The only thing I like better than Indian food is Mexican food.
Depending on the day.
On this MLK Day, I am celebrating equality Mexican-style with soup. After seeing Jenn’s Crock-pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, I was craving a batch. Alas, I have no crock-pot and I can’t follow a recipe. This is what resulted:
I like being married to the gym single.
I couldn’t even handle having a cat in my life.
What I can handle is eating red food. I’ve been traveling too much to make anything special, but if I make it to the grocery store today I may eat something red.
In the meantime, I did manage to round-up my favorites… and separate them into courses. This is what happens when you blog on an airplane.
Then I couldn’t help myself – I made a new sugar-free, high protein microwave cake when I got home from the airport. It was late, the pics are dark… but this is what happens when you are without chocolate cake and Nuttzo for days. Cravings must be satisfied! Recipe at the end.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Raspberry Baked Oatmeal (To-Go!)
♥
Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
♥
Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie
♥
♥
Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
♥
Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce
♥
♥
_______________________________________________________________________________________
This last dessert is the one I made upon arriving home last night. I had a fierce peanut butter and chocolate craving, and this sugar-less treat fit the bill. And did I mention it has 30g of protein???
If you stop the microwave while it still looks a tad jiggly on top, you’ll have a gooey, molten cake. Which is exactly when I did, and highly recommend. Then I topped it with a healthy serving of Nuttzo (which I am obsessed with), and a festive strawberry heart.
Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add wet to dry and stir to combine.
Transfer to a small, greased bowl (I used coconut oil). Microwave until just done, ~ 45-60 secs.
Transfer to a plate, top as desired, and enjoy!
Approximate Nutritionals: 180 calories, 4g fat, 150.8mg sodium, 11.2g carbohydrates, 4.8g fiber, 1.5g sugar, 31.5g protein
I received this jar of NuttZo free of charge through participation in a FitFluential campaign. I was not otherwise compensated; all opinions on the product are my own (I already ate the stuff religiously). Check out NuttZo on Twitter and/or Facebook!
***
I think this is the perfect night to curl up with a glass of red wine, some popcorn, and dark chocolate while watching Grey’s.
Do you have big Valentine’s plans?
What is your favorite Valentine-themed food? I dig those Reese’s hearts… the shapes have more PB!
I have never eaten a chicken wing.
Gnawing on a bone does NOT appeal to me.
The sauce makes it tempting though. Yummy, smokey hot sauce. Why should I have to chew on a bone to get it? A thick bowl of Tabasco-laced chili sounds much more appealing!
The smoked paprika and the Tabasco sauce zing worked really well with the fire-roasted tomatoes. It gave the chili a campfire feel. Almost as rustic as gnawing on a bone, no?
You can adjust the amount of paprika and sauce to your heat preference. If you don’t have smoked paprika, you could also add a little liquid smoke.
Traditional chicken wings sides of carrot and celery sticks are the main veggies I used in the soup. I topped it with smokey blue cheese and celery leaves… and a little extra sauce because I do love my heat.
This would also make an excellent vegan chili if you replace the chicken with TVP!
Cook the chicken in a large pot over medium heat and set aside.
Pour oil in pot and allow to warm. Add the onions, red pepper, celery and carrots. Cook until tender, ~10 minutes.
Add the garlic and spices, cooking until fragrant, 2-3 mins.
Add broth, chicken, tomatoes, beans, and hot sauce. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve topped with crumbled blue cheese to taste.
Makes 5 servings.
Approximate Nutrition (does not include cheese): 285 cals, 11.6 g fat, 119 mg sodium, 20.3 g carbohydrates, 5.9 g fiber, 4g sugar, 22.9g protein
***
I’ve also never had a fast food hamburger. Or a baked potato (can’t stand potatoes).
Do you like chicken wings?
Is there a “common” food you have never eaten?
Strange doesn’t wait for 5 o’clock!
Neither does my mother… she’s in Mexico! 😉
Remember Kat’s “Amazing Kitchen Mistakes” post? We’ve been on the same wave-length eating similarly, so I apparently am also making happy accidents.
Have you ever under estimated how much is left in a bottle? I thought there was just a drop of butter extract left when I dumped it into my oatmeal… it was more like 1/2 a teaspoon. I thought I’d ruined it. Too much extract can be nauseating (and I don’t need more of that!). It turn out, too much butter extract in your oats is like eating cookie dough for breakfast. Strange, but unbelievably good. 
Cook oatmeal as usual, adding flavors in the last 2-3 mins (or when your microwave finishes). Stir in peanut flour when just done, adding addition liquid as needed.
Add toppings. Inhale.
I’m not the first person to do eat quinoa in the morning… but it’s still uncommon enough to be strange. And it’s good!
What took me so long it beyond me, but quinoa for breakfast is amazing. If you haven’t tried it, you must. Particularly this cinnamon-y version. The heaping scoop of cinnamon with the coconut butter had me dreaming of an airport treat that shall not be named.
I just realized this looks a lot like the oatmeal above. I had a lot of pomegranate.* Sorry.
*Did you hear the FTC found “POM Wonderful health claims to be deceptive?”
Stir it all together, top with your favorites, and enjoy!
In order to kill two craving with one stone for Meal 2, I added a poached egg to the last of my mom’s Matzo Ball Soup. The strange part isn’t even the egg. It’s HOW I poached it. My lazy arse poached that thang in the microwave.
Let me be the first to tell you that runny, silky, yolk porn goodness streaming into a hot bowl of soup is heaven on a spoon. So good that I wanted to be spooned after it was over.
Fill a small bowl (I used a cereal bowl) with water. Add 1 T of apple cider vinegar (this is important – it keeps the egg white intact). Microwave until boiling hot, about 2 mins.
Crack the egg and gently drop it into the water. Whites will begin to cook/thicken, and you may need to use a spoon to carefully direct them around the yolk.
Microwave for another 20-30 seconds. Remove immediately from water and place in soup, atop salad, on bread, etc.
Now for the link up! The rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.
In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instragrams of your creations. 🙂
***
This time tomorrow I’ll be in a forest in FLA… in the midst of an 8-hour adventure race. Ahhhh! #strangebutcrazy
Also, I forgot to mention I was featured in FitFluential’s Ambassador Spotlight yesterday! Check it out here.
Have you ever made breakfast quinoa? What are your favorite mix-ins?
What #strangebutgood creations have you enjoyed lately?
No drinking in Junk-Free January.
Booze cooks out, so I’m calling the recipe “in bounds.”
With the holidays over, you may have some extra beers lying around your house. Don’t let them go to waste! Even if you don’t drink beer, it’s a good idea to keep them on hand.
Beer can act as a tenderizer, adds lightness to batters (think: beer bread), and leaves behind a light hop/barley flavor in stews. I used a pilsner in this chili recipe, but a lager would work well too.
Chili is meant to be hearty, not soup-y (in my not-so-humble opinion). Mine is a beast of a bowl. Between the turkey and the beans (the more you eat ’em, the more you…), it’s nearly thick enough to eat with a fork.
Depending on your preference, ground chicken or crumbled tempeh would also work well here.
I like the smokiness of a Tex-Mex-style chili, so I added some liquid smoke and used fire-roasted tomatoes. If you don’t have smoke you can simply leave it out, or add smoked paprika in place of some of the ancho chili powder.
Mexican food is one of my favorites, so I made sure to add in jalapeno and cumin. The heat is pleasant – not overwhelming – and just what the doctor ordered in the suddenly arctic weather we are having in Atlanta. Seriously… what happened to our Southern California-like weather?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Heat a large pot over med-high heat. Spray with olive oil or cooking spray and place turkey in pot. Stir the turkey and cook until no pink remains (~ 5 mins).
Add the olive oil and the onion to the pot. Cook over medium heat until softened (~5 mins). Add the garlic and jalapeno, cooking until fragrant (~2-3 mins). Add spices and stir to combine.
Add the carrot, pepper, tomato puree, beans, liquid smoke, and beer. Stir and bring to a boil. Mix in broth and vinegar, then cover. Allow to simmer and thicken over low heat for 30-45 mins. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve, garnished with chives and Greek yogurt.
Makes 4 servings.
Note: To make gluten-free, replace beer with more broth or GF beer. To make vegan, use tempeh in place of turkey.
Approximate Nutritionals: 316 calories, 8.7g fat, 57.1mg sodium, 26.9g carbs, 7.2g fiber, 5.5g sugar, 30.9g protein
***
2 reminders: the h.h. gregg $100 gift card giveaway ends at midnight (click here to enter), and don’t forget to link up your Strange But Good creations tomorrow (click here for logo and details).
What is your favorite style of chili?
Have you fully recovered from the holidays? I’m still spinning a bit.
Bloggers make the best house guests.
This weekend my girl Allie @ Forgotten Beast came to Atlanta for a visit and to train with my trainer, Steve, at House of Payne. Allie is also training for a figure competition. She definitely lives up to her blog name – girl is a BEAST!
Steve made us strike a pose for a post-training mug shot:
We trained, we had posing practice… and then we ate our way through Atlanta.
Allie eats a plant-based diet, so I knew I had to take her to one of my favorite vegan places in town, Dough Bakery. We split the “egg and bacon” biscuit above along with some vegan soft-serve before walking around one of Atlanta’s funkier neighborhoods (Little 5 Points).
For dinner we hit up Cakes & Ale where we split basically half of the menu and took pictures of it. All tasty, but our favorite was the brie, and marinated greens with walnut croutons. Our second favorite was the absolutely fabulous staff (Hi William!). We rounded out the night with a craft beer from Brick Store Pub. Allie is a fan of the craft, and this place has a beer menu that reads like fine dining restaurant’s wine list.
We stayed up too late chatting and eating the remainder of my S’more Bars. It was awesome. And I begged her to move to ATL.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The next day we continued to eat our way through Atlanta. It was the day of my cooking demo at Taste of Atlanta!
I was terrified, but SO glad to have Allie there for moral support. My friend Kathleen also came; it means so much to have friends there when you jump so far outside your comfort zone. You guys were also so great with the encouraging comments and tweets this weekend!
There wasn’t a huge crowd, but there were spectators that weren’t my friends. I thought when they said they’d provide 2 burners that it would be little stop top… notssomuch. It was a Bunsen burner. Between that and the wind, the Butternut Squash-Apple Soup took what felt like forever to make. Just browning the garlic took 10 mins.
The view from the stage during set up
Overall, it did go well. The burner eventually warmed up (thank you to the amazing volunteers who helped get it going), and I was able to prove that this is a soup you could make on a campsite. 🙂
I did have an amateur fail: I was so flustered by the end that I forgot to add the turmeric. Thank god Sweetwater Growers’ infused olive oil and fresh herbs were so flavorful the soup still tasted good.
Thank you to Scott and Sweetwater Growers for asking me to demo my recipe using their Red Pepper-infused olive oil.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Workout Recap
Last week I mentioned we added 100 pull ups (assisted ) to my daily routine. I did them most days… travel and long workouts threw me off a little. My goal this week is to buy a pull up bar so it’s easier for me to get them done each and every day.
But that’s not as exciting as posing pics, right? Yes, I asked permission before plastering Allie’s ass on the internet.
Workout Recap (10/1 – 10/7):
***
I’m 4 weeks out from my competition… the diet is getting crazier. More on that and a new fitness feature tomorrow!
When was the last time you had to go outside your comfort zone?
Have you ever met your “online” friends in real life?
We all like a good quiz.
Or is that just me?
Today I have 2. One is Presidential in nature. Don’t worry. I’m not getting political on you. This is all about what they EAT. (Source article here.)
Check out the following food items and see if you can guess whether President Obama or Mitt Romney like to nosh on…
(answers at the end of this post)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Quiz #2 is all about fall.
I saw this quiz on Matt’s blog and thought it looked like fun. Since I’m in Tex-ass right now for work, I thought it was especially appropriate to “borrow” a quiz from a native Texan.
Apples. We used to drive to the North GA mountains as a kid to pick apples. My favorite part was the little stores with their apple doughnuts and hot cider. And if we were good we got to stop for fudge in my favorite mountain town. I always got chocolate-peanut butter (not much has changed…).
My parents were brave getting 3 kids high on sugar and before an hour drive home.
I am not a big fan of cooked apples, but I love my PB & Aggs (I add the apples at the very end so they are warm but still crisp) and my Apple-Carrot Muffins.
That’s tough! Right now I’d say either my Pumpkin Protein Pancakes or Pumpkin Tiramisu Parfait. Side note: I do NOT like pumpkin pie. It’s too much.
Aside from the Butternut-Apple Soup I’m making for my Taste of Atlanta demo on Sunday (‘scuse the shameless plug), I adore Babaganoush Soup. It almost makes me look forward to cold weather. Almost.
It depends on the temperature outside, the importance of the game, and the quality of the seats. If it’s a good game that I want to watch closely and the seats aren’t good, I’d rather be inside. If the seats are good and it’s 75 degrees I’m all about the energy of the stadium! If the weather is good, the seats are bad, and I don’t care about the game I’d also rather be in the stands. It’s complicated.
It was Georgia Tech. Until they lost to Middle Tennessee Girl’s School last weekend.
I like to sleep in, so falling back is fine by me. Springing forward sucks. I still don’t fully understand why we do this…
They don’t change much now that I’m focused on weight lifting. They gym is temperature controlled. When I was running, I would typically do other forms of cardio (like kickboxing or this interval workout) when it got too chilly. The cold air hurts my lungs.
Also, I have Raynaud’s disease so that is not fun when it’s freezing out. White, numb fingers and toes that last for hours is creepy.
Boots. With or without the fur. Definitely without the whole club lookin’ at herrrr.
For sure! I try to eat seasonal produce, and most of my meals are warm. Have I mentioned I hate being cold?
You’ll see a lot of Italian-inspired foods like this vegan Eggplant Rollatini.
Dessert isn’t seasonal for me. I don’t like cooked apples or masses of pumpkin, so none of the traditional pies. We do have a Kentucky Derby Pie that is made every Thanksgiving. Bourbon, pecans, and chocolate chips… you really can’t go wrong.
I love the colors when the leaves change, crisp mountain air, and FOOTBALL!
Cold. I’d be happy with 75-80 degree temps year round.
It’s already busy, but I’m looking forward to my first figure competition!
I also can’t wait to hang out with Allie this weekend (possibly again in Nov for NPC Nationals), and hopefully seeing Heather in November. Love my weird-o foodie friends.
______________________________________________________________________________________
I almost forgot! The Presidential preference answers are…
***
Allie comes in town tonight!!! Saturday we have leg day and go to posing practice with my trainer. Dine like kings queens at Cakes & Ale. Cooking demo Sunday. Could this weekend rock any harder?!
Tell me one of your fall favorites. Any seasonal recipes to share?
How did you do on the Presidential food quiz?
Call me Little Miss Muffet…
… though I do NOT like to sit on my tuffet.
I do really dig my curds and whey. Like these curds:
Bloggers everywhere get excited when they have an empty peanut butter jar. Overnight oats are tasty and exciting – I won’t argue that! I will argue that cottage cheese in an almost empty container is equally good. The name is more cumbersome…
When I have an almost-empty jar, I swirl up my cottage cheese with mix-ins and take it to go. Easy mid-morning snack at work! This container included Sunbutter, cinnamon, a little stevia, nutmeg, and a plum.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Before I get to the whey, I want to share a little happy-excited-nervous news with you guys… I am doing another cooking demo!
This one is at Taste of Atlanta. Slightly bigger than my gym…
I’ll be in the “Family Food Zone” tent with Sweetwater Growers (not to be confused with the brewery). Sweetwater makes amazing infused olive oils and hydroponic basil.
Apparently it’s official because I’m on the website:
The recipe I’ll be sharing is for my (vegan) Butternut Squash-Apple Soup that uses Sweetwater’s red pepper-infused oil. I started making it nearly 2 years ago (around the time of my blog’s birth!) and it remains my favorite fall soup to this day.
There is a rich sweetness from the butternut squash and the apple but it’s balances out with the rosemary and the bit of heat on the end from the red pepper-infused oil.
No Vitamix will be used, but I do get to play with my immersion blender. And my nerves. Did I mention I’m nervous? What if no one comes? what if lots of people come? What if there is awkward silence? AHHHHHH!
______________________________________________________________________________________
Baking. Baking calms my nerves. Baking with protein powder calms my nerves AND gives me awesome post-workout treats.
Baking with zucchini also makes me happy… as evidenced by the fact that this is now my third zucchini muffin recipe. The previous 5 (all low-cal and free of added sugars):
This one is different, I swear! This recipe is the first one with whey protein, and it is a bit more savory. More reminiscent of the traditional bread. I especially love the hint of coconut with a little warm spice from the cinnamon and cardamom.
These muffins are also flourless. Almond and coconut flours replace “regular” flour here to lend a nutty richness to this muffin.
Super-moist. Low-carb, high protein. These are a great pre-workout snack, or a perfect clean addition to your recovery meal.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grated my zucchini into a bowl and squeezed out the excess moisture. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
Add in liquids, and mix until just combined. Fold in grated zucchini.
Grease a muffin tine with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into tins. Baked for 15-20 mins.
Makes 9 muffins.
Approximate nutritionals: 95 calories, 4.2g fat, 45.3mg sodium, 9.2g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.4g sugar, 7.5g protein
***
The good news is that I’ve been so stressed at work that I haven’t fully felt the nerves of the demo until now. 😉
How do you calm your nerves and/or relax?
What is your favorite fall soup?
…