-sized pieces. In a large pot, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeños. Saute 6-7 mins until onions are translucent and soft. Add in garlic and cook for another 1-2 mins.

Add in sweet potato, butternut squash, and celery. Stir to combine with the saute mixture and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil. Add beans and kale to the soup. Stir to combine, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover pot with the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Salt & pepper to taste. If you like a thinner soup, add water or more stock and adjust spices.

Makes 5 servings (1 cup each).

My creation has approximately: 250 calories, 6 g fat, 42 g carbohydrates, 12.5 g fiber, and 10 g protein. It is also rich in Vitamins A and C.

***

My favorite thing about soup? It is souper (I know I know… I’ll stop) filling and can easily be made nutrient-rich and low-cal.

What is your favorite soup creation?

Slurp Your Sweet Potato

January 15, 2011 By Laura

Despite being up until 3am working, I woke up (late) this morning ready to MOVE.

Breakfast was a coffee, an apple, and a jalapeno-cheddar scone (recipe to come… it still needs a little work). To fuel my energy, I read some neglected fitness magazines.

What resulted was an amazing workout:

5 min elliptical warm-up
Wide grip lat pull-downs – 3 sets of 12
Bent over dumbbell row – 3 sets of 15
Seated cable row – 3 sets of 12
30 second planks as an active rest between sets in #2-4 (total 10)
Dumbbell pullover – 3 sets of 12
Row to raise – 2 sets of 12
Push-ups- 3 sets of 15 – superset with…
Standing dumbbell curl – 3 sets of 12
Alternating dumbbell curl – 5 sets of 12
Hammer curl – 4 sets of 15 (or to exhaustion)
1 min sprint intervals on the treadmill between each set in #10-11 (total 8 )

Then I took the stairs back up to my condo. Whew!

That killer workout called for a gigantic protein shake.

You’re probably going to think this is weird… BUT just trust me.

Sweet Potato Smoothie

1/4 large sweet potato, cooked (mine was left over from this)
1 hand full of spinach
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Ice + water/milk to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Slurp away!

***

Time to head out the door for the derby sleepover – so excited to hang out with the team off-skates!

Does anyone else have adult sleepovers?!

It’s like high school but now you don’t have to sneak in the alcohol.

Spice Up Your Dessert

January 13, 2011 By Laura

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?

Make a plan – mine was a incline interval run
Write it on a piece of paper
Get dressed in workout gear (it helps you commit to going!)
Get on the “dreadmill” WITH the written plan in front of you
Promise yourself that if you go 10 mins and still feel terrible, you can stop
Promise yourself a giant spaghetti squash dinner and a glass of wine
Wait for about the 8 min mark
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?

Snowmygawd!

January 12, 2011 By Laura

We’ve moved on from the snow to ice. This city is shut down. Even derby practice has been canceled all week! In case you were wondering, ice is significantly less fun than snow.

Peachtree St. (the main drag through Atlanta) is literally a sheet of ice. No joke – this dude was ice skating down the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iudRPyX4934

This is 2 blocks from my condo.

Being trapped has done a lot for productivity – I have gotten 2 big deliverables done for work, changed my sheets, hand washed dishes (I always put off doing hand wash-only dishes), worked out everyday, done laundry, and some other random “to do” items.

I did get out on Monday night for some fun. Atlanta was in par-tay mode! 🙂

Picture taken by random guy on the street:

Told you I'm a red-head!

Last night I made some rockin’ roasted sweet potatoes. I couldn’t take a picture, but my sister requested that directions be posted. Here you go, Alli:

Lavender Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 Giant Sweet potato
1/4-1/2 tsp Dried lavender blossoms
1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 T EVOO

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop well-rinsed (I don’t peel mine) sweet potato into 1/2 in cubes and spread out on foil-lined baking sheet. Toss with herbs, salt, and EVOO.

Roast in oven for ~40 mins, tossing once at 25 min mark. Remove and enjoy!

***

I read an interesting article from my Active.com daily email. It discusses training for a race vs. weight loss.

Many people begin running for weight loss. One of the common stories I see is that of people signing up for a 5K as motivation to begin running and drop a few lbs. I don’t think this article is necessarily referring to those people – this seems more related to longer races or more competitive racers – but it is an interesting read and can provide some perspective.

Major take-aways:

Your body needs more calories when you’re seriously training. This is not the time to cutting to under 1,500/day .
Strength training shouldn’t be a focus while training. Muscle burns fat, but lifting seriously can exhaust you and add more muscle than is ideal for a race.
Endurance require some carbs. Losing weight does not. Eat more protein if you are trying to lose. Sub in some carb-cals for the protein when you are in training.
Many of the fitness magazines are highlighting the awesome weight-loss results you see from cardio intervals. True story. Just don’t make these the bulk of your workout if you are trying to run a marathon – they aren’t a substitute for a long run.
“Fasting” workouts are when you workout first thing without any food on your stomach. In theory, they burn straight fat rather than burning off carbs first. I’m not a fan of these in general (it can also mean muscle breakdown as you body struggles to fuel the workout), but you especially don’t want to do this for longer/endurance runs.

***

What are your thoughts? Can you focus on weight loss and training? Anyone a fan of the fasting workout?

Speaking of… I’m off to the gym! Gotta do what you can to warm up. 🙂

Snow Day

January 10, 2011 By Laura

Snow days are much more fun when you don’t have to work. This is the downside of technology.

No matter – I did get to go sledding in the park last night at 1 am!

Check out my crazy-dark-red hair!

In the daylight this afternoon, I went for a walk/run around my neighborhood.

3.5 verrrry careful miles took 50 mins!

I did have to stop for some people-watching. Lots of sledding (pool toys are the most popular sleds this year), snowboarding, and even spectating from the comfort of a couch. Yep – someone hauled a couch out to the park so they could watch the action with all the comforts of home.

Source: AJC.com

The neighborhood bar is open (and packed). A group was playing hockey in an icy parking lot. People who decided to drive and just spinning their wheels in place. Peachtree Street is a solid sheet of ice.

Source: AJC.com

I did my P90X – Ab Ripper X before lunch when I got home.

Apparently snow makes me eat random things. Lunch was a corn tortilla with hummus, sautéed asparagus, red pepper, onion, and garlic with sides of cucumber, carrots, and yellow raspberries. Followed by a Think Thin bar (6g of protein, 0g sugar, and reasonably tasty!).

This one is my fav - love the crunchy pieces of toffee!

Needles to say, I’m looking forward to a football-game-watching-worthy dinner. I never thought I’d say this, but I’ll do it for Baby Sis…

Go Tigers!!! 🙂

I’m trying (holy snow-induced ADD, Batman) to get my work done so I can go play, too!

I’m going to stop procrastinating now.

2011 Goals

January 3, 2011 By Laura

In the summer of 2008, my dad passed away after a 4.5 year battle with cancer. He was the most amazing man, and I continue to miss him every day. I feel his influence in everything I do – particularly over these past few months as I have made a commitment to live in a more healthy manner.

Dad was a lover of food. His mom (my grandmother) made a carrot cake you’d step over your own mother to get to. It was tradition to eat “Hot Choc” (chocolate gravy) and biscuits the morning after Thanksgiving… the more you could stuff in your belly, the better. Miraculously, no one in my family was/is obese… but Dad realized he could stand to loose a few.

As with anything else in his life, Dad set his mind to becoming more healthy and achieved his goal. He cut out the “bad” carbs and sugars (no more eating Cool-Whip directly from the container) and began exercising regularly.

One of Dad’s favorite sayings:

You can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Dad, still smiling!

Dad lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years. When I don’t want to get off my butt and exercise, I am inspired by the fact that even when he was sick and in Houston for treatments, he could be found on the treadmill, walking to keep his strength up.

Dad’s girls with the Rambiln’ Wreck

Dad was also a Georgia Tech grad, and I’m glad he at least knew that I was in the MBA program there. Sadly, when I graduated he wasn’t here to see it.

With my uncle, also a Techie

Graduation day was a little easier with Dad’s college roommate and best friend, Randy, there cheering me on. Randy presented me with a card at dinner, full of congratulations and advice.

The family, Me, and Randy at graduation

One thing he encouraged me to do was to write down goals. He said I’d be surprised how many of them I would accomplish by doing this, even if I never looked at the list again. Of course, I put the card aside and got caught up in the working world once again. When I bought my condo I ran across his card and decided to take his advice (better late than never, right?).

Wonder of all wonders, he was correct. I documented 6 month, 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals. 6 months later, I’d accomplished all but one of my shortest term goals.

Amazing how that works. 🙂

So, with my dad’s strength and determination at my back and Randy’s advice on my mind, I am documenting my 2011 Goals here.

1. Run (another) 1/2 Marathon

After the Gobble Jog in my Half shirt

I did it in 2009 and swore I never would again. It took me a while, but I am ready for #2. The one I have my eye one is the Publix Georgia Half Marathon (formerly known as the ING).

2. Work on my fitness

This goal is two fold…

2a. Continue to be more responsible with how I fuel my body

I developed some pretty unhealthy habits over the past couple of years. Since cutting out/reducing my intake of processed foods, desserts, alcohol, and red meat, I have felt SO much better. My goal is to continue on this path, and continue to improve in the area of moderation.

2b. Build more muscle

I’m a beast

Overall I’d like to be more toned. And I want a 6-pack. I know it isn’t feasible to keep it forever, but I want it even if it is for 5 minutes.

3. Develop more original recipes

Plotting dinner

This is both a blogging and personal development goal. I love to cook/bake/create. In 2011, I’d like to learn more about flavor combinations and the “science” behind baking.

4. Surround myself with good people

I’m busy. Really busy. Time is precious – too precious to spend it on people who drag you down. In the past I have made the mistake of spending time with people who negative and hinder personal growth. This year I want to spend my time with friends who are positive, healthy, and fun.

The best of friends

5. Advance at work

I’ve been in my new job for almost 6 months. Don’t get me wrong – there is still lots to learn. But I’m ready to step it up more. I’d love to begin developing a solid niche and build my reputation in my company.

Cheers to my dad, to achieving goals, and to a fantastic 2011!

***

What are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2011?

Christmas Eve

December 27, 2010 By Laura

We had a fun Christmas Eve here. The reports of Christmas Day snow added to the usual excitement.

Baby Sis and I squeezed in a 3.4 mile run. Good thing – it has been too snowy and icy to go ever since!

Never a fan of traditions, I tried a bunch of new dishes:

Butternut squash gnocchi
Herb-roasted root veggies
Popovers
Chocolate gingerbread cake
Peanut butter fudge

I’m only posting the recipe for the fudge… the rest are still in progress.

The gnocchi was good – I’m happy with it for my first attempt, but I think I handled the dough too much. It was fun to make though!

We also enjoyed a great Cab by Four Sons.

Family friends came by for dessert, drinks, and a little gifting.

We enjoyed some Liquid Gingerbread.

Check out our dessert spread!

Kathy brought over her famous pretzel sticks. My sister liked them…

Even Honey the Dog pigged out – she ate an entire bag of bones before we caught her!

This is my new favorite protein-packed dessert:

(Check out the candy-cake in the background! Ann brought over this sinfulness. It involved chocolate, Rolos, M&Ms, and other items I’ll never admit to eating.)

Back to the fudge. Read carefully – this is a very complex recipe with super-complex adaptions from Vintgae Sugarcube.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1 Jar whipped butter cream icing
1 Jar peanut butter
1 Pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line a 8×8 dish with parchment paper. Microwave jar of icing for 50 seconds. Pour into a medium bowl and mix with the jar of peanut butter. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour mixture into dish and refrigerate overnight or, if you are impatient like me, freeze for ~2 hours. Cut into small squares and serve!

Store in fridge.

***

Christmas pics to come as soon as I figure out how to load pics onto my new Mac…

Was Santa good to everyone? What was your favorite gift?

Healthy Baking 101

December 4, 2010 By Laura

December would be one of my favorite months if it wasn’t so coooooold

(Yes, I just whined that).

Last night I attended a Holiday Ball with a good friend. We had a blast getting all dressed up and dancing to some disco jams. There were photogs all over, so I’ll be posting some of pics when I find them online.

Then we went to The Ritz for a drink. This is a side-show not to be missed.

Parking: $5

Glass of Champagne $12

Fabulous shoes that gave me blisters: $124

Watching 20-something blonde girls hanging all over potential Sugar Daddies: Priceless

Overall, a very successful night. True to fashion, we ended up at a restaurant at 3am. This is how I know my habits have changed though – we went to R. Thomas (not Waffle House) and I ordered a raw plate (not some eggy-pancakey-syrupy monstrosity). It was quite satisfying.

Needless to say, this morning I needed some coffee to get going. I like to try new things, so the mini bags of coffee at World Market are perfect for me. This morning I had Pecan Pie – my favorite holiday coffee so far. Best enjoyed oatmeal and a healthy scoop of Trader Joe’s Crunchy Valencia Peanut Butter. It has the perfect amount of sweet, salty crunchiness (if you’re into that sort of thing).

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Since I’m in the festive holiday baking mood, I thought it would be appropriate to share some tips for making your goodies a little less fatty more healthy.

‘Tis the season to fight off the “fat” pants! 🙂

Healthy Baking 101

Sub whole-wheat flour for half of the white flour called for
Cut out some of the sugar in super-sweet dishes (reducing by just 1 T will save you 48 calories!)
Replace an egg with 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup of an egg substitute
Reduce butter by replacing 1/2 with something else to compliment the flavor of your goodies (try: applesauce, pumpkin puree, non-fat yogurt, mashed bananas, low-fat buttermilk)
Go topless (hang on to your shirts if you’re near a window please!) with your cakes – icing can add 130 calories, so try just dusting cakes with powdered sugar and/or cocoa or keep it simple by frosting only the top)
Use the low-fat version of cream cheese, sour cream, milk, yogurt, etc.
Sneak in the sweet without the sugar using Stevia powder or drops (you can also get flavored drops for an extra punch)
Get on the powder with cocoa-based goodies instead of chocolate chips ! Quick math lesson: 6 T of cocoa +1 T canola oil + 1 T fat-free sour-cream = 2 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate (saving you 85 calories and 14 g of fat)
Cooking spray work just as well as butter for your non-stick needs
Replace whipping cream with evaporated skim milk

Keep in mind when using replacements:

Applesauce is an acidic ingredient, so you may want to add a little (start with (1/8 tsp) baking soda to smooth the flavors
When using applesauce to replace fat, try whole-wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose. It is more tender and, without the fat, less protein = better
Watch the flavor – healthier recipes are often bland because fat is a flavor carrier. Add 1-2 tsp of canola oil to help it out, or consider incorporating lemon/orange/lime-zest
To keep it light and fluffy: Mix dry and liquid ingredients in separate bowls, adding liquids to dry, and don’t mix too much
Don’t over-bake. This may seem obvious, but desserts are more susceptible to becoming dry and crumbly with less fat.

***

Happy Baking!

Do you have a favorite healthy baking secret?

What is your favorite holiday treat?

Souper Saturday

White Bean, Butternut Squash, and Kale Soup

Slurp Your Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Spice Up Your Dessert

Mexican Black Bean Fudgy Brownies

Snowmygawd!

Snow Day

2011 Goals

Cheers to my dad, to achieving goals, and to a fantastic 2011!

Christmas Eve

Healthy Baking 101

Healthy Baking 101

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