Northstar California is the perfect place to spend a long weekend – whether you’re a skier, a snowboarder, or just there for the view.
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A Little Scary, A Lot Marvelous in Mürren
“Do something every day that scares you.”
I’m pretty sure Eleanor Roosevelt would approve of this jaunt…
The morning after my decedent meal in Interlaken, I woke up early and ready for a physical adventure. The plan was to go canyoning, but water levels were too high. I decided to go paragliding while I figured out what else to do with my day (this isn’t the scary part).
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Raw Raspberry Applesauce
Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil was full of you-know-what.
I woke up this morning to this:
Pretty. But COLD.
The other downside (for school kids) is that the snow didn’t stick enough to cancel school. Boo hiss!
News flash: For the first time, I was glad snow didn’t leave the city crippled. I’m getting old. 
Most people love apple pies, baked apples, applesauce, etc. I do not. I do love apples, but once they are cooked the flavor changes and they just don’t seem “right” anymore.
Not being able to chew, apples are definitely off-limits.
Or so I thought.
I owe Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit a HUGE thank you. She shared her recipe for Raw Raspberry Applesauce with me yesterday!
Of course, I had to make it immediately… if not sooner.
It’s perfect. You could eat it for breakfast or snack or dessert. In a box, with a fox…
In fact, I’m going to eat it with some greek yogurt later today.
Want a bite?
It is amazing how much this has the consistency of applesauce, yet retains the crisp, fresh apple taste.
It’s saucy, and it’s just my type. (Please read the previous sentence to the beat of the Beastie Boys’ “Crafty.”)
Raw Raspberry Applesauce
- 1 medium apple (use a sweet variety, like Gala)
- 1/4 C raspberries
- 1/4 C water
- 1/4 packet Stevia (add more as needed)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- Juice from 1/4 of fresh lime
- Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Notes:
You may have to scrape down/stir a few times in between blends. Don’t add too much liquid or you will have apple soup instead. Which is fine, but would be disappointing if you wanted the sauce.
Depending on the sweetness of your apple or berry, you will need to adjust Stevia amounts. You can use honey or agave instead.
You could use any berry here, or none at all! I’d love to try it with blueberries.
Spice Up Your Dessert
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!
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!
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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
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.
Sunday Morning Frittata
Important announcement:
I am now a red head.
Yesterday I visited my friend/stylist at Lava Hair Studio for a much-needed hair cut/color. I love Karen – I walk in, say “I need a change,” and she creates a whole lot of awesome.
There’s nothing more satisfying about leaving the salon looking like a whole new person.
Pictures soon… I still need to get a new camera after the washing machine incident.
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In the South we are expecting some winter weather tonight/tomorrow. I think I’m the only one not making a panic-run the grocery store.
This means I am either:
a.) super smart
or
b.) a (soon to be stranded and starving) moron.
I’m actually pretty excited about it. Last time it snowed here I walked across the street to the park and watched half of Atlanta try to sled on various household items. Among my favorites:
- Giant tupperware box lids
- Trashcan lids
- Cafeteria trays
- Cardboard boxes
- Other people
- Those reflective silver things people put in their windshields
- Bicycles with wood “skis” attached in place of wheels (this one gets the Darwin Award)
Southerners are creative.
Unfortunately, along with snow comes frigid temps. It was 18 degrees when I woke up this morning. The heaviest coat I have is a fleece Northface jacket. And did I mention the crazy wind?
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One of my favorite parts of the weekend is Sunday morning.
You can thank me later for the fact that you’re humming “Sunday morning coming down.”
Sunday is usually my “get stuff done” day. I try to leave the day wide open for running errands/cleaning/working/etc. That’s all fine, but what makes the morning my favorite is having the unscheduled time to drink coffee, watch the morning news, and make a good breakfast (a.k.a. brunch).
Not that I don’t think oatmeal is a good breakfast. It’s just that oatmeal can be a quick-fix. I will (almost) never take the time to make an egg dish during the week.
This morning I decided to raid the veggie drawer and make a spicy frittata.
I love using red pepper flakes to spice things up. This morning I used the flakes, then remembered the Sweet Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce my artist-sister gave me and used that too!
A little bit goes a long way. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Blurry cell phone picture. Desperate times...
Hands down, this was a Sunday-morning-worthy brunch.
I also used my coffee trick:
Add a couple shakes of cinnamon and a teeny shake of salt to the coffee before brewing. Try it out – you’ll be surprised at the flavor it adds!
Spicy Frittata
- 5 Asparagus stalks
- 1/4 C Yellow onion
- 1/4 C Red pepper
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 2 Eggs
- Splash of water
- Red pepper flakes
- S + P
- Sweet Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Rough chop the veggies and saute over med-high heat in an oven-proof pan with EVOO until just tender (about 6-7 mins).
Meanwhile, beat eggs in small bowl. Add a couple splashes of water. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.
Turn down heat and pour eggs over veggies in saute pan and cook until beginning to set (about 5 mins). Use your spatula to lift edges and tilt pan, allowing egg to run underneath. Drizzle habanero sauce over top.
Place skillet in oven and cook until the eggs are set, about 7-8 mins. You may crumble cheese over the top during final 2 mins.
Slide frittata on to your plate and enjoy!
Note: adding a bit of water to eggs makes the more fluffy. Water actually works better than milk.
