Dijon Thyme Turkey Meatballs + WIAW

March 19, 2014 By Laura

Meatballs are the ultimate winter food.

Too bad it’s normally more like spring by now!

With the weather still cold, I prepped a big batch of balls this week. Rather than going the traditional route, I opted for a mustard-laced turkey version.

These Dijon and thyme balls were full of flavor. Because I baked them, they were light enough not to put me to sleep after lunch.

Thyme is a herb that I love but rarely think to use. It retains a fresh flavor even after cooking. It’s pungent but not offensively so. With the spiciness of Dijon, it made for the perfect turkey meatball mix.

Recipe at the bottom of this post….

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5 Benefits of Drinking Water + WIAW

March 5, 2014 By Laura

How much water are you drinking?

Some days I get half my steps in walking to the bathroom.

When I first met my trainer, he told me I needed to drink at least 124 ounces of water a day. I’m not sure what I was drinking before, but it probably was barely half of that.

It was really hard at first, but after about a week my body adjusted. I went from feeling like I was going to float away to finding myself craving more!

Original art by Allie Brosh

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Waffle Tacos + WIAW

February 26, 2014 By Laura

The green-eyed monster has struck.

Isn’t envy a deadly sin?

I see waffles everywhere. All the cool kids are posting pics on Instagram. I am big enough to admit… I’m jealous! I know I could purchase a waffle maker, but I just don’t have room for more in my kitchen. They aren’t really that different from pancakes and I can make those quite easily. (<–That’s what I keep telling myself.)

Then I saw this:

Photo: Taco Bell

Taco Bell announced it is coming out with a waffle taco; the “AM Crunchwrap.” No, I don’t want Taco Bell. I’ve actually never eaten at Taco Bell. What I is to make my own Mexican waffle!!!

This weekend might bring a waffle maker to my house. This WIAW I (happily) settled for breakfast nachos.

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This WIAW I felt a little scattered. Between a dentist appointment and work, I actually almost forgot to eat! Almost. Who could forget about a sandwich on pretzel bread?!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…

Sriracha Tours + Accidentally Gluten-Free WIAW

February 19, 2014 By Laura

Atlantarctica no more!

Working from home was nice, but the cold was no bueno.

This week we are finally thawing out down South (sorry about your luck, in the Northeast). While I hope it’s here to stay, I find myself craving a getaway. To some ~~place~~ thing warm.

Now that they aren’t shut down, California’s Huy Fong Foods factory (a.k.a. where Sriracha is made) is giving tours of the factory! It’s purportedly to educate people about “how our Sriracha is made and how delicious it smells” after near-by residents complained that the spicy Sriracha production caused “unpleasant odors and burning eyes.” ~~Wusses.~~

Source: http://theoatmeal.com/

Who’s up for a field trip???

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This WIAW I’m back in the office and on the wagon with meal prep. I brought back a few favorites, and learned to cook something new!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…

Ingredient Spotlight: Cod

February 11, 2014 By Laura

Cod is a great choice for when you need something light.

By now, everyone has heard that a good diet needs to contain at least two portions of fish.

According to the NHS, we all need to start eating more fish, not just because they’re great sources of vitamins and minerals, but also because oily fish like salmon and fresh tuna are also high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which the American Heart Association says is excellent at reducing risk of heart disease and arrhythmias….

Coca Cola’s Super Bowl + WIAW

February 5, 2014 By Laura

Sometimes I am oblivious.

Ok, a lot of the time…

I’m not one to get too riled up over political issues. At least not in the “the world is going to hell in a handbasket!” way. I DO get fired up over discrimination and stupid political moves. When Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad aired, it didn’t cross my mind that it was controversial. I actually tweeted that it was too long and boring. My attention span only wants short, funny ads, dammit!

So why were people fired up? They thought it was offensive that “America the Beautiful” was sung in different languages, featured many cultures, and *gasp* included a gay couple.

Really?! Last I checked the English language didn’t originate in America. Next year they should air the song being sung in a Native American language with all dark-skinned people.

I’m proud of my hometown’s company for embracing our melting pot country. ~~Even if it was a boring commercial.~~

This WIAW was decidedly uncontroversial. Someone at work even told me my fish smelled good. And she was sincere!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!

Breakfast:

The usual apple cider morning cocktail was followed by a new-to-me oatmeal. I got Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Oatmeal as part of a deal when I ordered more Nuttzo a couple of weeks ago. I will definitely be buying more! I use it to make cinnamon-vanilla egg white oats and topped it with blueberries and Nuttzo.

Mid-Morning Snack:

This week I prepped a big batch of Chili Nutty Tofu. I followed my original recipe, except I used sriracha and made a peanut flour sauce rather than the Valencia PB. It was awesome with an Asian-inspired Napa cabbage, mushroom, and red bell pepper stir-fry (also a part of Sunday’s food prep).

Lunch:

Rotisserie chicken, carrots, and celery dressed with homemade BBQ sauce. My “dessert” was a Korean sweet potato topped with cinnamon. Pretty food tastes better, no?

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Cod with a side of asparagus, zucchini, and parsley mixed with my wasabi-blue cheese dressing.

Dinner:

Trout has become a new staple thanks to SizzleFish. I broiled it for 7 mins with pepper and lemon juice. Meanwhile, I sautéed Napa cabbage and mushrooms in the juice from a jar of kimchi. Quick and easy!

Of course, I needed something sweet, so I made a pre-dessert dessert of my favorite cocoa-roasted kabocha topped with peanut flour sauce (I get my peanut flour on iHerb – use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order) and cacao nibs.

It was so good that I didn’t remember a pic until I was almost done. #sorryimnotsorry

Dessert:

I stopped on my way home from work for a little treat. The Cookies & Cream Quest bar. I can’t believe I had the restraint to wait until almost midnight to eat this.

Mine was broiled for about a minute with the intent of using it to scoop up a Zucchini Batter Protein bowl. The bowl was forgotten based on the favor of the bar. Best. Flavor. Yet.

(Don’t worry – I still finished the zucchini bowl.)

***

I am going back for a case of those bars.

Did you have any reaction to Coke’s Super Bowl ad?

Are you a Quest bar fan? What’s your favorite flavor?

Coconut Curried Chicken + WIAW

January 8, 2014 By Laura

No one likes a complainer.

Especially me.

I’m making an exception. It’s COLD. This arctic tundra has got to go. I live in the South. I should never see this:

Ice in my shower is something else I should never have to see. I left my faucet dripping just like the newsman said because we hit a record low of 6 degrees in Atlanta. When I woke up, I was rewarded with an ice-lined tub.

Try motivating to shower for work when faced with this:

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This WIAW I am FINALLY back on track. I had the biggest meal prep in weeks on Sunday and felt ready to get back to the “real” world of having a routine.Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…

Competition Blues

November 26, 2013 By Laura

When a big event ends it’s a little sad.

What do I DO if I’m not planning and prepping?!

Rest is a good thing, but it can be a hard thing to swallow. I’ve heard people talk about feeling down after races, weddings, babies… and competitions. This time around I’m feeling it more than I did before. I think it’s because I know it’s going to be a long time before I compete again (more on that below).

Today’s Work It Out is my attempt to get over it by focusing on lessons learned at Kentucky Muscle and The Rocky, and getting excited to make improvements.

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Season 2 Lessons Learned

1. Support is Invaluable

Having my trainer and 2 very good friends around throughout the process made it 100x easier. Surround yourself with positive people, even better if they can empathize. Heather and Lisa are versatile friends – they were the perfect partners-in-crime in Napa for my 30th and for competing!

Check out the transformation from July to November (photo-editing courtesy Heather):

From Napa to the stage

2. Big Shows are Tough

I’m not talking just the level of competition (though it is harder). I’m talking mentally. They are long, long days. The Rocky show was the most disorganized situation I’ve ever seen. They let too many people enter, causing the show to run so far behind that my group was just getting on stage for pre-judging when the evening show was supposed to begin. That show began 2 hours late… by the time we went to stage again I no longer cared even a little bit.

It was an exercise in patience, rolling with the punches. Thank you for the lesson… but never will I ever do a Colorado show again. In near-ish the future I plan to stick to smaller shows. If you chose them right, they are still competitive but you don’t end up wasting so much time. I get that they want to make money, but there needs to be a cut off for entries. It’s not fair to the athletes or the people who buy tickets.

3. Celebrate Small Victories

Not placing Top 5 doesn’t mean you can celebrate the small victories. It’s no secret that I hate posing. It’s as far out of my comfort zone as you can get. Lisa, who has seen me almost since day 1, watched me in Colorado and said it’s the best I’ve never done.

Now I need to work on GROWING…

4. Growth Takes Time

I’ve gained a lot over the past 2 years, but I’m still too small. I feel like I look big in the gym lifting, but then you put me next to the other women and I look tiny. My trainer, Steve, has been telling me I need to take a year off to really grow. Competing every 6 months or so means I cut too often and lose some of the gains I make.

Steve and me

So I’ve decided to listen to Steve’s advice. I’m taking a year off to grow. This is contributing to the “blues” because I love having a goal line.

(I’m not always the best listener ← understatement of the year.)

5. Food is Good

My nutrition plan leading up to competition wasn’t so restrictive that I was miserable. You CAN compete in a healthy way. It doesn’t have to be tilapia and asparagus (click here for the “why” on asparagus) for months. You never need to be hungry (I stayed full!).

Towards the end you do need to keep with super clean and avoid anything that could bloat. For me, that meant a couple of weeks that were heavy on the white fish and asparagus. I cooked 2 pans of it for Heather and me the day before our competition!

Photo courtesy of Heather, whose spice drawer I could move into.

The happy part about a bulk year is that I get to have alllll the foods!

Heather’s husband, Kirk, help me kick it off right when he made smoked salmon and eggs benedict for us the morning after the competition. I am still dreaming of this:

#yolkporn

“I can’t wait to find out what happens on page number two.” ~Jennifer Nettles, Page #2

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Check out Heather’s Rocky recap here. I’m excited she’s already planning her return to the stage!

Have you ever experience the post-event blues? What do you do to cheer up?

Who is on your support team? Tell them how thankful you are this week!

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