Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

The One Where Food Became Fuel

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Food, in the simplest of definitions, is fuel.

I missed that memo.

Food, for me, has always been entertainment.  It’s art.  It’s an experiment.  It’s what I do when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired, bored… I love food.  End scene.

You might imagine that a limited diet is my worst nightmare.  I’ve been trying to prove you can still be creative on a competition diet.  You can… but the last week of cutting is HARD.  You’ll notice from last week’s WIAW at 4 days out, I still had a lot of variety.  This time around I decided to try something new.  Being more boring traditional.

I cut fat and am sticking to lean proteins (mostly tilapia).  My main veggie is asparagus.  My carbs are oatmeal in the morning and sweet potato after that.  I’m not hungry at all… but my palette is bored out of its mind.  Food has become fuel.

4 days out

Why am I doing this?  Quite simply, to see if it’s necessary.  I want to compare last weekend to this weekend.  Will it make a difference if I eat more like everyone else the week before a competition?  Only my abs time will tell!

The fascination with experimentation is what’s keeping me on track this week!

I almost feel like I should apologize for the repetitive nature of this WIAW.  I am 4 days from my 4th figure competition.  It’s the last one for a long while… I promise next week will be more interesting.

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

Breakfast:

I still start the day with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

Breakfast was oatmeal with a ton of cinnamon, honey, and pomegranate atop a homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties.  I really do love the turkey “sausage.”  It’s something I would make in the off-season too – they’re a great clean, low-sodium alternative to the store-bought stuff.

As usual, I ate it in the car on the way to work.  Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait!

Turkey-oatmeal coffee mug parfait

Mid-Morning Snack:

Surprise, surprise.  Tilapia.  I did add some variety with cucumbers, red bell pepper, and purple sweet potato chips (with cinnamon).

tilapia and purple sweet potato

Lunch:

Fish variety at lunch – I had Perch with my asparagus.  The asparagus I sautéed during food prep with shallots, garlic, lime juice, and herb.  I’m really loving the perch – it’s super mild.

perch and asparagus

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Tilapia.  Again.  Added some variety in two ways: I used purple asparagus and I made it into ribbons!  Purple asparagus is thicker, so it makes it a bit easier to shred into ribbons.  Fuel can be fun.  Ish.

asparagus ribbons

Dinner:

Dinner was is my favorite treat – Sea Bass.  It even makes asparagus taste better.  Purple sweet potato is like dessert.  I topped it with some nutritional yeast for a nutty accent.

sea bass and purple sweet potato

Dessert:

It’s not really dessert anymore.  Tilapia topped with a blend of Mexican spices and cucumber with salt-free mustard.  Nom.

***

I prepped all my food to take to Denver today for this weekend’s competition.  Tilapia and curry-roasted asparagus are on tap for the plane.  Others on the flight are going to love me. #sorryimnotsorry

Do you view food simply as fuel?  Fun?  Something else?

How do you keep it interesting in the kitchen?

A Day of Food at 4 Days Out

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Change is often slow.

 

The bane of my impatient existence.

Change does come to those who stay the course.  When I started training for competitions I had some muscle tone, but was underweight and had literally run my ass off.  I posted about my journey here so I won’t rehash.  What I will say (again) is that there is NOTHING you can’t accomplish with hard work and the unwavering belief that you can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.

Yes, I’m still small for Figure; I know I have a long way to go.  This weekend’s show is the most competitive one I’ve ever done and I know I won’t place.  That doesn’t lessen my excitement to have the experience, and to be around so many inspiring competitors.  AND – regardless of the outcome – I’m pretty damn proud of this progress in about a year and a half.

Progress pic 2013

Competing isn’t easy.  Some days I don’t want to get up and do cardio or eat healthy food or hear snarky comments from people… but it is worth it.  The good days and the personal satisfaction outweigh the bad.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: find something you’re passionate about and go do it to the fullest extent.  It could be running, lifting, painting, writing code… whatever!  You will be more fulfilled and SO MUCH happier – it has made all the difference for me.

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Enough inspirational mush!  This WIAW I am 4 days from my 3rd figure competition!  Bring on the lean protein, complex carbs, and yes… the asparagus. 

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

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Breakfast:

As usual, I started the day I with my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  I swear it’s more energizing than coffee.

Breakfast was pancakes.  Not as good as my usual.  These were just oat flour, an egg white, baking powder, and cinnamon.  BUT… I got to have pancakes!  The sauce was the best part.  I mashed up raspberries, added a dash of maple extract, and microwaved them for ~10 secs to create a syrup.  I’d eat that outside of competition prep!

With a side of Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken.

oat cakes and raspberry sauce

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Leftover Parrot Fish with asparagus and sugar peas.  Nom.

The fish looked prettier on Instagram 2 nights ago.  For those that were curious on Monday, the fish was tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. It was a mild white fish, on the meaty side and slightly buttery.

parrot fish

 

Lunch:

I froze last week’s leftover lean beef burgers for lunches this week.  It was just as good warmed up and eaten with sweet potato rounds, asparagus, and red peppers.

Some have asked why I eat the majority of my asparagus raw.  The reason is VERY important: I like it better raw.  It has a sweet crunchiness.

burger

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I gave in to a cliché and went back to an old recipe this week… Tequila Lime Tilapia.  Tilapia is “the” source of protein for many in the bodybuilding community.  Variety is a better choice for me; if I had to eat the same thing every meal I’d never make it.  Tilapia is fine in moderation though!  Especially with tequila.

The fish and calabaza squash were cooked during my Sunday meal prep.  I reheated them ate at it with a quick raw salad of yellow cherry tomatoes and white asparagus tossed in a mix of nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and a homemade Mexican spice blend.

Tequila-Lime Tilapia

 

Dinner:

Dinner was a roasted veggie fest – part of this week’s food prep was a giant pan of white and green asparagus, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, green onion, and fresh herbs in Meyer lemon juice.  I also tossed pieces of the actual lemon in the pan too.  It’s completely edible and not too sour after a good roast.

Eaten with my favorite protein: Sea Bass.

sea bass and roasted veggies

 

Dessert:

No more diary and no more protein powder in my diet… it’s Cinnamon-Flax Baked Chicken and carrots for dessert.  Admittedly, this is NOT my favorite part about competing.

chicken dessert

***

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~Diane Ackerman

What are you passionate about?

Do you prefer veggies raw or cooked?  I generally like ’em raw… though I do love a good char roast.

 

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake + WIAW

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Here comes the rooster.

Bonus points if you can name that song..

sriracha

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…

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

Breakfast:

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

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Oatmeal

  • 1/4 C TVP
  • 1/4 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 C egg whites
  • 1/4 c pumpkin purée
  • 1.2 tsp cinnamon,
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • Stevia or other sweetener, to taste

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!

Mid-Morning Snack:

Leftovers from this Sheepshead fish I prepared over the weekend, along with some roasted veggies.  And a few unpictured rice cakes.

Sheepshead fish

Lunch:

Cod, hummus, red pepper slices, cucumber, and sweet potato doused in cinnamon.  Standard fare for Gantt chart reviewing.

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

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.

salmon cucumber rolls

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:

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).

Dessert:

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

Red Velvet Protein Mugcake

  • 22g chocolate protein powder (I used 2/3 scoop Growing Naturals)
  • 1 scoop (7.5 g) Cocoa Cardio*
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
  • 3 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 egg white (or flax egg)
  • 2 T pumpkin puree (can also use applesauce)
  • ~8 drops NuNaturals orange pure liquid stevia
  • Optional toppings: popcorn, cacao nibs, nut butter

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. 

***

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.

Here’s to Kids Who Are Different

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Why are we so judge-y?

 

Seems to be a theme lately.

Anytime you go against what people view as “normal” you’re going to get remarks.  I have no problem with that.  I actually welcome them because it opens the door for a conversation.  And I’ve always been a little different.  #strangebutgood

Kids Who Are Different

 

Story number one.  

I ran into a friend this weekend who wouldn’t quit when I explained that I couldn’t join them for burgers and drinks 3 weeks out from a competition.  (Granted, she ad been drinking and we all know that when you’ve been drinking you can’t understand why everyone doesn’t want to join that party.  I’m sure I’ve been guilty of this.)  

She kept on and said something along the lines of “How long are you going to do this?  It can’t be fun.  I’d be miserable.”  Something clicked in me and I told her I choose NOT to go eat burger because I am in a good place.  I am focused and happy.  In fact, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.  She paused and said ‘I can’t argue with that!”  And let it go.

 

Story number two.  

I was in the gym locker room in my office building yesterday and a lady complimented me on my workout.  She called me a beast AND said she liked my hair.   I was totally flattered and thanked her… but then she said something that really struck me.

She said “No homo.”  I asked her to repeat herself and she explained “I’m not gay or anything.”  Okay…

fabulous

I went to Pride this weekend in Atlanta.  I had a blast.  I have no problem with who you want to screw/marry/raise kids with.  If you compliment me, I’m going to be appreciative and feel good about it.  I’m not going to assume you’re trying to get in my pants (although it’s been a while, so if you are trying let me know 😉 ).

I appreciate the compliment, but I’m sad that women feel the need to qualify compliment – giving and receiving.  I’m guilty too!

 

Lately it seems there have been more unnecessary remarks than usual.  Lindsay wrote a great post last week asking why it’s so hard to compliment women.  I replied to her, realizing I am guilty.  It dawned on me that I have an easier time accepting compliments from men than from women too.  My chiro said I had good arm muscle and I said “I know.”  A lady in the elevator complimented my hair and I said “Oh no! I need a cut! It’s bushy.  But thank you so much for being kind!”  WTF?!

My point is… I think there’s a lot of judging lately.  People bitching about the pregnant bodybuilder lifting weights.  The article about a super fit mom I posted last night.  The stories I relayed today.  I believe it comes from insecurity about ourselves.  Lacking confidence.

No matter who you are and what you do, there’s going to be someone with an opinion.  Their opinion doesn’t matter.  Know what matters to YOU, who YOU are, and why you live your passion.  Be confident in those things.

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This is WIAW I am 3 weeks from my next competition!  No big diet changes yet… but next week… well, let’s just say food prep will get easier with limited options.  Hello, stinky asparagus pee.

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

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Breakfast:

Typical start to the day I had my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.

My breakfast was one that I never wanted to end.  I scrambled egg whites with turkey, pre-roasted kabocha, and blackberries mashed into pico de gallo.  Then I threw it into an almost empty no salt cottage cheese container for my ride to work.

Mexican blackberry scramble

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

I discovered the gym in my office building.  It’s made my life 100x better.  As such, I’ve begun bringing my post workout smoothie to work.  Today I had a Strawberry-Lime-Jalapeno Smoothie.*

*I had a killer workout and was too hungry to bother with a pic.  Pretend this is it.  It all looks the same after I add the spinach.

workout

 

Lunch:

Turbot with cucumber and a delicious new recipe.  I made Janet’s Tamarind Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas.  Just a few tweaks, but it was absolutely delicious!

Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas

My modifications:

  • Replaced the coconut oil with 1/2 T of olive oil
  • Added ~ 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Reduced tamarind paste to 1T (the flavor is too strong to me)
  • To save time, I cubed the eggplant before roasting (only took ~15 mins; I prepped the rest of this dish while I was waiting) 
  • Added chickpeas directly to the post without pre-heating or mashing

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I have a little yellowtail sashimi (SO good) and a little turbot… so this became a  “I only have bits of things left” meal.  With sweet potato, snow peas, and chipotle hummus.

Does anyone else snack on raw snow peas?  They are so sweet it’s almost like dessert.  Not really – dessert is scared.  But they are really good and make a refreshing end to a meal.

hodge podge meal

 

Dinner:

Dinner was an experiment gone right.  I baked tempeh with my Thai Peanut Sauce. It was delicious with red pepper and kale chips.

baked thai peanut tempeh

Dessert:

Giant bowl of Zucchini Bread Protein Batter made with Greek yogurt as the base.  Topped with balls of Quest.  These balls were made from the new double chocolate chunk bar, rolled up and baked (I still like the cookie dough best). Also topped with blackberries, popcorn, and almonds

Rock out with your carbs out.

rock out with your carbs out

***

“Wearing a mask wears you out. Faking it is fatiguing. The most exhausting activity is pretending to be what you know you aren’t.” ~Rick Warren

Do you struggle with compliments?  Does it differ depending on who is delivering the compliment?

Have you seen more judging lately?  How do you handle pressure from others?

 

PB & Pear Eggs + WIAW

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Technology gets me excited.

 

Clearly I need to get out more.

Being a figure competitor means my food scale is my most-used kitchen tool.  I need to weigh my proteins to make sure I have enough, and I can more easily get accurate serving sizes for other items.  Even if you don’t eat like a crazy person, scales are a HUGE help in baking.  I no longer use measuring cups!

countertop and prep pad

 

I read about this Countertop + Prep Pad with glee.  This device can determine the exact nutritional content of whatever you’re making and track your eating habits.  Beyond the traditional accurate weighing of ingredients, it has a BlueTooth connection and an app which displays your data.  You place food on the scales, indicate what it is, and the app shows the nutritional data (with macros, micros, and ingredients).  It even tracks goals for you!

It’s available to pre-order now for $149.95 (delivery in November).  I’m soooooo tempted…

(I randomly ran across this… they didn’t pay me or anything.  It’s just cool.)

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This is WIAW I am back to “normal.”  I food prepped well this week, and was able to keep on track through back to back meetings.  It’s a fun busy though. 🙂

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Read on for my 4 weeks out eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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Breakfast:

Ever the creature of habit, a had my Aminos and ACV morning cocktail.  Sam posted she’s been starting her day with ACV for a year… made me realize I’m at about 2 years.  Whoa.

My meal was a win.  Normally I go to bed thinking about breakfast, but last night I didn’t have an clear vision.  It came in the morning though!  Pear.  Cardamom.  Eggs.  Peanut sauce.  Totally normal.

PB & Pear Eggs to go

Cardamom is one of those “a little goes a long way” spices, but just a pinch can make a dish something spectacular.  Especially when that dish involves pear.

I plated this for a pic before pouring it into a solo cup to-go.  See bottom of post for the prettier pic and full recipe. 

 

Mid-Morning Snack:

Crab salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, hummus, and pepper.  I love crab.  I really love crab that is 20% off.

Crab, arugula, tomato, and hummus salad

 

Lunch:

Dijon Baked Chicken (so glad I made a TON of froze it), roasted bok choy, and yuca fries with salsa.  I am newly obsessed with yucca fries.

Yuca (also known as Cassava) is a thick, starchy tuber.  It’s sort of like a potato, but a little sweeter and drier.  It’s also really hard to slice… but, like kabocha, it’s worth the effort.  I sliced mine into fries and roasted it on 425 til it was crispy (maybe 25 mins?).

Yuca fries

For a funny story about my lunch here.

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I make a lot of food… which means sometimes I forget about recipes.  This week I remembered one I really loved: BBQ Cauliflower Bites.  Yesterday I ate it at work with asparagus and a veggie burger with beer mustard.  Happy girl, I was.

BBQ Cauliflower and veggie burger

 

Dinner:

Dinner was a pleasant surprise.  I was SO SORE after leg day that I decided to take a rest day and detoured to Whole Paycheck Foods on the way home for some fresh fish.  I ended up with flounder, a fish I’d never prepared at home before.

I baked my flounder for 10 mins at 425 with fresh lemon, pepper, and lemon-thyme a co-worker brought me from her garden (thanks Allison!).  Eaten with half a roasted yellow acorn squash and broccoli slaw over a bed of arugula.

Lemon flounder and acorn squash

Dessert:

It’s finally feeling like fall in Atlanta, so a warm dessert was in order.  I Made my 150 Calorie Microwave Chocolate Cake (using pumpkin puree instead of applesauce) and topped it with berries and pumpkin fluff.

Chocolate Pumpkin Mug Cake

Pumpkin fluff is amazing.  It’s just equal parts pumpkin puree, Tru Whip (cleaner cool whip from WF), cinnamon, and butter extract.  Just do it.

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PB & Peaggs

PB & Peaggs

  • 2/3 C egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • Pinch of cardamom

For the Sauce

  • 1 T peanut flour (or nut butter)
  • 1 T unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 3-4 drops liquid Stevia
  • 1 small pear, chopped

 

Scramble together then first 4 ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until almost done.  Meanwhile, mix together peanut sauce.

Add the peanut sauce and pear, stirring to combine.  Cook just long enough to warm through. 

Devour.

***

Let’s revisit my leg day.  I am so sore.  So very sore.  GROW LEGS!

Do you use a food scale?  Would you buy this hard-core one?

Have you tried anything new lately that you’re loving? I’m a flounder fan now!

 

Play With Your Food + WIAW

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At what age did playing with your food become wrong?

 

Maybe when people started staring…

Stares don’t bother me.  When I look at my plate of delicious in the middle of a long work day, I want to smile!  For the 3rd day of giveaways, I reached out to the party animals at Hefty Zoo Pals to ask if they would share the fun with you all.

Never mind the fact that their website clearly states these plates “were specifically developed for kids.”

Sammi

 

Now everyone can have a Zoo Pal!  Ok, not everyone…  

Hefty agreed to send 10 of you vouchers for a FREE pack of Zoo Pals plates!  Pleasssssse tag me if you Instagram them.  I’m so exited or the Zoo Pal takeover!  (Giveaway at bottom of post.)

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Rather than a true WIAW (I’m literally eating out of baggies on an airplane), I wanted to share a fun day of eats off of my favorite plates!

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Read on for my animal plate eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog to check out what everyone else is enjoying this week.

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Play with your food!

Zoo Pals Collage 1

1. The fun doesn’t stop with the plates.  I also eat Dora edamame with my Turbot (it’s a fish) wrap

2. Baked Turbot with injera and my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Sea Bass with a raw zucchini and asparagus salad marinated in salsa and nutritional yeast

4. Swordfish with cucumbers and hummus

 

Zoo Pals Collage 2

1. Zucchini, watermelon radish, and Dijon Baked Chicken with lentil hummus

2. Sea Bass with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I store in my desk).

3. Eat more veggies says Reggie!  Celery, snow peas, and more Dijon Baked Chicken (I keep it in the freezer for emergencies)

4. Bison off of a lion plate seems appropriate, no?

 

Zoo Pals Collage 3

1. Tortilla overstuffed topped with lean ground beef, yellow tomatoes, spinach, and avocado

2. Turkey burger sandwich on Ezekial bread with Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and my Creamy Asian Kale Salad

4. Swordfish with more kale salad and a Tomato Brownie

 

Are you ready to play with your food?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you reallllly want to know that craziness I’m eating on the road, check out my Instagram feed.

***

Don’t forget to enter the Muesli giveaway for $50 to use in their store!

Do you play with your food?  I know a lot of you guys are Instagram food stylists!

What is the best part about meal time for you?

 

Satisfying Creamy Asian Kale Salad + WIAW

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There are no short cuts.

That doesn’t seems to stop people from trying .

Satisfries?  Really Burger King?  According to this article, the fast food chain has developed a lower fat french fry.*  One serving is 190 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 210 milligrams of sodium.

*Yes, they are really called Satisfries

satisfries

Apparently Satisfries taste like regular fries – they are made with the same oil as the full-fat version.  The trick is that Burger King uses an oil-repelling agent in the better that lowers the fat content.

This is kitchen wizardry, not a nutritious french fry.  I can’t stand when companies do this because it’s misleading to consumers.  Yes,ultimately it’s up to the individual to do their research… but they DON’T.  They see these products come out and think eating fries for lunch every day is a good choice (with a burger and a diet coke).

Right or wrong, the timing couldn’t be better.  The U.S Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts on their menus next year.  I wonder how many more menus items like these will be popping up?

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This is WIAW was crazy.  I was in back to back meetings and pretty much only left my office long enough to pee and run to the fridge for more food.  Thank god for food prep.  I’m sure people think I’m nuts.

WIAWbutton

Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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Breakfast:

I’m still going with my new Aminos in my morning cocktail.  I am liking it!  It’s not a sweet, but I think that’s nice on my taste buds early in the AM.

The food part… well, let’s just say I won’t be leaving the house without tasting my breakfast first ever again.  This was going to be a genius idea – mixing ingredients for an oatmeal mugcake the night before so all I had to do was nuke it in the morning.  2 mistakes: I tried a totally new recipe and I microwaved it WAY too long.

mugcake fail

At least the Cats mug made me smile.

Mid-Morning Snack:

Porgy with celery sticks and my lentil hummus.  Porgy was a new fish to me.  I really liked it – it’s heartier, more similar to chicken than a flaky fish.

Bonus: Progy is fun to say. porgy fish

Lunch:

This was salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and a massaged kale salad.

The dressing (massage lotion?) was my take on Heather’s Creamy Chickpea Salad.  If you’ve never use tofu in dressing before, you MUST try it.  I can’t believe how creamy and delicious this was!

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

Creamy Asian Kale Salad

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • ~10 shiitake mushrooms, diced
  • 1/2 C chopped asparagus
  • 3 ounces firm tofu
  • Fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp dulse (seaweed flakes)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

Toss together kale, mushrooms, and asparagus.

Blend together dressing ingredients, and massage into kale mix.  

Can eat immediately, but best if allowed to marinate overnight so that veggies soften and flavors infuse..

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Pork Belly of the sea! Sea bass is my favorite fish.  Hands down.  I ate it in my office with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I keep in my desk).

sea bass

Dinner:

Dinner continues to be more snack-like on my new schedule.  I snacked on some (unpictured) granola before hustling to the gym.  When I came home after 9p, all I wanted was my chocolate-beet smoothie.

I was out of beet powder (my Whole Foods quit carrying it!!!), so I tossed in a raw beet!  The Vitamix blended it like a champ.  Topped with more granola, then inhaled.

chocolate beet smoothie bowl

Then I needed round two.  Double roasted kabocha and peanut flour sauce.

I could eat this every meal.

roasted kabocha and peanut sauce

Dessert:

I’m so sad about this… I made my Carrot Cake Batter Protein Bowl using French Vanilla Designer Whey.  Was planning to top it with a Banana Nut Quest Bar.  And I did.  But not before I burned it.  I ate it any way, obv.  Note to self: Don’t put your Quest bars under the broiler and walk away.

Topped with cocoa powder-coconut flour sauce and Nuttzo.  Because that makes everything better.

burned quest

***

Don’t forget to enter the Designer Whey giveaway for a 1 year supply worth $500.  Contest ends tonight at 11:59p!

Satisfries.  Do you buy it?  Would you buy it?

Do you keep a stash of spices in your desk or purse?

What I Ate in San Francisco (from home)

By

Leave it to me to go to a food city and bring my own.

 

Not my first choice.

A HUGE part of the commitment to compete is a commitment to your diet.  It’s not easy.  It’s not always fun. HOWEVER… abs are made in the kitchen.

any one can workout for an hour...

 

This trip to has been especially hard for me because it’s my first with my new job… and I have a really fun team to hang out with.  So far I’ve been good, even working out twice in 12 hours due to scheduling.

Preparation is key.  This trip I packed up some old staples.  These are items that “save” me:

Travel foods

  • Homemade fro-yo: I take single serving containers of plain Greek yogurt, add my on mix-ins, and re-cover them to freeze.  Freezing the yogurt makes it easier to get through security (it’s a solid) and it acts as an ice pack for your other foods.  And it’s tasty.  This week I had peanut flour-strawberry and vanilla-mango.
  • Packaged foods: these are a great to have on had.  I pack up single-serving protein powders, bars, stevia, tuna, and rice cakes.
  • Oatmeal: Usually I plan to get this from room service, but I wanted to try something new.  I pre-measured out my oats and adding in ginger and cinnamon.  All I need to do is add water/protein powder/hotel fruit to make oatmeal in my room!
  • Jerky: I don’t often eat jerky, but Perky Jerky offered to send me sample of their (preservative-free) product.  I really like the turkey version only has 110 mg of sodium!  Score.

 

Of course I brought more… see below… 😉

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I’ve done detailed travel posts before, so this is WIAW travel food-edition going to be more of an overview.  I did manage some new (strange?) travel eats this time around.

WIAWbutton

Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

________________________________________________________________________________________

On the Plane:

Overnight oats in a jar make getting up early just a little easier.  These were packed with fig, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla protein powder.

Yes, they made it through security.

overnight oats on a plane

 

Round 2 on the plane was the baked chicken from my food prep (recipe coming tomorrow), carrots, and airplane pretzels.

The fro-yo kept it nice and cold!

chicken on a plane

 

Hotel Breakfast:

This has become an art.  The Westin St. Francis has been fabulous with my crazy food requests.  They brought up apple cider vinegar so I could have my morning cocktail!!!  I downed that along with half a muffin (brought from home) to fuel a morning workout.  Check out the view I woke up to!

Then the full meal was delivered: plain oats with a side of berries, cinnamon, and coffee.  I mixed in my own protein powder, and added coffee to thin it out.  Perfection!

semi-homemade hotel breakfast

 

Other Mini-Meals:

You can actually find acceptable food to eat in cities like SF.  I got to enjoy a kale-barley salad with chickpeas and shrimp for lunch on our first day here:

shrimp salad

 

This was the peanut flour and strawberry fro-yo creation I brought from home.  Can you tell how fantastically frozen it was?!

I ended up having to do my workout at midnight east coast time… this was just the treat I needed after.  I spent half the workout thinking about it.

homemade fro-yo

 

This next snack happened at the conference.  People seemed a little surprised when they discovered I brought the egg from home.  I can’t imagine why…

It turns out hard-boiled egg travels really well!  Tomato Brownies travel well too.  I took it straight from my freezer from home, and by day two it had thawed and tasted delicious!  I didn’t reveal the secret ingredient to my co-workers.  They’d have been too jealous. 😉

tomato brownie and egg

 

Of course, there have been other eats.  When we go to restaurants I order veggies with a plain grilled protein or I bust out my “emergency” tuna.  It’s really no too hard too eat out (temptation side).

***

If anyone wants to send random tweets of support and keep me honest… that wouldn’t suck. 😉

Do you struggle with diet?  It’s the hardest part about competing for me!

Do you like hard-boiled eggs?  This was my first time making them for myself!

 

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