Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

PB & Aggs + Carrot Cake Batter {WIAW}

By

I’m a big fan of modifications.

Have you seen the dishes I bastardize exercise creative license with?

This week my nutrition plan has had one awesome modification.  After mentioning that I almost hurled last week after shoveling down lunch right before a workout, my trainer gave me an life stomach saving tip.  If a workout is scheduled right after a carb meal (Meal 1, 3, 5, or 7), then I can switch the order of the meals.  So instead of my scheduled Meal 3 carb + protein + veggie combo, I could have swapped it for Meal 4 which is just a veggie + protein.

3 Benefits to This:

  1. Quick protein boost before a workout (and a little energy from the sugar if this occurs in the morning when I get fruit rather than a veggie)
  2. Complex carbs post-workout are great for muscle repair/recovery
  3. No risk of regurgitation

Similar to running, you don’t want to lift heavy on a full tummy.  It’s hard work and being full just makes you feel draggy.  When you’re in prep for a figure competition the last thing you want is to have a junk workout.  I’ve been relishing in this modification all week.  It has done wonders for my energy at the gym, as well as my comfort level!

Enough tummy talk.  We have a new theme this week for What I Ate Wednesday!

Seasonal eating is a big deal to me.  Food that is in season tastes better, and it is less expensive.  Not to mention the fact that you can support your local farmers by purchasing your product through them rather than from far away places like Chile.

Check out my (mostly) summertime appropriate eats below, then click here to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

Meal 1:

I’m recycling the pic from last week of aminos mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar and water.  I drink this down 30 mins prior to meal one for its benefits related to energy, digestion, and skin.

As I mentioned above, I’m doing some meal-order-swapping around my workouts.  Since I was about to hit the gym, I swapped meals 1 and 2.  So… Meal 1 = Meal 2, meaning I need a fruit and a protein.

You follow?

Last week’s PB & Jeggs were so good I did a little remix of that idea.  Rather than using mixed berries, I uses apples to create PB & Aggs!  (Any Aggie fans out there?)

I shook it up a little to be more like PB & Agg Pie. (Is that taking the naming thing too far?)

PB & Aggs:

  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • 2 T water
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 drops lemon liquid stevia
  • 1 small apple, cut into ~1/2 in pieces

See this post for detailed instructions.

Meal 2:

Post-workout I ate what was supposed to be Meal 1.  Hooray for post-workout complex carbs!  This is a seasonal cherry-ginger protein smoothie bowl (with spinach, obv) topped with homemade granola.  It was simple but hit the spot. 

Meal 3:

I often make it through the day with entirely vegetarian protein sources, but today I enjoyed a tuna burger with a said of salsa.  I’d love to share the recipe with you, but to be honest it was a little dry.  The flavor was good… I will keep tweaking and report back.

For my seasonal sides, I enjoyed carrot sticks and raw asparagus.  Produce is so sweet this summer!  I read somewhere that it is due to the extreme heat.  Apparently, some good does come out of 100+ temps! 

My complex carb was a slice of Ezekial bread with some Sunbutter.  After a nasty failed attempt at making my own sunflower seed butter, I sucked it up and bought a jar.

Worth.  It.

Meal 4:

Another seasonal veggie favorite is zucchini.  I’ve seen a lot of pics posted around the web of some massive zucchini. I wish I’d taken one of this sucker before I cut it up because it was a beast.

Eaten with no salt added cottage cheese mixed with peanut flour, nutritional yeast, and sriracha.  It was a sort of Thai peanut sauce!  To be honest… I went a little heavy on the nooch. 😉

Meal 5:

Apparently last Wednesday was particularly inspiring to me.  For dinner, I repeated yet another meal from the week.  What can I say, I fell in love with the (gluten-free) Cauliflower pizza!

I made the crust just like this one, but topped it with a local tomato, red onion, aged balsamic, a farm fresh egg, and a bastardized vegan version of spinach pesto.

 

The pesto creation was quite tasty – lots of herb-y, fresh flavor.  Here’s how I did it:

Vegan Spinach-Rosemary “Pesto”

  • 1 C fresh spinach
  • 1 large sprig of rosemary
  • 1 T nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 tsp olive oil
  • A bit of water (just enough to blend)

 Place it all in the blender and mix until smooth.

If you haven’t made this yet… well, I feel sorry for you.

Meal 6:

Carrot cake is something of a tradition in my family.  It’s not surprising that my favorite protein shake is this carrot cake creation.  It’s what inspired the following snackage.  I had already had a smoothie at Meal 2, and since I try to vary my protein sources, I racked my brain to figure out what other sources I could get 20g of protein from.  The answer?  Greek Yogurt!

Ladies and gentlemen (do any dudes read this blog?!), I give you a bowl full ‘o Carrot Cake Batter:

This protein-packed snack reminds me of that recipe handed down from my MamMaw.  The freshly grated carrot and the hint of nutmeg make this batter is scarily close to the “real” thing.  I have eaten it as Meal 6 every night this week.  Admittedly, some cream cheese icing would be nice.

Recipe at bottom.

Meal 7:

I’m in comfort-dessert food mode.  Pumpkin Pie Mush, anyone?  I’m going to turn orange.

This has been done ad nauseam in blog-land, so I won’t beat a dead horse.  Basically, you mix together your desired amount of oats, protein powder, pumpkin, water or other liquid, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, stevia.  Let sit in fridge for at least an hour.  Devour.

Carrot Cake Protein Batter

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1 T vanilla protein powder
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp maple extract (optional)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 7-8 drops liquid stevia, or sweeter of your choice

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.  Depending on the thickness of your yogurt and the absorption of your protein powder, you may need to add a bit of liquid.

Note: This is also delicious with peanut flour, PB2, or coconut flour in place of the protein powder.

***

Are you keeping track?  I managed 149.1g of protein.  Even more exciting (to me) is the fact that I actually kept my sodium down to 1,137mg.  Shityeah.

What are your favorite summer foods?

Have you ever actually gotten sick during a workout?  I think I would die.

Vegan Protein Sources + Recipes

By

I’m not vegan…

…but I’ve dabbled in the vegan space, and I do acknowledge that my body loves a plant-based diet.

Since I’ve started training for a figure competition, I’ve introduced more diary, eggs, and fish into my diet.  I have to get ~150g of protein per day, so I felt it was the best decision for me to add those items back in.  (I have not added back in meat, which I think is the biggest offender when I felt like I was dragging in the past.)

That’s not to say that the average person can’t get enough protein on a vegan diet though!  Most people only need 0.7-0.8g of protein per pound of body weight.  If you are strength training to gain moderate muscle tone, try to get 1g per pound.

 

Much of my protein does still come from vegan sources, so I was excited to be asked by Kevin (@instagramfitness) to help put together a “clean eating” guide to vegan protein sources.  With input from myself, @_mr_nice_watch and @petitefi, Kevin designed this awesome chart:

Buckwheat clarification: 1C cooked = 6g protein. The 24g number is uncooked. Sorry!

 

Some of my favorite ways to incorporate the vegan proteins above:

Ginger-Lime Edamame and Black Bean Burgers

Cherry-Balsamic Chickpea Salad

Sweet Potato Asian Lentil Loaf

Seitan Chorizo

Salade Niçoise

Check out Kevin’s Tumbler site for more clean eating ideas – there are a few of great charts and info on the following topics:

  • Nuts & Seeds, Dairy, Oils & Fats and Condiments & Minerals
  • Veggies, Fruits, and Grains
  • Hydration and (Non-Vegan) Protein
  • How to estimate the protein, fats, carbs you should strive for each day

***

I would be remiss if I didn’t give shout out to my favorite vegan protein powder, Growing Naturals, and my favorite protein-rich “condiment,” peanut flour, from iHerb.

What is your favorite plant-based protein source?  Do you have any recipes to share using these protein sources?

What are you most looking forward to this weekend? 

Pick-Me-Up, a Tiramisu Protein Parfait

By

Breakfast is the only reason I get up in the morning.

Not really.  I get up because I have to go to work.

Breakfast is the only reason I get up without too much grumbling.  Unless you count the grumbling in my stomach, which has been intense ever since I started training.

That’s a whole other topic.  I eat my last meal around midnight.  In theory that would hold me over.  Notsomuch.  I wake up so hungry you’d think I hadn’t eaten in days.

What’s really fun is waking up starving and remembering you have something really delicious prepped for breakfast.  Remember Meal 1 from yesterday’s WIAW post?  This is it – a Tiramisu Parfait.

The oats are cooked and soaked in coffee and cocoa overnight to produce a light, spongy pudding.  In the morning, I mixed up some Greek yogurt with vanilla protein powder to create the decadent, creamy layers in this Tiramisu Parfait.

Did you know that Tiramisu means “pick me up” in Italian?  Rightly so.  This breakfast rendition was so good it had this night owl up early and eating breakfast with a smile.

The Italian dessert certainly couldn’t be passed off a breakfast (not that it hasn’t happened in a moment of weakness…).  This is a much healthier version is perfectly acceptable in the morning, and you won’t be missing a thing with these flavors.  Espresso-soaked ladyfingers are easily replaced with coffee-cocoa overnight oats.  The sweet, tangy Greek yogurt mixture is the perfect sub for the mascarpone and heavy cream that layers a traditional Tiramisu.

If you’re feeling frisky, you could shake it up and top the breakfast treat with melted cherries.

A traditional Tiramisu can run upwards of 500 calories, 30g of fat, and 30g of sugar.  Never fear.  Depending on your protein powder, this Tiramisu Parfait is around 200 calories, 2g fat, 4g sugar… and 20g of protein!

I never wanted it to end.

Tiramisu-parfait

Tiramisu Protein Parfait

Inspired by this recipe.

For the Oats:

  • 1/3 C rolled oats (use gluten-free to make GF)
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp rum extract (almond would also work here)
  • 1/4 cup strong brewed, cooled coffee
  • 8 drops liquid stevia (adjust to desired sweetness)
For the Cream:
  • 3 oz plain Greek yogurt (use soy or almond yogurt to make dairy-free/vegan)
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 2-3 drops orange stevia (optional, you could also use orange zest or extract of you want the hint of citrus)

Combine the oats, cocoa powder, cinnamon, extracts, and water in a bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid is (mostly) absorbed.  Add coffee and stevia.  Stir to combine, then cover and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours).

In a small bowl, combine yogurt, orange stevia (or zest,/extract), protein powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until well combined.  This can be done the night before, or at time of serving.  

To assemble, place a spoonful of the oats in a cup, followed by a spoonful of the yogurt mixture.  Repeat until you’re out of each.  

Optional: Top with fruit of your choosing.  I chose melted cherries (cherries microwaved with a few drops of lemon Stevia for ~20 secs). Whipped cream would always be amazing.

Makes 1 serving.

***

This first time I made this, I couldn’t wait ’til morning and ate it as Meal 7 (dessert).

Would you eat this parfait for breakfast or dessert?

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Oatmeal Cookie Dough in a Glass

By

You guys have the best ideas.

I make a LOT of shakes and smoothies (what distinguishes the two, btw?).  Would you believe that you don’t even see half of the craziness I blend up?

There are the favorites that end up in steady rotation:

Apple Pie Smoothie

Banana-Maple-Ginger (pictured with Lisa’s raw cookie dough ball)

Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie

My all-time favorite… 

Liquid Sweet Potato Pie

And my new favorite…

Carrot Cake Batter Shake

Which brings me back to the subject of the day.  When I posted the Carrot Cake Batter recipe, Allie commented that she’s more of a cookie than a cake girl.  She requested an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Shake.

I owe her big time for that request, because this is GOOD.  The test batches weren’t too painful to drink either.

Appropriate for breakfast or dessert, this is one tasty batter.  The mix of oats, banana, flax, and coconut flour give it a fabulously doughy texture.  I almost wanted to pop the mix in the oven once I blended it.

Nutritional yeast may seem like a weird addition, but it have a rich, nutty taste that compliments the sweet flavors in this dough.  The vanilla and cinnamon add to the cookie flavor, and – if you have it – the butter extract just adds a hint of “fresh from the oven.”

Confession: I don’t like raisins (or any dried fruit for that matter).  Feel free to blend a few in for added cookie sweetness, but I – being a good blogger – bought 19 cents of raisins from the bulk bin for a topping to enhance the photo accommodate Allie’s request. 😉

***In any of these shakes, you may leave out the protein powder.  I like the addition because a) protein is good for muscle building/recovery and b) it make it more filling.***

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Oatmeal Cookie Shake

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/3 C rolled oats (use gluten-free for a GF shake)
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1 T ground flax
  • 1 T coconut flour
  • 1.5 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp butter extract
  • 7-8 drops liquid stevia
  • 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
  • Ice, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp Guar Gum (optional, but this will make your smoothie thicker)
  • Toppings: crushed walnuts, raisins, cacao nibs (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a high-seed blender and blend until smooth.

Add toppings and drink your dough!

Makes 1 smoothie.

***

Another confession: I didn’t like oatmeal cookies until I was an adult.  I did; however, always like oatmeal.

Have you tried any of these smoothies?

If you could make a recipe request of any blogger, what would it be?

Carrot Cake Batter Shake

By

It’s perfectly acceptable to drink your dessert.

My sister made me my faovrite carrot cake for my birthday.  It was amazing, but sadly I can’t eat like that every day.  Well, I could, but it would require me to live in a sugar coma.

I’ve been working on a healthy alternative to my favorite cake for a while now.  In protein shake form, of course. 🙂

After a few weeks of tweaks with the spice levels, I hit it spot on.  This protein-rich carrot cake batter even got the stamp of approval from my trainer.

He’s picky, so I kept the green out for him.  Feel free to toss in a handful of spinach as you see fit.

I love the ginger and cinnamon in the “batter.”  Those spices are what seals the deal to make it reminiscent of carrot cake.  The tofu makes it creamy, like batter.  Add some vanilla and nutmeg, and you have a cake batter you can feel good about eating.  Yes, you may lick the spatula.

Last night I tried it one last time pre-posting.  I increased the spices slightly so that I could add more ice to create ice cream in my Vitamix without losing flavor.

It worked.

Carrot Cake Batter Shake

Carrot Cake Batter Shake

  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 carrot
  • 3 oz silken tofu
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 in piece fresh ginger
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 7-8 drops liquid stevia
  • Ice, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp Guar Gum (optional, but will add creaminess)

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and mix until smooth.

Makes 1 serving.

***

I actually went back and checked the ingredients a few time because I couldn’t believe anything so cake-like could really be healthy.  True story.

What is your favorite cake flavor?

Do you add spinach to your smoothies?  I felt weird drinking one that wasn’t green!

Gratitude and a Simple Giveaway

By

I have a confession.

When I added dairy back to my diet, I worried people would be pissed I wasn’t going vegan forever.

When I added seafood last week, I wondered if people would think I sold out.

When I read all of the encouraging comments you left, I felt gratitude.

Pushing myself to the limit in this past month of training has left me feeling a little vulnerable.  I’m feel strong and I am proud of what I’m doing, but I am outside my circle of comfort and that can be unsettling at times.

You reminded me that:

  1. The people who read my blog (yes, YOU) are amazingly supportive
  2. I shouldn’t worry about what others think of my eating habits (you’d think I’d never forget this since I blend spinach into everything)
  3. If you focus on doing what is right for you, and the rest will fall into place.

We’ve all struggled at some point in life with body image – if nothing else, its part of growing up!  What I continue to learn (re-learn?) is that you shouldn’t CARE what others think about you.  Especially when it comes to diet.  Your diet is just that – YOURS.  It’s a personal thing.

Some people are naturally teeny.  Some people have bigger bones.  Some were built to bench 200 lbs.  Some are aerodynamic sprinters.  Some people can eat red meat with no problems.  Some people can’t stomach the thought of eating an animal product.  And that’s fine.  Just don’t wear fur and we can all get along. 😉

Sunday will mark the beginning of the 29th year of my life.  The last year of my 20s.  Sometimes I’m amazed at what I’ve done in that time… and sometimes I panic because I wanted to accomplish more (wasn’t I going to rule the world by 30?).

From my perspective, the important thing this to keep your goals in sight and stay focused on the things that mean the most to you – family, career, athletics, crazy food creations, etc.  If you believe you can’t, you won’t.  If you belive you can, you will.

You can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.  Bring it, world domination!

Thank you all for reminding me to stay true to myself, and that support will follow when you are genuine.  It sounds simple, but sometimes it’s hard to remember.

Speaking of simple…

For my birthday I would like to give you a gift!  The people at Simply Bar have offered to send a sample pack to one Sprint 2 the Table reader!

I first tried the Simply Bar at this spring’s Blend Retreat. The Simply Bars were in our (overflowing) shwag bags, and were there to fuel us through a strenuous hike.

I’m a big fan of anything that is natural, tastes good, is low in sugar, and is high in protein.  Here’s how The Simply Bar fits the bill:

  • 16g of protein from non-GMO soy crisps
  • 3g of sugar means no sugar crash
  • These gluten-free, vegan bars actually taste good too
  • At 160 calories they are filling, but won’t leave you over-stuffed

Their current flavors are: Peanut Butter Chocolate, Lemon Coconut, Caramel Peanut, Cinnamon Pecan, Cocoa Raspberry, and Cocoa Coffee.  I haven’t tried the last 2 flavors, but that Lemon-Coconut is positively addicting.  The texture is great – crunchy with a bit of chew, like a rice crispy treat.

How do you win? Receive up to 4 entries by:

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win a sample pack from @thesimplybar with @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1rZ  #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Twitter Follow The Simply Bar, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What goal do you believe you can/will accomplish one day?

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST Wednesday night,  July 18th.  The winner will be announced here on Thursday, July 19th!

Open to US Residents only.  If you’d like to try these bars but didn’t win, check out their Store Locations to find a local retailer, or simply order your own sample pack on The Simply Bar website.

***

Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

~Dr. Seuss

Are you a Seuss fan too?

What are you doing for my birthday this weekend?

Veggie Sushi with Beet-Wasabi Sauce

By

Sushi befuddles me.

 

How do they wrap it so tight and get the rolls to stick together?

I got a wild hair and decided to try my hand at veggie sushi.  No sushi mat, mind you.  I still have no idea how sushi chefs’ rolls don’t fall apart.  Mind did as soon as I picked a bite up.  But they tasted wonderful!  (Halfway through I discovered that cutting them with wet knife helps, FYI.)

 

 

I used parsnips to create the rice, making these rolls a light, veggie-only treat.

 

Even better was the sauce I served with them – a beet-wasabi puree.  I used Greek yogurt to achieve a creaminess that pleasantly contrasted with the crisp veggies in these roll.  The Greek yogurt I used was the Olympus brand I reviewed here.  Its a super thick and creamy yogurt – perfect for a hearty sauce.

 

 

The roasted beets gave the sauce an earthy flavor that was really neat with the nori wraps, and accented with the heat from the wasabi.

This sauce truly is a fun, unique alternative to spicy mayo that works perfectly with the milder, more sweet flavors of the cucumber and carrots in these veggie rolls.  I had some leftover, and it was quite tasty spread on a veggie burger, too!

 

 

 Looking for protein in your sushi?  Click here for a protein-rich vegan sushi roll idea.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce

For the sushi:

  • 2 nori sheets
  •  1 parsnip, blended into “rice”
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 large cucumber
  • 1 radish
  • 1/3 C daikon sprouts
  • 1/2 avocado

 

Scoop a few tablespoons of the parsnip rice onto the nori sheet and spread it across half.  Add toppings and roll nori sheet as tightly as possible.  

Slice into sushi pieces, or eat whole.  Note: wetting your knife before slicing help to achieve a cleaner cut.

 

For the Beet-Wasabi Sauce:

  • 1/2 C beet, roasted
  • 1/4 C Greek yogurt (sub in almond/soy/coconut yogurt to make vegan)
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1/2 in piece of fresh ginger
  • Salt, to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  

If you are sensitive to heat, add the wasabi slowly, tasting to control for spice-level.

***

Totally unrelated, but I need to whine.  I had leg day with my trainer Tuesday night.  My muscles are so sore it hurts to even think about walking.  Second day soreness is the WORST!

When are you the most sore – the next day or the second day after a workout?  Or immediately?  😉

Do you eat sushi?  What is your favorite roll?

 

Planning to Eat Healthy + WIAW

By

Eating healthy on the go takes planning.

I’m sure this isn’t news to any of you.  It’s become particularly evident to make lately as I’ve changed my habits to incorporate more protein and begun eating 7 small meals a day.  Serious training goals take serious planning.

For starters, I keep track of my meals in a spreadsheet.  This way I’m never stuck searching for ideas and/or desperate and hangry for food.  By keeping it on Google Docs, I can easily edit and make additions as I get ideas throughout the day.

It also makes for easy grocery shopping – I can make my list in record time now!  (P.S. check out yesterday’s post for a chart to navigate grocery store.) 

Last week I mentioned that I was struggling to find a wider variety of vegetarian protein sources.  The resulting increase in dairy resulted in my skin is breaking out.  Since then I’ve reduced my dairy to 1-2 servings a day, and my skin has magically cleared up!

One way I’ve kept up my protein intake without the dairy is to incorporate fish into my diet.  If you’ve been reading for a bit, you know that I’ve dabbled with being vegetarian and even vegan.  For me, it was about how much better I felt without meat in my diet.

Mom and I learned together how to bake fish in parchment last Friday evening!

While I do intend to keep my diet as plant-based as possible, I am enjoying experimenting with seafood (something I only started to like a few months ago), and haven’t noticed it dragging me down like I did with meats.

July is becoming my favorite months for a few reasons:

  1. It’s my birthday month  (4 more days!)
  2. The fruits and veggies we’ve been getting at local markets have been particularly delicious
  3. Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday theme for July is of “Food, Fun, and Fitness.”  You guys know that’s perfect for me these days!

Check out my latest adventures in protein-loading below; then click here to the WIAW round-up on Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to see everyone else’s fitness foods!

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Pre-Game:

I woke up early, but my weights workout isn’t until late tonight since I have a date with my trainer.  I’ve grown accustomed to  moving in the morning, so I decided to jump on the treadmill for a power walk while watching a little GMA.  Not wanting breakfast yet, but needing energy I drank down a glass of my Fitmixer Aminos. mixed with ~2T of apple cider vinegar (great way to start the day for energy and errr… digestion…).

Meal 1:

Anytime I have an appointment with my trainer, I try to eat a little heartier throughout the day.  Not stuffing myself, but I want to be sure I have adequate energy because he pushes me to the limit and then some.

I don’t repeat many meals, but last week’s Blueberry Protein Tart was so delicious that I couldn’t wait to eat it again.

Same tart base and peanut butter icing, but I this time used peaches rather than blueberries and sprinkled the top with ground flax and cinnamon.

Meal 2:

Did you know eggs can be cooked in the microwave?  It sounded weird to me at first, but it worked out perfectly.

I microwaved 3/4 C egg whites mixed with black pepper and ~1T water (to make them fluffier) for 2 mins.  Then I stirred it up with some tomato and basil before popping it back in for 15 secs.

 

Topped with pumpkin seeds and red pepper flakes.  I’m positive the work microwaves have never been used for such a creation. 🙂

Meal 3:

Lunch was last night’s leftovers.  Here’s where the fish comes in.  I baked a halibut in parchment with rainbow chard, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese 5-Spice, and a little coconut oil.  It was pretty tasty.  Even though my boss said it smelled… that is a problem with seafood.

Enjoyed with some sesame Wasa crackers. 

Meal 4:

Here’s my serving of dairy – a mixture of no salt added cottage cheese, peanut flour (a.k.a.: my crack), and a bit of liquid Stevia.  Side of cucumber sticks.  This is literally the tastiest cucumber I’ve ever had.  Unbelievable amount of flavor. 

Meal 5:

Remember yesterday’s vegan Protein-Packed Ancho Bean Burgers?  I took one to work for dinner!  Yup – I ate dinner at work.  My trainer appointment was at 9p and I had a Genius Bar appointment at 7p… no point in going home.

All wrapped up in a giant piece of chard with artichoke spread and radishes.

Meal 6:

This was a post-workout shake to cure my leg shakes.

I received a couple of protein powder samples from JBT Labs.  This was a chocolate flavor.  My first reaction was that it was ok… I decided to add chocolate extract to the mix, as well as some Stevia.  There was also 1/2 a zucchini, spinach, and ice in the mix.

At first I was worried because the blender made it frothy. Some people like that… I prefer creamy.

I stored it in the freezer most of the day, but it thawed a good bit between my errand and the workout.  Lo and behold, after it had sat all day the mix and de-frothed and was DELICIOUS.  It seems obvious now, but when faced with frothier powders I will let the mixture have time to rest and settle post-blend.

Meal 7:

Last meal = dessert.  I almost didn’t eat this one because I was so tired from the gym.  But… I knew my muscles would thank me.  Especially when I have an early morning workout planned.

Mashed up strawberries, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, and almond milk.  Let chill in fridge for 30 mins or so.  Devour.  Go to bed.

***

This day of eats contained 6 different protein sources, and I managed 157g of protein.

Do you bring seafood for lunch?  How do you deal with the fishy smell?

How do you keep track of your weekly meals?

Follow Me!

instagram_b facebook_b twitter_bpinterest_b
rss_a email_ayoutube_b googlep_b

Popular Posts

Home | About Me | Privacy Policy | Fitness | Recipes | Training & Nutrition

Affiliate Links: This site is monetized through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, Sprint 2 the Table would receive a small percentage of the sale price. Thanks for your support!