Who needs TV when you have Whole Foods?
Yes, I grocery shop for entertainment.
I had no need to be at Whole Foods last Saturday… but the salmon was on sale for $11.99 a pound. Who am I to turn down a good price on salmon? A pretty pink slab of fish in hand, I noticed the shrimp. I almost passed it up because it had the shell and the tail, but the awesome fish guy said they’d steam and shell it for me while I shopped!
This isn’t about the shrimp (but did you know they’d do that?!).
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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!…
Sriracha and I have a long relationship.
Second only to my relationship with my hair stylist.
Spicy is a food group all its own in my house. I put Sriracha or some sort of heat source on nearly everything. Even my chocolate sauce is “Mexican” with the addition of cayenne. Why should muffins be any different?
If adding Sriracha to muffins isn’t strange enough, I also added veggies. I choose red peppers, zucchini, and shiitake mushrooms to compliment the Vietnamese feels of the Sriracha. You can easily change it up with your favorites.
This spicy little number is also low carb thanks to coconut flour. I also added stay-powder with healthy amount of cottage cheese and eggs to amp up the protein.
Heat up your morning (or your evening) with a spicy little number. They’re good from the freezer too – just pop it in the microwave ~30 seconds to thaw.
It may sound strange, but it’s good.
[Tweet “Sriracha and veggies… in a muffin?! These are #strangebutgood!”]
Sriracha Veggie Muffins
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20-25 mins
Keywords: bake saute snack bread gluten-free low-carb low-sodium low-sugar nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegetarian coconut flour cottage cheese egg egg whites Asian
Ingredients (12 muffins)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
Heat pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Saute veggies until tender. Set aside.
Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in wet ingredients. Lastly, fold in sautéed veggies.
Divide evenly into muffin tins. Bake 20-25 mins, until toothpick come out clean.
Can be stored 5-6 days in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.
Approximate nutrition (per muffin): 81 calories, 1.6g fat, 88.8mg sodium, 8.5g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 1.3g sugar, 7.3g protein
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up 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 Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
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It’s finally going to be sunny all weekend here! Perfect timing for a long weekend.
What is your favorite hot sauce or spice?
Do you prefer savory or sweet muffins?
Apparently there’s a Brussels gene.
I got the version that is addicted to them.
For the New Years Eve pairing dinner I co-hosted, I made Brussels and Prosciutto Skewers. People loved them… except I was told by one person that there is a gene (like the cilantro gene) where some people think they taste bitter.
Apparently about 50% of the world has this gene. If you’re not one of those unfortunate people, you’ll love this recipe. (Recipe at the bottom of post.)
I’m ahead of the “trendy” curve.
This is a first.
According to this article, sriracha may be the new pumpkin. Many of you saw the chips. They have now gone so far as to turn it into a vodka flavor.
Why does EVERYTHING good need to be turned into vodka? I like a good drink, and I admit that a sriracha Bloody Mary sounds good… but PB&J? Really?
The point was going to be that I like sriracha before it was cool. Before the pumpkin obsession. Before even the bacon obsession. So there. Pass me a pumpkin-bacon-sriracha martini.
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This WIAW felt like it was going to be “meh” after a rushed food prep. Looking back it didn’t turn out too badly. I’m pressed for time, but having quick proteins has helped – on busy weeks I rely on no-salt deli turkey and rotisserie chicken. With a few simple flavor adds, semi-homemade tastes pretty good! Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!…
Here comes the rooster.
Bonus points if you can name that song..
Many of us have fallen in love with the spicy sauce, but did you know it has an interesting back story? Yesterday I came across this article explaining the history of “the world’s coolest hot sauce.”
It’s inventor and CEO, David Tran, came to the US from Vietnam in 1980 homeless. Unable to find a hot sauce to satisfy him in the States, he simply made his own with hybrid red jalapeño peppers, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic. He only hoped to make a sauce worthy of a traditional Vietnamese pho. He just discovered that sushi chefs have been using it for years to make spicy rolls! His use of a specific fresh chili is what sets him apart – and manufacturing is dictated by their 10 week, 100 million pound harvest.
Even more mind-blowing is that he has never hired a single salesman, spent any money on advertising, or used social media. “It’s all been word of mouth,” Tran says. As a marketing professional, this blows my mind!
I don’t know where my brain was last week when I said 3 weeks. THIS WIAW I am 3 weeks from my next competition! Just a couple of diet tweaks so far, and we added 15 mins of HIIT cardio. Anticipation of asparagus is high…
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else delicious creations!
As usual, I started the day I with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail. I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.
My breakfast was warm and comforting one on a chilly, rainy morning. Pumpkin pie-esque oatmeal, with a serious protein punch. I really like adding eggs and TVP for texture as well as protein; it makes this into a custard-like bowl of oatmeal.
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal
In a small pot prepare oatmeal and TVP as normal.
When just done, add remaining ingredients, stirring rapidly to incorporate eggs before they scramble.
Pour into a bowl (or coffee mug) and enjoy!
Leftovers from this Sheepshead fish I prepared over the weekend, along with some roasted veggies. And a few unpictured rice cakes.
Cod, hummus, red pepper slices, cucumber, and sweet potato doused in cinnamon. Standard fare for Gantt chart reviewing.
I love that I can get salmon sashimi from the massive international market here. It’s fresh and it’s cheap. Often I eat it plain, but I saw Jenn’s cucumber rolls and had to give it a go.
I only had 4 survivors (I need more practice), but they are so much fun to eat! I rolled them up with red peppers and asparagus, and dipped it all (including that sweet potato) in wasabi.
As delicious as it was, the best part was that my pancake-on-stick-eating coworker said it was so “pretty” that he wanted one. I handed it over and he loved it! Our food comparisons have become a running office joke… I love these guys.
Dinner was a super-quick saute of bok choy, green onions, sugar peas, and garlic in lime juice, coconut oil, and an Indian spice blend. It turned out so well that the rest was just details – chicken (made during Sunday food prep) and injera (Ethiopian teff bread).
I’ve been on a giant Greek yogurt bowl kick lately. That has to stop. 3 weeks out from my competition my trainer sad no more. The idea is to eliminate foods that could bloat. Dairy is one of them. No worries. I’ll just have Red Velvet Cake.
The deliciousness below is basically my 150 Calorie Chocolate Protein Cake, but I used Cocoa Cardio* instead of cocoa powder. Topped with popcorn, cacao nibs, and Nuttzo.
*Cocoa Cardio from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!
Red Velvet Protein Mugcake
Place dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.
Transfer to a large, greased (I use coconut oil) coffee mug and microwave for 1:30 mins.
Tip the cake out onto a plate and top as desired. My cake was topped with nut butter, cacao nibs, and popcorn.
Makes 1 cake.
*Cocoa Cardio from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order! You can also leave it out or use cocoa powder and 1/8 C beet puree to keep it red.
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Thank you all of all of the kind comment on yesterday’s post. It’s sometimes hard for me to tap into the more emotional side – I use humor more often than not. So thank you for being empathetic and kind.
Are you a sriracha fan? What’s your favorite thing to add it to?
Have you ever attempted a homemade Asian roll? Oddly, I found the cucumber easier than dealing with rice paper or seaweed.
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